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Treadmill, exercise bike, rowing machine: what’s the best option for cardio at home?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lewis-ingram-1427671">Lewis Ingram</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hunter-bennett-1053061">Hunter Bennett</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/saravana-kumar-181105">Saravana Kumar</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, refers to any form of rhythmic physical activity that increases your heart rate and breathing so the heart and lungs can deliver oxygen to the working muscles. Essentially, it’s the type of exercise that gets you huffing and puffing – and fills many people with dread. People often do cardio to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30003901/">lose weight</a>, but it’s associated with a variety of health benefits including reducing the risk of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6481017/">heart disease</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30191075/">stroke</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27707740/">falls</a>. Research shows cardio also improves <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29334638/">cognitive function</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26978184/">mental health</a>. The <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity">World Health Organization</a> recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio per week. There are many ways to do cardio, from playing a team sport, to riding your bike to work, to going for a jog. If you’re willing and able to invest in a piece of equipment, you can also do cardio at home. The treadmill, stationary bike and rowing machine are the most popular pieces of cardio equipment you’ll find in a typical gym, and you can buy any of these for your home too. Here’s how to know which one is best for you. <h2>The treadmill</h2> In terms of effectiveness of exercise, it’s hard to look past the treadmill. Running uses most of your major muscle groups and therefore leads to greater increases in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334197/">heart rate</a> and energy expenditure compared to other activities, such as cycling. As a bonus, since running on a treadmill requires you to support your own body weight, it also helps to build and maintain <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26562001/">your bones</a>, keeping them strong. This becomes even more important <a href="https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/exercise-your-bone-health">as you get older</a> as the risk of developing medical conditions such as osteopenia and osteoporosis – where the density of your bones is reduced – increases. But the treadmill may not be for everyone. The weight-bearing nature of running may exacerbate pain and cause swelling in people with common joint conditions such as osteoarthritis. Also, a treadmill is likely to require greater maintenance (since most treadmills are motorised), and can take up a lot of space. <h2>Stationary bike</h2> The stationary bike provides another convenient means to hit your cardio goals. Setting the bike up correctly is crucial to ensure you are comfortable and to reduce the risk of injury. A general rule of thumb is that you want a slight bend in your knee, as in the picture below, when your leg is at the bottom of the pedal stroke. While cycling has significant benefits for <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21496106/">cardiovascular</a> and metabolic health, since it’s non-weight-bearing it doesn’t benefit your <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0026049507003253">bones</a> to the same extent as walking and running. On the flipside, it offers a great cardio workout without stressing your joints. <h2>Rowing machine</h2> If you’re looking to the get the best cardio workout in the least amount of time, the rowing machine might be for you. Because rowing requires you to use all of your major muscle groups including the upper body, your heart and lungs have to work even harder than they do when <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32627051/">running and cycling</a> to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8325720/">deliver oxygen</a> to those working muscles. This means the energy expended while rowing is comparable to running and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3193864/">greater than cycling</a>. But before you rush off to buy a new rower, there are two issues to consider. First, the technical challenge of rowing is arguably greater than that of running or cycling, as the skill of rowing is often less familiar to the average person. While a coach or trainer can help with this, just remember a good rowing technique should be felt primarily in your legs, not your arms and back. Second, the non-weight-bearing nature of rowing means it misses out on the same bone health benefits offered by the treadmill – although there is some evidence it still can increase bone density <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7551766/">to a smaller degree</a>. Nevertheless, like cycling, this drawback of rowing may be negated by offering a more joint-friendly option, providing a great alternative for those with joint pain who still want to keep their heart and lungs healthy. <h2>So, what’s the best option?</h2> It depends on your goals, what your current health status is, and, most importantly, what you enjoy the most. The best exercise is the one that gets done. So, choose whichever piece of equipment you find the most enjoyable, as this will increase the likelihood you’ll stick to it in the long term.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213352/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lewis-ingram-1427671">Lewis Ingram</a>, Lecturer in Physiotherapy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hunter-bennett-1053061">Hunter Bennett</a>, Lecturer in Exercise Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/saravana-kumar-181105">Saravana Kumar</a>, Professor in Allied Health and Health Services Research, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Image credits: Getty Images 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/treadmill-exercise-bike-rowing-machine-whats-the-best-option-for-cardio-at-home-213352">original article</a>.

