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"Unbelievable but true": Tourist outraged over shocking restaurant fee

<p>A tourist in Italy has been hit with a shocking fee from an upscale eatery after he asked for his sandwich to be cut in half. </p> <p>The anonymous man was travelling in Italy's picturesque Lake Como region, and stopped in at Bar Pace in Gera Lario, at the lake’s northern end, for a vegetarian sandwich and fries for lunch. </p> <p>Travelling with a friend, the man asked for the meal to be cut in half so they could share.</p> <p>After polishing off their lunch, the traveller was shocked when he was given the bill, noticing a charge he had never seen before. </p> <p>The man paid without arguing, but later took to TripAdvisor to leave a negative review. </p> <p>“Unbelievable but true,” the man captioned a photo of the receipt on TripAdvisor.</p> <p>The receipt lists the sandwich for €7.50 ($12.60), Coca Cola for €3.50 ($5.90), water for €1.50 ($2.50) and espresso for €1.20 ($2), along with the debated “diviso da meta”, or “cutting in half” fee, amounting to 2 euros, or $3.40.</p> <p>The confused customer gave the restaurant one star on TripAdvisor, far below the average of four and a half stars, based on over 100 reviews.</p> <p>After the review garnered a lot of unexpected attention, the restaurant's owner defended the fee to a local news outlet. </p> <p>“Additional requests have a cost,” owner Cristina Biacchi told <em>La Repubblica</em>.</p> <p>“We had to use two plates instead of one and the time to wash them is doubled, and then two placemats. It wasn’t a simple toasted sandwich, there were also French fries inside. It took us time to cut it in two.”</p> <p>She also noted that the customer did not complain or question the charge and clarified that she would have removed the charge from the bill, if someone had raised an issue. </p> <p>The extra charge is not unheard of in expensive cities and popular tourist destinations, with some cities in the United States are sometimes hitting diners with a share charge, or a split plate charge, to make up for the lower check average at a table, while some New York City eateries even ban the practice of sharing all together.</p> <p><em>Image credit: TripAdvisor</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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5 unbelievable movie stunts that were real

<p>The rise of CGI in films has made audiences suspicious whenever there is a perfectly executed stunt. However, these films actually pulled of these unbelievable stunts in real-life.</p> <p><strong>1. <em>Live and Let Die</em> (1973)</strong></p> <p>In <em>Live and Let Die</em>, Roger Moore as James Bond, finds himself stranded on an island surrounded by crocodiles. Bond then uses the crocodiles as a bridge, jumping to safety on the other side of the reptiles. This stunt was executed by using the owner of the crocodile farm where they were shooting, Ross Kananga. To prevent the reptiles from swimming around, Kananga tied their feet to concrete blocks. He then attempted to cross the reptile bridge five separate times, and a few of the attempts led to near-death experiences. In one attempt, Kananga slipped midway and was stuck on the back of a croc and then another time, a croc got a hold of his shoe and he was in a tug-of-war battle to keep his foot. On the sixth try, he nailed the stunt.</p> <p><strong>2. <em>Terminator 2: Judgement Day</em> (1991)</strong></p> <p>Near the end of the film, T-1000 shapeshifts into a helicopter and flies beneath an overpass. Director James Cameron wanted this stunt to be real but he had to make sure there was enough space for the helicopter to fit under the overpass. After wheeling it under the overpass, he found he had five feet of space above him and four on each side. The scene was so risky that the camera crew refused to film it so Cameron shot it himself. The risky stunt was successfully pulled off.</p> <p><strong>3. <em>Speed</em> (1994)</strong></p> <p>This move features a scene where the bus has to clear a huge gap in a freeway. Sandra Bullock’s character, Annie Porter, successfully clears the gap and the bus lands safely on the other side. The filmmakers digitally removed the missing bit of concrete in the road but, the director actually got the bus to fly in the air. A stunt driver sped along a LA freeway and went up a constructed ramp. The jump made the driver go up in the air and land 0.49 seconds later. The landing ruined the bus but the driver survived due to a special harness that was designed by the stunt director.</p> <p><strong>4. <em>Mission: Impossible II</em> (2000)</strong></p> <p>Tom Cruise is known for being a daredevil and performing his own stunts. In <em>Mission: Impossible II</em>, the actor’s character gets into a fight with a villain on a beach. The guy gets a knife and tries to stab Cruise in the eye, and during filming, a real knife was used. To make sure he wouldn’t lose his sight, there was a steel cable that was attached to the weapon and Cruise positioned himself so it would stop a quarter of an inch away from his eye.</p> <p><strong>5. <em>The Bourne Ultimatum</em> (2007)</strong></p> <p>In the third movie of the Bourne series, Matt Damon is chasing an assassin and has to leap across an alleyway and crash through the window to get him. To film the scene, director Paul Greengrass got a stuntman to leap from one building to another, smashing into a false window. In order to get the perfect shot, another stunt guy was attached to a wire rig and was given a handheld camera to follow the body double. The director said that they had to film the scene a couple of times to get the perfect shot and in one attempt, the cameraman’s harness got stuck and ruined the shot.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Movies

