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"The beat goes on": Neil Diamond opens up about life with Parkinson’s

Neil Diamond has opened up about his experience living with Parkinson’s, and how it has taken a long and uphill battle to come to terms with his 2018 diagnosis. In a candid interview with Anthony Mason for CBS Sunday Morning, the 82-year-old singer - best known for his hit song ‘Sweet Caroline’ - detailed how he moved from denial to acceptance, and the impact it has had on his life and his career ever since. “When the doctor told me what it was, I was just not ready to accept it,” he said. “I said, ‘oh, okay, I’ll see you whenever you want to see me, but I have work to do, so I’ll see you later’.” For “the first year or two”, Diamond admits he refused to accept his condition, but as acceptance finally came to him, so did a sort of calm and peace of mind “I think this has just been in the last few weeks,” he explained to Mason, “but somehow, a calm has moved in and the hurricane of my life, and things have gotten very quiet. “And I like it. I find that I like myself better. I’m easier on people. I’m easier on myself and the beat goes on and it will go on long after I’m gone.” He went on to note his understanding that “this is the hand that God’s given”, and how his only option was “to make the best of it”. “There’s no cure, there’s no getting away from it. You can’t just say ‘okay, enough already, let’s get back to life’. It doesn’t work like that,” he said. “But I’ve come to accept what limitations I have and still have great days.” And while Diamond retired from touring in 2018 in the wake of his diagnosis, he can still find those great days in music, with his life playing out in the musical A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical on Broadway. As for how it feels to see his story performed on the stage, he admits that initially it was difficult, and that he felt some embarrassment, before going on to add that he “was flattered, and I was scared. “Being found out is the scariest thing you can hope for because we all have a facade. And the truth be known to all of them. I’m not some big star - I’m just me.” “The show is part of my psychotherapy,” he explained, “and it hurt.” On opening night, Diamond even returned to the stage for a singalong performance of ‘Sweet Caroline’, and as he told Mason, “I can still sing. I’ve been doing it for 50 years and I enjoy it. It’s like all the systems of my mind and my body are working as one. “I’ve had a pretty amazing life, it’s true.” Images: Getty

Caring

"Return our stolen diamonds!": Renewed pleas over the Great Star of Africa

In the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's passing, calls in South Africa are growing stronger for the British royal family to return the world’s largest known clear-cut diamond. Known as the “Great Star of Africa” or “Cullinan I”, the diamond is cut from a larger gem that was mined in South Africa in 1905. It was handed over to the British royal family by South Africa’s colonial authorities. At the moment, the diamond resides on a royal sceptre that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II. Demands for the return of the Great Star of Africa and other items have intensified since the Queen's death, as many South Africans view Britain's acquisition of the jewels as illegitimate. "The Cullinan Diamond must be returned to South Africa with immediate effect," activist Thanduxolo Sabelo has told local media, adding that: "The minerals of our country and other countries continue to benefit Britain at the expense of our people." According to the Royal Collection Trust, which oversees the royal collection of the British royal family, the Great Star of Africa was presented to King Edward VII in 1907, two years after its discovery in a private mine. Supporting the British monarchy's claim to the precious stone, the Royal Asscher Diamond Company has said that the gem was purchased by South Africa's Transvaal government (run by British rule) and presented to King Edward VII as a birthday gift. A University of South Africa professor of African politics, Everisto Benyera, rejects this narrative, telling CNN that "colonial transactions are illegitimate and immoral”. "Our narrative is that the whole Transvaal and Union of South Africa governments and the concomitant mining syndicates were illegal," Benyera has said, arguing that: "Receiving a stolen diamond does not exonerate the receiver. The Great Star is a blood diamond ... The private (mining) company, the Transvaal government, and the British Empire were part of a larger network of coloniality." According to the Royal Asscher, the Cullinan diamond was cut into nine large stones and 96 smaller pieces. The largest of these was named the Great Star of Africa by King Edward VII, who also named the second largest cut stone the Smaller Star of Africa. The larger diamond was set in the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross and the second cut stone was mounted in the Imperial Crown, which has been on display this week on the Queen's coffin. African countries continue to fight for the recovery of cultural artefacts that have been stolen by colonial troops, with more than 6000 people signing a petition for the return of the jewel so that it can be displayed in a South African museum. Image: Getty

Legal

Aussie miner discovers $102 million pink diamond

A rare pure pink diamond has been unearthed in Angola, at the Lulo mine, and according to the Aussie operator of the mining site it is believed to be the largest discovered in 300 years. Named "The Lulo Rose", The 170 carat pink diamond was discovered in the country's diamond-rich northeast. The sparkling whopper is among the largest pink diamonds ever found, the Lucapa Diamond Company said in a statement. The “historic” find of the Type IIa diamond is one of the rarest and purest forms of natural stones and was welcomed by the Angolan government, which is also a partner in the mine. “This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage,” Angola’s Mineral Resources Minister Diamantino Azevedo said. The diamond will be sold at international tender, likely at a dazzling price. Although the precious jewel would have to be cut and polished to reveal its true value, the process could potentially see the stone lose 50% of its weight. Similar pink diamonds have sold for record-breaking prices. The 59.6 carat Pink Star was sold at a Hong Kong auction for US $71.2 million (AUD $102.5 million). It remains the most expensive diamond in the world. Image: Lucapa Diamond Company Limited

