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Paris in spring, Bali in winter. How ‘bucket lists’ help cancer patients handle life and death

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leah-williams-veazey-1223970">Leah Williams Veazey</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alex-broom-121063">Alex Broom</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-kenny-318175">Katherine Kenny</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p>In the 2007 film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0825232/">The Bucket List</a> Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play two main characters who respond to their terminal cancer diagnoses by rejecting experimental treatment. Instead, they go on a range of energetic, overseas escapades.</p> <p>Since then, the term “bucket list” – a list of experiences or achievements to complete before you “kick the bucket” or die – has become common.</p> <p>You can read articles listing <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/11/cities-to-visit-before-you-die-according-to-50-travel-experts-and-only-one-is-in-the-us.html">the seven cities</a> you must visit before you die or <a href="https://www.qantas.com/travelinsider/en/trending/top-100-guide/best-things-to-do-and-see-in-australia-travel-bucket-list.html">the 100</a> Australian bucket-list travel experiences.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UvdTpywTmQg?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>But there is a more serious side to the idea behind bucket lists. One of the key forms of suffering at the end of life <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.4821">is regret</a> for things left unsaid or undone. So bucket lists can serve as a form of insurance against this potential regret.</p> <p>The bucket-list search for adventure, memories and meaning takes on a life of its own with a diagnosis of life-limiting illness.</p> <p>In a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14407833241251496">study</a> published this week, we spoke to 54 people living with cancer, and 28 of their friends and family. For many, a key bucket list item was travel.</p> <h2>Why is travel so important?</h2> <p>There are lots of reasons why travel plays such a central role in our ideas about a “life well-lived”. Travel is often linked to important <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2003.10.005">life transitions</a>: the youthful gap year, the journey to self-discovery in the 2010 film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0879870/">Eat Pray Love</a>, or the popular figure of the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/grey-nomad-lifestyle-provides-a-model-for-living-remotely-106074">grey nomad</a>”.</p> <p>The significance of travel is not merely in the destination, nor even in the journey. For many people, planning the travel is just as important. A cancer diagnosis affects people’s sense of control over their future, throwing into question their ability to write their own life story or plan their travel dreams.</p> <p>Mark, the recently retired husband of a woman with cancer, told us about their stalled travel plans: "We’re just in that part of our lives where we were going to jump in the caravan and do the big trip and all this sort of thing, and now [our plans are] on blocks in the shed."</p> <p>For others, a cancer diagnosis brought an urgent need to “tick things off” their bucket list. Asha, a woman living with breast cancer, told us she’d always been driven to “get things done” but the cancer diagnosis made this worse: "So, I had to do all the travel, I had to empty my bucket list now, which has kind of driven my partner round the bend."</p> <p>People’s travel dreams ranged from whale watching in Queensland to seeing polar bears in the Arctic, and from driving a caravan across the Nullarbor Plain to skiing in Switzerland.</p> <p>Nadia, who was 38 years old when we spoke to her, said travelling with her family had made important memories and given her a sense of vitality, despite her health struggles. She told us how being diagnosed with cancer had given her the chance to live her life at a younger age, rather than waiting for retirement: "In the last three years, I think I’ve lived more than a lot of 80-year-olds."</p> <h2>But travel is expensive</h2> <p>Of course, travel is expensive. It’s not by chance Nicholson’s character in The Bucket List is a billionaire.</p> <p>Some people we spoke to had emptied their savings, assuming they would no longer need to provide for aged care or retirement. Others had used insurance payouts or charity to make their bucket-list dreams come true.</p> <p>But not everyone can do this. Jim, a 60-year-old whose wife had been diagnosed with cancer, told us: "We’ve actually bought a new car and [been] talking about getting a new caravan […] But I’ve got to work. It’d be nice if there was a little money tree out the back but never mind."</p> <p>Not everyone’s bucket list items were expensive. Some chose to spend more time with loved ones, take up a new hobby or get a pet.</p> <p>Our study showed making plans to tick items off a list can give people a sense of self-determination and hope for the future. It was a way of exerting control in the face of an illness that can leave people feeling powerless. Asha said: "This disease is not going to control me. I am not going to sit still and do nothing. I want to go travel."</p> <h2>Something we ‘ought’ to do?</h2> <p>Bucket lists are also a symptom of a broader culture that emphasises conspicuous <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH_Pa1hOEVc">consumption</a> and <a href="https://productiveageinginstitute.org.au/">productivity</a>, even into the end of life.</p> <p>Indeed, people told us travelling could be exhausting, expensive and stressful, especially when they’re also living with the symptoms and side effects of treatment. Nevertheless, they felt travel was something they “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14461242.2021.1918016">ought</a>” to do.</p> <p>Travel can be deeply meaningful, as our study found. But a life well-lived need not be extravagant or adventurous. Finding what is meaningful is a deeply personal journey.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Names of study participants mentioned in this article are pseudonyms.</em><!-- 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;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225682/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><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leah-williams-veazey-1223970">Leah Williams Veazey</a>, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alex-broom-121063">Alex Broom</a>, Professor of Sociology &amp; Director, Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-kenny-318175">Katherine Kenny</a>, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/paris-in-spring-bali-in-winter-how-bucket-lists-help-cancer-patients-handle-life-and-death-225682">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Caring

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A-list Hollywood star’s son dies at just 33

<p>Gary Sinise, known for his A-list Hollywood movie roles, has shared that his son has passed away at the age of 33. </p> <p>The 68-year-old announced that McCanna “Mac” Sinise passed away on January 5th after a five-and-a-half year battle with chordoma, a rare form of cancer. </p> <p>The Gary Sinise Foundation took to Instagram to share a picture of Mac with the caption, “In Honour &amp; Memory of McCanna ‘Mac’ Sinise 1990-2024.”</p> <p>In a message shared on the <a href="https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/mac-tribute" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gary Sinise Foundation website</a>, Sinise opened up about the devastating loss of his son. </p> <p>“Like any family experiencing such a loss, we are heartbroken and have been managing as best we can,” he wrote.</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/C33KTEfN06g/?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/C33KTEfN06g/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Gary Sinise Foundation (@garysinisefoundation)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“As parents, it is so difficult losing a child. My heart goes out to all who have suffered a similar loss, and to anyone who has lost a loved one. We’ve all experienced it in some way. Over the years I have met so many families of our fallen heroes. It’s heartbreaking, and it’s just damn hard." </p> <p>“Our family’s cancer fight lasted for 5 ½ years, and it became more and more challenging as time went on. While our hearts ache at missing him, we are comforted in knowing that Mac is no longer struggling, and inspired and moved by how he managed it.”</p> <p>“He fought an uphill battle against a cancer that has no cure, but he never quit trying,” Sinise went on."</p> <p>Sinise shared his story because he and his family “hope to shine a little bit of light on what has been a difficult time.”</p> <p>“Mac was truly a light for all of us,” he added. "An incredible inspiration to those who knew and loved him, he faced his battle with grace, courage, and love. Even with one setback after another, he never stopped living and learning, creating, and giving, and loving."</p> <p>He continued, “Thank you, Mac. You will live in our hearts forever. We were blessed to have you in our lives as son, brother, and friend … and we will miss you and love you for eternity.”</p> <p>Gary Sinise, who has won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a Tony, is known for his role as Lieutenant Dan in <em>Forrest Gump</em>, as well as his roles in <em>Apollo 13</em> and <em>The Green Mile,</em> and TV shows such as <em>CSI: NY.</em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Family & Pets

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“It’s not personal”: New mum shares divisive list of rules

<p dir="ltr">An expecting mum has divided opinions with an extensive list of strict rules her family and friends must follow if they want to meet her new baby. </p> <p dir="ltr">KIIS FM hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O read out the list live on air, as they debated the rules and regulations put in place by the pregnant woman. </p> <p dir="ltr">The rules included not touching the baby, being vaccinated and only going to see the child if you've been asked, with the hosts asking listeners if they thought the rules were “too strict” or “reasonable”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We're drawing closer to the birth of our daughter, and we couldn't be more excited, but unfortunately we have to implement some boundaries. We hope you can respect our wishes and no one takes these personally,” the mum's announcement read.</p> <p dir="ltr">First, the mum declared that there will be no information about the baby put online, including photos and information of the child’s name, or even an announcement that she had given birth. </p> <p dir="ltr">“If we want you to know, you'll know,” the mum outlined. </p> <p dir="ltr">Next, she said that only those who have “checked in” with the expecting parents since the announcement of the pregnancy will be notified of the birth. </p> <p dir="ltr">The mum took a brutal swing at anyone else she hasn't heard from and wrote, “Otherwise we have taken your silence as not being interested in our friendship and it is also reciprocated.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple went on to add that for the first two weeks following the birth, they will not be having any visitors. </p> <p dir="ltr">“No exceptions, no texts, no calls,” the mum wrote in capital letters, further explaining that no visitors will be welcome at either the hospital or at home. </p> <p dir="ltr">The couple also expect those who want to meet the baby to be vaccinated. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Don't be offended if we ask for proof. We will not be putting her health at risk,” the point read. </p> <p dir="ltr">The mum also asked visitors to “not smell of cigarettes or wear cologne or perfume that is too strong when meeting the baby”. </p> <p dir="ltr">Lastly, if family or friends visit the couple at home they will need to bring their own snacks and drinks.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Please do not expect to be hosted. Mum will probably be tired,” the list read. </p> <p dir="ltr">After sharing a video on TikTok, some mentioned the number one parenting rule of all: “their baby, their rules”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Not a single one of those rules is unreasonable,” one person commented online. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The people triggered over this are the type of people these boundaries are intended for,” another added. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, others deemed the list as “passive aggressive”.  </p> <p dir="ltr">“Yeah right, nice knowing ya,” one wrote, while another said, “I hope she knows what she's doing.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Mum's list of chores for babysitter divides internet