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Unbelievable: Man's messy response to in-flight meal

<p>Clearly not happy with the inflight meal he'd been served, this "entitled" passenger provoked widespread disbelief as to how he dealt with it.</p> <p>While most of us can’t even think of when we’ll be able to take a plane trip next, a man has behaved so badly on a plane trip there are calls on social media for him to be banned from flying.</p> <p>The man had just been served his inflight meal and he wasn’t happy with it so he dumped most of the food, the tray, utensils and rubbish in the aisle.</p> <p>A <a rel="noopener" href="mailto:https://www.reddit.com/" target="_blank">Reddit</a> user was sitting right behind the messy man on the flight so they took photos of the mess and then posted them on the social media site under the heading: “Man dumps his food into the aisle after he ate what he wants.”</p> <p><img style="width: 24px; height: 24px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/620bbca921de44c1b2610625d1b077fe" /><img style="width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843060/plane-passenger-rubbish-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/620bbca921de44c1b2610625d1b077fe" /></p> <p>Many readers were appalled by the man’s actions, with one saying it would have been a hazard if there’s been an emergency.</p> <p>“That’s literally an emergency hazard!” they wrote.</p> <p>“As someone who flies a lot, this makes me feel so angry. How can he be so entitled!?”</p> <p>Others thought he should be banned from flying, with one posting: “That should be an automatic add to the no-fly list.”</p> <p>Another added: “Unbelievable. That’s when you tap him on the shoulder and say, ‘Sir, I believe you dropped something’, or go with the nose-rub method.”</p> <p>In another post, the writer described the man as “trashy” and thought he must be a “nightmare” to deal with daily.</p> <p>They wrote: “Let’s forget for one moment how trashy this piece of s*** is and focus on his personality. Imagine working with him, imagine being the wife, imagine being a neighbour, or anybody who has to deal with him on a daily basis. What a f***ing nightmare of a f***ing attitude.”</p> <p><em>Image: Reddit</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Every record Federer broke during unbelievable Wimbledon match

<p>Roger Federer has become the oldest man to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since the dawn of the Open Era in 1968.</p> <p>Federer, who will be 40 in just a few weeks' time, eased past Italy's Lorenzo Song 7-5 6-4 6-2 to make the last-high at the All England Club for the 18th time.</p> <p>18 years after he beat Pete Sampras for his first Wimbledon title and after playing just 11 matches in the last 18 months while undergoing two knee surgeries, the fan favourite reached a record 58th grand slam quarterfinal.</p> <p>It's one area he still holds a substantial lead over Novak Djokovic - who reached his 50th quarterfinal by defeating Christian Garin 6-2 6-4 6-2 - and Rafael Nadal, who has 44 but isn't playing this event.</p> <p>Federer also drew level with Roland Garros master Nadal for the most wins at a single grand slam (105) and stretched his lead over Connors (14) for most Wimbledon quarterfinal appearances.</p> <p>“I felt after the first set I was able to control things. I couldn’t be more excited to be in the quarters,” said Federer whose match took place on the final ‘Manic Monday’, so-called because all the last-16 ties in the men’s and women’s event are played.</p> <p>From next year, play will be held on the middle Sunday, which has traditionally been the tournament rest day.</p> <p>“I’m happy to have played in the era that there was a ‘Middle Sunday’ but it now means more people can come to the tournament,” Federer said. “It was very special and I really enjoyed it.”</p> <p>The eight-time Wimbledon champion will face either second seed Daniil Medvedev or Hubert Hurkacz, the 14th seed, for a place in the semi-finals.</p> <p>Medvedev was leading Hurkacz 6-2 6-7 (2/7) 6-3 3-4 when play was halted for the night due to rain.</p> <p>“It is not fair for anyone. I have been in these situations before – but these guys are young and they can recover,” said Federer.</p> <p>“Unfortunately they are very, very good too, so hopefully it rains again tomorrow … I’m kidding, I’m kidding!”</p>