Body

The reason some planes skip row numbers

When it comes to boarding a flight, a lot of people have specific preferences on where they want to sit, while others simply leave it up to chance. The next time you’re looking for your seat on your next flight, pay close attention to the row numbers and see if you notice anything strange. According to <a href="https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/03/21/which-airlines-skip-row-13-and-where-does-the-superstition-come-from">EuroNews</a>, a lot of aircrafts have been known to skip over rows, specifically rows 13, 14 and 17. The skipping of these numbers stems largely from superstitious passengers, with the number 13 being widely considered as “unlucky”. The superstition around the number originates largely from Christia scripture, as the disciple who betrayed Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot, was the 13th guest at the last supper. The number 14 is considered unlucky in Chinese culture, as it phonetically sounds like the words “will die”. As for the number 17, Italian culture often steers clear of the number due to its Roman meaning. "This fear stems from the fact that the number 17's Roman numeral, XVII, is an anagram of VIXI, which means 'I have lived' in Latin. Some consider this a bad omen as it implies that death is just around the corner," explains <a href="https://www.abodeitaly.com/blog/why-italians-unlucky-day-is-friday-the-17th">Abode Italy.</a> According to EuroNews, there are a few airlines that avoid the unlucky rows altogether. Ryanair, Air France, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airlines, Lufthansa, and Emirates have been known to skip over the three unlucky numbers. So the next time you’re boarding a flight, check to see if your chosen airline has indulged the superstitions or if any brave passengers have chosen to risk flying in the “dangerous” rows. Image credits: Getty Images

Travel Tips

Savvy traveller shares how to guarantee an entire row on your next flight

When it comes to flying, it's no secret that space is a hard commodity to come by. Travelling in economy often means being crammed in beside other passengers battling for real estate on your shared arm rests, and struggling to stretch out your legs in limited space for your feet and bags. However, a savvy traveller has shared a foolproof hack to get the most space you can on your next flight with Qantas. Frequent flyer Chelsea Badger has revealed how she recently managed to switch seats to a row of empty seats mere moments before her Auckland to Sydney flight, without having to pay an extra cent. “I can't believe this works,” Chelsea, who lives in Auckland, said in her now-viral TikTok. Chelsea said in order to make the hack work, you will need the Qantas app, and wait until 10 minutes before your flight to check in. “Once you've done this, open up the Qantas app and click the seat selector tool,” she said. “If there's a whole row free or even just a better seat, make a mental note of that number.” Chelsea added, “You won't be able to select that seat in the app as it's too close to boarding, so simply just go up to the desk and politely ask to have it changed.” “It's so easy and I can't believe this works!” She clarified that it has worked for her on several non-full Qantas flights, but she is not saying it will work for every airline. More than 300,000 people who viewed the video thanked Chelsea for sharing her secret trick, with many saying they would try it out for themselves. “Legit did this,” one commenter posted. “This is smart AF,” another added. A third shared her own take on the trick, “I've made mental notes of empty rows while literally boarding the plane and then just sitting in those seats upon boarding - works every time.” Image credits: Getty Images

