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Ellen DeGeneres reveals triple health diagnosis

Ellen DeGeneres has revealed that she has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, OCD and ADHD. The American comedian spoke candidly about her health in her latest Netflix special, For Your Approval, which marks her comeback after receiving backlash over toxic workplace allegations. DeGeneres revealed that she only received the diagnosis after she left her long-running daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres show. The star learned she has “full on osteoporosis” - a disease that causes bones to become weak and more susceptible to fractures - after she took a “stupid bone density test.” “I don’t even know how I’m standing up right now,” DeGeneres said. “I’m like a human sandcastle. I could disintegrate in the shower.” Not only does she have osteoporosis, she said she was also diagnosed with arthritis. “I had excruciating pain one day and I thought I tore a ligament or something and I got an MRI and they said, ‘No, it’s just arthritis.’ I said, ‘How did I get that?’ And he said, ‘Oh it just happens at your age,’” she recalled. She also explained that after the backlash and "hatred" she received from fans following claims that she created a work environment that bred "racism, fear and intimidation", she started going to therapy as it took a toll on her mental health. That was when she learned she had OCD and ADHD. “I was in therapy for a while trying to deal with all the hatred that was coming at me,” she shared. “And you know, it was not a common situation for a therapist to deal with.” She continued, “I may have OCD because a therapist said so and I said, ‘Yes I am very organised,’ because I thought that was the O. I didn’t know what OCD was.” “I was raised in a religion, Christian Science, that doesn’t acknowledge diseases or disorders,” she explained. “So when I was growing up, nobody talked about anything. There was no discussion of anything.” Despite the circumstances, DeGeneres tried to lighten the mood saying: “My ADD makes it really hard to sit down and focus on anything at all. "I mean, do you know how hard it was for me to put this together? Of course you don’t. Why would I ask that question? It’s hard for me to focus,” she told a laughing crowd. “So, I have ADD, I have OCD, I’m losing my memory. But I think I’m well-adjusted, because I obsess on things, but then I don’t have the attention span to stick with it, and I quickly forget what I was obsessing about in the first place. So, it takes me all the way around to being well adjusted, I think.” She also revealed her thoughts on getting cancelled, telling the audience: “We have all these unwritten rules based on gender about acceptable behaviour. If we don’t follow those rules, it makes people uncomfortable. And if people are uncomfortable, there are consequences.” But regardless, she said it all worked out for the better. “I’m happy not being a boss or a brand or a billboard, just a person." Images: Instagram

Caring

Millions of phones at risk of being cut off from calling triple-0

Over a million Aussies may be unable to contact triple-0 as two major telcos cut their 3G networks. Telstra's network will be closed on June 30 this year followed by Optus, which will shut their 3G network in September. While most late model phones are now serviced by either 4G or 5G networks, there are many devices that still rely on 3G. Approximately 113,000 Telstra customers have not upgraded their 3G handsets, while Optus have not disclosed a figure. The greater concerns lie for older 4G-enabled handsets that may not be able to call triple-0 once the 3G networks are switched off, because of the way those phones are configured. In March, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland was informed that 740,000 Australians were in that category. A month later, that figure was revised to over a million. "I welcome the industry’s first report to government but am concerned around their disclosure of around one million potentially impacted consumers,” the minister said. “I am considering the detail provided and next steps, and the government will have more to say about the 3G switchover soon.” She also said that they were open to delaying the switchover "if warranted in the public interest”. “Options exist under law for the government to consider proposals to delay the planned switchover, subject to consultation and procedural processes,” she said. Telstra has informed customers about what to do if they are affected, and how they could check. “If your mobile device doesn’t have Voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology, even if it uses 4G data, it will not be able to make voice calls on our network after 30 June 2024,” they informed their customers. “Not all VoLTE enabled devices support emergency VoLTE calling, meaning they will not be able to make an emergency call to triple-0 once 3G closes." “Without taking the recommended action you won’t be able to connect to a network after 30 June 2024,” they warned. Customers who are worried that they might be impacted, are encouraged to text 3 to the number 3498, so that the telco can inform the customer on their connection status. Optus have also encouraged customers to contact them if they think they may be affected. Image: Getty

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Too big, too heavy and too slow to change: road transport is way off track for net zero

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robin-smit-594126">Robin Smit</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a> The need to cut the emissions driving climate change is urgent, but it’s proving hard to decarbonise road transport in Australia. Its share of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions <a href="https://ageis.climatechange.gov.au/">doubled</a> from 8% in 1990 to 16% in 2020. New vehicles sold in Australia have <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-thought-australian-cars-were-using-less-fuel-new-research-shows-we-were-wrong-122378">barely improved</a> average emissions performance for the last decade or so. The federal government <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change/publications/australias-emissions-projections-2022">publishes</a> emission forecasts to 2035 – 15 years short of 2050, the net-zero target date. Our <a href="https://www.transport-e-research.com/_files/ugd/d0bd25_7a6920bdd9e8448385863a7c23ec9ecf.pdf">newly published study</a> forecasts road transport emissions through to 2050. The estimated reduction by 2050, 35–45% of pre-COVID levels in 2019, falls well short of what’s needed. Our findings highlight three obstacles to achieving net zero. These are: Australia’s delay in switching to electric vehicles; growing sales of large, heavy vehicles such as SUVs and utes; and uncertainties about hydrogen as a fuel, especially for freight transport. These findings point to policy actions that could get road transport much closer to net zero. <h2>How was this worked out?</h2> Emissions and energy use vary from vehicle to vehicle, so reliable forecasting requires a detailed breakdown of the on-road fleet. Our study <a href="https://www.transport-e-research.com/software">used</a> the Australian Fleet Model and the net zero vehicle emission model (n0vem). The study focused on so-called <a href="https://www.cummins.com/news/2022/05/26/well-wheel-emissions-simplified">well-to-wheel emissions</a> from fuel production, distribution and use while driving. These activities account for about 75–85% of vehicle emissions. (<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-climate-friendly-is-an-electric-car-it-all-comes-down-to-where-you-live-179003">Life-cycle assessment</a> estimates “cradle-to-grave” emissions, including vehicle manufacture and disposal.) Working with European Union colleagues, our emissions simulation drew on an updated <a href="https://www.transport-e-research.com/_files/ugd/d0bd25_7a6920bdd9e8448385863a7c23ec9ecf.pdf">EU scenario</a> (EU-27) showing the changes in the EU vehicle fleet needed to meet the latest (proposed) CO₂ targets. Our study assumed Australia will be ten years behind the EU across all vehicle classes. We further modified the scenario to properly reflect Australian conditions. For instance, the EU has a much higher proportion of plug-in hybrid vehicles than Australia, where buyers are now bypassing them for wholly electric vehicles. <h2>Energy use is shifting, but too slowly</h2> Using this modified scenario, the simulation produces a forecast fall in total wheel-to-wheel emissions from Australian transport from 104 billion tonnes (Mt) in 2018 to 55-65Mt in 2050. Within the range of this 35–45% reduction, the outcome depends largely on the balance of renewable and fossil-fuel energy used to produce hydrogen. The modelling nonetheless predicts a large shift in energy use in road transport in 2050, as 2019 was basically 100% fossil fuels. The on-road energy efficiency of battery electric vehicles is roughly twice that of fuel cell electric (hydrogen) vehicles and roughly three times that of fossil-fuelled vehicles of similar type. The modelling results make this clear. In 2050, battery electric vehicles account for about 70% of total travel, but 25% of on-road energy use and only about 10% of total emissions. In contrast, fossil-fuelled vehicles account for about 25% of total travel in 2050, 60% of energy use and 75-85% of emissions. That’s even allowing for expected efficiency improvements. This means the shift to a mostly electric fleet by 2050 plus the use of hydrogen is predicted to fall short of what’s needed to get to net zero. It will require aggressive new policies to increase the uptake of electric vehicles across all classes. <h2>Lighter vehicles make a big difference</h2> But that is not the whole story. One neglected issue is the growing proportion of <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-may-be-underestimating-just-how-bad-carbon-belching-suvs-are-for-the-climate-and-for-our-health-190743">big, heavy passenger vehicles</a> (SUVs, utes). This trend is very noticeable in Australia. The laws of physics mean heavier vehicles need much more energy and fuel per kilometre of driving, and so produce more emissions. Currently, a large diesel SUV typically emits a kilogram of CO₂ for every 3 kilometres of driving, compared to 15km for a light electric vehicle and 200 kilometres for an e-bike. An average electric vehicle currently emits 1kg of CO₂ every 7km. This distance is expected to be around 60km in 2050, when renewables power the electricity grid. A lightweight electric car will more than double the distance to 125km per kilogram of CO₂. Reducing vehicle weights and optimising energy efficiency in transport will be essential to meet emission targets. The study modelled the impacts of <a href="https://www.automotiveworld.com/special-reports/vehicle-lightweighting-2/">lightweighting</a> passenger vehicles while keeping buses and commercial vehicles the same. If Australians had driven only small cars in 2019 for personal use, total road transport emissions would have been about 15% lower. The reduction in emissions from simply shifting to smaller cars is <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change/publications/national-greenhouse-accounts-2019/national-inventory-report-2019">similar to</a> emissions from domestic aviation and domestic shipping combined. Importantly, lightweighting cuts emissions for all kinds of vehicles. <h2>The uncertainties about hydrogen</h2> Fuel cell electric vehicles using hydrogen account for only a few percent of all travel, but most will likely be large trucks. As a result, in our scenarios, they use a little over 10% of total on-road energy and produce 5-20% of total emissions, depending on the energy source used for hydrogen production and distribution. The modified EU scenario includes a significant uptake of hydrogen vehicles by 2050. That’s by no means guaranteed. The uptake in Australia has been negligible to date. That’s due to costs (vehicle and fuel), the need for new hydrogen fuel infrastructure, less mature technology (compared to battery electric vehicles) and limited vehicle availability. <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-must-rapidly-decarbonise-transport-but-hydrogens-not-the-answer-166830">Unresolved aspects</a> of hydrogen in transport include lower energy efficiency, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-australia-to-lead-the-way-on-green-hydrogen-first-we-must-find-enough-water-196144">need for clean water</a>, uncertainty about leakage, fuel-cell durability and value for consumers. <h2>How do we get back on track?</h2> Our study suggests Australia is on track to miss the net-zero target for 2050 mainly because of the large proportions of fossil-fuelled vehicles and large and heavy passenger vehicles. These two aspects could become targets for new policies such as public information campaigns, tax incentives for small, light vehicles, bans on selling fossil fuel vehicles and programs to scrap them. Other options to cut emissions include measures to reduce travel demand, optimise freight logistics and shift travel to public transport, to name a few. The study confirms the scale of the challenge of decarbonising road transport. Australia will need “all hands on deck” – government, industry and consumers – to achieve net zero in 2050.<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/208655/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robin-smit-594126">Robin Smit</a>, Adjunct Associate Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</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/too-big-too-heavy-and-too-slow-to-change-road-transport-is-way-off-track-for-net-zero-208655">original article</a>.

