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6 of the world’s most beautiful waterfalls

<p>They are one of the most stunning natural wonders on the planet, and these are six of the world’s most beautiful waterfalls.</p> <p><strong>1. Slejlandsfoss, Iceland</strong></p> <p>The land of fire and ice is full of incredible waterfalls, and (if we have to choose) Slejlandsfoss is our pick. It’s 65 metres high and the water tumbles off a grassy cliff, plunging in a huge arc to the ground below. It’s possible to walk right behind it, though you’ll definitely need a raincoat. In the right light, it will look like you’re standing right beneath a rainbow.</p> <p><strong>2. Iguassu Falls, Brazil and Argentina</strong></p> <p>Easily the world’s most beautiful border crossing, Iguassu Falls splits the countries of Brazil and Argentina along the River Iguassu. Though a relatively petite 82 metres in height, it’s the width of the falls that is truly breathtaking. They stretch for just under three kilometres, running along a series of lush forested cliffs and spraying an incredible amount of water into the sky.</p> <p><strong>3. Kaieteur Falls, Guyana</strong></p> <p>This one isn’t easy to get to (you’ll probably need to fly in on a very small plane), but it’s definitely worth the effort. Tucked away in the densely forested nation of Guyana in Central America, it’s absolutely huge, standing at 226 metres tall and averaging 663 cubic metres of water per second. Few falls in the world have this kind of raw power and it is quite a sight to behold.</p> <p><strong>4. Detian Falls, Vietnam and China</strong></p> <p>Straddling the border between these two nations, Detian Falls is the collective name for two converging waterfalls. It's one of the largest falls in Asia, but the waters are relatively gentle. Boat trips can take you right up to the cascade or you can ride a bamboo raft through to tranquil swimming holes. Just make sure you don’t go too far and end up in another country…</p> <p><strong>5. Parakunui Falls, New Zealand</strong></p> <p>This waterfall can’t compete in terms of size. It falls only 20 metres over three tiers of sloping rocks surrounded by ancient forest. It makes up for it in beauty and looks like something from a fairytale. You half expect pixies to dance out from under the leaves any minute. The walk through the forest to reach the falls is just as captivating.</p> <p><strong>6. Horizontal Falls, Western Australia</strong></p> <p>While not a true waterfall in the traditional sense, Horizontal Falls will still take your breath away. Described as one of the greatest wonders of the natural world, the falls run horizontally rather than vertically as seawater builds up in a channel between a narrow rocky gap. It’s best seen from the air, so splurge on a helicopter flight.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty, Shutterstock</em></p>

International Travel

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6 of the world’s most beautiful (and surreal) landscapes

<p>With unreal colours and dizzying visual tricks, these places look like they have come from a film set. But these amazing landscapes are all real and show the true majesty of nature.</p> <p><strong>Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia</strong></p> <p>The largest salt flat on earth, Salar de Uyuni covers over 10,500 square kilometres near the crest of the Andes. The whole area is covered in salt crusts a few metres thick and there is almost no variation in altitude across the entire surface. The ground and the sky seem to merge into one, creating mind boggling optical illusions and a mirror-like effect across the sparkling surface. There are even hotels made of carved salt blocks, from the walls and floors right through to the furniture.</p> <p><strong>Lavender fields in Provence, France</strong></p> <p>Provence is the world’s largest producer of lavender and each year between June and August you can find endless rows of bushes bursting with bright purple flowers. Drive or cycle along the unofficial “Lavender Highway” – the Plateau de Claparédes – for an endless carpet of lavender fields, with the occasional charming chateau or farmhouse perched within the blooms.</p> <p><strong>Tianzi Mountains, China</strong></p> <p>These eerie peaks look like they belong on the set of Avatar, rising dramatically from narrow bases to over 1,200 metres in the air. A cable car runs to the top giving birds’ eye views over the deep valleys and thundering waterfalls that run down many of the mountains. The area is often covered in clouds, creating a mystical atmosphere and giving the impression that the rocks are floating in a foggy sea.</p> <p><strong>Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, USA</strong></p> <p>Yellowstone is home to numerous hot springs and gushing geysers, but what sets this one apart is its startling colour pattern. The water radiates out from the centre in bands of blue, green, yellow, orange and red – a pattern that matches the rainbow dispersion of white light through a prism, hence the name. The colours are a result of the pigmented bacteria that live around the edge of the spring and thrive in the 70 degrees Celsius water.</p> <p><strong>Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namibia</strong></p> <p>These remote dunes are said to be the tallest in the world with some rising to almost 400 metres. You can climb them, but the sand is soft and fine as talcum powder so it’s torture on the legs. The surrounding desert is stark and forbidding, and the winds will blow away any footprints almost as soon as they are made. The dunes are best viewed at sunrise or sunset when the red sand seems to glow from within.</p> <p><strong>Lake Hillier, Western Australia</strong></p> <p>This bubblegum pink lake is found on Middle Island off the coast of Esperance and is the most famous of a number of pink lakes found across the state. Scientists are unsure why the water is such a vibrant hue, but speculate that it might be from a dye created by the bacteria that live in the lake’s salt crust. It is most spectacular when seen from above – just a thin strip of lush green vegetation separates it from the blue of the Southern Ocean.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

International Travel

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Natural wonders you must see before they disappear

<p>While we don’t mean to alarm anyone, you’ve likely heard the grim timelines: if global warming continues, the Great Barrier Reef will be bleached by 2030; glaciers in the Swiss Alps, on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and in Glacier National Park will disappear in under 40 years; and Arctic ice melt will send polar bears into extinction. It’s a sad state of affairs.</p> <p>So while we sit and hope for a miracle, make sure you travel and see any of the precious places on your bucket list before it’s too late.</p> <p>While you might be thinking that tourism will add stress to these already distressed areas, in actual fact it can also provide income, which in turn can help preserve these wonders. Here we look at our top seven areas – some that are lesser know than others – and all of which can be visited responsibly.</p> <p><strong>Belize barrier reef</strong></p> <p>One of the most diverse reef ecosystems in the world is home to whale sharks, rays, and manatees, as well as sturgeon, conch and spiny lobsters.</p> <p>The Danger: Sadly, like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Belize Barrier Reef leads a fragile existence. A section of the nearly 700-mile-long Mesoamerican Reef that reaches from Mexico to Honduras, the Belize reef suffered a severe bleaching in 1998, with a loss of 50 percent of its coral in many areas, including much of its distinctive staghorn coral. Since the bleaching, its decline has continued, due to global warming of the world’s seas, agricultural pollution, development, and increasing tourism, which has given rise to more coastal development and an invasion of cruise ships.</p> <p><strong>The Congo Basin</strong></p> <p>Tropical rainforests like the Congo Basin produce 40 per cent of the world’s oxygen and serve as a vital source of food, medicine and minerals.</p> <p>The Danger: At more than 1.3 million square miles, the Congo Basin has the world’s second-largest rainforest. According to the UN, up to two-thirds of the forest and its unique plants and wildlife could be lost by 2040 unless more effective measures are taken to protect it. Extending across six nations, 10 million acres of forest is degraded each year due to mining, illegal logging, farming, ranching and guerilla warfare. Roads cut by loggers and miners have also enabled poachers and bushmeat hunters to prey on endangered animals like mountain gorillas, forest elephants, bonobos and okapis. As the forest shrinks, less carbon dioxide is absorbed, and rain decreases, adding to climate change.</p> <p><strong>The Dead Sea</strong></p> <p>It’s the lowermost spot on earth (1,312 feet below sea level to be exact), has 10 times more saline than seawater (meaning that you would float like a cork does in water), and is believed to contain therapeutic minerals.</p> <p>The Danger: In the last 40 years, the Dead Sea has shrunk by a third and sunk 80 feet, stranding formerly seaside resorts and restaurants nearly a mile from shore. The Jordan River is the lake’s sole source, and as surrounding countries increasingly tap its waters, little reaches the Dead Sea, which could disappear within 50 years. Further pressure is put on the sea by the cosmetic companies and potash producers who drain it for minerals.</p> <p><strong>The Everglades</strong></p> <p>This 2.5 million–acre wetland in Florida encompasses cypress swamps, mangroves, sawgrass and pine savannahs. It's the only place in the world where crocodiles and alligators share territory.</p> <p>The Danger: A host of dangers are putting this delicate wetland at risk: pollution from farms, invasive species, and encroaching development. As a result, The Everglades is now half the size it was in 1900. Worse still, this is the sole habitat of the Florida panther, and there are less than 100 of the creatures left in the wild.</p> <p><strong>Madagascar</strong></p> <p>More than 80 percent of Madagascar’s flora and fauna are found nowhere else on Earth, thanks to millions of years of isolation in the Indian Ocean off of Africa.</p> <p>The Danger: If nothing is done to save the world’s fourth-largest island, its forests will be gone in 35 years (once 120,000 square miles, they're now down to 20,000), and their unique inhabitants along with them. Forest ecosystems are being destroyed by logging, burning for subsistence farms, and poaching.</p> <p><strong>The Maldives</strong></p> <p>The nation is rich in coral reefs and endangered fish — such as the giant Napoleon wrasse, leopard shark and some 250 manta rays (most with wingspans of 10 feet).</p> <p>The Danger: If global warming continues to melt the ice caps and raise sea levels, scientists don’t hold much hope for the Maldives. Its 1,190 small islands and atolls (200 of which are inhabited) scattered across the Indian Ocean rise a mere eight-feet above sea level. In 2008, the President of the Maldives announced the government would start buying land in other countries, including India, for future homes for citizens displaced by rising waters. In 2009, he held a cabinet meeting underwater to stress the islands' vulnerability.</p> <p><strong>The Poles</strong></p> <p>The natural phenomena here are unique and inspiring: towering icebergs, Aurora Borealis, and majestic animals (penguins, polar bears, whales).</p> <p>The Danger: The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the world’s largest non-profit ocean research group, has predicted that 80 per cent of the emperor penguin population of Antarctica will be lost, and the rest in danger of extinction, if global warming continues. As sea ice disappears at the poles, so do entire ecosystems: the phytoplankton that grows under ice sheets feeds zooplankton and small crustaceans like krill, which are on the food chain for fish, seals, whales, polar bears and penguins. Studies predict that with continued warming, within 20 to 40 years, no ice will form in Antarctica.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

International Travel

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Gen Z grew up in a world filled with ugly fashion – no wonder they love their Crocs

