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When hosting mega-events like FIFA, cities market themselves at the expense of the most vulnerable

Few events capture the attention of the globe like the Men’s FIFA World Cup — in 2018, the event boasted a viewership of <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia/media-releases/more-than-half-the-world-watched-record-breaking-2018-world-cup">3.5 billion people</a>. Yet, despite the enormous popularity of the World Cup, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2022/11/17/do-host-countries-make-money-from-the-world-cup">host cities and countries invariably lose money</a> on the event itself, with FIFA capturing most of the profits despite its non-profit status. The calculus of host cities is based on the hope that successfully hosting a World Cup (or Olympics) will significantly enhance a city’s urban brand and ultimately lead to long-term increases in tourism and foreign direct investment. In other words, the argument is that a successful stint as a host city will identify that city as “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40643231">world-class</a>” and change its economic fortunes. This justification, at least from an economic point of view, relies on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02614360500504628">some pretty fuzzy math and long-term forecasting that rarely gets audited</a>. I attended the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to study how various communities attempted to have their voices heard and needs met through the planning process for that event. I continue to research how hosting large-scale events intersect with other trends in global and local urbanization. Urban branding This mission of improving one’s urban brand to attract tourist and foreign investment leads cities to focus their attention to the perceived needs. Or, more precisely, the perceived desires of potential tourists and investors, as opposed to the needs and desires of the people who already live, work and play in these cities. This shift in focus is part of larger trends of cities becoming <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/04353684.1989.11879583">increasingly entrepreneurial in our globalized world</a>. And to this end, host cities pursue a fairly predictable path to demonstrate their world-classness. As Streetnet International, a South Africa-based international organization of street vendors, put it in their World Class Cities For All campaign: <blockquote> “It has become a boringly predictable reality that, when a country prepares to host a high-profile international event, <a href="https://streetnet.org.za/document/world-class-cities-for-all/">the country and its local government authorities prepare to create ‘World Class Cities’ of a particular type</a>, i.e. ‘World Class Cities’ which will attract foreign investment; have modern up-to-date infrastructure; have no visible signs of urban decay; have smooth traffic flows; have no visible poor people or social problems.” </blockquote> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497721/original/file-20221128-4871-ip7vgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497721/original/file-20221128-4871-ip7vgt.jpg?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/497721/original/file-20221128-4871-ip7vgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497721/original/file-20221128-4871-ip7vgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497721/original/file-20221128-4871-ip7vgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497721/original/file-20221128-4871-ip7vgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497721/original/file-20221128-4871-ip7vgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497721/original/file-20221128-4871-ip7vgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="overhead view of a building site in the desert" /></a><figcaption>In Doha, several stadiums were built to host the FIFA World Cup. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</figcaption></figure> Increased policing, decreased social investment There are common themes to how cities approach their hosting duties and branding pursuits. However, the particular interventions that each city makes to create this type of world- class city are unique to their particular context. Unfailingly, cities significantly increase policing, both in the sheer numbers of police, military and surveillance measures as well as the powers afforded to the police and military. These powers are used to police undesirable activities and individuals — those activities and people deemed incommensurate with the desired world-class brand. Youth, the unhoused or precariously housed, street vendors and racialized individuals <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2010.520938">experience the brunt of these increases</a>. In South Africa in 2010, FIFA courts were established to exact “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/sports/soccer/21iht-wcsoccer.html">swift and severe justice</a>” for crimes committed against tourists and journalists during the 2010 World Cup. In Qatar, there has been <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/2022/11/24/lgbtq-and-other-rights-issues-at-world-cup-a-huge-blemish-on-fifa-hall-of-famer.html">targeted policing of LGBTQ+ people and allies</a>. Additionally, the quest for this type of world-class-city brand also leads to uneven investment and under-investment as cities are forced to make choices about how to invest their municipal budgets. Tourist areas <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25765282">see significant infrastructure investments while those off the tourist map are often ignored</a>. This is intensified by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0196859905275971">television coverage of these places and events</a>. In Durban, South Africa, this meant significant investment along the waterfront and the construction of a shiny new soccer stadium (across the street from an existing rugby stadium) while other parts of the city, off the beaten path of journalists and tourists, continued to lack even basic infrastructure. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497776/original/file-20221128-14-4gf988.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1920%2C1080&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497776/original/file-20221128-14-4gf988.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1920%2C1080&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/497776/original/file-20221128-14-4gf988.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497776/original/file-20221128-14-4gf988.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497776/original/file-20221128-14-4gf988.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497776/original/file-20221128-14-4gf988.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497776/original/file-20221128-14-4gf988.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497776/original/file-20221128-14-4gf988.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="armed police on horseback watch over a crowd." /></a><figcaption>In this image from video, Qatari police stand by on horseback as other security officials try to control a crowd at a FIFA Fan Zone on Nov. 19, 2022. Authorities turned away thousands of fans from a concert celebrating the World Cup beginning the next day. (AP Photo/Srdjan Nedeljkovic)</figcaption></figure> Exposes the cracks The current approach to hosting a World Cup puts unique and focused pressures on urban systems and infrastructure. In the process, it exposes the already existing cracks in the system and exacerbates existing inequalities. The World Cup did not create the labour system and working conditions of temporary migrant workers in Doha. However, both the magnitude and speed of construction to meet hosting needs undoubtedly ramped up the exploitation of the system, leading to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022">thousands of worker deaths</a>. We need to reframe how a world-class city is defined to one that is more liveable, sustainable and just. This will inspire future host cities to pursue this status in a manner that does not increase policing and exacerbate inequalities.<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/195069/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Writen by David Roberts. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-hosting-mega-events-like-fifa-cities-market-themselves-at-the-expense-of-the-most-vulnerable-195069" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Getty Images

