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Prince Harry blasted for extraordinary new interview

Prince Harry has been slammed for his extraordinary new interview. The royal sat down with the <a rel="noopener" href="https://armchairexpertpod.com/" target="_blank">Armchair Expert</a> podcast for a chat where he candidly spoke about Prince Charles’ parenting. During the 90-minute interview, the Duke of Sussex admitted he moved to the United States with his family to “break the cycle” of “pain” he suffered as a member of the royal family. He also a said it was necessary that he “change that for my own kids”. The Duke went on to suggest that Prince Charles had “suffered” because of his upbringing by the Queen and Prince Philip, and that his father “treated me the way he was treated”. He called it “genetic pain”. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841213/harry-charles-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/87598af4921b4c81850331195daf63e3" /> He also admitted he wanted to quit royal duties in his “early 20s” because of “what it did” to his mother, Princess Diana. “I don’t think we should be pointing the finger or blaming anybody, but certainly when it comes to parenting, if I’ve experienced some form of pain or suffering because of the pain or suffering that perhaps my father or my parents had suffered, I’m going to make sure I break that cycle so that I don’t pass it on, basically,” Harry said. “It’s a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed on anyway so we as parents should be doing the most we can to try and say ‘you know what, that happened to me, I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen to you’”. He went on to say: “I never saw it, I never knew about it, and then suddenly I started to piece it together and go ‘OK, so this is where he went to school, this is what happened, I know this about his life, I also know that is connected to his parents so that means he’s treated me the way he was treated, so how can I change that for my own kids”. “And here I am, I moved my whole family to the US, that wasn’t the plan but sometimes you’ve got make decisions and put your family first and put your mental health first.” The 36-year-old compared his former royal life to “a mixture between The Truman Show and being in a zoo”, admitting he stepped down last year to put his family and mental health ‘”first.” Harry also revealed that he had started counselling after his wife Meghan Markle had saw how “angry” he had become. When asked if he felt “in a cage” while in royal duties, the royal said: “It’s the job right? Grin and bear it. Get on with it.” “I was in my early twenties and I was thinking I don’t want this job, I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be doing this.” “Look what it did to my mum, how am I ever going to settle down and have a wife and family when I know it’s going to happen again?” he asked. ‘I’ve seen behind the curtain, I’ve seen the business model and seen how this whole thing works and I don’t want to be part of this.” Prince Harry seems to have picked up the American accent as well fans noticed, after he admitting the U.S. had taken a weight off of his shoulders. “Living here now I can actually lift my head and I feel different, my shoulders have dropped, so have hers, you can walk around feeling a little bit freer, I can take Archie on the back of my bicycle, I would never have had the chance to do that,” he said. Royal commentator Robert Jobson accused the royal of throwing his family “under the bus.” “Forgive me, but he’s been a dad for how long? Perhaps he should pen a book on how to parent properly drawing on his wealth of experience? For “charity” of course,” he wrote. Jobson would later go on to Sunrise, where he accused Harry of shameless behaviour”. “You’ve got to take some of it seriously because he believes it in himself, you know, mental health is a big big issue out there.” “But to keep harping on about this, it’s getting embarrassing,” he said. “To not only criticise his father’s parenting skills, but also the Queen and Prince Philip who has only just had his funeral, I think it smacks of pretty shameful behaviour.” Images: Getty