Money & Banking

Neil Diamond's incredible rare treat for fans

Baseball fans were given a surprise treat from singer Neil Diamond who made an appearance at the Boston Red Sox game. Diamond gave a heartwarming performance of his classic “Sweet Caroline” at the game on June 18 at Fenway Park in Boston. Heartwarming footage shows Diamond enthusiastically singing along while sporting the black and red Boston Red Sox letterman jacket as the crowd joined in. This was Diamond’s first performance since 2018 after he retired due to his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Neil Diamond singing "Sweet Caroline" at Fenway Park is incredible 🎤 🙌 <a href="https://t.co/P1yRDJR5ho">pic.twitter.com/P1yRDJR5ho</a> — FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1538345916490473472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2022</a></blockquote> He previously sang the song at the same stadium in 2013 when the Red Sox played their first home game since the Boston Marathon bombing. The song has now become a part of tradition for the Red Sox who play “Sweet Caroline” during the eighth inning of each home game. Despite retiring from live touring, Diamond said that he would “continue his writing, recording and development of new projects”. There is a musical about Diamond’s life currently in pre-production and is expected to open on Broadway later in the year. Image: Twitter

Music

How do pigeons find their way home? We looked in their ears with a diamond-based quantum microscope to find out

Homing pigeons are known for their uncanny ability to find their way home – navigating complex and changing landscapes. In fact, they do this so well they were used as a source of secure communication more than 2,000 years ago. Julius Caesar <a href="https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2017/11/not-just-birds">reportedly sent</a> news of his conquest of Gaul back to Rome via pigeons, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/255b75e0-c77d-11e2-be27-00144feab7de">as did Napoleon Bonaparte</a> following his defeat by England in the 1815 Battle of Waterloo. We know pigeons use visual cues and can navigate based on landmarks along known travel routes. We also know they have a magnetic sense called “magnetoreception” which lets them navigate using Earth’s magnetic field. But we don’t know exactly how they (and other species) do this. In <a href="https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2112749118">research</a> published today in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, my colleagues and I tested a theory that attempts to link magnetoreception in homing pigeons with tiny lumps of iron-rich material found in their inner ears. By using a new kind of magnetic microscope, we confirmed this isn’t the case. But the technology has opened the door for us to investigate the phenomenon in several other species. <h2>The current hypotheses</h2> Scientists have spent decades exploring the possible mechanisms for magnetoreception. There are currently two mainstream theories. The first is a vision-based “free-radical pair” model. Homing pigeons and other migratory birds have proteins in the retina of their eyes called “cryptochromes”. These produce an electrical signal that <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03618-9">varies depending on the strength</a> of the local magnetic field. This could potentially allow the birds to “see” Earth’s magnetic field, although scientists have yet to confirm this theory. The second proposal for how homing pigeons navigate is based on lumps of magnetic material inside them, which may provide them with a magnetic particle-based directional compass. We know magnetic particles are found in nature, in a group of bacteria called <a href="https://theconversation.com/magnetic-bacteria-and-their-unique-superpower-attract-researchers-100720">magnetotactic bacteria</a>. These bacteria produce magnetic particles and orient themselves along the Earth’s magnetic field lines. Scientists are now looking for magnetic particles in a range of species. Potential candidates <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00114-007-0236-0">were found</a> in the upper beak of homing pigeons more than a decade ago, but <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11046">subsequent work</a> indicated these particles were related to iron storage and not magnetic sensing. <h2>A peek inside a pigeon’s ear</h2> The new search is now underway in the inner ear of pigeons, where iron particles known as “cuticulosomes” <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982213004338">were first identified</a> in 2013. Single cuticulosomes have been located within distinct regions in the pigeon inner ear where other known sensory systems exist (such as for hearing and balancing during flight). In theory, if there were a magnetic sensing system in pigeons, it should be located close to other sensory systems. But to determine whether iron cuticulosomes can act as magnetoreceptors in pigeons, scientists need to determine their magnetic properties. This is no mean feat, since cuticulosomes are 1,000 times smaller than a grain of sand. What’s more is they are only found in 30% of the hair cells within the inner ear, making them difficult to identify and characterise. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431870/original/file-20211115-6434-uzv76r.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431870/original/file-20211115-6434-uzv76r.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Diagram showing a homing pigeon's inner ear, with labels for hair cells and magnetic particles." /></a> We conducted quantum magnetic imaging of iron-organelles in the pigeon inner ear. Robert W de Gille, Author provided To tackle this problem our group at the University of Melbourne, together with colleagues from Vienna’s Institute of Molecular Pathology and the Max Planck Society in Bonn, turned to a new imaging technology to explore the magnetic properties of iron cuticulosomes in the pigeon inner ear. We developed a magnetic microscope that uses diamond-based sensors to visualise delicate magnetic fields emanating from tiny magnetic particles. <h2>Disproving the theory</h2> We carefully studied thin sections of the pigeon inner ear placed directly onto the diamond sensors. By applying magnetic fields of varying strengths to the tissue, we were able to gauge the magnetic susceptibility of single cuticulosomes. Our results showed the magnetic properties of the cuticulosomes were not strong enough for them to act as a magnetic particle-based magnetoreceptor. In fact, the particles would need to be 100,000 times stronger to activate the sensory pathways required for magnetoreception in pigeons. However, despite the search for the elusive magnetoreceptor coming up short, we are extremely excited by the potential of this magnetic microscope technology. We hope to use it study a host of magnetic candidates across a variety of species including rodents, fish and turtles. And by doing so we can focus not only on cuticulosomes, but a range of other potentially magnetic particles.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171738/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-simpson-1289933">David Simpson</a>, School of Physics, Senior Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-pigeons-find-their-way-home-we-looked-in-their-ears-with-a-diamond-based-quantum-microscope-to-find-out-171738">original article</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Family & Pets