Travel Trouble

Astonishing report identifies Covid’s alleged “patient zero”

A bombshell report has claimed the infamous Covid-19 "patient zero” was a Wuhan scientist carrying out experiments on souped-up coronaviruses. The scientist in question, Ben Hu, was conducting risky tests at the Wuhan Institute of Virology with two colleagues, Ping You and Yan Zhu, the report states. It is understood that all three suffered Covid-like symptoms and required hospital care weeks before China broke the news of the virus outbreak to the rest of the world. The Sun reported that the name of “patient zero" has never been disclosed until now. Many US government officials have now identified the three scientists in a shocking report by journalists Michael Shellenberger and Matt Taibbi. Writing in the Substack newsletter Public, the pair alleged the scientists were experimenting with coronaviruses when they fell ill in 2019. Several experts and intelligence officials have long suspected scientists at the lab accidentally spread the virus during so-called “gain of function” experiments on bat coronaviruses. The naming of “patient zero” could prove to be the smoking gun, only adding to mounting circumstantial evidence of a lab leak. It is unclear who in the US government had the intelligence about the sick lab workers, how long they had it, and why it was not shared with the public. The Australian journalist and Sky News host Sharri Markson spoke to The Sun about the lab leak theory in 2021 and dubbed it an “explosive development”. Jamie Metzl, a former member of the World Health Organisation advisory committee on human genome editing, described it as a possible “game changer”. “It’s a game changer if it can be proven that Hu got sick with Covid before anyone else,” he said. “That would be the ‘smoking gun’. Hu was the lead hands-on researcher in (virologist Shi Zhengli’s) lab.” DRASTIC, an international team of scientists and sleuths attempting to piece together Covid-19’s origins, researched the three scientists in 2021. The Wuhan Institute of Virology’s website lists Hu’s biography showing he was working as an assistant researcher. He was said to be the “star pupil” of virologist Shi Zhengli — the virologist at the lab who became known as “batwoman” for her research on bat coronaviruses. Markson, the author of What Really Happened in Wuhan, said that Hu was running a state-funded project in 2019 to test if new coronaviruses could infect humans. The study involved souping up the viruses and experimenting with them on humanised mice. However, the results were never published and the study’s existence was erased from the internet as Covid-19 was spreading around the globe, which raised suspicion of a possible lab leak. A source told The Sun that footage from 2017 that was aired by Chinese state-run TV showed Hu working in the lab without protective gear. The same video shows scientists from the Wuhan lab searching for bat viruses with inadequate protective gear. Alina Chan, a molecular biologist at MIT and Harvard, told Public, “Ben Hu is essentially the next Shi Zhengli. “He was her star pupil. He had been making chimeric SARS-like viruses and testing these in humanised mice. “If I had to guess who would be doing this risky virus research and most at risk of getting accidentally infected, it would be him.” She noted, “If this info had been made public in May of 2020, I doubt that many in the scientific community and the media would have spent the last three years raving about a raccoon dog or pangolin in a wet market.” US scientist Dr Steven Quay, “He was always my first choice for one of the infected Wuhan Institute of Virology workers but it seemed too simple.” A bill signed by US President Joe Biden in 2023 called for the release of the names of the sick scientists, their symptoms, and whether they had been involved with or exposed to coronavirus research. The US is currently preparing to release previously classified material, which could include the names of the three Wuhan scientists. Earlier in 2023, FBI director Christopher Wray said, “the FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan”. China has long been accused of attempting to cover up or distort its involvement with Covid-19, but they continue to deny claims. In March 2023, China’s former government scientist confessed the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn’t be ruled out, sparking uproar in Beijing. Professor George Gao, the former chief of China’s Centre for Disease Control, played a key role in the efforts to trace the origins of Covid-19, insisting scientists should “suspect anything”. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 podcast Fever: The Hunt for Covid’s Origin, Professor Gao said, “You can always suspect anything. That’s science. “Don’t rule out anything.” Professor Gao retired from the CDC in 2022 after playing a key role in the pandemic response and efforts to find the mysterious origin of the virus. He would have had access to highly classified government information on the outbreak of Covid-19. According to Professor Gao, a formal investigation into the Wuhan Institute of Virology was carried out by a government department. The government scientist claimed the “lab was double-checked by the experts in the field”. Investigators believe scientists were working with the Chinese military to develop a mutant virus and pursue bioweapons just as the pandemic began. The findings followed a team of US investigators who combed through top-secret intercepted communications and research. In 2016, researchers discovered a new fatal type of coronavirus in a mineshaft in Mojiang, Yunnan province. However, they kept it under wraps, with the sample then transported to the Wuhan lab and dubbed as classified work. The virus is the only known immediate relative of Covid-19 known to exist prior to the pandemic. Speaking to The Times, one US investigator said, “The trail of papers starts to go dark. “That’s exactly when the classified program kicked off. “My view is that the reason it was covered up was due to military secrecy related to the army’s pursuit of dual-use capabilities in virological biological weapons and vaccines.” The findings came after a scientist who worked closely with the Wuhan lab claimed the virus was genetically engineered and leaked from the facility. Image credit: Getty