Family & Pets

Awkward Ellen’s uncomfortable Oprah Winfrey interview

Following the announcement that <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/ellen-sensationally-quits">Ellen DeGeneres will quit her talk show</a> after 18 months of scandal, a question from Oprah Winfrey left her speechless. Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres show, Oprah mostly avoided bombshell questions, instead asking questions like “How are you actually feeling? How are you really feeling?” of her friend of over 25 years. Winfrey also ignored the many allegations of bullying, misconduct, and a toxic workplace environment that have plagued The Ellen Show recently. It wasn’t until Oprah brought up one topic that the very real differences between the two stars was revealed. Ellen appeared visibly uncomfortable as Oprah spoke about the guilt she felt finishing The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011 after 25 seasons and the knowledge that the decision would affect the huge team of employees that had “built their financial life” on the show continuing. “When you have a large staff as you do, as I did, that staff becomes your family. These are your tribe; these are your people. You would not be who you are without those people doing the work that a lot of people don’t recognise is going on behind the scenes,” Oprah said. “You often don’t think, as I often didn’t think, when you’re looking at people: Car insurance, mortgages, college educations being paid … for everybody on that staff, they have built their financial life, their family life, based on this show,” she continued. “For me that was hard too.” Ellen couldn’t hide her discomfort by that point, looking off camera and fidgeting with her hands. Staying silent, Oprah moved the conversation along and the show soon went to a commercial break. <img style="width: 500px; height:281.53846153846155px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841216/ellen.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6d1acee106b24fc5869c4b2c48707b0a" /> At another point in the interview, Oprah told her friend she expected she would “miss the camaraderie of the audience” once The Ellen Show wraps up next year, and asked Ellen what it had been like telling the crew. “It was hard,” Ellen said. “There were tears … It was really hard.” “I DO love everyone here, we DO have a relationship … I wanted to give them a year to celebrate with me and stay with me.” But just hours after Ellen’s announcement, former producer Hedda Muskat slammed the host in an <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/she-was-not-holding-back-former-ellen-producer-s-parting-shot">explosive interview with Sunrise</a>. Muskat was one of the first producers hired during the show’s debut season and claimed viewers had finally “woken up” to Ellen’s true nature. “The viewers have spoken. Her ratings have been in the toilet for a long time now. Her show has not been fun, it has not been interesting, and she’s not really ‘stepping down’ - the viewers fired her,” she said. When asked what she thought DeGeneres should do after her show comes to an end, Muskat said her former employer should “work on a farm with all of the animals and the pets and the dogs and the cows and the pigs because she can relate to animals far more than she does with people.” Image credits: YouTube

Parents’ pleas ignored: How a Perth hospital failed their daughter

The parents grieving for their daughter who died while waiting to see a doctor at a Perth hospital are accusing “rude” staff of ignoring their pleas for help. Aishwarya Aswath, seven, was rushed to Perth Children’s Hospital on Easter Sunday after she came down with a fever that was worsening. Waiting for up to two hours in the emergency room to see a doctor, the girl’s eyes turned cloudy, her hands went cold, and she became rigid. Parents Aswath Chavittupara and Prasitha Sasidharan begged staff to have a doctor look at their daughter multiple times but claim their worries were pushed aside. When a doctor finally came to see Aishwarya it was too late, with the young girl passing away just 15 minutes later. An internal report investigating her death found she had succumbed to an infection related to a group A streptococcus. Western Australian Health Minister Roger Cook conceded she and the family didn’t receive the appropriate level of care on the night they were in the hospital. But the report found no individual was responsible for the lack of care and that staffing shortages weren’t a factor in her death. Aishwarya’s death follows months of concerns regarding understaffing and delayed treatments across Perth’s hospitals. When she was taken to hospital, the girl was placed in the second-least urgent category. But even when it was clear to her parents that their daughter was rapidly deteriorating, they claimed their calls for help were mostly ignored. “I think some of the staff were ignoring us … they didn’t even pass on the message to their superiors so they could decide,” Mr Chavittupara said. Mr Chavittupara and Ms Sasidharan said the report raised more questions than answers and are now pushing for an independent inquiry into their daughter’s death and other incidents. “We didn’t get the answers that we were looking for,” Mr Chavittupara told reporters on Thursday, May 13. “We knew they would only look at some of the areas and ignore the rest. That’s why we’ve been pushing for an external inquiry.” Though Aishwarya’s parents have questioned whether their ethnicity was a factor in how they were treated, Mr Cook downplayed any race-related concerns. Among the 11 recommendations presented in the Child and Adolescent Health Services was a review of the awareness of culturally and linguistically diverse communities among staff, while other recommendations included a pathway for parents to raise their concerns to staff and a second independent inquiry into the hospital’s emergency department. Mr Cook apologised to the family on behalf of the Western Australian government. “I wish to apologise unreservedly for this failure and for the heartbreak and devastation Aishwarya’s death has caused her family and community,” he said. “On behalf of the McGowan Government, Child and Adolescent Health Services, and all the health community, I say to Aishwarya’s family - I am sorry.” Mr Chavittupara said an apology was “not good enough” and that the system should be changed to prevent similar events from happening again. “We lost our child,” Ms Sasidharan said. “This shouldn’t happen to anybody else.” Image credit: 9News

