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“Is that Snoop Dog?!”: Man caught with fake passenger in carpool lane

<p>A US motorist has been handed a traffic infringement after police found him using a dummy to drive in the carpool lane. </p> <p>Not only did his hilarious attempt to bypass morning traffic with the fake passenger whose goatee was "just a little too sharp" get him fined, he helped authorities answer the common question: “If I have a mannequin in the passenger seat, does that count as a second occupant in the vehicle? </p> <p>"The answer is simple… NO."</p> <p>According to an Instagram post shared by the California Highway Patrol Santa Fe Spring, authorities stopped the unnamed driver for crossing a double line when they noticed the plastic passenger. </p> <p>"Officer Kaplan made an enforcement stop on this vehicle for crossing solid double lines only to realise the driver was the only occupant in the vehicle with their plastic friend," they wrote. </p> <p>The mannequin in question had a human-like mask, sported a hoodie and sunglasses, and was seated upright with his seatbelt buckled in just like any other passenger. </p> <p>And he would've gotten away with it too if it weren't for the fake facial hair. </p> <p>"The goatee was sharp … just a little too sharp," they shared. </p> <p>"We've gotta give it to them, the appearance is next-level modelling but at the end of the day ... plastic is plastic." </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6K7Thkr2CO/?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/C6K7Thkr2CO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by CHP Santa Fe Springs (@chp_santa_fe_springs)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The driver was issued with a number of citations for carpool violations, but many online commenters shared their amusement at the light-hearted nature of the traffic violation. </p> <p>"Is that snoop dog?!" wrote one commenter. </p> <p>"Leave Stevie wonder alone," joked another. </p> <p>"I really don’t see a problem here because most people are fake and have lots of plastic on them anyways," quipped a third. </p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

Legal

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"There's no way": Man receives $52 billion tax bill

<p>An American man has been left confused after receiving a letter from the government claiming he owed $52 billion in unpaid taxes. </p> <p>Barry Tangert got two letters in the mail from the state of Pennsylvania, opening the first to find a refund check from the federal government for over $900.</p> <p>His joy was short-lived though as he opened the second letter to find the income billing notice from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue claiming that he owed a jaw-dropping $52,950,744,735.28 ($34,576,826,561.47 AUD).</p> <p>“I knew it was an obvious blunder. I don’t even make over $100,000 a year, so there’s no way I could owe anywhere near that,” Barry Tangert told local outlet <em>News 8</em>.</p> <p>The total sum was so large it didn’t even fit on a single line on the document.</p> <p>Tangert immediately knew it was a mistake, with the astonishing number being more than triple the $11 billion America’s richest man Elon Musk says he owed the government in 2022.</p> <p>How the error made it all the way to his doorstep is still a mystery to Tangert.</p> <p>“I don’t know if it was a computer glitch in the transmission or if it was an input error from my tax preparer,” Tangert said, noting that his tax preparer filed an amendment after noticing an error on his 2022 return.</p> <p>He reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue’s customer service line, which also provided little help to the baffled man.</p> <p>“The first thing he said was, ‘You had a good year.’ And I said, ‘I wish,’” Tangert said.</p> <p>Fortunately, the state department has since resolved the issue, which it chalked up to wrong numbers simply being put into the system.</p> <p><em>Image credits: WGAL News 8</em></p> <p><em> </em></p>

Money & Banking

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“Love is so sweet": Man's sweet mid-air proposal goes viral

<p>Love is in the air! </p> <p>A smitten passenger took his love to the skies and proposed to his girlfriend while on board an Air Peace flight, with the romantic moment captured on camera. </p> <p>A social media user took to TikTok to share the sweet proposal, with the caption: “POV: My friend was proposed to in a plane.”</p> <p>The minute-long video showed a man getting out of his seat on board the packed plane to use the aircraft’s PA system so that he could ask for his girlfriend’s hand in marriage.</p> <p>“She’s so precious and her name is Precious,” the man said before popping the question. </p> <p> “Please, my Precious, I want to ask, will you marry me?”</p> <p>“If you will, just come out and say ‘yes’ to me, my precious,” he added before walking down the aisle of the aircraft. </p> <p>Other passengers cheered for the couple, and in a second video, the man is seen greeting Precious, then getting down on one knee to offer her the ring.</p> <p>Precious was overjoyed at the proposal and said yes, hugging her new fiance. </p> <p>While it is unclear where the plane was travelling, Air Peace is a Nigerian carrier that operates flights to destinations in West Africa and the Middle East, according to the NY Post. </p> <p>TikTok users were also touched by the romantic act, with many of them congratulating the couple. </p> <p>“This is beautiful,” one wrote. </p> <p>“Love is so sweet for real,” another swooned. </p> <p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

Relationships

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"Finally!": 2023’s Sexiest Man Alive crowned