Real Estate

Why don’t snorers wake themselves up?

<div class="copy"> Ask any snorer why their sonorous rumblings don’t wake them up and they will almost inevitably give the same, simple response: “Why ask me? I don’t snore!” A snorer’s blissful ignorance of their own snuffles gives the impression that they must sleep soundly through them, while the rest of the household listens on in frustration or horror. But just because they don’t remember waking up, doesn’t mean they sleep like a baby. To explain why, we need to look at why some of us snore in the first place. Let’s break it down. <h2>Why do we only snore when we’re asleep?</h2> Your mouth and throat are full of all sorts of delightfully soft, floppy bits, such as your uvula, tonsils, adenoids and other bits of tissue. When you’re awake, your body actively holds all these bits in their designated positions, ready for action. But when you fall asleep, your muscles relax and everything is free to loosen up. This relaxation is an important part of sleeping. As well as allowing our bodies to rest and recuperate, partial muscle paralysis prevents us from acting out our dreams while not fully conscious and walking. While a live action mime of our dreams could be an amusing insight to spectators, it could also be dangerous to us – and them. As well as keeping your limbs safely tucked in bed, sleep relaxation affects the muscles that hold everything in place. For some people (but certainly not any of us), this relaxation is enough for the soft tissues in our mouths to flop into undesirable positions and partially block the flow of air as they breathe. Snoring is the resulting sound of all the oral smooshy bits vibrating and slapping together as air forces its way through the obstruction when we breathe. <h2>Human evolution has set us up to be snorers</h2> Those mouth parts that cause all the trouble are actually the result of human evolution. If we were designing a perfect anti-snoring airway, it would be a long, straight tube with no soft parts at all. Unfortunately, a lot more is required of our airways than just unlaboured breathing. In order to vocalise beyond simple grunts, faces and throats have been reshaped to accommodate more sophisticated sound apparatus – most of which is soft tissue. Our tongues have migrated further back in our throats to shape different sounds. Compared to other mammals, our tongue rests precariously close to the back of our upper airway – the perfect place to become a blockage when we snooze. Our upright posture has also had an effect, shifting throats directly underneath skulls and leaving less room in which to fit all the additional squishy bits – prime conditions for the airway obstruction that leads to snoring. <h2>Loud sounds can wake us when we’re fast asleep. Why not snores?</h2> A loud crash from the kitchen in the middle of the night is almost certain to wake us up. Whether tree crash or a pet’s overly ambitious adventure, human bodies react to the sound by snapping speedily into a state of awareness. This is because our ears are still taking in sound while we’re asleep, and our brain is still processing – but its decision-making processes are very different to when we’re awake. Brains prioritise restfulness while we sleep, filtering out low-priority sounds and letting us snooze through unimportant background noise. Only high-priority signals trigger wakefulness: research has shown we’re more likely to respond to unusual sounds, especially loud sounds that could signal danger, and someone speaking our own names. For the offending snorer, the brain interprets soft snores as innocuous background noise that needs no further attention. But what about the ones that rattle the roof shingles? In fact, very loud snores actually do wake the snorer, but only briefly. We usually need to be in a very deep sleep state for our muscles to be relaxed enough for snoring to start, and at that point our brains are shutting out all but the most important information. Even if a snore is thunderous enough to make it through this filter, the snorer slips right back to sleep within a matter of seconds. Brainwave research suggests that we can have up to 25 of these “microarousals” per hour without even noticing. Unfortunately for everyone else in the household, you have to reach that deep sleep state before the snoring starts in order to be able to filter it out. So bad news for the ‘chainsnorers’ out there –your wake-ups might be impeding a sustained good night’s rest. For the rest of us, a couple of choices: learn to love the bear, or invest in a comfy pair of earplugs. Sleep tight! Image credits: Getty Images</div> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/the-body/boring-in-on-snoring/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Jamie Priest. </div>