Woman finds record-busting diamond

A California woman made a surprise find after discovering a 4.38 carat yellow diamond in Arkansas’ Hot Springs National Park. Noreen Wredberg was visiting the park with her husband Michael and decided to explore the Crater of Diamonds park, the state Parks Department told NBC News. “I first saw the park featured on a TV show several years ago,” Ms Wredberg <a rel="noopener" href="https://travel.nine.com.au/latest/american-airlines-removes-mother-toddler-refusing-wear-mask-onboard/0e144844-75b3-40a3-8ad7-92e3416c425d" target="_blank">told</a> the department. “When I realised we weren’t too far away, I knew we had to come.” The couple arrived at the park after several days of rain which had left the slightly-dry soil in an ideal condition for finding diamonds. <img style="width: 500px; height:333.33333333333337px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844590/244189895_10161140297647646_1540172523317654032_n.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/48ee06d0d5d84df4b199faf2b84bde25" /> Image: The State Parks of Arkansas Ms Wredberg had been searching for about an hour before she noticed the large gem. “I didn’t know it was a diamond then, but it was clean and shiny, so I picked it up!” she said, according to NBC News. If visitors find diamonds at the park, they can take it to the park’s Diamond Discovery Centre to confirm whether the diamond is real. Arkansas is the only state with a public diamond mine, with more than 75,000 unearthed at the Crater of Diamonds since 1906. The Arkansas parks department said the diamond Ms Wredberg found is the biggest in the last year. Ms Wredberg has been allowed to keep the stone, but said she was unsure about what she would do with it. Image: The State Parks of Arkansas / Facebook

Money & Banking

Meghan and Harry’s subtle hint for baby’s gender

Eagle-eyed fans have spotted a tiny detail that they believe may be linked to the gender of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s baby. While the couple have been notoriously private and kept majority of their pregnancy under wraps, royal fans pointed out a large pink sapphire ring worn by Duchess Meghan during a recent video appearance. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840048/meghan-sapphire-ring-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/69c09e4ff9104b93ada4b8c1d5eb57df" /> The large ring from is from the jewellery brand Ecksand and features an ethically sourced 6.000 carat stone with a recycled 18k gold band with 0.20 diamond pave. "Is the 'pink' ring an 'indication/hint' that it might be a little girl?" one fan speculated on Instagram. "Could this be a clue about baby Sussex????! Praying for a safe, healthy delivery and birth for mother and baby, whether it's a girl or a boy!" another said. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLe6Ez8DKWd/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/CLe6Ez8DKWd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Meghan Markle (@meghan_update)</a> </div> </blockquote> The ring normally retails for $1790 but is currently on sale for $1522. “It’s been a rough few weeks for the queen, that’s for sure,” a royal insider told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/prince-harry-meghan-markles-distance-is-challenging-for-queen/" target="_blank">Us Weekly.</a> “The situation with Harry and Meghan has been challenging, and on top of that, she’s distraught over her beloved husband’s health setback.”

Family & Pets

Iconic sitcom star dies just three weeks after cancer diagnosis

Saved by the Bell actor Dustin Diamond has died aged 44. The former child star - who was known for playing Screech in the popular 90s sitcom - had stage 4 lung cancer and was diagnosed just three weeks ago. Taking to Facebook to announce the tragic news, his team revealed he passed away Monday morning, local time. He was being treated in a hospital in Florida. “We are saddened to confirm of Dustin Diamond’s passing on Monday, February 1st, 2021 due to carcinoma,” Diamond’s official social media page read. “He was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago. “In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution. Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.” According to TMZ he was taken off breathing machines to transfer to hospice care. A close friend of Diamond, Dan Block, said he had a "huge lump" on his neck for a long time but avoided going to the hospital out of fear people would take photos of him and post them online. <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/CKwtHtvjpTj/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/CKwtHtvjpTj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Saved by the Bell: NOW!🐯 (@sbtbnow)</a> </div> </blockquote> “I know that the reason he didn’t get help is because when he goes out people take pictures, put it on the internet and say not nice things about him,” Block told the publication last month. “He’s subject to public ridicule all the time and it sucks. People need to know he is a human.” His Saved by the Bell co-star Mario Lopez told Variety that he had urged his former colleague to seek treatment a few weeks ago. “I actually just spoke with him a couple of weeks ago. He was reluctant to go in (to hospital) for a while because he didn’t know if anything was going to get out,” Lopez said. And I said, ‘Bro, that’s foolish, you’ve got to get in there and take care of yourself and forget what people are saying.’ “Some people thought his illness was a joke, which is awful, but the internet always spills tales. When all of this was happening, I was optimistic that he would make a recovery, but it was obviously too late. “From when I found out he was sick to his passing, it’s been incredibly quick. It’s so fresh, it’s incredibly hard to process.” Diamond started his first round of chemotherapy just two weeks ago. His family has a history of the disease, with his mother dying of breast cancer.

News

"Do it again!": The worst way to find out your diamond ring is fake

A Florida teacher and her student have gone viral across the globe after an innocent school experiment revealed her engagement ring isn’t real. A group of high school students used a diamond tester and went from class to class testing their teacher's rings. In the video that was shared to popular teen app TikTok, the students are seen approaching a teacher wearing an engagement ring with a large rock. The clip heard the woman saying she had proudly worn the ring for 20 years since her husband proposed. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Yo this kid goes around testing his teacher’s wedding rings & I’m screaming because most of them are fake 😭😭😭😭😭 <a href="https://t.co/tG3zWkDmDw">pic.twitter.com/tG3zWkDmDw</a> — I put sugar on my grits (@thismyburner8) <a href="https://twitter.com/thismyburner8/status/1321550282161971201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2020</a></blockquote> "I can test it to see if it's real?" a student asks the teacher. She tells him to "come on in" and places her hand on the table. The student commented about how large the diamond is, to which the teacher responded, "It's going to be big, we've been married over 20 years." However the diamond tester went on to beep, indicating the rock is not a diamond at all. "You say you've been married 20 years? Not going to lie I don't think it's real," the student tells her. The clearly agitated teacher demands the student test it again, saying: "Do it again. This thing is real. So what you telling me?" <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> “Wym you don’t think it’s real?” 💀💀💀 <a href="https://t.co/1ZbdI3K3bg">pic.twitter.com/1ZbdI3K3bg</a> — I put sugar on my grits (@thismyburner8) <a href="https://twitter.com/thismyburner8/status/1321569964508078080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2020</a></blockquote> Once again, the diamond tester beeps to indicate the rock is fake. The footage then cut to the teacher calling her husband and taking the ring off. "You knew it wasn't real?” she can be heard saying over the phone. “And you still gave it to me after 20 years? So this is what I'm going to get? "Okay, you know what, you thought it was going to be me and you tonight, guess what? It ain't. It's not going to be."