Travel Tips

Prince William's godmother resigns amid racism row

Prince William's godmother and Queen Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting has resigned from her royal position after making "unacceptable comments" towards a black guest at Buckingham Palace. The incident reportedly took place earlier this week, when Camilla, Queen Consort was joined by Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Queen Rania of Jordan at an event to highlight domestic violence survivors and charities. Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of Sistah Space, was invited to the afternoon reception at the palace through Safe Lives, a charity the Queen Consort is patron of. The next day, Fulani took to social media where she detailed an exchange with Lady Susan Hussey, saying the woman repeatedly asked where she was "really from", saying "this event remains a blur after the violation". <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Mixed feelings about yesterday's visit to Buckingham Palace. 10 mins after arriving, a member of staff, Lady SH, approached me, moved my hair to see my name badge. The conversation below took place. The rest of the event is a blur. Thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/ManduReid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ManduReid</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/SuzanneEJacob?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SuzanneEJacob</a> for support🙏🏾 <a href="https://t.co/OUbQKlabyq">pic.twitter.com/OUbQKlabyq</a> — Sistah Space (@Sistah_Space) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sistah_Space/status/1597854380115767296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2022</a></blockquote> The palace released a statement saying it took the matter "extremely seriously", labelling it "unacceptable" and confirming the staff member had stepped aside. "In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made," a statement from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday morning AEDT) said. "We have reached out to Ngozi Fulani on this matter, and are inviting her to discuss all elements of her experience in person if she wishes." "In the meantime, the individual concerned would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside from her honorary role with immediate effect." Prince William's spokesperson almost made a statement to the BBC, saying "Racism has no place in our society." "The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect," they said. As the Palace claims it has reached out to Fulani, she told London radio station LBC and UK newspaper The Independent she hadn't heard from Buckingham Palace yet. Hussey, who served as Queen Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting for over 60 years was given a role in the royal household by King Charles after his mother's death. Image credits: Getty Images

News

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

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

Relationships

How to score a whole row of seats to yourself on a plane

A seasoned traveller has shared her simple tricks for ensuring you get a whole row of seats to yourself on your next flight. Chelsea Dickenson, from London, shared a video to TikTok to tell her followers of the hack she uses when travelling in a pair. “Row to yourself travel hack. This actually works,” she said. According to Chelsea, when selecting your seats online, she suggests booking the aisle and the window, leaving the middle seat free in between you. “The theory here is that someone is much less likely to book a seat in between two strangers and they’ll opt for another row,” Chelsea said. “And even if they do book that middle seat, you can always ask them if they want the aisle or the window and it works out for everyone.” Chelsea suggested the best rows to book are “towards the back of the plane” because it “tends to work a bit better”. Testing out her own theory, Chelsea and her friend James booked the seats in row 13 on a flight. “I’ve gone for row 13 as lots of people think it’s unlucky,” she said. The video shows Chelsea and James waiting patiently in their seats before the cabin crew completed boarding. “Here we go, here’s the moment of truth,” she said. “Yes, the row is clear. We bloody smashed it.” Image credits: Getty Images