<p>Patrick Dempsey has been named <em>People’s Sexiest Man Alive</em> for 2023! </p> <p>The 57-year-old actor known for his role as Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd on <em>Grey's Anatomy </em>snagged the title from last year's winner, Marvel heart-throb Chris Evans. </p> <p>In his interview with the publication, the actor said that he will use his new-found status to promote “something positive”. </p> <p>“I’m glad it’s happening at this point in my life,”  he said. </p> <p>“It’s nice to have the recognition, and certainly my ego takes a little bump, but it gives me the platform to use it for something positive.”</p> <p>When asked about his reaction to finding out he was <em>2023's Sexiest Man Alive </em>the actor joked that it was a long-time coming. </p> <p>“I was completely shocked, and then I started laughing, like, this is a joke, right? I’ve always been the bridesmaid!”  he joked. </p> <p>“I’d completely forgotten about it and never even contemplated being in this position. So my ego is good.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Introducing PEOPLE’s 2023 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SexiestManAlive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SexiestManAlive</a>, Patrick Dempsey. 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/4eYnCAG1Zr">https://t.co/4eYnCAG1Zr</a> <a href="https://t.co/5V0xVblnaE">pic.twitter.com/5V0xVblnaE</a></p> <p>— People (@people) <a href="https://twitter.com/people/status/1722114648638394482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>The father-of-three also joked about how his children, Talula, 21, and 16-year-old twins Sullivan and Darby, will react to this news. </p> <p>“They’re just going to make fun of me and pick on me and figure out every reason why I shouldn’t be,” he said.</p> <p>“Which is good, they keep me young.”</p> <p>Funnily enough, his newfound status was also met with confusion, mostly from the younger generation who have no idea who he is. </p> <p>“Who the hell is Patrick Dempsey?” one confused Gen Zer wrote. </p> <p>“You all are making up new people every day; who is Patrick Dempsey?” another commented.</p> <p>This left many Millennials feeling old. </p> <p>“People ... not knowing who Patrick Dempsey is making me feel like a grandma. What do you mean you didn’t grow up watching Grey’s Anatomy, and you weren’t obsessed with Derek Sheppard since you were 10,” one commented. </p> <p>“There is an is actual difference in being 26 vs. being 23! Because I am seeing 23 yr olds not know who Patrick Dempsey is,” another added. </p> <p>And not everyone who is a Millennial agreed with <em>People's</em> choice. </p> <p>"I mean… yes back in the day. But seriously? How is it not someone who is hot right now? I haven’t even seen/heard him mentioned in years," commented one person. </p> <p>Is it 2005?” another wrote.</p> <p>“Um, he is so 2007,” a third commented. </p> <p>Regardless, Dempsey has aged like fine wine and many have said it's about time. </p> <p>“Finally! Ain’t nobody under this post showed me a white man finer!" </p> <p><em>Image: People Magazine/ X</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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How one homeless man turned $5 into $106k

<p>A New Zealand man's life has turned upside down after his small wager turned into a big win. </p> <p>Robert, who has been living in a garage for the last nine months, was pleasantly surprised when he noticed five extra zeros next to his account balance the day after the Melbourne Cup. </p> <p>It tuned out that he had remarkably won NZ$106,000 ($97,781.29 AUD) from a $5 bet on the $8.4 million Cup, which was won by Without A Fight. </p> <p>“It was quite an emotional process, mate,” Robert told the <em>NZ Herald. </em></p> <p>“I couldn’t believe it, and I thought to myself, ‘there must be something wrong here’.”</p> <p>Robert, had placed the bet the day before the race at the Petone Working Men’s Club, and to his surprise found a green tick next to his first four Easybets. </p> <p>Now, he intends to use the money to improve his life. </p> <p>“I’ve gone from being homeless, sitting in a garage to finally being able to afford a deposit on a house now,” he said. </p> <p>This is the first time in 22 years that a horse has won both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup double.</p> <p>Due to privacy reasons the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB) is unable to disclose further information on the wager. </p> <p><em>Image: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Man who died for seven minutes reveals his encounter with the afterlife

<p>A British actor has shared what happened during his brief, yet profound experience in the afterlife, after he was pronounced dead for seven minutes. </p> <p>Shiv Grewal, 60, was having lunch with his wife when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest. </p> <p>His wife frantically called an ambulance, but Shiv's heart had already stopped beating. </p> <p>“I knew, somehow, that I was dead,” Grewal said, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/24/i-died-for-7-minutes-before-being-brought-back-to-life-heres-what-i-saw/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nypost&utm_content=curalate_like2buy_7Rd1H9jc__bf5c46e3-ff70-4690-9b19-4f40d83c952f&utm_term=curalate_like2buy&crl8_id=bf5c46e3-ff70-4690-9b19-4f40d83c952f" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link-type="article-inline"><em>The New York Post</em>.</a></p> <p>“I felt things completely separate from my body. It was like I was in a void but I could feel emotions and sensations.”</p> <p>Shiv went on to say the experience felt similar to "swimming through water" with a sense of weightlessness and disconnection from the physical world.</p> <p>“At one point, I was travelling over the moon, and I could see meteorites and all of space,” he said.</p> <p>Grewal remembers feeling like he definitely didn't want to die and would do whatever it took to return to his physical body, despite the endless possibilities of the afterlife. </p> <p>“There was a whole set of possibilities, various lives and reincarnations that were being offered to me,” he said.</p> <p>“I didn’t want them. I made it very clear that I wanted to return to my body, to my time, to my wife and to go on living.”</p> <p>Grewal was rushed to hospital were he underwent a surgery to have a stent put into his main artery, which had clogged. </p> <p>He was then put in an induced coma for a month. </p> <p>While the traumatic experience happened almost ten years ago, Shiv explained that he hasn't fully recovered from the emotional impact. </p> <p>He said his life has been completely transformed, and is still trying to work through the profound emotions of that day. </p> <p>“I remembered everything that happened when my heart stopped and have tried to translate it into art,” he said.</p> <p>Before the accident, Grewal was more cynical about the idea of an afterlife, but now has completely changed his mind. </p> <p>“I’m less fearful of death because of it, but at the same time, I’m also more fearful, because I’ve realised how precious everything I have in life is,” he said.</p> <p>“I’m grateful just to be here.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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Man proposes to high school sweetheart after rekindling their romance