Relationships

Coronavirus RNA found on cruise ship 17 days after passengers abandoned liner

Coronavirus RNA has been determined to have the ability to live for up to 17 days among surfaces after health authorities studies the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The disease can survive longer than research has previously shown, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown to us on Monday in new data. The study sought out to show how the Japanese and U.S government’s efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreaks on the Carnival-owned Diamond Princess ship in Japan and the Grand Princess ship in California has been. RNA is the genetic material of the virus that causes COVID-19, and was “identified on a variety of surfaces in cabins of both symptomatic and asymptomatic infected passengers up to 17 days after cabins were vacated on the Diamond Princess but before disinfection procedures had been conducted,” the researchers wrote. The CDC added the genetic material of the virus that specifically causes COVID-19 revealed that there was no indication that the virus can “spread by surface”. They also added researchers were unable to “determine whether transmission occurred from contaminated surfaces,” and that more studies focussing on whether COVID-19 can be spread through touching surfaces on cruise ships was warranted. “COVID-19 on cruise ships poses a risk for rapid spread of disease, causing outbreaks in a vulnerable population, and aggressive efforts are required to contain spread,” the data report read. The CDC has urged people to stay away from cruise ships at this time if they are part of the more vulnerable population. Researchers at the national Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University previously found that COVID-19 can last up to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The study also determined the RNA of the virus decreases over time on plastic and stainless steel. The new study set out to understand just how “transmission occurred across multiple voyages of several ships.” It noted at least 25 cruise ship voyages had confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of March 17. All of these cases where either detected during or after the cruise trip ended. Almost half, 46.5%, of the infections aboard the Diamond Princess were asymptomatic when they were tested. The study revealed it partially explaining the “high attack rate” of the virus among passengers and crew. On February 4, all 3,700 passengers and crew of the Diamond Princess were quarantined at a Japanese port after a passenger had been diagnoses with COVID-19 after returning to Hong Kong. What resulted was the largest cluster of confirmed coronavirus cases outside of China at the time, with more than 800 passengers and crew eventually going on to become infected. Nine people died due to the outbreak after disembarking the ship. Research revealed that 712 of 3,711 people on the Diamond Princess, or 19.2% were infected by COVID-19. 78 cases were also found on the Grand Princess, which was force to moor off the coast of California after two passengers tested positive when they disembarked the vessel. The 78 cases tied back to the ship across separate voyages. California officials allowed the ship to remove all passengers from the vessel at the Port of Oakland. The Diamond Princess and Grand Princess has accounted for more than 800 total COVID-19 cases, including 10 deaths.

Cruising

Neil Diamond reworks ‘Sweet Caroline’ to encourage hand washing

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> Legendary singer-songwriter Neil Diamond has joined a growing number of actors and musicians that are encouraging persistent hand-washing and social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. He posted a video on Saturday night of him at his home playing “Sweet Caroline”. “I know we’re going through a rough time right now, but I love you, and I think maybe if we sing together we might feel a little bit better,” he says during the video. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Stay safe out there! “Hands... washing hands..” 🎶 <a href="https://t.co/QaRB1qZshp">pic.twitter.com/QaRB1qZshp</a> — Neil Diamond (@NeilDiamond) <a href="https://twitter.com/NeilDiamond/status/1241584423927074818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2020</a></blockquote> Diamond proceeds to sing the opening verse of “Sweet Caroline” with the revised chorus, saying “Hands, washing hands, reaching out, don’t touch me, I won’t touch you!” The video has racked up more than 1.2 million views on Twitter alone. Diamond is just one of many musicians that are taking to social media to perform for their followers, with John Legend and Chris Martin recently performing a mini concert in their homes for their followers. Actors, such as Josh Gad, are using the time in quarantine to do daily book readings for kids and adults. </div> </div> </div>

Music

Australians on board the Diamond Princess need to go into quarantine again: It’s time to reset the clock