Body

Movies that received zero stars

There are good movies, so-so movies and bad movies. Is there anything worse, though, than a bad movie? Yes, there is. And I have seen my share. For decades, Newsday has used a four-star rating system for its film reviews. When I became the paper's movie critic in 2008, I had to figure out how to approach this system. Obviously, it's rare to see a four-star movie – even if it's not Citizen Kane, it has to be something truly outstanding. Three stars signals a wholehearted recommendation, though not exactly a masterpiece. Many movies fall into the two-and-a-half-star range: They're just meh. Tougher to call is the one-star or half-star movie – how do you decide between a D grade and a D-minus? Then there's the nuclear option: zero stars. What makes a movie so awful that it deserves zero stars? Like the four-star movie, this is a rare breed. This is a movie whose redeeming qualities are either infinitesimal or non-existent. It's a movie that fails so spectacularly it doesn't get credit for decent lighting or being in focus. A zero-star movie doesn't even get credit for existing. Every zero-star movie is unique in its own way, but over the years I've noticed that the worst of the worst tend to fall into a few different categories. Here are four examples. Vanity projects It's easy to poke fun at A-list stars and their outsize egos, but they often bring it upon themselves. Remember when John Travolta thought that Battlefield Earth would turn us all into Scientologists? Or when Mariah Carey played a version of herself in Glitter? Remember almost every movie Madonna ever made? For sheer self-centredness, though, nothing beats last year's By the Sea, written and directed by Angelina Jolie-Pitt and starring herself and her husband, Brad. (They produced it as well.) They play an American writer and his wife who stay in a beachside French hotel during the 1970s. He's depressed, she's depressed, they never have sex. With little dialogue and even less action, the movie mostly features the two stars standing around in chic outfits, smoking cigarettes and gazing with despair upon million-dollar views of the coast. Kinder critics praised the cinematography and scenery, but I couldn't find a reason to give this extended Chanel No. 5 commercial even a half-star. I figured the two actors got enough gratification just admiring themselves on screen for two hours. Insults to intelligence Filmmakers often assume their audiences will swallow just about anything. In the sci-fi failure Transcendence, Johnny Depp uploaded his consciousness into the cloud – a literal one, in the sky. (I gave that movie a half-star for sheer nuttiness.) In the zero-star fantasy Jupiter Ascending, the Wachowskis told the story of a housemaid (Mila Kunis) who sells her eggs to buy a telescope but discovers she's a princess. These movies took years to make, yet we spotted their idiocy within minutes. Then there's Aloha, Cameron Crowe's zero-star comedy-drama from 2015. Among its many terrible ideas were casting Emma Stone as a native Hawaiian (as if nobody would notice?), hoping we'd swoon when Bradley Cooper says cheesy things like "Would you stop getting more beautiful?" and creating a baffling climax in which an orbiting space object is destroyed by rock music. Filmmakers tend to be smart people, but moviegoers are no dopes, either. Aloha made just US$26.3 million on its US$37 million budget, one of the year's major flops. Lapses in taste Taste is subjective, of course, but some movies cross a line just to cross it. Adam Sandler's zero-star comedy That's My Boy (2012), whose plot hinged on statutory rape and incest, marked a new low – until Peter Farrelly reset the bar with Movie 43. An anthology comedy spearheaded by Farrelly with several directors and writers, Movie 43 (2013) rounds up more than a dozen A-list stars in an orgy of nastiness and vulgarity. Among the more hideous highlights are Chris Pratt and his real-life wife, Anna Faris, as lovers with a scatological fetish; Richard Gere as the CEO of a product that hacks off its customers' penises; and Chloe Grace Moretz as a teenager getting her period. "Once you see it, you can't unsee it," the trailers promised. As for the cast, they probably wish they could un-be in it. Sheer ineptitude Finally, some movies are so badly made that they barely qualify as movies. Left Behind, for instance, a faith-based rapture-fantasy starring Nicolas Cage, was so sloppy and disorganised that it literally couldn't keep track of night and day. At least that film was made by relative amateurs. The Last Airbender (2010), a fantasy-adventure based on the Nickelodeon series, was directed by M Night Shyamalan, the maestro who gave us The Sixth Sense. Here, Shyamalan completely loses his ability to coherently tell the story of Aang (Noah Ringer), a boy with mystical powers trying to unite four tribes. The dialogue is so crammed with fictional exposition that the actors sound like they're reading a Pokemon manual, while the choppy editing seemed almost random. Not even the special effects deserved a half-star: The postproduction 3-D made the whole movie look as flat as a View-Master slide. With its US$150 million budget, The Last Airbender was an inexcusable, zero-star disaster. As a last note, a truly terrible movie is just as exceptional as a truly great one, and in some ways just as fascinating. It's my job, though, to sit through them so you don't have to. You're welcome. THE WORST OF THE WORST 10. All About Steve (2009) There's a reason you've never heard of this romantic comedy starring A-listers Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper: It's because she plays an irritating crossword fanatic and he plays an uninteresting person. In terms of on-screen chemistry, they're the equivalent of bleach and ammonia. 9. Moms' Night Out (2014) This botched comedy (starring Trace Adkins and Patricia Heaton) stands out for many things, but one is a technical reason: The filmmakers somehow managed to capture the weirdest, ugliest facial expression on nearly every actor in nearly every scene. It's like a 90-minute flip-book of ruined family photos. 8. Jem and The Holograms (2015) Aubrey Peeples plays an aspiring singer who is shocked – shocked! – to discover that global stardom requires personal and artistic sacrifice. File this movie's profound message under Things a 9-Year-Old Could Have Told You. 7. Remember Me (2010) In this saccharine yet creepy romance, Robert Pattinson plays a young, moody guy – no stretch there – who sleeps with a woman to get revenge on her father. Aww, how cute! The plot also hinges on the World Trade Centre attacks. Double cute! 6. Jupiter Ascending (2015) This sci-fi fantasy from the Wachowskis (The Matrix) defies description, but here's an attempt: A humble house-cleaner (Mila Kunis) discovers she's a galactic princess thanks to a part-wolf warrior (Channing Tatum). It's a statistical marvel whose 127 minutes include not a single good idea. 5. Rock The Kasbah (2015) A washed-up rock manager (Bill Murray) decides to make a pop star out of an Afghan singer (Leem Lubany). Magically, she reverses centuries of religious and cultural stigmas by performing the songs of Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam. Possibly the most misguided comedy ever made. 4. Aloha (2015) Cameron Crowe's cloying romance stars Bradley Cooper as an ex-military man trying to bed a happily married woman (gross!) while flirting with a native Hawaiian (played by Emma Stone?) and trying to stop an outer-space missile (say what?). The movie is so wide of the mark that you can't even tell where it was aiming. 3. Movie 43 (2013) Richard Gere, Halle Berry, Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman and many other talented people run through the most repulsive, unimaginative and unfunny skits ever filmed. The whole thing almost literally stinks. Movie 43 currently holds a difficult-to-attain 4 per cent rating on RottenTomatoes.com. 2. The Last Airbender (2010) M Night Shyamalan's fantasy-adventure is so disjointed and disorganised that you might think the reels got mixed up – possibly with a whole other movie. You could watch it 10 times and still not understand a thing, though by then you'd have gone permanently insane. 1. By The Sea (2015) Think back to the most pretentious European art-film you've ever had to endure. Now imagine Angelina Jolie making that movie, and you've got By the Sea, starring herself and Brad Pitt as depressed Americans who visit France and smoke a lot. Remember how Jean-Paul Sartre said hell is other people? That's because he hadn't seen this movie. Written by Rafer Guzman. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Images: Columbia Pictures