<p dir="ltr">Over 60 years ago, Thomas and Nancy met when they were in high school and fell in love. </p> <p dir="ltr">Despite their feelings for each other, their romance didn’t last and they fell out of touch as life moved on. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sixty years on, Thomas and Nancy rekindled their relationship and spent three weeks having phone conversations to discover their affection for each other never died. </p> <p dir="ltr">Nancy then decided to fly to Thomas’ home state of Florida for an emotional reunion, and was shocked by the surprise she arrived at. </p> <p dir="ltr">Walking off the plane in the city of Tampa, Nancy was greeted by Thomas on one knee, delivering an emotional speech about how much he loves her, before he asked her to marry him. </p> <p dir="ltr">The heart-felt moment, captured by a fellow traveller and posted to TikTok, shows Thomas dressed up in a suit, waiting nervously for Nancy to arrive with a big smile on his face.</p> <p dir="ltr">Upon seeing her, he handed her a bouquet of roses and gave her a tender kiss before he pulled out his ring and started professing his love. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuQIG3Mr0GA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuQIG3Mr0GA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by PerezHilton.com (@perezhilton)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“My dear Nancy, it's been 60 years since we first met, 56 years since we first dated, 10 years since I last saw you, and 20 days since we began this,” he said, his voice shaky with emotion. </p> <p dir="ltr">“You have always been the one I've had a crush on, since your cheerleader days.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“It brings a smile to my face, it makes my heart skip a beat [to see you]. For the last three weeks, I have thought of you every day, every hour and have talked to you every night for hours.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I have longed to see you again, hold you in my arms, and tell you how much you mean to me.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“So Nancy, I come to you humbly today, June 30, with a proposal. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and cherish every moment we will have together.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“I love you more than words can express, more than you can ever comprehend. I want to spend the rest of my life proving that to you and making you the happiest woman in the world.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Will you Nancy, give me the honour of being my soulmate in life? My partner in every sense of the word, my beloved wife forever? Will you marry me?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Nancy, who had started to cry while Thomas was talking, quickly said yes to the proposal, which resulted in Thomas cheering and a group of strangers who had stopped to watch clapping for the couple before they embraced in a big hug. </p> <p dir="ltr">The TikTok creator also shared a snap of Thomas and Nancy posing together while holding up a sign that read, “She said yes!”</p> <p dir="ltr">The video has gained millions of views, and it sparked a slew of comments from people who said they were “sobbing” over Nancy and Thomas' love story.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They were meant to be, nor time or distance tore them apart,” one person wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another said, “When two souls are meant to be, they will find each other.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

Relationships

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How much one man paid to fly First Class forever

<p dir="ltr">One man grabbed the opportunity of a lifetime back in 1990 and is now reaping the benefits of his hard work.</p> <p dir="ltr">69-year-old Tom Stuker who was a car dealership consultant at that time, paid an eye watering $US510,000 — $A770,000 for United Airlines lifetime pass to passengers.</p> <p dir="ltr">The married father of two described this as “the best investment” he’s made and has taken full advantage of his lavish first class travel perks in seat 1B.</p> <p dir="ltr">Stuker has flown a total of 23 million miles according to the <em>Washington Post</em>, with 2019 being his record year where he flew 373 flights covering 1.46 million miles.</p> <p dir="ltr">If converted to cash, those flights would have cost him $2.44 million.</p> <p dir="ltr">Among the unlimited travel miles, Stuker is also treated like a VIP, with a special check-in station that has a door which takes him straight to the security queue.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also has access to VIP airport lounges with free fine dining, spa treatments, showers and sleeping quarters.</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2011 Stuker hit the 10 million mile mark which prompted the airline to name a 747 after him.</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2019 he hit the 20 million mile mark which he celebrated mid-air with a champagne toast that he shared with other passengers aboard the same flight.</p> <p dir="ltr">Stuker remained humble as he talked with all the other passengers and even topped up their glass of bubbles as they congratulated him on this milestone.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s not about the places I go, it’s about the people I meet,” he said to the passengers via the plane's intercom.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I wanted to say thank you to all of you who shared this moment with me,” Stuker continued. “To be able to celebrate 20 million on my favourite airline in the whole world, it’s everything.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Stuker initially found out about the lifetime pass when his colleague told him American Airlines was offering it.</p> <p dir="ltr">He then approached United airlines and said: “ ‘you’re going to lose me as a customer’ and they said ‘we have the same thing’,” he told Chicago-based TV station <em>WGN News</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sadly, for others who want to follow in his footsteps that offer doesn’t exist anymore, but there are still similar passes available, Stuker said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They came out to my office, they presented it and I did the number crunching and made a really good business decision because that’s what I bought the pass for — to save money on my business travel.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They still have programs that do that, just not the unlimited.”</p> <p dir="ltr">It’s been 33 years and Stuker still spends most of his time flying, unable to stay off a plane for more than a week.</p> <p dir="ltr">He has travelled to over 100 countries using his unlimited United pass and is generous enough to share this experience with his wife, taking her on over 120 “honeymoons”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

International Travel

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Man living in a tent after partner “gave up” on Covid restrictions