Travel Tips

Back so soon, La Niña? Here’s why we’re copping two soggy summers in a row

Last month was Australia’s <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-weather-australia-records-wettest-november-in-122-years-more-rain-to-come-in-summer/4f2d7ce6-5547-4949-b947-b9aaf51e4271">wettest November</a> on record, and summer in Queensland and parts of New South Wales is also expected to be soggy for the second consecutive year. So why is our summer parade being rained on yet again? Weather systems bring rain all the time. And from November to March, the monsoon occurs in northern Australia which adds to the wet conditions. But this year, three climate phenomena also converged to drive the Big Wet over Australia’s eastern seaboard: a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, a positive Southern Annular Mode, and a La Niña. So will this summer be the wettest and wildest on record for Australia’s southeast? It’s too early to say, but the prospect can’t be discounted. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437370/original/file-20211213-25284-165mf1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="man in front of flood waters and flood warning sign" /> Three climate phenomena have converged to bring the current wet conditions. Stuart Walmsley/AAP <h2>La Niña: the sequel</h2> You’ve probably heard about the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/">La Niña</a> that’s emerged in the Pacific Ocean for the second year in a row. This event often brings overcast conditions, above-average rainfall and cooler temperatures. A La Niña occurs when the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean become cooler than normal, due to an interaction between the atmosphere and the ocean. During La Niña, atmospheric pressure increases in the east of the Pacific and lowers in the west. This pressure difference causes trade winds to strengthen. The Pacific waters north of Australia become warmer than normal, as the central and eastern Pacific cools. The warm ocean around Australia increases moisture in the atmosphere and enhances the chance of rainfall for the northern and eastern parts of the country. It also increases the likelihood of tropical cyclones. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437382/original/file-20211213-25-9bnwpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437382/original/file-20211213-25-9bnwpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> A schematic showing interactions between the atmosphere and ocean that produce a La Niña. Bureau of Meteorology. La Niña and its opposite drying phenomenon, <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/updates/articles/a008-el-nino-and-australia.shtml">El Niño</a>, are together known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). When each occur, they generally develop during winter and spring, mature in early summer and finish by autumn. We saw that autumn finish in March this year, when the tail end of the last La Niña brought extreme rain and floods to the NSW coast and other regions. So why are we seeing it back so soon? It’s actually not uncommon for La Niña to occur in two consecutive years. In fact, since 1958, about half of La Niña events reoccurred the following year, as the below graph shows. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437383/original/file-20211213-19-uxzzbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437383/original/file-20211213-19-uxzzbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Graph showing La Niña events since 1950. Authors provided. Data at https://origin.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/ONI_v5.php These repeat events are far more common for La Niña than El Niño. That’s because after an El Niño, strong air-sea interactions cause the equatorial waters of the Pacific to rapidly lose heat. These interactions are weaker during La Niña, meaning the Pacific sometimes retains cool water which enables a second La Niña to occur. We saw this in the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/history/ln-2010-12/">consecutive</a> La Niña events of 2010-11 and 2011-12. The first of these was an extreme La Niña, bringing heavy rain and the devastating Brisbane floods. <h2>La Niña is not acting alone</h2> La Niña is not the only phenomenon driving the wet conditions. This year, after the wet autumn in NSW, an event known as a negative “Indian Ocean Dipole” (<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/history/ln-2010-12/IOD-what.shtml">IOD</a>) developed. An active negative IOD tends to change wind patterns and rainfall conditions over Australia’s southeast during spring, setting the scene for more wet conditions in summer. Adding to this, the Southern Annular Mode (<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/sam/">SAM</a>) has been in its positive phase for a few months. The SAM refers to the position of westerly winds in the mid-latitudes of the southern hemisphere. When the SAM is in a positive phase, mid-latitude storms move poleward, away from Australia, as onshore winds to eastern Australia enhance. This increases moisture and rain to the continent’s southeast. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437375/original/file-20211213-31407-1tphns9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="cars and pedestrian traverse wet road" /> The negative phase of an IOD typically brings wet weather from Western Australia to southeast Australia. Dean Lewis/AAP <h2>What about next year?</h2> The Bureau of Meteorology’s <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/#/rainfall/median/seasonal/0">seasonal outlook</a> shows an increased chance of rain this summer (January to March) over parts of Queensland and the NSW coast, but not much for the rest of Australia. So while it’s unlikely to be the wettest ever summer in Australia overall, we can’t yet rule that out for the east coast. Safe to say, the climate conditions are ripe for extreme wet weather over the next few months. But rest assured that a third consecutive La Niña, while possible next year, is unlikely. Since 1950, three consecutive La Niñas have occurred only twice: in 1973-75 and 1998-2000. These were preceded by extreme El Niño events, which tend to induce La Niña events. And while the rain might disrupt your summer plans, it’s worth remembering that just three years ago southeast Australia was in the midst of severe drought. The successive La Niñas have brought water and soil moisture back to the Murray Darling Basin – and in that sense that’s a very good thing. <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/173684/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrea-s-taschetto-169429">Andréa S. Taschetto</a>, Associate Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414">UNSW</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/agus-santoso-123850">Agus Santoso</a>, Senior Research Associate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414">UNSW</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/back-so-soon-la-nina-heres-why-were-copping-two-soggy-summers-in-a-row-173684">original article</a>. Image: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Domestic Travel

Elton John reveals furious row with Tina Turner in new autobiography

Sir Elton John has revealed in his new autobiography Me about the tough times he went through with singer Tina Turner. The two legends united for a joint tour in 1997, but tensions quickly rose and eventually Elton told Tina to “shove her song up her f***ing a**e”. In an extract from the book, which has been serialised in the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7551955/Elton-Uncensored-Tinas-tantrum-simply-best.html">Daily Mail</a>, Elton revealed that he was particularly upset after some suggestions from Tina. The suggestions included swapping his Versace for Armani outfits so he would look “less fat” and that he should update his hairstyle. “I got off the phone and burst into tears: ‘She sounded like my f***ing mother,’ I wailed at David.” Things didn’t get better in rehearsals. “The subsequent debate about whether I knew how to play Proud Mary became quite heated, before I brought it to a conclusion by telling Tina Turner to stick her f*****g song up her a**e and stormed off,” Elton added. “I’ve thrown plenty of tantrums in my time, but there are limits: there’s an unspoken rule that musicians don’t treat their fellow musicians like s***. However, Elton has had time to reflect on why Tina was acting like that. “Maybe it was insecurity on her part. She’d been treated appallingly earlier in her career, suffered years and years of being ripped off, beaten up and pushed around. Maybe that had an effect on how she behaved towards people,” he said. Later, once Elton had calmed down, he went to Tina’s dressing room to apologise. The argument made the pair realise that they had different performance styles, as Elton preferred to improvise, and Tina wanted to rehearse every detail.

