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“100 is just a number”: Centenarian’s sweet solution for a long and happy life

<p>When Shirley Goodman reached the milestone age of 100 years old, the last thing on her mind was slowing down. </p> <p>And the centenarian, who lives in Florida, has shared her advice for living a long and happy life - though what she had to say has taken many by surprise.</p> <p>Rather than stressing the importance of getting enough rest and following a strict diet, as we so often hear, Shirley believes her passion for having fun, doing what she enjoys, and eating her share of well-deserved treats to be the secret of her success. </p> <p>As Shirley told <em>Today</em>, “I feel great. 100 is just a number to me.”</p> <p>This is despite the two open-heart surgeries she has undergone - including a bypass, and the installation of a pacemaker and a stent. Shirley also experiences difficulties with her vision and her hearing, but nothing will keep her from embracing life and doing what she loves: dancing.</p> <p>“My legs are still working,” she said. “I’m an optimist. I try to do positive thinking all the time. That’s very important. I have a bracelet that says ‘Positivity’ on it. </p> <p>“I wear it every day and I try to stay positive.”</p> <p>She started dancing when she was just eight years old, even opening up her own dance school at 17. And while she did close down her business after marrying, she never gave it up, following her heart - and her dancing feet - in her free time instead. </p> <p>And in recent years, Shirley has taken that same passion to a whole new realm, establishing herself on the internet as ‘The Dancing Nana’. On Instagram, her family regularly share clips of Shirley dancing, and even participating in some viral internet trends, from doing ‘the floss dance’ to ‘the Tush Push’. </p> <p>It was the latter that propelled her to viral heights in 2019, when a clip surfaced of a then-96-year-old Shirley enjoying herself at her nephew’s wedding reception, outshining the younger guests on the dance floor with her spectacular footwork and twirls. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwLLINgB2uX/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/BwLLINgB2uX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The Dancing Nana (@the.dancing.nana)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“I would advise people,” she told <em>Today</em>, “if they like music at all, to keep it in their lives and don’t just sit home in a rocking chair.”</p> <p>“I attribute [my long life] mostly to two things. One is my family,” she later added, “I have a wonderful, devoted family. </p> <p>“And the jazz, the music down here in Sarasota, and my tap dancing. That’s what keeps me going.”</p> <p>And while Shirley has dabbled in other pursuits, dancing still holds the key to her heart, as nothing else quite took with her, with the 100-year-old confessing that she “wasn’t crazy” about golf, and played tennis until she was 90. </p> <p>“I only walk as far as my mailbox,” she added, “which is about five minutes.” </p> <p>She does, however, enjoy her share of yoga. Every morning, she FaceTimes her daughter for a session, and the two spend some mindful time together from their respective homes in Florida and New York.</p> <p>Another thing Shirley very much enjoys is a sweet treat. And as some longevity experts admitted to <em>Today</em>, many who reach impressive ages like Shirley don’t often focus on their recommended share of vitamins and other ‘healthy’ snacks.</p> <p>“I don’t eat healthy food,” Shirley admitted. “My kids would holler at me … but when I hit 90, they stopped bothering me.”</p> <p>As Shirley’s 71-year-old daughter Joan added, they all just assumed Shirley was going to outlive them, but that “you would not want to write a cookbook based on her nutritional recommendations. I think the secret is to enjoy what you’re eating.”</p> <p>Top of Shirley’s most loved menu is “anything that’s cooked in batter”, or some chocolate and other sweets of the like. She enjoys a piece of chocolate after each of her meals, and views breakfast as the perfect opportunity for a chocolate chip cookie - however, you won’t catch her nibbling on any dark varieties, as milk chocolate with some nuts is what she prefers to reach for. </p> <p>And when it comes to home cooked meals with some vegetables, Shirley isn’t a fan. </p> <p>“I say ‘cook’ is a four letter word, so I don’t cook very much,” said. “I eat very small portions, but I eat everything and anything I like.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

The reason some planes skip row numbers

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

Travel Tips

When’s the best time to use frequent flyer miles to book flights? Two economists crunched the numbers on maximizing their dollar value