<p dir="ltr">A hyper-vigilant man has resorted to living in a “pressurised” tent in a garage to avoid contracting Covid, after his girlfriend relaxed about restrictions. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Aussie man named Jason, who is a self-proclaimed “Covid education activist” caused a stir online after he posted a photo of his unusual sleeping arrangements. </p> <p dir="ltr">The now-viral post shared by Jason featured a picture of the peculiar tent he claims to be sleeping in, with an air purifier sticking out of the door, igniting a firestorm of reactions on Twitter, ranging from agreeance, to humour, to concern.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the media storm, Jason defended his decision to maintain strict pandemic precautions, despite never having contracted Covid-19. </p> <p dir="ltr">“This is my bed in the garage because my partner has dropped precautions. I take precautions 100 per cent of the time. Don’t tell me that this hasn’t upended every f**king second of my life,” Jason declared in his original post, which included the image of his extraordinary sleeping arrangement.</p> <p dir="ltr">Taking his precautions to the next level, Jason also revealed that he has experimented with sleeping in a face mask, but he admitted that he found it uncomfortable and could not sleep properly with it. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve tried to sleep in a mask, and I can’t. I know people sleep in CPAP masks all the time, so it’s possible, but I can’t do it,” he shared on Twitter.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the flurry of reactions to Jason’s living arrangement, he did receive some support for his precautionary measures, while some even suggested Jason leave his partner, to which he admitted the thought “had occurred to me”. </p> <p dir="ltr">Another Twitter user commended the tent and air filter idea, considering it a cost-effective and potentially effective solution to avoid contracting Covid. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I like the tent+filter idea. It’s cheap and should be effective,” another agreed.</p> <p dir="ltr">A few people shared that they empathised with Jason, and are also maintaining strict pandemic precautions. </p> <p dir="ltr">One person wrote, “Initially didn’t think much of the pic, but this is infuriating. I spend all my salary in-flo mask, enovid (antiviral nasal spray), no social life, so yes, I take precautions 100 per cent of the time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m sorry you have to live like this. I no longer see my family since they stopped masking,” another added.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, not everyone empathised with Jason’s living arrangements, saying he was being unrealistic about the future of Covid. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I work in senior living, and in the two years we’ve been open, we’ve lost zero to Covid. Even the (85-year-olds) getting it now are mild cases. Why? They’re boosted, so they don’t panic or sleep in a garage,” one commenter explained. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The vaccine is meant to enable you to live normally without worrying. Covid is endemic, so you will be in the tent for the rest of your life, lol.” posted another.</p> <p dir="ltr">In response to the viral post, one Twitter user humorously remarked, “We’re a few years away from a really good documentary on how this virus broke people’s brains.”</p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 18pt;"><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Twitter</em></p>

Real Estate

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Man fakes own death to teach his family a tough life lesson

<p>A Belgian TikToker has become the subject of the internet’s scorn after playing a prank on the loved ones and mourners gathered to bid him farewell at what they believed to be his funeral. </p> <p>They were under the assumption that the service was being held for the recently-departed David Baerten - their 45-year-old friend who was not, it turns out, dead after all. </p> <p>Instead, Baerten had devised a plan with his wife and children to trick everyone into believing he’d passed on, all so that he could teach them a ‘valuable’ lesson in the importance of staying in touch.</p> <p>In a bid to make Baerten’s friends and followers believe the lie, one of his daughters even posted to social media about his passing, writing “rest in peace Daddy. I will never stop thinking about you.</p> <p>“Why is life so unfair? Why you? You were going to be a grandfather, and you still had your whole life ahead of you. I love you! We love you! We will never forget you.”</p> <p>The ‘funeral’ was held near Liege for the TikToker - who uses the name Ragnar le Fou for his social media antics - with his family and friends coming together for what they thought was a final farewell. But as they prepared for that difficult task, things took a sharp turn. </p> <p>Baerten, who had been alive the entire time, descended in a helicopter with a camera crew in tow to surprise them all. In a video later shared to social media, he could be heard telling them “cheers to you all, welcome to my funeral.” </p> <p>Another user - who was present at the time - shared a clip of Baerten in the arms of his sobbing loved ones, while others took the opportunity to complain about the entire “joke”. </p> <p><iframe style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; display: block; font-family: proxima-regular, PingFangSC, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.01em; text-align: center; background-color: #ffffff; width: 605px; height: 740px; visibility: unset; max-height: 740px;" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7243399474553425179?lang=en-GB&amp;referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-12190705%2FMan-fakes-death-arrives-funeral-helicopter-teach-family-lesson.html&amp;embedFrom=oembed" name="__tt_embed__v11218062736010092" sandbox="allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin"></iframe>They were complaints that continued online, as the videos gained traction and many raced to condemn him for the heartless stunt. </p> <p>“Really shocking, it should be punishable by law!” one user declared. </p> <p>“I'm shocked,” another said, before asking how he’d been able to do that to those close to him. </p> <p>“He wanted to see who would be there with his eyes,” one said, “what narcissism”.</p> <p>Someone else agreed, noting that “you really have to be full of yourself to do such a thing.”</p> <p>The feedback was so strong that Baerten was forced to explain his actions, claiming that “what I see in my family often hurts me. I never get invited to anything. </p> <p>“Nobody sees me. We all grew apart. I felt unappreciated. That’s why I wanted to give them a life lesson, and show them that you shouldn’t wait until someone is dead to meet up with them.”</p> <p>And while he is yet to share his own professional footage from the day, his plan had worked.</p> <p>“Only half of my family came to the funeral,” he said. “That proves who really cares about me. Those who didn’t come, did contact me to meet up. </p> <p>“So in a way I did win.”</p> <p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Why understanding how spiders spin silk may hold clues for treating Alzheimer’s disease