Movies

“It was awful”: Mick Molloy names and shames worst celeb interviewees

Comedian and morning radio show host Mick Molloy has opened up about the two worst celebrities he has ever interviewed during an interview on news.com.au's I’ve Got News For You podcast. The first celebrity to receive the "worst" crown by Molloy was singer Shania Twain. “I’m gonna be fair here, I don’t know whether it was entirely her or the three women who were in her corner sitting inside the studio while we were interviewing her,” Molloy said. In the interview that included Molloy’s former radio co-host, Tony Martin, Molloy told news.com.au, “They were rolling their eyes and guffawing at every question me and Tony asked at the time.” Molloy shared Twain’s handlers kept interrupting during the interview and telling the two hosts, “You can’t ask her that,” which proved to be frustrating for the pair as they were only asking about things that appeared on a document given to them by Twain’s handlers. “We said to them, but it’s in the press release! I’ve got your press release! We are reading from the press release!” Molloy said. “It was uncomfortable; it was awful,” he said about the interview. The second celeb to be named and shamed on the I’ve Got News For You podcast was Irish comedian Dylan Moran, best known for the comedy series Black Books. “It was me and Jane Kennedy, and he came in and he just didn’t want to be interviewed,” Molloy said, in reference to Moran. Molloy also said that Moran had issues with the first question they asked him in the interview, which was about the beginning of his comedy career. “So, you’ve been a stand-up since ’92,” Molloy said in the interview, to which Moran replied: “Can I just say, you love dates in here and talking about how long ago things started. It’s really depressing. Can you cut this sh*t out right now.” Looking back on the interview, the Triple M star said, “He was absolutely just not interested and rude.” On the podcast he also shared his two favourite celebrity interviews, Sting, and Jason Alexander who played George in Seinfield. “Sting turned up on his own, he came into the studio, he did the interview and then sat around for about half an hour just chatting to us about stuff,” Molloy said. “The whole time he was there, I never saw any ounce of affectation.” In terms of Jason Alexander, Molloy shared he got to spend a fair bit of time with him while he was in Australia, describing him as “one of the nicest blokes I’ve ever met”. “He’s so naturally funny, so brilliant with people,” Molloy said. “He couldn’t have dinner in a restaurant without eight people coming up to his table and he was a gentleman the whole time.” Mick Molloy's new radio show, Mick and MG in the Morning, will be airing on 104.9 Triple M Sydney from 6-9 am weekdays. Image credit: Instagram

Music

Body language expert zeroes in on PM's meeting with Xi Jinping

Anthony Albanese and Xi Jingping have shared in a historic handshake on the sidelines of the G20 summit, bringing an end to a six-year diplomatic freeze. The PM met with the Chinese President at the event in Bali on Tuesday, as a body language expert has dissected their meeting, pointing out some hard-to-spot details. Body language expert Katia Loisel has revealed the way the leaders shook hands held secrets about their power dynamic. “The way you shake hands reveals important information about your personality, levels of confidence and the power dynamic between two people and can dramatically influence how others perceive and interact with you,” Loisel explained to <a href="https://7news.com.au/politics/body-language-expert-reveals-the-subtle-sign-you-missed-when-albanese-met-chinas-president-c-8872610" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a>. “As a leader, Xi uses several tactics to assert his dominance when shaking hands during meet and greets and photo opportunities.” Loisel said by choosing to stand out on the left with “his hand thrust out first”, Xi is able to “upset the balance of power”. “By orientating his body to the left away from Anthony Albanese, Xi restricts Albanese’s movement and forces him into a submissive position,” she said. “In contrast, this position allows Xi to project an air of confidence, standing in an open, unrestricted pose directly facing the camera." “This handshake is an attempt to assert dominance, get the upper hand and upset the balance of power quite literally forcing the receiver, in this case Albanese, into a submissive position.” The image of the two leaders sparked further conversation online, with some pointing out where Xi “always” stands for photos with other leaders. “This is why (check where Xi always stands for pictures),” one Twitter user posted along with a series of images of Xi standing on the left. At the meeting, China’s $20 billion trade sanctions on Australia, detention of Australian citizens and relationship with Russia were discussed. The pair also discussed climate change and Albanese urged Xi to maintain the status quo when it comes to the status of Taiwan. Albanese said both leaders spoke honestly with each other about these issues. “We have big differences to manage, but we’re always going to be better off when we have dialogue and are able to talk constructively and respectfully, but also honestly, about what those differences are,” he said after the meeting. “(Australia) will cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and act in the national interest.” Image credits: Getty Images

Body

"Zero regrets": Hugh Sheridan reveals secret marriage

Hugh Sheridan has revealed they were married to a well-known entertainer for nine years but the pair opted to keep the relationship a secret. The 37-year-old actor, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, appeared on Jessica Rowe's Big Talk Show podcast, and revealed their past relationship. Hugh did not want to reveal their former partner’s name but said the pair tied the knot on July 11, 2011 and were married for nine years. “I can't say their name because they were in the same industry, so. Couldn't really be specific about that, but I was married,” Hugh said. “We were solidly together for about seven years and then the last couple of years we were travelling a lot and it got too hard and, but we're still very good friends.” Hugh confessed that close family and friends knew about the marriage but they decided to keep it private from the public. “I was finding out if you don't speak out about your private life, people can assume that you're ashamed or that you've got some sort of an agenda or that you are denying other people their self expression by not talking about it.” Hugh and their ex officially got divorced a couple of years ago and revealed they are “very single right now”. “I am definitely single. I can confirm that right now,” Hugh said. The news comes just months after Hugh announced their split from fiancé Kurt Roberts after just eight months. In an Instagram post, the actor reminisced about their good times and that it was time to move on. “In retrospect, having a first public relationship, that public, that fast, might’ve been too much pressure on us,” they wrote. “Maybe it was COVID or quarantines or us working to (sic) hard (I take the blame for full responsibility for the working hours), maybe it’s dads death or all the above. “The point is Kurt is incredibly kind, someone who is earnestly caring and helped me through a very tough time. “Transparency is what I promised you all. For now we didn’t make it, but we tried very, very hard, I’m so sorry for us that it wasn’t easy and I’m sorry for the added pressure. “Lots learned, the heartache is heavy, but zero regrets for the greatest love.” Image: Instagram

Relationships

Sustainable aviation fuels – is Australia being left behind?