The evacuation of about 180 passengers pm February 20th from the cruise ship Diamond Princess to serve another period of quarantine back in Australia has raised questions about the best way to control spread of the coronavirus. The passengers had already spent 14 days quarantined on board the ship, which had been docked in Japan, and now face another 14 days at the Howard Springs quarantine facility close to Darwin. By contrast, Japan’s health ministry is allowing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/world/asia/japan-cruise-ship-coronavirus.html">hundreds of people</a> to leave the ship without being subject to further quarantine. So what’s behind Australia’s announcement to impose a second quarantine period? And what were conditions like on board to prompt this decision? What’s quarantine? Quarantines have been put in place around the world as part of the global public health response to COVID-19 – the disease caused by a new coronavirus, now named SARS-CoV-2. The idea is to limit the spread of the virus within and between countries. Formal measures designed to limit contact between infected (or potentially infected) people are called “social distancing”. And they have been used to control communicable diseases for <a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/116/LEV.13.NLT">at least 2,500 years</a>. Today, the term <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5229a2.htm">quarantine refers to</a> the separation or restriction of movement of people who are not ill but are believed to have been exposed to an infectious disease. This differs to isolation, which is the term used for the separation or restriction of movement of people who are ill, thereby minimising onward transmission. How long should quarantine last? Quarantine periods are determined by certain characteristics of the infectious agent, most notably the incubation period. This is the period between being exposed to it and symptoms appearing. For COVID-19, the <a href="https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.5.2000062">average incubation period</a> is thought to be around six days, and can range from two to 11 days. While a <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.06.20020974v1.full.pdf">preliminary report</a> has suggested a longer incubation period of up to 24 days, this is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.25708">considered unlikely</a>. People who have been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19 are considered to have been potentially exposed to the virus. As a precaution, these people are placed in quarantine, essentially to “sit out” their potential incubation period. The quarantine period of 14 days currently being used in Australia and elsewhere for COVID-19 takes into account the maximum known incubation period for this disease, plus a few extra days as a reasonable precaution. In quarantine, people will either develop the disease and have symptoms or they will remain well. In theory, if a person remains well after their period of quarantine, they are deemed uninfected and restrictions are lifted. Another factor that influences how long someone needs to be quarantined is the infectious period. That’s the period during which the infection can be transmitted from one person to another. If the infectious period starts before the symptoms (from asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic individuals), the virus can be transmitted silently. This can substantially complicate disease prevention and control. When a new virus emerges – as with SARS-CoV-2 – the infectious period is largely unknown. While the proportion of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic COVID-19 cases is not clear, it is increasingly apparent people can be infected <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2001899?query=RP">without having any symptoms</a>. However, further evidence is needed to see if these people can infect others. When is it best to extend the quarantine period? Crucial to quarantine is ensuring that best possible infection control practices are put in place to prevent ongoing transmission. It is also essential to assess real-time data about newly diagnosed cases, which tells us how effective quarantine measures have been. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to extend a person’s period of quarantine, as in the case of the Australian citizens on board the cruise ship Diamond Princess. So, what happened on board the Diamond Princess? <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports">Data from the World Health Organisation</a> (WHO) give us clues to what’s behind Australia’s decision to impose a second period of quarantine. The graph below shows there may have been up to four possible waves of infections on board, including an initial undetected wave before quarantine measures were imposed. Evidence of ongoing transmission during the quarantine period supports the decision by several countries to evacuate their citizens from the Diamond Princess, including Australia, to “reset the clock” and to impose a further 14-day quarantine period. This additional measure – while causing considerable and understandable frustration to those affected – is designed to limit transmission of COVID-19 within Australia. The rights of individuals versus public good Implementing public health measures, such as isolation and quarantine, requires decision-making that <a href="https://www.who.int/healthsystems/topics/health-law/chapter10.pdf">balances the rights</a> of individuals and public good. When appropriately designed and implemented, quarantine and isolation work. Even when quarantine is not absolutely adhered to, it can still be effective at reducing the likelihood of large-scale outbreaks. With <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92450/">SARS</a> (severe acute respiratory syndrome), these strategies were thought to have been an important part in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1691853/">controlling the epidemic</a>, though they were <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5229a2.htm">resource and labour intensive</a>. Written by Stacey L Rowe and Benjamin Cowie. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-australians-on-board-the-diamond-princess-need-to-go-into-quarantine-again-its-time-to-reset-the-clock-131906">The Conversation.</a>

Cruising

Why we value diamond rings and other Valentine's Day gifts

“Diamonds are a girls best friend”, so the saying goes. These shiny rocks are durable and pricey. And on Valentine’s Day, it’s likely someone’s new diamond engagement ring will pop up on your Facebook or Twitter feed. Many couples rely on rings to communicate their deepest feelings to each other and the world. An engagement ring is worth more than its sticker price: it tells family, friends and strangers that you are planning a wedding, you are cherished, you are an adult. It is likely the most expensive and most important object many of us will ever own, but why do we invest sentimental feelings in inanimate objects? Turning objects into cherished items is nothing new. People have been spinning tales about why <a href="http://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/ecf.23.2.347">things matter</a> to them for centuries. Think of your favourite teddy bear, your baby blanket, the hand-me-down furniture and bric-a-brac around your home. These objects may be crafted from ordinary cotton, wood or clay, but our feelings about them turn them into valuable assets. We cost them well above their price in the marketplace. Not just a ring It’s a story I know all too well. Over ten years ago, as my now husband and I were starting to talk marriage, I asked my mother if she was ready to part with her grandmother’s engagement ring. The setting needed work, she said, and the “diamonds” were small (I believe she used the word “paste”). It was clear she wasn’t ready. And after all, I had never even met my great grandmother. Margaret had endured an unhappy marriage: she left her husband in 1925 and divorced him in 1941 (the grounds were adultery). How could this ring possibly ensure anyone’s happiness? Two years after my son was born, my mother bestowed this ring, of no great monetary value, upon me. We both teared up. Three weeks later, I lost the ring. I turned our house upside down searching for it. I cried. I lied to my mother about how much I was wearing it. Six months later, my toddler ran into my bedroom, gleefully brandishing a small, shiny object he had discovered (or more likely squirrelled away). It was the ring. I screamed. I cried again. I rang my mother to confess. The ring had transformed from a keepsake passed from mothers to daughters for three generations into a new tale of lost and found. Stories about objects In the 18th-century, dozens of writers took to a new form of fiction that focused on ordinary things – coins, banknotes, shoes, carriages, dolls. These stories brought things to life, granting them their own voices. Today literary scholars call them “object-narratives” or “it-narratives”, so named after their inanimate protagonists. Think Toy Story, Georgian-style. My own research into <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/literature/english-literature-1700-1830/women-work-and-clothes-eighteenth-century-novel?format=PB#7ipO191ldzRTSTjh.97">18th-century clothes</a> has meant reading novels narrated by waistcoats, petticoats, shoes and slippers. Georgian object narratives overflow with scandalous gossip about the foibles of humans. The brothel is a frequent stop in these tales of circulation and the truths (mostly of the bedroom variety) owners seek to conceal from the world. And at the time, these stories became so popular that book reviewers complained about them flooding the literary marketplace. By the late 18th-century, the genre had grown up to focus on children and their possessions. Children could read about <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=The+Adventures+of+a+Pincushion&oq=The+Adventures+of+a+Pincushion&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64.2014j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">The Adventures of a Pincushion</a>, the <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Life_and_Perambulations_of_a_Mouse.html?id=6YY6AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">Life and Perambulation of a Mouse</a>, <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Adventures_of_a_Whipping_top.html?id=SPt4mQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y">The Adventures of a Whipping-Top</a> and The Silver Thimble. English professor and author Lynn Festa has <a href="http://www.bucknell.edu/script/upress/book.asp?id=255">written brilliantly</a> about how these stories instructed Georgian children to care for their things: good owners made good British subjects. And in this way, it’s not hard to see how these stories paved the way for books like <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q%3Dtbn:ANd9GcSZ7ylq6PDaokG7VNWpt6qbBSxnnyL9q8R1_fFIV3-yc5yE5gAe&imgrefurl=https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Velveteen_Rabbit_Or_How_Toys_Become.html?id%3DcRumDgAAQBAJ%26source%3Dkp_cover&h=700&w=543&tbnid=_fzxhK683qN9ZM:&tbnh=160&tbnw=124&usg=__2yGT0rjbbLH3hEm7BsDkJ4GqZWE%3D&vet=10ahUKEwiK17mTnaDZAhXJAMAKHYh5AjQQ_B0IkwIwHQ..i&docid=DLhr4nyP5RT_wM&itg=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiK17mTnaDZAhXJAMAKHYh5AjQQ_B0IkwIwHQ">The Velveteen Rabbit</a> and <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/series/paddington">Paddington Bear</a>. The story of things Last year, I led a school project that taught children how to recreate these tales. In the <a href="http://www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk/education/story-of-things/">Story of Things</a>, year four and five pupils devised their own versions of the histories of secret dresser drawers, tea caddies, dolls, shoes and yes, many chamber pots, inspired by the collection of Georgian furniture at <a href="http://www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk">Fairfax House</a> in York. I thought I was teaching the children, but their brilliant stories convinced me of our <a href="http://www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk/education/story-of-things/teacher-resources/">continued longing</a> to connect with the objects around us and our imaginative capacities to turn inanimate things into vivid, talkative beings. On Valentine’s Day, it’s all to easy to feel annoyed by couples advertising their deepest feelings with objects – or by the ever more elaborate stakes of social media ready proposals. But it’s important to remember, that we all hold at least one object close to our hearts – no matter how chic or shabby. And in this way, the stories we tell ourselves about the things we own remind us of the ways we love and are loved by others.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/89056/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/chloe-wigston-smith-429745">Chloe Wigston Smith</a>, Lecturer in 18th-century Literature, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-york-1344">University of York</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-value-diamond-rings-and-other-valentines-day-gifts-89056">original article</a>.