Body

How Aussie TV stars are getting their hair done in lockdown while other celebrities opt to do it themselves

Overgrown hair and exposed roots – the new norm for women in Sydney and Melbourne as the lockdown continues. But how are TV presenters still looking picture perfect? From Ten’s Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson and Sandra Sully to Nine’s Allison Langdon and Rebecca Maddern and Seven’s Natalie Barr and Edwina Bartholomew – there’s not a single grey or grown out roots to be seen. A Nine spokesperson explained media and journalism had an exemption under the current health order and therefore, due to the nature of productions, hair and make-up artists were considered authorised workers. This rule also applied to other TV networks including Seven, Ten, The ABC and SBS. “Hair and make-up teams are regularly tested and screened for COVID” the spokes person said. “They have been supplied PPE that they are required to wear whilst working”. “They also have undergone additional industry-lead Covid training to enforce required protocols”. The spokesperson stressed Nine is taking Covid safe plans extremely seriously, with onsite testing. Other networks are said to follow a similar procedure. “Everyone entering the hair and makeup area are asked to undertake a PCR swab test 72 hours before they have their appointment”, they said.

Beauty & Style

6 home improvement projects that practically pay for themselves

These smart upgrades pay off big in resale value and enjoyment of your home. 1. Give cabinets a new life “Replacing your cabinets is a huge cost that is not completely necessary if the cabinets are less than ten years old, functional, and made from a high-quality wood,” says John Milligan, Product Development Manager at N-Hance Wood Refinishing. Refinishing can cost around $3,000 to $8,000 and can potentially bump up the value of your home between 3 and 7 percent. 2. The biggest bang for your buck A fresh coat of paint instantly updates and transforms the entire interior of your home, and when you consider the relatively low cost of paint, it’s about the biggest bang for your buck you can get. “Greys are back in vogue, and create a neutral palette that lets your decor really pop,” says Steve Frellick, licensed contractor and founder/broker of Yonder Luxury Vacation Rentals. 3. Roll up the carpet If you’re lucky, your wall-to-wall carpet will last about ten years. Well-maintained hardwood floors, on the other hand, last for at least 25 years. “Hardwood floors have a massive appeal and add an extreme level of warmth and comfort in your home and a definite return on your investment,” says Frellick. In fact, a recent Remodeling Impact Report from the National Association of Realtors showed that a whopping 91 percent of the cost is recovered. 4. Exterior facelift New cladding is like a facelift for the house, resulting in enhanced curb appeal. But replacing worn out cladding isn’t just about looks: damaged cladding creates moisture and mould, and it leaves insulation exposed, causing your heating and cooling bills to skyrocket. 5. The grass is always greener in your yard Dragging out and moving sprinklers every week is not only time-consuming; it adds to your water bill. A better idea? Drip irrigation. “This puts water where plants need it – at the root zone – and it uses much less water over time, as the emitters are placed right near the plants and drip at a reduced rate,” says plant merchant Tyler Davis. It’s easy to install, and will pay for itself in a short time with water savings, he adds. A green and well-manicured lawn can add $2,000 to $7,000 to the resale value of your home. 6. Give yourself some space Creating more usable space is something you’ll never regret, whether you use it for storage or more living space. “Having a finished basement or attic can be as simple as putting up and painting gyprock and putting down flooring,” says Shayanfekr. The costs will vary greatly depending on the square metreage and materials used, but the Remodeling Impact Report from the National Association of Realtors shares that you’ll generally recoup over 50 percent of costs at sale time. Source: <a href="https://www.rd.com/home/improvement/home-projects-pay-for-themselves/">RD.com</a> Written by Lisa Marie Conklin. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/home-tips/12-home-improvement-projects-practically-pay-themselves">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRN93V">here’s our best subscription offer.</a>

