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6 classic songs involved in lawsuits

<p>Like with all art, the line between appropriation and plagiarism in the music world is very blurred. Artists have always been inspired by other artists, so it’s inevitable that some works will be similar to others. These cases, however, prove that the consequences of copyright infringement can be extremely costly indeed.</p> <p><strong>The Beatles vs. Chuck Berry</strong></p> <p>Chuck Berry’s music has long been the object of adaptation, but none were as high-profile as The Beatles’ hit song “Come Together”, which allegedly borrowed lyrics and melodies from Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me”. Lennon’s line, “Here come ol’ flattop, he come groovin’ up slowly” is thought to have been taken from Berry’s “Here come a flattop, he was movin’ up with me”. Berry’s publishing company was awarded nearly US$85,000 as a settlement.</p> <p><strong>Johnny Cash vs. Gordon Jenkins</strong></p> <p>In the 1970s, Cash was ordered to pay Gordon Jenkins US$75,000 after his 1955 song “Folsom Prison Blues” allegedly used lyrics and music from Jenkins’ 1953 tune “Crescent City Blues”. Although Cash’s song was a tale of murder and imprisonment and Jenkins’ was about a lovelorn woman desperate to escape, the songs were still similar enough to be the focus of a lawsuit.</p> <p><strong>Men At Work vs. Larrikin Music</strong></p> <p>It’s considered to be one of Australia’s most iconic songs (even an unofficial anthem for some), but Men At Work’s hit song “Down Under” was the subject of a nasty dispute in 2009 when they were sued by Larrikin Music, the owners of 1932 classic “Kookaburra”. Larrikin Music claimed that part of the Aussie band’s flute riff was stolen from the song “Kookaburra”, written by Marion Sinclair. The band was forced to give Larrikin 5 per cent of all royalties after 2002.</p> <p><strong>Ray Parker, Jr. vs. Huey Lewis and the News</strong></p> <p>Who can forget Parker’s iconic <em>Ghostbusters</em> theme song? Well, as it turns out, it may not have been completely original. Huey Lewis and the News sued Parker after hearing similarities with their song “I Want a New Drug”, and won the suit. In a strange twist, however, Huey Lewis revealed the details of the settlement to the media in a breach of confidentiality and was counter-sued by Parker in 2001.</p> <p><strong>Rod Stewart vs. Jorge Ben</strong></p> <p>Stewart was sued after the vocal melody from his hit “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” was found to be uncannily similar to that of Jorge Ben’s 1976 song “Taj Mahal”. As part of the settlement, Stewart decided to donate a percentage of the track’s earnings to UNICEF. “Clearly the melody had lodged itself in my memory and then resurfaced. Unconscious plagiarism, plain and simple,” Stewart wrote in his autobiography.</p> <p><strong>Coldplay vs. Joe Satriani</strong></p> <p>Satriani sued Coldplay in 2008, alleging that their song “Viva la Vida” used “substantial original portions” of music from his song “If I Could Fly”, which was released four years previously. They settled out of court in 2009. This suit came just months after American band Creaky Boards accused them of stealing the melody of their ironically-named song “The Songs I Didn’t Write”. Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) also claimed the song ripped off his track “Foreigner Suite”.</p> <p>Do you think any of these songs sound like their alleged inspirations? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="../finance/insurance/2016/04/10-odd-things-celebrities-have-insured/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 odd things celebrities have insured</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="../entertainment/music/2016/04/the-surprising-real-names-of-singers/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>The surprising real names of famous singers</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="../entertainment/music/2016/03/rock-and-roll-hits-banned-from-being-played/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">6 rock ‘n’ roll hits banned from being played</span></em></strong></a></p>

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6 modern-classic movies everyone needs to see

<p>There's never a bad time to dive back into the archives and watch some good movies.</p> <p>With that in mind, here we’ve rounded up six essential modern-classic movies from the past 15 years that everyone needs to see. Scroll through the gallery above for images. </p> <p><strong>1. <em>Donnie Darko </em>(2001)</strong></p> <p>Jake Gyllenhaal plays a troubled teen that is tormented by visions of the future and a disturbing-looking bunny. <em>Donnie Darko</em> has become a cult classic, as it captured the angst of the youth who at the time the movie was in theatres were coping with the confusion of a post-9/11 world.</p> <p><strong>2. <em>Bowling For Columbine </em>(2002)</strong></p> <p>Michael Moore's fourth feature film, which won an Oscar for best documentary, might be his best. The controversial director uses the events of the Columbine High School massacre to address the US' addiction to guns. Sadly, years later the issues explored in this movie are still relevant.</p> <p><strong>3. Ratatouille (2007)</strong></p> <p><em>Ratatouille </em>tells a compelling story through animation that isn't just for kids. Set in the posh Paris cooking world, Ratatouille follows a rat who fancies himself a chef. The movie could have been a disaster, but instead it showed that stories with lots of layers could be told well through cartoons and computer graphics.</p> <p><strong>4. <em>There Will Be Blood </em>(2007)</strong></p> <p>Paul Thomas Anderson delivers a film that is epic in so many ways, including its story, its music, and its photography. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a performance that withstands the test of time as a maniacal oil baron.</p> <p><strong>5. <em>Zodiac </em>(2007)</strong></p> <p>David Fincher, who is known for his attraction to dark material, was perfect for bringing the story of the Zodiac Killer to the big screen.</p> <p>Jake Gyllenhaal plays a cartoonist for a newspaper who becomes obsessed with the case and takes over the detective work when the cops dry up on leads. Perhaps the best trick Fincher pulls off is building constant suspense so that, by the end, anyone could be the Zodiac. </p> <p><strong>6. <em>WALL-E </em>(2008)</strong></p> <p>Arguably Pixar's greatest work, <em>WALL-E </em>explores so many different issues that you can watch it a dozen times and enjoy focusing on each one.</p> <p>From a love story to commentaries on obesity and climate change, the movie is much more than the mere travels of a lovable robot (but that part is great, too). </p> <p><em>Written by Jason Guerrasio. First appeared on <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="../%20http:/www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff.co.nz.</a></span></strong></em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Movies

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Fans fume as classic film undergoes censorship treatment

<p>Film fanatics are in outrage after discovering an unannounced edit in William Friedkin’s 1971 classic movie, The French Connection.</p> <p>The scene causing the trouble comes just 10 minutes into the drama, when two characters - Gene Hackman’s ‘Popeye’ Doyle and Roy Scheider’s Buddy ‘Cloudy’ Russo - are having a conversation, and one of them uses a racial slur. </p> <p>The sequence was removed, and the new edited version cuts to the latest in the conversation, omitting the part with the slur. </p> <p>Disney has been the subject of blame for the move - as the company took over Fox in 2019 and subsequently the rights to the film - with fans accusing them of censoring the scene in the United States, while in the United Kingdom and Canada, the unedited version of the film is still available for streaming on Disney+.</p> <p>Most took to social media to share their complaints, with the majority in agreement that Disney had missed the mark, and The Film Magazine’s Joseph Wade even calling it “corporate vandalism”.</p> <p>“In cases such as this, ‘Censor’ takes the place of ‘Vandalise’,” he tweeted. “They have vandalised a piece of art.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Disney Censor 'The French Connection' (1971)</p> <p>In cases such as this, "Censor" takes the place of "Vandalise".</p> <p>They have vandalised a piece of art. This is corporate vandalism no matter how said corporation spins the language. <a href="https://t.co/yxl1o2RsMU">pic.twitter.com/yxl1o2RsMU</a></p> <p>— Joseph Wade (@JoeTFM) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeTFM/status/1666327940072722434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>“At the risk of being like ‘nooo, my precious n-word,’ the uncensored FRENCH CONNECTION should be the only one in circulation, whether on TV or in theatres,” one user said. “I don't think it's a stretch to say that Friedkin knew exactly what having his detective protagonist use it said about him.”</p> <p>One user went on to share a clip of Hackman discussing the scene - and slur - in question, in which the actor claimed he “protested somewhat”, before sharing his belief that it was part of “who the guy is”. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gene Hackman speaking in 2012 about the controversial line from French Connection. <a href="https://t.co/l45DBP9DvD">pic.twitter.com/l45DBP9DvD</a></p> <p>— oneilla (@oneilla828) <a href="https://twitter.com/oneilla828/status/1666439477403811840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>“The censorship of The French Connection is shameful if true,” another agreed.</p> <p>“Thank God,” a frustrated - and sarcastic - fan added, “now I can finally show my 6 year old child The French Connection without any worries”.</p> <p>One Twitter user wrote of how “it speaks badly for film preservation that even a Best Picture winner isn't immune from the clutches of Disney”, and how they’d prefer to watch the film “the way it was intended to be watched, thank you very much.”</p> <p><em>Images: Twentieth Century Fox</em></p>