<p>In 2017, Julia Hobbs of British Vogue <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/crocs-sandals-christopher-kane-trend-test">declared</a> Crocs “have an unrivalled ability to repel onlookers and induce sneers”.</p> <p>But over the two decades since the notoriously ugly shoes were released, the clogs seem to be going from strength to strength. </p> <p>No longer just the comfortable, easy-to-wear boat shoes they were designed as, now they’re being worn by celebrities like <a href="https://www.vogue.com/vogueworld/article/ariana-grande-crocs-controversial-shoe-trend">Ariana Grande</a>, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-10-13/justin-bieber-crocs-bad-bunny-post-malone">Justin Bieber</a>, <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20220531141686/the-view-whoopi-goldberg-divides-fans-backstage-photo-concern-for-safety/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> and Drew Barrymore, who has her <a href="https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/Drew-barrymore-launches-crocs-collection,943183.html">own collection</a>.</p> <p>Bedazzled white Crocs are being worn with <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/15/brides-mocked-for-wearing-blinged-out-crocs-on-their-big-day/">wedding dresses</a>, #crocs has more than 7.3 billion views <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/crocs?lang=en">on TikTok</a>, and diehard fans can buy <a href="https://www.carousell.sg/p/preorder-mini-crocs-jibbitz-accessory-charms-fun-quirky-1174036132/">mini Crocs</a> to decorate their Crocs with.</p> <p>Even supermodel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT-LLMIjIQM">Kendall Jenner</a> admitted on the <em>Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon</em> that she is not ashamed of her comfy Crocs.</p> <p>But the most common place you’re likely to see Crocs today is on the feet of Generation Z. They grew up with ugly fashion, and are now making it their own.</p> <h2>A brief history</h2> <p>Crocs’ ancestors are the clog: a cheap, comfortable, lightweight, practical wooden shoe popular in medieval Europe and Scandinavia. </p> <p>Traditional wooden clogs were easy to clean, non-slip, protected the wearer’s feet and kept them warm and dry. </p> <p>The oldest surviving pair found in Holland <a href="https://isgeschiedenis.nl/reportage/geschiedenis-van-de-klompen">date to 1230</a>.</p> <p>Crocs premiered their shoe at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show in 2002. Made from a tough form of injection-moulded ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, which moulds to the wearer’s foot, all 200 pairs at the show sold out. </p> <p>Crocs were easy to clean, non-slip, could easily be pulled on and off, and would not suffer from continued exposure to water. </p> <p>But they weren’t popular in all corners. Time magazine included Crocs in their 2010 list of <a href="https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1991915_1991909_1991743,00.html">the 50 worst inventions</a>.</p> <p>And from the outset, even Crocs’ cofounders considered them <a href="https://www.parents.com/kids/style/fashion/crocs/">ugly</a>. </p> <h2>Ugly fashion</h2> <p>The 21st century’s love of deliberately ugly fashion can be traced to 1996, with Miuccia Prada launching her <a href="https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-1996-ready-to-wear/prada">“Bad Taste” collection</a>. </p> <p>The early 2000s gave us ugly comfort dressing in the form of the bright, velour <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2014/06/70125/juicy-couture-stores-closing">Juicy Couture</a> tracksuit. Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s <a href="https://people.com/style/britney-spears-justin-timberlake-matching-denim-moment-20th-anniversary/">iconic matching double denim moment</a> at the 2001 American Music Awards embodied the era’s ugliness.</p> <p><a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/">Generation Z</a> grew up in this ugly fashion world. Many rocked their first brightly coloured pair of Crocs as toddlers. </p> <p>This generation also learned to express themselves online, where <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1470412914544516">Internet Ugly</a> – a deliberately grotesque, anti-authoritarian and amateurish aesthetic – is a key look of memes. </p> <p>Memes celebrate ugliness as a relatable, authentic foil against the slickly perfect images generated by filters, Hollywood and self-serious corporate design. Memes evolve, but the images, templates and looks of memes stays similar and the ugly aesthetic continues to spread and be enjoyed.</p> <p>Crocs are, in a sense, wearable memes for Gen Z. </p> <p>Like memes, Crocs have changed and returned through nostalgic affectation. </p> <p>In the two decades since their launch, Crocs have constantly reinvented themselves. There have been new colours and collaborations with popular brands, including <a href="https://www.crocs.com.au/collab/minecraft">computer games</a> and high fashion houses like <a href="https://www.crocs.com.au/p/liberty-london-x-crocs-classic-clog/206447.html">Liberty of London</a>.</p> <p>Each generation rediscovers the objects of its youth and replicates these objects in new ways. The resulting objects – in this case, Crocs – are passed around and either made uglier or beautified in the eye of the beholder. Every pair of Crocs can be customised with “<a href="https://www.crocs.com.au/c/jibbitz">Jibbitz</a>”, a small ornament that fits into the holes throughout the shoe to beautify Crocs for their owner. </p> <p>In the United Kingdom, Crocs <a href="https://www.mylondon.news/lifestyle/fashion/primark-shoppers-hysterics-hideous-9-25693380">paired with</a> fast-fashion retailer Primark and high-street bakery Greggs to create ugly, fur-lined, black £9 Crocs with Greggs’ logo. </p> <p>At the other end of the budget, you can buy <a href="https://www.elle.com/uk/fashion/trends/g36656071/croc-collaborations/">Balenciaga’s lime green Crocs</a> with a black sole and black stiletto heel.</p> <h2>Crocs and the pandemic</h2> <p>Ugliness lets viewers laugh and release tensions in situations where they <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674024090">are helpless to act</a>.</p> <p>Adrian Holloway, Crocs’ general manager, told <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/crocs-rubber-shoe-trend">Vogue, "</a>In times of stress and uncertainty, consumers seem to want comfort […] Everything was so heavy and scary, it felt good to treat yourself to something cheerful and inexpensive, but also practical and comfortable."</p> <p>The COVID pandemic left Gen Z unable to participate in important social rites of passage like graduations, milestone birthdays, weddings and funerals. </p> <p>Global lockdowns also left people feeling a strange blend of shock, boredom and irritation. </p> <p>Like laughing at ugly memes, laughing at cute, ugly Crocs helped release feelings of powerlessness. </p> <h2>Here to stay</h2> <p>Popular predictions of <a href="https://thesociologicalreview.org/magazine/june-2022/clothes/comfort-or-style/">post-pandemic fashions</a> suggest there are two options: we will continue to dress for comfort, or we will embrace eye-catching colours and patterns and strange silhouettes. </p> <p>The popularity of Crocs among Gen Z suggests a third option: a combination of the comfortable with the crazy.</p> <p>Worn today, these shoes signal the wearer’s capacity for casualness, irony, rebellion, and a desire to forge their own fashion rules in an Internet Ugly world. </p> <p>Crocs are <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/g41416862/spring-2023-shoe-trends/">here to stay</a>.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/gen-z-grew-up-in-a-world-filled-with-ugly-fashion-no-wonder-they-love-their-crocs-200718" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Is your partner a man-child? No wonder you don’t feel like sex

<p>A man sits on the couch, watching TV. His partner, a woman, prepares dinner, while mentally ticking off her to-do list. That includes returning her partner’s shirts she’d ordered online for him last week, and booking a GP appointment for their youngest child.</p> <p>He walks in and asks her “what’s for dinner?”, then goes back to the TV.</p> <p>Later that night, he’s surprised she’s not interested in sex.</p> <p>The people in this scenario are a woman and a man. But it could be a woman and her child. The dynamics are very similar – one person providing instrumental and emotional care, and the other receiving that care while showing little acknowledgement, gratitude or reciprocation.</p> <p>You’re reading about a man who depends on his partner for everyday tasks that he is actually capable of. Some people call this the “<a href="https://www.instyle.com/lifestyle/hump-day/what-is-a-man-child" target="_blank" rel="noopener">man-child</a>” phenomenon.</p> <p>Maybe you’ve lived it. Our <a href="https://t.co/zDWcUZYsVn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> shows it’s real.</p> <h2>The man-child is real</h2> <p>The <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-021-02100-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">man-child phenomenon</a> (or perceiving a partner as dependent, as we call it) describes the blurring of roles between a partner and a child.</p> <p>You may hear women describe their male partners as their “dependent” or one of their children.</p> <p>When a partner starts to feel like they have a dependent child, it’s not surprising if that affects a woman’s sexual desire for him.</p> <p>We set out to explore whether this might explain why many women partnered with men <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11930-014-0027-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> low sexual desire.</p> <p>Surprisingly, until our study, there were no studies that had tried to directly measure the impact of the man-child phenomenon on women’s sexual desire.</p> <h2>What we did</h2> <p>We conducted <a href="https://t.co/zDWcUZYsVn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two studies</a> with more than 1,000 women from around the world, in relationships with men. All our participants had children under the age of 12.</p> <p>We asked the women to rate their agreement with statements like, “Sometimes I feel as though my partner is like an extra child I need to look after.” We also asked them about the division of household labour in their relationship, and their level of sexual desire for their partner.</p> <p>We found consistent evidence that:</p> <ul> <li> <p>when women performed more household labour than their partner, they were more likely to perceive their partner as dependents (that is, the man-child phenomenon)</p> </li> <li> <p>perceiving a partner as a dependent was associated with lower sexual desire for that partner.</p> </li> </ul> <p>When taken together, you could say women’s partners were taking on an unsexy role – that of a child.</p> <p>There could be other explanations. For instance, women who perceive their partners as dependents may be more likely to do more around the house. Alternatively, low desire for a partner may lead to the partner being perceived as a dependent. So we need more research to confirm.</p> <p>Our research highlights a pretty bleak snapshot of what people’s relationships can involve. And while the man-child phenomenon may not exist for you, it reflects broader gendered inequities in relationships.</p> <h2>Is there a man-child equivalent in same-sex relationships?</h2> <p>Our research was solely about relationships between women and men, with children. But it would be interesting to explore if the man-child phenomenon exists in same-sex or gender-diverse relationships, and what the impact might be on sexual desire.</p> <p>One possibility is that, in relationships between two women, men, or non-binary people, household labour is more <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10894160.2016.1142350?casa_token=Qz37Pcn3THYAAAAA%3AD81uS-d6AQ5ZaV41IXTIXIsE2RmsUqIOIkoQqBC8ThSMyfYhs8GAjy4uLEP6bkxTXARWpSfeI-wRMAE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">equitably negotiated</a>. As a result, the mother-child dynamic may be less likely to emerge. But no-one has studied that yet.</p> <p>Another possibility is that one person in the relationship (regardless of gender identity) takes on a more feminine role. This may include more of the mothering, nurturing labour than their partner(s). If that was the case, we might see the man-child phenomenon in a broader range of relationships. Again, no-one has studied this.</p> <p>Perhaps, anyone could be the “man-child” in their relationship.</p> <h2>What else don’t we know?</h2> <p>Such future research may help explore different types of relationship dynamics more broadly.</p> <p>This may help us understand what sexual desire might look like in relationships where roles are equitably negotiated, chosen, and renegotiated as needed.</p> <p>We might learn what happens when household labour is valued like paid labour. Or what happens when both partners support each other and can count on each other for daily and life needs.</p> <p>Women might be less likely to experience their partners as dependents and feel more sexual desire for them. In other words, the closer we are to equity in actively caring for each other, the closer we might be to equity in the capacity for feeling sexual desire with our partner.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-your-partner-a-man-child-no-wonder-you-dont-feel-like-sex-194913" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Relationships