Caring

Audiobooks could help supercharge your hearing

With more than 400,000 audiobooks available to download on your device of choice, their appeal continues to grow. But for those who have trouble hearing, audiobooks can seem like a hard way to enjoy a good book. Whether your hearing has been affected since you were young or it has started to decline more recently, audiobooks can be more helpful than you might realise. If you want to improve your hearing skills, you might be considering - or have already started - an auditory training program. You might be a candidate for auditory training if you are getting a hearing aid for the first time or have trouble understanding speech despite having ‘normal’ hearing, a condition called “hidden hearing loss”. Currently, specialised programs and smartphone apps are available and are designed to feel like a video game when you interact with them. For those of us who like a good story and dramatic voices, audiobooks are a great candidate for auditory training while enjoying literature. Why audiobooks? Since hearing is about recognising and interpreting sounds, Nancy Tye-Murray, AuD and professor at Washington University School of Medicine, says audiobooks help us exercise “those linguistic areas of your brain that are crucial for comprehension”. You can also use them to practise listening to and understanding foreign accents or multiple people speaking at the same time - minus the social pressure and with the option to rewind anytime. Those with hearing aids can even stream audiobooks directly into their hearing aids via Bluetooth, depending on how advanced the technology is. How to get started Rather than diving into the deep end, you can find an audio version of a book you own a physical copy of, meaning that you can read and listen simultaneously. According to Tye-Murray, it’s best to start off in a quiet space and by listening to a book with a male narrator, since lower pitches are usually easier to hear. Adjusting the speed can also help, starting at a lower speed than normal speech and increasing it as your skills improve. But before you pick up your physical book, Tye-Murray recommends listening at a slower speed without reading along “until you’re comfortable with changing to normal speed”. “Start really paying attention to how much you comprehend,” she said. “After you finish listening to a chapter, you might jot down a few sentences that capture the essence of the chapter” to help you strengthen your brain’s comprehension muscles. Once you’re comfortable with lower pitched voices, you could choose one narrated by a woman and repeat the same steps. Since listening can be tiring, it’s important to pace yourself too. 20 minutes to half an hour is a good place to start and you can always rewind if you lose focus.