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Alluring, classic, glamorous: the history of the martini cocktail

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ursula-kennedy-560331">Ursula Kennedy</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a></em></p> <p>The martini cocktail has existed in a range of guises throughout its ice-cold, crisp life.</p> <p>Several stories exist as to its origins. The “classic” martini is made with gin and vermouth (a fortified wine infused with spices) and garnished with an olive or a twist of lemon. It is quintessentially American.</p> <h2>The contested origins of the martini</h2> <p><a href="https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/143103">Many believe</a> the martini was invented in the 1860s at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco by bartender Jerry Thomas.</p> <p>Thomas evolved a one part sloe gin, two parts sweet vermouth, maraschino and a dash of bitters with a lemon concoction into a drink he called the Martinez, which he made for passengers departing on the ferry to the town of the same name. It was said to also be prepared for miners celebrating striking gold.</p> <p>Others believe it was invented in 1911 at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York by bartender Martini di Taggia, served to billionaire John D. Rockerfeller with equal parts London dry gin and dry vermouth. However, recipes for the drink were published as early as 1862, in Jerry Thomas’s Bartenders’ Guide.</p> <p>Stronger versions of the martini include two parts gin, and even up to five parts gin, to one part vermouth, garnished with olive or lemon.</p> <p>A “dry” martini has little to no vermouth at all – the focus being gin. Author T.S. Eliot once said:</p> <blockquote> <p>There is nothing quite so stimulating as a strong dry martini cocktail.</p> </blockquote> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521990/original/file-20230420-16-tnbdz5.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/521990/original/file-20230420-16-tnbdz5.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/521990/original/file-20230420-16-tnbdz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=380&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521990/original/file-20230420-16-tnbdz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=380&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521990/original/file-20230420-16-tnbdz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=380&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521990/original/file-20230420-16-tnbdz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=478&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521990/original/file-20230420-16-tnbdz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=478&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521990/original/file-20230420-16-tnbdz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=478&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">A classic martini with olives as the garnish.</span> <span class="attribution">Shutterstock</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>The martini’s rise, fall and rise again</h2> <p>During the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/gilded-age">Gilded Age</a> (1880-1900), the martini rose in popularity and remained so through to the mid-20th century.</p> <p>Prohibition in America during 1920 to 1933 did little to harm the martini’s popularity, as backyard gin production was reasonably easy.</p> <p>In the 1960s the drink’s popularity started to wane due to the burgeoning quality and availability of other beverages such as wines and beers. There were also concerns about alcohol consumption and health.</p> <p>With the increasing popularity of “retro” style and culture in recent years the martini has made a comeback, with <a href="https://vinepair.com/articles/martini-hype-train/">reports of increased demand</a> for the drink among young people.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521989/original/file-20230420-22-ci80sy.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/521989/original/file-20230420-22-ci80sy.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/521989/original/file-20230420-22-ci80sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=458&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521989/original/file-20230420-22-ci80sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=458&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521989/original/file-20230420-22-ci80sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=458&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521989/original/file-20230420-22-ci80sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=576&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521989/original/file-20230420-22-ci80sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=576&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521989/original/file-20230420-22-ci80sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=576&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Customers at a Philadelphia bar after Prohibition’s end, Dec. 1933.</span> <span class="attribution">Shutterstock</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Martini and its variations</h2> <p>Today, the martini (or a common variation of it) is best known for its identity in popular culture, most famously as the drink of fictional British Secret Service agent, James Bond. The famous phrase “shaken, not stirred” was first uttered on screen by actor Sean Connery playing Bond in the 1964 movie Goldfinger. Bond’s tipple of choice is prepared with vodka rather than gin.</p> <p>While most purists believe the gin martini is the classic form of the drink, there are myriad variations that use the martini name or are closely related to the original drink, such as <a href="https://www.liquor.com/recipes/gibson/">the Gibson</a>, a classic martini garnished with cocktail onions instead of olives.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521991/original/file-20230420-3001-awnpdc.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/521991/original/file-20230420-3001-awnpdc.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/521991/original/file-20230420-3001-awnpdc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=597&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521991/original/file-20230420-3001-awnpdc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=597&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521991/original/file-20230420-3001-awnpdc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=597&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521991/original/file-20230420-3001-awnpdc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=750&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521991/original/file-20230420-3001-awnpdc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=750&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521991/original/file-20230420-3001-awnpdc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=750&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Sean Connory as James Bond, making his signature vodka martini.</span> <span class="attribution">Wikimedia</span></figcaption></figure> <p><a href="https://www.spiritshunters.com/cocktail/the-history-of-the-dirty-martini/">The “dirty” martini </a>is currently popular, which is gin soiled with a generous dash of brine from the olive jar. According to the Oxford Companion to Spirits &amp; Cocktails, the practice of adding brine to a martini has been around since at least 1901. The term “dirty martini” seemingly wasn’t coined until the 1980s, however.</p> <p>US president Franklin Delano Roosevelt may have been an early proponent of using olive brine in cocktails. Allegedly, the president “would shake up a drink at the drop of a hat … and was reported to have splashed a bite of brine in his drinks at the White House,” writes Robert Simonson in The Martini Cocktail: A Meditation on the World’s Greatest Drink, with Recipes.</p> <p><a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/espresso-martini-vodka-cocktail">The story goes</a> that London bartender Dick Bradsell first made the espresso martini, a fusion of espresso, sweet coffee liqueur and vodka, in the late 1980s when supermodel Kate Moss (or sometimes Naomi Campbell) asked for a drink that would “wake me up and fuck me up”.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521984/original/file-20230420-2604-g4y6r4.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/521984/original/file-20230420-2604-g4y6r4.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/521984/original/file-20230420-2604-g4y6r4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521984/original/file-20230420-2604-g4y6r4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521984/original/file-20230420-2604-g4y6r4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521984/original/file-20230420-2604-g4y6r4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521984/original/file-20230420-2604-g4y6r4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521984/original/file-20230420-2604-g4y6r4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">The espresso martini.</span> <span class="attribution">Shutterstock</span></figcaption></figure> <p>There are many modern drinks that use the iconic martini glass to justify using martini in their name – however, they bear little resemblance to the original cocktail. An appletini is vodka blended with apple juice, apple cider or apple brandy, while the “French martini” consists of vodka, pineapple juice and raspberry liqueur. The TV show Sex and the City popularised the “flirtini”, containing vodka, champagne and pineapple juice.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8STeT9WrYtU?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Keeping cool</h2> <p>A martini glass – a classic conical bowl on a long straight stem – is one aspect of the drink that does not change.</p> <p>The glass was <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/design-moment-martini-glass-1925-1.4094434">formally unveiled at the 1925 Paris Exhibition</a> as an alternative to the classic champagne glass.</p> <p>The long stem allows the glass to be held while the drink remains cool, not warmed by the drinker’s hands. The wide rim allows the drinker’s nose to be close to the liquid when sipping, so the aromatics can be easily appreciated.</p> <h2>Never out of style</h2> <p>While Bond embodied the glamorous side of the martini, studies of writer Ian Fleming’s famous spy indicate that Bond had a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-names-bond-james-bond-and-im-an-alcoholic-21440">severe problem with alcohol</a> consumption. On occasion he may have had a blood alcohol concentration of .36% – almost fatal.</p> <p>The martini should be consumed with deference … and in moderation.<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/195913/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ursula-kennedy-560331">Ursula Kennedy</a>, Lecturer of Wine Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</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/alluring-classic-glamorous-the-history-of-the-martini-cocktail-195913">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Surprising facts about 5 classic TV shows