<p>An American mum and schoolteacher has divided social media after she shared a list of chores that her 17-year-old babysitter could do for extra cash. </p> <p>Katrina Ivan hired a former student, who is now a senior in high school, to babysit her two-year-old son.</p> <p>The busy mum, who had been struggling to maintain her home, left an optional list of chores the babysitter could do for some extra cash. </p> <p>“You are more than welcome to hang out and watch TV but if you want to earn some extra cash these are up for grabs,” the note read.</p> <p>She claimed that her son was already asleep when the babysitter arrived at 7:30pm and she would be looking after him until 11:30pm.</p> <p>The babysitter was being paid $115.45 for the four hours of work.</p> <p>The extra chores included organising the kitchen island, which would earn the student $15, as would cleaning the windows and mirrors in the house and sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor.</p> <p>Cleaning out the fridge would earn the her $23, while vacuuming the couch would earn her $4.</p> <p>A few other optional chores included re-organising the toys, organising the kitchen island, and re-organising the silverware, which were all chores that would earn the student $15. </p> <p>The babysitter earned an extra $92 for the chores she chose, and a few social media users have said that this was a great idea. </p> <p> “I wish they did this when I was a babysitter. Would have loved the opportunity to earn extra," one wrote.</p> <p>“This is a great idea!! Sometimes it’s boring to just to sit and watch TV, this makes time go by quicker and sometimes it’s things I would do to help," another said. </p> <p>“I think since it’s optional or not you can give whatever amounts. It’s still the babysitters choice whether to do it or not,” a third added. </p> <p>However a few others weren't as impressed. </p> <p>“Those are 1990 prices,” one social media user wrote. </p> <p>“$23 for the fridge that’s wild," another added. </p> <p>“I think if you mention it ahead of time ‘oh I left a chore list if you’re interested in any of them it’s extra cash for you!’ Because if I just arrived to this note I might be a little uncomfortable,” a third said. </p> <p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

Family & Pets

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"Proud to pay more": The billionaires who want to pay more tax

<p>Over 250 millionaires and billionaires have issued an <a href="https://proudtopaymore.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open letter</a> to global leaders encouraging them to implement wealth taxes to combat the cost-of-living crisis. </p> <p>This comes just as a report by the Oxfam Charity revealed that the global wealth of billionaires have only grown in the last three years despite inflation. </p> <p>The open letter, signed by super-rich individuals from 17 countries, includes signatories like Abigail Disney, the grand-niece of Walt Disney, <em>Succession </em>actor Brian Cox, and American philanthropist and Rockefeller family heir Valerie Rockefeller.</p> <p>They said that they would be "proud to pay more taxes" in order to address the  inequality.</p> <p>"Elected leaders must tax us, the super rich,"  the letter read. </p> <p>"This will not fundamentally alter our standard of living, nor deprive our children, nor harm our nations' economic growth.</p> <p>"But it will turn extreme and unproductive private wealth into an investment for our common democratic future."</p> <p>Austrian heir Marlene Engelhorn is also among the voices demanding that they pay more in taxes.</p> <p>"I've inherited a fortune and therefore power, without having done anything for it. And the state doesn't even want taxes on it,"  Engelhorn, who inherited millions from her family who founded chemical giant BASF, said.</p> <p>The letter was released just as global leaders gather in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.</p> <p>Abigail Disney, whose net-worth is measured at more than $100 million, said that lawmakers need to come together to make a meaningful economic and social change. </p> <p>"There's too much at stake for us all to wait for the ultra rich to grow a conscience and voluntarily change their ways," she said.</p> <p>"For that reason, lawmakers must step in and tax extreme wealth, along with the variety of environmentally destructive habits of the world's richest."</p> <p>A recent <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/63fe48c7e864f3729e4f9287/t/6596bfb943707b56d11f1296/1704378297933/G20+Survey+of+those+with+More+than+%241+million+on+Attitudes+to+Extreme+Wealth+and+Taxing+the+Super+Rich.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> of almost 2400 millionaires found that 74 per cent of them supported the introduction of a wealth tax to fund improved public services and deal with the cost-of-living crisis.</p> <p>The open letter also said that one-off donations and philanthropy "cannot redress the current colossal imbalance" of societal wealth.</p> <p>"We need our governments and our leaders to lead," the letter said. </p> <p>"The true measure of a society can be found, not just in how it treats its most vulnerable, but in what it asks of its wealthiest members."</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p> <p> </p>

Money & Banking

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Debate sparked over list of top 100 cities on the planet

<p>The best 100 cities on the planet have been revealed, with one New Zealand city making the final list. </p> <p>The list was compiled by as part of an annual report by <a href="https://www.worldsbestcities.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Resonance Consultancy</a>, who rated major capital cities on three main factors: liveability, lovability and prosperity, with dozens of factors taken into account.</p> <p>These include educational attainment, GDP per capita, poverty rate, the number of quality restaurants, shops and nightclubs, walkability, the number of mapped bike routes, quality parks and museums, as well as ratings from TripAdvisor and Google. </p> <p>The top ten chart features four cities on the Asian continent, four in Europe and two in the U.S, while Auckland was also featured in the list, coming in at number 64.</p> <p>Taking out the number one spot this year is London, dubbed the "capital of capitals" that "reigns over all global cities" as the best metropolis in the world. </p> <p>The study proclaims it as the most liveable and the most lovable mecca, solidified by its winning culture and education attainment.</p> <p>The report concludes, "Despite crippling Covid lockdowns and economic devastation. Despite Brexit. Despite a war in Europe. The city is more indomitable and part of the global discourse than ever. From the Queen's death, to last autumn's chaotic drama at 10 Downing Street that finally calmed down with Rishi Sunak becoming prime minister, only to take heavy local election losses this spring, London is rarely quiet these days."</p> <p>Here's the full list of top 100 cities in the world.</p> <p> 1 - London, England </p> <p>2 - Paris, France</p> <p>3 - New York, USA</p> <p>4 - Tokyo, Japan</p> <p>5 - Singapore</p> <p>6 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates</p> <p>7 - San Francisco, USA</p> <p>8 - Barcelona, Spain</p> <p>9 - Amsterdam, Netherlands</p> <p>10 - Seoul, South Korea</p> <p>11 - Rome, Italy </p> <p>12 - Prague, Czechia </p> <p>13 - Madrid, Spain </p> <p>14 - Berlin, Germany</p> <p>15 - Los Angeles, USA</p> <p>16 - Chicago, USA</p> <p>17 - Washington, D.C., USA</p> <p>18 - Beijing, China </p> <p>19 - Istanbul, Turkey </p> <p>20 - Dublin, Ireland</p> <p>21 - Vienna, Austria </p> <p>22 - Milan, Italy </p> <p>23 - Toronto, Canada</p> <p>24 - Boston, USA</p> <p>25 - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates </p> <p>26 - Budapest, Hungary </p> <p>27 - São Paulo, Brazil</p> <p>28 - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p> <p>29 - Stockholm, Sweden </p> <p>30 - Munich, Germany</p> <p>31 - Melbourne, Australia </p> <p>32 - Lisbon, Portugal </p> <p>33 - Zürich, Switzerland</p> <p>34 - Seattle, USA</p> <p>35 - Sydney, Australia </p> <p>36 - Doha, Qatar</p> <p>37 - Brussels, Belgium </p> <p>38 - San Jose, USA</p> <p>39 - Bangkok, Thailand</p> <p>40 - Warsaw, Poland </p> <p>41 - Copenhagen, Denmark </p> <p>42 - Taipei, Taiwan </p> <p>43 - Austin, USA</p> <p>44 - Oslo, Norway </p> <p>45 - Osaka, Japan </p> <p>46 - Hong Kong, China </p> <p>47 - Tel Aviv, Israel </p> <p>48 - Athens, Greece</p> <p>49 - Frankfurt, Germany</p> <p>50 - Vancouver, Canada </p> <p>51 - San Diego, USA</p> <p>52 - Orlando, USA</p> <p>53 - Helsinki, Finland </p> <p>54 - Miami, USA</p> <p>55 - Buenos Aires, Argentina </p> <p>56 - Hamburg, Germany </p> <p>57 - Brisbane, Australia </p> <p>58 - Kuwait, Kuwait</p> <p>59 - Las Vegas, USA</p> <p>60 - Montreal, Canada </p> <p>61 - Glasgow, Scotland</p> <p>62 - Shanghai, China </p> <p>63 - Rio de Janeiro, USA</p> <p>64 - Auckland, New Zealand </p> <p>65 - Atlanta, USA</p> <p>66 - Houston, USA</p> <p>67 - Busan, South Korea</p> <p>68 - Philadelphia, USA</p> <p>69 - Naples, Italy </p> <p>70 - Denver, USA</p> <p>71 - Nashville, USA</p> <p>72 - Manchester, England </p> <p>73 - Dallas, USA</p> <p>74 - Liverpool, England</p> <p>75 - Minneapolis, USA</p> <p>76 - Mexico City, Mexico</p> <p>77 - Minsk, Belarus </p> <p>78 - Lyon, France </p> <p>79 - Portland, USA</p> <p>80 - Rotterdam, Netherlands </p> <p>81 - Bogotá, Colombia</p> <p>82 - Kraków, Poland</p> <p>83 - Valencia, Spain</p> <p>84 - Santiago, Chile </p> <p>85 - Birmingham, England</p> <p>86 - New Orleans, USA</p> <p>87 - Bucharest, Romania</p> <p>88 - Leeds, England</p> <p>89 - Muscat, Oman </p> <p>90 - Ottawa, Canada </p> <p>91 - Cologne, Germany </p> <p>92 - Charlotte, USA</p> <p>93 - Calgary, Canada </p> <p>94 - Nagoya, Japan  </p> <p>95 - Düsseldorf, Germany </p> <p>96 - Hanoi, Vietnam</p> <p>97 - Gothenburg, Sweden </p> <p>98 - Sapporo, Japan</p> <p>99 - Bilbao, Spain </p> <p>100 - Baltimore, USA</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