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-landreh-1328287">Michael Landreh</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/karolinska-institutet-1250">Karolinska Institutet</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anna-rising-1440132">Anna Rising</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/karolinska-institutet-1250">Karolinska Institutet</a></em></p> <p>Really, we should envy spiders. Imagine being able to make silk like they do, flinging it around to get from place to place, always having a <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsmacrolett.8b00678">strong-as-steel safety line</a> or spinning a comfy hammock whenever they need a rest.</p> <p>The fascinating properties of spider silk make it no wonder that scientists have been trying to unravel its secrets for decades.</p> <p>If we could understand and recreate the spinning process, we could produce artificial spider silk for a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0141813021021292">range of medical applications</a>. For example, artificial silk can help <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120692">regenerate the nerves that connect our brain and limbs</a>, and can shuttle <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01138">drug molecules directly into the cells where they are needed</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zNtSAQHNONo?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Spider silk is made of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/spidroins">proteins called spidroins</a>, which the spider stores in a silk gland in its abdomen. There are several types of spidroin for spinning different sorts of silk. Spiders <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7673682/">store them as a liquid</a> that resembles oil droplets.</p> <p>But one of the questions that has eluded scientists so far is how spiders turn these liquid droplets into silk. We decided to investigate why the spidroins form droplets, to get us closer to replicating a spider’s spinning process.</p> <h2>Weaving a web</h2> <p>The trick that spiders use to speed up their spinning process can be used to spin better artificial silk, or even develop new spinning processes.</p> <p>In 2017, we learned to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15504">make synthetic silk fibres</a> by emulating the silk gland, but we did not know how things work inside the spider. Now we know that forming droplets first <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37084706/">speeds up the conversion to these fibres</a>.</p> <p>An important clue to how the droplets and fibres are related came from an unexpected area of our research – on <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23013511/">Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases</a>. Proteins that are involved in these diseases, called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/alpha-synuclein#:%7E:text=%CE%B1%2DSynuclein%20is%20a%20highly,linked%20to%20familial%20Parkinson%20disease.">alpha-synuclein</a> and <a href="https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-dementia-tau-ts.pdf">tau</a>, can assemble into tiny, oil-like droplets in human cells.</p> <p>Tau is a protein that helps stabilise the internal skeleton of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. This internal skeleton has a tube-like shape through which nutrients and other essential substances travel to reach different parts of the neuron.</p> <p>In Alzheimer’s disease, an abnormal form of tau builds up and clings to the normal tau proteins, creating “tau tangles”.</p> <p>Alpha-synuclein is found in large quantities in <a href="https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-dopamine">dopamine-producing nerve cells</a>. Abnormal forms of this protein are linked to Parkinson’s disease.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Beautiful spider web with water drops close-up" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">The trick spiders use to speed up their spinning process can be used to spin better artificial silk.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-spider-web-water-drops-close-155560781">Aastels/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Oil droplets of either one of these proteins form in humans when they become entangled, like boiled spaghetti on a plate. At first, the proteins are flexible and elastic, much like spidroin oil droplets.</p> <p>But if the proteins remain entangled, they get stuck together which alters their shape, changing them into rigid fibres. These can be toxic to human cells – for example, in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s.</p> <p>However, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33148640/">spidroins can form droplets</a> too. This left us wondering if the same mechanism that causes neurodegeneration in humans could help the spider to convert liquid spidroins into rigid silk fibres.</p> <p>To find out, we used a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nchembio.2269">synthetic spidroin called NT2RepCT</a>, which can be produced by bacteria. Under the microscope, we could see that this synthetic spidroin formed liquid droplets when it was dissolved in phosphate buffer, a type of salt found in the spider’s silk gland. This allowed us to replicate spider silk spinning conditions in the lab.</p> <h2>Silky science</h2> <p>Next, we studied how the spidroin proteins act when they form droplets. To answer this question, we turned to an analysis technique <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/mass-spectrometry">called mass spectrometry</a>, to measure how the weight of the proteins changed when they formed droplets. To our surprise, we saw that the spidroin proteins, which normally form pairs, instead split into single molecules.</p> <p>We needed to do more work to find out how these protein droplets help spiders spin silk. Previous research has shown spidroins have different parts, called domains, with separate functions.</p> <p>The end part of the spidroin, called c-terminal domain, makes it form pairs. The c-terminal also starts <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001921">fibre formation when it comes into contact with acid</a>.</p> <p>So, we made a spidroin which contained only the c-terminal domain and tested its ability to form fibres.</p> <p>When we used phosphate buffer to entangle the proteins into droplets, they turned into rigid fibre instantly. When we added acid without first making droplets, fibre formation took much longer.</p> <p>This makes sense since the spidroin molecules must find each other when forming a fibre. Entangling the spidroins like spaghetti helps them rapidly assemble into silk.</p> <p>This finding tells us how the spider can instantly convert its spidroins into a solid thread. It also uncovered how nature uses the same mechanism that can make brain proteins toxic to create some of its most amazing structures.</p> <p>The surprising parallel between spider silk spinning and fibres toxic to humans could one day lead to new clues about how to fight neurodegenerative disorders.</p> <p>Scientists may use spider silk research, including what we have learned about the spider silk domains, to keep human proteins from sticking together – to stop them from becoming toxic. If spiders can learn how to keep their sticky proteins in check, perhaps so can we.<!-- 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/205857/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><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-landreh-1328287">Michael Landreh</a>, Researcher, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/karolinska-institutet-1250">Karolinska Institutet</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anna-rising-1440132">Anna Rising</a>, Researcher in Veterinary medicine biochemistry, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/karolinska-institutet-1250">Karolinska Institutet</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-understanding-how-spiders-spin-silk-may-hold-clues-for-treating-alzheimers-disease-205857">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Man fined over $5000 for senseless cruelty against his own dog