<p class="Default">As well as offering some real television nostalgia, these classic shows are also regarded as some of the most iconic TV shows ever made. Here are some lesser-known facts about five of the most popular shows in TV history.</p> <p class="Default"><strong>1. <em>I Love Lucy</em></strong></p> <p class="Default"><em>I Love Lucy</em> had a rather rocky start. Fraught with dilemmas and thought to maybe not move forward with the pilot, it came down to play it safe, or take a chance on the untried medium of television. Ball recounts that in a dream, Hollywood actress Carole Lombard appeared in a “very smart suit and she said, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=uBWFgeCNAz4C&amp;pg=PA26&amp;lpg=PA26&amp;dq=carole+lombard+Take+a+chance,+honey.+Give+it+a+whirl!&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=8jLdurHJI6&amp;sig=lSqvQ7Uk-bHYFlraRdDppCxrj74&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjt8byl9LXRAhVmi1QKHS3-DB70Q6AEIPjAH#v=onepage&amp;q=carole%20lombard%20Take%20a%20chance%2C%20honey.%20Give%20it%20a%20whirl!&amp;f=false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Go on, honey. Give it a whirl</a></strong></span>!’” And they did exactly that and they show is one of the most loved of its kind to date.</p> <p class="Default"><strong>2. <em>The Flintstones</em></strong></p> <p class="Default">The popular 1960s cartoon <em>The Flintstones</em> may have become a hit around the world but it was not well received by everyone. One of television’s most iconic actors of all time, Jackie Gleason, was not happy about the show’s inspiration. According to Alan Reed Jr. (son of Alan Reed, who voiced Fred Flintstone), <em>The Flintstones</em> was <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.thespectrum.com/story/entertainment/2015/09/24/alan-reed-jr-remembers-flintstones/72626720/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired by <em>The Honeymooners</em></a></strong></span>, taking on the short-tempered and overbearing characteristics of Gleason’s vociferous Ralph Kramden.</p> <p class="Default"><strong>3. <em>The Odd Couple</em></strong></p> <p class="Default">After it first premiered in 1970, viewers had some questions about the sexuality of Felix and Oscar, as the two men living as roommates in New York City. Felix, played by Tony Randall, raised the most eyebrows for his flamboyant mannerisms and interest in the arts. Worried that viewers would be turned off due to the continuous speculation, ABC executives made it a point in the show’s intro to state that the roommates were “divorced men.”</p> <p class="Default"><strong>4. <em>The Ed Sullivan Show</em></strong></p> <p class="Default">In 1953 when Broadway director Joshua Logan asked to speak about his struggles with mental illness, what ensued was one of Ed Sullivan’s proudest TV moments. Worries about CBS’s reaction, Sullivan hesitantly allowed Logan to change the running order of the show to address his mental breakdown, recovery, and the stigma surrounding mental illness. It was met with momentary silence followed by a very big applause. In the weeks that followed, CBS was sent oodles of letters of appreciation.</p> <p class="Default"><strong>5. <em>Hogan’s Heroes</em></strong></p> <p class="Default">CBS’s <em>Hogan’s Heroes</em>, which ran from 1965 to 1971, was set in an actual German POW camp during World War II. Despite being successful, the sitcom was heavily criticised, given the actual atrocities that were committed during the war. Surprisingly, many of the actors portraying the dim-witted German Nazis were Jewish, too.</p> <p class="Default"><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

TV

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20 classic movie quotes you’ll love

<p>From <em>James Bond</em> to Robin Williams in <em>Dead Poets Society</em>, these classic movie quotes are sure to bring a smile to your face.</p> <p><strong>1. "Bond. James Bond." </strong></p> <p>Sean Connery in <em>Dr No</em> (1962) </p> <p><strong>2. “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”</strong></p> <p>Robin Williams in <em>Dead Poets Society </em>(1989)</p> <p><strong>3. "ET phone home." </strong></p> <p>Drew Barrymore in <em>ET the Extra-terrestrial </em>(1982)</p> <p><strong>4. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" </strong></p> <p>Clark Gable in <em>Gone with the Wind </em>(1939)</p> <p><strong>5. "Get busy living, or get busy dying." </strong></p> <p>Tim Robbins in <em>The Shawshank Redemption</em> (1994)</p> <p><strong>6.  "Go ahead, make my day." </strong></p> <p>Clint Eastwood in <em>Sudden Impact</em> (1983)</p> <p><strong>7. "Here's looking at you, kid."</strong> </p> <p>Rick Blaine/Humphrey Bogart in <em>Casablanca </em>(1942)</p> <p><strong>8. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?"</strong></p> <p>Richard Dreyfuss in <em>Stand By Me</em> (1986) </p> <p><strong>9. "If you build it, he will come." </strong></p> <p>Ray Liotta in <em>Field of Dreams</em> (1989)</p> <p><strong>10. "I'll be back." </strong></p> <p>Arnold Schwarzenegger in<em> The Terminator </em>(1984)</p> <p><strong>11. "I'll have what she's having." </strong></p> <p>Estelle Reiner in <em>When Harry Met Sally</em> (1989)</p> <p><strong>12. "I'm also just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her." </strong></p> <p>Julia Roberts in <em>Notting Hill</em> (1999)</p> <p><strong>13. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." </strong></p> <p>Marlon Brando in<em> The Godfather</em> (1972)</p> <p><strong>14. "Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get." </strong></p> <p>Sally Field in <em>Forrest Gump </em>(1994)</p> <p><strong>15. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."</strong></p> <p>Humphrey Bogart in <em>Casablanca</em> (1942) </p> <p><strong>16. "May the Force be with you." </strong></p> <p>Harrison Ford in<em> Star Wars</em> (1977)</p> <p><strong>17. "Oh, Jerry, don't ask for the moon. We have the stars." </strong></p> <p>Bette Davis in <em>Now, Voyager </em>(1942)</p> <p><strong>18. "Say hello to my little friend." </strong></p> <p>Al Pacino in <em>Scarface</em> (1983)</p> <p><strong>19. "You had me at hello." </strong></p> <p>Renee Zellweger in <em>Jerry Maguire </em>(1996)</p> <p><strong>20. “You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” </strong></p> <p>Michael Caine in <em>The Italian Job</em> (1969)</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Movies

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I’m going to a classical music concert for the first time. What should I know?