Music

This airport was named the busiest airport in the world for the 21st year in a row

Definitely avoid this airport if you’re not a fan of crowds, as a US airport has topped the list of busiest airports in the world. It beat out hubs such as Dubai, Beijing and even more recognisable US airports such as LAX or New York’s JFK. The airport has won the award for 21 years in a row, as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had close to 107 million passengers passing through back in 2018. The annual world traffic report done by Airports Council International, which includes airport traffic trends as well as in-depth analysis of the world’s biggest aviation markets show that traffic across the world has increased to 8.8 billion. This is a 6.4 per cent increase from last year. The reason for the airport’s popularity is because of its position in the US, as it’s within a two-hour flight for 80 per cent of the United States population. Beijing Airport was in second spot, as it had 101 million passengers going in and out of the airport, whereas Dubai was third, which handled 89 million. Here are the top five world’s busiest airports for 2018 <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Georgia, US) — 107.4 million passengers</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Beijing Capital International Airport (China) — 101 million</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates) — 89.1 million</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Los Angeles International Airport (California, US) — 87.5 million</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (Japan) — 86.9 million</li> </ol>

Travel Trouble

Blondie’s Debbie Harry: “I escaped serial killer Ted Bundy”

Debbie Harry has made an explosive claim as she says she was once lured into a taxi by serial killer Ted Bundy in the early ‘70s. The 73-year-old is planning to reveal the entire story in her autobiography, Face It, which is set to be released in October this year. In a previous interview with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/8191211/Blondies-Debbie-Harry-claims-serial-killer-Ted-Bundy-lured-her-into-car.html" target="_blank">The Sun</a>, the Blondie singer spoke about the unsettling encounter which occurred in New York City: “It was in the early ‘70s and I was trying to get across town at two or three o’clock in the morning. “This little car kept coming around and offering me a ride.” Harry then said she hopped inside the vehicle after many failed attempts at finding a taxi. “I got in the car and the windows were all rolled up, except for a tiny crack. This driver had an incredibly bad smell to him. “I looked down and there were no door handles. The inside of the car was stripped. The hairs on the back of my neck just stood up. “I wigged my arm out of the window and pulled the door handle from the outside. I don’t know how I did it, but I got out. “He tried to stop me by spinning the car, but it sort of helped me fling myself out. Afterwards I saw him on the news, it was Ted Bundy.” Once Bundy was arrested, he admitted to his lawyer that he first attempted to kidnap a woman in 1969 and implied that his first murder happened in 1972. He was only 27-years-old when his first recorded murder occurred in 1974. He went on to kill 30 women. But even after the serial killer was imprisoned, the nightmare wasn’t over as he managed to escape lockup twice.