News

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5 unbelievable facts about the human body

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The human body is home to all sorts of complicated machinery, which come with a few unusual quirks.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are five facts about the human body, which are as unbelievable as they are true.</span></p> <p><strong>1. Wisdom teeth have no purpose (anymore)</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having not needed them for over 10,000 years, wisdom teeth have become an annoyance that sometimes requires removal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The teeth are believed to have been useful when our ancestors used to eat coarse, rough food, like nuts, meats, leaves, and roots. As humans started to eat softer foods and their brains grew bigger, the space in the mouth reduced and effectively crowded out this third set of molars.</span></p> <p><strong>2. Fingernails don’t keep growing after you die</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While it might look like nails continue to grow after death, they aren’t actually growing. Instead, dehydration in the skin causes it to retract around the nail, making it appear longer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The same optical illusion also applies to hair.</span></p> <p><strong>3. We breathe through one nostril at a time</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you stop to notice your breathing, you might realise that as you breathe through your nose that the air goes in through one nostril and out the other.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is known as the nasal cycle, and the nostrils will swap roles every few hours.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is also why you’ll notice it’s harder to breathe when only one nostril is blocked, even though the other is free of congestion.</span></p> <p><strong>4. Thumbs have their own pulse</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When taking your pulse, you will have been taught to take it from your wrist and using your fingers rather than your thumb.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is because your thumb has its own pulse that you can feel, which differs from your </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">actual</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> pulse and can cause confusion.</span></p> <p><strong>5. Our tongues are made up of eight muscles</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The eight muscles are classified into two groups: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic muscles are responsible for changing the shape of the tongue and aren’t attached to bone, while the extrinsic muscles change the position of the tongue and are anchored to bone.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This structure is similar to that of an elephant’s trunk or an octopus’ limb.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Body

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Unbelievable deal: ALDI shopper scores lamb roast for under $1

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An ALDI customer has shared how she bought a lamb roast for just 83c and the unexpected reason why.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Posting the story on the </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1034012533313136"><span style="font-weight: 400;">ALDI Mums</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Facebook page, Monique said she was excited to pick up the dinner favourite at her local ALDI.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The half leg of lamb was still four weeks out from its ‘best before’ date, so it wasn’t reduced because it was close to expiring.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Upon closer inspection, the ALDI label shows that it had been incorrectly weighted at 68g.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Seasoned ALDI shoppers estimate that a similar leg would weigh anywhere from 1.5kg to 2kg, with the error pricing it at well under 100g.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I was so excited about my bargain find today I knew you mums would appreciate it!” Monique wrote on the page.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I paid a whole 83c for this lamb roast today as it was marked and weighed wrong!”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Monique said she even checked if the price was right with the checkout worker.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I was like so this is marked 83c, does that mean I get it for 83c? He went and spoke to his manager and they were like ‘Yeah we can’t charge you any more for it’.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since it even scanned at 83c, Monique said, “I was like, ‘Yes! Get in my basket!’”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fellow shoppers were amazed by her good luck.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Lucky you, enjoy! Just about need a bank loan to buy any cuts of lamb these days!” one said.</span></p>

