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Couple who found love in chemotherapy raise funds for final trip

Ainslie Plumb, 22, and Joe Fan, 29, found love in an unexpected place, at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. The couple met in 2022 while they were both undergoing leukaemia treatment. “We met at an event for young people with cancer and became friends following that,” Plumb told 7News. “(We) would hang out during our hospital stays, I asked him out in October 2022 and (we) have been together ever since.” While Plumb successfully entered remission, last October, Fan was told that he was now terminal, as doctors had run out of options to treat his Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. With only months left to live, Fan, who has actively given back to the hospital and cancer community by playing his violin for patients and staff and worked with the Queensland Youth Cancer Service, has one final wish - to travel. The couple have set a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-joe-live-his-dreams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a>, to help raise funds which cover flights, accommodation and specialised travel insurance, for Fan's final trip. “I go through my cancer treatments and observe the toll that takes on my physical and mental wellbeing,” Fan said. “The end of a trip can hopefully mark the start of another — and I have held onto hope, looked forward and dreamed for one more trip, more time, one more experience with that someone I love.” Their first destination will be Taiwan and Hong Kong, where Fan's parents are from and where he spent a majority of his childhood. They also intend to travel to New Zealand and Western Australia to swim with whale sharks at Ningaloo in the state’s north. “We’re aiming at going at the end of February to give us time to co-ordinate with his doctors around his appointments and infusions, which are all booked in advance,” Plumb said. “We recently reached 75 per cent on the fundraiser and are hoping to hit 100 per cent perhaps by the end of January.” As of today, the couple have successfully raised over $21,000 from their $20,000 goal, and have thanked everyone in their community and strangers for their support. “Truly, words do not suffice,” the couple said. Images: 7News

Relationships

1 in 4 adults think smacking is necessary to ‘properly raise’ kids. But attitudes are changing

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/divna-haslam-893417">Divna Haslam</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a> “Do you want a smack?!” This has been a common refrain from many parents across history. Right along with “just wait till your father gets home”. Somehow parents thought this threat of violence would magically improve their child’s behaviour. The United Nations <a href="https://www.right-to-education.org/sites/right-to-education.org/files/resource-attachments/CRC_1989.pdf">Convention on the Rights of the Child</a> considers smacking and all types of physical punishment, however mild, a violation of child rights. It’s banned in <a href="https://endcorporalpunishment.org/countdown/">65 countries</a>. Yet it remains <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/resources/resource-sheets/physical-punishment-legislation#:%7E:text=Physical%20punishment%20by%20a%20parent%20towards%20a%20child%20remains%20lawful,'">legal</a> in Australia for parents to use “reasonable force” for discipline. Children are the only group of people it remains legal to hit. Our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.301">new research</a> found one in four Australians still think physical punishment is necessary to “properly raise” children. And half of parents (across all age groups) reported smacking their children. But attitudes are slowly changing, with newer generations of parents less likely to smack their kids than previous ones. <h2>What is physical punishment?</h2> <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1njkrb">Physical</a> or “corporal” punishment is the use of physical force to cause pain, but not injury, to discipline a child for misbehaviour. It’s distinct from physical abuse which is more extreme and not used to correct behaviour. Physical punishment is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajs4.276#:%7E:text=Corporal%20punishment%20(CP)%20is%20the,and%20Christian%20missionaries%20during%20colonisation.">the most common type</a> of violence against children. It usually involves smacking, but also includes things like pinching, slapping, or using an implement such as wooden spoon, cane or belt. Smacking doesn’t actually work and makes behaviour <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797617729816?casa_token=YHpEf1m4GiwAAAAA%3A8VRH5_z9fufHJiFGpWVYAk0kuTZCCRB-zneATDatqfLomERAhcyyIES30hMPdIIQ-E-IHOTekiC0Zg&journalCode=pssa">worse over time</a>. And it’s <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Ffam0000191">associated with</a> children internalising problems, increased child aggression, poor parent-child relationships, poorer metal heath and more. In contrast, there are a lot of non-violent parenting strategies that <a href="https://theconversation.com/research-shows-its-harmful-to-smack-your-child-so-what-should-parents-do-instead-186739">do work</a>. <h2>Assessing the state of smacking in Australia</h2> We conducted the first <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.301">study</a> to comprehensively assess the state of smacking and physical punishment in Australia. We wanted to determine if smacking was still common and how many Australians believed we need to smack our kids. We interviewed more than 8,500 Australians aged 16 to 65 years. Our sample was representative of the national population so we can be confident the findings represent the thoughts and experiences of Australians as a nation. Using such a large age range allowed us to compare people across different age groups to determine if changes are occurring. <h2>What we found</h2> Overall, six in ten (62.5%) Australians between 16–65 years had experienced four or more instances of smacking or physical punishment in childhood. Men were slightly more likely to be physically punished than women (66.3% v 59.1%). Young people, aged 16–24, reported slightly lower rates (58.4%) than older people suggesting a slight decline over time. But these rates remain unacceptably high. Overall, one in two (53.7%) Australian parents reported using some type of physical punishment, mostly about once a month. However, older parents reported on this retrospectively (what they did while raising children) and there were clear age differences: <ul> <li>64.2% of parents aged over 65 years had used physical punishment</li> <li>32.8% of parents 25–34 years had used it</li> <li>14.4% of parents under 24 had used it.</li> </ul> So younger generations of parents are substantially less likely to use physical punishment. <iframe id="3dcJw" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3dcJw/2/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> Concerningly, one-quarter (26.4%) of all Australians still believe physical punishment is necessary to properly raise children. But the vast majority (73.6%) do not. And generational change is occurring. Some 37.9% of Australians older than 65 believe physical punishment is necessary compared to 22.9% of those aged 35–44 years, and only 14.8% of people under age 24. <iframe id="NT51y" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/NT51y/3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> Socioeconomically disadvantaged people are 2.3 times more likely to believe physical punishment is necessary than those with no disadvantage. Parents who had been physically disciplined when they were children were both more likely to believe it is needed and more likely to use it with their own children. This indicates this form of violence is transmitted across generations. <h2>Time for change</h2> Law reform works best when changes in community attitudes and behaviours are already occurring. So it’s encouraging that younger people are much less likely to believe physical punishment is necessary and are much less likely to use it. This suggests Australians may be open to prohibiting this common form of violence. All states and territories should immediately enact legal reform to prohibit corporal punishment and protect the rights of Australian children. This should be paired with public health and education campaigns about what parents can do instead. If you are a parent looking for effective non-violent parenting strategies the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/406-million-to-support-the-mental-health-and-wellbeing-of-aussie-kids">government</a> has also made the <a href="https://www.triplep-parenting.net.au/qld-en/free-parenting-courses/triple-p-online-under-12/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgqGrBhDtARIsAM5s0_mmMmbY3khwvp306pGOijqntKzYh6dDI5lQYszLgl6_BOGnuk8HMeEaAn_vEALw_wcB">Triple P Positive Parenting Program</a> available for free. This online program provides practical strategies parents can use to encourage positive behaviour and calm, alternative discipline techniques that can be used to instead of smacking. A number of other evidence-based programs, such as <a href="https://tuningintokids.org.au/">Tuning Into Kids</a>, Parents Under Pressure and <a href="https://www.pcit.org/pcit-in-australia.html">Parent Child Interaction Therapy</a>, are also available. Australia has an opportunity to capitalise on naturally occurring societal changes. We can interrupt this cycle of violence and give more Australians a childhood free of violence. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218837/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/divna-haslam-893417">Divna Haslam</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-4-adults-think-smacking-is-necessary-to-properly-raise-kids-but-attitudes-are-changing-218837">original article</a>.

Caring

“Shocked and amazed”: Neighbours raise over $50,000 for bullied boy

A couple from Texas has helped raise over $55,000 for their young neighbour who was being bullied. Their story began when young Shayden Walker knocked on the door of Brennan Ray and Angell Hammersmith, looking for friends. The conversation was captured on their home’s video doorbell system, as Walker asked if they knew any children between the ages of 11 and 12 because he “needs some friends really bad”. Walker, who approached their house wearing a Jaws t-shirt, explained that some neighbourhood kids had been bullying him. “I could hear the innocence and vulnerability in his voice,” Ray told DailyMail.com. “All I knew is that I wanted to help the kid.” The video has since been viewed on TikTok more than 66 million times, with TikTokers from across the world commenting that they hope he finds some “REAL friends soon” and saying “I have never wanted to hug a kid so bad in my life.” Ray and Hammersmith decided to start a GoFundMe page for Walker, asking people to “spread kindness for Shayden” and give what they can to help provide for the boy, while encouraging people to “come together and show him he's got some friends.” “We are raising money to help buy him a gaming system, school clothes and hopefully some amusement park tickets and anything else he may want or need,” the fundraising page reads. In just four days of the fundraising page being online, people from around the world have helped donate more than $55,000AUD to Shayden and his family, with the organisers saying they are “shocked and amazed” at people’s generosity. Many of the donations came with messages for Shayden, saying “You have a friend in me.” Walker's stepfather now says Shayden's a “totally different kid” than he was just last week, while the young boy said in a video posted to his father's TikTok page that “Y'all have touched my heart so much, it's just literally to the point where I want to cry.” The family have requested that the donations be turned off on the donations page, saying they are not seeking any money. Many people commented on Shayden’s message, praising his bravery and sending messages of support. One person wrote, “Shayden, you are a strong kid. No one deserves to be bullied or made fun of.” “You are incredibly brave to be putting yourself out there and actively looking for friends instead of staying in the house.” “I know you are young, but the best advice I can give you is that you do not need anyone's validation but your own to know your worth. If you love yourself, you will never be alone.” Image credits: GoFundMe