Books

"Weightless love": Mary celebrates 17 years as Australia's Princess

Mary Donaldson over twenty years ago could have never guessed her life would have been the fairy tale of all fairy tales, when she met her future-husband in 2000 in Sydney bar. The world has been gripped by Mary ever since she first met the future king of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik. The pair met during the Sydney Olympics, at the Opera Bar on the harbour, and a little over four years later, they were walking down the aisle of the Copenhagen Cathedral. One of the most breath-taking moments was the moment the world saw Mary in her elegant gown by Danish designer Uffe Frank. It was made of breath-taking ivory duchess satin, and the skirt was lined with 31 metres of tulle. The bride was walked down the aisle by her father, John Donaldson, who made headlines for his traditional Scottish kilt. To pay homage to her homeland, Australia, for her wedding bouquet, she opted for a flowing trail of eucalyptus, roses, and a sprig of myrtle from Fredonsborg Palace. Mary was an ethereal vision, and it was her husband who appeared to shed the first tear. At their reception, the prince set out to honour his new bride by saying: "I love her, and I will protect her with all my heart. I will do my best to make her feel at home in her new country". The royal did not skip over Mary’s father, who he addressed in his opening when he said: "Dear John, what a privilege, what a thrill, what an extraordinary feeling of happiness you have created in me," Frederik said. "One might say Mary also belongs to you - but as of today, she belongs to me and I belong to her." Prince Frederik also shared the moment he first laid eyes on his wife. "I found myself in an unknown country amongst happy, festive foreigners," he said. "My only luggage at that time was my high expectations of my visit and a certain degree of confidence. "I had only been in Australia two days before our fates were sealed, even though neither of us was aware of it. But your radiance shone clearly for me from our very first meeting. "Since then I have been blinded by it and totally dependent on it." Crown Prince Frederik described his wife as the sun that "melts all doubt and darkness". "I love you Mary. Come, let us go, come let us see. Throughout a thousand worlds, weightless love awaits. "The joy and the strength you give me is like the sun in the daytime which, with its radiance, melts all doubts and darkness on earth. "And like the moon at night, you shine with a watchful and delicate beam of gentleness, which extinguishes the mischief and deceit used by the symbols of darkness." 17 years later, it seems love is still at the heart of the royal pair’s relationship. The couple share four children together, Prince Christian, 15, Princess Isabella, 14, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 10. Images: Getty

Relationships

Could a blood test diagnose mental illnesses?

Australian scientists have developed the world’s first blood test that can accurately predict whether people have mood disorders. Following research into specific levels of a brain protein, researchers from the University of South Australia have developed a kit that can distinguish between three brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) proteins with precision. A link between mature BDNF (mBDNF) proteins and depression has been well-documented for some time, but it hasn’t been until now that the three forms of proteins could be distinguished in blood samples. Researchers say strong evidence suggests that psychological stress decreases mBDNF and that depression is caused by a lack of the protein. A study conducted with 215 people in China, including 90 patients with clinical depression and 15 with bipolar disorder, found clear links between low levels of the protein in blood and severe depression. The study also found that the severity of a person’s depression correlated with a lower mBDNF level. Patients on antidepressants were also found to have higher levels of the protein than those who weren’t taking them. UniSA Professor Xin-Fu Zhou said existing commercial kits aren’t specific, while the one developed by the university had an accuracy of 80 to 83 percent. “As mBDNF and (another of the three proteins) proBDNF have different biological activities, working in opposition to each other, it is essential that we distinguish between these two proteins and detect changes in their levels,” he said. The researchers believe mBDNF levels could be used to diagnose depression and bipolar disorder.

Mind

Toddler survives ordeal with flesh-eating bug

A mother in Melbourne has spoken out about the terrifying ordeal her family went through after her daughter almost lost her leg to a flesh-eating infection caused by Strep A. At just 11 months old, Eden contracted the bug after a bout of severe colds that affected her for weeks. On the night she was rushed to hospital with a fever, it was discovered she had Strep A that was affecting her leg. “We were obviously very scared because it was a very dangerous bug that got into her system quickly,” Eden’s mother Tania O’Meara <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/melbourne-toddler-almost-loses-her-leg-to-strep-a-as-murdoch-childrens-research-institute-trial-vaccines-c-2808830">told 7NEWS</a>. Luckily the doctors were able to save her leg, but Eden was left scarring on her right calf. “It was a very precarious point in her life,” O’Meara said. The need for a vaccine Dr Josh Osowicki from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute said Strep A is a “high-priority” bug for vaccine development. As part of their efforts, researchers at the institute are deliberately infecting healthy volunteers with the bacteria to trial different vaccines and treatments. “We’ve kept the participants in an inpatient environment and we had really close clinical support and we’ve watched them really closely,” Dr Osowicki said. “We hope the vaccine can stop other children going through what Eden went through,” O’Meara said. “Strep A causes a lot of different disease, from a strep throat or a mild skin infection to really severe and dangerous infections,” Dr Osowicki said. The infection kills more than 500,000 people globally every year, with young children, the elderly, and pregnant women especially at risk. Image credit: 7NEWS