International Travel

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5 important things to check off your list before your next cruise

<p>The tickets are booked! Here’s what you need to do before you set sail.</p> <p><strong>1. Visit your doctor</strong></p> <p>Hope for the best and plan for the worst – it’s a good motto to travel by. Visit your doctor to see if you need any vaccinations or medications for exotic locations, and make sure you’re stocked up on all your regular medications.</p> <p>It is a good idea to bring some extras as well as some basic first aid meds (think pain killers and anti nausea tablets) as these can be expensive or hard to come by.</p> <p><strong>2. Research your ports</strong></p> <p>You only have a short time in each port, so you’ll want to make the most of it. Do some research before you leave and decide what you want to see, how long it will (realistically take) and think about whether you want to take an organised tour. </p> <p>We’re not saying you have to plan a rigid schedule and stick to it, but a rough plan of how you want to spend your day will save time and stress.</p> <p><strong>3. Check the weather</strong></p> <p>It’s amazing how quickly the weather can change or an unexpected storm can spring up. Keep an eye on the weather for the days before your cruise so you can pack accordingly. That might mean adding in a few extra jumpers or doubling up on the sunscreen. </p> <p>You will have limited opportunities to buy these things onboard and they can be really expensive. You also don’t want to waste a day in port running around looking for something to wear.</p> <p><strong>4. Talk to your travel buddy</strong></p> <p>How do you imagine you’ll be spending your days? Flopped by the pool or out exploring your next port? Hitting the dancefloor til the wee hours or getting an early night so you can be up for sunrise yoga? These are good conversations to have with your travel partner before you set sail. </p> <p>There’s no right or wrong answer, but many travel arguments have started because people have different ideas of the perfect holiday.</p> <p><strong>5. Organise your insurance</strong></p> <p>You really should do this when you book your tickets as you’ll be covered from then right up until your cruise at no extra cost. But if you’re left it to the last minute, never fear! Jump online and get yourself insured. </p> <p>Many companies offer policies specific to cruising, so everything you need will be covered. And don’t think that you can skip it if you’re only cruising in Australian waters – Medicare won’t cover you onboard.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Cruising

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"What were their parents thinking?!" Teacher releases list of hilarious student names

<p>In a world where coming up with a standard name seems about as trendy as using a landline phone, parents are unleashing their inner creativity by bestowing upon their offspring names that sound like they were created during a fever dream.</p> <p>We are clearly smack bang in the middle of the era of "Name your child after a random object you find in the pantry" – and teachers are the unsung heroes bravely navigating the choppy waters of these monikers. Specifically, how to spell (and pronounce) them properly.</p> <p>Now, let's not pretend this phenomenon is fresh off the naming press. Celebrities have been gifting their kids with names that could pass as WiFi passwords for donks. It was just a matter of time before the masses caught onto the fad like a catchy tune you can't unhear. But spare a thought for those noble educators who are more baffled than a cat watching a magic trick when confronted with these labels during roll call.</p> <p>Enter one valiant and anonymous teacher, armed with a class register that reads like a cryptic crossword puzzle. She unveiled her list of quirky names on the modern-day town square, aka Facebook, explaining that she merely gave the enrolment list a "blink and you'll miss it" glance. Because let's face it, no one has time to decode this kindergarten code on a Tuesday morning.</p> <p>So, brace yourself, because the highlights of this peculiar parade include names like Jaxen (apparently the 'x' gives it that extra pizzazz) and Aliyah, which sounds like a harmonious collision of Aladdin and Elijah. But the true gems are still to come.</p> <p>Hold onto your hats, for there's a Syakyra in the house! It's pronounced like "Shakira", because why make life easy when you can transform spelling into an extreme sport? Also on the roster of eccentricities are Rhydah, Presillar, Christisarah (which sounds like someone sneezed while naming their child), Anjewel'Lea (because apostrophes are the new vowels), and Biar Biar – quite possibly the sound of someone giving up mid-naming.</p> <p>The list goes on, unveiling Deklyn, Alarna (Is this a name or an exotic spice?), Aaryah (a name that looks like a typo in progress), Maz (likely short for Mazel Tov), Angel-Lee (a tribute to both celestial beings and two first names), and Karleb (a rebel in the world of traditional spelling).</p> <p>Social media users eagerly devoured this buffet of bewildering baby names, chiming in with their own comedic relief. One humorist quipped that some parents should enrol themselves in school, presumably for a crash course in 'Name Your Kid Without Making Them the Butt of Jokes.'</p> <p>Another jester added, "This really is tragic, at least none of them will get bullied because they're all so bad lol." A self-proclaimed comedian jibed, "These parents really aren't thinking it through."</p> <p>Yet amid the chuckles and facepalms, some thought the names were about as wild as a cup of herbal tea. One wise soul pointed out that among the chaos were rather mundane names like Diamond, Aliyah, Jaylene, Porsha, and Aalijah. Apparently, normality is now measured against the Syakyras of the world.</p> <p>Meanwhile, teachers everywhere collectively sighed in sympathy as they remembered their own quirky classroom encounters. One recounted an encounter with a "J'ley" (pronounced like Jaylee), a name that's the linguistic equivalent of a Rubik's Cube.</p> <p>A pupil named Pistol also made an appearance – because what kid doesn't want a name that guarantees zero playground conflicts? And lest we forget, a friend's teacher had the honour of teaching A'Blessyn. It's like the alphabet gipped, and the resulting letters spelled "Bless this child with an unforgettable name."</p> <p>However, the chaos isn't limited to the classroom. It's infiltrated even the most intimate corners of existence. Enter Reddit, where an expectant British dad took to the digital confessional to seek advice on his partner's fantastical name choices for their impending bundle of joy.</p> <p>The British bloke confessed that he'd prefer his offspring not be mistaken for an experimental rocket launch or a motor oil brand. He's opting for classic dignity, imagining a world where his kid doesn't have to explain why their name sounds like a weather forecast for Mercury. Meanwhile, the partner, a visionary in the field of avant-garde nomenclature, has pitched names like Fennix (for the spelling-challenged phoenix), Park (because nature reserves are inspiring, apparently), and Diesel (coming soon to a gas station near you).</p> <p>And so, as teachers practice their tongue-twister warm-ups and parents wage a war of wits over naming rights, we bid adieu to a world where names like John and Sarah were once considered bold.</p> <p>The age of the bewildering baby name is upon us, and the only certainty is that there's a whole generation of kids out there ready to conquer the world with names that defy both pronunciation and reason.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Does artificial sweetener aspartame really cause cancer? What the WHO listing means for your diet soft drink habit