Legal

Inside Michael Jackson’s mysterious second marriage

Michael Jackson’s first marriage to Lisa Marie Presley is the one that garners the attention of the masses, but his second trip down the aisle is one that is just as intriguing as the former. After starting a blossoming friendship with nurse Debbie Rowe at the medical centre where she worked, the King of Pop looked to her for comfort after his break-up with Presley. “[He and Lisa Marie] had broken up and I was trying to console him because he was really upset,” revealed Debbie in the Jackson-approved TV special Michael Jackson: The Footage You Were Never Meant To See. It wasn’t long before Jackson and Rowe said “I do” at the Sheraton on the Park Hotel in Sydney in November 1996, surrounded by close family and friends. His best man was an eight-year-old boy. <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/BuIkdmRB4IL/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BuIkdmRB4IL/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Michael Jackson ❤️ Debbie Rowe (@rowejackson.96)</a> on Feb 20, 2019 at 10:32pm PST </div> </blockquote> During the wedding, Rowe was heavily pregnant with her first child – Prince Michael – who she would later “gift” to Jackson and exclude herself from their lives. The Thriller star had previously had his heart broken by Presley, who refused to give in to his desires of becoming a father, saying he was too emotionally immature to raise a child. Presley filed for divorce in 1996, citing “irreconcilable differences”. Their short but incredibly public stint came to an end and now, in Leaving Neverland, the star’s child sex abuse accusers claim the entire marriage was a stunt. The explosive documentary claims that Jackson hoped to distract the public as his relationship with young boys became more frequent. “I remember Michael saying to me that he’s going to have to have these public relationships with women, so that people don’t think anything,” accuser James Safechuck said. “He would always say that he’d have to go get married at some point, but that it wouldn’t mean anything.” Despite Presley admitting that her feelings for Jackson were always real, she was not prepared to give him the one thing he desperately wanted: A baby. That’s where Rowe came in, as the nurse was willing to provide him with a child. “He said, ‘I really want to be a dad,’ and I said, ‘So be a dad.’ He looked at me puzzled. I said, ‘Let me do this. I want to do this. You’ve been so good to me. Please let me do this: You need to be a dad.’ I nagged him into it, if you will,” said Rowe. Jackson went on to confirm the story, saying: “She said, ‘You need to be a daddy.’ She wanted to do that for me as a present.” Rowe went on to give birth to their first child, Prince Michael, in February of 1997. Jackson later told Martin Bashir on Living With Michael Jackson that both the couple’s children were “natural conceptions”. Rowe remembered the birth of their first child. “Michael was definitely more excited than I was. He was SO excited when I had a contraction. He was welling up ... and then his son was born. The look on his face ... I'd never seen him that happy. That’s what made it wonderful for me, to see the look on his face.” The child was immediately taken to Jackson’s Neverland ranch and was cared for by a team of nannies. Rowe saw him six weeks after she gave birth. Then 14 months later, daughter Paris was born. Jackson said he “snatched” his baby girl from the hospital when she was only a newborn. “I snatched her and just went home with all the placenta and everything all over her.” Rowe didn’t seem to mind that her relationship with her kids was kept to a minimum. “We have a non-traditional family, and if it makes people uncomfortable, it’s a shame they’re not more open,” Rowe said in 2003. <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/Bt8Rt9EgFOz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt8Rt9EgFOz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Michael Debbie Jackson💜 (@debbiemichaeljackson)</a> on Feb 16, 2019 at 3:58am PST </div> </blockquote> “We have a family unit, and I will always be there for him and the children. People make remarks: ‘I can’t believe she left the children.’ I did not leave my children. My children are with their father, where they’re supposed to be. “My kids don’t call me mum because I don’t want them to. They’re Michael’s children. It’s not that they’re not my children, but I had them because I wanted him to be a father. I believe there are people who should be parents, and he’s one of them. I could do something for him, and this is what I could do.” The couple filed for divorce in October 1999, and Rowe gave Jackson full custody of their two children. It was something that was already in place during the marriage, as Rowe lived away from Jackson’s place of residence. She blames the lack of privacy for their separation. “We split up because I couldn’t deal with it. I couldn’t go to the grocery store. I wasn’t used to it. Michael was more than generous: ‘You don’t have to go to the grocery store.’ But I want to. I really want to,” she said in 2003. It is understood that Rowe has a closer relationship with her daughter Paris, who is now 20, compared to her son Prince Michael. Taking to social media, the mother made a supposed jab against her former spouse saying, “One of the saddest things in this world is to see a child grow up hating one of their parents because they only got one side of the story." Do you remember when Michael Jackson married Debbie Rowe? Tell us in the comments below.