<p>Classical music is surprisingly controversial. </p> <p>For some, it’s a pinnacle of cultural achievement. For others it perpetuates class inequality and <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/class-control-and-classical-music-9780190844356?cc=au&amp;lang=en&amp;">upholds</a> “white middle class social domination”. </p> <p>To controversy, we can add contradiction! We love to hear the instruments and idioms of classical music in film and television (think of the theme from The Crown or the music from the Harry Potter films), but experience has shown classical music is most effective at <a href="https://www.wqxr.org/story/classical-music-actually-effective-fighting-crime/">repelling loiterers</a> from public spaces. </p> <p>Engaging with the controversy and contradiction of this music requires more than streaming a minute or two of Mozart. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23959902/%5D">Research shows</a> we make better judgements about music when hearing and seeing it, and classical music was designed to be experienced live. </p> <p>So are you considering giving classical music a go? Here are some tips for first-time concert goers.</p> <h2>Where should I start?</h2> <p>Concerts range from intimate performances by solo players to major works for choir and orchestra featuring hundreds of musicians. </p> <p>Terms like “chamber” (small ensembles like string quartets), “choral” (choirs large and small), “orchestral” (ranging from larger string ensembles to giant collections of strings, winds, brass and percussion) and “opera” (companies of musicians that include orchestral players, solo singers and sometimes a chorus) describe different groups of musicians.</p> <p>Each has its own repertoire and a dizzying array of terms (such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aria">aria</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concerto">concerto</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinfonia">sinfonia</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio">oratorio</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantata">cantata</a>) help describe the pieces these ensembles perform.</p> <p>The more you get to know classical music, the more you’ll understand and appreciate the terminology. </p> <p>One of the most common types of classical music you’ll come across is a symphony. A symphony is a substantial orchestral work with different sections or “movements”, each with a different character and tempo. Though the term “symphony” became popular in the 18th century, composers are still writing symphonies today. Symphonies differ in purpose and duration. They can be as short as ten minutes and as long as two hours. </p> <p>Sammartini’s Symphony in F from 1740, for example, has three movements and lasts about ten minutes. Its movements have simple, direct structures that aren’t too far removed from pop songs in terms of complexity and scope.</p> <p>Mahler’s third symphony from 1896, on the other hand, has six movements and lasts for 90 minutes. Its breadth and complexity are astounding.</p> <p>I would suggest a first timer selects an orchestral concert with multiple pieces on the program. You will get to enjoy the spectacle of many musicians and many different instruments. You’re also likely to be exposed to the work of composers from different times and places. </p> <p>If money is a concern, many orchestras put on <a href="https://concreteplayground.com/melbourne/event/the-msos-2023-sidney-myer-free-concerts">free concerts</a>.</p> <h2>What should I expect?</h2> <p>Classical music is pretty diverse. Just as rock ’n’ roll traverses anything from Buddy Holly to Thundermother, what we colloquially know as “classical music” spans many cultures and many centuries. </p> <p>Terms like “Baroque” (composed between 1600 and 1750), “Classical” (this time with a capital C, composed between 1730 and 1820), “Romantic” (around 1820 to 1900) and “Modern” (1890 to 1950) help us keep track of when the music was written.</p> <p>These eras also operate with regional descriptors such as French, German, Italian or Russian. </p> <p>Overlay this with subtleties of style and the distinct personalities of individual composers and you get a sense of the vast breadth of classical music. </p> <p>But it is also important to know classical music isn’t only a celebration of dead Europeans. It is a living tradition whose boundaries aren’t fixed. </p> <p>Classical music readily interacts with other types of music and crosses cultural boundaries to generate new styles and new sounds. Consider the Australian work <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/classic/read-and-watch/classic-australia/barton-hindson-kalkadungu-2007/11268328">Kalkadungu</a> by William Barton and Matthew Hindson, a work “designed to explore the transition of traditional song-lines between the past, present and future”.</p> <p>Though sometimes far removed from contemporary culture, every piece of classical music has something to say about the human experience. So, what to expect in the program? Expect to be surprised. </p> <h2>What should I wear?</h2> <p>Wear what makes you comfortable. While it’s not unusual for people to dress up for a concert, it isn’t compulsory, and ordinary casual clothes are fine. In the same way people dress up for the Melbourne Cup, some people wear black tie to the opera. Don’t let it faze you.</p> <h2>When should I clap?</h2> <p>While you might be moved to clap right after hearing an incredible feat of musicianship, modern audiences generally don’t clap whenever there is a pause in the music, such as between movements of a symphony. </p> <p>This reflects the idea that a symphony is a “complete” musical statement – including the pauses between sections. </p> <p>If you’re uncertain when to clap, wait until others do. </p> <h2>What else should I keep in mind?</h2> <p>Going to classical music should be about enjoying the concert! Here are some final tips on how to enjoy yourself.</p> <p>Enjoy the spectacle. There’s much to see at classical concerts. The interactions between the conductor and the orchestra can be particularly interesting. Watch as the conductor, with a flick of the baton, unleashes awesome sonic power.</p> <p>Appreciate the skill of the musicians. Classical performers are the elite in their field. It takes decades of training to do what they do.</p> <p>Learn something about the composer and the work. Some classical composers are saints (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen">Hildegard of Bingen</a>) and some may have been psychopaths (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2010/mar/18/carlo-gesualdo-composer-psychopath">Gesualdo</a>). Knowing who the composer is and what they were trying to achieve in their music will add to your appreciation.</p> <p>Keep in mind that your musical taste expands as you expose yourself to new and unfamiliar sounds. The more you listen, the more you are likely to enjoy. </p> <p>Oh, and sometimes, if the audience is adequately enthusiastic, there’ll be a short additional piece at the end. Encore!</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/im-going-to-a-classical-music-concert-for-the-first-time-what-should-i-know-195290" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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Classic NON catch as kid takes a tumble at the cricket

<p dir="ltr">As cricket fans descend on Australia’s stadiums to see the T20 World Cup play out, an incident off the field has gone viral online.</p> <p dir="ltr">Day two of the competition saw Scotland face off against the West Indies, but midway through the innings a moment of amusement and terror was captured in official footage.</p> <p dir="ltr">As the camera panned over Hobart’s Blundstone Arena, a young child was spotted climbing over the railing between the stands and a hill where spectators can sit, when he flipped over and toppled head-first to the ground.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b67d2e7d-7fff-09f7-db7e-ad93d60fe87d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">A man, assumed to be the child’s father, was seen frantically running after the toddler and hopping over the railing.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Had to GIF this 🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/SZe0CBa6aD">pic.twitter.com/SZe0CBa6aD</a></p> <p>— SuperCoach Insider (@SCInsider100) <a href="https://twitter.com/SCInsider100/status/1581938384477786114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Footage of the incident was shared on Twitter with the caption, “Just a dad and his son at the cricket….”, when it quickly went viral.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This has made me laugh a lot more than it should of so far today,” one viewer joked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Narrator: It was precisely this moment Steve knew his afternoon at the cricket had took a turn for the worse,” another quipped.</p> <p dir="ltr">Others referenced WWE wrestler Jeff Hardy, who is known for his ‘swanton bomb’ dives from great heights, with one user writing: “Jeff Hardy, famed from the top of the ladder!”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e862fb4f-7fff-2cac-7385-7eb594ad1d13"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The video racked up over 300,000 views, but the clip has since been disabled due to a “report by the copyright owner”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/10/banned-t20-vid.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The clip went viral online but has since been disabled. Image: Twitter</em></p> <p dir="ltr">The camera cut away before the child was picked up, and with no reports of injuries it seems the boy came out okay.</p> <p dir="ltr">Back on the pitch, Scotland claimed victory a day after Namibia defeated Sri Lanka.</p> <p dir="ltr">Australia will be going head-to-head with New Zealand at the SCG on Saturday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d3ada60a-7fff-47e2-25ce-a308676a8f86"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Artist reworks the classics to include Aboriginal women