<p>An Australian dog owner has been issued fines totalling more than $5000 after leaving his canine companion trapped inside of his car in Perth’s scorching summer temperatures. </p> <p>While it’s unknown exactly how long Tipsy the fox-terrier cross spent within the vehicle until help arrived, bodycam footage has revealed the exact moment she was freed from the 29 degree prison.</p> <p>RSPCA WA were made aware of Tipsy’s dire situation at around 10 in the morning, and an inspector found her in the vehicle shortly after, noting that the dog had no access to water. </p> <p>According to an update on the organisation's official site and social media, the inspector reported witnessing Tipsy “panting excessively, becoming restless, and showing other signs of stress”.</p> <p>It wasn’t long before she chose to seize Tipsy, suspecting offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2002. From there, Tipsy was taken to an emergency vet, and it was confirmed that the dog was suffering from dehydration while displaying signs of heat stress. </p> <p>Footage was uploaded of Tipsy gulping down water for close to 30 seconds, with one of her supervisors even asking “is it okay for her just to keep drinking like that?” </p> <p>Luckily, after an overnight stay for monitoring and some IV therapy to combat her dehydration, Tipsy made a full recovery under the care of RSPCA WA. </p> <p>According to Inspector Manager Kylie Green, “the maximum temperature on the day we seized Tipsy reached over 33C.</p> <p>“In those conditions, a dog can die in just six minutes. I’m so grateful we were alerted to Tipsy in time.</p> <p>“Last summer [in 2021], RSPCA WA received over 200 calls about dogs in hot cars.</p> <p>“It’s heart-wrenching that–despite repeated warnings–people continue to put their pets at risk.</p> <p>“If you love your dog, leave them at home with plenty of shade and water. It's better to leave them at home for a short time, than to risk losing them forever.”</p> <p>For his senseless act, Tipsy’s owner was sentenced, and the court decreed that Tipsy had been confined “in a manner likely to cause harm and was not provided with sufficient water.”</p> <p>The 32-year-old was found guilty in Perth Magistrates Court, and was fined $3000. However, there was more to come, with the man also receiving a ban from having contact with pets for two years, as well as an additional fee of $2246.16 to cover court and care costs. </p> <p><em>Images: RSPCA WA</em></p>

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“Incredibly gifted”: Homeless man stuns with piano talents

<p dir="ltr">A homeless man who sleeps in his car has amazed onlookers with his “incredible” piano talent. </p> <p dir="ltr">Shane has been taking to the piano every day and night in a pedestrian tunnel underneath the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in South Brisbane. </p> <p dir="ltr">The “incredibly gifted” man has drawn attention from listeners for his musical talents, despite never having any lessons, and never owning a piano. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I was just walking past and had to stop, absolutely amazing - it blows me away to be honest,” a man walking past told <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Crsn-qCp-Ue/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">7News</a>.  </p> <p dir="ltr">“One of the best piano players I have ever seen,” another onlooker said. </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/reel/Crsn-qCp-Ue/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Crsn-qCp-Ue/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 7NEWS Queensland (@7newsqueensland)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Shane said playing the piano has a therapeutic effect on him, and helps him escape his harsh reality of living in his car a few streets away from the theatre. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It takes me to a place out of reality, away from beyond whatever is around us. I can hear an orchestra in my head, the piano plays me rather than I play the piano,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">Shane doesn't know how to read music, or know any of the names of the keys, but couldn’t help being drawn to the instrument that is available for public use. </p> <p dir="ltr">After hearing the sound of a piano coming from a local ballet school in the area when he was a child, he has been enamoured by the piano and dreams of performing with others one day. </p> <p dir="ltr">Shane’s talents have gone viral online, with commenters being “gobsmacked” over the man’s “beautiful music”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Wow! So incredibly gifted. I hope he gets his dream of playing with others,” one impressed viewer said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We need more stories like this. What a remarkable man,” another wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I hope someone can help this man, he needs a job in a restaurant playing nice music and getting well paid so he can rent a place to live and a happy life,” a third said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: 7News</em><span id="docs-internal-guid-4a669515-7fff-a229-1488-381d00420f0a"></span></p>

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Man arrested after spotted with an ‘AK-47’

<p dir="ltr">A man has been spotted walking in a Sydney street with what appeared to be an AK-47 assault rifle, however, police later discovered the “weapon” in question was far from a gun.</p> <p dir="ltr">Several people were quick to dial triple zero after spotting the man who appeared to be armed, as police rushed to the address in response.</p> <p dir="ltr">Officers then discovered the “gun” was actually a bong, shaped like a rifle.</p> <p dir="ltr">Officers watched CCTV from nearby businesses and helicopters were flying over the surrounding area to track down the man. </p> <p dir="ltr">The footage led officers to a vehicle in a church car park, while the helicopter search found the man nearby.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He was arrested and taken to Castle Hill Police Station where he was charged with possessing an unauthorised firearm and intimidation," police said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The 50-year-old man was refused bail to appear before Parramatta Local Court today.”<span id="docs-internal-guid-ef3f3175-7fff-5e04-7614-91d4682aff7e"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

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“Once-in-a-lifetime find”: Man discovers gold nugget worth six figures