Food & Wine

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Woman’s unbelievable $357k discovery

<p><span>A woman cannot believe her luck after she found what is believed to be a piece of expensive ambergris washed up near her beach house.</span><br /><br /><span>Siriporn Niamrin, 49, revealed she was walking along the sand after a rainstorm when she noticed the bizarre mass in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thailand, on February 23.</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Niamrin investigated the substance and found it had a fishy smell.</span><br /><br /><span>She dragged it back to her house about 500 metres away in hopes that it could be something she could sell.</span><br /><br /><span>The woman asked her neighbours for help and was shocked when they informed her that it could be ambergris, also known as whale vomit.</span><br /><br /><span>Ambergris is a result of sperm whales bile ducts in the gastrointestinal tract making secretions to ease the passage of large or sharp objects.</span><br /><br /><span>The whale vomits the mucilage, which solidifies and floats on the surface of the ocean.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840103/daily-13.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/be514a4bab2f46bba0bbea982437552f" /></p> <p><em>Image: ViralPress</em><br /><br /><span>The solid chunk has a terrible smell at first but after the mucilage dries out, it develops a sweet and fragrance that lasts a long time – making it a deeply sought-after ingredient in the perfume industry.</span><br /><br /><span>They are now waiting for experts to visit her house to confirm that the lump is genuine ambergris.</span><br /><br /><span>The oval-shaped lump weighed in at 7kg and was around 30cms wide and 60cms long.</span><br /><br /><span>The weight gives the chunk of ambergris an estimated value of around A$357,000, based on previous sales.</span><br /><br /><span>"If I really have the genuine ambergris, I can help my community once I find a buyer for it," Siriporn said.</span><br /><br /><span>"I feel lucky to have found such a large piece. I hope it will bring me money.</span><br /><br /><span>"I'm keeping it safe in my house and I have asked the local council to visit to check it."</span></p>

Money & Banking

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“Unbelievable and incomprehensible”: Mother accused of murdering her five children

<p><span>A 27-year-old woman is currently under investigation after five of her children aged between 1 and 8, have died.</span><br /><br /><span>The woman, residing in the western German city of Solingen, is reportedly severely injured after she climbed atop the tracks at a main train station in Dusseldorf.</span><br /><br /><span>“We do not yet know exactly what happened when or why, only that it is a very tragic situation,” police spokesman Stefan Weiand has said.</span><br /><br /><span>He says the mother is not currently in a fit enough state to be questioned, and is not releasing any details on the five children’s cause of death.</span><br /><br /><span>The kids were three girls aged 1, 2 and 3 years and two boys aged 6 and 8.</span><br /><br /><span>The woman’s 11-year-old son survived and is being placed with family members.</span><br /><br /><span>The children’s grandmother, who lives about 60 kilometres from Solingen, notified the police shortly before 2 pm local time, after founding the bodies, officials have said.</span><br /><br /><span>They found the deceased children in an apartment complex in Solingen’s Hasseldelle district - which is home to many large housing developments that date back to the 1970s.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837680/germany-children-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/afc739270fc3479090277da94a19520a" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Candles and a stuffed animal are placed on a mailbox outside an apartment building where the five children were found dead.</em><br /><br /><span></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span>The 27-year-old mum’s whereabouts after the death of her children is still muddled, but it is believed she travelled to Dusseldorf main station with her 11-year-old son.</span><br /><br /><span>At 1.47pm, she threw herself in front of a train.</span><br /><br /><span>According to a fire department representative, the woman was found between two track beds and taken to hospital.</span><br /><br /><span>The mayor of Solingen Tim Kurzbach says he has visited the house where the “terrible act” happened.</span><br /><br /><span>“I lit a light for the five dead children and paused in prayer for the victims,” he wrote on Facebook.</span><br /><br /><span>“It’s still unbelievable and incomprehensible to me.</span><br /><br /><span>“For all of Solingen, today is a day of mourning.”</span></p> <p><em>Images: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images</em></p>

News

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Unbelievable footage as massive explosion rocks Beirut