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/evangeline-mantzioris-153250">Evangeline Mantzioris</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a></em></p> <p>The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the specialised cancer agency of the World Health Organization, has declared aspartame may be a <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/14-07-2023-aspartame-hazard-and-risk-assessment-results-released">possible carcinogenic hazard to humans</a>.</p> <p>Another branch of the WHO, the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization’s Expert Committee on Food Additives has assessed the risk and developed recommendations on how much aspartame is safe to consume. They have recommended the acceptable daily intake be 0 to 40mg per kilo of body weight, as we currently have <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/additives/aspartame/Pages/default.aspx">in Australia</a>.</p> <p>A hazard is different to a risk. The hazard rating means it’s an agent that is capable of causing cancer; a risk measures the likelihood it could cause cancer.</p> <p>So what does this hazard assessment mean for you?</p> <h2>Firstly, what is aspartame?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/additives/aspartame/Pages/default.aspx">Aspartame is an artificial sweetener</a> that is 200 times sweeter than sugar, but without any kilojoules.</p> <p>It’s used in a <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/additives/aspartame/Pages/default.aspx">variety of products</a> including carbonated drinks such as Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Pepsi Max and some home brand offerings. You can identify aspartame in drinks and foods by looking for additive number 951.</p> <p>Food products such as yogurt and confectionery may also contain aspartame, but it’s not stable at warm temperatures and thus not used in baked goods.</p> <p>Commercial names of aspartame include Equal, Nutrasweet, Canderel and Sugar Twin. In Australia the acceptable daily intake is 40mg per kilo of body weight per day, which is about 60 sachets.</p> <p><a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/aspartame-and-other-sweeteners-food#:%7E:text=How%20many%20packets%20can%20a,based%20on%20its%20sweetness%20intensity%3F&amp;text=Notes%20About%20the%20Chart%3A,50%20mg%2Fkg%20bw%2Fd">In America</a> the acceptable daily intake has been set at 75 sachets.</p> <h2>What evidence have they used to come to this conclusion?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/14-07-2023-aspartame-hazard-and-risk-assessment-results-released">IARC looked closely</a> at the <a href="https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/nutrition-and-food-safety/july-13-final-summary-of-findings-aspartame.pdf?sfvrsn=a531e2c1_5&amp;download=true">evidence base</a> from around the world – using data from observational studies, experimental studies and animal studies.</p> <p>They found there was some limited evidence in human studies linking aspartame and cancer (specifically liver cancer) and limited evidence from animal studies as well.</p> <p>They also considered the biological mechanism studies which showed how cancer may develop from the consumption of aspartame. Usually these are lab-based studies which show exactly how exposure to the agent may lead to a cancer. In this case they found there was limited evidence for how aspartame might cause cancer.</p> <p>There were only three human studies that looked at cancer and aspartame intake. These large observational studies used the intake of soft drinks as an indicator of aspartame intake.</p> <p>All three found a positive association between artificially sweetened beverages and liver cancer in either all of the population they were studying or sub-groups within them. But these studies could not rule out other factors that may have been responsible for the findings.</p> <p>A study <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6284800/">conducted in Europe</a> followed 475,000 people for 11 years and found that each additional serve of diet soft drink consumed per week was linked to a 6% increased risk of liver cancer. However the scientists did conclude that due to the rarity of liver cancer they still had small numbers of people in the study.</p> <p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35728406/">In a study from the US</a>, increased risk of liver cancer was seen in people with diabetes who drank more than two or more cans of a diet soda a week.</p> <p>The <a href="https://aacrjournals.org/cebp/article/31/10/1907/709398/Sugar-and-Artificially-Sweetened-Beverages-and">third study</a>, also from the US, found an increase in liver cancer risk in men who never smoked and drank two or more artificially sweetened drinks a day.</p> <p>From this they have decided to declare aspartame as a Group 2b “possible carcinogen”. But they have also said more and better research is needed to further understand the relationship between aspartame and cancer.</p> <p>IARC has four categories (groupings) available for potential substances (or as they are referred to by IARC, “agents”) that may cause cancer.</p> <h2>What does each grouping mean?</h2> <p><strong>Group 1 Carcinogenic to humans:</strong> an agent in this group is carcinogenic, which means there is convincing evidence from human studies and we know precisely <em>how</em> it causes cancer. There are 126 agents in this group, including tobacco smoking, alcohol, processed meat, radiation and ionising radiation.</p> <p><strong>Group 2a Probably carcinogenic to humans:</strong> there are positive associations between the agent and cancer in humans, but there may still be other explanations for the association which were not fully examined in the studies. There are 95 agents in this group, including red meat, DDT insecticide and night shift work.</p> <p><strong>Group 2b Possibly carcinogenic in humans:</strong> this means limited evidence of causing cancer in humans, but sufficient evidence from animal studies, or the mechanism of how the agent may be carcinogenic is well understood. This basically means the current evidence indicates an agent may possibly be carcinogenic, but more scientific evidence from better conducted studies is needed. There are now <a href="https://monographs.iarc.who.int/agents-classified-by-the-iarc/">323</a> agents in this group, including aloe vera (whole leaf extract), ginkgo biloba and lead.</p> <p><strong>Group 3 Not classifiable as a carcinogen:</strong> there’s not enough evidence from humans or animals, and there is limited mechanistic evidence of how it may be a carcinogen. There are 500 agents in this group.</p> <h2>So do I have to give up my diet soft drink habit?</h2> <p>For a 70kg person you would need to consume about 14 cans (over 5 litres) of soft drink sweetened with aspartame a day to reach the acceptable daily intake.</p> <p>But we need to remember there may also be aspartame added in other foods consumed. So this is an unrealistic amount to consume, but not impossible.</p> <p>We also need to consider all the evidence on aspartame together. The foods we typically see aspartame in are processed or ultra-processed, which have recently also been <a href="https://theconversation.com/ultra-processed-foods-are-trashing-our-health-and-the-planet-180115">shown to be detrimental to health</a>.</p> <p>And artificial sweeteners (including aspartame) <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/#!po=59.3750">can make people crave more sugar</a>, making them want to eat more food, potentially causing them to gain more weight.</p> <p>All together, this indicates we should be more careful about the amount of artificial sweeteners we consume, since they <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-who-says-we-shouldnt-bother-with-artificial-sweeteners-for-weight-loss-or-health-is-sugar-better-205827">do not provide any health benefits</a>, and have possible adverse effects.</p> <p>But overall, from this evidence, drinking the occasional or even daily can of a diet drink is safe and probably not a cancer risk.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Correction: this article originally stated each serve of soft drink in a study was linked to a 6% increased risk of liver cancer, however it was each additional serve per week. This has been amended.<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/208844/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></em></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/evangeline-mantzioris-153250">Evangeline Mantzioris</a>, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Accredited Practising Dietitian, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-artificial-sweetener-aspartame-really-cause-cancer-what-the-who-listing-means-for-your-diet-soft-drink-habit-208844">original article</a>.</em></p>

Body

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Violent concert trend sees Harry Styles added to injured list

<p dir="ltr">Harry Styles has become the latest victim of “object throwing culture” at his concert, after the British pop star was hit in the eye by a flying item.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 29-year-old was in Vienna, Austria, as his years-long Love on Tour begins to wrap up, singing to a sold out crowd of 50,000 strong.</p> <p dir="ltr">During his performance, Styles was prancing around the stage when a flying object hit him directly in the eye.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former One Direction member was seen wincing in pain as he bent over and covered his eyes with his hands.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is why we can’t have nice things. Harry Styles is the latest celebrity to be hit with something from the audience while performing at his concert in Vienna. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HarryStyles?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HarryStyles</a> <a href="https://t.co/tithlDqfb2">pic.twitter.com/tithlDqfb2</a></p> <p>— Glitter Magazine (@glittermagazine) <a href="https://twitter.com/glittermagazine/status/1677851992700641280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Videos captured by fans showed Styles rocking a green and purple sequin pants and vest combo and walking across the stage between songs when the unknown item was launched at him.</p> <p dir="ltr">As the trend of throwing items on stage during live performances continues to grow, Styles’ incident leaves many wondering when this ritual got out of hand.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Why do people keep doing this, paying money for the front row just to do this too. I’m tired of y’all,” one person asked on Twitter in response to a video of the incident.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This object throwing culture is about to kill how we experience concerts &amp; festivals moving forward. They’re about to get more expensive and more exclusive,” another person wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">A third chimed in, “I genuinely don’t understand like I get throwing stuff on the stage where they’ll see it but they always aim for the face like why???”</p> <p dir="ltr">Harry is just one of the latest performers to be struck while on stage, with UK singer Bebe Rexha also coping an object to the face just weeks ago.</p> <p dir="ltr">During her concert in New York, the 33-year-old singer was hit in the face by a mobile phone, resulting in her sustaining a massive black and blue bruise around her eye.</p> <p dir="ltr">While not all objects tend to hit performers in the face, some flying items are just downright strange, as US singer Pink discovered in recent weeks when a concert-goer <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/fan-throws-mother-s-ashes-on-stage-at-pink-concert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threw their mother’s ashes</a> on the stage.</p> <p dir="ltr">Shocked by the remains being thrown on stage during her show in London’s Hyde Park, the singer simply said, “I don’t know how I feel about this.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Image credits: Getty Images</p>

Music

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Who’s taking COVID antivirals like Paxlovid? Hint: it helps if you’re rich