Retirement Income

Olympian Michael Diamond sells gold medal ahead of heart operation

Olympic shooter Michael Diamond is selling his gold medal from the 1996 Atlanta Games after suffering from a heart failure. The 47-year-old said he is currently awaiting a heart transplant at a Newcastle hospital following a “bizarre and alarming” diagnosis. “This is the greatest fight of my life,” he told <a href="https://www.newidea.com.au/olympian-michael-diamond-fights-for-life-after-shock-arrest">New Idea</a>. Diamond said he started noticing his health problems a month ago after suffering shortness of breath. An ultrasound at Gosford Hospital revealed that Diamond’s heart was functioning at just 15 per cent. “They told me I’m actually in line for a heart transplant,” he said. “I thought, I’m too young for that.” Diamond missed the selection for the 2016 Rio Olympics after he was charged with high-range drink driving, firearm offences and domestic violence offences. The conviction saw him banned from holding a firearm’s licence until 2017, when he successfully appealed against the conviction in Newcastle District Court. In the same year, the former champion sold his gold medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics to pay for the legal bills for $72,000. Auction house Leonard Joel announced on Monday that Diamond’s Atlanta medal would be auctioned on December 5. It is estimated to bring between $50,000 and $70,000. “I still have bills and I’ve still got to survive,” Diamond said. “It’s a pretty sobering feeling to have your heart fail on you … It puts things into check. “I do want to hang around. I want to see my kids get older and get married and I want to have grandchildren. I’d be very grateful for life.”

News

Dazzling in diamonds! Duchess Kate’s sweet nod to Princess Diana at Trump state banquet

The Duchess of Cambridge put on a dazzling display as she attended the Queen’s state banquet at Buckingham Palace. The royal opted for her favourite lover’s knot tiara which she paired with sparkly earrings and a white, ruffled Alexander McQueen gown. The mother-of-three arrived at the event with her husband Prince William as they prepared to meet President Trump and his wife Melania. Kate was seen conversing with the United States Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin as they walked through the East Gallery. <img style="width: 500px; height: 386.592418076676px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7827467/kate1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4f5393bf0d904da1b5a4f66499591479" /> Photo: Getty William was only a few metres ahead, engaged in conversation with Prime Minister Theresa May. The Duchess, who was gifted the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in April by the Queen, was seen wearing the honour on her extravagant gown. The state banquet included 150 other guests including the President’s children Ivanka Trump, Donald Jr and Eric and Lara Trump. Other attendees were invited due to their cultural, diplomatic or economic ties with the United States. The 37-year-old’s tiara is nothing out of the ordinary, as it was formerly owned by her late mother-in-law Princess Diana. <img style="width: 500px; height: 305.8086560364465px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7827468/kate2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ae65e63f06bc44d6bb5d138a578d5ff5" /> Photo: Getty Looking like the epitome of British royalty, Kate chose to go with her favourite designer Alexander McQueen for the occasion, and it proved to be a good choice. The sweetheart neckline and slightly off-the-shoulder finish complimented her look perfectly. The royal finished off her look by pinning her hair back in a graceful updo and a fresh face of makeup.