<p>A large blast in the Lebanese capital of Beirut has killed at least 70 people and injured more than 2,700, the health minister explains.</p> <p>Videos have quickly gone viral of the incident, which show smoke billowing from a fire and then a mushroom cloud after the blast in the middle of the city.</p> <p>President Michel Aoun has tweeted that it was "unacceptable" that highly explosive material was stored in a warehouse for six years, with 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate being stored unsafely.</p> <p>Hospitals are said to be overwhelmed and many buildings have been destroyed.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Terrifying video from a guy driving his car while filming the Beirut explosion...<a href="https://t.co/0XpfqCw22L">pic.twitter.com/0XpfqCw22L</a></p> — Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) <a href="https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1290769713539305474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>Videos taken by shocked residents show a fire raging at the port, which sent up a giant column of smoke. The fire then appeared to catch at a nearby building, which triggered a more massive explosion and sent a cloud of thick smoke and a shock wave over the city.</p> <p>"It was like a nuclear explosion," said Walid Abdo, a 43-year-old school teacher in the neighbourhood of Gemayzeh near Beirut.</p> <p>"I saw a fireball and smoke billowing over Beirut. People were screaming and running, bleeding. Balconies were blown off buildings. Glass in high-rise buildings shattered and fell to the street," a witness told Reuters.</p> <p>Another witness says she saw heavy grey smoke near the port area and then heard an explosion.</p> <p>"All the downtown area windows are smashed and there are wounded people walking around. It is total chaos," she said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Stunning video shows explosions just minutes ago at Beirut port <a href="https://t.co/ZjltF0VcTr">pic.twitter.com/ZjltF0VcTr</a></p> — Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 (@borzou) <a href="https://twitter.com/borzou/status/1290675854767513600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>President Aoun has declared a three-day mourning period and said that the government would release 100 billion lire ($66 million) of emergency funds.</p> <p>Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that it was a catastrophe and that those responsible must be held to account.</p> <p>Lebanon's prime minister also called for international help: "I make an urgent appeal to friendly and brotherly countries... to stand by Lebanon and to help us heal our deep wounds," Hassan Diab said.</p> <p>UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the "UK is ready to provide support in any way we can, including to those British nationals affected", and US President Donald Trump sent his deepest sympathies after what he called "a terrible attack".</p> <p>France is also sending aid and resources to Lebanon and Israel said in a statement that it had "approached Lebanon through international security and diplomatic channels and has offered the Lebanese government medical and humanitarian assistance".</p> <p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison said one Australian had been killed and Australia's embassy had been "impacted significantly" in the explosion.</p> <p>"We can report all of the staff there are well, but the building that the embassy is in has been significantly compromised. I'm pleased that apart from some cuts and scratches, our staff are all OK," he said.</p> <p>"But our sympathies to all of the people of Lebanon. There is such a large Lebanese Australian community here and they would be worried about loved ones."</p>

News

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Unbelievable! Airline offers UNLIMITED flights for $181

<p><span>Malaysian long-haul carrier AirAsia X unveiled their new AirAsia Unlimited Pass which will allow anyone who purchases it for 499 MYR (AU$181) to be able to fly as much as they’d like for one year. </span></p> <p><span>The worldwide coronavirus outbreak has halted International travel to the ground but AirAsia X’s incredible offer has been introduced as a way to combat the downturn of business. </span></p> <p><span>"This is unprecedented," the airline’s Malaysia chief Benyamin Ismail said.</span></p> <p><span>"Travelling is still very safe as long as everyone travels responsibly and is kept updated by World Health Organisation (WHO) or respective government’s travel advice."</span></p> <p><span>AirAsiaX flies between Australia, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, China and India. Singapore, Bali and Jeddah, also in AirAsia X's network, are excluded from the offer.</span></p> <p><span>Unfortunately, the new promotion is only available to Malaysian members of AirAsia's loyalty program.</span></p> <p><span>The incredible AirAsia pass will last until 2 March 2021. </span></p> <p><span>The holder still has to pay any government taxes and fees for their flights, which must be booked at least 14 days in advance.</span></p> <p><span>"As the travel period spans across one full year, AirAsia Unlimited Pass holders can decide when best to travel and choose between exploring all available destinations or keep going back to the same favourite location over and over again in different seasons," Ismail said.</span></p>