Music

Carrie Fisher’s brother reveals her one big regret

Shortly before her death in December 2016, Carrie Fisher revealed for the first time in her memoir that she had a <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/11/carrie-fisher-reveals-affair-with-harrison-ford-on-star-wars/">brief on-set affair with Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford</a>. Carrie’s brother, Todd, has now revealed in his new book, My Girls: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie, that Carrie rued the day she told the public about her three-month fling, which she detailed in her own autobiography, The Princess Diarist. In the book, Todd writes that his and Carrie’s mother, Debbie Reynolds, didn’t know about Carrie’s affair with Ford when she was a single 19-year-old and he was a married 33-year-old father of two. Todd says that Reynolds disapproved of both the affair and of Carrie’s decision to make it public. Carrie eventually told Reynolds: “You’re right. I shouldn’t have told that story.” At the time of her memoir’s release, Carrie describe their first intimate experience as clumsy. "I was so inexperienced, but I trusted something about him. He was kind," she said. "It was so intense," <a href="http://people.com/movies/carrie-fisher-reveals-affair-with-harrison-ford-star-wars/?xid=socialflow_twitter_peoplemag">Fisher told People</a> during an interview to promote the book. "It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend." Carrie died in December 2016 of cardiac arrest, with Debbie passing away just a day later. In his book, Todd explains how he saw what happened: “The common theory about Mum’s passing was that, after losing Carrie, Debbie Reynolds died of a broken heart. Take it from the son who was there, who knew her better than anyone else on earth — that’s simply not true. Debbie Reynolds willed herself right off this planet to personally see to it that Carrie would never be alone.”

Books

Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds reunited in stunning memorial

They had a bond like no other parent-child acting duo in Hollywood, and it appears the love between Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds is just as strong in death. The two screen legends, who died within just one day of each other in December, were laid to rest in January at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills. Now, just a few months on, a touching new tribute has been unveiled at their gravesite. <img width="499" height="500" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/36035/image__499x500.jpg" alt="carrie fisher debbie reynolds tombstone" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> Instead of two separate tombstones, the loving mother and daughter share a beautiful marble sculpture atop a head stone bearing their names and dates of birth and death. Fisher and Reynolds are joined in the cemetery by fellow Hollywood icons such as Liberace, Bette Davis and Lucille Ball. Fans have already flooded the site with bouquets of flowers, candles and notes bearing messages including, “May the force be with you always.”

Movies

Southern Lights delight New Zealand for second night in a row

The Southern Lights were spotted from Auckland, Canterbury and the Otago Peninsula on Saturday. They then made an appearance in Wellington on Sunday, and were again spied in the sky over Canterbury. Natalie Crowther, who photographed the Aurora on Sunday, said she had never seen so many cars on the Port Hills, near Christchurch. "Fog covered Lake Ellesmere so we decided to go up the hill. There were about 200 cars that went through within three hours," she said. In Wellington, Jonathan Usher was also armed with a camera to capture the light display, and managed to snap the Aurora both nights of the weekend. "The scene was quite an amazing one," he said. It was Dave Watson's first time taking his 9-year-old daughter star-gazing on Saturday, and the pair weren't disappointed. They saw the glow from Rakaia Huts, southwest of Christchurch. Watson said the pair stood and watched in wonder at the Aurora's "big pointy streaks". Photographer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shadowandshadenz">Larryn Rae</a> spotted the lights in Auckland. He'd <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/90954085/Rare-showing-of-the-Aurora-Australis-in-Auckland&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwiPq7mGk7nTAhVE0mMKHfeJAkYQFggLMAI&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNGuW3d6wS1-ycssBMotBQx1UrvKag">previously photographed the Aurora</a>, but said Saturday night's made "the last one look like play school". What made the Aurora particularly unusual was its light beams, which Rae didn't believe were normally spotted from Auckland. Otago Museum director Dr Ian Griffin captured photos of the Aurora from Cape Saunders on the Otago Peninsula, on Saturday. He said the rainbow colours were a "truly gorgeous display". It was caused by a geomagnetic storm - the result of a large hole in the sun's surface. The lights should continue to be visible on Monday night. Griffin, the former head of public outreach at Nasa's Space Telescope Science Institute, shared some tips for spotting them. "Get away from city lights, find a place with a good view to the south and keep your fingers crossed," he said. The Aurora could be seen "surprisingly frequently" in New Zealand, especially from southern parts of the South Island. "I've lived here in Dunedin now for about four years and I've seen it on over 100 [occasions], I think it's about the 159th now. "So, on average, it's once every couple of weeks," Griffin said. Statistics for Christchurch were not as favourable because the city was further north. "But having said that you can see it quite a lot from Christchurch . . . You need to have a combination of clear skies and the Aurora going off at the same time. "[Saturday] night's display was a pretty special one, it was seen as far north as Auckland," he said. Seeing an Aurora from Auckland was "quite rare". "If you go back through history, it's once every five years or so. "Having said that, sometimes you might get two or three in a year and then one not for for 15 or 20 years. So seeing the Aurora in Auckland is pretty special and that points to the power of [Saturday] night's display," Griffin said. What made this aurora 'special'? Griffin said Saturday night's display was particularly impressive because of a phenomenon known as coronal mass ejection. "The sun basically blasts off some material and it struck the earth, or it impacted the earth's magnetic field, and that's what gave life to last night's beautiful Aurora and, certainly, it was pretty stunning last night. "Some of the popular spots down here were really full of people," Griffin said. "It just turns out last night that there was a load of material coming off the sun and the circumstances were just about perfect for a really good display." In the Northern Hemisphere, displays of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) were expected to be visible as far south as New York, Washington and Wisconsin over the same period. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Video credit: Facebook/<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photographyjpg/videos"> Jpg Photography</a>