<p>Traveling during major holidays like Thanksgiving can be expensive, since so many people want to see their friends and families, wherever they might be.</p> <p>It’s especially hard this year with <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL">inflation soaring</a> at the fastest pace since the early 1980s. Airline fares <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUSR0000SETG01#0">were up 43% in October</a> from a year earlier – only a <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.t02.htm">handful of categories increased by more</a>.</p> <p>One way to ease the blow to your wallet or purse is by using frequent flyer miles. While there’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2733384">quite a bit</a> of research on when is the <a href="https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/215872">best time to use cash</a> to buy flights, <a href="https://www.bu.edu/questrom/profile/huseyin-karaca/">we wondered</a> – as travel lovers – if there’s an optimal time to use miles. So with the help of <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HikpvLqt_M8OfXrCXta4rm76Z_JreLJt/view">our research assistant</a>, we investigated this question, with a focus on flights over the Thanksgiving holiday.</p> <h2>Americans return to the skies</h2> <p>The day before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days to travel in the U.S.</p> <p>Before the COVID-19 pandemic upended travel, the Transportation Security Administration <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus/passenger-throughput">screened 2.6 million people</a> on Thanksgiving eve of 2019, just shy of the 2.9 million record. While the number plunged in 2020 as demand dropped, it picked up to 2.3 million last year and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/this-thanksgiving-is-expected-to-be-one-of-the-busiest-for-travel-in-decades-11668532148">is expected to return</a> to pre-COVID-19 levels this year.</p> <p>The surge in demand, along with significantly higher jet fuel costs, are key factors in leading to more expensive air fares.</p> <p>To offset these higher costs, <a href="https://newsroom.wf.com/English/news-releases/news-release-details/2022/New-Study-Americans-Lean-Into-Credit-Card-Rewards-to-Offset-Rising-Costs--Including-Travel/default.aspx">many consumers</a> may turn to frequent flyer miles – whether accumulated from other travel or from credit cards – to avoid forking over so much cash.</p> <h2>Frequent flying 101</h2> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10253866.2015.1096095">Frequent flyer mile programs started</a> in the late 1970s after the <a href="https://www.faa.gov/about/history/brief_history">federal government stopped regulating</a> airfares. Before the change, fares, routes and schedules for all domestic flights were set by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board.</p> <p>Besides slashing fares, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/airline-frequent-flyer-miles-30-years/story?id=13616082">airlines reacted by creating frequent flyer programs</a>. Texas International Airlines, which ultimately merged with United, and Western Airlines, which later joined Delta, were among the first to institute frequent flyer programs.</p> <p>In a particular airline’s frequent flyer program, you earn miles when you fly with that airline. Many people get miles by using their credit cards as well. These accumulated miles can then be redeemed for free air travel.</p> <p>Frequent flyer programs were designed to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/02634509810199535">build customer loyalty</a>, as they provide a rebate to regular passengers. They are also <a href="https://hbr.org/1995/05/do-rewards-really-create-loyalty">meant to lock travelers</a> into a particular airline – since they have a strong incentive to only fly with that carrier.</p> <p>One downside is that many business flyers go out of their way to use their preferred airline, <a href="https://www.informs.org/About-INFORMS/News-Room/Press-Releases/Study-Finds-that-Frequent-Flyer-Programs-Increase-Cost-of-Business-Travel">which boosts their company’s travel costs</a>.</p> <p>And although airlines use frequent flyer programs to increase customer goodwill, they frequently <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/united-airlines-loyalty-program-status-update">change the rules and rewards</a>, which often <a href="https://www.inc.com/jason-aten/delta-just-announced-a-change-that-will-make-people-very-mad-its-actually-a-brilliant-move.html">frustrates customers</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2733384">Researchers have looked</a> at the <a href="https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/215872">optimal time to buy</a> airplane <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/s41272-019-00193-7">tickets</a> with cash. In general, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2022/08/31/best-time-to-book-a-cheap-flight/?sh=23fdd1e72ebc">they have found prices</a> tend to dip anywhere from two months to three weeks before the travel dates. Prices are highest for those who want to book their flights very early, to lock it in, and last-minute travelers booking just before their departure dates.</p> <h2>How frequent flyer miles compare</h2> <p>To see when’s the best time to book with miles, we looked at <a href="https://www.oag.com/busiest-routes-right-now">one of the busiest routes in the U.S.</a> – New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX). Each month, airlines have over a quarter of a million seats flying direct on that route. There are about 30 nonstop flights a day, run by <a href="https://www.aa.com/en-us/flights-from-new-york-to-los-angeles">three</a> <a href="https://www.delta.com/us/en/flight-deals/united-states-flights/flights-to-los-angeles">different</a> <a href="https://www.jetblue.com/destinations/los-angeles-california-flights">airlines</a>.</p> <p>Starting about three months before Thanksgiving, we collected weekly data from the online booking sites of these three airlines. We tracked the frequent flyer miles needed as well as the price for every coach flight scheduled to take place within one week of Thanksgiving.</p> <p>As miles are not interchangeable between airlines in general, we needed an alternative measure for more direct comparison between different airlines. So we calculated how much a frequent flyer mile is worth by dividing the number of frequent flyer miles needed by the ticket price. We then compared the dollar worth of 1,000 miles, depending on the airline, when the booking was made and the flight date.</p> <p><a href="http://businessmacroeconomics.com/">Economic theory</a> tells us that when there is lots of competition and the product is almost identical, competition should result in all businesses charging roughly the same price.</p> <p>That wasn’t what we found.</p> <p>In mid-October, Delta was asking 69,000 miles to fly the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. American Airlines was only asking 33,000 miles for roughly the same flight. This means if you have a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-travel-credit-cards/">general travel rewards credit card</a> that lets you use miles on different airlines, it pays to shop around.</p> <p>Just because an airline has a high price in miles doesn’t mean the price will not come down. At the start of November, Delta wanted 69,000 miles to fly at dinnertime on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. A week later the airline cut the price to 53,000 miles. A week after that, it was down to 36,500 miles, a price drop of almost 50% in two weeks.</p> <p>While in general the earlier you book, the better, booking too early can cost you. We found the best time to spend your frequent flyer miles for Thanksgiving travel was to book during the first week of October, which was about eight weeks out. In early October, 1,000 frequent flyer miles were worth over $14 in airfare. The last week of October, about four weeks before Thanksgiving, those same miles were only worth shy of $12.</p> <h2>The best day to fly</h2> <p>As for what is the best day on which to travel to get the most from your miles, there are two answers. On the Monday before Thanksgiving, your miles are typically worth the most, on average $15 per 1,000 miles. This is in sharp contrast to $11 for the day before Thanksgiving. However, flying Thanksgiving Day itself had required the lowest average number of miles, about 27,000 miles.</p> <p>If you haven’t booked flights yet, you may be too late to find the best value in frequent flyer miles. However, while we are still gathering and analyzing data, these tips look like they will hold up for future holidays.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/whens-the-best-time-to-use-frequent-flyer-miles-to-book-flights-two-economists-crunched-the-numbers-on-maximizing-their-dollar-value-194893" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Travel Tips

Woman wins lottery with her deceased mother’s numbers

<p dir="ltr">A woman has won the lottery by using her dead mother’s lucky numbers that she found when she was clearing out her late mum’s home. </p> <p dir="ltr">Kelly Firth, a mother-of-two from Halifax, UK, would buy her mother Carol's Lotto Hotpicks tickets every week before the 65-year-old died last year.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kelly didn't play the lottery herself, but months later she found her mother's numbers, 7, 17 and 37, written on a card while later clearing out her flat and decided to play them in a tribute to her mum. </p> <p dir="ltr">She bought numbers for Wednesday and Saturday draws but when her numbers didn't come up on the first draw, she ripped up the ticket and threw it away.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, she was stunned when three numbers came up on the weekend draw.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kelly believes it was a sign from her mother and was celebrating and shouting to Carol's ashes on her TV stand when her mother's favourite song - <em>You're Simply the Best </em>by Tina Turner - came on the radio.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kelly then had to sift through the garbage bin to find the discarded ticket, and was thrilled when her local shop accepted the taped-up winning ticket to claim her £1,600 prize, which she used to take her family on a holiday. </p> <p dir="ltr">Kelly said, “I still can't believe I won with mum's numbers.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“My daughter and I would nip to the shop for mum every week for her lottery.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“She had the same numbers on her little card that she gave me and always told me to put both sides on the numbers.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“We did the same numbers for mum for years and never - never did she win.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I decided to carry them on in remembrance of mum.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I couldn't believe I won when mum never did, and I just knew she was still around looking after me when the numbers came up.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I'm still in shock and always will be. It was a sign from mum and I still can't believe it.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Retirement Income

People who are bad with numbers often find it harder to make ends meet – even if they are not poor