<p dir="ltr">An Indigenous artist is reclaiming her heritage by reworking famous artworks to include Aboriginal women. </p> <p dir="ltr">Brandi Salmon, a Wiradjuri artist from Hobart, was first inspired to attempt these reimaginings after viewing numerous artworks about Aboriginal people that were created by non-Indigenous artists and that portrayed Aboriginal people in a negative light – in particular a 19th-century painting that depicts an Aboriginal person as a servant waiting in the presence of Captain James Cook. </p> <p dir="ltr">These negative depictions then led to the creation of a series of works celebrating Aboriginal people titled The Aunty Collection, which includes five famous paintings that feature Aboriginal women, often in regal positions and as the focal point of the artwork.</p> <p dir="ltr">After discovering her love of art as a child, Aboriginal presence in art became a focus when Ms Salmon attended university, where she studied creative arts.</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/CSJTBTkh32W/?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/CSJTBTkh32W/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Brandi Salmon (@brandisalmon.artist)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“A lot of the paintings I came across were paintings of Aboriginal people as servants," she told the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-13/artist-appropriates-famous-paintings-to-include-aboriginal-women/101394128">ABC</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr">“What you see in a lot of paintings from those periods is a style of art which depicts Aboriginal people in such a way that justifies the colonial project," said Tiriki Onus, head of the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the University of Melbourne.</p> <p dir="ltr">"You will see Aboriginal people depicted in this almost animal-like, grotesque fashion that is indicative of a certain time period and romanticises invasion.”</p> <p dir="ltr">When Brandi first started The Aunty Collection for a university assignment, it evolved further than she ever imagined it would. </p> <p dir="ltr">"I wasn't taught how to do the traditional painting and I felt like I couldn't do it. I felt a need to create my own style," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Aunty Collection now features paintings such as Botticelli's <em>The Birth of Venus</em> and Leonardo da Vinci's <em>Mona Lisa</em> re-imagined as strong and proud Aboriginal women.</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/CN42p4fhxAH/?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/CN42p4fhxAH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Brandi Salmon (@brandisalmon.artist)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <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/CUH0MSIh2vC/?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/CUH0MSIh2vC/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Brandi Salmon (@brandisalmon.artist)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Brandi said, "If you think about the classical works, they often depict people and their everyday world to some extent."</p> <p dir="ltr">"A couple of hundred years ago we were being depicted as servants, and now we have the freedom to do The Aunty Collection."</p> <p dir="ltr">"I don't think I realised how much of an impact that would have."</p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><em>Image credits: Instagram</em><span id="docs-internal-guid-92d6872c-7fff-0194-caca-a9d72f7ea119"></span></p>

Art

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The surprising effect classical music has on your brain

<p>What if there was a way you could easily boost your happiness, improve your memory and keep stress at bay. Sound too good to be true? A new Finnish study might hold the answer: classical music.</p> <p>For decades there’s been conflicting research about the impact classical music has on the brain. On one side, researchers say it can make children smarter but opposing studies claim it falls into the category of music myths. So what’s the truth?</p> <p>Researchers from the University of Helsinki have conducted a study to finally answer this question. They examined music’s effect on the brain on a molecular level, something that’s never been done before. One group listed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K.216 for 20 minutes while the control group were asked to abstain from listening to music.</p> <p>The results were surprising. They found that listening to classical tunes enhanced activity of the genes involved in dopamine secretion- the ‘feel good’ hormone linked to happiness.</p> <p>They also found links between music and memory, with more activity of genes involved in “transport synaptic functions, learning and memory,” researchers said. Indeed, one of the impacted genes was synuclein-alpha, a known risk gene for Parkinson’s disease.</p> <p>So, what if classical music just isn’t your thing? Don’t worry. Other studies have found links between different music genres and health benefits:</p> <ul> <li>Jazz Music helped reduce anxiety in patents underoing surgery, a study found.</li> <li>Hip Hop lyrics assisted those suffering from cognitive illnesses</li> <li>Singing or dancing reduced symptoms in depressed children and teenagers.</li> </ul> <p>Whatever your listening preference the message is clear: turn it up!</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Music

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A red velvet twist on the classic marble cake

<p dir="ltr">Perfect for a Sunday morning, or if you want to make a final impression at your next dinner party, the options are endless. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Serves:</strong> 8</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Prep and cooking time:</strong> 1 hour, 20 minutes</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>INGREDIENTS</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Cake</p> <p dir="ltr">320g plain flour</p> <p dir="ltr">40g cornflour</p> <p dir="ltr">2 tsp baking powder</p> <p dir="ltr">½ tsp salt</p> <p dir="ltr">225g butter, softened</p> <p dir="ltr">500g caster sugar</p> <p dir="ltr">100g Greek-style yoghurt</p> <p dir="ltr">1 vanilla bean pod</p> <p dir="ltr">5 large eggs</p> <p dir="ltr">120ml milk Red velvet swirl</p> <p dir="ltr">30g unsweetened cocoa powder</p> <p dir="ltr">75g milk</p> <p dir="ltr">1 tbsp red food colouring</p> <p dir="ltr">Lemon drizzle icing</p> <p dir="ltr">Juice of 1 lemon</p> <p dir="ltr">225g icing sugar, sifted</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>METHOD</strong></p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-733ac1fe-7fff-3c9a-09c1-c737b138e132"></span></p> <ol> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and flour a 26cm (10-cup capacity) Bundt tin.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a K beater attachment, beat together butter, sugar, and yoghurt until well combined.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Split the vanilla bean down its length with a paring knife. Scrape out the seeds and add to the stand mixer bowl.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Turn the speed to low and stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in milk until combined.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">In a separate large bowl, stir together 2½ cups of the batter, cocoa powder, milk, and red food colouring until well-combined.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Add 1/3 cup plain batter and then 1/3 cup red velvet batter on top. Continue alternating batters, working your way around the tin, until batter is finished.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, and cool completely.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">To make the lemon drizzle, mix the lemon juice with the icing sugar until smooth. Pour over the cooled cake. Slice and serve.</p> </li> </ol> <p><em>Image: Better homes &amp; Gardens</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Discover the wonder of classical music in Prague Castle

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

Music

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Frankenstein: how Mary Shelley’s sci-fi classic offers lessons for us today about the dangers of playing God