Home & Garden

Tourists who buy cheap glasses overseas are putting themselves at risk of eye cancer

A new study has found that tourists who buy cheap sunglasses from beach sellers overseas are putting themselves at risk of blindness and eye cancer. A total of 35 per cent of the rip-off of famous brands offer zero protection against UV rays, which means that wearing them in bright sunlight could cause irreversible damage. According to <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/9825387/cheap-sunglasses-blind-eye-cancer-warning/">The Sun</a>, travellers should be hyper aware of cheap fakes, including “Ray-Bon” which are on sale at many international destinations. High UV exposure can cause photokeratitis and photoconjunctivitis — a kind of sunburn to the eyeballs or eyelids, insurance company Direct Line said. It said drivers should always use good eyewear. A survey by insurance company Direct Line found that 18 per cent of those buying sunglasses did not check for UV protection and 11 per cent said they would still purchase the sunglasses even after finding out that they offered no UV protection. An added problem for drivers was that many who normally wear prescription glasses wear non-prescription sunglasses in bright sunshine. Steve Barrett, head of motor insurance at Direct Line, said: “We urge all motorists to wear appropriate eye protection and prescribed lenses including prescription sunglasses while driving. “If people cannot see to drive safely, either through not wearing the correct prescription lenses or sunglasses to protect from glare, they pose a real danger to themselves and everyone else on our roads.”

Travel Trouble

How to stop narcissists from talking about themselves

Susan Krauss Whitbourne is a professor of Psychology and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She writes the Fulfilment at Any Age blog for Psychology Today. Having a conversation with people high in narcissism can be a true test of your social adroitness. With their steady stream of highly self-referenced observations, they challenge you to maintain attention on what else is going on around you, much less get a word in edgewise. Perhaps your coworker refuses to stop talking while at her desk, and also manages to twist every sentence of yours around until it applies only to her. It’s even dawned on you to sneak a set of earplugs into your cubicle but you’re not sure if you’d get away with it. Not only that, you actually do have to keep your ears open to be able to do your job. Or imagine that you’re traveling with a highly <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/narcissism">narcissistic </a>companion throughout the beautiful countryside on a sunny day. You’d like to be able to enjoy the scenery and have at least a few moments of peace and quiet, but his endless babbling just doesn’t stop. Even if he’s not talking about himself specifically, the fact that he keeps talking ensures that he grabs the centre of attention. You might expect that people high in narcissism would be motivated to keep the spotlight on themselves, but also that they might recognize, if only slightly, that they occasionally have to give other people their turn to talk. Having some modicum of social graces would work to their advantage, you might argue, to ensure that they’re liked. They can’t monopolize every conversation. Or can they? A new study by University of Potsdam (Germany)’s Ramzi Fatfouta & Michaela Schröder-Abé (2018) asked the question of whether people high in narcissism are “agentic to the core?” In other words, does the outer self-esteem and <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/confidence">self-assurance</a> penetrate to their innermost selves? The “mask” model of narcissism, as they note, suggests that the grandiosity they project is a cover for their inner self-doubts and feelings of weakness. Fatfouta and Schröder-Abé’s study was conducted within the tradition of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/personality">personality</a> research that regards narcissism as a trait rather than as a categorical disorder which you have or you don’t. They also note that they were interested in the “grandiose” but not the “vulnerable” form of narcissism, or the tendency to present a particularly favourable self-assessment to the outside world. With this background in mind, they tested the idea that people high in narcissism would feel, on the inside, that they lack a sense of agency even though a secure sense of self-confidence would be part of the image they like to project. The paper that sparked the research by the Potsdam authors, published by University of Georgia’s W. Keith Campbell and colleagues (2007), made the case that narcissists lack an inner sense of agency and do feel inferior to the core, but the sample for that study was relatively small (117). The German authors decided to test this proposition on a larger, more representative, online sample (650 individuals with an average age of 24) using what they regarded as better measures of implicit self-esteem with regard to agency. To measure implicit self-esteem, the research <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/teamwork">team</a> used a variation of a <a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/user/pimh/index.jsp">standard experimental approach</a> that taps people’s unconscious associations to adjectives describing themselves. Participants saw words such as “active” and “passive" on a computer screen, and were instructed to respond as quickly as possible to the words "active" and "me," and "passive" and "not-me." In the comparison condition, they responded to the words "active" and "not-me," and "passive and me." People with high inner self-esteem struggle to pair the words they reject as not true of them with "me," or those they see as true of them with "not-me." To contrast implicit with explicit self-esteem, participants simply rated how strongly active and passive terms applied to them. and they also filled out a general self-esteem self-report measure. In this replication of the Georgia study, the German authors found no outward-inward discrepancy in agency for people high in narcissism. Those high in narcissism stated that they saw themselves as agentic, but they did not score low on their implicit sense of agency. Concluding that narcissists don’t seem to dislike themselves, “deep down inside,” (p. 81), Fatfouta and Schröder-Abé propose instead that people high in the need to see themselves as important and above everyone else have no particular inner need to see themselves as in charge. Even as they project this strongly agentic image to others, they remain neutral at best in seeing agency as important to their inner sense of self. The Fatfouta and Schröder-Abé study suggests, then, that the people you know who seem narcissistically self-entitled and grandiose enjoy being seen as in control, if only for the impact their strong need to take charge has on others. Their core <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/identity">self-concept</a> doesn’t rely on being in control or not, though. When they take over centre stage in a group, they’re not trying to cover up their feelings of inadequacy, but instead seem to do so out of the sheer pleasure it provides them while others bow to their will. It would appear, then, that you don’t have to walk on eggshells when you’re dealing with a conversation-grabber out of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/fear">fear</a> of creating an outburst of narcissistic <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/anger">rage</a>. Fulfillment in relationships depends on a healthy degree of give-and-take. If the person you're with continually grabs the conversational reins, you can rely on the Fatfouta and Schröder-Abé study’s findings to go ahead and make the monologue a dialogue. Written by Susan Krauss Whitbourne. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com">Psychology Today. </a>