Body

‘Breathing’ mountains could help us understand earthquake risks

As the Earth’s surface shifts over time, oceans have opened and closed while new mountains climb towards the sky. But mountains can also sink back to Earth, usually due to stress caused by the same collisions of tectonic plates that triggers earthquakes. These events happen in cycles, and you could imagine it like the chest of a rocky giant breathing unevenly, explains Luca Dal Zilio, a geophysicist at the California Institute of Technology. The best example of this phenomenon? The 2,200 kilometres of peaks that make up the Himalaya. By understanding the complex forces driving this cycle, the local risk of earthquakes that threaten millions of people living nearby can be more well-understood. Since similar geological ‘breaths’ have been documented worldwide, the review Dal Zilio and colleagues recently <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-021-00143-1">published in Nature Reviews</a> could be the key to understanding the processes behind many of Earth’s mountain ranges - and the risks they might pose. Compiling more than 200 studies of Himalayan geology, the paper looks to lay out the intricate mechanisms behind this ‘breathing’. The lengthy expanse and geologic complexity of the Himalaya make it a terrific natural laboratory, says study co-author Judith Hubbard, a structural geologist at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Inhaling and exhaling over time The Himalaya formed from a tectonic pileup about 50 million years ago, when the Indian continental plate crashed into the Eurasian plate. To this day, India continues moving northward by almost two inches every year. However, the land doesn’t slide under Eurasia, instead causing the Eurasian plate to bulge and bunch and drive the mountains slightly higher in a long inhale. Eventually, this pressure will hit a breaking point, where the land masses will shift in an earthquake in a geologic exhale, or cough. A deadly example of this exhalation came in 2015, when a 7.8-magniture earthquake caused a part of the Himalaya to sink by almost 600 centimetres. Different parts of a mountain range can exhale at different intensities. While some cough violently, others might experience a series of hiccoughs. They might not exhale the exact same way each time either. “Even the same patch can have different behaviours at different times,” says Rebecca Bendick, a geophysicist at the University of Montana. “And pretty much nobody has the foggiest clue why.” Putting the pieces together To understand how this process works, scientists have to piece together mountain-building processes that happen on varying scales of time - from slow moving tectonic plates to near-instantaneous shifts of earthquakes. Since these phenomena are measured differently, looking at the shape of the fracture between the two plates can help scientists bridge the gap. In the Himalaya, the fault spanning 2200 kilometres has several kinks and bends remaining from the original collision that formed the range. These features have continued to slowly evolve and can influence how an earthquake progresses today. In the recent review, Hubbard found a paper suggesting that structures surrounding the fault - such as bends beneath the surface - limited the magnitude of the 2015 quake. Dal Zilio says that other structures that might be present across the rest of the range could similarly limit how far a quake might spread. “The ultimate goal is to know what kinds of earthquakes we can expect and what kinds of damage they will produce,” Hubbard says. “If we’re trying to learn about that exhale or cough process but the earth isn’t exhaling or coughing, it’s really hard to learn about it.” To fill in the gaps, some researchers are looking at the scars left from past earthquakes. But there are many challenges that present major obstacles, especially when the terrain is too difficult to measure using current technology. Shifting forward As the cycle of inhalation and exhalation continues, the system will also change and make understanding it even more difficult. Some of the accumulated stress from every inhale will permanently deform the rock, even after the next exhale, as the release of all of the stress would mean that no mountain would still be standing, Hubbard notes. As India continues to inch closer under Eurasia, other landscape features will also change. Bendick says, “at some point, Nepal will cease to exist”, as the Indian plate’s movement over the next tens of thousands of years will cause the southern border to move ever northward and slowly squeeze Nepal. “At that very long time scale, nothing is fixed,” she says. “‘Set in stone’ is not the right phrase.”