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"A kind of meditative peace": Quiet hour shopping makes us wonder why our cities have to be so noisy

<p>The idea behind “quiet hour” shopping is to set aside a time each week for a retail experience that minimises noise and other sources of sensory overload. It is aimed at people who are <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/10/explainer-neurodivergence-mental-health/">neurodivergent</a> – an umbrella term for people with autism, ADHD and other sensory-processing conditions. </p> <p>What began as a boutique or specialist retail strategy has become more mainstream. Major <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/about-coles/community/accessibility/quiet-hour">supermarket</a> <a href="https://www.woolworthsgroup.com.au/au/en/media/news-archive/2019/woolworths-rolls-out-quiet-hour-to-select-stores-across-australia.html">chains</a> and <a href="https://insideretail.com.au/news/westfield-tuggerah-introduces-quiet-hour-for-people-with-dementia-autism-201907">shopping centres</a> in Australia and overseas have introduced it in recent years.</p> <p>In newly published <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/07255136221133188">research</a> we explored quiet hour as an aspect of the impacts of sound on how people experience city life. As expected, we found it did benefit people who are neurodivergent. But other people also welcomed the relief from sensory overload once they’d overcome the feeling of having wandered into an eerily quiet “post-apocalyptic scene”. </p> <p>Our work has made us question the acceptance of urban noise and light as being part and parcel of a vibrant city.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">As families around Australia prepare for Santa’s arrival Coles and Woolworths supermarkets become a centre of activity.<br />Both stores offer ‘Quiet Hour’ on Tuesday for a low sensory shopping experience.<br />Coles hours: <a href="https://t.co/jZV0f5bGwm">https://t.co/jZV0f5bGwm</a> <br />Woolworths hours: <a href="https://t.co/X5iMm05cOr">https://t.co/X5iMm05cOr</a> <a href="https://t.co/R5CyXcB9R3">pic.twitter.com/R5CyXcB9R3</a></p> <p>— NDIS (@NDIS) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDIS/status/1458706093492817923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2021</a></p></blockquote> <h2>What does quiet hour involve?</h2> <p>Quiet hour is intended to make retail spaces more inclusive or sensory-friendly. Its features include retailers or mall managers agreeing to: </p> <ul> <li> <p>switch automatic doors to open</p> </li> <li> <p>pause collection of trolleys</p> </li> <li> <p>turn off the PA and music</p> </li> <li> <p>fix flickering lights and turn off as much lighting as practicable</p> </li> <li> <p>remove scented reeds and pause automatic scent dispensers</p> </li> <li> <p>switch off hand dryers </p> </li> <li> <p>turn down the volume on checkout scanners.</p> </li> </ul> <p>One of the tools we used for mapping quiet hour was a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/07255136221133188">thematic analysis</a> of reports about it in Australian print media from 2017 to 2019. We found the following themes: </p> <ul> <li> <p>an emphasis on the kinds of discomforts associated with retail environments</p> </li> <li> <p>the importance of providing a “low-sensory environment” as a form of inclusion</p> </li> <li> <p>while lighting was often mentioned, the main recurring theme was the reduction of sound. </p> </li> </ul> <h2>Why does reducing sound matter?</h2> <p>Sound and sensory hypersensitivity are important themes in neurodivergent people’s accounts of how they struggle with everyday experiences others take for granted. </p> <p>Leading autism researcher and advocate Sandra Thom-Jones <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/growing-in-to-autism-paperback-softback">writes</a> that neurodivergents’ sensitivity to sound is complex. It’s affected by “what the sound actually is, how loud it is, whether I am expecting it, and whether I can control it”.</p> <p>People might assume everyone has the ability to <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203033142-4/radio-texture-self-others1-jo-tacchi">frame which sounds are important</a> and which are “irrelevant to what we are listening to or doing”. However, the ability to single out sound sources and block out background noise is a major point of differentiation between neurotypicals and neurodivergents.</p> <p>Thom-Jones, who received her autism diagnosis at age 52, <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/growing-in-to-autism-paperback-softback">reports</a> that when she is “in an environment with multiple sounds” she tends to “hear all of them”.</p> <p>Thus, when she is catching up with a friend in a café, she may be “listening intently” to what her friend is saying but she will also be “hearing the piped music, the people talking at the next table, cars driving past, the coffee machine”. </p> <h2>Others welcome quiet hour too</h2> <p>Given how neurodivergents process sound, quiet hour is likely to increase their sense of comfort in retail spaces. </p> <p>However, quiet hour also suspends or – to use a term coined by <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Frame_Analysis/XBpmAAAAIAAJ?hl=en">Erving Goffman</a> – “rekeys” the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/symb.506">sensory frames</a> of all shoppers. A quiet hour could benefit lots of people who may not have a specific condition but simply prefer a quieter retail environment.</p> <p>We found this is an under-researched area, but did find anecdotal accounts to suggest this. Take the <a href="https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/12-07-2020/the-quiet-hours-in-praise-of-supermarket-serenity">case</a> of New Zealand actress and author Michelle Langstone. </p> <p>She reports visiting stores across Auckland and Rotorua that offer quiet-hour shopping. She stumbled upon it by “sheer luck”. At first, she admits, it felt “a bit like a post-apocalyptic scene”.</p> <p>Once she adjusted to the unfamiliar sensory environment, she felt herself succumbing to changed supermarket routines, “I cruised every single [aisle], taking in the quiet for nearly 45 minutes, at the end of which I felt a kind of meditative peace come over me.” </p> <p>Langstone also <a href="https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/12-07-2020/the-quiet-hours-in-praise-of-supermarket-serenity">reports</a> avoiding impulse buying. That first time she left with “only [the] bread and eggs” she had gone to the shop for. She was able to focus on shopping rather than “multi-tasking”, and quiet hour left her with a “feeling of goodwill towards all shoppers”. </p> <p>In other words, even if the strategy is about levelling the sensory playing field for neurodivergents, it seems to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/soin.12232">change the shopping experience</a> for other people too.</p> <h2>Why the bias towards the noisy city?</h2> <p>As researchers interested in sound and space, quiet hour made us reflect on how we think about these issues and our attitudes to noise. It made us question, for example, why one of the most cited texts in our field is entitled <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/noise">Noise: The Political Economy of Music</a>?</p> <p>Studies of silence or quietude are rare in urban or spatial studies. One has to turn to fields such as the study of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1466138109339041">meditation practices</a> or the silence associated with <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-au/A+History+of+Silence:+From+the+Renaissance+to+the+Present+Day-p-9781509517350">nature or sacred spaces</a> to find positive accounts of reduced noise.</p> <p>This needs correcting. Sound intensity matters if cities, buildings or public spaces are to foster hospitality and “<a href="https://www.metrolab.brussels/publications/the-qualities-of-hospitality-and-the-concept-of-inclusive-city">support people in their activities by facilitating their stay</a>”. </p> <p>What quiet hour teaches us is that an inclusive or welcoming city is a city that “<a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Resonance%3A+A+Sociology+of+Our+Relationship+to+the+World-p-9781509519927">resonates</a>” with different kinds of minds, bodies and styles of sensory processing. </p> <p>Quiet hour might therefore be both an inclusion strategy and an experiment that forces us to think more deeply about our cities and how they sound.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-kind-of-meditative-peace-quiet-hour-shopping-makes-us-wonder-why-our-cities-have-to-be-so-noisy-193461" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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Dissecting Stevie Wonder’s Superstition, 50 years after we first heard its infectious grooves

<p>On October 24 1972, Stevie Wonder released his 15th album Talking Book and the world heard the infectious grooves and seamless vocal delivery of the song Superstition for the very first time.</p> <p>Superstition reached number one in the Billboard Hot 100 and on the soul singles chart. </p> <p>The song has been covered by an astounding number of artists, from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbxmmFsofA4">Mel Torme</a>to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dNNl79_2Yc">Stevie Ray Vaughan and Macy Gray</a>, French musician <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzwiyeLvZwg">Tété</a> and a unique mashup from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QLSNwFBFyI">Pomplamoose</a>.</p> <p>Superstition is frequently played at gigs and gatherings all over the globe because the bass riff and driving drum groove have so much <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUIpSe7lcto">dance appeal</a> – a mix of the unexpected syncopation and repetition of the chorus hook. The song feels alive.</p> <h2>A simple structure</h2> <p>The listener can’t help but respond directly to the infectious opening groove played by Wonder. </p> <p>Three key instruments forge the captivating and carefully arranged funk groove in the introduction: the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavinet">Hohner Clavinet</a> (an electronic harpsichord – more on this later), drums and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moog_synthesizer">Moog bass</a>. The cohesion is musical magic. </p> <p>Superstition’s recording engineer Malcolm Cecil <a href="https://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D5482985134149A5927DED9849248EF">recalled</a> how Wonder recorded the entire song on drums first, with no reference other than the song in his head, then the keyboard bass part, and then the Clavinet. </p> <p>This illustrates how complete his conceptualisation of the song was prior to recording. </p> <p>The song’s structure is simple. The introduction sets up the familiar groove with its static harmony, pulsing bass and keyboard riff. </p> <p>The verse proceeds over the same static harmony, with a new bass riff introduced halfway through, effecting a shift to a higher dynamic level. </p> <p>The chorus releases the tension with a sophisticated cadence, reflecting jazz sensibilities and revealing the breadth of Wonder’s musical knowledge. </p> <p>This structure is repeated, followed by an instrumental version of the chorus. Then there’s a final verse and chorus before a long instrumental section built on the verse riff leads to the final fade out.</p> <h2>Unexpected instruments</h2> <p>One of the most memorable parts of the song is the signature played on the Hohner Clavinet.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7CY6aJtegc">Clavinet</a> looks like an electric keyboard, but it is an electro-mechanical string instrument originally developed for the performance of classical harpsichord and clavichord music.</p> <p>Like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammond_organ">Hammond organ</a> of the 1930s, it was soon discovered and adopted by many contemporary musicians.</p> <p>Wonder had already used the instrument on I Was Made to Love Her (1967), Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day (1968) and I Don’t Know Why (1969). According to music journalist <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2722025-innervisions">Martin Horn</a>, Wonder wanted to use the Clavinet on Superstition to “full effect” to “show off”. Wonder had described the instrument as “funky, dirty, stinky”.</p> <p>In some ways, the Clavinet is doing the job a guitarist might normally do. It plays the single note riff at the core of Wonder’s song, and chord parts similar to what you would hear from a strummed guitar. But there are also several other barely audible tracks of clavinet, which subtly add to the texture. </p> <p>Superstition’s bass line is played on an analog synthesiser called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX0XPdmSfXI">TONTO</a> (The Original New Timbral Orchestra). This is an extraordinary collection of electronics which filled an entire room, adding to the song with a totally unique sonic palette – akin to a PVC pipe hit with a thong.</p> <h2>Standing the test of time</h2> <p>The contributions from the horn parts are also integral, played by Steve Madaio on trumpet and Trevor Lawrence on the tenor saxophone. </p> <p>The horns first appear playing in unison with the bass line in the second half of the verse, emphasising the lift in energy. They play long notes in the chorus emphasising the melody, then reinforce the rhythmic figure at the crest of resolution. </p> <p>Their part culminates in a powerful instrumental hook answering the vocal hook, “superstition ain’t the way”. These parts are repeated in the ensuing verses and choruses.</p> <p>After the final chorus the horns cycle through a sequence containing the verse riff, the chorus hook and a short passage of long notes adapted from the chorus melody. </p> <p>The melody of Superstition is very singable. Wonder’s delivery is fluid and highly expressive. He sings relatively short phrases, allowing the keyboard riffs to fill the space at the end of each phrase. </p> <p>It isn’t until the chorus that Wonder delivers the first effortless vocal lick on “suffer”. His vocal delivery remains understated, with occasional punctuated phrases, gravel tones and a scream within the horn part. </p> <p>The song ends with a long 50 second fade out, reinforcing the riff. </p> <p>Superstition and Wonder’s vocal delivery is so dependable, groovy and secure musically. The listener feels free to give themselves over fully, to trust Wonder completely and lose themselves for a moment. </p> <p>Superstition stands the test of time.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/dissecting-stevie-wonders-superstition-50-years-after-we-first-heard-its-infectious-grooves-189551" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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An ancient seed could prove wonders for your hair and skin