Family & Pets

3 reasons you should never view or share videos showing children being assaulted – even if you think it helps ‘raise awareness’

Australians have been shocked by an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/22/queensland-children-aged-between-12-and-14-charged-after-allegedly-assaulting-girl-over-several-hours">incident</a> on the Sunshine Coast this month in which a 13-year-old girl was imprisoned, assaulted and tortured over many hours, allegedly by three girls aged 12, 13 and 14. The alleged perpetrators also filmed the abuse, which went <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/crime/three-girls-charged-after-13yearold-allegedly-lured-to-home-and-tortured/news-story/c08af6c838e54fc0d39c449e57f9719a">viral online</a> with photos and videos being shared across news outlets and social media profiles. Some people may think they’re supporting victims by watching the videos and then expressing their outrage at their treatment. Morbid curiosity about the event might also prompt people to view the photos or videos. But there are three key reasons why you should never view, download or share photos or videos of children being assaulted. <h2>1. You may be committing a criminal offence</h2> Photos and videos showing this 13-year-old girl allegedly being assaulted and tortured are unlawful. Content such as this is called child sexual abuse material (CSAM), which has <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-in-a-name-online-child-abuse-material-is-not-pornography-45840">previously been called child pornography</a>. Child sexual abuse material is <a href="https://theconversation.com/virtual-child-sexual-abuse-material-depicts-fictitious-children-but-can-be-used-to-disguise-real-abuse-180248">offensive or sexual online material</a> depicting children. It’s a criminal offence to possess, view, share or create it. It isn’t just pornographic material. These laws extend to material that depicts children being assaulted and tortured, even without a sexual element. Criminal offences exist for possessing, viewing, sharing or creating such material. Each state and territory jurisdiction, and the Commonwealth, has their own legislation which may have a slightly <a href="https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/journal_contribution/Lawful_Acts_Unlawful_Images_The_Problematic_Definition_of_Child_Pornography/10064963/1">different perspective</a> on whether a person has committed an offence. Criminal offences can be committed in the following circumstances: <ol> <li> if someone <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2277239">downloads</a> a child assault photo or video, they are “possessing” child sexual abuse material </li> <li> where someone posts it to their social media page or <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/utasman40&div=14&id=&page=">sends it</a> via email to others, they are “distributing” or “disseminating” child sexual abuse material </li> <li> when someone <a href="https://www.cdpp.gov.au/crimes-we-prosecute/child-exploitation">watches</a> a child assault video online without downloading, or looks at a photo, they are still “accessing” (viewing) such material, which can be an offence. </li> </ol> It doesn’t matter if the child victim indicates their approval for the material to be promulgated. Children are <a href="https://www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/58-1213-FinalReport.pdf">unable to consent</a> to material depicting their own assault being shared or viewed by others. <h2>2. You are perpetuating the abuse suffered by the victim</h2> Watching and sharing child abuse photos or videos does not support the victim. Every photo and video depicting child abuse <a href="https://theconversation.com/it-is-not-child-pornography-it-is-a-crime-scene-photo-12465">shows a crime scene</a>. A victim’s abuse being captured and shared as a video is a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0145213419303667">regular reminder</a> of their abuse. The photos or videos can cause <a href="https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi653">ongoing harm to a child victim</a>, beyond any physical harm they may have recovered from. US researchers conducted <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0145213418301510?via%3Dihub">a study</a>, published in 2018, to analyse the complex experiences of survivors (adults who, as children, had material of their abuse shared online). The participants described ongoing feelings of guilt and shame, and a feeling of enduring vulnerability because their records of abuse will always be online for others to see. As one survivor, not part of this study, <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/978-1-83982-848-520211053/full/html">said</a> "I have to live with the knowledge that my abuse will never end, and that every second of every day, someone could be – almost certainly is – watching my torture and abuse. Even once I’m dead, my degradation will continue. I will never be able to escape it. This trauma is infinite. Some also described an empowering dimension because the material provided validation of the abuse they suffered, or could be used as evidence in court. While victims may all process their experiences in different ways, it’s important to be mindful of the detrimental and ongoing effects on a child victim of an assault being captured and shared online. As a community, we must do everything we can to support those children, including refusing to watch or share photos or videos of their abuse. <h2>3. You are giving undeserved notoriety to the perpetrators</h2> Some perpetrators use records of their offending to create social media content for notoriety. “Performance crimes” allow perpetrators to use their online platform <a href="http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/CICrimJust/2015/21.html">for attention</a>. Terrorism is another example, where terror attacks have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-create-a-spectacle-society-that-makes-it-easier-for-terrorists-to-achieve-notoriety-113715">livestreamed</a> and media outlets have responded by refusing to name the perpetrators. Do not reward the perpetrators by giving them a platform. <h2>How should we respond?</h2> It’s important we, as a community, acknowledge that children whose assaults are captured in photos and videos have been through a traumatic experience and need support. Watching or sharing their assault only perpetuates the abuse. We must refuse to watch videos of child abuse, and delete them if they’re sent to us. We then need to trust that police will conduct thorough investigations that will result in an appropriate outcome. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-reasons-you-should-never-view-or-share-videos-showing-children-being-assaulted-even-if-you-think-it-helps-raise-awareness-202610" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Images: Shutterstock

Technology

Streets on fire after controversial raising of retirement age

French Emmanuel Macron has ignited a furious spark in the people of France with controversial new pension reforms - those that would see the country’s pension age raised from 62 to 64. The changes were reportedly pushed through their parliament without a proper voting process - it has been said that Macron employed “special constitutional powers” to see it through. Protesters flocked to the streets in response, with over 250 different protests organised nationwide, in a move that has been praised by union leaders. However, while hundreds of thousands of participants experienced peaceful marches through some of the country’s largest cities, tensions were high in Bordeaux, and the town hall felt the full brunt of it when it was set alight. While it is not known who was responsible for the fire, it was quickly extinguished. In Paris, where the majority took part in peaceful demonstrations, violence did rear its head, with a number of clashes between protestors and police officers breaking out - shop windows were broken, street furniture demolished, and fast food establishments attacked. It has also been reported that while police were the target of various projectiles, they made use of tear gas to push back those responsible for any rioting behaviour. And at Place de l’Opera, the location at which demonstrators concluded their march, the tear gas was back, covering a portion of the area in a haze of fumes. The official demonstration in Paris - which had drawn people from all over the French social spectrum - was not the only one to take a violent turn, with the cities of Nantes, Rennes, Lorient, and Lyon facing similar fates. The protests, coupled with strikes and industrial action across the country, disrupted transport and prompted the cancellation of flights, with airport authorities claiming roll-on effects from the chaos. Protestors also succeeded in blocking off Terminal 1 of France’s largest international airport, the Charles de Gaulle airport. As to why the French had taken this approach to fighting the reforms, one demonstrator in Nantes summed it up by declaring “the street has a legitimacy in France. “If Mr Macron can't remember this historic reality, I don't know what he is doing here.” And as another told Reuters, "I oppose this reform and I really oppose the fact that democracy no longer means anything. We're not being represented, and so we're fed up." "It is by protesting that we will be able to make ourselves heard because all the other ways ... have not allowed us to withdraw this reform," another explained to AFP. The women on the streets were furious, seeing Macron’s move as one that targeted them in particular, especially those that had been forced to step away from their careers to dedicate their time to raising their children. As one social worker told The Guardian, “everyone is angry. Everyone thinks this law is unfair, but it particularly penalises women who are expected to produce future generations of the nation, and then find they are punished for doing so.” “They want to raise it to 64 today. Will it be 66, 67, 68 tomorrow?” a teacher implored. “They tell us life expectancy is longer but are we to work until we collapse and are carted off to the crematorium?” Images: Getty

Retirement Life

Readers Respond: What was the best part about raising your children?