Domestic Travel

Shark found in puddle after cyclone Debbie

A dead bull shark has been found in a puddle after flooding in north Queensland from cyclone Debbie. The shark was found in a puddle in Ayr, north of where cyclone Debbie made landfall earlier this week. A WIN News Townsville journalist, Philip Calder, found the 1.5m bull shark on Thursday morning. The shark is believed to have died from being stranded in the puddle after the cyclone caused pockets of flooding. “He must’ve gotten caught in a torrent and confused, beached himself on the side of the road,” Philip said. “We were pretty amazed, we were turning up to shoot a flooding road, we weren’t expecting to see wildlife as well.” Queensland Fire and Emergency Services have warned locals to be careful in the days following the cyclone. “You never know what lurks beneath the surface during a severe storm and what will wash up in the aftermath,” Queensland Fire and Emergency Services posted. Image credit: Philip Calder via Twitter

News

Mass evacuations in Queensland ahead of Cyclone Debbie

North Queensland residents are preparing against a cyclone that is expected to hit landfall on Tuesday morning. The Australian have reported that thousands are evacuating in order to get to higher land before the monster cyclone hits. The Bureau of Meteorology have warned that Cyclone Debbie is expected to be at category 4 or 5. Queensland regional director of BOM said, "I think you could say that Debbie's probably the most significant tropical cyclone since Yasi that we've had to deal with in Queensland.” Cyclone Debbie is currently 400km east of Townsville. Residents are being encouraged to seek safe shelter by 10am today and secure all their belongings. BOM’S warning zone includes towns from Lucina to St Lawrence, including Townsville, Mackay and the Whitsunday Islands. Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill has instructed residents to be cautious and stay safe. "Over the next few days we have to keep monitoring it and we have to assume the worst, which is why we're asking people to prepare themselves now in case we require them to evacuate," she said.

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Inside Michael Jackson’s mysterious second marriage

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Southern Lights delight New Zealand for second night in a row

Shark found in puddle after cyclone Debbie

Mass evacuations in Queensland ahead of Cyclone Debbie

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Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

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Information

Keep up to date

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Treadmill, exercise bike, rowing machine: what’s the best option for cardio at home?

The reason some planes skip row numbers

Savvy traveller shares how to guarantee an entire row on your next flight

Prince William's godmother resigns amid racism row

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

How to score a whole row of seats to yourself on a plane

Back so soon, La Niña? Here’s why we’re copping two soggy summers in a row

Elton John reveals furious row with Tina Turner in new autobiography

This airport was named the busiest airport in the world for the 21st year in a row

Blondie’s Debbie Harry: “I escaped serial killer Ted Bundy”

Inside Michael Jackson’s mysterious second marriage

Carrie Fisher’s brother reveals her one big regret

Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds reunited in stunning memorial

Southern Lights delight New Zealand for second night in a row

Shark found in puddle after cyclone Debbie

Mass evacuations in Queensland ahead of Cyclone Debbie

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