International Travel

News

“Take a lesson out of the Queen’s book”: Karl’s swipe at Harry

Karl Stefanovic has hit out against Prince Harry after the Duke’s latest interview where he compared his royal life to a mix “between The Truman Show and living in a zoo”. The Duke of Sussex also took aim at Prince Charles in his appearance on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd podcast, saying Charles passed “genetic pain and suffering” onto him. He also revealed the realisation he had in his 20s that he didn’t want to be involved in royal life. Coming after Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, Stefanovic signalled he’d had enough of Harry’s “whining”. “It’s a great thing that he got away from all that prying press in the UK,” Stefanovic said sarcastically. When co-host Allison Langdon sympathised with Harry’s mental health struggles and said “you have got to take the mental health stuff pretty seriously”, Stefanovic doubled down on his criticism. “Of course, Ally, but I’m just saying it’s ridiculous how he keeps whining about his childhood. He grew up in privilege, in a palace,” Stefanovic countered. “I mean, just give it a rest bro. “He looks happier too when he was partying in Vegas, I’m just saying.” Stefanovic was so “riled” by Harry’s latest outburst that he returned to the subject later in the show. “The guy doesn’t need to go from his [Californian] mansion and start rabbiting on about how hard life is when he has got enormous privilege, and to keep bagging his family,” he said. “Just get on with it. Take a lesson out of the Queen’s book and just get on with it. Carry on. I’m not saying anything more about that … it’s really riled me.” Harry described the “get on with it” attitude in his latest interview and said his desire to “break the cycle” within his own family drove the move to California. “It’s the job right? Grin and bear it. Get on with it. I was in my early 20s and I was thinking I don’t want this job, I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be doing this,” he said. “Look what it did to my mum. How am I ever going to settle down and have a wife and family, when I know it’s going to happen again?”

News

Outrage over woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann

<div class="reply-list-component"> <div class="reply-component"> <div class="reply-body-component"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply-body-wrapper"> <div class="reply-body-inner"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <div> <div class="reply-list-component"> <div class="reply-component"> <div class="reply-body-component"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply-body-wrapper"> <div class="reply-body-inner"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> A woman has been slammed for claiming that she could be missing UK toddler Madeleine McCann on TikTok. The UK toddler was just three years old when she disappeared from a villa in Portugal in 2007, with her disappearance leading to an international search. Unfortunately, investigators haven't been able to figure out what happened to Madeleine, with her parents Kate and Gerry McCann trying desperately over the last decade to find their daughter. The TikTok user, a young blonde woman, has been slammed after she claimed to be staying near the villa as a child, and captioned her TikTok clip "My mates joke about me being Madeleine McCann". The video shows pictures of the woman when she was a toddler and another picture of Madeleine, showing similarities between the two. She was quickly slammed for the video. “What people do for views,” one person wrote. “You shouldn’t joke about something that still brings pain to people,” wrote another. “Why use this to try and get fame, wanna have a reality check?” another wrote. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841209/hero-maddy-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7f95da898fff4dad893506d33ead944d" /> Screenshots from the TikTok video The video comes just a day after Madeleine's parents posted a message to their daughter on Facebook, as Madeleine would've been 18 on Wednesday May 12. The message reads: "We love you and are waiting for you". They also left birthday cards and gifts in her bedroom, which remains unchanged since she left, according to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-parents-18th-birthday-24096738" target="_blank">The Mirror.</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

News

Waleed Aly slammed over fiery budget “interrogation”