You always hear parents ask “where did the time go?” when they look at their children growing up. It’s just the same for grandparents as well as they watch their children and their grandchildren go about life. So we’ve decided to ask our OverSixty audience what the best part about raising children is. Check out some of your responses below. Trish George - The love and happiness they brought to our family was so special. Then we proudly watched them grow into the well mannered, respectful and wonderful adults that they are today. Very blessed indeed. Pam Milner - Watching them grow up to be fine, responsible and loving people, now with beautiful children of their own. Plus I got to have a lot of fun along the way, something denied me when I was a child. Margie Buckingham - Falling pregnant after years of trying, was the happiest time of my life. Teaching him how to be a loving, caring, responsible man that contributes his best at all times, it is still just a wonder to me. Denise Clare Dawson - Being lucky to share in the raising of the grandchildren. Linda Payne - The laughs we had which outweighed the naughtiness of kids. Anne Henderson - Their innocence…not having the worry and sadness of seeing them have to grapple with the trials of adult life later on…relationship heartbreak, job loss, not getting that job etc. Louise Headley Duncan - Watching them grow and develop into happy healthy adults. Zandra Burton-Scarlett - Having a wonderful man to do it with. George was the best dad to our boys. Even if he wasn’t the biological father, blood means nothing. We all love and miss you so much sweetheart. Kisses and cuddles have been sent to heaven. Maria Valsamakis - Feeding them and watching them grow strong and healthy, taking them to the beach, reading stories, birthday parties, Christmas. Patrick Campbell - Watching them turn into caring contributing members of society and wonderful parents as well. Share your favourite moment <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtys/posts/pfbid0iNbcAr2Q7UdvFvRWnhLTsSx29FQEjmkBsmE7vSP35APtRtAzUd9ByN4vcWTNNoqwl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Retirement Life

"Someone give them a raise": Hilarious way ground crew entertained trapped passengers

Two very creative ground-crew air marshalls have enjoyed a brush with instant viral fame after hilarious footage of them entertaining passengers stuck on a delayed plane was shared to TikTok. Fortunately for the poor passengers stranded on the British Airways plane last month due to engineering issues, two nearby air marshalls were determined to pass the time and distract them following the tediously long delay, using their glowing marshalling wands to put on an entertaining performance. Air Marshall Quinten Moshy posted a video of his antics on TikTok, which quickly racked up close to 1 million views. "Put this in every ramp agent's job description," he joked in the caption. The video showed the two airport workers using their marshalling wands as if they were light sabres and acting out dramatic battle scenes. Committed to the performance, the marshalls ducked and weaved, while one pretended to die after he was 'struck'. Other antics included creating glowing smiley faces and hearts on the tarmac and dancing the moves to the song 'Y.M.C.A'. <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@quintenmoshy/video/7117811535212301614" data-video-id="7117811535212301614"> <section><a title="@quintenmoshy" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@quintenmoshy?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@quintenmoshy</a> Put this in every ramp agent’s job description <a title="airport" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/airport?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#airport</a> <a title="airplane" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/airplane?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#airplane</a> <a title="travel" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/travel?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#travel</a> <a title="rampagent" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/rampagent?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#rampagent</a> <a title="pilot" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/pilot?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#pilot</a> <a title="bayarea" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/bayarea?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#bayarea</a> <a title="california" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/california?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#california</a> <a title="london" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/london?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#london</a> <a title="787" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/787?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#787</a> <a title="vacation" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/vacation?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#vacation</a> <a title="work" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/work?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#work</a> <a title="fyp" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#fyp</a> <a title="ymca" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ymca?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#ymca</a> <a title="minions" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/minions?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#minions</a> <a title="starwars" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/starwars?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#starwars</a> <a title="lightsaber" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/lightsaber?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#lightsaber</a> <a title="happy" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/happy?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#happy</a> <a title="aviation" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/aviation?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#aviation</a> <a title="love" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/love?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#love</a> <a title="♬ Y.M.C.A. - The Minions" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/YMCA-6795407731260917762?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ Y.M.C.A. - The Minions</a></section> </blockquote> TikTok users really enjoyed the goofy act and one person said they should find a video from someone stranded on the plane so we could see what THEY were seeing out their windows. "Someone find the passengers POV," they wrote. Sure enough, fellow viewers pulled through and pointed to TikTok user Abi Smith, who had created her own video of the dramatic antics of the air marshalls. "POV: [Point of View]: Your plane gets delayed so the marshalls put on a performance." she captioned the video. <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@abi_smithxxx/video/7117374061935676678" data-video-id="7117374061935676678"> <section><a title="@abi_smithxxx" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@abi_smithxxx?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@abi_smithxxx</a> <a title="britishairways" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/britishairways?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#britishairways</a> <a title="delayed" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/delayed?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#delayed</a> <a title="marshallers" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/marshallers?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#marshallers</a> <a title="♬ Angeleyes (Sped Up Version) - april aries bae (SVT)" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Angeleyes-Sped-Up-Version-7089425867910236954?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ Angeleyes (Sped Up Version) - april aries bae (SVT)</a></section> </blockquote> People commented, saying the entertaining pair deserved a reward for their dedication. "Give the performers an applause," wrote one person. "Someone give them a raise," another added. Image: TikTok

Travel Trouble

Low-cost gel film pulls clean drinking water from desert air, raising hopes of quenching the world’s driest communities

One in three people lives in <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="https://www.un.org/en/events/desertification_decade/whynow.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">drylands</a>, areas covering more than 40% of the Earth’s surface that experience significant water shortages. Scientists and engineers have now developed a new material that could help people living in these areas access <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/water/an-answer-to-the-clean-water-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">clean drinking water</a> by capturing it right out of the atmosphere, according to a new study in Nature Communications. They’ve developed a gel film that costs just $2 per kilogram to produce and can pull water from the air in even the driest climates; 1kg of it can produce more than 6 litres per day in less than 15% relative humidity (RH), and 13 litres in areas with up to 30% RH. Relative humidity is the ratio of the current absolute humidity to the highest possible absolute humidity. So a 100% RH means that the air is completely saturated with water vapour and cannot hold any more. People tend to feel most comfortable between 30% and 50%, and arid climates have less than 30% RH. These results are promising, as previous attempts to pull water from the desert air have typically been energy-intensive and not very efficient. “This new work is about practical solutions that people can use to get water in the hottest, driest places on Earth,” says senior author Guihua Yu, professor of Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin, US. “This could allow millions of people without consistent access to drinking water to have simple, water-generating devices at home that they can easily operate.” <div class="newsletter-box spai-bg-prepared"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p192317-o1" class="wpcf7 spai-bg-prepared" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.61 spai-bg-prepared resetting" action="/technology/gel-film-desert-drinking-water/#wpcf7-f6-p192317-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="resetting"> <input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page spai-bg-prepared" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/" aria-invalid="false" /> </form> </div> </div> The gel is made with <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/hydroxypropyl-cellulose" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hydroxypropyl cellulose</a> (HPC) which is produced from cellulose, and a common kitchen ingredient called <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0141813016310339" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">konjac glucomannan</a>, as well as lithium chloride salt (LiCl). It forms a hydrophilic (water attracting) porous film with a large surface area that collects the water vapour from air. “The gel takes two minutes to set simply. Then, it just needs to be freeze dried, and it can be peeled off the mould and used immediately after that,” explains Weixin Guan, a doctoral student on Yu’s team and a lead researcher of the work. And, because the cellulose is thermo-responsive, it becomes hydrophobic (water repelling) when heated which allows the collected water to be released within 10 minutes through mild heating at 60 °C. This means that the overall energy needed to produce the water is minimised. The film is also flexible, can be moulded into a variety of shapes and sizes, and producing it requires only the gel precursor – which includes all the relevant ingredients poured into a mould. “This is not something you need an advanced degree to use,” says lead author Youhong “Nancy” Guo, a former doctoral student in Yu’s lab and now a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It’s straightforward enough that anyone can make it at home if they have the materials.” And because it’s so simple, the authors say the challenges of scaling the technology up and achieving mass usage are reduced.  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" class="spai-bg-prepared" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=192317&title=Low-cost+gel+film+pulls+clean+drinking+water+from+desert+air%2C+raising+hopes+of+quenching+the+world%E2%80%99s+driest+communities" width="1" height="1" />  <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/gel-film-desert-drinking-water/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto">Imma Perfetto</a>. Imma Perfetto is a science writer at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Science Communication from the University of Adelaide. Image: The University of Texas at Austin/Cockrell School of Engineering </div>

Technology

Pay ‘with a smile or a wave’: Why Mastercard’s new face recognition payment system raises concerns