<h2>The big idea</h2> <p>People who are bad with numbers are more likely to experience financial difficulties than people who are good with numbers. That’s according to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our analyses</a> of the <a href="https://wrp.lrfoundation.org.uk/explore-the-poll" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll</a>.</p> <p>In this World Risk Poll, people from 141 countries were asked if 10% was bigger than, smaller than or the same as 1 out of 10. Participants were said to be bad with numbers if they did not provide the correct answer – which is that 10% is the same as 1 out of 10. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Our analyses</a> found that people who answered incorrectly are often among the poorest in their country. Prior studies in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2010.02394.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United States</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-5890.2007.00052.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Kingdom</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2016.02.011" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Netherlands</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12294" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peru</a> had also found that people who are bad with numbers are financially worse off. But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our analyses of the World Risk Poll</a> further showed that people who are bad with numbers find it harder to make ends meet, even if they are not poor.</p> <p>When we say that they found it harder to make ends meet, we mean that they reported on the poll that they found it difficult or very difficult to live on their current income, as opposed to living comfortably or getting by on their current income.</p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Our analyses</a> also indicate that staying in school longer is related to better number ability. People with a high school degree tend to be better with numbers than people without a high school degree. And college graduates do even better. But even among college graduates there are people who are bad with numbers – and they struggle more financially.</p> <p>Of course, being good with numbers is not going to help you stretch your budget if you are very poor. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We found</a> that the relationship between number ability and struggling to make ends meet holds across the world, except in low-income countries like Ethiopia, Somalia and Rwanda.</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>The ability to understand and use numbers is also called <a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190861094.001.0001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">numeracy</a>. Numeracy is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/1f029d8f-en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">central to modern adult life</a> because numbers are everywhere.</p> <p>A lot of well-paying jobs involve working with numbers. People who are bad with numbers often perform worse in these jobs, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.12873" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banking</a>. It can therefore be hard for people who are bad with numbers to <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1108/00400919710164125" target="_blank" rel="noopener">find employment and progress in their jobs</a>.</p> <p>People who are bad with numbers are less likely <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/39/19386.short" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to make good financial decisions</a>. Individuals who can’t compute how interest compounds over time <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.2009.01518.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">save the least and borrow the most</a>. People with poor numerical skills are also more likely <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.41.3.586" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to take on high-cost debt</a>. If you’re bad with numbers, it is hard to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474747215000232" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recognize</a> that paying the US$30 minimum payment on a credit card with a $3,000 balance and an annual percentage rate of 12% means it will never be paid off.</p> <h2>What still isn’t known</h2> <p>It is clear that people who are bad with numbers also tend to struggle financially. But we still need to explore whether teaching people math will help them to avoid financial problems.</p> <h2>What’s next</h2> <p>In her book “<a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190861094.001.0001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Innumeracy in the Wild</a>,” Ellen Peters, director of the Center for Science Communication Research at the University of Oregon, suggests that it is important for students to take math classes. American high school students who had to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.51.3.0113-5410R1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take more math courses</a> than were previously required had better financial outcomes later in life, such as avoiding bankruptcy and foreclosures.</p> <p>Successfully teaching numeracy also means helping students gain confidence in using numbers. People with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1903126116" target="_blank" rel="noopener">low numerical confidence</a> experience bad financial outcomes, such as a foreclosure notice, independent of their numeric ability. This is because they may not even try to take on complex financial decisions.</p> <p>Numerical confidence can be boosted in different ways. Among American <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.41.3.586" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elementary school children</a> who were bad with numbers, setting achievable goals led to better numerical confidence and performance. Among American <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180674" target="_blank" rel="noopener">undergraduate students</a>, a writing exercise that affirmed their positive values improved their numerical confidence and performance.</p> <p>Other important next steps are to find out whether training in numeracy can also be provided to adults, and whether training in numeracy improves the financial outcomes of people who do not live in high-income countries.</p> <div> <p><em><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-who-are-bad-with-numbers-often-find-it-harder-to-make-ends-meet-even-if-they-are-not-poor-172272" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> </div>

Money & Banking

Why the penguins are out in record-breaking numbers

<p dir="ltr">Australia’s Phillip Island, home to the world’s smallest penguins, has been the site of a record-breaking “penguin parade”, with over 5,200 birds crossing the beach in a single night.</p> <p dir="ltr">Every day at dusk, some of these penguins make the trip to their nesting grounds on-shore after hunting for fish, squid, kill and small crustaceans in the ocean in an event that regularly draws large numbers of tourists.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Penguin viewing has occurred at the same location for over 50 years and the birds have been habituated to nightly activity over time,” Paula Wasiak, a Phillip Island Nature Parks field researcher, told <em><a href="https://www.livescience.com/record-breaking-penguin-parade-australia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Live Science</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">On May 3, 5,219 of the 40-centimetre-tall penguins stormed the beach toward their burrows in less than an hour.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We couldn’t believe our eyes when more than 5,000 penguins came out of the water in less than an hour,” Wasiak said in a <a href="https://www.penguins.org.au/about/media/latest-news/new-news-page-36/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The penguin extravaganza comes just a week after the record for the island’s largest penguin parade was broken, when 4,592 penguins came ashore all at one on April 29 according to Wasiak.</p> <p dir="ltr">Overall, May has seen multiple parades with surprisingly high numbers, with 3,000 to 5,000 birds marching each night.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s been a penguin party night after night, which is unusual for this time of year, let alone in record numbers like we are seeing now,” Wasiak said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Historically, the larger parades tend to take place in November and December during peak breeding season, according to the Penguin Foundation.</p> <p dir="ltr">As for why they’re coming together in such large numbers lately, it might be to do with this year’s La Niña event.</p> <p dir="ltr">Little penguins primarily eat small fish, such as anchovies, which can only live in a narrow temperature range, according to Wasiak.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It suggests that during La Niña years, the ocean conditions around Phillip Island are often ideal for an abundant supply of fish/food close to shore,” she told Live Science.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, Wasiak said the turnout could also be related to another phenomenon called the “autumn breeding attempt”, where older penguins attempt to breed outside of mating season and results in more penguins heading out to forage, or improvements in the island’s habitat.</p> <p dir="ltr">“One of the main areas we’re seeing an increase in penguin attendance is to the east of the colony. In the past, poor habitat erosion in this area meant penguins had difficulty accessing and nesting there,” she explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A lot of work has gone into improving dune structure, creating penguin pathways and restoring habitat, which is now paying off.”</p> <p dir="ltr">If you can’t make it to the island for the nightly parades, you can also watch livestreams on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/phillipislandnatureparks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/pipenguinparade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-34818260-7fff-38dc-9520-442a4219e3ca"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Phillip Island Nature Parks</em></p>

Domestic Travel

True number of Covid deaths revealed

<p dir="ltr">A new report from the World Health Organisation estimates that the true death toll from COVID-19 - both directly and indirectly - over the past two years was nearly 15 million, which is more than double the official death toll of six million.</p> <p dir="ltr">A majority of those who died were in southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas, with 68 percent of deaths concentrated in just ten countries.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s Director-General, described the figure as “sobering” in the report and said it highlighted the need for countries to invest in their health systems to ensure essential health services could continue during crises such as the pandemic.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These sobering data not only point to the impact of the pandemic but also to the need for all countries to invest in more resilient health systems that can sustain essential health services during crises, including stronger health information systems,” Dr Ghebreyesus said in a <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/05-05-2022-14.9-million-excess-deaths-were-associated-with-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-2020-and-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Scientists at the WHO estimated that the “excess mortality” - the difference between the number of deaths expected without a pandemic occurring and the number of deaths that occurred - ranged from 13.3 to 16.6 million deaths between January 1, 2020 and December 21, 2021.</p> <p dir="ltr">This number is made up of both people who died as a result of a COVID-19 infection and those who died indirectly, including people unable to access preventative care and treatment because health systems were overburdened by the pandemic.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though the WHO didn’t break down the numbers for direct and indirect deaths, they were broken down by age and sex - with a higher death toll for men and older adults than women and young people.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This may seem like just a bean-counting exercise, but having these WHO numbers is so critical to understanding how we should combat future pandemics and continue to respond to this one,” said Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at Yale University who wasn’t involved in the WHO research, per <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/news/coronavirus/who-releases-sobering-number-of-actual-covid-19-fatalities--and-its-more-than-double-the-official-death-toll-c-6697312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The figures from the WHO come as other experts continue to speculate on whether we can truly know how many people have died COVID-19 accurately, due to limited testing and differences in how countries count and record COVID-19 deaths.</p> <p dir="ltr">For example, a team of Canadian researchers recently published a study in the Lancet that estimated that there were more than three million unaccounted Covid deaths in India alone.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, India and several other countries have disputed the WHO’s methodology for counting deaths, arguing against the idea that deaths were much higher than official counts.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the ongoing debate, Dr Ko said better figures from the WHO might also explain lingering questions about the pandemic, including why Africa appeared to be least affected by the virus despite its low vaccination rate.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Were the mortality rates so low because we couldn’t count the deaths or was there some other factor to explain that?” he queried.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Bharat Pankhania, a public health specialist at the University of Exeter, echoed Dr Ko’s theory, saying we may never know the true death toll for various reasons.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When you have a massive outbreak where people are dying in the streets because of a lack of oxygen, bodies were abandoned or people had to be cremated quickly because of cultural beliefs, we end up knowing just how many people died,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Pankhania added that although estimated death tolls from Covid paled in comparison to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic’s estimated 100 million deaths, the cost of Covid could be more damaging in the long term as the burden of long-Covid increases.</p> <p dir="ltr">“With the Spanish flu, there was the flu and then there were some (lung) illnesses people suffered, but that was it,” he explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There was not an enduring immunological condition that we’re seeing right now with COVID-19.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-dd69d0c0-7fff-fc66-1804-0adafc2928fc"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“We do not know the extent to which people with long-Covid will have their lives cut short and if they will have repeated infections that will cause them even more problems.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