<p>A man from Victoria has struck gold armed with his budget metal detector.</p> <p>The man, who wishes to not be named, discovered a 4.6kg rock in Victoria’s “Golden Triangle” which stretches between Ballarat, Bendigo and up to St Arnaud.</p> <p>Unsure of whether it was worth anything, he brought the rock to Lucky Strike Gold in Geelong for evaluation where Gold trader Darren Kamp discovered it contained a staggering 2.6kg of gold worth $240k.</p> <p>“He said, ‘Oh, do you think there’s $10,000 worth in it?’, and as soon as it hit my hand I looked at him and said: ‘Try a $100,000’,” Kamp told <em>9News</em>.</p> <p>"And he said, 'Oh wow, the wife's going to be happy with that," said Kamp.</p> <p>Funnily enough, the man had only brought in half of the rock and left the other half “at home”.</p> <p>“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime find,” said Kamp.</p> <p>Small nuggets of gold are worth up to $1000, but the value of gold has soared due to inflation.</p> <p>“You’ll hear the term, ‘if it’s got your name on it, you’ll find it’,” Kamp said.</p> <p>“You just need some luck and persistence. It’s like a Tattslotto ticket, you’re never going to win it unless you’ve got a ticket,” he added.</p> <p>The gold nuggets from this region were famous for their quantity, size and purity, and were mostly found in streams or river beds.</p> <p><em>Image: Nine News</em></p>

Money & Banking

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“Divorce him!” Man refuses to pay for wife’s epidural

<p dir="ltr">A man has outraged the internet after refusing to pay for half his wife’s medical bills from the birth of their child, after she had an epidural which he considers a “luxury”. </p> <p dir="ltr">The new mum took to Reddit to ask if she was being unreasonable for wanting to split the $8,000 bill with her partner of over a decade. </p> <p dir="ltr">The anonymous woman explained that everything was going well after giving birth until the hospital bills arrived. </p> <p dir="ltr">She explained that she originally planned for an unmedicated birth, but after a gruelling 24-hour labour, decided to get the epidural. </p> <p dir="ltr">Her husband was seemingly supportive of her decision at the time, but when the bills arrived, refused to foot half the bill for her pain relief. </p> <p dir="ltr">She wrote, “When the bill came, he brought it to me to pay all $8,000, after insurance from my personal savings.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I asked why, and he said, ‘You’re the one that couldn’t hold on for a few more hours and jacked up the bill with all your meds and an extra night’s stay,’ and he shouldn’t have to pay for all extra requests.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She explained that he said that if she wanted “luxury” she should be the one paying for it. </p> <p dir="ltr">The “luxury” that he is referring to include a lactation consultant, blood tests, postpartum supplies and an epidural, so not exactly anything fun. </p> <p dir="ltr">She went on to explain that they had argued about halving the costs, to which he called her a “princess” for expecting him to pony up the cash. </p> <p dir="ltr">She added that she ultimately paid the birth bill but is now questioning her entire marriage.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I feel disrespected. Do I have the right to feel this way, or is it just the hormones?” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">Outraged commenters were quick to tear the man to shreds, urging the woman to leave her man as quickly as possible. </p> <p dir="ltr">One person wrote, “He should have paid the whole bill! She’s already paid with her body.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Another said, “Divorce his a**!” while another said, “I'd be absolutely DONE if my husband pulled this shit. His kid too, his cost too.”</p> <p dir="ltr">One person put it simply, “Holy s**t. Throw the whole man out.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

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"The audacity": Mum spots man sending vile texts about her and her son midflight

<p>A Qantas passenger has been left stunned after seeing a man writing “racist” texts about her and her son after claiming the toddler kicked the back of his chair.</p> <p>The woman and her one-year-old had been aboard Qantas flight QF158 from Auckland to Melbourne when she saw the disgruntled passenger describe her as a “fat Islander woman” and her son as a “black kid kicking me”.</p> <p>She took to Facebook to share her story, saying the ordeal brought her to tears and had her questioning if she could ever fly without her husband again.</p> <p>The mother said the tension between her and the man seated in front of her son began when he turned around and shook his head at the one-year-old.</p> <p>She asked the man if anything was wrong, whom she claims responded, “I just hope he doesn't kick my seat the whole way”.</p> <p>She said she felt confused because, from her son’s position, his legs could barely dangle off his chair, let alone kick the seat in front.</p> <p>The mother told the passenger in front that her son’s legs were too short to do so and added that if he was so concerned about sitting in front of a child, then he should have flown business class.</p> <p>Mid-air, the mother spotted the man venting his anger to a friend via text, referring to her as a “fat Islander woman” and her son as a “black kid”.</p> <p>“I feel as though the whole interaction had nothing to do with my son 'kicking' his chair but merely something to do of how we looked with his racial comments or simply because I had a child who was sitting right behind him,” she wrote.</p> <p>The woman claimed when she confronted the man about the nasty texts, he appeared “shocked” and immediately started to delete the message.</p> <p>At this point, the mother said that she and her son were both “tired, frustrated and mad”.</p> <p>The mother eventually moved to the back of the plane after a flight attendant was made aware of the ordeal.</p> <p>In her Facebook post, she thanked a man and his teenage son who volunteered to sit in their original seats behind the disgruntled man.</p> <p>“I'm not one to share anything or write statuses but this one I was prompted to in the hopes that if you see anything like that I hope you are not a bystander like the many people on that flight who didn't bother to help or do anything.”</p> <p>Despite the incident, she and her son are doing well, but she will “definitely” not be travelling without her husband ever again.</p> <p>Facebook users flocked to the comments and were quick to sympathise with the woman.</p> <p>“Your so brave, even in tears you still the bigger person who stood up for yourself against such bullying and racism,” one comment read.</p> <p>“Traveling with a toddler is hard and that punk made it worst for you!” another said.</p> <p>“I'm so sorry you had to go through that sis, my gosh the audacity this man has,” a third wrote.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Facebook</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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“You wouldn’t believe all I had to do to survive”: Man rescued after 31 days in the jungle