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicole-allard-1349026">Nicole Allard</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-peter-doherty-institute-for-infection-and-immunity-2255">The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity</a></em></p> <p>When it comes to COVID, people living in disadvantaged communities are hit with a triple whammy. First, they’re <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-conditions-disability-deaths/covid-19/overview">more likely</a> to get infected, and when sick, are more likely to have serious disease. Second, they’re <a href="https://theconversation.com/first-covid-hit-disadvantaged-communities-harder-now-long-covid-delivers-them-a-further-blow-183908">more likely</a> to develop long COVID. Third, our <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2023/218/10/access-oral-covid-19-antivirals-community-are-eligibility-criteria-and-systems">recent research</a> suggests they’re less likely to get antivirals and when they do, it’s on average later.</p> <p>We’ve just <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2023/218/10/access-oral-covid-19-antivirals-community-are-eligibility-criteria-and-systems">published the data</a> to map how disadvantage is linked with access to COVID antiviral drugs you can take at home.</p> <p>Here’s why our findings matter and what we can do to level the playing field for this critical part of Australia’s COVID response.</p> <h2>What we did and what we found</h2> <p>Our team looked at Victorian and national prescribing data trends for the oral antiviral medications eligible Australians can take at home – Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) and Lagevrio (molnupiravir).</p> <p>My health department colleagues linked data from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme with information from the Victorian health department’s COVID surveillance database. They then matched levels of socioeconomic disadvantage by postcode, according to criteria from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.</p> <p>Their analysis showed people living in the most disadvantaged postcodes were 15% less likely to receive oral antivirals compared with those in the most advantaged postcodes.</p> <p>Those in the most disadvantaged postcodes were supplied with the antivirals on average a day later (three days versus two days) than those in the most advantaged postcodes.</p> <p>There are some limitations to our analysis. Not everyone who tests for COVID reports their positive result. And we suspect there may be more under-reporting of infections in disadvantaged areas.</p> <p>Nevertheless, our findings about the influence of disadvantage on antiviral supply are not surprising. In the United States, there have been <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7125e1.htm?utm">similar results</a>.</p> <h2>Why has this happened?</h2> <p>We know <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/treatments/eligibility">early access to antivirals</a>, within the first five days of symptoms starting, is important to reduce the chances of severe disease and hospitalisation in those at risk.</p> <p>So why are people in disadvantaged areas less likely to have access to COVID antivirals? The answers are multiple and complex.</p> <p>Some relate to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-019-03584-6/tables/1">disadvantage</a> that existed before the pandemic – for instance, poverty, homelessness, lower levels of English or formal education, and being less likely to have a regular GP.</p> <p>Some factors relate specifically to antivirals. For instance, to access antivirals, you first have to know they exist and whether you might be eligible, then know how to access them and when. There may be out-of-pocket costs to see a GP to be assessed, then there’s the cost of filling the prescription, even with a concession card.</p> <h2>How can we address this?</h2> <p>We have an opportunity to address this inequity, whether that’s by addressing social determinants of health more broadly, or specifically related to antivirals access.</p> <p>Equity depends on continuing to address the structural inequalities in our health system that create barriers to people accessing primary health services, and tailoring responses to communities.</p> <p>For instance, earlier in the pandemic we saw funding to house homeless people, provide COVID-related health care to non-English speaking communities, and for people isolated at home. These initiatives need to continue.</p> <p>Other countries have also recognised the need for more equitable access to COVID antivirals. Initiatives have included:</p> <ul> <li> <p>COVID medicine <a href="https://phlgroup.co.uk/our-services/cmdu/">delivery units</a> in the United Kingdom. These identify, triage and arrange for high-risk people to receive antivirals at home</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://covid19.govt.nz/testing-and-isolation/if-you-have-covid-19/medicines-to-treat-covid-19">pharmacists prescribing antivirals</a> in New Zealand, and</p> </li> <li> <p>“<a href="https://aspr.hhs.gov/TestToTreat/Pages/default.aspx#:%7E:text=To%20find%20a%20participating%20Test%20to%20Treat%20site%20near%20you%3A&amp;text=Call%20the%20Centers%20for%20Disease,more%20than%20150%20other%20languages.">test to treat</a>” services in the US. This is where people can get tested, assessed and access antivirals in one spot, in one visit.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>What needs to happen next?</h2> <p>As <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-in-another-covid-wave-but-its-not-like-the-others-206493">COVID waves continue</a>, we must focus on reducing deaths and hospitalisations. Antiviral treatments are part of our armour and equity must drive our response.</p> <p>Our ongoing COVID response should be designed with consumer input, supported by an adequately funded public health system and be data driven. Here’s what needs to happen next:</p> <ul> <li> <p>encourage a tired public to see COVID testing as an important first step to accessing antiviral treatment, and why they should consider treatment</p> </li> <li> <p>address the health care inequality in primary care (for instance, boosting timely access to a GP people can afford to visit) by increasing resourcing in areas where we know there are gaps</p> </li> <li> <p>provide culturally safe health care, delivered in community languages, co-designed with community input</p> </li> <li> <p>evaluate current and future antiviral medications</p> </li> <li> <p>communicate up-to-date information to the public and health professionals about antivirals, particularity GPs</p> </li> <li> <p>access more data on the coverage and equity of antiviral COVID treatments, to help direct us to the gaps in the health system that need to be plugged.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>Why this matters now</h2> <p>For many of us in the past year, COVID has become another “cold” we encounter and may not even bother testing. Yet, we continue to see <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/weekly-reporting">deaths and hospitalisations</a> across the country.</p> <p>Serious COVID infections continue to affect our most vulnerable people. These include elderly people, especially those over 80, First Nations people, people living with a disability and people who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.</p> <p>We have a chance to ensure antivirals are used to reduce existing disparities in hospitalisation and death – not to make them worse.<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/207822/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicole-allard-1349026">Nicole Allard</a>, Post doctoral researcher and medical epidemiologist, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-peter-doherty-institute-for-infection-and-immunity-2255">The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/whos-taking-covid-antivirals-like-paxlovid-hint-it-helps-if-youre-rich-207822">original article</a>.</em></p>

Caring

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Rod Stewart lists $105 million LA mansion

<p>Legendary rocker Rod Stewart has put his mega mansion on the market.</p> <p>The listing comes just days after the star’s former Malibu home was listed for an asking price of $49.5m (AU$74.2m), with the Wall Street Journal first reporting his current Los Angeles compound is asking for $70m (AU$105m).</p> <p>With a European style, situated in the gated enclave of North Beverly Park, the property spans 3,065 sqm with a pool and a soccer field.</p> <p>Although a soccer field is a rarity in LA, it’s no surprise Stewart, 78, is an avid soccer fan.</p> <p>The 78-year-old was even spotted in Malibu playing football with the Scottish national team on the beach after inviting them to play there.</p> <p>The Journal noted that according to sales records, Stewart purchased the property in 1991 for $12,08m. He also owns a home in Palm Beach, Florida.</p> <p>Images of the home showcase Old World-style finishes such as ceiling mouldings and medallions, Corinthian columns, crystal chandeliers and stunning marble floors in various patterns.</p> <p>The main house boasts nine bedrooms, one being the primary suite with a sitting room and a terrace that looks over the pool.</p> <p>The main wardrobe is also found in the primary suite — one large enough to store the rocker’s massive show collection.</p> <p>Elsewhere offers entertaining areas, including a flashy speak-easy with eye-catching jade green-painted walls.</p> <p>A main-floor great room showcases a bar and a loggia to spend time with guests outdoors.</p> <p>The listing also includes a three-stories-tall guest house with two gyms.</p> <p>Michelle Oliver of Douglas Elliman has the listing and declined to reveal why the British icon has decided to sell.</p> <p>She noted it is suitable for owners who are seeking “a return to maximalism” and for “something that looks different and stands out.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty / Realtor.com</em></p>

Real Estate

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Billy Joel lists New York estate for $73 million

<p>Legendary rocker Billy Joel is <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/music/billy-joel-in-tears-over-career-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying goodbye to The Big Apple</a> as he prepares to sell his jaw-dropping estate.</p> <p>The New York native’s property on the affluent Oyster Bay Harbour has a price guide of a staggering US$49 million (AU$73.4 million).</p> <p>According to the Wall Street Journal, the 26-acre estate comprises the original 14-acre property Joel bought for $22.5 million in 2002 and the adjoining area he’s purchased over the years.</p> <p>The property covers more than 600m of frontage on Centre Island, with the focal point of the estate being the 1,858 sqm main house with breathtaking water views.</p> <p>The home includes five bedrooms, six bathrooms, two half-baths, a playroom, a spa and hair salon, a bowling alley, and a wine centre.</p> <p>There is also an indoor pool, which the Piano Man singer has covered up to use as a music room as it offers fantastic acoustics, according to listing agent Bonnie Williamson, of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty.</p> <p>Parts of the main house are under renovation and are expected to be finished over the next several months.</p> <p>The magnificent estate also has a three-bedroom beach house, a three-bedroom guest apartment, and a four-bedroom gatehouse.</p> <p>Other amenities include a floating dock and boat ramp, two outdoor pools, and a helicopter pad.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty / Realestate.com.au</em></p>

Real Estate

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14 inspiring movies about teachers that will uplift you