Relationships

Why people love talking about themselves

Kim Felmingham, Clinical psychologist and neuroscientist, University of Tasmania, explains how self-disclosure can be rewarding. Have you ever been at a party where someone has talked about themselves without pause? You may have thought this a case of “too much information”, but science is begging to differ. According to <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/05/01/1202129109.abstract" target="_blank">new research</a> from Harvard University, disclosing information about yourself may be intrinsically rewarding. We know humans are highly social beings, and that we need social contact and communication for our fundamental well-being. An important part of social contact is feeling connected and sharing our experiences with others. In fact, <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/com/4/1/81/" target="_blank">studies suggest</a> approximately 30-40% of our speech output is devoted to sharing our subjective experiences with others. Anyone following Twitter or status updates on Facebook can attest to this, as <a href="http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1718918.1718953" target="_blank">surveys of posts to social media sites</a> show more than 80% of status updates are announcements of a person’s immediate experiences. But little did you know that your friend’s update attesting to the fact they were eating freshly grown tomatoes from their own garden before picking up their son from school was actually causing a burst of activity in the pleasure centres of their brain. The Harvard researchers were intrigued by the phenomenon of self-disclosure in speech, and studied it by examining brain responses in a <a href="http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/examinations/mriscan.htm" target="_blank">magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner</a> while people disclosed their own opinions or judged the opinions of other people. When people discussed their own opinions there was activation in the same brain regions that typically become active when we receive intrinsic rewards such as food, money and sex. Similarly, activity in these same reward networks was greater when people considered their own personality traits, compared to when they considered those of others. In fact, researchers compared brain responses from a previous task in which people had received monetary rewards and found there was a considerable overlap of activity in the same regions as when they engaged in self-disclosure. To confirm this, the researchers presented people with three different choices of activity while they were in the MRI scanner. They could disclose information about themselves; they could discuss the opinions of others; or they could answer a factual question related to a trivia items. Each choice was associated with a small monetary reward of differing value. The hypothesis was that, if people found self-disclosure to be intrinsically rewarding, they would choose the self-disclosure option even if the monetary reward was lower than if they chose to discuss other’s opinions or answer a factual question. The results showed people were willing to lose out on 17% of potential earnings to self-disclose. As money-hungry as we are, it seems talking about ourselves wins out. But couldn’t this just be finding pleasure in thinking about ourselves? After all, most of us enjoy getting caught up in daydreams about ourselves or going back over a social scene where we delivered a killer one-liner. To test this out, brain responses were measured when people shared their opinions out loud to a friend and when they just thought about their opinions privately. Differing monetary rewards were offered. Again, the researchers found people valued self-disclosure more than just thinking about themselves, as they willingly gave up the most money when they could introspect about the self and share it with others. All in all, this research seems to suggest people find self-disclosure intrinsically rewarding. So next time you’re at a party and someone says “that’s just like me …”, remember: they’re just blissing out on a dose of themselves. And your dose will come soon enough. Do you agree with this piece. Written by Kim Felmingham. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.<img width="1" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/6897/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation"/>