<p dir="ltr">In a world of products saturated with new formulas and hero ingredients that promise wondrous benefits, it can feel overwhelming to find a product that works for you.</p> <p dir="ltr">A new contender is the oil of the humble Black Cumin seed, or <em>Nigella sativa</em>, which is the hero ingredient in Hab Shifa’s line of beauty products, including a body wash, moisturiser shampoo and conditioner.</p> <p dir="ltr">With its use dating back to the Ancient Egyptians and in some of the world’s oldest religious and medical texts, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2583426/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clinical studies</a> of the Black Seed have since found it has various health benefits, thanks to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, and even anti-diabetic properties.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a685ac50-7fff-e15d-7f6e-64f04896e501"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">When it comes to our skin and hair, Black Seed oil has been praised for its ability to cleanse hair of impurities while nurturing the scalp.</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/CiOcuLuNVYA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiOcuLuNVYA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Hab Shifa Australia (@hab_shifa_black_seed)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Hab Shifa takes advantage of these qualities and combines Black Seed oil with other anti-irritant ingredients, with the resulting combination helping restore skin elasticity and minimise the loss of moisture in the barriers of the skin.</p> <p dir="ltr">After trialling Hab Shifa’s products over the last few months, I can safely say the shampoo and conditioner make easy work of my hair, leaving it feeling lighter, softer, and clean even when it has been at its greasiest.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-7a65138d-7fff-fd3a-4496-5aba5fa2e455"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The body wash and moisturiser have delivered similar results for my skin, with the scrub helping my skin feel exfoliated while the moisturiser has put an end to my usual bouts of dry skin.</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/Ch1t5DOLeXI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch1t5DOLeXI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Hab Shifa Australia (@hab_shifa_black_seed)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">I’m not the only one who has seen the benefits of using Hab Shifa’s Black Seed oil products either.</p> <p dir="ltr">After searching for a product to help with dryness and cracking - a problem made all the worse due to increased hand-washing during the COVID-19 pandemic - nurse Margie Ryan has since made the moisturiser her go-to product, even over pharmaceutical and heavy-duty products.</p> <p dir="ltr">She says the moisturiser absorbs well and that it doesn’t feel like oils are transferred, and recommends it for anyone who works in industries where their hands are frequently in water or where they are prone to dryness or cracking.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Hab Shifa Black Seed skin and hair care range consists of the <a href="https://habshifa.com.au/collections/nourishment-tq/products/black-seed-nurturing-shampoo-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nurturing Shampoo</a> and <a href="https://habshifa.com.au/collections/nourishment-tq/products/black-seed-nurturing-conditioner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nurturing Conditioner</a>, the <a href="https://habshifa.com.au/collections/nourishment-tq/products/black-seed-revitalizing-body-wash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Revitalizing Body Wash</a>, and the <a href="https://habshifa.com.au/collections/nourishment-tq/products/black-seed-hydrating-moisturizing-lotion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hydrating Moisturizing Lotion</a>, which retail for $19.95 each or can be purchased as <a href="https://habshifa.com.au/collections/gift-packs/products/gift-of-beauty-gift-pack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a bundle</a> for $77.50 on Hab Shifa’s online store.</p> <p dir="ltr">To find their products in-store, head <a href="https://habshifa.com.au/pages/store-locator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> to locate your closest one.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-dd856881-7fff-150d-3a26-2cdd567f32d9"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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What a wonderful tribute: Goldie Hawn's incredible Olivia moment

<p dir="ltr">The devastating death of Dame Olivia Newton-John has rocked the world as many sent their condolences to her family.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>Grease </em>star “passed away peacefully” at the age of 73 at her Ranch in Southern California surrounded by family.</p> <p dir="ltr">While Olivia’s family has been awash in an outpouring of love, support and shared grief, few tributes produced full-body goosebumps quite like the one shared by the normally highly private and reticent Goldie Hawn.</p> <p dir="ltr">Goldie took to Instagram to share a beautiful musical line-up that featured Olivia, Lily Tomlin, Cher, Bette Midler, Meryl Streep and of course, herself.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A light landed on this planet 73 years ago,” Goldie’s caption read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Her voice brought us to such joyous heights, nothing held her back, nothing. Her mind was strong and heroic.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Olivia’s light will continue to shine and will never flicker. Never.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Rest sweetheart. Rest peacefully, you are Love.”</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/reel/ChBOOyzpCRq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChBOOyzpCRq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Goldie Hawn (@goldiehawn)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The clip from 1990 shows the women gathered on stage taking turns to sing verses from Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World.</p> <p dir="ltr">A young Olivia appears in a stunning red dress and gold locks as she smashes her verse to a rapturous crowd.</p> <p dir="ltr">This beautiful dedication to Olivia is not the only one that has emerged, with an interview from just two years prior in 2020 re-surfacing to great delight.</p> <p dir="ltr">Olivia was being interviewed on The Project by Lisa Wilkinson about her journey with breast cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I have to ask on behalf of everyone in Australia who loves and adores you and has done for decades, how is your health?” Lisa asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">A jubilant Olivia smiled at the audience, put her hands up in the air and said “Fantastic!”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Olivia Newton-John joined us on The Project in 2020 alongside her daughter Chloe Rose Lattanzi.<br />⁰<br />She told us all about the big thing she believed in that kept her going throughout her cancer battle.<br />⁰<br />Everyone should remember this. <a href="https://t.co/0zndiMerbr">pic.twitter.com/0zndiMerbr</a></p> <p>— The Project (@theprojecttv) <a href="https://twitter.com/theprojecttv/status/1556779992369053701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“I’m doing really well, thank you, and thank you for all your love and support, I really appreciate it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I believe your belief system is part of the healing. All I can know is that my last MRI, things are shrinking, going away or staying the same, and I’m living with it and feeling great.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Fellow Australian Kylie Minogue also offered a heartfelt tribute to the singer and actress by sharing a throwback photo of the pair in 1988.</p> <p dir="ltr">The photo was a black and white image of Kylie and Olivia standing together at the Royal Bicentennial Concert.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Since I was ten years old, I have loved and looked up to Olivia Newton John. And, I always will. (Just like this picture @nfsaonline),” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was, and always will be, an inspiration to me in so many, many ways. My deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. x ONJ4EVER @therealonj.”</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/ChA8Yvltrdd/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChA8Yvltrdd/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Kylie Minogue (@kylieminogue)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Delta Goodrem also offered her condolences to her “friend and mentor” with a beautiful photo of the pair hugging.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The whole world will feel this heartbreak today because the entire world felt Olivia’s unmatched light,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A force for good. A force of nature. Strong and kind. my mentor, my friend, my inspiration, someone who always guided me…she was always there for me. Family to me.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t have all the words I would like to say today but I hope everyone will join in celebrating our beloved Olivia, her heart, soul, talent, courage, grace…</p> <p dir="ltr">“I love you forever.”</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/ChA2VU4P0mF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChA2VU4P0mF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Delta Goodrem AM (@deltagoodrem)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Olivia’s husband <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/honouring-dame-olivia-newton-john" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced the awful news</a> on Instagram via his late wife’s account asking for privacy as they mourn her death.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time,” he wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in her memory to the @onjfoundation.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Olivia is survived by her husband John Easterling; daughter Chloe Lattanzi; sister Sarah Newton-John; brother Toby Newton-John; nieces and nephews Tottie, Fiona and Brett Goldsmith; Emerson, Charlie, Zac, Jeremy, Randall, and Pierz Newton-John; Jude Newton-Stock, Layla Lee; Kira and Tasha Edelstein; and Brin and Valerie Hall.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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Natural wonders of the world to put on your bucket list