<h2>Our favourite movies about teachers</h2> <p>Teachers are the foundation for pretty much everything in our society. Not only do they provide academic instruction, they often offer guidance, provide life lessons and inspire us. If you’ve been lucky enough to have a great teacher even once in your life – or you’re just a fan of teacher movies – you understand how much of an effect they can have both in and out of the classroom.</p> <p>That’s probably why there’s no shortage of teacher movies in Hollywood, celebrating great educators, coaches and principals who face daunting challenges and often overcome insurmountable odds along the way. Here’s our roundup of some of the very best.</p> <h3>How we chose the most inspiring teacher movies</h3> <p>For this list, we focused on films with messaging about overcoming the odds, movies that feature teachers who help their students realise their full potential – either through tough love or by teaching them a new way of looking at the world. While there are loads of teen movies that take place in high school, only some of them show the power of great teachers. While not every one of these films has a happy ending, each and every one is inspiring and shows just how powerful a great teacher can be.</p> <h2>Dead Poets Society</h2> <p>Released: 1989</p> <p>Memorable quote: “Carpe Diem! Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”</p> <p><em>Dead Poets Society </em>was one of Robin Williams’s first drama movie roles, and what a role it was. Williams was nominated for an Oscar for his role as English teacher John Keating, an instructor at a stuffy New England prep school. His unorthodox teaching style is an inspiration to many of his students, who take to heart his advice to live their lives on their own terms.</p> <p>After Keating is blamed for the death of a student who had been struggling with his identity and rejection from his family, he loses his job. But in one of the most tear-jerking scenes from any of the teacher movies on this list, his students rally behind him, reciting Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” in support.</p> <h2>Lean on Me</h2> <p>Released: 1989</p> <p>Memorable quote: “Self-respect permeates every aspect of your existence. If you don’t have respect for yourself, you’re not gonna get it from anyone else.”</p> <p>Morgan Freeman’s resume contains everything from action movies to sci-fi movies to thrillers, but in 1989, he starred in the inspiring drama <em>Lean on Me</em>, based on the true story of high school principal Joe Clark. In 1987, Clark was the head of Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, which had deteriorated as a result of crime and drug use.</p> <p>Clark’s mission is simple: raise the school’s standardised test scores or the school will get turned over to the state. To meet the goal, Clark’s tactics were often extreme and controversial, he expelled students and used tough love and threats to intimidate others. After he implemented more rigorous academics and enforced a strict code of conduct, the school’s tests scores improved, and Clark proved an inspiration to the students at his school.</p> <h2>Critical Thinking</h2> <p>Released: 2020</p> <p>Memorable quote: “We start by showing up.”</p> <p>One of the newer movies about teachers on our list, 2020’s <em>Critical Thinking</em> is a movie based on a true story of the Miami Jackson High School chess team, the first inner-city team to win the US National Chess Championship. The film was directed by John Leguizamo, who also stars as the teacher who coached the team, Mario Martinez.</p> <p>When Martinez, known as Mr T, begins coaching a chess team in his Miami high school, no one, including the school’s principal, sees the value in it. Despite the fact that few people believe in the team, Mr T sees chess as a way out for his students, so he throws all his money and support behind them. The result is an underdog victory that will make you stand up and cheer.</p> <h2>Dangerous Minds</h2> <p>Released: 1995</p> <p>Memorable quote: “I believe one should fight for what one believes. Provided one is absolutely sure one is absolutely right.”</p> <p>While the 1980s had more than a few inspiring teacher movies, <em>Dangerous Minds</em> was one of the most popular ‘90s movies, and it even led to a spinoff TV series of the same name. The film was based on the autobiography of retired Marine LouAnne Johnson (played by Michelle Pfeiffer in the film), a teacher at a California school known for its criminal and drug activity.</p> <p>LouAnne, who is white, begins teaching a class of at-risk Black and Hispanic students who dismiss her. But eventually, she motivates and inspires them, winning their trust. Though the film can feel dated and predictable, it’s one of the classic teacher movies that celebrates an unconventional but life-altering mentor who helps students overcome adversity through education.</p> <h2>Goodbye, Mr Chips</h2> <p>Released: 1939</p> <p>Memorable quote: “I thought I heard you saying it was a pity… Pity I never had any children. But you’re wrong. I have. Thousands of them. Thousands of them. And all boys.”</p> <p><em>Goodbye, Mr Chips</em> stars Robert Donat at the title character, a teacher at an all-male prep school where he served for more than 55 years. After the death of his wife and child during childbirth, Mr Chipping (lovingly referred to by his students as Mr Chips) threw himself into his work, guiding generations of young boys on a path to adulthood.</p> <p>The film is shown in flashbacks as he becomes ill and nears the end of his life, reflecting on his life’s work and the hearts and minds he touched along the way. Donat won Best Actor at the 1940 Academy Awards for his portrayal of Mr Chips, a character who ages in the film from his mid-20s through his 80s.</p> <h2>Freedom Writers</h2> <p>Released: 2007</p> <p>Memorable quote: “You can’t make someone want education.”</p> <p>Another one of our movies based on true stories,<em> Freedom Writers </em>stars Hilary Swank as teacher Erin Gruwell, who taught at a Long Beach, California, high school in the early ’90s, a time when racial tension was high and many of her students were at risk. Gruwell immersed herself in her work in an effort to expose her students to racial injustice and oppression throughout history.</p> <p>Inspiring them to write about their own experiences on the subject, the real Gruwell compiled her students’ stories into a nonfiction book called The Freedom Writers Diary, which she published in 1999. Though the film takes its name from the Civil Rights activists known as the Freedom Riders, it has little to do with that. But you can learn more about the subject in one of the best documentaries about race, called <em>Freedom Riders: 1961</em> and the <em>Struggle for Racial Justice</em>.</p> <p> </p> <h2>Mona Lisa Smile</h2> <p>Released: 2003</p> <p>Memorable quote: “I thought that I was headed to a place that would turn out tomorrow’s leaders, not their wives.”</p> <p>In 2003’s <em>Mona Lisa Smile</em>, Julia Roberts stars as Katherine Ann Watson, a first-year art history professor at the all-female Wellesley College in 1953. Progressive in her views and unmarried, Watson encourages her students to think outside the box and consider professions beyond becoming wives and mothers after they graduate.</p> <p>Playing Watson’s students are a who’s who of young, talented actresses, including Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ginnifer Goodwin, each of whom is influenced and inspired by Watson sooner or later. Especially Dunst’s character, Betty, who initially reviled Watson for her unorthodox lifestyle and eventually realises Watson is the only adult she’s ever received unconditional support from. Roberts has a solid streak of inspirational, feminist movies from around this time, including Mona Lisa Smile and Erin Brockovich, and this film cemented her status as the highest-paid actress in Hollywood at the time too.</p> <h2>Good Will Hunting</h2> <p>Released: 1997</p> <p>Memorable quote: “How do you like them apples?”</p> <p>The funny thing about <em>Good Will Hunting</em> being on a list of great teacher movies is that the main character, Will Hunting (Matt Damon), doesn’t actually attend school. Hunting is a self-taught math genius who works as a janitor and has no personal or professional aspirations.</p> <p>When a Harvard math professor (Stellan Skarsgard) discovers Will’s abilities, he introduces him to a psychology professor (another appearance on this list from Robin Williams) named Sean Maguire, who encourages Will to realise his true potential. The two men form a bond, with Sean helping Will realise he’s squandering his life and his talents.</p> <p>As Sean Maguire, Williams, who is beloved for his funny movies, gets serious once again and gives an incredibly heartfelt, empathetic performance; he won an Oscar for the role in 1998, and Damon and co-writer Ben Affleck also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.</p> <h2>The Great Debaters</h2> <p>Released: 2007</p> <p>Memorable quote: “I and every professor on this campus are here to help you to find, take back, and keep your righteous mind … because obviously you have lost it.”</p> <p>Based on an astonishing and inspirational true story, <em>The Great Debaters</em> takes place in the 1930s at a small, historically Black school called Wiley College, where debate team coach Melvin B Tolson (Denzel Washington) sought to have his team compete against predominantly white colleges at a time when racial segregation and Jim Crow laws permeated the country.</p> <p>Through sheer will and determination, and while staring down the blatant racism of the era, Tolson and his students would eventually go on to beat the reigning debate champions, Harvard College. It’s an underdog movie that will have you cheering, but the fact that it’s based on real events is what’s truly uplifting. If you’re looking for a great Black history movie, The Great Debaters is the perfect place to start.</p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/culture/14-inspiring-movies-about-teachers-that-will-uplift-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Movies

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Get-rich-quick schemes, pyramids and ponzis: five signs you’re being scammed

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bomikazi-zeka-680577">Bomikazi Ze<em>ka</em></a><em>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/abdul-latif-alhassan-1390159">Abdul Latif Alhassan</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cape-town-691">University of Cape Town</a></em></p> <p>Consumers are under a lot of financial strain. The <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/cost-of-living-crisis-global-impact/">World Economic Forum</a> reports that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting people across the globe. With food and fuel prices rising, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep financially afloat. On top of that, salaries <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/workers-pay-globally-hasnt-kept-up-with-inflation-e6df92d">aren’t keeping up with inflation</a>, making it more difficult to save and build wealth.</p> <p>It’s during such times of economic difficulty and uncertainty that fraudsters lure unsuspecting consumers into “<a href="https://www.sabric.co.za/">get-rich-quick</a>” schemes, offering <a href="https://www.sabric.co.za/stay-safe/ponzi-pyramid-schemes/">an avenue to make easy money</a> by investing in a “lucrative” financial opportunity.</p> <p>Nothing beats the prospect of making easy money, and every now and again there seems to be a “get-rich-quick” scheme circulating on WhatsApp or on social media that seems legitimate. But it’s not.</p> <p>Our research interests centre on financial systems in emerging economies, and we advocate for financial inclusion and empowering marginalised communities through financial literacy and financial planning. We use our academic platform to share our expertise on finance, including common financial traps people should steer clear of.</p> <p>“Get-rich-quick” schemes are one such trap. They’re also sometimes called ponzi or pyramid schemes. The schemes are a form of <a href="https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/financial-fraud">financial fraud</a>. The people running them take money through deception: the misrepresentation of information and identity. They promise financial benefits that don’t exist.</p> <p>You should avoid them because, more often than not, they are bogus and fraudulent business ventures.</p> <p>There have been some massive fraud schemes over the past 30 years. In the early 1990s, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/mmm-global-russian-ponzi-scheme-from-1990s-reborn-and-now-spreading-like-wildfire-in-africa-a7333366.html">MMM Global</a> - one of the world’s largest and most notorious ponzi schemes - defrauded up to 40 million people, who lost an estimated $10 billion. Ponzi schemes have since resurfaced in different forms in <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/ponzi-scheme-investigated-as-some-victims-lost-as-much-as-r200-000-c3c3633c-2abb-4dd4-b668-a5ea608deb41">South Africa</a>, <a href="https://guardian.ng/business-services/nigerians-lose-over-n911b-to-ponzi-schemes-related-fraud-in-23-years/">Nigeria</a>, <a href="https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/zimbabwe-money-pyramids-ponzi-schemes/6305100.html">Zimbabwe</a>, <a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/202105170964.html">Kenya</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-09-2020-0177">Ghana</a> and several other African countries.</p> <p>There are five tell-tale signs of a “get-rich-quick” scheme. Watch out for them.</p> <h2>The five tell-tale signs</h2> <p><strong>Firstly</strong>, they offer exaggerated and above-market returns within a short period of time, with the promise of little to no risk.</p> <p>There are two golden rules when it comes to investing. The first is that it takes time to make money. Amassing a small fortune within a short space of time should raise questions about the scheme.</p> <p>The second rule is: the higher the risk, the higher the return. In other words, no investment is risk free or can guarantee significant returns. There is always some risk involved. An investment that promises substantial returns tends to be quite risky, which repels most people with a low appetite for risk.</p> <p><strong>Secondly</strong>, new members are constantly recruited to join the scheme.</p> <p>Typically, such schemes are sustained by relying on the investments of new members to pay existing members. Once the number of existing members exceeds new members, the scheme goes “belly-up”. At best you lose out on the returns you were promised. At worst you lose all the money you’ve invested.</p> <p>When the scheme collapses, it is almost impossible to recover the money you’ve lost because you’ve technically given it to a stranger (remember, the definition of financial fraud encompasses the misrepresentation of identity).</p> <p><strong>Thirdly</strong>, there is urgency to join the scheme and no clarity on how the scheme works.</p> <p>This is a classic characteristic of a “get-rich-quick” scheme. There is usually no clear answer about the nature of the scheme, what it invests in, how it generates its returns or the credentials of the organisation.</p> <p>Legitimate investments are transparent and can provide investors with all the information they need to help them decide whether to invest. Unsurprisingly, a proper check of “get-rich-quick” schemes will unmask their fraudulent nature. This is why there’s always the urgency and coercion to make an immediate financial commitment under the guise of missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get rich.</p> <p><strong>Fourthly</strong>, the scheme is not registered with or regulated by any recognised authority.</p> <p>Regulatory authorities are important because they monitor the conduct of financial service providers and protect consumers by keeping their best interests in mind. The protection provided by financial regulators also instils confidence in financial systems.</p> <p>“Get-rich-quick” schemes are not registered and operate outside the framework of regulatory bodies. This makes investors more vulnerable to loss and makes it more difficult to seek legal recourse when the loss occurs.</p> <p>Legitimate investments in South Africa are offered by authorised financial service providers and regulated by the <a href="https://www.fsca.co.za/Pages/Default.aspx">Financial Sector Conduct Authority</a>. You can search for any authorised financial service provider on the authority’s <a href="https://www.fsca.co.za/Fais/Search_FSP.htm">website</a>.</p> <p><strong>Fifthly</strong>, they use the testimonies from existing members who’ve earned big bucks to promote the scheme.</p> <p>At the initial stages, the scheme tends to pay out to those who have invested early, and these members are encouraged to share the news of their wealth (which travels fast and far) to promote the scheme.</p> <p>But this is a tactic used to create the impression that you too can earn returns in the double digits. These schemes are both unsustainable and unethical as one person gets wealthy through someone else being deceived.</p> <h2>Too good to be true</h2> <p>It’s worth repeating that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.</p> <p>Wealth comes from a sound investment strategy and decisions made over time. Any promise to “get rich quick” should be treated with the cynicism it deserves. It will ultimately reveal its fraudulent nature. Recognising the signs of “get-rich-quick” schemes can save you from unnecessary financial distress.</p> <p>It’s always a good idea to do your own investigation before committing your finances into any investment. You can find more information on the various types of scams through the <a href="https://www.sabric.co.za/">South African Banking Risk Information Centre</a>’s website and report them to the <a href="https://www.safps.org.za/Home/Contact">South African Fraud Prevention Service</a>.<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/205798/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bomikazi-zeka-680577">Bomikazi Zeka</a>, Assistant Professor in Finance and Financial Planning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/abdul-latif-alhassan-1390159">Abdul Latif Alhassan</a>, Associate Professor in Development Finance & Insurance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cape-town-691">University of Cape Town</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/get-rich-quick-schemes-pyramids-and-ponzis-five-signs-youre-being-scammed-205798">original article</a></em>.</p>