Mind

7 celebrities who have played themselves on screen

You know you have made it to the big time when you play yourself on screen. Generally, these stars have exaggerated stereotypes about themselves for these onscreen cameos, which makes them all the better. Scroll through the gallery above to see seven celebrities who have played themselves onscreen. Which celebrity onscreen cameo is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.

What Windows users must do to protect themselves from ransomware

Lisa Du is director of <a href="https://readytechgo.com.au/" target="_blank">ReadyTechGo</a>, a service that helps people gain the confidence and skills to embrace modern technology. Windows 10 has some great hidden features! By now, you've probably heard of Ransomware – a very nasty malicious software which infects PCs and encrypts (locks up) your files. Basically holding it at ransom until you pay a ransom. To defend yourself against Ransomware, you need to: <ul> <li>Backup your files regularly on a separate system such as a portable/external hard drive</li> <li>Make sure this hard drive is not connected to the internet! </li> <li>You also need to ensure you have strong security and antivirus software installed on your computer</li> <li>Always install updates as companies release software updates for your device in order to fix vulnerabilities that can be exploited to install ransomware. </li> </ul> Today, let's look at a Windows 10 feature you can switch on to protect yourself against this malicious software! Controlled folder access This feature will “protect valuable data from malicious apps and threats, such as ransomware.” As explained by Microsoft, “Controlled folder access monitors the changes that apps make to files in certain protected folders. “If an app attempts to make a change to these files, and the app is blacklisted by the feature, you’ll get a notification about the attempt. “You can complement the protected folders with additional locations, and add the apps that you want to allow access to those folders.” How to enable controlled folder access in Windows 10: <img width="467" height="" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/e785dd9ba906ed79fad48bd7e/images/176468db-6a31-423a-9ffc-331b3f1a008f.png" class="mcnImage" style="max-width: 600px; line-height: 100%; outline: none; vertical-align: bottom; height: 290px;"/> 1. Open the Windows Defender Security Centre. 2. Click on the Virus & threat protection icon. <img width="410" height="" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/e785dd9ba906ed79fad48bd7e/images/d8513731-88d1-44d2-8d46-e84aefbb8d0b.png" class="mcnImage" style="outline: none; text-align: center; max-width: 600px; line-height: 10px; vertical-align: bottom; height: 363px;"/> 3. On the next page, click the Virus & threat protection settings link. <img width="415" height="" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/e785dd9ba906ed79fad48bd7e/images/1f338cbe-f5b0-4520-a65a-017a0f489332.png" class="mcnImage" style="max-width: 600px; line-height: 100%; outline: none; vertical-align: bottom; height: 368px;"/> 4. Enable the option Controlled folder access. Ensure you turn this feature on, and if, for any reason you are attacked, never pay the ransom! Paying the ransom fee encourages attackers and you may not get your files back anyway! If you have a backup of you files on an external hard drive, you can restore your device from your backup. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us! For those of you interested in learning how you can back up files to "Cloud". make sure you come along to our workshop next Wednesday! Only a few places left in this interactive, hands on workshop! Were you aware of this safety feature?