News

How this woman found her diamond ring will restore your faith that miracles do happen

Once you lose a diamond ring in a busy car park, there’s no going back. And that’s exactly what happened to Shelley Wells, who dropped her prized possession in a Louisiana car park in the US on December 5. Despite the item of jewellery being small, Shirley Ross, who was also in the same car park on the same day, stumbled across the ring. She discovered the diamond ring as she was getting out of her car, and luckily for Wells, Ross was adamant on returning it to its rightful owner. It was an innocent blunder, as Wells took off her ring to apply hand cream as she sat in her car. She placed the ring on her lap, and forgetting that it was there, she got out of the car and dropped it. The ring was a 20th-anniversary present from her husband. She soon realised the sentimental item was missing and went back to the car park to look for it, but unfortunately, had no luck. Speaking to local news station <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/local-news/shreveport-women-say-divine-intervention-led-to-lost-ring-s-return/1654182401" target="_blank">KTAL</a>, Wells said: “That night I got into bed and I said, ‘OK, I’m going to post it on Facebook’.” She took to social media to ask about her ring at 10:19pm, hoping desperately for a response. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FShelley.Jenkins.Wells%2Fposts%2F10216463357632406&width=500" width="500" height="528" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> With Ross having the ring in her possession, she thought to hand it to the store staff, so they could take care of it, but then a voice inside her told her to track down the owner herself. “As I looked at the ring, I said, ‘No, I can’t, I must pursue this,” she said. “I must find the owner of this ring.” Coincidentally, Ross was in this exact position before, as she had also taken off her wedding ring in a parked car and lost it. Unfortunately, Ross never found her ring, but that made her more determined to help deliver this one back to the woman who lost it. Ross’s daughter posted on Facebook exactly one minute after Wells at 10:20 pm about the found ring as she tried her best to find the owner. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsherri.collier%2Fposts%2F10156886430339324&width=500" width="500" height="480" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FShelley.Jenkins.Wells%2Fposts%2F10216467575217843&width=500" width="500" height="573" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FShelley.Jenkins.Wells%2Fposts%2F10216468368037663&width=500" width="500" height="242" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> Wells, who’s post was shared over 3200 times, reached out to Ross by December 6. And a few short hours later, the ring was back in her hands. “Thank you to the most wonderful lady who saw it in the parking lot and was honest enough [to] turn it in!” she wrote on Facebook. “I truly have been gifted a Christmas miracle!!”

Beauty & Style

Are you accidentally destroying your diamonds?

Whilst diamonds are one of the hardest substances on earth, they aren’t invincible. Mike Marty, director of online diamond and fine jewellery retailer Blue Nile, explained that women make many mistakes that are accidentally destroying their diamonds. To undo the damage, Mike shared some much-needed tips to keep your jewellery sparkling forever. 1. DO – Be cautious about the beauty products you use The first tip Mike told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5692843/Seattle-jeweler-reveals-dos-donts-diamonds-sparkling.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a>, is that you need to be careful about what lotions and hand creams you put on your hands. “Lotions, cosmetics, and perfumes may be beautiful but their effect on jewellery is another story,” he said. “Products can build up over time and cause your jewellery to lose its natural shine while harsh chemicals may weaken or discolour your precious metals. We recommend you remove your jewellery before applying your product.” 2. DO – Remove your jewellery before manual work If you are about to do a strenuous activity, make sure your jewellery is removed. He explained, “Damage to your diamonds is avoidable. Simply remove your jewellery before engaging in activities that might damage the stones. For example, gardening, cleaning, and even exercise can put your precious gems at risk.” 3. Do – Diamond inspections Whether your diamond is on a ring, earrings or necklace, Mike recommends doing inspections to see if there is any damage. The inspections don’t have to be frequent if you are not wearing your jewellery excessively, but it is important to make sure there has been no damage. “The more you wear your jewellery, the more often it should be inspected,” he said. “If you only wear the item once or twice a year, a simple eye-check before placing the item back into storage is acceptable.” 4. DON’T – Neglect your diamonds To make sure your diamond's condition will not worsen, you can also take them to a jeweller for an inspection. “To protect your valuables, we recommend that all jewellery, in particular rings, which tend to receive a significant amount of wear, are inspected every six months, and no less than once every 12 months,” said Mike. 5. DON’T – Forget to clean them Mike says the easiest way to dull the beautiful sparkle of your diamond is to let oil and dust build up. “We recommend cleaning and inspecting your jewellery often. Check your jewellery settings frequently to be sure that prongs aren't working loose. “Remove any oil and dust that has collected in the crevices behind your setting that may be dulling the beautiful sparkle,” he said. “Simple steps can keep your stone sparkling for a lifetime.” How do you care for your diamonds? Let us know in the comments below.

Beauty & Style

"This makes me smile" – Neil Diamond touched by New Zealand fans’ donations

Neil Diamond has revealed how happy he is to find out that some New Zealand fans are donating the refund money from tickets to his cancelled concerts to Parkinson’s disease research. Yesterday, Diamond announced his immediate retirement from touring after being diagnosed with the disease. His looming Australian and New Zealand tour, which was to begin in March, was cancelled as a result. Diamond’s wife and manager Katie McNeil took to Twitter to express her joy of the news that Australian and New Zealand fans were donating their refunded money to Parkinson’s research, animal rescue groups and fire victim funds. “My heart is so full of joy to see this silver lining,” McNeil said. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> This makes me smile. Thank you. Thank you to everyone for your outpouring of love and support. It makes a difference. <a href="https://t.co/TLZAa69q1B">https://t.co/TLZAa69q1B</a> — Neil Diamond (@NeilDiamond) <a href="https://twitter.com/NeilDiamond/status/955885442209140743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote> Diamond wrote, “This makes me smile. Thank you. Thank you to everyone for your outpouring of love and support. It makes a difference.” Neil Diamond fan Roseanne Holliday used her refund money to donate to the Shake It Up foundation in Australia, which is partnered with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research. “It is a small gesture and goes a little way to saying thank you to Neil for a soundtrack to my life,” Holliday said. “I’ve been listening to Neil Diamond for as long as I can remember. I grew up with my mum playing him in the 70s. “I’ve seen him 11 times in total, including once in San Diego just after September 11. That was an awesome night. I was going to the Sunshine Coast concert on March 22 and was heartbroken to hear the news about his diagnosis. I saw on Twitter where his wife Katie had been so touched by people from Australia and NZ pledging their refunds to go to a good cause and thought it was a brilliant idea. So this morning I did just the same and donated my ticket to Parkinson’s research here in Australia.” On Sunday, Diamond will make his first public appearance since the announcement at the Grammy Awards in New York. He will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, which had already been decided before this week’s shock reveal. Were you planning to see Neil Diamond in concert and awaiting a refund? Tell us in the comments below if you plan to donate your refund to Parkinson's research.