Mastercard’s <a href="https://www.mastercard.com/news/press/2022/may/with-a-smile-or-a-wave-paying-in-store-just-got-personal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“smile to pay”</a> system, announced last week, is supposed to save time for customers at checkouts. It is being trialled in Brazil, with future pilots planned for the Middle East and Asia. The company argues touch-less technology will help speed up transaction times, shorten lines in shops, heighten security and improve hygiene in businesses. But it raises concerns relating to customer privacy, data storage, crime risk and bias. How will it work? Mastercard’s biometric checkout system will provide customers facial recognition-based payments, by linking the biometric authentication systems of a number of third-party companies with Mastercard’s own payment systems. A Mastercard spokesperson told The Conversation it had already partnered with NEC, Payface, Aurus, Fujitsu Limited, PopID and PayByFace, with more providers to be named. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464953/original/file-20220524-22-ga0v7l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464953/original/file-20220524-22-ga0v7l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464953/original/file-20220524-22-ga0v7l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464953/original/file-20220524-22-ga0v7l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464953/original/file-20220524-22-ga0v7l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464953/original/file-20220524-22-ga0v7l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464953/original/file-20220524-22-ga0v7l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464953/original/file-20220524-22-ga0v7l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="The 'Fujitsu' logo in red is displayed on a building's side" /></a><figcaption>Mastercard has partnered with Fujitsu, a massive information and communications technology firm offering many different products and services. Shutterstock</figcaption></figure> They said “providers need to go through independent laboratory certification against the program criteria to be considered” – but details of these criteria aren’t yet publicly available. According to <a href="https://www.siliconrepublic.com/business/mastercard-facial-recognition-biometric-payments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media</a> reports, customers will have to install an app which will take their picture and payment information. This information will be saved and stored on the third-party provider’s servers. At the checkout, the customer’s face will be matched with the stored data. And once their identity is verified, funds will be deducted automatically. The “wave” option is a bit of a trick: as the customer watches the camera while waving, the camera still scans their face – not their hand. Similar authentication technologies are used on smartphones (face ID) and in many airports around the world, including “<a href="https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/smartgates/arrivals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">smartgates</a>” in Australia. <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/4/16251304/kfc-china-alipay-ant-financial-smile-to-pay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> started using biometrics-based checkout technology back in 2017. But Mastercard is among the first to launch such a system in Western markets – competing with the “pay with your palm” <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/29/amazon-introduces-the-amazon-one-a-way-to-pay-with-your-palm-when-entering-stores/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">system</a> used at cashier-less Amazon Go and Whole Foods brick and mortars in the United States. What we don’t know Much about the precise functioning of Mastercard’s system isn’t clear. How accurate will the facial recognition be? Who will have access to the databases of biometric data? A Mastercard spokesperson told The Conversation customers’ data would be stored with the relevant biometric service provider in encrypted form, and removed when the customer “indicates they want to end their enrolment”. But how will the removal of data be enforced if Mastercard itself can’t access it? Obviously, privacy protection is a major concern, especially when there are many potential third-party providers involved. On the bright side, Mastercard’s <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/032615/how-mastercard-makes-its-money-ma.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">customers</a> will have a choice as to whether or not they use the biometrics checkout system. However, it will be at retailers’ discretion whether they offer it, or whether they offer it exclusively as the only payment option. Similar face-recognition technologies used in airports, and <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/police-surveillance-and-facial-recognition-why-data-privacy-is-an-imperative-for-communities-of-color/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by police</a>, often offer no choice. We can assume Mastercard and the biometrics provider with whom they partner will require customer consent, as per most privacy laws. But will customers know what they are consenting to? Ultimately, the biometric service providers Mastercard teams up with will decide how they use the data, for how long, where they store it, and who can access it. Mastercard will merely decide what providers are “good enough” to be accepted as partners, and the minimum standards they must adhere to. Customers who want the convenience of this checkout service will have to consent to all the related data and privacy terms. And as reports have noted, there is potential for Mastercard to integrate the feature with loyalty schemes and make personalised recommendations <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/17/mastercard-launches-tech-that-lets-you-pay-with-your-face-or-hand.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">based on purchases</a>. Accuracy is a problem While the accuracy of face recognition technologies has previously been challenged, the current best facial authentication algorithms have an error of just 0.08%, according to tests by the <a href="https://github.com/usnistgov/frvt/blob/nist-pages/reports/1N/frvt_1N_report_2020_03_27.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Institute of Standards and Technology</a>. In some countries, even banks have <a href="https://techhq.com/2020/09/biometrics-the-most-secure-solution-for-banking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">become comfortable</a> relying on it to log users into their accounts. Yet we can’t know how accurate the technologies used in Mastercard’s biometric checkout system will be. The algorithms underpinning a technology can work almost perfectly when trailed in a lab, but perform <a href="https://www.csis.org/blogs/technology-policy-blog/how-accurate-are-facial-recognition-systems-%E2%80%93-and-why-does-it-matter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poorly</a> in real life settings, where lighting, angles and other parameters are varied. Bias is another problem In a 2019 study, NIST <a href="https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2019/NIST.IR.8280.pdf#page=5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that out of 189 facial recognition algorithms, the majority were biased. Specifically, they were less accurate on people from racial and ethnic minorities. Even if the technology has improved in the past few years, it’s not foolproof. And we don’t know the extent to which Mastercard’s system has overcome this challenge. If the software fails to recognise a customer at the check out, they might end up disappointed, or even become irate – which would completely undo any promise of speed or convenience. But if the technology misidentifies a person (for instance, John is recognised as Peter – or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8-yupM-6Oc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">twins are confused</a> for each other), then money could be taken from the wrong person’s account. How would such a situation be dealt with? <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464424/original/file-20220520-19-5hfuvx.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464424/original/file-20220520-19-5hfuvx.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464424/original/file-20220520-19-5hfuvx.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=617&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464424/original/file-20220520-19-5hfuvx.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=617&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464424/original/file-20220520-19-5hfuvx.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=617&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464424/original/file-20220520-19-5hfuvx.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=776&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464424/original/file-20220520-19-5hfuvx.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=776&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464424/original/file-20220520-19-5hfuvx.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=776&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>There’s no evidence facial recognition technology is infallible. These systems can misidentify and also have biases. Shutterstock</figcaption></figure> Is the technology secure? We often hear about software and databases being hacked, even in <a href="https://www.csoonline.com/article/2130877/the-biggest-data-breaches-of-the-21st-century.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cases of</a> supposedly very “secure” organisations. Despite Mastercard’s <a href="https://wwmastw.cnbc.com/2022/05/17/mastercard-launches-tech-that-lets-you-pay-with-your-face-or-hand.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">efforts</a> to ensure security, there’s no guarantee the third-party providers’ databases – with potentially millions of people’s biometric data – won’t be hacked. In the wrong hands, this data could lead to <a href="https://www.comparitech.com/identity-theft-protection/identity-theft-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">identity theft</a>, which is one of the fastest growing types of crime, and financial fraud. Do we want it? Mastercard suggests 74% of customers are in favour of using such technology, referencing a stat from its <a href="https://www.mastercard.com/news/ap/en/newsroom/press-releases/en/2020/april/mastercard-study-shows-consumers-moving-to-contactless-payments-for-everyday-purchases/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">own study</a> – also used by <a href="https://www.mastercard.com/news/ap/en/newsroom/press-releases/en/2020/october/mastercard-idemia-and-matchmove-pilot-fingerprint-biometric-card-in-asia-to-enhance-security-and-safety-of-contactless-payments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">business partner</a> Idemia (a company that sells biometric identification products). But the report cited is vague and brief. Other studies show entirely different results. For example, <a href="https://www.getapp.com/resources/facial-recognition-technology/#how-comfortable-are-consumers-with-facial-recognition-technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this study</a> suggests 69% of customers aren’t comfortable with face recognition tech being used in retail settings. And <a href="https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/93521-are-consumers-comfortable-with-facial-recognition-it-depends-says-new-study" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this one</a> shows only 16% trust such tech. Also, if consumers knew the risks the technology poses, the number of those willing to use it might drop even lower.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183447/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rita-matulionyte-170113" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rita Matulionyte</a>, Senior Lecturer in Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Macquarie University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/pay-with-a-smile-or-a-wave-why-mastercards-new-face-recognition-payment-system-raises-concerns-183447" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Technology

Couple tackle the Nullabor to raise funds for polio charity

A Tasmanian couple are jumping on their bicycles ahead of their 2750-kilometre journey - and they’re doing it to raise funds for a good cause. Phil and Joyce Ogden, who have been members of Rotary for over a decade, are undertaking the trek from Perth to Adelaide as part of an epic fundraiser for Rotary’s END POLIO campaign. The campaign, which was started over 30 years ago by Rotary, UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, has been driving towards the goal of completely eradicating Polio, beginning with a project to vaccinate children in the Philippines against the disease in 1979. Now, Polio is believed to only be naturally spreading in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but according to the <a href="https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/wha65/A65_20-en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Health Assembly</a>, failing to eradicate the disease would be a “global health emergency”. “We feel the enormous effort which has gone into turning the tide of the disease will be lost if pressure, and fundraising, is not maintained until the final handful of cases is consigned to history,” the Ogdens said in a message to all Rotarians. With the support of their South Launceston Rotary Club, the Odgens have planned to begin their trip in mid-May and hope to raise awareness of the cause along the way. “If we take our collective eyes off the ball, the disease will re-establish,” the couple said. “So, we are still committed to making our personal donations every year but felt we might harness another of our passions, cycling, to push things along - once again with the assistance of Rotary.” With limited sources of water and no shops to buy food from along the Nullarbor, the couple will carry a week’s worth of food and two days of water at a time, and they’re relying on dehydrated food which will be mailed ahead of them. Their upcoming journey isn’t a first for the Ogdens, who have covered more than 100,000 kilometres from crossing the European Alps, the Pyrenees and the Rockies. Heather Chong, the Tasmanian District Governor, praised the pair and described them as “adventurous philanthropists”. The couple have started an <a href="https://raise.rotary.org/phil-ogden/fundraiser" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online fundraiser</a> with a goal of raising $40,000. As of publication, the fundraiser has already collected $10,000 in donations, with every $1 donated prompting the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to contribute $2. Image: Supplied