<p><a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/frankenstein-9780241425121" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus</a>, is an 1818 novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Set in the late 18th century, it follows scientist Victor Frankenstein’s creation of life and the terrible events that are precipitated by his abandonment of his creation. It is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_fiction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gothic novel</a> in that it combines supernatural elements with horror, death and an exploration of the darker aspects of the psyche.</p> <p>It also provides a complex critique of Christianity. But most significantly, as one of the first works of science-fiction, it explores the dangers of humans pursuing new technologies and becoming God-like.</p> <h2>The celebrity story</h2> <p>Shelley’s Frankenstein is at the heart of what might be the greatest celebrity story of all time. Shelley was born in 1797. Her mother, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wollstonecraft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mary Wollstonecraft</a>, author of the landmark A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792), was, according to that book’s introduction, “the first major feminist”.</p> <p>Shelley’s father was <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/godwin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">William Godwin</a>, political philosopher and founder of “philosophical anarchism” – he was anti-government in the moment that the great democracies of France and the United States were being born. When she was 16, Shelley eloped with radical poet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Bysshe_Shelley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Percy Shelley</a>, whose <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46565/ozymandias" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ozymandias</a> (1818) is still regularly quoted (“Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”).</p> <p>Their relationship seems to epitomise the Romantic era itself. It was crossed with outside love interests, illegitimate children, suicides, debt, wondering and wandering. And it ultimately came to an early end in 1822 when Percy Shelley drowned, his small boat lost in a storm off the Italian coast. The Shelleys also had a close association with the poet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Byron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lord Byron</a>, and it is this association that brings us to Frankenstein.</p> <p>In 1816 the Shelleys visited Switzerland, staying on the shores of Lake Geneva, where they were Byron’s neighbours. As Mary Shelley tells it, they had all been reading ghost stories, including Coleridge’s <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43971/christabel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christabel</a> (Coleridge had visited her father at the family house when Shelley was young), when Byron suggested that they each write a ghost story. Thus 18-year-old Shelley began to write Frankenstein.</p> <h2>The myth of the monster</h2> <p>The popular imagination has taken Frankenstein and run with it. The monster “Frankenstein”, originally “Frankenstein’s monster”, is as integral to Western culture as the characters and tropes from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.</p> <p>But while reasonable continuity remains between Carroll’s Alice and its subsequent reimaginings, much has been changed and lost in the translation from Shelley’s novel into the many versions that are rooted in the popular imagination.</p> <p>There have been many varied adaptations, from <a href="https://youtu.be/TBHIO60whNw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edward Scissorhands</a> to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGzc0pIjHqw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Rocky Horror Picture Show</a> (see <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/feb/11/the-20-best-frankenstein-films-ranked" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> for a top 20 list of Frankenstein films). But despite the variety, it’s hard not to think of the “monster” as a zombie-like implacable menace, as we see in the <a href="https://youtu.be/BN8K-4osNb0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trailer to the 1931 movie</a>, or a lumbering fool, as seen in <a href="https://youtu.be/nBV8Cw73zhk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Herman Munster incarnation</a>. Further, when we add the prefix “franken” it’s usually with disdain; consider “frankenfoods”, which refers to genetically modified foods, or “frankenhouses”, which describes contemporary architectural monstrosities or bad renovations.</p> <p>However, in Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein’s creation is far from being two-dimensional or contemptible. To use the motto of the Tyrell corporation, which, in the 1982 movie Bladerunner, creates synthetic life, the creature strikes us as being “more human than human”. Indeed, despite their dissimilarities, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoAzpa1x7jU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the replicant Roy Batty in Bladerunner reproduces Frankenstein’s creature’s intense humanity</a>.</p> <h2>Some key elements in the plot</h2> <p>The story of Victor Frankenstein is nested within the story of scientist-explorer Robert Walton. For both men, the quest for knowledge is mingled with fanatical ambition. The novel begins towards the end of the story, with Walton, who is trying to sail to the North Pole, rescuing Frankenstein from <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Caspar_David_Friedrich_-_Das_Eismeer_-_Hamburger_Kunsthalle_-_02.jpg/1280px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_-_Das_Eismeer_-_Hamburger_Kunsthalle_-_02.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sea ice</a>. Frankenstein is being led northwards by his creation towards a final confrontation.</p> <p>The central moment in the novel is when Frankenstein brings his creation to life, only to be immediately repulsed by it:</p> <blockquote> <p>I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.</p> </blockquote> <p>Victor Frankenstein, like others in the novel, is appalled by the appearance of his creation. He flees the creature and it vanishes. After a hiatus of two years, the creature begins to murder people close to Frankenstein. And when Frankenstein reneges on his promise to create a female partner for his creature, it murders his closest friend and then, on Frankenstein’s wedding night, his wife.</p> <h2>More human than human</h2> <p>The real interest of the novel lies not in the murders or the pursuit, but in the creature’s accounts of what drove him to murder. After the creature murders Frankenstein’s little brother, William, Frankenstein seeks solace in the Alps – in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_above_the_Sea_of_Fog#/media/File:Caspar_David_Friedrich_-_Wanderer_above_the_sea_of_fog.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sublime nature</a>. There, the creature comes upon Frankenstein and eloquently and poignantly relates his story.</p> <p>We learn that the creature spent a year secretly living in an outhouse attached to a hut occupied by the recently impoverished De Lacey family. As he became self-aware, the creature reflected that, “To be a great and virtuous man appeared the highest honour that can befall a sensitive being.” But when he eventually attempted to reveal himself to the family to gain their companionship, he was brutally driven from them. The creature was filled with rage. He says, “I could … have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery.” More human than human.</p> <p>After Victor Frankenstein dies aboard Walton’s ship, Walton has a final encounter with the creature, as it looms over Frankenstein’s body. To the corpse, the creature says:</p> <blockquote> <p>“Oh Frankenstein! Generous and self-devoted being! What does it avail that I now ask thee to pardon me? I, who irretrievably destroyed thee by destroying all thou lovedst.”</p> </blockquote> <p>The creature goes on to make several grand and tragic pronouncements to Walton. “My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change, without torture such as you cannot even imagine.” And shortly after, about the murder of Frankenstein’s wife, the creature says: “I knew that I was preparing for myself a deadly torture; but I was the slave, not the master, of an impulse, which I detested, yet could not disobey.”</p> <p>These remarks encourage us to ponder some of the weightiest questions we can ask about the human condition:</p> <blockquote> <p>What is it that drives humans to commit horrible acts? Are human hearts, like the creature’s, fashioned for ‘love and sympathy’, and when such things are withheld or taken from us, do we attempt to salve the wound by hurting others? And if so, what is the psychological mechanism that makes this occur?</p> </blockquote> <p>And what is the relationship between free will and horrible acts? We cannot help but think that the creature remains innocent – that he is the slave, not the master. But then what about the rest of us?</p> <p>The rule of law generally blames individuals for their crimes – and perhaps this is necessary for a society to function. Yet I suspect the rule of law misses something vital. Epictetus, the stoic philosopher, considered such questions millennia ago. He asked:</p> <blockquote> <p>What grounds do we have for being angry with anyone? We use labels like ‘thief’ and ‘robber’… but what do these words mean? They merely signify that people are confused about what is good and what is bad.</p> </blockquote> <h2>Unintended consequences</h2> <p>Victor Frankenstein creates life only to abandon it. An unsympathetic interpretation of Christianity might see something similar in God’s relationship with humanity. Yet the novel itself does not easily support this reading; like much great art, its strength lies in its ambivalence and complexity. At one point, the creature says to Frankenstein: “Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.” These and other remarks complicate any simplistic interpretation.</p> <p>In fact, the ambivalence of the novel’s religious critique supports its primary concern: the problem of technology allowing humans to become God-like. The subtitle of Frankenstein is “The Modern Prometheus”. In the Greek myth, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prometheus</a> steals fire – a technology – from the gods and gives it to humanity, for which he is punished. In this myth and many other stories, technology and knowledge are double-edged. Adam and Eve eat the apple of knowledge in the Garden of Eden and are ejected from paradise. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, <a href="https://youtu.be/RWCvMwivrDk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">humanity is born when the first tool is used</a> – a tool that augments humanity’s ability to be violent.</p> <p>The novel’s subtitle is referring to Kant’s 1755 essay, “The Modern Prometheus”. In this, Kant observes that:</p> <blockquote> <p>There is such a thing as right taste in natural science, which knows how to distinguish the wild extravagances of unbridled curiosity from cautious judgements of reasonable credibility. From the Prometheus of recent times Mr. Franklin, who wanted to disarm the thunder, down to the man who wants to extinguish the fire in the workshop of Vulcanus, all these endeavors result in the humiliating reminder that Man never can be anything more than a man.</p> </blockquote> <p>Victor Frankenstein, who suffered from an unbridled curiosity, says something similar:</p> <blockquote> <p>A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind … If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind.</p> </blockquote> <p>And also: “Learn from me … how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.”</p> <p>In sum: be careful what knowledge you pursue, and how you pursue it. Beware playing God.</p> <p>Alas, history reveals the quixotic nature of Shelley and Kant’s warnings. There always seems to be a scientist somewhere whose dubious ambitions are given free rein. And beyond this, there is always the problem of the unintended consequences of our discoveries. Since Shelley’s time, we have created numerous things that we fear or loathe such as the atomic bomb, cigarettes and other drugs, chemicals such as DDT, and so on. And as our powers in the realms of genetics and artificial intelligence grow, we may yet create something that loathes us.</p> <p>It all reminds me of sociobiologist Edward O. Wilson’s relatively recent (2009) remark <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191826719.001.0001/q-oro-ed4-00016553" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that</a>, “The real problem of humanity is the following: we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology.”</p> <p><em><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/frankenstein-how-mary-shelleys-sci-fi-classic-offers-lessons-for-us-today-about-the-dangers-of-playing-god-175520" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Books

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How to make the best classic scones