Buckle up! Number of Australia-NZ flights set to rise

<p dir="ltr">Flights from Australia to New Zealand <a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/latest/new-zealand-qantas-and-jetstar-to-ramp-up-flights-to-new-zealand/39f3aa8c-3bc7-42e5-a0c3-360843a3ae3f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are set to increase</a> after it was announced vaccinated Aussies would be allowed to travel to their Kiwi neighbour from mid-April.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8e056de9-7fff-a6cb-d336-5249d82c3299"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the border would reopen from 11.59pm on April 12, nearly a year after the short-lived trans-Tasman bubble between the two countries first opened.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbJMv83lJrA/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/tv/CbJMv83lJrA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by New Zealand (@purenewzealand)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">In response, Qantas and Jetstar plan to run up to 30 return flights a week from mid-April.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though nowhere near the more than 170 return services offered a week before the global pandemic, it’s a significant increase after the closure of the travel bubble and a sign of the industry’s recovery.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a statement, Qantas said it would be operating daily flights between Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney to Auckland, and between Sydney and Christchurch.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, Jetstar will be offering three weekly flights from the Gold Coast to Auckland.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b2773d88-7fff-c776-2c08-2762470eadd0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">But the travel opportunities will continue to grow during May and June, when the airlines will resume flights to Queenstown and Wellington.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CbJ2QwbO56Y/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/CbJ2QwbO56Y/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jetstar Australia (@jetstaraustralia)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">It is also said that Qantas will continue to offer a flexible booking policy for trans-Tasman flights which allows for unlimited flight date changes on flights booked before June 30 for travel until December 31, 2022.</p> <p dir="ltr">With Aussies accounting for 40 percent of the tourists entering New Zealand each year, it’s sure to be a decision welcomed by the local tourism industry and those who have been itching to travel for the last two years.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-7b8399b4-7fff-e02a-41fd-362d5429a347"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @jetstarnz (Instagram)</em></p>

Domestic Travel

The immigration numbers bidding war is pointless – there are limits to how many migrants Australia can accept

<p>Since late last year, various business lobby groups, the <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/australia-needs-explosive-surge-of-2-million-migrants-20211011-p58z0n" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NSW government</a>, management consultant <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/skilled-migrant-cap-stifles-economy-kpmg-analysis/news-story/dbeec35037ef1b117114bb8e6bdad394" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KPMG</a>, the <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/migration-boost-critical-to-recovery-business-council-20220217-p59xfc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Business Council</a> and now a number of <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-we-open-up-lets-open-up-big-top-economists-say-we-need-more-migrants-177359" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economists</a> have been throwing numbers around, talking up the need for higher levels of immigration.</p> <p>I have written previously on the <a href="https://johnmenadue.com/australias-facile-immigration-policy-debate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">facile nature</a> of the immigration debate in Australia, on the part of both the groups calling for “immigration to be cut wherever possible” and the groups calling for a bigger Australia.</p> <p>The problem is the debate focuses on targets and numbers for permanent migration, often confusing this permanent migration program with what matters for population which is net migration. At the same time, too little attention is paid to how migration targets would be delivered, the risks involved, and how the risks would be managed.</p> <p>So let’s start with basics.</p> <h2>What matters is net migration</h2> <p>The <a href="https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official migration program</a> reflects the number of permanent resident visas issued in any one year, irrespective of whether the person is already in Australia (perhaps for a long time on a different sort of visa) or has been living overseas.</p> <p>Over the past 15 years, more than half of these permanent resident visas have been issued to people who have already been living long-term in Australia.</p> <p><a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/migration-australia/latest-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Net migration</a> as calculated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics is a measure of long-term and permanent arrivals, including new people issued these visas, less departures of people who have been living long-term in Australia and intend to remain overseas for 12 out of the next 16 months.</p> <p>It is blind to visa status or citizenship.</p> <p>Net migration can fall sharply even when the migration program is large, as happened in <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/migration-australia/latest-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2014-15</a> when we had one of the largest permanent migration programs in Australia’s history, yet net migration fell to 180,000.</p> <p>A sharp fall in net migration is usually associated with a weak labour market leading to large outflows of Australians, or Australians deciding not to return, as happened in 1975-76, 1982-83, 1991-92 and 2008-09.</p> <p>On the other hand, even when the migration program is being cut, net migration can be forecast to rise. This is what happened in the 2019 budget, when Treasury forecast the <a href="https://archive.budget.gov.au/2019-20/bp1/download/bp1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highest</a> sustained level of net migration in our history, after a year in which the migration program was <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/plan-australias-future-population" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut</a> from 190,000 to 160,000 per year.</p> <h2>How many migrants, and which ones?</h2> <p>Before discussing the various immigration targets that have recently been proposed, it’s useful to understand the government’s current forecasts and how it intends to deliver them – something surprisingly few do.</p> <p>The 2021-22 program has been set at <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/plan-australias-future-population" target="_blank" rel="noopener">160,000</a> per year. But Treasury’s 2021 Population Statement assumed to increase to <a href="https://population.gov.au/publications/statements/2021-population-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">190,000</a> per year from 2023-24.</p> <p>There is no official government commitment to this increase to 190,000 – and there probably won’t be ahead of the election. There has also been no indication of the composition of this larger program, or what might be needed to deliver it.</p> <p>Planning documents say the 2021-22 migration program will be <a href="https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">split evenly</a> between the family stream and the skill stream. This is because the government is at last clearing the very large <a href="https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/home-affairs-and-the-great-partner-visa-cover-up,14574" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backlog</a> of partner applications it (unlawfully in my view) allowed to build up.</p> <p>If the planned 72,000 partner visas in 2021-22 are delivered, the government might only need to allocate around 50,000 places for partners in future years because it will have cleared much of the backlog it has allowed to build up, which will result in a future overall family stream of around 60,000.</p> <p>This means that to deliver its total program of 160,000 from 2022-23, the government will need an extra 22,000 skilled migrants, and from 2023-24 when the total program increases to 190,000, an extra 52,000 skilled migrants.</p> <p>The current skill stream planning level of 79,600 has four main components.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/learn-about-sponsoring" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Employer-sponsored migration</a>: 23,503</li> </ul> <p>There is scope to boost the number of these visas by processing them faster. However, even with a very strong labour market, it is highly unlikely that demand would rise much above 35,000 per year, especially if a more robust minimum salary requirement and strong monitoring of compliance with employer obligations are re-introduced to minimise the risk of wage theft.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/business-innovation-and-investment-188" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Business innovation and investment</a>: 11,198</li> </ul> <p>The passive investment subset of these visas, which provides visas to people who make a financial investment for a set period of time, is essentially a “<a href="https://johnmenadue.com/abul-rizvi-business-migration-should-focus-on-establishing-businesses-not-passive-investment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">buy a visa</a>” scheme. It should be either abolished or modified to ensure active investment.</p> <p>I resisted establishment of the passive investment component until I left the department of immigration in 2007. Long-term, removing it would cut the number of business innovation and investment visas to around 5,000 per year.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/the-folly-of-the-global-talent-independent-visa,14617" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global talent independent</a> 9,584</li> </ul> <p>This visa is highly susceptible to cronyism and corruption and attracts few migrants who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for other more robust visa categories. It should either be abolished or pared back to a few hundred per year for highly exceptional candidates.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/immigration-update-australian-states-open-skilled-visa-nomination-programs-for-2021-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">State and government sponsored and regional</a> 27,853</li> </ul> <p>While the labour market is strong, there would be merit in increasing the allocation of places for these visas, as state governments are well placed to understand the needs of their jurisdictions. But it is unlikely they would be able to fill more than an additional 10,000 places per year, given the occupational targeting and employment criteria they have in place.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skilled-independent-189" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Skilled independent</a> 7,213</li> </ul> <p>Once again, while the labour market is strong, there is scope to increase the size of this category, but there are also risks that would need to be managed.</p> <p>As these migrants have no confirmed job and face a four year wait for access to social security, diluting criteria for this visa to increase the numbers would mean a rising portion would struggle to secure a skilled job.</p> <p>Those with options may leave to another country where job prospects are stronger. Others would be forced to take whatever job they can, including at exploitative wages.</p> <p>In my experience, increasing the size of this visa category to more than around 25,000 would involve substantial risks, especially if the labour market weakens once current stimulus measures are removed.</p> <h2>190,000 won’t be easy to deliver</h2> <p>In total, what I foresee gives us a skill stream of around 100,000. Together with a family stream of 60,000, that provides only enough to fill the existing program of 160,000 per year – not enough to increase it to the 190,000 proposed by Treasury or the 220,000 proposed by the <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/migration-boost-critical-to-recovery-business-council-20220217-p59xfc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Business Council of Australia</a>.</p> <p>Those proposing much higher levels of immigration need to demonstrate how they would be delivered and how the risks of what might be a weaker labour market would be managed.</p> <p>And they need to acknowledge that the size of the migration program doesn’t determine net migration. That’s in large measure determined by the economy and how many Australians and migrants decide to leave, decide to stay overseas, or decide to return.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ae1ef28e-7fff-389a-6f8f-8f6041e09f20">This article originally appeared on The Conversation.</span></p>