Money & Banking

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Life is too short - it's time to choose a Life List over a Bucket List

<p><em>Author Kate Christie has rejected the idea of creating a Bucket List and instead has had a mental shift that allows her to now fully embrace the joy of creating a Life List. Here’s why…</em></p> <p>A month after I turned 50 my ex-husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Eleven months later he was gone. He was 54. He left behind our three beautiful children to try to come to terms with a chasmal loss that they don’t yet fully appreciate. Life is too short.</p> <p>With the diagnosis of a terminal illness there is no hope. There is just a decline - sometimes slow and sometimes devastatingly quick, where you have to bear witness to the process of death. You are forced to grieve the loss of someone before they have even gone. It is brutal and life changing.</p> <p>The paramount decision I made after my husband’s death was to stop putting ‘life’ off until later on the assumption that I have all the time in the world. I rejected the idea of creating a Bucket List and instead I have fully embraced the joy of creating a Life List.</p> <p><strong>What is a Life List and why choose it over a Bucket List?</strong></p> <p>A Life List is a long list of everything you want to achieve or experience while you are still young enough to fully achieve, experience, and enjoy it. It is the exact opposite of a Bucket List - which is generally defined as a list of the things you would like to experience before you die — that is, before you ‘kick the bucket’. It’s time to embrace a Life List over a Bucket List if:</p> <p>• You are not focused almost exclusively on travel and adventure. What about everything else that’s important to living a many-faceted brilliant life such as learning, being of service to others, and nurturing your relationships?</p> <p>• When it comes to travel, you don’t necessarily want to just experience crazy adventures that might actually hasten you kicking the bucket - such as swimming with sharks dressed in a wetsuit looking like a very edible seal.</p> <p>• You are not simply looking to create a list of obligations — the things you never, ever made time for in your life but which now you need to get through lickety-split and tick them off the list before you die … from exhaustion.</p> <p>• You are not interested in asking: What do I want to do before I die? Instead, you want to ask: What do I want to do while I am still young enough to enjoy it?</p> <p><strong>3 Steps to Creating Your Own Life List</strong></p> <p>1. Pick up a pen. The act of writing your Life List will significantly increase your chances of achieving your goals.</p> <p>2. Include 3 types of goals on your Life List:</p> <p>• <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Go Big Goals</strong></span> - The big, hairy, outrageous goals that take planning, or are new experiences, or will take you outside your comfort zone (for example, last year I walked The Larapinta Trail in Central Australia; and I have been cold water swimming almost every single morning for 2 years…)</p> <p>• <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Go Small Goals</strong></span> - Include a range of smaller, life-affirming, inspiring goals that provide the daily fuel that makes your soul sing. Go Small or short-term goals can be implemented in the near future and generally without extensive planning.</p> <p>• <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Go Now Goals</span></strong> - Seize the day! Engage in acts of spontaneity to keep you on your toes.</p> <p>Because life is too short. It is too short to the point that we need to live it every single day. We need to think deeply about what is most important to us and we need to prioritise those things - today. We need to purposefully plan to invest our time for the greatest possible joy. We need to invest our time in the people we love most. We need to invest our time in creating memories, in being of service to others, in generating happiness and fulfilment and wonder. And we need to start doing this right now. Because later might be too late.</p> <p><strong><em>Kate Christie’s book ‘The Life List: Master Every Moment and Live an Audacious Life’ is available from Booktopia and Amazon</em></strong></p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Mind

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Influencer’s extensive list of plane etiquette rules reignites age-old debate

<p dir="ltr">A travel influencer has shared an extensive list of what you should and shouldn’t do on a plane, reigniting an age-old debate about in-flight etiquette. </p> <p dir="ltr">Ben Keenan, a frequent traveller from Seattle in the US, posted his list of dos and don’ts in a now-viral TikTok, saying it is “disgusting” for a passenger to take off their shoes and you should always check behind before reclining your seat.</p> <p dir="ltr">Keenan begins his list with his least controversial point, saying travellers should always greet their flight attendants when boarding the plane, pointing out that it costs nothing to be friendly and polite. </p> <p dir="ltr">He then broaches the topic of taking off your shoes on a plane, which was met with mixed responses. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Do not take off your shoes or socks when you’re sitting in your seat, you disgusting people,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">He went on to urge people not to pick an aisle seat if you plan on sleeping through your journey. </p> <p dir="ltr">“When selecting your seat before the flight, go ahead and determine what type of flyer you are. Are you someone that sleeps or are you someone that’s awake?” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Because if you’re on an aisle seat, you need to be prepared to stand up and move out of the way multiple times during the flight – and I know this sucks but that truly means that you should not be a sleeper.”</p> <p dir="ltr">He continued, “Speaking of sleeping on the plane, if you’re going to recline your seat to do that, go ahead and make sure the people behind you aren’t resting their head on your seat or using that tray table because do you know how many times I’ve been smashed in the head by somebody who just aggressively leans back.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Keenan’s list of etiquette rules was met with a mixed response, with people both praising and criticising certain unspoken rules. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Nope … definitely taking my shoes off! And I’m not turning back to check … I will recline gently though,” one traveller said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If it is a long flight, shoes are allowed to come off (8+ hours),” another wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr"> One flyer agreed with Keenan’s rules, admitting, “I approach every flight like I'm being graded, and the flight attendants will give me an A+ for my flight etiquette.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Another bemused viewer put it simply, writing, “I’ve never flown but this all seems like common sense?”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

Travel Tips

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The rich are pouring millions into life extension research – but does it have any ethical value?