International Travel

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“He had to write it down”: Photo reveals Donald Trump’s “unbelievable” notes

<p>A photo has revealed US President Donald Trump’s notes on how to respond to survivor of school shootings – and the internet is not impressed.</p> <p>Trump held a meeting with those affected by school shootings to “host a conversation on how to improve school safety”.</p> <p><img width="453" height="255" src="https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/w/g/r/p/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.p4z17v.png/1519260167553.jpg" alt="President Donald Trump in a White House listening session with survivors of America's latest school slaughter." style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>He met with parents, teachers and students at the White House, including survivors of school shootings in Parkland, Florida, Columbine, Colorado, and Newtown, Connecticut.</p> <p>But a photo of the US President’s personal notes appears to list potential questions and responses for a “listening session” he held with students.</p> <p>The first point states: “What would you most want me to know about your experience?”</p> <p>Other points are blocked but the fifth and final point simply says: “I hear you”.</p> <p><img width="387" height="291" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/c12b69461de2c24c9c5bbab38a5a6fca" alt="President Donald Trump holds notes during the listening session. Picture: Carolyn Kaster/AP" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>The backlash on the internet was swift, with many asking why the President needs notes to remind him to be empathetic.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">"I hear you." He had to write it down. Unbelievable.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trump?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Trump</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParklandStudentsSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ParklandStudentsSpeak</a> <a href="https://t.co/E9rV7I6xMf">https://t.co/E9rV7I6xMf</a></p> — LDN (@klaatu29) <a href="https://twitter.com/klaatu29/status/966467388182016000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">A complete stranger to naturally triggered empathy, Trump's notes to help speak with students &amp; parents contains the coached phrase "I hear you." <a href="https://t.co/tjzmHIyMa6">https://t.co/tjzmHIyMa6</a></p> — Ryan H. Walsh (@JahHills) <a href="https://twitter.com/JahHills/status/966466024349536256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">I'm fine if Trump wants to have notes on hand when he goes to talk to victims of mass shootings. If that's how you do, go for it. <br /><br />But I'll get mildly concerned when the fifth note says "I hear you". It's not that he shouldn't say it. It's just that it should be implied...</p> — Tristan Hulse (@THulse1706) <a href="https://twitter.com/THulse1706/status/966468176249843718?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <p> </p> <p>The meeting comes after a school shooting on Valentine’s Day at Marjory Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida killed 17 people. The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, 19, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.</p> <p>The shooting has reignited the debate about gun control in America, particularly galvanising families who lost loved ones.</p> <p>Trump pledged action and said he was considering backing proposals to arm teachers.</p> <p> </p>

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This school canteen price list from 1978 is unbelievable

<p>These days, 35 cents seems like it would be barely enough money for sauce, but there was a time when that paltry sum was all you needed for your school lunch!</p> <p>A man named Barry Porter has shared a school canteen price list from 1978, and users online have been stunned by just how affordable everything used to be.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fabcmidnorthcoast%2Fphotos%2Fa.639452779443195.1073741847.118452998209845%2F1540638019324662%2F%3Ftype%3D3&amp;width=500" width="500" height="613" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></p> <p>Kids had quite an interesting variety of food to choose from when it came to lunchtime back in those days, and didn’t have to hand over a king’s ransom for a simple feed.</p> <p>One user made an interesting point, comparing the school lunches of yesteryear with today’s high prices that have seen many students venture outside school grounds.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/comment_embed.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fabcmidnorthcoast%2Fposts%2F1540638029324661%3Fcomment_id%3D1541142062607591&amp;include_parent=false" width="560" height="160" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></p> <p>One of the people commented said he remembered when prices were even cheaper than that, when he was able to purchase a pie for just 12 cents.</p> <p>“My earliest memory is back in 1969 when my mum would give me 20 cents a day for school and I would get a pie for 12 cents and a small carton of orange juice for 6 cents and go home with 2 cents change. how things have changed,” he wrote.</p> <p>What did you used to get for lunch at the school canteen?</p> <p><em>Hero image credit: Facebook / ABC Mid North Coast </em></p>