Technology

10 questions women need to ask themselves before retiring

<img width="122" height="104" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7265690/julie-g-aka-barbara-bindland_122x104.jpg" alt="Julie G Aka Barbara Bindland (14)" style="float: left;"/>Barbara Binland is the pen name of a senior, Julie Grenness, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is a poet, writer, and part-time English and Maths tutor, with over 40 years of experience. Her many books are available on Amazon and Kindle. Initially, retirement planning requires financial planning. Shall any woman, married, or single, have sufficient funds for your ‘golden oldies’ years? How much is enough? Figures vary, it depends on your funds available, your lifestyle plans, choices in your senior years, and your health. Experts agree that most people approaching retirement age, especially women, do not have enough funds to support themselves, so they may have to rely on a full or part senior pension. Factors which affect a woman’s income can differ from a man’s, by the end of their life in the workforce. Women earn less, live longer than men, and so need to save more for retirement, or, plan a more modest lifestyle in retirement. Women are more likely than men to have taken time from the workplace to raise children, or care for aged relatives. They are also more likely to have been the main carer for any children from a relationship breakup. Moreover, a lot of women aged in their mid-fifties or older, were not given the option of any superannuation, until later in life, or not at all. Superannuation is the most popular way, in Australia, of saving for retirement. But superannuation was traditionally designed for a male, working full-time for over 35 years, who remained married to one woman for his entire life. Most women do not fit into this customary male patterns. This has implications for retirement planning. Here are some questions: <ol> <li>Are you eligible for a full or part-time seniors’ pension?</li> <li>What sort of lifestyle can you afford in retirement, as you can assume a retirement of 25 years, or more?</li> <li>The average life expectation of a 65 years female is 25 years. Can you afford that?</li> <li>Are you planning to retire before pension age? How does this affect any lump sum from your superannuation?</li> <li>Are you planning to retire after the pension age?</li> <li>How much money per annum are you going to need? What investments for any superannuation are worthy investments? (For example, term deposits, shares, property, superannuation funds.)</li> <li>What if you wish to live a comfortable lifestyle, and leave money to your children when you pass away? (For example, can a million dollars last longer than you?)</li> <li>How much money is enough for any retired woman in any circumstances?</li> <li>Will you outlive your retirement savings?</li> <li>Do you need a financial consultant or an accountant?</li> </ol> Finally, any golden oldies’ financial status can be affected by any change in circumstances, such as either health conditions, or by marriage, or divorce, or the death of a spouse. All food for thought, especially for women who are approaching retirement age.

Retirement Life

9 things narcissists will never tell you about themselves

Everyone knows a narcissist. They could be in your neighbourhood, your workplace, or even your family. But there’s more to these toxic individuals than just a sense of superiority and lack of empathy – you may be surprised to learn the root of their personality flaws lies in their innate insecurity. In his Narcissism Decoded blog on <a rel="noopener" href="https://blogs.psychcentral.com/narcissism-decoded/2017/05/nine-truths-narcissists-will-never-tell-you/" target="_blank">PsychCentral</a>, relationship and family therapist Dr Dan Neuharth has revealed some about narcissists that they’d never admit out loud, and it’ll make you understand them much better. Here are nine things a narcissist thinks, but would never tell you. 1. “The truth is whatever I say in the moment.” – Narcissists make their own reality, and that reality is, “I am right and you are wrong”. They have the uncanny ability to convince people they’re right (even when they’re not) because they portray an air of complete certainty. 2. “I love taking credit but I have no interest in taking responsibility.” – If they’ve done something good (or even just had a small part in something good), they’ll accept all the praise. If they’ve done something bad, however, they’ll shift all the responsibility away from them. 3. “I am largely unaware of how my actions affect others.” – Not only are narcissists blind to their impact on others, but most of the time, they simply don’t care. 4. “I have a bottomless hunger for attention and respect.” – They always have to be the centre of attention, but no amount is enough for them. 5. “I consider people disposable.” – If you no longer have any use or benefit to a narcissist, you will be cast aside. They don’t hesitate to betray, undermine and ignore people they grow to see as useless, and they never regret their cut-throat actions. 6. “I seek status, not equality; and victory, not fairness.” – A narcissist considers themselves to be above everyone else – very few people are on the same level as them. They’ll do anything to win, even if it means breaking the rules. 7. “My image is all-important.” – Like Narcissus before them, narcissists take a lot of pride in looking their best. To them, appearance is more important than substance. 8. “I feel entitled to do whatever I want.” – There’s one rule for the narcissist, and one rule for everyone else. If something serves to benefit them or make them feel good about themselves, they’ll do whatever it takes to get what they want. 9. “I am mortally afraid of feeling humiliated.” – Narcissists can’t stand to be exposed. If you do anything that causes them to reveal their flaws or weaknesses, they will make sure you pay. Have you found these truths to be in keeping with behaviour of narcissists you’ve met? What other tell-tale signs have you discovered? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Mind