Walled Aly is facing backlash after his fiery interview with opposition leader Anthony Albanese over the 2021 federal budget. The Labor leader was grilled on Channel 10’s The Project on Wednesday night by Mr Aly, receiving a mixed response from the audience who accused him of interrupting Mr Albanese multiple times. The Project co-host took exception to Mr Albanese accusing the government of using "slush funds" and misusing an unallocated $9 billion in the budget. “They’ve also set-up these little slush funds. They've set up with 21 separate funds, they have $4 billion attached to them,” Mr Albanese said. “And there is $9 billion in the budget over the next short little while which is decisions taken, but not announced. “It is your money, taxpayers, but they won't tell you what it will be spent on and you have got to suspect it will be very much devoted to the political map rather than people's needs. Mr Aly cut in to say: “That’s a common line item in the budget, though.” The Labor leader shot back, saying “I have never seen anything like it. I have been here a while. It is not common to have $9 billion.” “The amount, you can argue. It is not a scandalous line item. That's a common one,” Aly said. “It is not actually, but we'll keep going,” Mr Albanese said while Mr Aly continued to talk about the NDIS. “Billions has been added to the NDIS, which you were saying was a Labor legacy,” he went on to say. “They cut $4 billion in the budget just a little while ago. So put some of that back. That's true. Some of the areas,” Albanese remarked. Shortly before the interview ended, Mr Aly shot back: “'More than some. They put more than $4 billion back.” “Waleed, just a suggestion that you might let a guest answer the questions you pose. That interview did you no favours,' one person wrote on Twitter. Another added: “Just ask questions, don't talk him down.” “I love Waleed and The Project but seriously that Albo Interview was ridiculous. So Simon Birmingham had a light and fluffy interview and Albo got a full on interrogation,” a third person said. Others accused Albanese of being desperate to find something wrong in the budget. “Oh dear. Albo clutching at straws, he knows Labor is doomed at the next election,” one person said.

News

Farmer rescues “five little baby girls” found crying, abandoned

A Texan farmer made a shocking discovery on his ranch near the southern border with Mexico. Five abandoned girls from Honduras and Guatemala were reportedly found on Sunday, May 9 (local time) by farmer Jimmy Hobbs while he was “doing the rounds of his property”, according to local congressman Tony Gonzales. “While we thank God they were found alive, these tragic scenes are happening more and more,” he tweeted. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Take a good hard look at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BidenBorderCrisis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BidenBorderCrisis</a> These young girls were found outside a ranch near Quemado, Texas in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TX23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TX23</a>. The Del Rio Sector border patrol tell me they are uninjured, healthy, and in good spirits. 🙏 <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> enough is enough let’s work together solve this crisis. <a href="https://t.co/mt5P7ysN9g">pic.twitter.com/mt5P7ysN9g</a> — Tony Gonzales (@TonyGonzales4TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyGonzales4TX/status/1391529589256695810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2021</a></blockquote> In a video posted on social media, Mr Hobbs described the moment he found the girls. “About 8.30 in the morning, just driving along and then all of a sudden I see them, laying there, right beside the bank of the river,” he said. “Five little baby girls, all by themselves - hungry, crying, one didn’t have any clothes on. One wasn’t even old enough to walk.” Three of the girls are reportedly from Honduras, aged seven, three, and two, while the other two, aged five and 11-months-old, are from Guatemala. Mr Hobbs said he called Border Patrol and gave the girls something to eat and drink. “I don’t think they would have made it if I hadn’t found them,” he told congressman Gonzales. Unaccompanied children are often sent across the border with the hope they can stay in the US following Biden’s winding back of some of the harsher border policies of the Trump administration. Unaccompanied children have been exempted from expulsion under President Biden, allowing them to stay in America while pursuing asylum claims. The number of unaccompanied children encountered on the US-Mexico border has also been reduced from an all-time high in March, according to authorities, with more adults found coming without families. Image credit: Tony Gonzales / Twitter

News

Travel

Sad end to stranded baby whale

A juvenile minke whale got stuck in the River Thames and freed on the night of Sunday, May 9. Following its rescue the animal was later found beached against a river wall and had to be put down after vets found its condition was “rapidly deteriorating”. The whale was then loaded onto a truck at Teddington lifeboat station and taken to Whipsnade Zoo for post-mortem tests, the results of which are not expected for a few weeks. Rob Deaville, who took part in the tests, said the whale was thought to be about two years old and was likely still dependent on its mother. The juvenile female minke was first stranded on Richmond Lock’s boat rollers. Crew from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) worked late into the evening to free the 4.2m-long whale and managed to move it. But the mammal escaped and was later seen swimming between Richmond and Teddington on Monday morning before becoming stuck once again. A vet from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) administered the injection to put it down after it became stranded. Though the full results of the post-mortem tests will take several weeks, Mr Deaville said told the BBC they had found “no evidence of any recent feeding” and “evidence of starvation over a few days”, which he explained was consistent with the whale being found in the Thames. Though parasites were also found in the whale’s stomach, Mr Deaville said vets did not believe this was significant. Minke whales are the smallest of the great whales and can grow up to 10m in length. Mr Deaville said he believed the number of whales found in the river had increased over recent years. “It could be because there are increased numbers of them or it’s man-made impacts. The jury is still out,” he said. The samples taken from the whale will not only help establish what happened to the creature, but will provide research material “for years to come”. “We’re going to learn a lot about it - it’s life and the species as a whole,” he said. Image credit: SKY News