<h2>Earth’s greatest hits</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Mother Nature sure knows how to make a statement. The planet is dotted with all sorts of gorgeous creations, from cascading waterfalls to towering volcanoes to otherworldly salt flats you won’t believe are real, and all of these natural wonders of the world tell the story of a particular destination. Of course, people travel far and wide just to get a glimpse of the most famous landscapes and the equally stunning but lesser-known natural wonders, and for good reason. Whether you’re interested in diving the Great Barrier Reef, hiking the Grand Canyon, admiring the northern lights, or just taking a tour from your couch and daydreaming about your bucket list, you’ll definitely be inspired by these natural wonders of the world.</p> <h2>Poás Volcano, Costa Rica</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">One of the most visited volcanoes in Costa Rica is also one of the oldest – it actually helped form the Central Valley. Sitting more than 2707 metres above sea level, Poás Volcano has been active for hundreds of years, though its last major eruption was in 1910. Visitors can still get up close and personal with it at the national park where it’s located (with a reservation, that is). If you’re lucky enough to get a view of the crater, it can be breathtaking; however, views may be obstructed by clouds due to fickle and unpredictable weather conditions, which change by the hour. Dress warm and bring an umbrella, as precipitation is common at the top of the mountain.</p> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">The volcano is about an hour’s drive from the centre of San José. But you’ll definitely want to build some extra time into your schedule so you can sample fresh strawberries at the fruit stands along the way or go on a tour at Doka Estate to learn how coffee is made.</p> <h2>Mount Otemanu, Bora Bora</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Bora Bora was first made popular during World War II, when soldiers were stationed on the island. Mount Otemanu is the island’s main attraction, and it has an interesting history. “During World War II, the American soldiers used the cave to check the horizon to see if any enemies were coming,” says Marania Teuru, a representative for Tahiti Tourisme. Years later, it was rumoured that women went inside the caves to give birth because giving birth on the island was not permitted. The massive mountain, which stands 727 metres above the lagoon of Bora Bora, is now the perfect backdrop for dreamy Tahitian sunsets. A few of the luxury resorts offer great views of the mountain, including the St. Regis Bora Bora and the Conrad Bora Bora Nui, which have become hot spots for honeymooners.</p> <h2>Marble Chapels, Patagonia</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">The Capillas de Mármol, or Marble Chapels, are an absolute must when visiting Patagonia. The stunning caves are located in the middle of General Carrera Lake, which makes them accessible only by boat. One of the more remote natural wonders on this list, the iridescent Marble Chapels are actually layers of calcium carbonate formations resulting from 6,000 years of wind and water slapping the rocks. The colours and arches formed inside the cave are truly breathtaking, and even amateur photographers will have a field day here. The best time to visit is in the austral summer, from December to March, when the intensity of the blue waters is intensified by the sun.</p> <h2>Yosemite National Park, USA</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">One of California’s crown jewels, Yosemite National Park is an outdoor playground for nature enthusiasts. The protected park is approximately 3108 square kilometres, and it features towering sequoias, dramatic waterfalls, beautiful mountain ranges and sheer granite towers. In addition to Half Dome and El Capitan, Yosemite is also home to Yosemite Falls, one of the world’s tallest waterfalls at 739 metres. May or June is the best time to see the waterfalls; September is also a great month to visit because of pleasant weather and fewer crowds.</p> <h2>Great Barrier Reef, Australia</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">One of the world’s greatest spectacles also happens to be one of the most vulnerable. Whether you choose to view this global treasure from a helicopter or go scuba diving to enjoy close encounters with more than 1,500 species of tropical fish, it’s hard not to notice the direct impact of climate change. Warmer temperatures have led to significant amounts of coral bleaching, and farming pollution has caused starfish to feed off the precious coral. If the damage continues on the same trajectory, more than 90 percent of the living coral will erode within the next decade.</p> <h2>Haleakala National Park, Hawaii</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Maui is world-famous for its magnificent beaches, fresh cuisine and burnt-orange sunsets, but it’s also home to some of the most beautiful landscapes. The top of the dormant volcano at Haleakala National Park is one of the most epic spots to watch the sun rise. At just over 3048 metres above sea level and spanning 12,140-plus hectares of land, Haleakala offers plenty of scenic vistas, sparkling waterfalls (near the park’s coastal section), and endangered species sightings such as the nēnē, the state bird. An important note if you want to hike to the crater at sunrise: You have to make a reservation up to seven days in advance. There is also a $30 fee to park your car, but it’s valid for three days, in case one visit just wasn’t enough.</p> <h2>Grand Canyon, USA</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Arizona has no shortage of majestic mountains and sweeping vistas, but the Grand Canyon is hands down one of the most diverse geological wonders in the state. The visual grandeur of this UNESCO World Heritage Site and natural wonder of the world is characterised by several horizontal layers of rock formations that are nearly two billion years old. Visitors have several options to experience the beauty here: Adventure seekers can enjoy an aerial view from a helicopter ride through the canyons or go whitewater rafting down the Colourado River (not for the faint of heart). For an easy hiking trail, head to the north rim to avoid large crowds and check out the Cape Royal Trail. It’s a flat, well-paved trail that’s popular during sunrise and sunset.</p> <h2>Cappadocia, Turkey</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">You may have seen the captivating photos of colourful hot air balloons against a magical landscape of rugged cliffs, valleys and minaret-like towers carved into the rocks. It’s hard to believe this place is real, but it is and it’s in Turkey! The Anatolia region of Cappadocia is filled with rich history and culture, including the 40 identified underground cities that lie below the surface and the Göreme Open Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visited sites in Cappadocia. For a good vantage point overlooking the landscape of this natural wonder, check out Uçhisar Castle – or drift during sunrise in one of the hot air balloons.</p> <h2>Blue Grotto, Malta</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Malta is a magnificent Mediterranean island between Sicily and the North African coast. The island is known for year-round warm weather, ancient cities, dazzling beaches, and, of course, the Blue Grotto: a series of caves that form high arches along the southern coast of the island. On a clear day, you can see the fluorescent colours reflected on the cave, a phenomenon caused by the underwater flora. Try to book a boat tour early in the morning when the sea is calm, the sun is bright, and there are fewer crowds.</p> <h2>Banff National Park, Canada</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Those visiting the Rocky Mountains in Canada between July and September will be rewarded with turquoise-coloured lakes, scenic mountain views, and plenty of wildlife. The summer months allow for some of the best hiking and wildflower sightings of the year, but they also mean peak tourist season. September may be an even better time to visit, since the crowds fade, the leaves start to change colour, and the snow-capped mountains begin to appear in the distance. Biking is also another way to explore the mountains, which boast more than 354 kilometres of cycling trails.</p> <h2>Blausee Lake, Switzerland</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Blausee Lake is a small, enchanted lake in the Kander Valley in Switzerland that gets its name from its vibrant crystal-blue colour. The lake is surrounded by a stunning national park with towering pine trees, a boutique hotel, and an organic trout farm. Whether you choose to visit during the summer when the bright turquoise water is glimmering against the verdant backdrop, or the winter, when the snow-covered pine trees look like a Bob Ross painting, Blausee Lake is an idyllic place year-round. There is an entrance fee between $8 and $10, depending on the day of the week, and dogs are allowed in the park on a leash.</p> <h2>Waitaki Whitestone Park, New Zealand</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">It’s hard to pick just one natural wonder in New Zealand, but Waitaki Whitestone Park tops the list. With picturesque rolling green hills, scenic cycling trails and an abundance of wildlife, this park just may be the most gorgeous outdoor wonderland you’ll ever play in. Walk, bike or drive through the park, and as you do, be on the lookout for unique rock formations. FYI, this New Zealand gem won’t be flying under the radar for much longer because it’s up for UNESCO assessment this year.</p> <h2>Galápagos Islands, Ecuador</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">The Galápagos Islands are a group of 19 large islands in Ecuador with a unique ecosystem and diverse range of endemic marine life and species. You’ll find the island’s namesake giant tortoise, sea iguanas, penguins and sea lions, to name a few. Watch the tortoises in their natural habitat at the El Chato Tortoise Reserve, snorkel with sea animals, or spot exotic birds. For a challenging activity on land, check out many of the lava trails near the volcanoes. Bartolomé is probably the most iconic island – and the most visited. Hike more than 300 steps to the summit and you’ll be rewarded with epic views of Pinnacle Rock.</p> <h2>Stromboli, Italy</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Yep, that delicious Italian dish takes its name from an actual place – specifically, a small volcanic island just north of Sicily. Its 3,000-foot-high active volcano, nicknamed the “Lighthouse of the Mediterranean,” has had lava flowing out for years. The most impressive sightings are at night, and the best way to see the volcano is on a boat tour. There are no cars, buses, or trains on the island (only small motorbikes and Ape cars), and flashlights are recommended if you plan to walk around at night because there are no street lights.</p> <h2>Iguazú Falls, Argentina</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Split between Argentina and Brazil, these famous falls are all drama and all beauty, all the time. They’re located in Iguazú National Park, a subtropical rainforest that offers many different vantage points of the waterfalls. Book a boat ride and see them up close as you sail through the Lower Iguazú River, or walk through the park – but either way, but expect to get soaked!</p> <h2>Great Blue Hole, Belize</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">This massive sinkhole is part of the Belize Barrier Reef, one of the most pristine reef ecosystems in the western hemisphere, and it’s a favourite spot for serious divers because of its incredible marine diversity. It’s also home to several shark species. Translation: It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re an experienced diver, you won’t want to miss it. While you’re in Belize, make sure to check out Ambergris Caye, the largest island in the country.</p> <h2>Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Also known as the Salt Flats, this extraordinary attraction is the world’s largest salt flat – the result of dried-up prehistoric lakes. June to August is the dry season, so more tourists visit during this time. But December to April is less crowded and amazing in a whole different way: When the rain hits the salt flats, it causes a glass- or mirror-like effect, which looks really cool in photos. If you visit, keep in mind that the high-altitude flats are nearly 3650 metres above sea level, so you may experience altitude sickness if you haven’t given yourself a few days to acclimate in town first.</p> <h2>Padjelanta National Park, Sweden</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Sweden tops the list as one of the most sustainable tourist destinations in the world, and with so much natural beauty, it’s easy to see why. The country’s largest national park, Padjelanta National Park, is adjacent to the Norwegian border, and it’s a peaceful mountain escape where the Wi-Fi is weak and the air is fresh. The open terrain surrounded by alpines makes it an ideal destination for hiking, especially in July and August. Pack light, but don’t forget binoculars! You might spot newly born calves, birds or other animals.</p> <h2>Milford Sound, New Zealand</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">A remote fiord within Fiordland National Park that was formed by glaciers from the Ice Age, this remarkable jewel is surrounded by lush New Zealand rainforests, steep cliffs, and cascading waterfalls. It’s the only fiord accessible by road in New Zealand, but the best way to experience it is by boat. Take a scenic flight from Queenstown for breathtaking aerial views of the snow-capped mountains, then take a cruise to observe the black coral and sea life. The best time to visit is after heavy rain, typically in December or January, when the waterfalls are more intense. Need another reason to visit? Check out these breathtaking photos of New Zealand.</p> <h2>Suytun Cenote, Mexico</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">While most travellers head south of the border for the beautiful luxury resorts and sparkling blue waters, you’ll also want to venture out for a day trip to see this stunning natural wonder near Cancún. Located about 15 minutes from the colonial city of Valladolid, Yucatán, the underground cave has a stone walkway where a natural light beam shines through a small hole – and creates the perfect photo op. There are bathrooms and changing facilities at the park, and the site has a small entrance fee of about $6.</p> <h2>Elephant Rock, Saudi Arabia</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Jabal AlFil Elephant Rock is one of AlUla’s most recognizable natural sites: Wind and water erosion over millions of years created this massive elephant-shaped rock in the middle of the desert. It’s best to view this amazing rock formation during sunset, but dress warmly for cold desert evenings. And, in general, both men and women are encouraged to dress modestly and avoid tight-fitting clothes.</p> <h2>Northern Lights, Iceland</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">There are many places to view the northern lights (also known as the aurora borealis), and Reykjavík is certainly one of them. Colourful streaks of light create striking rainbows in the dark sky, creating a photographer’s dream shot. The months of September and April are prime time for catching the dancing light show, but unfortunately, there isn’t one location that offers optimal sightings. It also depends on the weather conditions, so it’s best to leave it up to the local tour guides to show you the best locations.</p> <h2>Grand Prismatic Spring, USA</h2> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">Wyoming is home to many iconic natural wonders of the world, including Grand Teton National Park and Devils Tower National Monument, but it also has the world’s third-largest hot spring. The remarkable Grand Prismatic in Yellowstone National Park is the single largest hot spring in the park – it’s larger than a football field, so it’s hard to miss! A feast for the eyes, the rainbow-coloured hot spring has a deep blue centre and orange spider legs radiating outward. Avoid the crowds by climbing up the new trail to an overlook on the nearby hillside; the 965m hike is worth the view.</p> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><em><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/destinations/natural-wonders-of-the-world-to-put-on-your-bucket-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader’s Digest</a>.</strong></em></p> <p style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