Caring

Raise a glass: Warne farewelled in intimate ceremony

Cricketing legend Shane Warne has been farewelled by his closest friends and family in a private ceremony at the grounds of his favourite footy club. Around 80 gathered at St Kilda Football Club on Sunday, with guests encouraged to don St Kilda scarves in honour of Warne's lifelong association with the club. The service ended with a final lap for Warnie around the Moorabbin Oval, the homeground of The Saints AFL team, to the Dirty Dancing hit (I've Had) The Time of My Life. Warne's hearse, also decorated with footy scarves, was followed by a small group, including his three children Brooke, Jackson and Summer, and his parents Keith and Brigitte. As the hearse left the arena, Tina Turner's Simply the Best played and attendees applauded. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/shane-warne-funeral.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Attendees raised their glasses to Warnie, who died aged 52 of a heart attack in early March. Image: Getty Images Eddie Maguire, the event's MC and Warnie's close friend, asked that everyone raise their glasses to the cricketer after his coffin toured the ground. Other guests included cricketing stars Mark Taylor, Glenn Maxwell, Michael Vaughn and Glenn McGrath, as well as businessman James Packer and AFL identities Sam Newman and Aaron Hamill. Coldplay's sombre tune Fix You was played during the service, as well as an original piece the band's frontman Chris Martin wrote for Warne, titled Eulogy. The private service comes just under two weeks before thousands are expected to arrive at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Warne's state funeral on March 30. Image: Getty Images

News

Captain Australia raises over $100K for children’s cancer research

A real-life superhero has set out on a quest to walk 2,000 kilometres in ten weeks to raise funds for children’s cancer research, and has already raised over $100,000 in the process.Captain Australia, also known as Simon, began his ‘Big Walk’ from Brisbane to Melbourne in December 2021, and hopes to raise $250,000 for the Kids Cancer Project by the time he reaches the finish line.<img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/capt-austr-jpg-5f960e.jpg" alt="" width="1279" height="720" />Captain Australia began his journey in Queensland to raise funds to fight kids’ cancer. Image: Captain Australia’s Big WalkSimon was inspired to undertake the Herculean feat after he was diagnosed with head and neck cancer four years ago.“I had a 40-60 percent chance that chemoradiation would beat the disease, and six months to live if it failed. I got lucky,” he said on his fundraising website.“But even when you survive cancer, you have to pay a horrible price, dealing with side effects and the threat of recurrence for the rest of your life.“No child should have to endure that.”This won’t be the first time Simon has undergone a journey of this magnitude, having walked from Brisbane to Sydney to escape a dangerous domestic situation when he was 15.During that journey, Simon said he found himself and discovered a renewed sense of hope for the world that he wants to share with kids fighting cancer.Simon reached Sydney on February 12, and still has about 700 kilometres left to go.When asked where he was on his journey, Simon told OverSixty: "I'm headed for Federation Square in Melbourne which something like 750 kilometres straight down the freeway but I take the long and winding road (less travelled)."It's 1200 kilometres plus back to Brisbane but I would easily have come 1400 or more so far so it's hard to say precisely."I've come a long way, literally and figuratively."You can support his trek by donating to The Kid’s Cancer Project <a href="https://captain-australias-big-walk.raisely.com/donate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.Image: Captain Australia’s BIG WALK (Facebook)

Caring

Readers respond: What was the best thing about how your parents raised you?

We asked our readers what the best thing about how their parents raised them was, and their responses were inspiring and overwhelming! Here’s what you said: Kayte Cole: I had the love & support of a beautiful mother who taught me respect , manners & to care for others, great work ethics, unconditional love & a family bond that will never be broken ….I could go on forever but these are just a few that come to mind. Cherry Kemp: I asked my Mama if I could have a picnic. She made me peanut butter on saltine crackers, and put sweet tea in a Mason jar with a lid and gave me an old towel. I spread the old towel in the back yard, and had myself a picnic. That was a sweet memory for me. Ali Maleckas: The importance of Family ties ♥️ Visited family every weekend growing up and celebrated every important event with Aunts, Uncles and Cousins Have tried to instill these values in my four own children and two stepchildren with little success Currently many of them don't speak and have little contact I wish it was different but accept their decisions Keep myself happy by keeping in touch with the them and the extended family as much as possible 😍 Sue Harris: Learnt.Respect. Manners Honesty and treat people the way you would like to be treated yourself Rachel Wright: To respect others and treat each person as you will like to be treated. JillnGary Smith: Genuine care & lots of love...they taught us all the most valuable traits that make decent human beings. Gail Kraal: I was inspired by their great work ethic. Sue Blatchford: Respect for others and their property… particularly your elders Stacia Hannum: I could count on my father no matter what. In his last years, he could count on me, no matter what. Dot Wilde: to have respect and manners ,to always be polite, Mums favourite saying (It doesn't cost anything to be polite) Marcia Delgado: The unconditional love and respect for all individuals. Julie Hargreaves: They taught me honesty, respect, love, and to do the best I can. Mike Jones: To be content with what you had and to respect others. They taught me the importance of good manners and to never forget where I came from. Julia Santos: My mom was very knowledgeable about plants, especially medicinal properties of herbs and spices. It awakened a desire to learn more. My dad was very hardworking. Very self reliant. Strong work ethic. Honest and fair. My parents were the best. 🙏❤️🙏 Pauline Godschalk: To be respectful, to believe in myself, and to help the less fortunate. Julie Abbot: We were taught good manners and to help and respect other people, particularly our elders. We have a close knit family who love each other. Kathleen Couch: To care for other people. Linda Taylor: Respect for others,treat them as you wish to be treated. Rosemary Maybury: They taught me good manners and to be self reliant and strong! bless them both. Vicki McCarthy: Just being my Mum, she always made time to sit and listen to whatever it was I wanted to talk about, she also always made the time for anyone who needed someone to talk to and had a never ending supply of hugs for everyone.

Family & Pets

Millions raised for useless treatments

Crowdfunding campaigns have raised millions of dollars toward medical treatments that are unsafe or unsupported, a new study finds. More than 1000 crowdfunding campaigns, mostly through the site GoFundMe, have raised more than $US6.7 million to treat cancer, brain or spinal cord injury, and chronic Lyme disease, using therapies that are dangerous or ineffective, <a rel="noopener" href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2018.10264" target="_blank">according to research</a> appearing in the journal JAMA, led by Ford Vox of the Shepherd Centre in Atlanta, US. “Assuming that the funds raised are spent to pay for these treatments, donors indirectly contributed millions of dollars to practitioners to deliver dubious, possibly unsafe care,” Vox and his team write. The study, which looked at fund-raising efforts since November 2015, identified campaigns that sought to raise money for homeopathic or naturopathic approaches to cancer, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and stem cell treatments for brain and spinal cord injury, and long-term antibiotic therapy for “chronic Lyme disease”. “Homeopathic treatments for cancer and HBOT for brain injury are ineffective,” the authors write. “Stem cell therapy for central nervous system injury and long term antibiotic therapy for chronic Lyme disease can result in serious adverse events.” The diseases and treatments were selected for “clinical experience and visibility”. The researchers looked at four crowdfunding sites that allow medical campaigns: GoFundMe, YouCaring, CrowdRise, and FundRazr. All but 2% of the campaigns that met the study’s criteria were found on GoFundMe. “The present study … suggests that medical crowdfunding is being used for multiple problematic treatments,” the researchers write. Some 474 campaigns – nearly half of those that fitted the study’s guidelines – were for homeopathic or naturopathic cancer treatments, representing $US3.5 million in donations. Overall, medical campaigns on GoFundMe raised $US3 billion overall in 2016, up $US1 billion from the previous year. Vox and his team note that the campaigns “can fill insurance gaps”, but problems arise when the funds are directed toward questionable practitioners. Of course, some patients pay for their own dangerous care. Last year, it was revealed that three people in Florida, US, had <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1609583?query=TOC" target="_blank">lost their eyesight</a> after paying for stem cell treatments at a facility they thought was conducting a clinical trial. The news <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/opinion-regulators-need-to-protect-stem-cell-promise" target="_blank">sparked calls for increased regulation</a> of clinics, which “are marketing so-called stem cell treatments without first showing that they work or are safe”, as Megan Munsie and Claire Tanner from researcher collaboration Stem Cells Australia wrote in Cosmos earlier this year. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p23039-o1" class="wpcf7">  </div> </div>  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=23039&title=Millions+raised+for+useless+treatments" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/crowd-funders-raise-millions-for-useless-cancer-stem-cell-treatments/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/samantha-page">Samantha Page</a>. Samantha Page is a science journalist based in Spain. Image: Getty Images </div>

Money & Banking

La Niña just raised sea levels in the western Pacific by up to 20cm. This height will be normal by 2050