Money & Banking

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5 cruise ships with unbelievably outlandish attractions

<p>Royal Caribbean caught cruise enthusiasts out on April 1, announcing the "world's first ski resort on a ship". Dubbed Piste of the Seas, the company said it was the perfect choice for travellers struggling to choose between a sea and ski holiday.</p> <p>Although it was a little far-fetched, cruise liners are increasingly upping the stakes in the amenity war. From robotic waiters to ziplines to waterslides, here are some of the most insane attractions found on the high seas.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="497" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/37430/harmony-of-the-seas_497x280.jpg" alt="Harmony Of The Seas (2)"/></p> <p><strong>1. Harmony of the Seas</strong></p> <p>Harmony of the Seas has 20 restaurants but who cares about food when you have a 10-storey slide on board?</p> <p>The slide, aptly named The Ultimate Abyss, features a 30m drop, making it the tallest at sea.</p> <p>The slide is one of many features aboard the gigantic Harmony.</p> <p>It even has its own park, which contains 10,587 plants, 48 vine plants and 52 trees, while a total of 11,252 works of art are showcased across the vessel.</p> <p>The ship also boasts a water park, The Perfect Storm, which has three waterslides, including a swirling champagne bowl funnel slide.</p> <p>Families are certainly catered for with a full-sized carousel, zipline and rock climbing walls to keep all ages entertained. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="496" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/37431/quantum-of-the-seas_496x280.jpg" alt="Quantum Of The Seas"/></p> <p><strong>2. Quantum of the Seas</strong></p> <p>When it launched in 2014, people said Quantum of the Seas was the future of cruising. </p> <p>On Deck 16: simulated skydiving in a 7metre vertical wind tunnel that looked like a see-through smokestack. On Deck 3: the casino. In the SeaPlex recreation area: bumper cars. At the Bionic Bar: robots mixing drinks.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="497" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/37432/celebrity-solstice_497x280.jpg" alt="Celebrity Solstice (1)"/></p> <p><strong>3. Celebrity Solstice</strong></p> <p>It's not just Royal Caribbean lifting its game. In 2016, Celebrity Solstice revealed a multimillion-dollar makeover, which included new outdoor cinema lawn club cabanas and the first Tiffany &amp; Co. store at sea.</p> <p>The most surprising bit of the new lawn on the top deck, is that it's actually made of "real grass"; an exciting feature for a cruise ship where you can walk around, shoes off, and feel grass on your feet while at sea (there's also a real tree onboard).<br /> <br /> The new additions complement the ship's existing highlights, including The Persian Garden in the Canyon Ranch Spa Club, which features a solarium pool surrounded by a green wall and waterfalls, two larger outdoor pools and four whirlpools, and stunning views from the Sky Observation Lounge, which turns into a club at night.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="497" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/37433/disney-dream_497x280.jpg" alt="Disney Dream"/></p> <p><strong>4. Disney Dream</strong></p> <p>In 2015 Disney Cruise Lines created a Star Wars-themed room on board its ship, the Disney Dream, ahead of the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.</p> <p>The room recreated the look and feel of the Millennium Falcon, including the cockpit, where many of the movies' famous scenes are set, from the ship's capture by the Death Star in the original film, to the asteroid chase in The Empire Strikes Back. </p> <p><strong>5. Carnival Vista</strong></p> <p>If a ship's slogan is "Fun for all, all for fun", you're going to expect a good time.</p> <p>From the moment visitors come aboard via the atrium, which features a colourful triple-deck, LED column filled with writhing underwater shapes, they stream off in many different directions.</p> <p>Where better to start than at the top, in the Carnival Waterworks, where grown-ups and kids alike can "spiral down classic slides, and get drenched by a giant bucket of water"? Or, take the long way down by raft-riding tube, on the twisting, 150 metre-long Kaleid-o-Slide. Yee-ha!</p> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

Cruising