International Travel

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Discover the wonder of classical music in Prague Castle

<p dir="ltr">Uncovering a city’s most underrated experiences is one of life’s great pleasures when travelling through places you have never seen. </p> <p dir="ltr">These breathtaking moments are often found lurking in the most unlikely of places, but are ones you are likely to never forget. </p> <p dir="ltr">One of these stunning experiences not to be missed on your next travels is the wonder of a classical music performance in the extraordinary Prague Castle. </p> <p dir="ltr">Performed by members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, a one hour performance is open to the public each and every day. </p> <p dir="ltr">Complete with a trio of a flute, viola and a piano, these talented musicians play a selection of the world’s most celebrated pieces of classical music from composers such as Vivaldi, Mozart and Beethoven.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZKmd7y2ol28" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">The intimate environment of the Lobkowicz Palace within the walls of Prague Castle boasts the ultimate conditions to enjoy the performance, as audience members can also enjoy the stunning art surrounding them. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Lobkowicz Collections comprise one of the oldest and largest private art collections in Central Europe, bringing an artistic experience for all the senses.  </p> <p dir="ltr">While in the grounds of the castle, explore the castle complex that dates back to the 9th century and is rich with extraordinary history, breath-taking architecture and a stunning view point that gives amazing views of all of Prague.</p> <p dir="ltr">With <a href="https://www.prague-castle-concert.cz/en/">tickets</a> available for an extremely reasonable price, the midday classical concerts at Prague Castle are a must see for any music lover. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Supplied</em></p>

Music

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Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Stevie Wonder snaps up lavish LA mansion

<p dir="ltr">Music legend Stevie Wonder has recently bought himself a<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2147-Ravensfield-Ln_Los-Angeles_CA_90077_M27108-95842" target="_blank">luxe mansion in Bel-Air</a>, dropping $USD 13.85 million ($NZD 20.46 million).</p> <p dir="ltr">According to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dirt.com/gallery/entertainers/musicians/stevie-wonder-house-bel-air-los-angeles-1203443140/" target="_blank"><em>Dirt</em></a>, the elaborate estate was formerly owned by Prince Mohammed bin Faisal bin Saud al-Saud, who hasn’t spent much time in the area and has apparently been renting the home for $USD 75,000 a month.</p> <p dir="ltr">The home was<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/stevie-wonder-reportedly-buys-wonderful-mansion-in-bel-air-for-14m/" target="_blank">first listed for sale</a><span> </span>in 2017 for a whopping $USD 25 million ($NZD 36.93 million), before the price began to nosedive.</p> <p dir="ltr">In early 2018, the price fell to $USD 23.5 million, followed by a reduction to $USD 20 million eight months later and a final discount to $USD 17.95 million at the end of the year. Still failing to find a buyer, the home was eventually floated off the market for a few years before it returned in April 2021 with a price tag of $USD 14.7 million.</p> <p dir="ltr">It was eventually snapped up by Wonder at an almost 50 percent discount off its initial price.</p> <p dir="ltr">Built in 2009, the<span> </span><em>Superstition</em><span> </span>singer’s new 1858-square-metre home includes 11 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, high ceilings, and a mix of wood and stone floors throughout.</p> <p dir="ltr">The home also boasts a formal dining room, professional kitchen, home theatre, bar, and entertainment room with its own pool table, card table, and pinball machines, and a wine cellar that can hold up to 2550 bottles.</p> <p dir="ltr">On the second floor, the master bedroom comes with a private sitting area and a balcony that overlooks the pool.</p> <p dir="ltr">The lavish estate also includes space for guest or staff quarters, and a lift connecting all three floors.</p> <p dir="ltr">Outside, the half-acre grounds include a pool, spa and waterfall, as well as a patio and outdoor fireplace.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images, Realtor.com</em></p>

Real Estate

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Ever wondered who would win in a fight between a dingo and a wolf? An expert explains

<p>Imagine two of the world’s most iconic canids – a dingo and a wolf – head to head in a fight. Who would win?</p> <p>Before we examine the combatants in more detail, we need to answer an important question first, <em>which</em> wolf and <em>which</em> dingo? Taxonomy – the way we describe, name and classify Earth’s biodiversity – <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aav3437">remains contentious</a> for both animals.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-dingo-is-a-true-blue-native-australian-species-111538">Dingoes are recognised as a species</a> in their own right by some, but not <a href="https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4317.2.1">others</a>. And, <a href="https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2021.004">dingoes are quite different</a> in their size and appearance, depending on whether they live in Australia’s alpine and forested areas, deserts, or tropical regions.</p> <p>As for wolves, there are North American (“Grey”), Mexican, Eurasian, Himalayan, Asiatic, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mec.16127">Indian and Tibetan</a>, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mec.16048">Red</a>, African <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.08.041">golden</a>, Ethiopian and even “<a href="https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/37/9/2616/5834723">ghost wolves</a>” – yes, <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.10.463851v3">ghost wolves</a>! Ghost wolves are species we can recognise from the past using genetic information, but they no longer survive and no fossils are known to exist.</p> <p>And then there are “wolves” that aren’t wolves at all: the fox-like <a href="https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/maned-wolf">maned wolf</a> in South America, and the gargantuan, now-extinct <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03082-x?proof=t">dire wolf</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435232/original/file-20211202-17-a8k7d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435232/original/file-20211202-17-a8k7d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">The maned wolf is a canine from South America, but is neither a wolf nor a fox.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></p> <p>For the purposes of this battle, let’s assume it’s between a grey wolf and an alpine dingo.</p> <h2>Why do dogs, dingoes and wolves fight?</h2> <p><img src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/1891/dingo.gif?1639005086" alt="" width="33%" align="left" /></p> <p>For wild canids, fights occur for many reasons, within and between species when they overlap. Wolves and dingoes fight for mates, to attain dominance within packs, and to establish and maintain their territories.</p> <p>So, let’s get to know each opponent a little better.</p> <p>Dingoes and wolves are both social and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003347210001478">intelligent species</a>, capable of <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7138/">complex behaviours and problem solving</a>.</p> <p><img src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/1892/wolf.gif?1639005618" alt="" width="33%" align="right" /></p> <p>Grey wolves are what we call hyper-carnivores, feeding <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mam.12067">predominantly on other animals</a>, in many cases large prey such as deer, elk, moose and bison.</p> <p>Dingoes are omnivores with a <a href="https://theconversation.com/dingo-dinners-whats-on-the-menu-for-australias-top-predator-103846">broad, varied diet</a>. They eat everything from fruits, to invertebrates, to small and large vertebrates – think lizards, birds, wombats, wallabies, possums, kangaroos, and feral animals like goats and deer. Dingoes will also <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/australian-zoologist/article/41/3/433/464059/Dingoes-dining-with-death">scavenge food and carcasses</a>.</p> <p>Prior to European invasion, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-185X.2011.00203.x">dingoes likely occupied</a> all of mainland Australia.</p> <p>Aside from humans, it’s thought the grey wolf was once <a href="https://www.canids.org/species/view/PREKLD895731">the world’s most widespread mammal</a>, where it, and its subspecies, occurred across much of Europe, Asia, and North and Central America. But, like with dingoes, humans have caused substantial population and range decline of wolves.</p> <h2>The battle: terrain is crucial</h2> <p>The terrain of the arena for our combatants would be crucial. Dingoes and wolves are capable of moving at great speeds, sustained for long periods of time, especially in open country. Both can reach top speeds in the range of 50-60 kilometres per hour!</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435233/original/file-20211202-27-1p0mlxs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435233/original/file-20211202-27-1p0mlxs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Aside from humans, the grey wolf may once have been the world’s most widespread mammal.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Milo Weiler/Unsplash</span>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" class="license">CC BY</a></span></p> <p>However, dingoes arguably have the advantage in tight spots, in terms of their much smaller size, greater agility and flexibility, and climbing abilities. Dingoes typically weigh between <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-185X.2011.00203.x">15 and 20 kilograms</a>, while grey wolves are usually in <a href="https://www.livescience.com/27909-wolves.html">the range of 30-65kg</a>, and up to around 80kg for some males.</p> <p>Dingoes have been recorded vertically jumping 2 metres and <a href="https://dingofoundation.org/dingoes-are-not-domestic-dogs/">climbing fences</a>, making them quite cat-like in many respects. So, if the battle occurs among many obstacles and on steep terrain, this will give dingoes an edge.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435230/original/file-20211202-23-d897tr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435230/original/file-20211202-23-d897tr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Dingoes are perfectly adapted to Australia’s conditions.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></p> <p>But if the fight is in the open, the much heavier, taller, and longer wolves will be too much for dingoes. They also pack a heavier <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2004.2986">bite quotient</a> (bite force relative to body mass) of 136 as compared to the dingo’s 108.</p> <p>Having said that, wolves are much taller than dingoes, around 65-80 centimetres and 45-60cm at their shoulders, respectively. So it’s possible a wily dingo could dash under the legs of a tall wolf and launch an attack on the vulnerable underbelly.</p> <h2>What about pack vs pack?</h2> <p>The final factor to consider is whether the fight is simply one dingo vs one wolf. Both can occur as individuals or in packs.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435228/original/file-20211202-21-1sxtsus.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435228/original/file-20211202-21-1sxtsus.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Grey wolves can be in packs with 20 or more individuals.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Eva Blue/Unsplash</span>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" class="license">CC BY</a></span></p> <p>Dingoes are typically found alone, in pairs or in small packs of a few individuals, but occasionally can be found in much larger, less socially cohesive groups of ten or more when <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2013.00056.x">food resources are plentiful</a>.</p> <p>Wolves, on the other hand, are often found in groups of between five and ten, but much larger packs of 20 or more can also occur.</p> <p>I spoke to Lyn Watson, who runs the <a href="https://dingofoundation.org/">Dingo Discovery and Research Centre</a>. She says dingoes are “flight, rather than fight, canids”. This is wise behaviour, as dingoes are small in number and size and can’t rely on a large pack, like wolves sometimes can, to substitute them should they become injured in a fight.</p> <p>She goes on to say that from her 30 years of observations, female dingoes are particularly deadly.</p> <blockquote> <p>While dingoes are small, bonded pairs will fight in a coordinated way. Males fight in traditional neck and throat grabs, or “elbow”, but their bonded other has a completely different mode - and it’s deadly.</p> <p>The female will stay at the periphery then dart into the soft parts of the combatant that is threatening her mate. She aims to maim - and does so, targeting the most “sensitive” of areas, enough said!</p> </blockquote> <p>So if it’s pack vs pack, wolves will be far too strong. But if a single wolf was unlucky enough to come across a pack of dingoes, the tide could turn strongly in favour of dingoes.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434086/original/file-20211126-25-1pu702n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434086/original/file-20211126-25-1pu702n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Female dingoes aim to maim when they fight.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Angus Emmott</span></span></p> <h2>Learning to live together</h2> <p>Even though wolves and dingoes fight in the wild, despite common perceptions, they generally pose a very small risk to people, especially if we adhere to advice such as not feeding them.</p> <p>Domestic and feral dogs pose a far greater risk to us. It’s estimated that around the world, <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/animal-bites">dogs bite and injure tens of millions of people</a> annually. In the US alone, it’s thought around 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year.</p> <p>Of course, in reality wolves and dingoes will never fight each other in the wild. The greatest threat they both face is the ongoing destruction of their habitats and widespread <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/csp2.304">direct persecution from humans</a> (trapping, poisoning, shooting, and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42977-021-00106-z">exclusion from areas</a>), often aimed at protecting livestock.</p> <p>Like other apex predators, dingoes and wolves have critical roles in our ecosystems and, in many cases, have deep cultural significance for <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175303709X434149">Indigenous people</a>. We must find more ethical and sustainable ways to <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/australian-zoologist/article-abstract/41/3/491/447838/Co-existing-with-dingoes-Challenges-and-solutions">share our world</a>. <!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158312/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/euan-ritchie-735">Euan Ritchie</a>, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life &amp; Environmental Sciences, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ever-wondered-who-would-win-in-a-fight-between-a-dingo-and-a-wolf-an-expert-explains-158312">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Wes Mountain/The Conversation</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Breathtaking wilderness in the heart of coal country: after a 90-year campaign, Gardens of Stone is finally protected