<p dir="ltr">There’s a reason the classic scone is a timeless snack. Here is a classic, go-to recipe that you just KNOW is going to result in perfect scones every single time. </p> <p dir="ltr">Prep time: 15 mins</p> <p dir="ltr">Cook time: 12 mins</p> <h2 dir="ltr">Ingredients</h2> <p dir="ltr">3 cups self-raising flour</p> <p dir="ltr">100g unsalted butter, chopped</p> <p dir="ltr">1 cup milk</p> <p dir="ltr">Extra flour, for dusting</p> <p dir="ltr">Jam and whipped cream, for serving</p> <h2 dir="ltr">Method</h2> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">1. Preheat oven to 220C. Dust an oven tray with extra flour. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl. Add butter. Use your fingertips to rub  butter into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.</p> <p dir="ltr">2. Make a well in the centre. Add milk and mix with a butter knife until mixture comes together to form a soft loose dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead briefly (about 30 seconds) until dough is smooth.</p> <p dir="ltr">3. Use the palm of your hand to press dough into a 2cm thick round. Use a 5cm cookie cutter to cut 12 rounds from dough. Place rounds onto prepared tray, about 2cm apart. Dust with a small amount of flour.</p> <p dir="ltr">4. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with jam and cream.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>COOK'S TIPS</strong></p> <p> </p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">If you don’t have a cookie cutter on hand, just form the dough into a rectangular shape. Use a sharp knife to cut dough into 12 rectangles.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">You can re-roll any scraps but try to limit the amount of times you re-roll to once, as the scones won’t be as light and tender.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Wrapping warm cooked scones with a clean tea-towel will give them a soft crust.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">If the weather is really cold, and you’re finding it hard to soften your butter at room temperature, chill your butter and grate it. This will make it easy to incorporate it into the flour.</p> </li> </ul> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Status Quo baffled by popularity of classic hit

<p dir="ltr">Status Quo are completely baffled by the enduring popularity of their hit track <em>Rockin’ All Over The World</em>. </p><p dir="ltr">The band covered John Fogerty’s track in 1977, and despite the song also being covered by legends such as Bon Jovi, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen, Status Quo’s version is viewed as the ultimate cover. </p><p dir="ltr">The song has also become known as one of the band’s most popular anthems, which has long confused the British rockers. </p><p dir="ltr">Singer and guitarist Francis Rossi said, “I don’t know why ours has become this classic ‘raaaawk’ song. We played [a] Sweden Rock festival and all these people dressed head to toe in black were in front of the stage going, ‘This is great!’ I’m looking at them going, ‘What the f*** are you thinking?’…”</p><p dir="ltr">“F**k me, even my dental hygienist sent me something the other day to say they were all singing it at some wedding reception.”</p><p dir="ltr">The band’s late guitarist Rick Parfitt originally brought the track to their bandmates, who were sceptical at the idea of a cover song. </p><p dir="ltr">Francis recalled, “It sounded a bit piddly, to be honest."</p><p dir="ltr">“But me and Rick used to joke that we could Quo-up anything with a guitar on it. So that’s what we did…”</p><p dir="ltr">“Our old fans hated it. We had so much mail going, ‘What the f*** is this?’ But that song brought in loads more new fans.”</p><p dir="ltr">Despite the song seemingly dividing fans, Francis said he has fond memories of kicking off Live Aid in 1985 with the track.</p><p dir="ltr">He told <em>Classic Rock</em> magazine, “Nobody wanted to go on first, so we went, ‘F*** it, we’ll do it.”</p><p dir="ltr">“But when we started playing that song, there was a total sense of euphoria. Everything slotted in. The sense of love from the audience was something else.”</p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Music

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Why these 10 classic INXS songs are exactly What You Need

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As one of Australia’s most famous homegrown acts, INXS and their classic albums have truly stood the test of time. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">From their self-titled debut album in 1980, to their last album in 1997, the band’s signature style has transcended generations, and made millions of music lovers around the world fall head over heels for the down to earth music legends. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We have rounded up ten of the most iconic tracks from their ten studio albums they released before Michael Hutchence’s untimely death in 1997. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">From their humble beginnings in Sydney to the biggest stages in the world, INXS left a mark on the Aussie music scene with these songs that will never be replaced.</span></p> <p><strong>Just Keep Walking</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The only single released from their self-titled album in 1980, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just Keep Walking</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> tells the story of a band who were struggling to have their music heard while trying to make ends meet. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The song became the band’s first Top 40 track, and introduced a new wave sound to the world of Aussie rock. </span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YOn2f_vdVww" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Don’t Change</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Widely regarded as their first international single, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don’t Change</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was released in 1982 from the album </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shabooh Shoobah</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Australia, the song climbed into the top 20 on the charts, and peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard chart, firmly cementing them as the underdogs from Australia in the global music scene. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since Michael Hutchence’s death, the rock anthem has been performed live by the Farriss brothers in an emotional, stripped back acoustic rendition. </span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sLm3Khusq_8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Mystify</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The fifth and last single from their 1987 album </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kick</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mystify</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was often outshone by other tracks from the album. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The song’s lyrics hold a poetry and romance that softens the hard rock album, while the music video offers an insight to Michael’s songwriting process with Andrew Farriss. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mystify</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has subsequently been the name for several documentaries about the band, and the life and story of the late Michael Hutchence. </span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j7PvhO4UquU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Never Tear Us Apart</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This signature ballad was the fourth single of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kick</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and showcases a string section and epic saxophone solo from Kirk Pengilly to drive home the emotional story of two soul mates. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Never Tear Us Apart</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, and was played during Michael Hutchence’s funeral procession in 1997.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The song has become a fan favourite, as the emotion, passion and longing in the song is palpable to those looking for a power ballad to speak for them.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That, and it’s one of the best saxophone solos in music history. </span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kFoHVqHpP4M" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Need You Tonight </strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This first single from </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kick</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> became an instant hit, as it was the band’s only song to reach the coveted number one spot on the US Billboard charts. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The infamous guitar riff from </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Need You Tonight</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> came to Andrew Farriss while he was waiting for a taxi, while it took Michael 10 minutes to write the lyrics after hearing the demo. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The music video also won </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">five MTV Video Music Awards including the 1988 Video of The Year.</span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w-rv2BQa2OU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Baby Don’t Cry</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This track was the second single from the 1992 album </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Welcome to Wherever You Are</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">: the eight album by the band</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Baby Don’t Cry</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was written by Andrew Farriss as a tribute to his young daughter who he missed while on tour. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Featuring the 60-piece Australian Concert Orchestra, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Baby Don’t Cry</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> debuted in the top 50 charts in Australia, England, Belgium, New Zealand and The Netherlands. </span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HvSMtTvjvwY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Elegantly Wasted</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The title track and first single from the band’s tenth studio album, <em>Elegantly Wasted</em> is said to have been based on a wild night on the town with Michael Hutchence and Bono from U2. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The song peaked at number 27 on the US charts, and became a number one single in Canada. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After an argument with Oasis’ Noel Gallager, Michael added additional vocals into the chorus of the song, and he can be heard saying “I’m better than Oasis” during the “I’m elegantly wasted” lines. </span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WpfiThlwdVY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain)</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An ode to Australiana, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kiss The Dirt</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was a single from the 1985 album </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Listen Like Thieves</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The song reached number 15 on the Aussie charts, but became the seventh single to fail on the US charts. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The music video became one of the band’s most iconic performances, as they danced and performed in the baron moon plains of Coober Pedy in South Australia. </span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/URe45TciM1E" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>By My Side </strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The fourth single taken from the 1990 album </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">X</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">By My Side</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is potentially one of the band’s well-known ballads. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Featuring an anthemic chorus accompanied by a string section, the song peaked in the top 50 charts of several countries. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Along with </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Never Tear Us Apart</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">By My Side</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was also played at Michael Hutchence’s funeral.</span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VHlVdayWfOw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Original Sin</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Released in 1983, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Original Sin</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was the lead single from </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Swing</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> album, and peaked at number one on the Aussie charts. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The chorus features a special cameo from Daryl Hall of Hall &amp; Oats, who changed the lyrics of the chorus to reflect his inter-racial parents. </span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PTULqzrhBWA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Beautiful Girl</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Released as the fifth single from the 1992 album </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Welcome to Wherever You Are</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beautiful Girl</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was again written by Andrew Farriss who was inspired by the birth of his daughter. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an interview about the track, Andrew said, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I was writing lyrics like <em>Baby Don’t Cry</em> and <em>Beautiful Girl</em> and lyrics just about how wonderful it is to have something else in your life besides yourself to worry about and think about."</span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IneI6rjg4ro" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Music