Some solutions in renewable energy are relatively easy. Solar panels on roofs for example, or battery powered cars. But our obsession with air travel is significantly harder to decarbonise. Batteries are too heavy except on very short flights, and other zero carbon solutions in aviation are few and far between. Without removing air travel altogether, the next best thing is something called ‘sustainable aviation fuels’ or SAFs. While many other countries are ramping up their SAF production and already mixing it in with traditional fuels, Australia is being left behind. “It’s a shame if Qantas meets its 10 per cent sustainable aviation fuel target in 2030 by just buying it offshore,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce earlier this year. “That would be terrible outrage in my mind, and it’s a terrible dropping of the ball in Australia.” <h2>What is sustainable aviation fuel?</h2> SAFs are lower carbon fuels. They can be made of either biomass like waste oil or alcohol – called biofuels, or built chemically, brick-by-brick from carbon dioxide and green hydrogen – called e-fuels. Biofuels particularly are not a zero-carbon alternative, but they are markedly better than traditional fossil fuel-based jet fuel. These fuels can be used just by themselves – called 100% SAF-powered – and they have very similar chemistry to traditional fossil jet fuel so they’re just as effective. The problem though is the cost. They’re up to four times as expensive as traditional jet fuel, and around the world there’s just not that much of it on the market – less than 1% of jet fuel available. “Aviation fuels represent about 7-8% of all fuel consumption I believe, and of course in a country like Australia it’s an even bigger part of our liquid fuel consumption,” Lars Nielsen, a professor at the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, told Cosmos. “A very large part of the cost of flying is the aviation fuel. Nobody’s jumping to pay more for flying to Europe, therefore, it’s market demand. Are the customers willing to pay the extra price that would be involved with it?” As we decarbonise other areas of emissions – like electricity, transport and agriculture – aviation emissions as a percentage of total emissions are likely to skyrocket. While we could lower our reliance on flying (a small but growing habit), or discover completely zero carbon solutions for aviation, working out how to make SAFs sustainable and cost effective is important. Nielsen has worked with SAF in the past, as part of a project called the Queensland Sustainable Aviation Fuel Initiative. The group was trying to work out if three different sources of biofuels – sugar cane crop, algae, and a drought resistant tree called pongamia – could be made cost efficient compared to traditional fossil based jet fuels. “Whenever the prices of jet fuel go high, people start getting interested,” he says. “The only thing that could happen at a reasonable speed was sugar to fuel. But even then, we could see the prices were not competitive [even though] it’s technically very feasible.” <h2>International Jet Fuel</h2> Despite these problems, companies have started creating SAFs and selling them to aviation companies around the world. Heathrow for example is the largest major airport user of SAFs. This is partially due to a government mandate requiring 10% of jet fuel be SAF by 2030, and a priority to have at least 5 commercial-scale SAF plants under construction in the UK by 2025. This is on top of Heathrow airport putting in place SAF incentives earlier this year. In the US, the government has launched the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge to reduce the cost, enhance the sustainability, and expand the production and use of SAF. United Airlines has used over five million gallons at Los Angeles International Airport, while JetBlue has signed a ten-year uptake agreement to receive at least 670 million gallons of blended SAF to its three New York area airports – JFK, La Guardia, and Newark. But there have already been some kinks in the system, particularly with first generation biofuels. “What was really quite disastrous is that in 2005 Europe committed to using biodiesel. Of course, biodiesel manufacturers in Europe found out the cheapest oil source we have is palm oil,” Nielson said. “It expanded quite significantly the amount of biodiesel incorporated.” Unfortunately, a report in 2016 found that Europe’s switch might have increased greenhouse gas emissions. They reported that emissions from biodiesel are more than three times higher than those from conventional diesel engines when indirect effects are considered. The EU has now committed to phasing out these ‘first generation biofuels’ by 2030, but it highlights that not all sustainable fuels are equal. <h2>Australia is being left behind</h2> Meanwhile, in Australia we have barely made it into first-generation biofuels. The Queensland Sustainable Fuel Initiative shut down in the early 2010s, and there hasn’t been much traction since. This is both in getting the SAF into planes, as well as creating the fuel in Australia. Having a SAF industry in Australia would create jobs, potentially use waste products like used fry oil, as well as lower the emissions getting the fuel shipped halfway across the world. There have been a few toes dipped into the water in the past few years. In 2017 Virgin Australia announced a trial to add SAF through Brisbane Airport’s fuel supply system. It finished up in 2018, after being used in 195 flights from Brisbane. However, since the completion of the trial, there has been no other SAF incorporated into Australia’s jet fuel supply. Despite Virgin committing to net zero emissions by 2050, there’s currently no concrete plans for SAF to be used in their planes. Instead, they are prioritising modernising planes, lowering operational efficiencies, ground emissions, waste management and expanding the carbon offsetting programs. “Virgin Australia continues to work proactively with government and industry to establish a program for the viable commercial production of sustainable aviation fuel here in Australia,” a Virgin Australia Spokesperson told Cosmos in a statement. In March this year Qantas announced a Climate Action Plan where they pledged 10% SAF by 2030, and 60% by 2050. They also invested $50 million dollars in domestic production of SAF. Currently, the only SAF being used in the Qantas fleet is from the Heathrow Airport, but they’ve agreed to purchase SAF for its operations from California from 2025. In April, the Queensland government announced the first commercial sustainable aviation fuel biorefinery in Australia, which is hoping to provide 350 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel once it’s up and running. We might be waiting a while though – construction isn’t set to start until 2023, and the company behind the facility – Oceania Biofuels – has suggested that operations won’t begin until at least 2025. With the government’s 35% reduction in emissions by 2030, and net zero by 2050, working out how to create and incorporate SAFs to meet demand needs to be a priority. The previous government released a ‘bioenergy roadmap’ back in November last year, however the report has almost no commitments and limited funding for SAFs. Currently the Albanese government is still in the planning stages of creating any SAF initiatives. “The Minister for Transport has already outlined her intention to form a Jet Zero-style council to work across the aviation sector to help co-ordinate ongoing work to drive down aviation emissions,” a spokesperson for the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Catherine King, told Cosmos. “In addition, our upcoming Aviation White Paper will consider as a priority how to maximise the aviation sector’s contribution to achieving net zero carbon emissions, including through sustainable aviation fuel and emerging technologies. “The Minister is also establishing a unit in the department to work across government and with industry to drive down domestic transport sector emissions.” This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/sustainable-aviation-fuels-is-australia-being-left-behind/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Jacinta Bowler. Image: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

Triple M radio host passes away after lengthy health battle

Radio presenter Bob Peters has died following a long battle with polycystic kidney disease. Bob was only 45 years old when he was diagnosed with the chronic illness which saw his kidneys fail. The former announcer on 107.7 Triple M on the Central Coast of NSW was receiving ongoing dialysis every second day in hospital to help keep him alive. Unfortunately the side effects of the chronic illness led to other things such as golden staph infection, to preventative brain surgery due to an aneurysm. He was placed on the organ donor list to receive functioning kidneys and after 10 years a match was made. Tragically, it was only five years later in January 2021 that doctors discovered that Bob had in fact terminal cancer. This prompted Bob to quit his job and fulfil his dream of touring around Australia in an RV. His funeral is being held on Friday, June 24 at Mackay Family Funerals in Ourimbah, followed by a wake at Tall Timbers Hotel. Bob was also known for his work at the Nine Network and ARN, as well as his voice-overs for Channel 10 and Fox Sports. Images: Triple M

Caring

Gus Worland rushed to hospital

Gus Worland was rushed to hospital in Orange NSW on Saturday the 4th of June, after attending a fundraiser for his charity Gotcha4life. The Triple M host fell ill with a hernia and was rushed into emergency surgery, he will be staying in Orange Hospital for a few days. Colleague Anthony Maroon will be filling his seat this week. “What started with a fundraiser for my foundation in Orange at the mighty @orangeemusrugby on Saturday night turned into an emergency hernia operation-brilliant staff. Here for a few days,” he posted to Instagram. The Gotcha4life foundation focuses on mental health and hosts a variety of events around the country including visiting schools and sports clubs. The team aim to teach boys and young men the skills they need to navigate modern life and gives them the strength to reach out to someone if it all begins to feel like too much. Worland said the focus is to learn to separate mates from true friends, with the radio star saying that, no matter how many mates you have, your true friends really count at the end of the day. “Gotcha4Life came off the back of a program I did, Man Up, for the ABC. It’s had more than 78 million views now. I’m so proud of it. It’s by far the most important thing I’ve ever done,” he says. “I went on a journey to figure our why a friend of mine took his own life. Here was a guy that I thought had everything covered. He had a beautiful wife, family, job; he seemed to have it all. And I loved him like a brother”. “Then I started investigating mental health in Australia, and I realised that the number one way to lose your life as an Aussie male between 15 and 44 is to take your own life. We lose six blokes every single day. I realised I had this wonderful opportunity to set up a foundation around men’s mental health. I’m talking about getting mentally fit, realising it’s OK to not have everything covered. That it’s OK to not to be OK.” Image: Instagram

Caring

Triple tragedy after hero dad dies saving children

A hero father’s last moments before his devastating death have been captured in a heartwarming family photo. Brad Coleman posed for a beautiful photo with his wife Hulya and two kids Raiden, 13, and Aleyna, 11 at their favourite holiday spot in Jervis Bay on the south coast of NSW. The family were enjoying their first holiday in three years, when a tragic turn of events changed everything. As Raiden and Aleyna jumped into the water at Hyams beach, a dangerous rip took them in and forced their father to rush in to save them. The 40-year-old father did not think twice when he jumped into action to save his two children with the help of onlookers on bodyboards. As he tried to bring himself to safety, Brad struggled greatly and it is believed he suffered from a heart attack which saw him die in the water. His wife Hulya watched on in horror as his body slowly made its way to shore, with his head under water. She suffered a heart attack as well after approaching her husband’s body. Hulya, Raiden and Aleyna were all flown to the Prince of Wales Hospital where they were all treated. “It just kept pulling, the waves kept pulling and pulling at you,” Hulya told <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/brad-coleman-drowns-saving-kids-raiden-and-aleyna-at-hyams-beach/news-story/0b355735a60648a9ea42119b32e9ca27" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Telegraph</a>. “There was nothing I could do to save him. I’ve lost my best friend. I never thought I’d ever be a widow. “This is a nightmare that I keep thinking I’ll wake up from... then I realise it’s true. “I’ve lost my best friend, the love of my life and the most wonderful father to our children. “We are in this timeline and it’s not just a nightmare. Brad would have fought long, hard, and then long and hard again before taking a lungful of water, of that I have no doubt. “My beloved became our eternal hero, and my heart literally broke on that beach, but it could have been so much worse.” Further to that, Hulya’s father passed away in palliative care before she was able to say goodbye. Brad’s brother Scott organised a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-family-of-brad-coleman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page to help support Hulya and her children. “Any donation you can make, small or large, to assist in the long-term support of Brad’s family will be gratefully and humbly received.” Image: GoFundMe