<p>In the rocky upland wilderness of Wiradjuri Country two hours west of Sydney lies a new protected area with a <a href="https://www.nature.org.au/a_history_of_the_gardens_of_stone_campaign">nine-decade-long history</a> of dogged environmental activism: the Gardens of Stone.</p> <p>Last month, the New South Wales government <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/bill/files/3928/First%20Print.pdf">officially recognised</a> the Gardens of Stone as a State Conservation Area within the National Parks estate. <a href="https://www.nature.org.au/a_history_of_the_gardens_of_stone_campaign">First proposed in 1932</a> and with a small portion of the area designated as National Park in 1994, this decision will see more than 30,000 hectares finally protected.</p> <p>The government has also earmarked the region <a href="https://mattkean.com.au/news/media-release/gardens-stone-and-lost-city-adventures">for ecotourism</a>. With its epic gorges, the globally unique hanging swamps of Newnes Plateau, craggy cliff ravines and slot canyons, this 250-million-year-old geological landscape is a paradise for adventurers.</p> <p>But more than anything, the Gardens of Stone is, as stalwart campaigner Julie Favell puts it, a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/13/storybook-of-nature-a-landmark-win-as-gardens-of-stone-in-nsws-blue-mountains-protected">storybook of nature</a>”. This is no simple story, but one of a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421518302489">generational mining community</a> on the brink of social change and an often thankless, hard-won battle for ecological recognition in the heart of coal country.</p> <h2>Sandstone towers and rare wildlife</h2> <p>Towering sandstone and iron-banded <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNcceomLvs0&amp;ab_channel=IntotheWildFilms">pagoda formations</a> are what you’d most likely find on a Gardens of Stone postcard. These intricately weathered structures breach the eucalyptus canopy and cluster on a cliff, like a cross between the temples of Angkor Wat and a massive beehive complex.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MNcceomLvs0?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <span class="caption">The Lost City, Newnes Plateau, in Lithgow.</span></p> <p>For close and curious observers, there are also smaller, less dramatic icons. Rare wildflowers abound, including countless native orchids and the pagoda daisy, which grows only in rocky crags. In fact, the park is home to more than 40 threatened species, including the <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10841">regent honeyeater</a> and the <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10207">spotted-tail quoll</a>.</p> <p>A humble jewel of the Gardens of Stone is its endangered upland peat swamps. Resembling a meadow clearing, up close these swamps form watery spongescapes that function as both kitchen and nursery to hundreds of local species. Inhabitants include the endangered <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10322">Blue Mountains water-skink</a> and <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10600&amp;linkId=99343958">giant dragonfly</a>.</p> <p>These upland swamps on sandstone are found nowhere else in the world, and they play a critical role in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09640568.2019.1679100">regional water and climate resilience</a>, as they store carbon and mediate flooding and drought.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434647/original/file-20211130-19-16t5mk1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434647/original/file-20211130-19-16t5mk1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Pagoda daisy, which grows nowhere else in Australia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julie Favell</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <h2>A rocky battle</h2> <p>The environmental features of the Gardens of Stone are so intertwined with local, state and national conservation efforts that to tell the story of one is to tell the story of the other.</p> <p>Local environment groups have worked relentlessly to <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/scipapers/3063/">demonstrate the geological heritage</a> of the pagodas in the <a href="https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/5067592/threat-to-gardens-of-stone-from-proposed-open-cut-mining/">face of open cut mining</a>. They have documented the impacts of mining on <a href="http://www.lithgowenvironment.org/pages/swamp%20watch.php">swamps and waterways</a>, tried to <a href="https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/5268473/springvale-fined-for-damage-to-vegetation-in-endangered-swampland/">hold companies accountable</a> for their destruction, and recorded the presence of <a href="http://www.lithgowenvironment.org/pages/flora%20and%20fauna%201.php">many hundreds</a> of previously undocumented plant and animal species in an effort to have the area’s value formally recognised.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434649/original/file-20211130-17-1wc5fr7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434649/original/file-20211130-17-1wc5fr7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Gooches Crater swamp, ringed by cliffs and pagodas.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julie Favell</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>This long campaign has also been the subject of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-02/springvale-mine-extension-blocked-in-court/8766742">legal battles</a> in the courts of NSW. The last two decades in particular have seen, for example, countless petitions, <a href="https://gggallery.com.au/anne-graham-2/">public events</a>, <a href="http://www.lithgowenvironment.org/pages/stream%20watch.php">environmental testing and monitoring projects</a>, and the task of sifting through technical mining documents with each new mining proposal.</p> <p>Two mines are currently in operation within the conservation area, with an extension to an <a href="https://www.centennialcoal.com.au/operations/angus-place/">existing site proposed</a>. The most significant impacts from mining in recent decades have been sandstone cracking, causing swamps to dry out and die, and disruptions to upland water flows and regional water quality.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434651/original/file-20211130-15-13m3pgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434651/original/file-20211130-15-13m3pgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Lithgow Environment Group’s Chris Jonkers in a swamp damaged from nearby mining.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julie Favell</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>Conserving the Gardens of Stone has been an uphill battle in overcoming indifference and opposition.</p> <p>At the local level, environmental impacts from mining were <a href="https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/2318819/mining-industry-again-a-target/">derided as inconsequential</a> in the face of mining employment, with campaigners bearing the brunt of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/13/storybook-of-nature-a-landmark-win-as-gardens-of-stone-in-nsws-blue-mountains-protected">distrust and hostility</a> from pro-coal locals towards their perceived interference.</p> <p>At the state level, hard-won environmental protections <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/10/nsw-to-weaken-water-quality-test-for-extensions-to-mines">were overthrown in favour of mining approvals</a>. In 2017, the NSW government weakened laws to allow mining extensions that impacted Sydney’s drinking water quality, with <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/threatened-species/nsw-threatened-species-scientific-committee/determinations/final-determinations/2004-2007/alteration-of-habitat-following-subsidence-due-to-longwall-mining-key-threatening-process-listing">likely damage</a> to legally protected swamps within the Gardens of Stone not addressed.</p> <p>Due to existing mining developments, the extended Gardens of Stone isn’t officially designated as a National Park, but is instead a “<a href="https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/conservation-and-heritage/state-conservation-areas">conservation area</a>”. This means any new developments, such as extensions to mines, must use processes <a href="https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/7368602/centennial-coal-propose-new-project-to-delight-of-environmentalists/">that support</a> conservation requirements.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434655/original/file-20211130-21-1e6u2x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434655/original/file-20211130-21-1e6u2x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Spotted-tail quolls are one of the rare species living in the Gardens of Stone.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></p> <h2>Transitioning away from coal</h2> <p>Hopefully, encouraging responsible developments will avoid further <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-30/gardens-of-stone-conservation-proposal/100103246">ecological damage</a> and help enable a smoother economic transition away from coal in the coming decades.</p> <p>Despite Australia’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/11/11/coal-mining-australia-climate-cop26/">national climate strategy</a> remaining entrenched in coal, <a href="https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/7291551/angus-place-in-doubt-after-parent-company-pivots-to-clean-energy-future/">local coal</a> prospects are winding down. This seems heralded by <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-24/wallerawang-coal-demolition/100643694">last week’s demolition of Wallerawang Power Station</a> just outside the new conservation area.</p> <p>The new conservation area comes with a A$50 million investment, and will see hundreds of thousands of visitors flocking to explore a range of proposed new attractions. Chief among these will be the Lost City Adventure Experience, featuring Australia’s longest zipline and an elevated canyon walk, as well as a rock-climbing route and a six day wilderness track. These attractions are expected to create an extra 200 jobs.</p> <p>This new pivot towards ecotourism provides an example of a strategic and environmentally just transition pathway for the coal community in practice.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434653/original/file-20211130-23-12arbsv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434653/original/file-20211130-23-12arbsv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Pagodas at Newnes in the Gardens of Stone.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julie Favell</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>The Gardens of Stone victory may reflect a <a href="https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/5577143/mundey-cfmeu-conservationists-talk-39000-hectare-state-reserve/">new dawn of negotiation</a> that could mark an end to the often antagonistic view of conservation as a threat to local livelihoods in this area.</p> <p>This victory and vision belongs squarely with its environmental campaigners, some of whom have <a href="https://www.nature.org.au/a_history_of_the_gardens_of_stone_campaign">given over 30 years of sustained and dedicated effort</a> to make it a reality.</p> <p>As the world’s attention is increasingly turned towards climate action, the success of this campaign may provide the surge of momentum we need for a more sustainable future.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172503/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hannah-della-bosca-416132">Hannah Della Bosca</a>, PhD Candidate and Research Assistant at Sydney Environment Institute, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/breathtaking-wilderness-in-the-heart-of-coal-country-after-a-90-year-campaign-gardens-of-stone-is-finally-protected-172503">original article</a>.</p>