This is how often women criticise themselves each day

A new Weight Watchers survey of 2,000 people discovered women criticise themselves on an average of eight times per day. Among the things women regularly worry about, the study found wanting to lose weight, being low-earners and a having lack of creative and organisational skills to be the top concerns. Finding it difficult to take a compliment also ranked highly, with 89 per cent of respondents dishing out compliments to other women that they would never bestow on themselves. Negative thoughts about appearance and weight were the most apparent criticisms and made up almost three quarters of the most common put-downs. Researchers found social media and the bombardment of perfect images to be a catalyst for the rise in a lack of self-confidence and personal critique. Zoe Griffiths, Head of Public Health and Programme at Weight Watchers says modern cultural conditions have increased the intensity of unkindness amongst women. "Today's hectic and visually-driven world has meant that we're seeing a rise in women being self-critical, from the way they look to the way they feel at work." "Our research has shown that being unkind to ourselves has been an underlying theme for women for many years, but a set of very modern cultural conditions have increased the intensity of this unkindness which are hard to avoid," she said. Areas a woman is most self-critical: <ol start="1"> <li>Weight</li> <li>Appearance</li> <li>Career</li> <li>Finances</li> <li>Relationship</li> </ol> A woman's 20 most common criticisms of herself: <ol start="1"> <li>You’re too fat/overweight.</li> <li>Your hair is a mess.</li> <li>Your belly looks big.</li> <li>You don’t do enough exercise.</li> <li>Feeling scruffy next to other women.</li> <li>Not earning enough money.</li> <li>You say you are having a "fat day."</li> <li>Not wearing certain items of clothing because you think you can’t pull it off.</li> <li>You wish you were as photogenic as other women on social media.</li> <li>You deflect compliments by saying something negative about yourself.</li> <li>You worry people are talking about you behind your back.</li> <li>Feeling underdressed.</li> <li>I’m not stylish enough.</li> <li>You don’t have sex with your partner enough.</li> <li>You aren’t as creative as other women.</li> <li>Your bum looks big.</li> <li>You aren’t as organized as other women.</li> <li>You don’t spend as much time with your friends as you should.</li> <li>You’re not wearing enough make-up.</li> <li>You aren’t attractive to your partner.</li> </ol> Did you know: Did you know 42 per cent of women admitted to never complimenting themselves, while the remainder gave themselves a positive thought or 'pat on the back' just once a day. Resolution: It’s simple! There must be more positive and less negative. Psychologist Dr. Ray Angelini says all real and lasting success starts with building your character. <ul> <li>Love yourself first</li> <li>Acknowledge who you are and how far you’ve come</li> <li>Outline how you can build on your own success</li> <li>High quality life = high quality you</li> <li>Compliment yourself, compliment others and embrace who you are because you’re one of a kind!</li> </ul> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/funny-things-grandkids-say-part-4/">The funniest things grandkids kids say</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/12/life-lessons-from-grandparents/">Top 10 life lessons kids learn from grandparents</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/interspecies-animal-friendships/">15 unlikely friendships that will melt your heart</a>

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When hosting mega-events like FIFA, cities market themselves at the expense of the most vulnerable

Why don’t snorers wake themselves up?

How Aussie TV stars are getting their hair done in lockdown while other celebrities opt to do it themselves

6 home improvement projects that practically pay for themselves

Tourists who buy cheap glasses overseas are putting themselves at risk of eye cancer

How to stop narcissists from talking about themselves

Why people love talking about themselves

7 celebrities who have played themselves on screen

What Windows users must do to protect themselves from ransomware

10 questions women need to ask themselves before retiring

9 things narcissists will never tell you about themselves

This is how often women criticise themselves each day

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Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

When hosting mega-events like FIFA, cities market themselves at the expense of the most vulnerable

Why don’t snorers wake themselves up?

How Aussie TV stars are getting their hair done in lockdown while other celebrities opt to do it themselves

6 home improvement projects that practically pay for themselves

Tourists who buy cheap glasses overseas are putting themselves at risk of eye cancer

How to stop narcissists from talking about themselves

Why people love talking about themselves

7 celebrities who have played themselves on screen

What Windows users must do to protect themselves from ransomware

10 questions women need to ask themselves before retiring

9 things narcissists will never tell you about themselves

This is how often women criticise themselves each day

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