<a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/2021/12/07/tidal-damage-cuts-swathe-across-wide-area-of-pacific/">Severe coastal flooding</a> inundated islands and atolls across the western equatorial Pacific last week, with widespread damage to buildings and food crops in the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. On one level, very high tides are normal at this time of year in the western Pacific, and are known as “spring tides”. But why is the damage so bad this time? The primary reason is these nations are enduring a flooding trifecta: a combination of spring tides, climate change and La Niña. <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/">La Niña</a> is a natural climate phenomenon over the Pacific Ocean known for bringing wet weather, including in eastern Australia. A less-known impact is that La Niña also raises sea levels in the western tropical Pacific. In a terrifying glimpse of things to come, this current La Niña is raising sea levels by 15-20 centimetres in some western Pacific regions – the same sea level rise projected to occur globally by 2050, regardless of how much we cut global emissions between now and then. So let’s look at this phenomena in more detail, and why we can expect more flooding over the summer. <h2>These spring tides aren’t unusual</h2> Low-lying islands in the Pacific are considered the frontline of climate change, where sea level rise poses an existential threat that could force millions of people to <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-seas-are-coming-for-us-in-kiribati-will-australia-rehome-us-172137">find new homes</a> in the coming decades. Last week’s tidal floods show what will be the new normal by 2050. In the Marshall Islands, for example, waves were <a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/2021/12/07/tidal-damage-cuts-swathe-across-wide-area-of-pacific/">washing over boulder</a> barriers, causing flooding on roads half a metre deep. This flooding has coincided with the recent spring tides. But while there is year to year variability in the magnitude of these tides that vary from location to location, this year’s spring tides aren’t actually unusually higher than those seen in previous years. For instance, <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2020EF001607">tidal analysis</a> shows annual maximum <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/oceanography/projects/spslcmp/data/index.shtml">sea levels at stations</a> in Lombrom (Manus, Papua New Guinea) and Dekehtik (Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia) are roughly 1-3cm higher than last year. Meanwhile, those at Betio (Tarawa, Kiribati) and Uliga (Majuro, Marshall Islands) are roughly 3-6cm lower. This means the combined impacts of sea level rise from climate change and the ongoing La Niña event are largely responsible for this year’s increased flooding. <h2>A double whammy</h2> The latest <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/#SPM">assessment report</a> from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finds global average sea levels rose by about 20cm between 1901 and 2018. This sea level rise would, of course, lead to more coastal inundation in low-lying regions during spring tides, like those in the western tropical Pacific. However, sea level rise increases at a relatively small rate – around 3 millimetres per year. So while this can create large differences over decades and longer, year to year differences are small. This means while global mean sea level rise has likely contributed to last week’s floods, there is relatively small differences between this year and the previous few years. This is where La Niña makes a crucial difference. We know La Nina events impact the climate of nations across the Pacific, bringing an <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-la-ninas-rains-mean-boom-or-bust-for-australian-farmers-172511">increased chance of high rainfall</a> and tropical cyclone landfall in some locations. But the easterly trade winds, which blow across the Pacific Ocean from east to west, are stronger in La Niña years. This leads to a larger build up of warm water in the western Pacific. Warm water is generally thicker than cool water (due to thermal expansion), meaning the high heat in the western equatorial Pacific and Indonesian Seas during La Niña events is often accompanied by higher sea levels. This year is certainly no different, as can be seen in sea surface height anomaly maps <a href="https://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/data/along-track-nrt-data/?page=0&per_page=3&order=publish_date+desc&search=&fancybox=true&condition_1=2021%3Ayear&condition_2=11%3Amonth&category=204">here</a> and <a href="https://aviso.altimetry.fr/fileadmin/images/data/Products/indic/enso/Msla_MoyMens_PacTrop_latest.png">here</a>. From these maps, along with <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/1999GL010485">past studies</a>, it’s clear Pacific islands west of the date line (180⁰E) and between Fiji and the Marshall Islands (15⁰N-15⁰S) are those most at risk of high sea levels during La Niña events. <h2>What could the future hold?</h2> We can expect to see more coastal flooding for these western Pacific islands and atolls over the coming summer months. This is because the La Niña-induced sea level rise is normally maintained throughout this period, along with more periods with high spring tides. Interestingly, the high sea levels related to La Niña events in the northern hemisphere tend to peak in November-December, while they do not peak in the <a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/clim/27/3/jcli-d-13-00276.1.xml">southern hemisphere</a> until the following February-March. This means many western Pacific locations on both sides of the equator will experience further coastal inundation in the short term. But the severity of these impacts is likely to increase in the southern hemisphere (such as the Solomon islands, Tuvalu and Samoa) and decrease in the northern hemisphere (such as the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia). Looking forward towards 2050, a further <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/#SPM">15-25cm of global average sea level rise is expected</a>. La Niña events typically cause sea levels in these regions to rise 10-15cm above average, though some regions can bring sea levels up to 20cm. Given the projected sea level rise in 2050 is similar to the La Niña-induced rise in the western Pacific, this current event provides an important insight into what will become “normal” inundation during spring tides. Unfortunately, climate projections show this level of sea level rise by 2050 is all but locked in, largely due to the greenhouse gas emissions we’ve already released. Beyond 2050, we know sea levels will continue to rise for the next several centuries, and this will largely depend on our future emissions. To give low-lying island nations a fighting chance at surviving the coming floods, all nations (including Australia) must drastically and urgently cut emissions.<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/173504/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/shayne-mcgregor-123851">Shayne McGregor</a>, Associate Professor, and Associate Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/la-nina-just-raised-sea-levels-in-the-western-pacific-by-up-to-20cm-this-height-will-be-normal-by-2050-173504">original article</a>. Image: Shutterstock

International Travel

Deforestation can raise local temperatures by up to 4.5℃ – and heat untouched areas 6km away

Forests directly cool the planet, like natural evaporative air conditioners. So what happens when you cut them down? In tropical countries such as Indonesia, Brazil and the Congo, rapid deforestation <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate3250">may have accounted for</a> up to 75% of the observed surface warming between 1950 and 2010. <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2fdc">Our new research</a> took a closer look at this phenomenon. Using satellite data over Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, we found deforestation can heat a local area by as much as 4.5℃, and can even raise temperatures in undisturbed forests up to 6km away. More than 40% of the world’s population live in the tropics and, under climate change, rising heat and humidity could push them into <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-021-00695-3">lethal conditions</a>. Keeping forests intact is vital to protect those who live in and around them as the planet warms. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431859/original/file-20211115-13-g3akke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431859/original/file-20211115-13-g3akke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Trees provide shade, habitat, and regulate the supply of clean water. Shutterstock <h2>Deforestation hot spots</h2> At the recent climate change summit in Glasgow, world leaders representing 85% of Earth’s remaining forests committed to ending, and reversing, <a href="https://ukcop26.org/glasgow-leaders-declaration-on-forests-and-land-use/">deforestation by 2030</a>. This is a crucial measure in our fight to stop the planet warming beyond the internationally agreed limit of 1.5℃, because forests store vast amounts of carbon. Deforestation releases this carbon – <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2019.0120">approximately 5.2</a> billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year – back into the atmosphere. This accounts for nearly 10% of the global emissions from 2009-2016. Deforestation is <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aax8574">particularly prevalent</a> in Southeast Asia. <a href="https://data.globalforestwatch.org/documents/14228e6347c44f5691572169e9e107ad/explore">We calculate</a> that between 2000 and 2019, Indonesia lost 17% of its forested area (26.8 million hectares of land), and Malaysia 28% of its forest cover (8.12 million hectares). Others in the region, such as Papua New Guinea, are considered “<a href="https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/deforestation_fronts_/">deforestation hot spots</a>”, as they’re at high risk of losing their forest cover in the coming decade. Forests in this region are cut down for a variety of reasons, including for expanding palm oil and timber plantations, logging, mining and small-scale farms. And these new types of land uses produce different spatial patterns of forest loss, which we can see and measure using satellites. <h2>What we found</h2> We already know forests cool the climate directly, and losing forest causes local temperatures to rise. But we wanted to learn whether the different patterns of forest loss influenced how much temperatures increased by, and how far warming spread from the deforested site into neighbouring, unchanged areas. To find out, <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2fdc">we used</a> satellite images that measure the temperature of the land surface. As the illustration below shows, we measured this by averaging forest loss in rings of different widths and radius, and looking at the average temperature change of the forest inside the ring. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431019/original/file-20211109-27-mpcx2l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431019/original/file-20211109-27-mpcx2l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Illustration of how temperature changes due to forest loss." /></a> How forest clearing near an unchanged area causes temperatures to rise. For example, if you consider a circle of forest that’s 4km wide, and there’s a completely deforested, 2km-wide ring around it, the inner circle would warm on average by 1.2℃. The closer the forest loss, the higher the warming. If the ring was 1-2km away, the circle would warm by 3.1℃, while at 4-6km away, it’s 0.75℃. These might not sound like big increases in temperature, but global studies show <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/114/35/9326.short">for each 1℃ increase in temperature</a>, yields of major crops would decline by around 3-7%. Retaining forest within 1km of agricultural land in Southeast Asia could therefore avoid crop losses of 10-20%. These estimates are conservative, because we only measured the effect of forest loss on average yearly temperatures. But another important factor is that higher average temperatures <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2011JD016382">usually create</a> higher temperature extremes, like those during heatwaves. And those really high temperatures in heatwaves are what put people and crops at most risk. Of course, forests aren’t normally cut down in rings. This analysis was designed to exclude other causes of temperature change, putting the effect of non-local forest loss in focus. <h2>Why is this happening?</h2> Forests cool the land because trees draw water from the soil to their leaves, where it then evaporates. The energy needed to evaporate the water comes from sunshine and heat in the air, the same reason you feel colder when you get out of a pool with water on your skin. A single tree in a tropical forest can cause <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378017300134">local surface cooling equivalent</a> to 70 kilowatt hours for every 100 litres of water used from the soil — as much cooling as two household air conditioners. Forests are particularly good at cooling the land because their canopies have large surface area, which can evaporate a lot of water. When forests in tropical regions are cut down, this evaporative cooling stops, and the land surface warms up. This is not news to the people of Borneo. In 2018, researchers surveyed <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378017314188">people in 477 villages</a>, and found they’re well aware nearby forest loss has caused them to live with hotter temperatures. When asked why forests were important to their health and the health of their families, the ability for trees to regulate temperature was the most frequent response. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431029/original/file-20211109-13-18wfaj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431029/original/file-20211109-13-18wfaj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Logging road" /></a> A logging road in East Kalimantan, Bornea: logged forest on the left, virgin/primary forest on the right. <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Logging_road_East_Kalimantan_2005.jpg" class="source">Aidenvironment, 2005/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-SA</a> <h2>A climate change double whammy</h2> In many parts of the world, including the tropics and Australia, expanding farmland is a major reason for cutting down forest. But given hotter temperatures also reduce the productivity of farms, conserving forests might prove a better strategy for food security and for the livelihoods of farmers. If forests must be removed, there may be ways to avoid the worst possible temperature increases. For example, we found that keeping at least 10% of forest cover helped reduce the associated warming by an average of 0.2℃. Similarly, temperatures did not increase as much when the area of forest loss was smaller. This means if deforestation occurs in smaller, discontinuous blocks rather than uniformly, then the temperature impacts will be less severe. To help share these findings, <a href="https://treeheat.azurewebsites.net">we’ve built a web mapping tool</a> that lets users explore the effects of different patterns and areas of forest loss on local temperatures in maritime South East Asia. It helps show why protecting forests in the tropics offers a climate change double whammy – lowering carbon dioxide emissions and local temperatures together.<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/163584/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sally-thompson-1223399">Sally Thompson</a>, Associate professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/debora-correa-1288935">Débora Corrêa</a>, Research fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-duncan-1288934">John Duncan</a>, Research fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/octavia-crompton-1246306">Octavia Crompton</a>, Postdoctoral researcher, Pratt School of Engineering, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/duke-university-1286">Duke University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/deforestation-can-raise-local-temperatures-by-up-to-4-5-and-heat-untouched-areas-6km-away-163584">original article</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