Domestic Travel

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Woman jailed after walking on natural wonder in US national park

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A woman has received a jail sentence and hefty fine after walking directly on dangerous thermal features at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">26-year-old Madeline Casey from Connecticut pleaded guilty to the misdemeanour offence and served seven days in jail. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Although a criminal prosecution and jail time may seem harsh, it's better than spending time in a hospital's burn unit," acting US Attorney Bob Murray said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In July, Madeline and a friend ignored safety signs and left the protective walkway to walk directly on the ground. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The ground is fragile and thin and scalding water just below the surface can cause severe or fatal burns.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone's hot springs," park spokesperson Morgan Warthin said in the statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The judge ordered Madeline to pay US$2040 in fines, fees and community service as well as her week-long jail stint. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She is also banned from re-entering Yellowstone National Park during her two year probation. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This incident has prompted park officials to stress the importance of adhering to safety signs through the park. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Madeline is just one of many people who have ignored safety signs at the park and landed themselves in trouble. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In May last year, a woman was burned after falling into a thermal feature at Yellowstone when it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She told park rangers she was moving back to get photos when she fell in the hot thermals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two men last year were caught trespassing on the cone of Old Faithful, which is a closed thermal area. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They were sentenced to 10 days in jail and five years of probation, as well being ordered to pay $738 restitution and banned from the park for five years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Park Chief Ranger Sarah Davis said, “Visitors must realise that walking on thermal features is dangerous, damages the resource, and illegal."</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Natalie Portman cosying up in beautiful Hunter Valley architectural wonder

<p>Reports have claimed A-lister actress Natalie Portman has been seen wondering through the picturesque wine region of Hunter Valley, Australia.</p> <p><em>The Post<span> </span></em>claimed the 39-year-old and her husband, Benjamin Millepied, were seen standing in ankle-high grass as they peered into the blue-roofed brick, stone and wood getaway home in the Hunter Valley.</p> <p>Their hour-long tour appeared to be guided by the famed architect Glenn Marcus Murcutt, who is the only Australian to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2002).</p> <p>His modern designs focus on creating living spaces that have low impacts on the environment and priorities indoor-outdoor living.</p> <p>The house is a sight to see, and one that amplifies his environmental ethos, with its horizontal lines and perfect blend of wood and glass.</p> <p>The house appears to have hardly any protection from the elements, but seamlessly creates the perfect balance between integrated design and environmentally friendly.</p> <p>The actress is rumoured to be cosying up into the stunning retreat which offers mountains as a staggering backdrop behind the house.</p> <p>“Layering and changeability: this is the key, the combination that is worked into most of my buildings. Occupying one of these buildings is like sailing a yacht; you modify and manipulate its form and skin, according to seasonal conditions and natural elements, and work with these to maximise the performance of the building,” said Murcutt in 1996.</p> <p>Natalie Portman and her husband have been married since 2012 and have two children, Amalia and Aleph.</p> <p>Portman is in Australia filming her role as Jane Foster in the anticipated Marvel movie “Thor: Love and Thunder.”</p>

Real Estate

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The mystery of Russia’s “eighth wonder of the world”

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With its luminous and fragile nature, amber has been treated with reverence by many and even protected by Prussian law since the 13th century.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Amber Room, a series of panels crafted from six tonnes of amber, mounted on gold-leaf walls, and decorated with mosaics and mirrors, is an exemplary demonstration of the material’s beauty designed for royalty in Prussia and Russia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But it is also shrouded in mystery.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The room was originally designed in the early 18th century for King Frederick I of Prussia, before it was gifted to Russian Tsar Peter the Great. When it was eventually moved to the Catherine Palace near St Petersburg, the panels were incorporated into a larger room decorated with candelabra, mosaics, gilded figures, and even more amber. The Baroque chamber became known as the “eighth wonder of the world”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941, the Amber Room was dismantled and moved to K</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">önigsberg castle in the German state of Prussia. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">K</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">önigsberg was a “transfer base for [looted] cultural objects, which would be stored in the city for further transportation to other parts of Germany”, says Anatoly Valuev of the Kaliningrad History and Arts Museum.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, when the Red Army seized the city in 1945, the Amber Room could not be found.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though some thought fire had destroyed it, “no traces of burning amber were found,” said Valuev. “And it was assumed the room survived after all, and it was hidden in the castle’s basement or it was taken somewhere else.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the belief it was hidden somewhere, two separate investigations conducted in 1946 and the 2000’s turned up nothing. Searching through hundreds of locations around the city and in the town’s castle ruins, the soviet specialists found artworks and jewellery hidden in the castle basement. But no sign of the Amber Room.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As hopes of finding the chamber started to die, a change of tack was needed. In 1979, the former USSR began reconstruction of the room with guidance from two remaining original items: a single box of relics and 86 black-and-white photos of the space taken just prior to World War Two.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the reconstruction took 23 years, the recreated Amber Room has been on display at Catherine Palace in the </span><a href="https://www.tzar.ru/en/objects/ekaterininsky/amberhall"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tsarskoye Selo State Museum and Heritage Site</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in St Petersburg since 2003, bringing the glowing orange and gold resin to life once again.</span></p>

International Travel

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“Here we go again”: Wonder Woman Gal Gadot’s baby number three

<p>Gal Gadot has spilled major baby news, revealing baby number three is on the way!</p> <p>The <em>Wonder Woman</em> star announced the blissful news on Monday through a social media post.</p> <p>"Here we go again," Gadot wrote alongside a family photo of her, husband Yaron Varsano and their two daughters: Alma, nine, and Maya, three.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CL4gL66BkgF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CL4gL66BkgF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Gal Gadot (@gal_gadot)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Gal does not let her family into the public very often, she is not shy from gushing about her two girls in interviews and even let them feature in a special scene for <em>Wonder Woman 1984.</em></p> <p>Her husband Varsano, along with Alma and Maya appeared right at the end of the film where during the Christmas scene you can see Gadot’s oldest throwing a snowball and accidentally hitting Diana.</p> <p>A few minutes later, viewers got to see the actress’ husband standing next to their two-year-old daughter while she rides a merry-go-round.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJc4cJJB-8T/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJc4cJJB-8T/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Gal Gadot (@gal_gadot)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"It meant a lot, especially in that very special scene," Gadot said.</p> <p>"To have them captured in the film with me, because they are a part of it, meant a lot, and it's an amazing, amazing souvenir that we will forever cherish."</p> <p>Gadot and Varsano married in 2008.</p>

Family & Pets

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"Such wonderful news": Queen thrilled at birth of ninth great-grandchild

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>The Queen has expressed her delight at the birth of her ninth great-grandchild as Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank welcomed their first child, a boy, overnight.</p> <p>Buckingham Palace released the following statement on behalf of the Queen herself.</p> <p>"The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke of York, Sarah, Duchess of York, and Mr and Mrs George Brooksbank have been informed and are delighted with the news," it reads.</p> <p>"This is Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's first child, The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York's first grandchild, and the ninth great-grandchild for The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well."</p> <p>Princess Eugenie made the announcement with a sweet post on her Instagram.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLFEI96lHW1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLFEI96lHW1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Princess Eugenie (@princesseugenie)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Princess Eugenie's parents, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York are yet to publicly comment about the arrival of their first grandchild, but Ferguson liked the official announcement on social media.</p> <p>The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to have privately congratulated the couple, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Beatrice are yet to comment publicly on the birth.</p> <p>There is no word yet as to what the baby will be named, as the royal family typically wait two days before publicly sharing a baby's name to the media.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Family & Pets

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Wonderful unseen photos of Robin Williams found during self-isolation

<p>Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda has shared an unearthed photograph she took with her father while spring cleaning her house during self-isolation.</p> <p>The 30-year-old actress took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to share the treasure she found – a polaroid snap reel she took with her late dad – to fans.</p> <p>“Isolation spring cleaning is turning up some fun old gems,” she wrote.</p> <p>The montage of pictures showed the pair pulling funny faces for the camera, in classic Williams’ fashion.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7835202/robbin-williams-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/e2ff309c5ba34b20b2b0fcb68ae3a8a9" /></p> <p>Fans were quick to commend Zelda for sharing the post, writing: “I bet he was the most fun dad ever. We all miss him like he was ours”.</p> <p>Another wrote “Your dad was a comet that only comes around once in a lifetime. Special human being.”</p> <p>Zelda is the daughter to Robin and his second wife, who is a film producer, Marsha Grace Williams.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7835204/robbin-williams.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6153a1bd2d4e4fc4b4da99c953c350d9" /></p> <p>Robin, whose daughter was born just 10 days after her dad’s 38th birthday, admitted he named her after Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda video game series. </p> <p>The Oscar-winning actor, who died at the age of 63, became a household name for his portrayal of Mork from Ork on the hit sitcom<span> </span>Happy Days<span> </span>and its spin-off<span> </span>Mork &amp; Mindy. </p>

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