<p>A Bolivian man has survived 31 days in the Amazon jungle.</p> <p>Jhonattan Acosta, 30, was hunting in northern Bolivia when he was separated from his four friends.</p> <p>He told United TV he drank rainwater collected in his shoes and ate worms and insects while hiding from jaguars and peccaries, a type of pig-like mammal.</p> <p>Acosta was finally found by a search party made up of locals and friends a month after he went missing.</p> <p>“I can’t believe people kept up the search for so long,” he said in tears.</p> <p>“I ate worms, I ate insects, you wouldn’t believe all I had to do to survive all this time.”</p> <p>He also ate wild fruits similar to papayas, known locally as gargateas.</p> <p>“I thank God profusely, because he has given me a new life,” he said.</p> <p>His family said they will still have to string all the details together regarding how Acosta got lost and how he managed to stay alive but will ask him gradually as he is still psychologically damaged after the experience.</p> <p>There has also been significant physical changes. Acosta lost 17kg, dislocated his ankle and was severely dehydrated when he was found, but according to those who found him, he was still able to walk with a limp.</p> <p>“My brother told us that when he dislocated his ankle on the fourth day, he started fearing for his life,” Horacio Acosta told Bolivia’s Página Siete newspaper.</p> <p>“He only had one cartridge in his shotgun and couldn’t walk, and he thought no one would be looking for him anymore.”</p> <p>As for his encounters with wild animals in the jungle, including a jaguar, his younger brother said that his brother used his last cartridge to scare off a squadron of peccaries.</p> <p>After 31 days, Acosta spotted the search party about 300m away and limped through thorny bushes, shouting to draw attention to him.</p> <p>Acosta’s brother, Haracio, said that he was found by four local people.</p> <p>“A man came running to tell us they’d found my brother,” he said. “It’s a miracle.”</p> <p>Acosta has since decided to give up hunting for good.</p> <p>“He is going to play music to praise God,” Haracio said. “He promised God that, and I think he will keep his promise.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: BBC News</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Woman slammed for asking disabled man to move on the bus

<p dir="ltr">A woman has been slammed online for asking a disabled man on a bus to move so that she and her daughter could sit together. </p> <p dir="ltr">The 32-year-old mother took to Reddit’s “<em>Am I The A**hole?</em>” platform to ask social media users if she was in the wrong. </p> <p dir="ltr">In the post, she wrote that her and her five-year-old daughter boarded the bus at a “busy stop”, noting that “there were no empty seats available, except for one near a person using a wheelchair” – who she described as a man aged about 40. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I asked the person if [he] could move [his] wheelchair to another spot so that my daughter and I could sit together, but the person declined,” she wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">The man in the wheelchair responded to her request and said no, saying he needed the space for his “mobility device”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I was taken aback and frustrated by his response,” she wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">She told the man that her daughter “was very young and needed to sit next to me for safety reasons” – yet the person still “refused to move”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I ended up having to stand for the entire ride with my daughter in tow, which was uncomfortable and tiring for both of us,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The woman recalled how she told her friend about the public transport incident, to which her friend told her she was being “insensitive and ableist”. </p> <p dir="ltr">The writer’s friend told her “that the person in the wheelchair had a right to the space” he needed, and “that it was unfair” of her to ask the man in the wheelchair to move on such a crowded bus. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Now, I’m questioning whether or not I was wrong for asking the person to move,” the mother concluded her post.</p> <p dir="ltr">The post, which has racked up thousands of comments, was flooded by horrified users questioning how someone could ask a disabled person to move out of their designated space.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Imagine being so entitled that you genuinely think standing up on your perfectly good, working legs is so awful and tiring that you ask someone who is physically unable to stand to get out of your way,” one person wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The five-year-old could have just stood. Seriously, when did five-year-olds become so fragile that they can’t stand for a bus trip. Parenting like this damages children. They are being taught that they are pathetic,” someone else wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another person defended the mum’s insistence that her daughter be able to sit down for the bus ride. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s about safety. Children can easily fall in buses because they can’t reach the places to hold onto, since those are made for adults,” they wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">But others who “used to take the bus a lot” declared that “mothers with kids are the most entitled bus users [that] exist”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“One can only hope [the woman] comes to realise how lucky she is she can even stand and walk without any trouble at all, and that the next time there are no seats on the bus, she would just suck it up for a few minutes of the ride,” one wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

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Bum scare! Hospital evacuated over man with WWI explosive up his backside

<p>A hospital has been evacuated after a senior citizen arrived with a World War One explosive lodged in his rectum. </p> <p>The 88-year-old presented to the Hospital Sainte Musse in Toulon, France, to have the artillery removed, but instead triggered a "bomb scare" that saw the hospital partially evacuated. </p> <p>“An emergency occurred from 9pm to 11.30pm on Saturday evening that required the intervention of bomb disposal personnel, the evacuation of adult and paediatric emergencies as well as the diversion of incoming emergencies,” a hospital spokesperson stated.</p> <p>“We had to manage the risk in a reactive framework,” the rep added. “When in doubt, we took all the precautions.”</p> <p>Bomb disposal experts at the scene believed there was little chance the bomb would explode inside the patient. </p> <p>“They reassured us by telling us that it was a collector’s item from the First World War, used by the French military,” the hospital stated.</p> <p>Stunned doctors subsequently began the process of trying to remove the object, which measured almost 20cm long and more than 5cm wide, from the man’s rectum.</p> <p>“An apple, a mango, or even a can of shaving foam, we are used to finding unusual objects inserted where they shouldn’t be,” one doctor declared. “But a shell? Never!”</p> <p>Medics were forced to take the elderly man into surgery, cutting open his abdomen in order to remove the antique relic.</p> <p>According to the hospital, he is now in “good health” and is expected to make a full recovery from the surgery.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Twitter</em></p>

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