Travel Trouble

What hackers can do with just your phone number

<p><strong>Your number can be used in many malicious ways</strong></p> <p>Your phone number is an easy-to-find key that can be used by hackers and scammers to unlocking your personal data. They can also use your number in many other malicious ways.</p> <p>I used to think that maybe, at best, a person could possibly find my name and address using my phone number. I was wrong. Recently, someone I don’t know used my phone number to find out the private details of my life, then emailed me everything they had discovered.</p> <p>With just my phone number this person found out where I live, my previous addresses, information on if I’ve ever been evicted, some personal financial information, a map of my neighbourhood, and my birth date. They even found the only speeding ticket I’ve ever had, way back in 2006. It was disturbing, to say the least.</p> <p>I felt, and still feel, violated. I reported the person to the social media site they contacted me through and blocked them, but is there more I can do?</p> <p>After contacting some security experts for their take, it turns out that finding important details about someone’s life with just a phone number is incredibly alarmingly easy…and profitable.</p> <p>“In the wrong hands, your phone number can be used to steal your identity and take over almost every online account you have,” Veronica Miller, cybersecurity expert at VPN overview, tells Reader’s Digest.</p> <p>There are several ways a hacker can use a phone number to turn your life upside down. Here are some ways criminals can target you.</p> <p><strong>Data mining the easy way</strong></p> <p>The easiest way to use your phone number maliciously is by simply typing it into a people search site. Sites like these can reveal personal information about you in less than a few seconds, according to tech expert Burton Kelso.</p> <p>People search sites, purchase your personal information and then sell it to people who want your data, like hackers with your phone number.</p> <p>The information found through these sites includes your address, bankruptcies, criminal records and family member’s names and addresses. All of this can be used for blackmail, stalking, doxing or identity theft.</p> <p><strong>Rerouting your number</strong></p> <p>Another tactic is to contact your mobile carrier provider claiming to be you, said Miller. Then, the hacker can make it so your number routes to their phone. From there, the hacker will log into your email account. Of course, they don’t have your password, but they don’t need it.</p> <p>They just click “Forgot your password” and get the reset link sent to their phone that now uses your phone number. Once the hacker has access to your email account, it’s easy to gain access to any of your accounts.</p> <p>While many service providers have some security features to prevent scammers from switching phones, if the person has your phone number, though, they may be able to find enough information about you to get past the security questions.</p> <p><strong>Spoofing</strong></p> <p>There were billions of scam calls in 2019, according to data collected by YouMail, and scammers are getting smarter. Now they are using a technique called spoofing to make it easier to scam you. Spoofing is when someone makes your phone number pop up on a caller ID when it really isn’t you that’s making the call.</p> <p>For example, a scammer once spoofed my daughter’s phone number to make me think she was calling me. The goal was to trick me into answering the phone. It worked, because what if it was an emergency and my daughter needed me?</p> <p>When a scammer gets you to pick up, they have the chance to trick you into whatever scheme they’ve come up with, like tricking you into giving them your credit card information.</p> <p>It doesn’t take much to spoof a phone number. There are apps and websites that allow scammers to simply type in a phone number and make a call. It’s super easy and quick, which makes it appealing to scammers.</p> <p><strong>Texting scams</strong></p> <p>Scammers can also use your phone number to send you malicious text messages. This type of scam is called ‘smishing’, according to digital privacy expert Ray Wallsh.</p> <p>In these texts, scammers can send links that can infect your phone with malware that can steal your personal information, or they can straight-up scam you by pretending to be your bank, the IRS, or your doctor.</p> <p>Posing as someone you trust, the scammers will then try to trick you into giving them personal information and credit card numbers.</p> <p><strong>How to protect yourself</strong></p> <p>All of the experts I contacted recommended that to combat your phone number being misused, share it as little as possible. “Many apps and services require a cell number for verification at sign up. By handing your data to these apps, services and businesses, you increase the likelihood that your phone number will be passed on to third parties and data aggregators,” said Wallsh. Limit giving out your phone number to friends and family and your doctor.</p> <p>For everyone else, you need a virtual number that can forward calls to your phone so you don’t need to give anyone your real number that is linked to your personal information. You can set up a virtual number for free through Google Voice or through services like Burner.</p> <p>Also, never click on links sent to you in text messages, even if they look like they were sent from a trusted contact. If your bank, credit card company, doctor or service you use contacts you through text, call them using a verified number from their website to confirm the communication was truly sent from them to avoid malware or scams.</p> <p>To protect yourself from hackers rerouting your number, ask your mobile carrier to add an extra layer of security like a password or PIN number to your account, advises Miller.</p> <p>All of these steps can help keep your personal information private, but it only works to a point. Your personal data has probably already been sold to people search sites and while you can send these sites requests to remove your information, it’s a huge task. Plus, the site may simply repost your information later.</p> <p>So, in the end, there may not be a way to completely prevent hackers and scammers from getting access to your phone number. Knowing what someone can do with your number, though, can help you avoid scams and protect your information from being more widely spread.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/true-stories-lifestyle/science-technology/what-hackers-can-do-with-just-your-phone-number" target="_blank">Reader's Digest</a>.</em></p>