Big-business greenwash or a climate saviour? Carbon offsets raise tricky moral questions

Massive protests unfolded in Glasgow outside the United Nations climate summit <a href="https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/11/net-zero-is-not-zero-carbon-offsetting-focus-at-cop26-under-criticism/">last week</a>, with some activists <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/cop26/cop26-indigenous-carbon-protests-video-v417423df">denouncing</a> a proposal to expand the use of a controversial climate action measure to meet net-zero targets: carbon offsetting. Offsetting <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-stabilise-the-climate-without-carbon-offsets-so-how-do-we-make-them-work-169355">refers to</a> reducing emissions or removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere in one place to balance emissions made in another. So far, more than 130 countries have committed to the net zero by 2050 goal, but none is proposing to be completely emissions free by that date – all are relying on forms of offsetting. The use of offsets in meeting climate obligations has been <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/50429/offsets-taskforce-hit-protests-cop26/">rejected by climate activists</a> as a “scam”. Swedish climate campaigner <a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1455904676227002375?s=20">Greta Thunberg</a>, joining the protesters, claimed relying on buying offsets to cut emissions would give polluters “a free pass to keep polluting”. Others, however, argue offsetting has a legitimate role to play in our transition to a low-carbon future. A <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/towards-net-zero-practical-policies-to-offset-carbon-emissions/">recent report</a> by Australia’s Grattan Institute, for example, claimed that done <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-stabilise-the-climate-without-carbon-offsets-so-how-do-we-make-them-work-169355">with integrity</a>, carbon offsets will be crucial to reaching net zero in sectors such as agriculture and aviation, for which full elimination of emissions is infeasible. So who’s in the right? We think the answer depends on the kind of offsetting that is being employed. Some forms of offsetting can be a legitimate way of helping to reach net zero, while others are morally dubious. <h2>Climate change as a moral issue</h2> The debate over offsetting is part of a key agenda item for COP26 – establishing the rules for global carbon trading, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/as-cop26-climate-summit-continues-attention-turns-to-carbon-markets/">known as Article 6</a> of the Paris Agreement. The trading scheme will allow countries to purchase emissions reductions from overseas to count towards their own climate action. To examine carbon offsetting in a moral context, we should first remember what makes our contributions to CO₂ emissions morally problematic. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pHLVDlb6rCU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> The emissions from human activity increase the risks of <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar3/wg2/chapter-1-overview-of-impacts-adaptation-and-vulnerability-to-climate-change/">climate change-related harms</a> such as dangerous weather events – storms, fires, floods, heatwaves, and droughts – and the prevalence of serious diseases and malnutrition. The more we humans emit, the more we contribute to global warming, and the greater the risks of harm to the most vulnerable people. Climate change is a moral issue because of the question this invites on behalf of those people: <blockquote> Why are you adding to global warming, when it risks harming us severely? </blockquote> Not having a good answer to that question is what makes our contribution to climate change seriously wrong. <h2>The two ways to offset emissions</h2> The moral case in favour of offsetting is it gives us an answer to that question. If we can match our emissions with a corresponding amount of offsetting, then can’t we say we’re making no net addition to global warming, and therefore imposing no risk of harm on anyone? Well, that depends on what kind of offsetting we’re doing. Offsetting comes in two forms, which are morally quite different. The first kind of offsetting involves removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. Planting trees or other vegetation is one way of doing this, provided the CO₂ that’s removed does not then re-enter the atmosphere later, for example as a result of deforestation. Another way would be through the development of <a href="https://eciu.net/analysis/briefings/net-zero/negative-emissions-why-what-how">negative emissions technologies</a>, which envisage ways to extract CO₂ from the atmosphere and store it permanently. The second form is offsetting by paying for emissions reduction. This involves ensuring someone else puts less CO₂ into the atmosphere than they otherwise would have. For example, one company might pay another company to reduce its emissions, with the first claiming this reduction as an offset against its own emissions. Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator issues <a href="http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/OSR/ANREU/types-of-emissions-units/australian-carbon-credit-units">Australian Carbon Credit Units</a> for “eligible offsets projects”. These include for projects of offsetting by emissions reduction. The regulator certifies that a company, for example, installing more efficient technology “deliver abatement that is additional to what would occur in the absence of the project”. Another company whose activities send CO₂ into the atmosphere, such as a coal-fired power station, can then buy these credits to offset its emissions. <h2>So what’s the problem?</h2> There is a crucial difference between these <a href="https://www.offsetguide.org/understanding-carbon-offsets/what-is-a-carbon-offset/">two forms of offsetting</a>. When you offset in the first way – taking as much CO₂ out of the atmosphere as you put in – you can indeed say you’re not adding to global warming. That’s not to say even this form of offsetting is problem-free. It’s crucial such offsets are properly validated and are part of a transition plan to cleaner energy generation compatible with everyone reaching net zero together. Tree-planting cannot be a complete solution, because we could simply <a href="https://theconversation.com/there-arent-enough-trees-in-the-world-to-offset-societys-carbon-emissions-and-there-never-will-be-158181">run out of places</a> to plant them. But when you offset in the second way, you cannot say you’re not adding to global warming at all. What you’re doing is paying someone else not to add to global warming, while adding to it yourself. The difference between the two forms of offsetting is like the difference between a mining company releasing mercury into the groundwater while simultaneously cleaning the water to restore the mercury concentration to safe levels, and a mining company paying another not to release mercury into the groundwater and then doing so itself. The first can be a legitimate way of negating the risk you impose. The second is a way of imposing risk in someone else’s stead. Let’s use a few simple analogies to illustrate this further. In morality and law, we cannot justify injuring someone by claiming we had previously paid someone who was about to injure that same person not to do so. The same is true when it comes to the imposition of risk. If I take a high speed joyride through a heavily populated area, I cannot claim I pose no risk on people nearby simply because I had earlier paid my neighbour not to take a joyride along the same route. Had I not induced my neighbour not to take the joyride, he would’ve had to answer for the risk he imposed. When I do so in his place, I am the one who must answer for that risk. In our desperate attempt to stop the world warming beyond the internationally agreed limit of 1.5℃, we need to encourage whatever reduces the climate impacts of human activity. If selling carbon credits is an effective way to achieve this, we should do it, creating incentives for emissions reductions as well as emissions removals. What we cannot do is claim that inducing others to reduce emissions gives us a moral license to emit in their place.<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/171295/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christian-barry-14000">Christian Barry</a>, Professor of Philosophy at the ANU, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/garrett-cullity-1287732">Garrett Cullity</a>, Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/big-business-greenwash-or-a-climate-saviour-carbon-offsets-raise-tricky-moral-questions-171295">original article</a>. Image: EPA/Robert Perry