Caring

Elton John announces retirement

After almost 50 years of gracing stages around the world with his timeless music, Sir Elton John has announced his retirement. “This is the end,” he said. “I’ve had a good run, I think you’d admit that.” The biggest driving force behind Elton’s decision is a desire to spend more time with his husband, David Furnish, and two young children, who will be aged 10 and eight when his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour concludes. “I love them so much. I don’t want to miss them and I don’t want them to miss me,” he said. "My priorities now are my children and my husband and my family.” The 70-year-old icon says he hopes to go out “with a bang", announcing a massive three-year final world tour, which will come to Australia and New Zealand between December 2019 and February 2020. “It will be a wonderful way to thank people,” he said. “It’s a way of going out with a bang. I’m not the kind of guy to go out with a whimper.” The announcement comes just days after legendary singer Neil Diamond <a href="/entertainment/music/2018/01/neil-diamond-cancels-tour-after-shock-diagnosis/" target="_blank">revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease</a>, forcing him to cancel all future performances. For more information on his upcoming final world tour, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tours/971324269687321/" target="_blank">click here</a>.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/tours/971324269687321/)"> </a>

Music

Neil Diamond cancels tour after shock diagnosis

Legendary singer Neil Diamond has cancelled his tour of Australia and New Zealand (scheduled for March and April) after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He announced his retriment from touring through a statement posted on Tuesday. "It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring. I have been so honoured to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years," he said. The 76-year-old said he would continue to make music, but touring had become impossible. "This ride has been 'so good, so good, so good' thanks to you," he said. The decision to cancel his shows had been made on doctor's advice, he said. Refunds would be given. Garry Craft, Mission Concert event director at Mission Estate Winery in Napier, NZ, where tickets sold out, heard the news about midday on Tuesday. "We had no idea he was dealing with Parkinson's. It's obviously something he's become aware of quite recently, and I mean within the last week or two. "My understanding was that they were trying to get medication that would allow him to do at least the two New Zealand shows, but doctors said 'absolutely no way'," Craft said. "It's a very sad day for everyone, particularly Neil and his family," he said. Diamond released his first studio album in 1966, The Feel of Neil Diamond, and went on to become one of the highest-selling artist of all time, according to Billboard. He has released 32 albums since. His last release, apart from 2016's Christmas album, was Melody Road in 2014. All remaining shows of his 50 Year Anniversary Tour, including those in Australia and New Zealand, have been cancelled. The pop singer had already completed the European and American legs of his tour that started in April and included 55 dates. Promoters said all ticket holders would be refunded within 10 working days. Written by Glenn McConnell and Marty Sharpe. Republished with permission of <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

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"The beat goes on": Neil Diamond opens up about life with Parkinson’s

"Return our stolen diamonds!": Renewed pleas over the Great Star of Africa

Aussie miner discovers $102 million pink diamond

Neil Diamond's incredible rare treat for fans

How do pigeons find their way home? We looked in their ears with a diamond-based quantum microscope to find out

Woman finds record-busting diamond

Meghan and Harry’s subtle hint for baby’s gender

Iconic sitcom star dies just three weeks after cancer diagnosis

"Do it again!": The worst way to find out your diamond ring is fake

Coronavirus RNA found on cruise ship 17 days after passengers abandoned liner

Neil Diamond reworks ‘Sweet Caroline’ to encourage hand washing

Australians on board the Diamond Princess need to go into quarantine again: It’s time to reset the clock

Why we value diamond rings and other Valentine's Day gifts

Olympian Michael Diamond sells gold medal ahead of heart operation

Dazzling in diamonds! Duchess Kate’s sweet nod to Princess Diana at Trump state banquet

How this woman found her diamond ring will restore your faith that miracles do happen

Are you accidentally destroying your diamonds?

"This makes me smile" – Neil Diamond touched by New Zealand fans’ donations

Elton John announces retirement

Neil Diamond cancels tour after shock diagnosis

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Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

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Entertainment

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Keep up to date

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"The beat goes on": Neil Diamond opens up about life with Parkinson’s

"Return our stolen diamonds!": ﻿Renewed pleas over the Great Star of Africa ﻿

Aussie miner discovers $102 million pink diamond

Neil Diamond's incredible rare treat for fans

How do pigeons find their way home? We looked in their ears with a diamond-based quantum microscope to find out

Woman finds record-busting diamond

Meghan and Harry’s subtle hint for baby’s gender

Iconic sitcom star dies just three weeks after cancer diagnosis

"Do it again!": The worst way to find out your diamond ring is fake

Coronavirus RNA found on cruise ship 17 days after passengers abandoned liner

Neil Diamond reworks ‘Sweet Caroline’ to encourage hand washing

Australians on board the Diamond Princess need to go into quarantine again: It’s time to reset the clock

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Olympian Michael Diamond sells gold medal ahead of heart operation

Dazzling in diamonds! Duchess Kate’s sweet nod to Princess Diana at Trump state banquet

How this woman found her diamond ring will restore your faith that miracles do happen

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"This makes me smile" – Neil Diamond touched by New Zealand fans’ donations

Elton John announces retirement

Neil Diamond cancels tour after shock diagnosis

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"Return our stolen diamonds!": Renewed pleas over the Great Star of Africa