Technology

Bathroom floor for royal baby number three

<p>Zara and Mike Tindall have welcomed another child together, a little boy named Lucas Philip Tindall.</p> <p>The Queen and Prince Philip are "delighted" Buckingham Palace has said.</p> <p>The proud new father confirmed the details in his podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, announcing his wife gave birth at home on Sunday, March 21 at 6pm.</p> <p>"Arrived very quickly - didn't make it to hospital - on the bathroom floor," he said, in the first podcast announcement of a royal baby.</p> <p>"Crazy weekend, wasn't it? Saturday, lovelocks all the rugby. Obviously Scotland, absolutely, actually I was genuinely angry after the England game.</p> <p>"And then Sunday got even better because a little baby boy arrived at my house."</p> <p>A spokesperson for the couple also confirmed the news, saying, "Zara and Mike Tindall are happy to announce the birth of their third child, Lucas Philip Tindall."</p> <p>The name is a nod to Mike's father Philip and Zara's grandfather, Prince Philip. This is the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's tenth great-grandchild.</p> <p>Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of the Queen and the Duke, saying they are "delighted" by the news.</p> <p>They "look forward to meeting their 10th great-grandchild when circumstances allow", a spokesman added.</p> <p>Mike told his podcast co-hosts a friend helped them welcome the 8lbs 4oz (3.74kg) tot at their home on the royal Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire.</p> <p>"Zara's friend Dolly is, she's actually more important than I am at making sure she's been at every three of my children's births — she was there and recognised that we wouldn't have got to the hospital in time, so it was run into the gym, get a mat, get into the bathroom, get the mat on the floor, get the towels down, brace brace brace!" he said</p> <p>"Fortunately the midwife that was going to meet us at the hospital wasn't that far away so she drove up, got there just as we'd assumed the position, and then the second midwife arrived just after the head had arrived!"</p> <p>This is the third child for the couple, who are already parents to Mia, born 2014, and Lena, born 2018.</p>

Family & Pets

“Here we go again”: Wonder Woman Gal Gadot’s baby number three

<p>Gal Gadot has spilled major baby news, revealing baby number three is on the way!</p> <p>The <em>Wonder Woman</em> star announced the blissful news on Monday through a social media post.</p> <p>"Here we go again," Gadot wrote alongside a family photo of her, husband Yaron Varsano and their two daughters: Alma, nine, and Maya, three.</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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CL4gL66BkgF/?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/CL4gL66BkgF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Gal Gadot (@gal_gadot)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Gal does not let her family into the public very often, she is not shy from gushing about her two girls in interviews and even let them feature in a special scene for <em>Wonder Woman 1984.</em></p> <p>Her husband Varsano, along with Alma and Maya appeared right at the end of the film where during the Christmas scene you can see Gadot’s oldest throwing a snowball and accidentally hitting Diana.</p> <p>A few minutes later, viewers got to see the actress’ husband standing next to their two-year-old daughter while she rides a merry-go-round.</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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJc4cJJB-8T/?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/CJc4cJJB-8T/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Gal Gadot (@gal_gadot)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"It meant a lot, especially in that very special scene," Gadot said.</p> <p>"To have them captured in the film with me, because they are a part of it, meant a lot, and it's an amazing, amazing souvenir that we will forever cherish."</p> <p>Gadot and Varsano married in 2008.</p>

Family & Pets

British royal family "delighted" by Sussex baby number two

<p>The Prince of Wales is delighted to be a grandpa for the fifth time as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they are expecting their second child together.</p> <p>“We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child,” a spokesperson for the couple said.</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/CLSL_aqARfv/?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/CLSL_aqARfv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Misan Harriman (@misanharriman)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"Meg, I was there at your wedding to witness this love story begin, and my friend, I am honoured to capture it grow," Harriman<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLSL_aqARfv/" target="_blank">wrote</a><span> </span>on Instagram. "Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on this joyous news!"</p> <p>The Queen is also delighted to meet her 10th great-grandchild.</p> <p>"Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and entire family [are] ‘delighted’ and wish them well," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson tells<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a35502136/queen-elizabeth-meghan-markle-prince-harry-second-baby-pregnant-reaction/" target="_blank"><em>T&C</em></a>.</p>

Family & Pets

Baby number two! Pippa Middleton's exciting news

<p>Pippa Middleton is “thrilled” to be pregnant with her second child, according to Page Six.</p> <p>The younger sister of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, already has a two-year-old son Arthur with husband James Matthews.</p> <p>The newborn will be the cousin of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.</p> <p>A source close to the family told the<span> </span><em>NY Post</em>, “Pippa and James are thrilled, it’s fantastic news amid a difficult year. The entire family is delighted.”</p> <p>The couple tied the knot in 2017 and currently reside in London.</p> <p>It is said they are about to purchase a 72-acre country estate called Bucklebury Farm Park in Berkshire.</p> <p>They currently live in a $29 million mansion in up-market Chelsea, London.</p>

Family & Pets

“It doesn’t look half bad”: Fake number plate draws acclaim

<p>An Ohio man’s uniquely creative approach to rustling up a fake licence plate has drawn laughs – and some acclaim – from around the world after he was booked by US police when they spotted something a little off with his number plate.</p> <p>The driver was pulled over in Millersburg, Ohio, on September 2, and at the time a Millersburg highway patrol officer said in a statement on Facebook: “Something just didn’t seem right about this particular licence plate.”</p> <p>It turns out – yep, you guessed it – the driver’s licence plate had been completely drawn on, and quite realistically too.</p> <p>“After further investigation it was determined that the driver of the vehicle had no insurance and was driving on a suspended licence,” police explained further, before adding: “Pro Tip: Don’t forget to draw the registration sticker.”</p> <p>While the ultimate penalty handed down to this particular driver remains unknown, reactions to his creative effort had people on Facebook highly amused.</p> <p>“I ain’t even mad,” commented one woman, “that’s dedication.”</p> <p>Another man added “you can’t knock that effort”.</p> <p>And even more went on to comment that the hand-drawn effort was actually surprisingly well done.</p> <p>“I mean... it doesn’t look half bad, if I’m being real,” wrote one commenter.</p> <p>“From art class to the jail house,” said another.</p> <p>Many others agreed that the police could perhaps have spent their time catching more serious perpetrators.</p> <p><strong>Image:</strong> Facebook / Millersburg Police</p>