International Travel

Newly approved Alzheimer’s drug raises serious concerns

United States health officials have approved the first new drug to treat Alzheimer’s in twenty years. But independent advisors and some Alzheimer’s experts have said the approval comes without enough evidence that the drug can help patients with the brain-destroying disease. The Food and Drug Administration said it approved the drug, aducanumab, based on results that its benefits for Alzheimer’s patients were “reasonably likely”. Aducanuman, which will go by the brand name Aduhelmm, is produced by American biotechnology company Biogen and is to be administered as a monthly infusion. As the first approved treatment to directly attack the disease process of Alzheimer’s instead of just treating the symptoms like anxiety and insomnia, the drug is intended to slow the cognitive decline in those with mild memory and thinking problems. The drug is thought to reduce harmful clumps of plaque in the brain in order to slow the progression of the deadly disease. Why this matters With the approval of the treatment despite limited evidence that it works, experts are concerned it could set a precedent for the approval of future experimental therapies that only show incremental benefits. Currently only five medications have been approved by the FDA for patients with Alzheimer’s, though these only delay cognitive decline for several months. As a result, patient advocacy groups lobbied for approval to expand the number of treatments available of Aduhelm, with other more-promising candidates likely to be three to four years away from potential approval. But, the FDA advisory committee, as well as an independent think tank and several prominent experts - including Alzheimer’s doctors who were involved in clinical trials of the drug - have said the evidence raises doubts about its effectiveness. Concerns have also been raised about the small benefits being outweighed by the risk of swelling or bleeding in the brain that occurred during the trials. The risk of bleeding is also heightened for those with the APOE4 gene, which is associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s. Caleb Alexander, an FDA advisor who recommended against the drug’s approval, said he was “surprised and disappointed”. “The FDA gets the respect that it does because it has regulatory standards that are based on firm evidence. In this case, I think they gave the product a pass,” said Dr Alexander, a medical researcher at John Hopkins University. Dr Patrizia Cavazzoni, the FDA’s director of the Centre for Drug Evaluation and Research wrote on the agency’s website: “The data included in the applicant’s submission were highly complex and left residual uncertainties regarding clinical benefit,” But, she said the agency had approved the drug through a program called accelerated approval, which is designed to provide earlier access to therapies for diseases with few treatments, “and where there is an expectation of clinical benefit despite some residual uncertainty regarding the benefit.” Dr Cavazzoni also told reporters: “The data supports patients and caregivers having the choice to use this drug.” What happens next Though approved, the FDA has required the drug manufacturer to conduct a follow-up study to confirm the benefits. If this study fails to show the drug's effectiveness, the FDA can - but isn’t required to - withdraw the drug from the market. Biogen has said it aims to complete the follow-up trial by 2030. Image: Getty Images

Body

Reality star raises over $1 million in just 16 hours for stricken baby

A social media influencer has raised over £1m (AUD$1.8m) in less than a day to help his daughter get life-saving treatment for leukaemia. Ashley Cain, who appeared on the MTV series Ex on the Beach, wrote on Instagram on Saturday that he and his partner Safiyya Vorajee, also an influencer, "are on our knees asking for help" after their seven-month-old, Azaylia, had a leukaemia relapse. The baby requires a year-long CAR-T therapy, plus a haplo transplant, for the best chance of survival, Cain wrote. It only took 16 hours after the post went up for Cain to hit the £1m target after more than 83,000 people donated. The 30-year-old said: “After long discussions and a global outreach for treatment, our consultants along with consultants from around the world have come to the conclusion that the ONLY option to save a minimum period of 1 year. “Because of the aggressiveness of Azaylia’s disease, we don’t have time on our side and we may have to fly out within a matter of weeks. Azaylia is such a strong little girl who has fought through every near impossible battle so far and she has done it all with love in her heart and a smile on her face!” Cain and Vorajee welcomed Azaylia in August, and learned their baby was suffering from leukemia at eight weeks old. “Azaylia had a frighteningly high leukemia count plus tumours in her spleen, stomach, lungs and kidneys which put her in critical condition and resulted in her being put into intensive care,” Cain wrote on the fundraising page. “The doctors warned us that there was a high probability that she wouldn’t survive past the first round of chemotherapy due to the aggressiveness and rareness of her disease combined with her age.” The couple, who have already surpassed their fundraising target, said they will donate any extra money to “other children and their families in the same situation”.

Caring

Strangers raise $250,000 for pregnant mother of triplets after husband's suicide

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> More than $250,000 has been raised for a devastated mum-to-be of triplets after her husband passed away in a self-harm incident involving a car. Matt and Ashleigh Conwell had been tightly budgeting to prepare for the arrival of their three babies before Matt took his own life on September 2nd. With the three children due just before Christmas, strangers took it upon themselves to help out the heartbroken family. Nicola Britton, GoFundMe's Australian senior regional manager, said the heartbreaking story resonated with members of the community, The <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queenslanders-help-raise-250k-for-cricket-coachs-pregnant-widow/news-story/0f377cb7074c0cb57db6be05ea36aff0" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink">Courier Mail</a> reported. "The more close-knit a community, the quicker donations come in, and this one escalated very quickly due to the circumstances," she said. "Generosity hasn't slowed down this year, and that's really surprised me; at a time of such social and economic uncertainty, people are turning compassion into action and donating is their way to show they are there for someone." Devastated Ashleigh agreed to let her friend Alex Nesevski set up a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/ashleigh-amp-her-beautiful-babies" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink">GoFundMe</a> page. "Ashleigh isn't the sort of person who would ask for help, and money can never replace the loss of her husband, but she knows she needs support," Mrs Nesevski previously told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8789691/Ashleigh-Conwell-GoFundMe-raises-250-000-husbands-sudden-suicide.html" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink">Daily Mail Australia</a>. She explained the costs of pregnancy, delivery and caring for triplets that would be "challenging for any couple" are especially difficult for a jobless single mother. "They were already stretching every dollar and budgeting tightly for the arrival of their unexpected but so very wanted family ... the financial hardship she now finds herself in is significant," she said. "She has to see a specialist every two weeks because carrying three babies is a huge physical strain - growing bones and brains." Ashleigh's sister Emily said that her brother in law wasn't thinking clearly when he took his own life. "It was a snap decision, a moment of clouded judgement, and totally out of character," she said. "This year's been tough for everyone, even the strongest people you thought could get through it ... it just shows suicide doesn't discriminate," she said. "It wasn't meant to be this way". </div> </div> </div>

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Couple who found love in chemotherapy raise funds for final trip

1 in 4 adults think smacking is necessary to ‘properly raise’ kids. But attitudes are changing

“Shocked and amazed”: Neighbours raise over $50,000 for bullied boy

3 reasons you should never view or share videos showing children being assaulted – even if you think it helps ‘raise awareness’

Streets on fire after controversial raising of retirement age

Readers Respond: What was the best part about raising your children?

"Someone give them a raise": Hilarious way ground crew entertained trapped passengers

Low-cost gel film pulls clean drinking water from desert air, raising hopes of quenching the world’s driest communities

Pay ‘with a smile or a wave’: Why Mastercard’s new face recognition payment system raises concerns

Couple tackle the Nullabor to raise funds for polio charity

Raise a glass: Warne farewelled in intimate ceremony

Captain Australia raises over $100K for children’s cancer research

Readers respond: What was the best thing about how your parents raised you?

Millions raised for useless treatments

La Niña just raised sea levels in the western Pacific by up to 20cm. This height will be normal by 2050

Deforestation can raise local temperatures by up to 4.5℃ – and heat untouched areas 6km away

Big-business greenwash or a climate saviour? Carbon offsets raise tricky moral questions

Newly approved Alzheimer’s drug raises serious concerns

Reality star raises over $1 million in just 16 hours for stricken baby

Strangers raise $250,000 for pregnant mother of triplets after husband's suicide

News

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Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Couple who found love in chemotherapy raise funds for final trip

1 in 4 adults think smacking is necessary to ‘properly raise’ kids. But attitudes are changing

“Shocked and amazed”: Neighbours raise over $50,000 for bullied boy

3 reasons you should never view or share videos showing children being assaulted – even if you think it helps ‘raise awareness’

Streets on fire after controversial raising of retirement age

Readers Respond: What was the best part about raising your children?

"Someone give them a raise": Hilarious way ground crew entertained trapped passengers

Low-cost gel film pulls clean drinking water from desert air, raising hopes of quenching the world’s driest communities

Pay ‘with a smile or a wave’: Why Mastercard’s new face recognition payment system raises concerns

Couple tackle the Nullabor to raise funds for polio charity

Raise a glass: Warne farewelled in intimate ceremony

Captain Australia raises over $100K for children’s cancer research

Readers respond: What was the best thing about how your parents raised you?

Millions raised for useless treatments

La Niña just raised sea levels in the western Pacific by up to 20cm. This height will be normal by 2050

Deforestation can raise local temperatures by up to 4.5℃ – and heat untouched areas 6km away

Big-business greenwash or a climate saviour? Carbon offsets raise tricky moral questions

Newly approved Alzheimer’s drug raises serious concerns

Reality star raises over $1 million in just 16 hours for stricken baby

Strangers raise $250,000 for pregnant mother of triplets after husband's suicide

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