<p>Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/03/08/1069523/sam-altman-investment-180-million-retro-biosciences-longevity-death/">recently invested</a> US$180 million into Retro Biosciences – a company seeking to extend human lifespans by <a href="https://retro.bio/announcement/">ten healthy years</a>.</p> <p>One way it plans to achieve this is by “rejuvenating” blood. This idea is based on studies that found old mice <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/young-blood-renews-old-mice">showed signs of reversed ageing</a> when given the blood of young mice.</p> <p>Altman isn’t the only Silicon Valley entrepreneur supporting life extension efforts. PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Google cofounder Larry Page have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/feb/17/if-they-could-turn-back-time-how-tech-billionaires-are-trying-to-reverse-the-ageing-process">poured millions</a> into projects that could profoundly affect how we live our lives.</p> <p>The first question raised is scientific: could these technologies work? On this front the jury is still out, and there are grounds for both <a href="https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2021-01-14/How-close-are-we-to-radical-life-extension-and-is-it-a-good-idea--X03UFbnMWs/index.html">optimism</a> and scepticism.</p> <p>The second question is just as important: even if lifespan extension is feasible, would it be ethical?</p> <p>We explain why some common ethical arguments against lifespan extension aren’t as solid as they might seem – and put forth another, somewhat overlooked explanation for why trying to live forever might not be worth it.</p> <h2>Is it worth it if you still die anyway?</h2> <p>One might argue lifespan extension merely pushes back the inevitable: that we will die. However, the problem with this view is that any life saved will only be saved temporarily.</p> <p>A lifespan extension of ten years is akin to saving a drowning swimmer, only for them to die in a traffic accident ten years later. Although we might be sad about their eventual death, we’d still be glad we saved them.</p> <p>The same is true of conventional medicine. If a doctor cures my pneumonia, I will eventually die of something else, but that doesn’t mean the doctor or I will regret my being saved.</p> <p>It’s also worth taking a longer view of where lifespan extension research could lead us. In the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC423155/">most optimistic scenarios</a> put forth by experts, even modest short-term gains could help people add centuries to their life, since the benefits of each intervention could cascade. For example, each extra year of life would increase the likelihood of surviving until the next big breakthrough.</p> <h2>Is it worth it if immortality could get boring?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953604004691">Many</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890406510000757">have argued</a> against lifespan extension on ethical grounds, saying they wouldn’t use these technologies. Why might somebody be opposed?</p> <p>One worry is that a very long life might be undesirable. Philosopher <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/problems-of-the-self/makropulos-case-reflections-on-the-tedium-of-immortality/9180185912980E017EE675254B2F4169">Bernard Williams</a> said life is made valuable through the satisfaction of what he calls “categorical desires”: desires that give us reason to want to live.</p> <p>Williams expects these desires relate to major life projects, such as raising a child, or writing a novel. He worries that, given a long enough life, we will run out of such projects. If so, immortality would become tedious.</p> <p>It’s unclear whether Williams is right. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09672559.2012.713383">Some philosophers</a> point out human memories are fallible, and certain desires could resurface as we forget earlier experiences.</p> <p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10892-015-9203-8">Others</a> emphasise that our categorical desires evolve as our life experiences reshape our interests – and might continue to do so over the course of a very long life.</p> <p>In either case, our categorical desires, and hence our reason for living, would not be exhausted over a very long life.</p> <p>Even if immortality did get tedious, this wouldn’t count against modest lifespan extensions. Many would argue 80-something years isn’t enough time to explore one’s potential. Personally, we’d welcome another 20 or even 50 years to write a novel, or start a career as a DJ.</p> <h2>Is it worth it if poor people miss out?</h2> <p>Another worry regarding lifespan extension technologies is egalitarian.</p> <p>These technologies will be expensive; it seems unjust for Silicon Valley billionaires to celebrate their 150th birthdays while the rest of us mostly die in our 70s and 80s.</p> <p>This objection seems convincing. Most people welcome interventions that promote health equality, which is reflected in broader societal demands for universal healthcare.</p> <p>But there’s important nuance to consider here. Consider that universal healthcare systems promote equality by improving the situation of those who aren’t well off. On the other hand, preventing the development of lifespan extension technologies will worsen the situation of those who are well off.</p> <p>The ethical desirability of equality based on “<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9329.00041">levelling down</a>” is unclear. The poorest Australians are <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-poorest-australians-are-twice-as-likely-to-die-before-age-75-as-the-richest-and-the-gap-is-widening-139201">twice as likely</a> to die before age 75 than the richest. Yet few people would argue we should stop developing technologies to improve the health of those aged over 75.</p> <p>Moreover, the price of lifespan extension technologies would eventually likely come down.</p> <h2>The real problem</h2> <p>However, we think there’s one serious ethical objection that applies to extreme cases of life extension. If humans routinely lived very long lives, this could reduce how adaptable our populations are, and lead to social stagnation.</p> <p>Even modest increases in life expectancy would radically increase population size. To avoid overpopulation, we’d need to <a href="https://theconversation.com/thinking-of-having-a-baby-as-the-planet-collapses-first-ask-yourself-5-big-ethical-questions-196388">reduce birth rates</a>, which would drastically slow generational turnover.</p> <p>As one of us (Chris) has explored in previous <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmp/article/40/6/696/2747126">research</a>, this could be incredibly harmful to societal progress, because it may:</p> <ol> <li>increase our vulnerability to extinction threats</li> <li>jeopardise individual wellbeing, and</li> <li>impede moral advancement.</li> </ol> <p>Many fields benefit from a regular influx of young minds coming in and building on the work of predecessors.</p> <p>Even if the brains of older scientists remained sharp, their “confirmation bias” – a tendency to seek and interpret information in ways that confirm one’s prior beliefs – could slow the uptake of new scientific theories.</p> <p>Moral beliefs are also prone to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10670-020-00252-1">confirmation bias</a>. In a world of extended lifespans, individuals whose moral views were set in their youth (perhaps more than 100 years ago) will remain in positions of power.</p> <p>It seems likely our society’s moral code is <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10677-015-9567-7">badly mistaken</a> in at least some respects. After all, we think past societies were catastrophically mistaken in theirs, such as when they endorsed slavery, or rendered homosexuality illegal.</p> <p>Slowing generational turnover could delay the point at which we recognise and fix our own moral catastrophes, especially those we can’t yet see.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rich-are-pouring-millions-into-life-extension-research-but-does-it-have-any-ethical-value-201774" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Caring

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House with "free" rent listed with major catch

<p>A dilapidated house has been leased for free, offering prospective tenants 12 months of free housing. </p> <p>However, the three bedroom house in south-west Sydney must undergo a full renovation before anyone can move in. </p> <p>Originally posted on Domain, the house has been deemed "currently uninhabitable", with the listing quickly going viral before being taken down. </p> <p>The listing read, “3 bedroom family home perfect for the growing family, nestled in a quiet yet convenient location being close to all the wonderful amenities such as transport, parks, schools, shops in need of a renovation.”</p> <p>Hidden deep within the listing was the information that the house is not currently fit for anyone to live in, with the tenants being expected to front the cost of the entire renovation. </p> <p>“Property is currently uninhabitable - work is required before moving in. The landlord does not have the funds to renovate the property,” the listing said.</p> <p>The listing agent described it as an opportunity for a “savvy minded person or persons with trade knowledge and experience”.</p> <p>The successful tenant will be required to pay for the “full renovation at their own expense”, and in return will receive a three-year lease at the property with the first year coming with no charge. </p> <p>However, they will then need to pay for the second and third years of their lease, with the rent "negotiable" at $650 a week. </p> <p>The listing quickly went viral, with commenters calling out the landlord's "audacity" to ask such a task of a renter that only receives one year of free housing for all their hard work. </p> <p>“Next they will tell you to build a house which you can then rent back,” one person said.</p> <p>“Wow. Just when you thought the audacity was at its most audacious,” another person commented.</p> <p>On Reddit, commentators also pointed out the new tenant would need to spend thousands on the renovation, making the one year of free rent basically worthless. </p> <p>"What a steal. Instead of paying $33,800 a year (the $650 they want after the first year) you get to spend 100-200k+," someone said.</p> <p>"If the landlord is tight on money and doesn't have the funds to renovate, they should just sell the place," another commented.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Domain</em></p>

Real Estate

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“It tastes like rich”: Hotel sells $32 coffee with gold sprinkles

<p dir="ltr">At the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, you can treat yourself to a cappuccino for a whopping $32AUD, although you’re not <em>really</em> paying for the coffee alone. </p> <p dir="ltr">The cappuccino, which is found at the hotel’s Le Cafe by the Fountain comes with 23-karat gold sprinkled on top and it has been named the Emirates Palace Golden Cappuccino. </p> <p dir="ltr">The pricey cap is not the only item on the menu that is embellished with gold, with the hotel advertising a camel milk vanilla or chocolate ice cream with a 23-karat gold leaf for $29.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the mood for a cold drink? The Emirates Palace has got you covered with their Hawaiian Candy Colada, a mocktail topped with 23-karat gold flakes for $26. </p> <p dir="ltr">Tourists have shared videos on social media, with one showing a barista shaking a can of gold flakes over a row of cappuccinos, much like one would with the average cocoa powder topping. </p> <p dir="ltr">Another video posted by a worker shows her adding gold flakes with a spoon.</p> <p dir="ltr">One TikToker who got to try the luxurious coffee wrote, “The gold cappuccino was 8/10 but the vibes were 100/10.” </p> <p dir="ltr">One user wrote, “It tastes like rich.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Another agreed, writing “It tastes expensive.” </p> <p dir="ltr">A Canadian coffee content creator, Brodie Vissers, better known as The Nomad Barista online reviewed the hotel’s cappuccino on YouTube. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Our drinks have arrived, I’m a little bit nervous. It used to be 24-karat, now they’ve reduced it to 23-karat but it is still gold sprinkled on this coffee,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t even know what to expect from this drink,” he said before trying the luxurious drink. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s actually not bad. Of course the foam on the latte is not like a perfect flat white or anything. It’s actually not as sweet as I expected. It’s got a nice balance to it. It’s an interesting drink.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We cannot forget about the dates. Having dates with coffee is a very traditional thing here in the Middle East.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Let’s see how that pairs with the latte. Wow, that is so good. I recommend it if you’re around. It’s a kind of unique opportunity here in (Emirates) Palace. What better place to drink coffee with gold on top.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Instagram </em></p>

Food & Wine