Travel Trouble

Keith Urban surprises fans by giving them his number

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Country music star Keith Urban has won the hearts of fans by asking them to send him a text.</p> <p>He put up a snap on Instagram of a Polaroid with a US phone number, explaining that fans should “shoot me a text”.</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/CADyIcLpcWc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CADyIcLpcWc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Shoot me a text! 615-240-2938</a></p> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/keithurban/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Keith Urban</a> (@keithurban) on May 11, 2020 at 12:21pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The reply, according to<span> </span>Now To Love, is instant but automated and unfortunately, fans outside the US can’t access the latest service.</p> <p>"Hi! Glad you're here. I can't text internationally just yet but fill out your contact info so we can text you as soon as it's available,” the automated text said.</p> <p>The link leads fans to a site called<span> </span>Community, that describes itself as "a new conversation platform enabling direct and instant communication at massive scale, all through text messaging."</p> <p>Other stars, such as the band OneRepublic, have jumped on board, with lead singer of the band Ryan Tedder explaining to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.billboard.com/amp/articles/business/8543190/why-hundreds-music-stars-giving-fans-phone-numbers-community-app" target="_blank">Billboard</a><span> </span>why they use the platform.</p> <p>"We captured over 20% of our audience at Red Rocks and immediately had so much more engagement than we've ever had with Instagram and Twitter," Ryan explained.</p> <p>"Nobody else should have your fan's information other than you -- the fact that Facebook owns all of it and we can't have access to it unless we want to pay exorbitant fees is ridiculous."</p> <p>There’s no word as to when the service will be in Australia or New Zealand as of yet, but fans of Urban should keep their eyes peeled.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Music

What does your heart rate number really mean?

<p>The rise of <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/wearable-technology-5180">wearable fitness trackers</a> has increased the number of people monitoring their heart rate, both throughout the day and during exercise.</p> <p>Whether you’re an athlete trying to gain the <a href="https://theconversation.com/wearable-technologies-help-olympians-achieve-top-performance-91721">competitive edge</a>, a weekend warrior tracking progress or someone who is just trying to improve your health, consider heart rate a valuable tool in understanding the work of your amazing body as it achieves those first steps, that next 5K or even Olympic gold.</p> <p>Heart rate is one of your body’s most basic vital signs, yet many people have questions about what heart rate really tells them. What should your target heart rate be during exercise? Does it even matter?</p> <p><strong>1. What is your heart rate?</strong></p> <p>First, the basics: Your <a href="https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/the-facts-about-high-blood-pressure/all-about-heart-rate-pulse">heart rate</a>, also sometimes called your pulse rate, is the number of times your heart contracts per minute.</p> <p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uXcM0scAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Physiologists like me</a> focus on the contractions of the left ventricle, the chamber of the heart that generates pressure to drive blood out through the aorta and on to the entire body. The heart’s pumping capacity directly relates to its ability to deliver oxygen to the body’s organs.</p> <p>If you’re running up the stairs or hauling something heavy, your muscles and organs are going to need more oxygen to help power your actions. And so your heart beats faster.</p> <p><strong>2. How do you measure heart rate?</strong></p> <p>The easiest way to measure heart rate is <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-check-heart-rate#target-heart-rates">to find your pulse</a> and count the number of pulses felt over the course of one minute.</p> <p>In adults, the best places to feel for a pulse are large arteries that are near the surface of the skin, such as the carotid at the side of your neck or the radial on the underside of your wrist. If feeling for the carotid pulse, don’t press hard enough to disrupt blood flow to and from the head.</p> <p>More recently, watches and other wrist-based fitness monitors have incorporated optical sensors to track heart rate. These <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204666">wearable devices</a> use technology called <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/0967-3334/28/3/R01">photoplethysmography</a>, which has been around since the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9155/19/3/003">mid-1970s</a>. Each beat of your heart sends a little surge of blood through your veins. The monitor detects this by shining green light onto your skin and then analyzing the light that gets refracted back by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/blood-in-your-veins-is-not-blue-heres-why-its-always-red-97064">red blood flowing underneath</a>.</p> <p>This kind of heart-rate monitoring is popular, but it has <a href="https://theconversation.com/some-heart-rate-monitors-give-less-reliable-readings-for-people-of-colour-121007">shortcomings for people with dark skin</a>.</p> <p>Some exercisers rely on chest straps that measure electrical activity and then transmit that signal to a watch or other display device. This technique depends on picking up the electrical signals within your body that direct your heart to beat.</p> <p>For the most part, the two techniques are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-018-0098-0">about equally accurate</a>.</p> <p><strong>3. What controls your heart rate?</strong></p> <p>Your autonomic nervous system is mostly in charge of your heart rate. That’s the portion of the nervous system that runs without your even thinking about it.</p> <p>In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/hrt.2005.079400">healthy hearts</a>, as someone begins to exercise, the autonomic nervous system does two things. First, it removes the “brake” that keeps your heart beating slowly and steadily under normal conditions. And then it “hits the gas” to actively stimulate the heart to beat faster.</p> <p>In addition, the amount of blood ejected from the left ventricle with each heart beat – called the stroke volume – increases, particularly during the initial stages of exercise.</p> <p>Together, higher stroke volume and more beats per minute mean the amount of blood delivered by the heart increases to match the increased oxygen demand of exercising muscles.</p> <p><strong>4. How does heart rate relate to exercise intensity?</strong></p> <p>As your exercise session becomes more intense and more work is done, your heart beats faster and faster. This relationship means you can use heart rate as a surrogate measure for the intensity of exertion, relative to one’s maximal heart rate.</p> <p>Your maximum heart rate is the fastest your heart can functionally beat. So how do you know what your number actually is?</p> <p>In order to determine your maximum heart rate, you could do increasingly difficult exercise, like walking on a treadmill and increasing the grade each minute, until you can no longer keep up. But it’s much more common (and often safer!) to estimate it. Many studies have identified that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2188839">maximal heart rate goes down with age</a>, and thus age is included in all estimation equations.</p> <p>The most common and simplest prediction equation is: Maximal heart rate is equal to 220 minus your age. From that number, you can calculate a percentage of maximum to provide <a href="https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates">target heart rate ranges</a> in the moderate (50%-70%) or vigorous (70%-85%) categories of exercise, important in terms of meeting the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/index.htm">recommended levels of exercise</a> for overall health benefits.</p> <p><iframe id="nRCoQ" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/nRCoQ/4/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none;" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p>Interestingly, this equation, while perhaps most common, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237258265_The_surprising_history_of_the_HRmax220-age_equation">wasn’t based upon empirical research</a> and is not as accurate as others you can try, like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0735-1097(00)01054-8">your age multiplied by 0.7 and then subtracted from 208</a>.</p> <p>As with any prediction equation, there is always some individual variability. To accurately know your max heart rate at your current age, you’d need to measure it during maximal exercise.</p> <p><strong>5. Why is exercise intensity important?</strong></p> <p>In addition to helping you to know whether you’re meeting general recommendations for exercise, knowing the intensity of a given workout session can be of benefit in other ways.</p> <p>First, the body uses different primary sources of energy to fuel exercise of different relative intensities. During lower-intensity exercise, a greater proportion of the energy you’re using comes from fat sources in your body. During higher-intensity exercise, more of the energy utilized comes from carbohydrate sources.</p> <p>But don’t slow that treadmill down just yet if you’re hoping to drop pounds of fat. Lower-intensity exercise also requires less energy overall. So, to burn the same amount of calories with lower-intensity exercise, you’ll need to exercise for longer than you would at a higher intensity.</p> <p>Secondly, the intensity of a set amount of work – like a particular speed/grade combo on the treadmill, or a certain wattage on a rowing ergometer – reflects your overall fitness. Once you can complete the same amount of work at a lower relative intensity – like if you can run a mile in the same amount of time but with your heart beating slower than it did in the past – you know you’ve gained fitness. And increased fitness is associated with a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.3605">decrease in death from any cause</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124066/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anne-r-crecelius-663313">Anne R. Crecelius</a>, Associate Professor of Health and Sport Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dayton-1726">University of Dayton</a></em></p> <p><em>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/tracking-your-heart-rate-5-questions-answered-about-what-that-number-really-means-124066">original article</a>.</em></p>