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Rolling Stones forced to retire classic song

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">British rock band The Rolling Stones have decided to retire one of their most popular songs due to its unsavoury lyrics. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 1971 hit </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brown Sugar</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> had been cut from their current tour’s setlist, which had previously been the second-most-performed song in their catalogue. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After succumbing to social pressure, the track was pulled from their live shows, as the lyrics allude to the horrors of slavery in the US, which has caused a stir during the current climate of heightened cultural sensitivity.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Keith Richards, 77, was quizzed by the </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-10-07/rolling-stones-charlie-watts-no-filter-tour"><span style="font-weight: 400;">LA Times</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about the changes to the setlist, saying, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You picked up on that, huh?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said, “I don’t know. I’m trying to figure out with the sisters quite where the beef is. Didn’t they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery? But they’re trying to bury it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first verse of the hit song depicts slaves being sold and beaten in Louisiana, with references to a “slaver” who whips “women just around midnight.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The famous chorus describes a non-consensual sexual encounter between a young female slave and the violent master, while also alluding to the use of heroin. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the next verse, the song describes the abuse suffered by slaves on a plantation. Lead singer Mick Jagger ends the tune by singing, “How come you taste so good … just like a black girl should.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’ve played </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brown Sugar</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> every night since 1970,” Richards told the newspaper.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So sometimes you think, ‘We’ll take that one out for now and see how it goes.’ We might put it back in.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to </span><a href="https://www.setlist.fm/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">setlist.fm</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the controversial track has been played live 1136 times, second only to </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jumpin’ Jack Flash</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“At the moment I don’t want to get into conflicts with all of this s***,” Richards said of criticism of the song. “But I’m hoping that we’ll be able to resurrect the babe in her glory somewhere along the track.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mick Jagger has also previously shared his own criticisms of the song, as critics have called it “gross, sexist, and stunningly offensive.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I never would write that song now,” Jagger told </span><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rolling Stone</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in 1995. “I would probably censor myself. I’d think, ‘Oh God, I can’t. I’ve got to stop. I can’t just write raw like that.’”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Music

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Buckley’s Chance is a classic film about a boy and a dog

<p>In a classic tradition, <em>Buckley’s Chance</em> is a film which explores the close relationship between a boy and his dingo in outback Australia – and Bill Nighy comes along for the ride.</p> <p>Filmed in Broken Hill, <em>Buckley’s Chance</em> was in cinemas in June of this year but you can now stream it on Amazon Prime Video.</p> <p>Well-known British actor, Bill Nighy plays a leading role alongside Milan Burch who plays the role of the young boy, Ridley. And yes – there’s a new screen star – the dingo called Buckley.</p> <p>After the loss of his father, Ridley is forced to move to the Australian outback to live with his estranged Grandfather (Nighy). While exploring the outback, Ridley becomes lost and befriends a dingo excluded from its own pack. A strong bond is formed as the two try to make their way home.</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/np7WgFqtNzE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Based on the Aussie slang – “You’ve got Buckley’s”</strong></p> <p>The phrase – “You’ve got Buckley’s” is a much-used piece of Aussie slang and it refers to a convict called <span>William Buckley who escaped in Victoria in 1803 and lived among the Aborigines there for the next 30 years.</span></p> <p><span>At the time, it was thought no-one could ever survive in the Australian bush on their own and this is how the term “Buckley’s” came about.</span></p> <p data-adtags-visited="true">As Ridley’s grandfather, Spencer (played by Nighy) is trying to run a sheep station and he doesn’t really need his son’s grieving widow and her son around, complicating his life.</p> <p data-adtags-visited="true">But guilt over his estranged son forces Spencer to make an effort, teach the kid a little outback survival and lore. He even pulls out his gun every time he sees a dingo and aims at them.</p> <p>Ridly is horrified and asks him why he’s shooting a dog.</p> <p>“They may look like a dog, Ridley, but they’re more wolf than dog,” says Spencer.</p> <p data-adtags-visited="true">The kid isn’t convinced. So, when the chance comes to rescue a fine specimen of the breed trapped in a fence, he makes a new friend. He names it after grandpa’s ranch, “Buckley’s Chance”.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/57369d9a67a44e3d96c40dacbbcaee1b" /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.53564899451555px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844021/buckleys-chance-7-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/57369d9a67a44e3d96c40dacbbcaee1b" /></p> <p>As this all happens, we see some lovely and exotic outback scenery.</p> <p data-adtags-visited="true">On the negative side, Nighy’s Aussie accent isn’t too good, so it’s up to the other supporting actors to get that right.</p> <p data-adtags-visited="true">Still, this is a sentimental and kid-friendly movie. The film’s other well-known actors include Kelton Pell, Victoria Hill and Martin Sacks.</p> <p>Overall, <em>Buckley’s Chance</em> is a thrilling tale for all the family about fun, friendship and family.</p> <p><em>Buckley’s Chance</em> showed in Australian cinemas in June of this year and now you can rent it from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Buckleys-Chance-Bill-Nighy/dp/B09CLPWMHG">Amazon Prime Video</a> for $6.99.</p> <p><em>Photos and Video: Transmission Films and YouTube</em></p> <p><em> </em></p> <p><em> </em></p> <p><em> </em></p>

Movies

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Noel Gallagher admits to forgetting classic Oasis lyrics on stage

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher has admitted he often forgets lyrics to his classic songs while performing on stage. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He confessed that sometimes he has to “make s*** up” when he forgets the lyrics mid-song in front of his adoring fans. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Noel said he stumbles over the words in the band's biggest hits, including Don’t Look Back in Anger, which spent several weeks atop the charts after its release in 1996.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During a conversation with </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Sun</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> newspaper, he said, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Brain freeze, I get it. I get them when I’m doing gigs to 70,000 people.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“As the next line is coming I think, ‘Seriously, what is the next line to this song?’ You’re thinking, ‘I genuinely don’t know what it is’.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Somehow it falls out of the sky. But sometimes I just have to make s*** up,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rockstar also branded musicians who regularly cover hits by Bob Dylan as dull. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Noel, who is currently compiling a covers project of his own making, said, “Everybody does Bob Dylan covers albums — it’s boring.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rocker is working on a unique covers album, after he said he wouldn’t care if he never wrote an original song again.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He insists he would “be happy with what he’s done” with his extensive catalogue that has won over fans all around the world. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His covers album will have a unique spin on hits by Burt Bacharach and The Smiths that Noel recorded in his own home studio. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Music

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Memorialise your pet in a musical portrait

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A composer has started writing unusual pieces that look like adorable animals - and sound just as lovely.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After completing his music studies, Noam Oxman was looking for a way to use his talents. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With his love of animals, music and drawing, the Jerusalem-based composer found an ingenious way to combine all three in ‘Sympawnies’.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/COVLbB-ihym/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/COVLbB-ihym/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Sympawnies (@sympawnies)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oxman said he was fascinated by the unique handwriting style of J.S. Bach, whose music would sometimes contain hidden symbols or meanings.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Inspired by the great composer, Oxman now creates bespoke compositions and graphic scores that illustrate beloved pets.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPLZqpDiL9j/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPLZqpDiL9j/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Sympawnies (@sympawnies)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oxman said his symphonies use musical language based on baroque and classical styles because of the flexibility and expression the styles provide.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The creative composer studied jazz piano, composition, and music theory at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQL2QtECsTO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQL2QtECsTO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Sympawnies (@sympawnies)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also volunteers in animal shelters, works with rescue animals, and has three cats of his very own with his partner.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oxman is open for commissions, with at least 20 percent of his profits used to feed and provide medical treatment for stray cats.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Sympawnies / Instagram</span></em></p>

Family & Pets