Caring

"We are back to zero": Family speak out after son’s fatal sting

A 14-year-old boy who was stung by a box jellyfish in Far North Queensland has died. Mark Angelo Ligmayo was stung on Saturday at Eimeo Beach in the Mackay region and was taken to Mackay Hospital in a critical condition. He went into cardiac arrest on the beach and succumbed to his injuries about an hour after he arrived at the hospital. A witness told the <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/mackay/eimeo-beach-teenager-suffers-reported-cardiac-arrest-after-jellyfish-sting/news-story/d91418b68df167610cd2ecf652b2b5c6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mercury</a> that she saw him make it to shore with an “unreadable expression on his face” and his legs “covered in tentacles”. The publication also reported that the screams erupted on the beach from parents calling for their children to get out of the water while others rushed to help him. “We were there as he exited the water, quickly after that he was semi-conscious,” Eimeo Surf Life Saving Club president Ross Gee told the outlet. “We had a defib on him the whole time, he never lost his pulse, there was shallow breathing. “We doused him with approximately 30 litres of vinegar, all the vinegar on the beach.” The beach has been closed until further notice and the public has been urged to stay out of the water. Eimeo Surf Life Saving Club shared their condolences for the family on Sunday, and thanked the members of the public who assisted their volunteer lifesavers in helping Mark Angelo. <iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Feimeo.slsc%2Fposts%2F3137194476599351&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="725" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> Agnes Guinumtad, Mark Angelo’s mother, told <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/mackay/mackay-fatal-box-jellyfish-sting-parents-tribute-to-14yearold-boy/news-story/14d5421b775d48f88080528702a266e3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Mercury</a> the family had been excited to spend the day at the beach together three months after she, Mark Angelo, and his sister joined her husband in starting a new life in Australia. Nick Guinumtad came to Australia nearly a decade ago, working as a boilermaker and taking every opportunity to visit his family in the Philippines, where they waited for visas to join him. After Covid delayed their reunion, they were reunited in December last year and began to settle in. “I could see my son’s face, and I could see the pain,” Mrs Guinumtad said of the moment she saw lifeguards and bystanders attempt to save her son’s life. “I kept praying and praying, I didn’t stop praying. I prayed that he would say something.” With the death of Mark Angelo, his family said they don’t know where to go from here. “We are back to zero,” Mr Guinumtad told the outlet. Mrs Guinumtad has expressed her wish to take her son’s body back to the Philippines so that her parents, who often raised him while she worked, can say a final goodbye. “I don’t know the process, I don’t even know where to start,” she said. The family has asked for anyone in the community who may know how to help to reach out and have started a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-guinumtad-family-bring-their-son-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> to raise funds to take him home. They have also thanked the lifeguards and bystanders who worked so hard to save their son and others who cared for their daughter while they went with him to the hospital. Mark Angelo’s death marks the third fatal box jellyfish sting since 2006. Large box jellyfish - which are regarded as one of the world’s most venomous animals - have caused more than 70 fatalities in Australia, according to Queensland Health. “If you don’t have a protective suit and you know there could be stingers or jellyfish in the water, just don’t go in,” Queensland Health has previously <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/disaster-and-emergency/deadly-box-jellyfish-sting-kills-queensland-teen-near-mackay-c-5855865" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a>. “It’s also important that people are familiar with resuscitation methods - early resuscitation after major stings from box jellies has saved lives in the past few years.” Image: Nic Guinumtad (Facebook)

Travel Trouble

Free to good home: The house that costs zero dollars but comes with a catch

In a deal that’s almost too good to be true, a four-bedroom Sydney house is free to a good home. But, it comes with a catch: its new owners will need to remove it from the property and find a new patch of land to transport it to. The home, listed on Facebook and <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/cronulla/other-real-estate/house-for-removal-free-/1288343408" target="_blank">Gumtree</a>, is sure to gain some interest as property prices continue to skyrocket across the city. In Kirrawee in Sydney’s south, where the home is currently located, the median house price reached $1.3 million in the year ending last September, coming at an 18.2 percent increase on prices from the year prior. In comparison, the new homeowners will only need to pay to remove the home - which can cost <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/four-bedroom-house-offered-free-with-just-one-catch-20220117-p59oru.html" target="_blank">around $70,000</a> on top of reconnection to services and plaster setting at the new site. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Not your usual Facebook marketplace item! Free house - you only need to pay for removal and transport! How does that work out financially? Is that something anyone’s had experience with? Excuse me for being fascinated by any concept that isn’t COVID and/or Djokovic 😂 🏡 <a href="https://t.co/ugD9keuSLV">pic.twitter.com/ugD9keuSLV</a> — Lucy Thackray (@LucyThack) <a href="https://twitter.com/LucyThack/status/1482281605163286530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2022</a></blockquote> According to the ad, which has since been shared on Twitter, the home is about 60 years old and comes with two bathrooms, two living spaces, a modern kitchen and a laundry. Homes have been known to sell without the land they stand on, with the home used as the set for The Castle selling for $40,000 at auction in 2017 as a relocatable home. In 2018, another house-only sale made headlines when it was listed for just $5,000 - a much cheaper option compared to the $25,000 it may have cost to demolish. As for the Kirrawee house, the deadline to clear the site is at the end of February, with the home able to be picked up at the start of March. Images: @LucyThack (Twitter), Gumtree