Body

How to change your phone number in Facebook or get rid of it entirely

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can easily change a phone number in Facebook if your original number connected to the social media platform has become outdated.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Facebook asks for a user’s phone number for a few reasons, which are: </span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A phone number can be used to reset a forgotten password</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">It can be used to suggest people you may know so that you can connect with them on Facebook</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The phone number can keep your account safe with two-factor authentication and you can also receive text alerts for potentially unauthorised logins</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, if you want to remove the number entirely or change it, it’s an easy fix.</span></p> <p><strong>How to change your phone number on Facebook</strong></p> <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Log into Facebook on a computer and click on the arrow in the top-right corner of your home page. Click on “Settings”.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Select “Mobile” on the left side.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If your account isn’t connected to a phone number, you can add one from this section via the “+ Add a Phone” section.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you already have a phone number, you can click on “+ Add another mobile phone number” to add another number.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enter your number and select if you’d like Facebook to confirm the number with a text message or with a call and click “Continue”.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enter the confirmation code you receive from Facebook and click “Confirm”.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can remove a phone number on Facebook by clicking the “Remove” button below the number you want to delete.</span></li> </ol> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Easy!</span></p>

Technology

Royal baby number 4 for Kate and William?

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>The Duchess of Cambridge spoke about the possibility of having another royal baby, as she spoke about previously being “broody”.</p> <p>She’s recently revealed on a visit to Bradford that the Cambridge clan isn’t likely to expand any further due to resistance from Prince William.</p> <p>"I don't think William wants any more," the 38-year-old said when asked about the possibility of baby number four, according to<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2020011683263/kate-middleton-responds-fourth-child-rumours/" target="_blank">Hello!</a></em></p> <p>She spoke about the possibility to fan Josh Macpalce, who was thrilled when he revealed that he had sent the couple cards congratulating them on the births of all three children.</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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7WgHiJlvxt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7WgHiJlvxt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal)</a> on Jan 15, 2020 at 11:12am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>During a visit later in the day at Khidmat Centres, the Duchess of Cambridge revealed her youngest’s latest milestone while chatting to locals at the Older Yet Wiser workshop.</p> <p>"Kate obviously has a great interest in early years development, she’s quite knowledgeable about it, she referred to some of the tools and techniques we learnt about on the course,” explained Jo Broadbent who is a full-time carer for their six-year-old granddaughter.</p> <p>“I asked how her children were. Kate said Louis had started to tell her 'Mummy, I'm balancing' and she said it was really nice to see him turning into a little boy from being a baby. She's obviously very proud of her children."</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/B6eXqjIlOvk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B6eXqjIlOvk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">🎄 Merry Christmas! This photograph of The Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis was taken by The Duchess of Cambridge in Norfolk earlier this year. We wish all our followers a very happy and relaxing Christmas Day ⛄️</a></p> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/kensingtonroyal/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Kensington Palace</a> (@kensingtonroyal) on Dec 24, 2019 at 4:01pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Prince Louis was last seen in public days before Christmas when he arrived with Duchess Kate and his sister Princess Charlotte to Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Christmas luncheon.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-action-bar-component-wrapper"> <div class="post-actions-component"> <div class="upper-row"></div> </div> </div>

Family & Pets

Baby number four? Duchess Kate ready for “one more child”

<p><span>The Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly vying for “one more child” with her husband, Prince William.</span></p> <p>The senior royal couple has three children already - Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and 18-month-old Prince Louis. </p> <p>However it has been speculated the Duchess, 37, has desires to expand her royal brood by just one more within the next few years. </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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2CKU6-lbb9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2CKU6-lbb9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal)</a> on Sep 5, 2019 at 8:00am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Kate would love to have one more child. They love playing together and being creative,” a royal insider told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/duchess-kate-would-love-to-have-baby-no-4-with-prince-william/" target="_blank">US Weekly.</a></p> <p>“Painting, baking and building things are all activities they enjoy, and now that Louis' a bit older, he gets involved too."</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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxqMfZglEOv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxqMfZglEOv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal)</a> on May 19, 2019 at 2:31pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The insider added both the royal parents take great pleasure in watching their children grow up into completely different people, with unique personalities. </p> <p>Princess Charlotte was described as “extremely confident” and a lover of attention, while Prince George is typically more “reserved,” and is always looking out for his baby brother as an “excellent leader.”</p> <p>Recently, Duchess Kate was spotted with her two eldest kids, at the supermarket chain Sainsbury’s to buy some goodies ahead of Halloween. </p> <p>An onlooker who spotted the happy trio said the royal bought some “Halloween bits for her kids.”</p> <p>“Another shopper said that Kate was in the shop near the clothing and pointed where she was to me. I just couldn't believe it,” the shopper told media.</p> <p>The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently returned from a royal tour in Pakistan where they did a number of fun activities - from playing cricket to donning plastic princess tiaras for a tea party. </p>

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Royal baby number 4 for Kate and William?

Baby number four? Duchess Kate ready for “one more child”

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Travel

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Lifestyle

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Entertainment

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“100 is just a number”: Centenarian’s sweet solution for a long and happy life

The reason some planes skip row numbers

When’s the best time to use frequent flyer miles to book flights? Two economists crunched the numbers on maximizing their dollar value

Woman wins lottery with her deceased mother’s numbers

People who are bad with numbers often find it harder to make ends meet – even if they are not poor

Why the penguins are out in record-breaking numbers

True number of Covid deaths revealed

Buckle up! Number of Australia-NZ flights set to rise

The immigration numbers bidding war is pointless – there are limits to how many migrants Australia can accept

What hackers can do with just your phone number

Bathroom floor for royal baby number three

“Here we go again”: Wonder Woman Gal Gadot’s baby number three

British royal family "delighted" by Sussex baby number two

Baby number two! Pippa Middleton's exciting news

“It doesn’t look half bad”: Fake number plate draws acclaim

Keith Urban surprises fans by giving them his number

What does your heart rate number really mean?

How to change your phone number in Facebook or get rid of it entirely

Royal baby number 4 for Kate and William?

Baby number four? Duchess Kate ready for “one more child”

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