Real Estate

Blue-sky thinking: net-zero aviation is more than a flight of fantasy

As international air travel rebounds after COVID-19 restrictions, greenhouse gas emissions from aviation are expected to rise dramatically – and with it, scrutiny of the industry’s environmental credentials. Aviation emissions have almost <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2253626-aviations-contribution-to-global-warming-has-doubled-since-2000/">doubled since 2000</a> and in 2018 reached <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-aviation">one billion tonnes</a>. Climate Action Tracker rates the industry’s climate performance as <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/sectors/aviation/">critically insufficient</a>. As the climate change threat rapidly worsens, can aviation make the transition to a low-carbon future – and perhaps even reach net-zero emissions? The significant technological and energy disruption on the horizon for the industry suggests such a future is possible. But significant challenges remain. Achieving a net-zero aviation sector will require a huge collaborative effort from industry and government – and consumers can also play their part. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nW6J989UBhA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <h2>Build back better</h2> The aviation sector’s progress in cutting emissions has been disappointing to date. For example, in February last year, <a href="https://theconversation.com/major-airlines-say-theyre-acting-on-climate-change-our-research-reveals-how-little-theyve-achieved-127800">research</a> on the world’s largest 58 airlines found even the best-performing ones were not doing anywhere near enough to cut emissions. Most recently, at the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow, the industry merely reasserted a commitment to a plan known as the <a href="https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/CORSIA/Pages/default.aspx">Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation</a>. The scheme relies on carbon offsetting, which essentially pays another actor to reduce emissions on its behalf at lowest cost, and doesn’t lead to absolute emissions reduction in aviation. The scheme also encourages alternative cleaner fuels, but the level of emissions reduction between fuels varies considerably. Governments have generally failed to provide strong leadership to help the aviation sector to reduce emissions. This in part is because pollution from international aviation is not counted in the emissions ledger of any country, leaving little incentive for governments to act. Aviation is also a complex policy space to navigate, involving multiple actors around the world. However, COVID-19 has significantly jolted the aviation and travel sector, presenting an opportunity to build back better – and differently. Griffith University recently held a <a href="https://www.griffith.edu.au/institute-tourism/our-research/rethinking-aviation/aviation-reimagined-2021?fbclid=IwAR3Hd8xLJkEWMaHae8sho1MiSfV6TzbPbf30vo2fbJ0CHMg-xdvywNCmZbU">webinar series</a> on decarbonising aviation, involving industry, academic and government experts. The sessions explored the most promising policy and practical developments for net-zero aviation, as well as the most significant hurdles. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437570/original/file-20211214-25-1rc1cnc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="passengers queue at airport" /> COVID-19 has significantly jolted the aviation sector. Steven Senne/AP <h2>Nations soaring ahead</h2> Some governments are leading the way in driving change in the aviation industry. For example, as a result of <a href="https://www.government.se/495f60/contentassets/883ae8e123bc4e42aa8d59296ebe0478/the-swedish-climate-policy-framework.pdf">government policy</a> to make Sweden climate-neutral by 2045, the Swedish aviation industry developed a <a href="https://fossilfrittsverige.se/en/roadmap/the-aviation-industry/#:%7E:text=The%20strategic%20objective%20for%202030,line%20with%20the%20Government%27s%20goals">roadmap</a> for fossil-free domestic flights by 2030, and for all flights originating from Sweden to be fossil-free by 2045. Achieving fossil-free flights requires replacing jet fuel with alternatives such as sustainable fuels or electric and hydrogen propulsion. The European Union plans to <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_21_3662">end current tax exemptions</a> for jet fuel and introduce measures to <a href="https://www.eurocontrol.int/article/eus-fit-55-package-what-does-it-mean-aviation">accelerate</a> the uptake of sustainable fuels. The United Kingdom is finalising its strategy for <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/achieving-net-zero-aviation-by-2050">net-zero aviation</a> by 2050 and a public body known as UK Research and Innovation is <a href="https://www.ukri.org/our-work/our-main-funds/industrial-strategy-challenge-fund/future-of-mobility/future-flight-challenge/">supporting</a> the development of new aviation technologies, including hybrid-electric regional aircraft. Australia lacks a strategic framework or emissions reduction targets to help transition the aviation industry. The <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/aviation/emerging-aviation-technologies/drones/eatp">Emerging Aviation Technology Program</a> seeks to reduce carbon emissions, among other goals. However, it appears to have a strong focus on freight-carrying drones and <a href="https://www.greenbiz.com/article/7-urban-air-mobility-companies-watch">urban air vehicles</a>, rather than fixed wing aircraft. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437569/original/file-20211214-13-lsswi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="plane taking off" /> Some governments are leading the way in driving change in the aviation industry. Zhao Xiaojun/AP <h2>Building tomorrow’s aircraft</h2> Low-emissions aircraft technology has developed substantially in the last five years. Advancements include electric and hybrid aircraft (powered by hydrogen or a battery) – such as that being developed by <a href="https://www.airbus.com/en/innovation/zero-emission/hydrogen/zeroe">Airbus</a>, <a href="https://www.rolls-royce.com/innovation/accel.aspx">Rolls Royce</a> and <a href="https://www.zeroavia.com/">Zero Avia</a> – as well as <a href="https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2021-07-14-Boeing-and-SkyNRG-Partner-to-Scale-Sustainable-Aviation-Fuels-Globally">sustainable aviation fuels</a>. Each of these technologies can reduce carbon emissions, but only battery and hydrogen electric options significantly reduce non-CO₂ climate impacts such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx), soot particles, oxidised sulphur species, and water vapour. For electric aircraft to be net-zero emissions, they must be powered by renewable energy sources. As well as being better for the planet, electric and hydrogen aircraft are likely to have <a href="https://www.zeroavia.com/">lower</a> energy and maintenance <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/electric-aviation-could-be-closer-than-you-think/">costs</a> than conventional aircraft. This decade, we expect a rapid emergence of electric and hybrid aircraft for short-haul, commuter, air taxi, helicopter and general flights. Increased use of sustainable aviation fuel is also likely. Although electric planes are flying, commercial operations are not expected until at least 2023 as the aircraft must undergo rigorous testing, safety and certification. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437571/original/file-20211214-23-1clsep1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="A solar powered aircraft prototype flies in mountainous terrain" /> Electric planes exist, but the route to commercialisation is long. Pictured: a solar powered aircraft prototype flies near the France-Italy border. Laurent Gillieron/EPA <h2>Overcoming turbulence</h2> Despite real efforts by some industry leaders and governments towards making aviation a net-zero industry, significant strategic and practical challenges remain. Conversion to the commercial mainstream is not happening quickly enough. To help decarbonise aviation in Australia, industry and government should develop a clear strategy for emissions reduction with interim targets for 2030 and 2040. This would keep the industry competitive and on track for net-zero emissions by 2050. Strategic attention and action is also needed to: <ul> <li> advance aircraft and fuel innovation and development </li> <li> update regulatory and certification processes for new types of aircraft </li> <li> enhance production and deployment of new aviation fuels and technologies </li> <li> reduce fuel demand through efficiencies in route and air traffic management </li> <li> create “greener” airport operations and infrastructure </li> <li> build capability with pilots and aerospace engineers. </li> </ul> The emissions created by flights and itineraries can <a href="https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/variation-aviation-emissions-itinerary-jul2021-1.pdf">vary substantially</a>. Consumers can do their part by opting for the lowest-impact option, and offsetting the emissions their flight creates via a <a href="https://theconversation.com/flying-home-for-christmas-carbon-offsets-are-important-but-they-wont-fix-plane-pollution-89148">credible program</a>. Consumers can also choose to fly only with airlines and operators that have committed to net-zero emissions. Net-zero aviation need not remain a flight of fantasy, but to make it a reality, emissions reduction must be at the heart of aviation’s pandemic bounce-back.<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/171940/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-rachel-whittlesea-1280917">Emma Rachel Whittlesea</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tim-ryley-1253269">Tim Ryley</a>, Professor and Head of Griffith Aviation, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith 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/blue-sky-thinking-net-zero-aviation-is-more-than-a-flight-of-fantasy-171940">original article</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Domestic Travel

No compensation after 43 years of wrongful imprisonment

US man has been freed after being imprisoned for more than four decades over crimes he didn’t commit. Kevin Strickland was convicted of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second degree murder in relation to a triple homicide in 1978. The then 18-year-old was accused of killing Larry Ingram, 21, John Walker, 20, and Sherrie Black 22, at a home in Kansas City. He maintains that he was at home watching television at the time of the murders. He received a 50-year life sentence with no parole as an eighteen-year-old, and has always maintained that he wasn’t involved. “I’m still in disbelief,” the 62-year-old <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/sunrise/on-the-show/man-walks-free-after-spending-four-decades-behind-bars-for-crime-he-didnt-commit-c-4692536" target="_blank">said</a> moments after his release on Wednesday. “Thank you (to the judge) for reviewing all the no evidence against me to begin with. I really appreciate him taking his time to listen and understand what really happened in 1978 and how I was an easy mark and the police took advantage of me.” <img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845887/kevin-strickland1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/273081ddd4ee44d68dcb6e42f689fdbc" /> Kevin Strickland was the first witness to testify at the hearing that secured his freedom. Image: KCTV5 Mr Strickland learned of the court’s decision to free him from prison while watching a soap opera, when the news scrolled across the television screen. He said fellow inmates began screaming. “I’m not necessarily angry. It’s a lot. I think I’ve created emotions that you all don’t know about just yet,” he told reporters while leaving the Western Missouri prison. “Joy, sorrow, fear. I am trying to figure out how to put them together.” All of Mr Strickland’s charges were dismissed after his legal team presented evidence to exonerate him. During the proceedings, family members of the sole surviving witness, Cynthia Douglas, said she was pressured by police to name Strickland as one of the men she saw on the night of the murders. Cynthia passed away in 2015, but her mother and daughter appeared before the court to testify. “We were talking, she said, ‘Mother, I picked the wrong guy. The officer told me that was the guy,” <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.kctv5.com/news/local_news/kevin-strickland-first-to-testify-at-long-awaited-hearing/article_5ecc3214-40f1-11ec-b53b-1f9e37137c18.html" target="_blank">said</a> Senoria Douglas, Cyntha’s mother. <img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845888/kevin-strickland2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/46cf4c1eccd248cab801dbdad9f03e58" /> Cyntha Douglas’ mother, Seroria, spoke about how her daughter told her she ‘picked the wrong guy’. Image: KCTV5 Sherrie Jordan, Cynthia’s daughter, said: “She started saying (that) Kevin Strickland was the wrong guy. And she was trying to get him out, by going through the right procedures.” Judge James Welsh, a retired court of appeals judge, made the ruling to free Mr Strickland after a Jackson county prosecutor requested an evidentiary hearing, saying evidence used to convict him had since been recanted or disproven. “Under these unique circumstances, the Court’s confidence in Strickland’s convictions is so undermined that it cannot stand, and the judgement of conviction must be set aside,” Welsh <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/24/kevin-strickland-freed-42-years-wrongful-conviction" target="_blank">wrote</a> when ordering Mr Strickland’s immediate release. Since securing his freedom, one of the first things Mr Strickland did was visit his mother’s grave. “That was the first step. I didn’t have a chance to visit her in the last years … I revisited those tears that I did when they told me I was guilty of a crime I didn’t commit,” he told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2021/11/24/kevin-strickland-prison-release-newday-vpx.cnn" target="_blank">CNN</a> on Wednesday. But, Mr Strickland will not receive any compensation from the State of Missouri for his time spent in prison, and a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kevin-strickland-after-wrongful-conviction" target="_blank">GoFundMe</a> set up to help him restart his life has received more than $400,000 in donations. Image: Midwest Innocence Project

Legal

Mum saves baby’s life while on hold to triple zero

A Melbourne mother has recalled the terrifying moment she had to save her daughter's life after being placed on hold to triple zero for eight minutes. Sophea Mutsez leapt into action to save her four-month-old daughter Madeline, who stopped breathing after an epileptic fit on Wednesday night. She started performing CPR and dialled triple zero for help. “I just did whatever I could do,” she told <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/melbourne-mother-forced-to-perform-cpr-on-baby-for-eight-minutes-while-on-hold-to-triple-zero-c-4207405" target="_blank">7NEWS</a>. “I knew I had to do something because if I didn’t I was going to lose her." “All of a sudden I noticed her eyes went back into her head, her tongue came out of her mouth and her body went stiff.” Sophea kept performing CPR as she expected a seizure to take over. Meanwhile, the phone kept ringing as Sophea "freaked out a bit" while she waited to be put through to an emergency operator. After eight long minutes on hold, Sophea's call was answered and an ambulance arrived to help Madeline five minutes later. Madeline has spent the last four days recovering in hospital and is on the road to recovery. Triple zero operator ESTA is receiving a record 3000 calls every day, placing an unprecedented strain on the system. A third of the phone calls they receive don't require an ambulance. “I could have lost my little girl because of someone taking up the line over a runny nose,” Sophea said. Image credit: 7News

Family & Pets

Three girls murdered: "Something doesn't add up"

Locals and loved ones alike say they can’t comprehend what’s happened after Lauren Dickason has allegedly murdered her three daughters in Timaru on New Zealand’s South Island. The three girls were found dead at home - twin sisters Maya and Karla, aged two and Liane, aged six. New Zealand Police did not share the nature of their injuries. Their mother Lauren Dickason, a doctor, briefly fronted court on Saturday morning, charged with murder. Police state no other people are sought in relation to this crime New Zealand Police have made a statement saying: ‘Police would like to reassure the community that this was a tragic isolated incident and we are not seeking anyone else.’ ‘The investigation into this tragedy is still in its very early stages, but we can confirm that nobody else is being sought in relation to the deaths of the three children,’ another statement read. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7cb328e12ef64d0d99d1c40d48a111c8" /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.56996587030716px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844205/three-girls-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7cb328e12ef64d0d99d1c40d48a111c8" /> Lauren Dickason’s husband Graham, an orthopaedic surgeon, is reported to have returned home from work late last week to find the girls’ bodies and was said to have been “crying hysterically”. The Dickason family had moved to New Zealand from South Africa to start a new life in August and had exited two weeks of mandatory hotel quarantine only last week. Neighbour’s and friends can’t comprehend the situation Lauren’s former colleague and neighbour, Natasja le Roux, told media she “cannot comprehend what happened”. “(Lauren) is a medical doctor and she wasn’t arrogant or anything like that,” le Roux said. “She was very humble.” Le Roux said the couple had “waited years for those children” after struggling with fertility. When Lauren finally fell pregnant, everyone around the family was supportive and Le Roux said: “The nicest person it could happen to is that woman; she was really just a nice person, she and her husband.” <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/06aad284e10e4cb0b58311b105bc7dbf" /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.0880829015544px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844206/three-girls-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/06aad284e10e4cb0b58311b105bc7dbf" /> Another neighbour, who lived in the same area as the couple, said the parents “absolutely adored those children”. “Something just doesn’t seem right to us,” the neighbour, who did not want to be identified. “We don’t know what happened. There is not a lot of information, but they are kind people. “Something just doesn’t add up. “I don’t know if it’s the stress from New Zealand, moving there, being quarantined for so long and everything - just not coping with that going on. “So, I think whatever happened is not normal, it wasn’t normal circumstances.” “Something just doesn’t add up.” Grandparents are in a “state of shock” In a statement, Lauren’s parents and the children’s grandparents Wendy and Malcolm Fawkes, said the extended family were in a “state of shock”. “The extended families are in a state of shock as we try to understand what happened,” their statement read. “We ask for your prayers and support during this very difficult time. We would also request privacy as we battle to come to terms with what has happened.” “I’m torn apart” Mandy Sibanyoni, who worked as a nanny for the Dickasons in South Africa, described them as an “awesome family” with “wonderful kids” and no obvious problems. She said the only sign of “stress” she saw from Lauren was as a result of one of her daughters being born with a lip disfigurement, which needed surgical interventions. But both parents “loved their kids like nobody’s business,” she said. “I’m torn apart - a part of mine is gone,” Sibanyoni said in an interview with media in South Aftrica. “And it’s like those kids, they are my kids too because I raised them.” “I don’t know what to do about this because the only question that I’ve got now is, what happened? What went wrong? Because Lauren cared for her kids,” Sibanyoni added. Images: Facebook

News

NSW cases explode into triple digits

NSW has recorded 112 cases to 8pm last night, with the majority of cases involving family members and close contacts of already-infected individuals. At least 34 of those cases were partially or fully in the community while infectious. “It is critical, that is something all of us have a role to play in, all of us have to make sure that if anyone has symptoms, get tested and stay at home,” Premier Gladys Berijiklian said. “People need to be aware and they need to keep themselves and their families safe.” The Premier has insisted that anyone with symptoms stay home from work and to stay away from GPs and pharmacies. “The virus won’t spread if people don’t leave home,” Ms Berejiklian said. The vast majority of cases are occurring south-western Sydney, eastern Sydney, and some cases in western Sydney and the Nepean-Blue Mountains area. From today, mandatory QR check-ins are in place for additional venues, including workplaces and retail outlets. Additionally, pharmacists across the state will begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations from today. According to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, 113 pharmacies in three states will be helping fast track the vaccine rollout. “We’re really hoping, that with the support of the New South Wales government, that National Government will reverse their hold or blockage or deferral on pharmacies in major metropolitan areas which should see up to an extra 900 pharmacies in Greater Sydney come on board,” said Guild President Trent Towney. The AstraZeneca vaccine is now available to individuals over 40 by completing “the appropriate consent forms at all New South Wales Health sites”, according to Ms Berejiklian.

News

Patient zero of Black Death found

New evidence has suggested a man who died 5300 years ago in Latvia was infected with the earliest-known strain of the plague that caused the Black Death. Waves of the plague swept through Europe for several centuries from the 1300s, causing millions of deaths. “Up to now this is the oldest-identified plague victim we have,” Dr Ben Krause-Kyora of the University of Kiel in Germany said of the remains. The man was buried with three others at a Neolithic burial site in Latvia near the River Salac, which connects to the Baltic Sea. The research, published in Cell Reports, involved the sequencing of the DNA from the bones and teeth of the four individuals. <img style="width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842261/60da287e1477f300188c82ae.jpg" alt="Dominik Göldner / BGAEU" data-udi="umb://media/1f7ae3fb0a0c41a49c6b87ea085cbef8" /> When the bodies were tested for bacteria and viruses, the researchers were surprised to find one hunter-gatherer - a man in his twenties - was infected with an ancient strain of the plague, caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium. “He was most likely bitten by a rodent, got the primary infection of Yersinia pestis and died a couple of days [later] - maybe a week later - from the septic shock,” said Dr Krause-Kyora. The researchers suggest that this strain appeared about 7000 years ago at the same time that agriculture started to appear in central Europe. They also believe the bacterium may have sporadically jumped from animals to humans and that it became better at infecting humans over time, evolving into the form known as the bubonic plague. The research has been welcomed by other experts, though it doesn’t rule out the hypothesis that the disease was spreading throughout Europe at the time. Though the disease is still around today, it is treatable with antibiotics if caught early. Images: Dominik Göldner / BGAEU

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No compensation after 43 years of wrongful imprisonment

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Three girls murdered: "Something doesn't add up"

NSW cases explode into triple digits

Patient zero of Black Death found

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