International Travel

Grandmother's shocking illness after AstraZeneca vaccine

A West Australian grandmother has been hospitalised with a number of health issues after receiving her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. While doctors are trying to find out what caused Maureen DeBoick's herlth issues, her family fear is could be a reaction to the jab. Her second dose has been put on hold until the cause is found. Mrs DeBoick was airlifted to Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth two weeks ago after noticing a spot on her tongue. Shortly after, her gums started to bleed and her body began to break out in large bruises upon contact. Photos show dark bruising over Mrs DeBoick's swollen hands and forearms. Taking to Facebook to provide further details, Mrs DeBoick's daughter said the photos were taken within the first two days and the bruising "progressively got worse all over her body". After spending two weeks in hospital, the 80-year-old is now facing the prospect of having her spleen removed. The Department of Health is investigating Mrs DeBoick’s case.

Travel Trouble

The mystery of Russia’s “eighth wonder of the world”

With its luminous and fragile nature, amber has been treated with reverence by many and even protected by Prussian law since the 13th century. The Amber Room, a series of panels crafted from six tonnes of amber, mounted on gold-leaf walls, and decorated with mosaics and mirrors, is an exemplary demonstration of the material’s beauty designed for royalty in Prussia and Russia. But it is also shrouded in mystery. The room was originally designed in the early 18th century for King Frederick I of Prussia, before it was gifted to Russian Tsar Peter the Great. When it was eventually moved to the Catherine Palace near St Petersburg, the panels were incorporated into a larger room decorated with candelabra, mosaics, gilded figures, and even more amber. The Baroque chamber became known as the “eighth wonder of the world”. Following the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941, the Amber Room was dismantled and moved to Königsberg castle in the German state of Prussia. Königsberg was a “transfer base for [looted] cultural objects, which would be stored in the city for further transportation to other parts of Germany”, says Anatoly Valuev of the Kaliningrad History and Arts Museum. However, when the Red Army seized the city in 1945, the Amber Room could not be found. Though some thought fire had destroyed it, “no traces of burning amber were found,” said Valuev. “And it was assumed the room survived after all, and it was hidden in the castle’s basement or it was taken somewhere else.” Despite the belief it was hidden somewhere, two separate investigations conducted in 1946 and the 2000’s turned up nothing. Searching through hundreds of locations around the city and in the town’s castle ruins, the soviet specialists found artworks and jewellery hidden in the castle basement. But no sign of the Amber Room. As hopes of finding the chamber started to die, a change of tack was needed. In 1979, the former USSR began reconstruction of the room with guidance from two remaining original items: a single box of relics and 86 black-and-white photos of the space taken just prior to World War Two. Though the reconstruction took 23 years, the recreated Amber Room has been on display at Catherine Palace in the <a href="https://www.tzar.ru/en/objects/ekaterininsky/amberhall">Tsarskoye Selo State Museum and Heritage Site</a> in St Petersburg since 2003, bringing the glowing orange and gold resin to life once again.

International Travel

Farmer’s mistake alters the French border

Along the border between Belgium and France, the boundary between the two countries is usually marked by a series of stone markers. But, when local enthusiast David Lavaux was walking through the forest, he noticed one of the stone markers had moved 2.29m. The Belgian farmer behind it was apparently annoyed by the stone being in his tractor’s path and moved it to be inside French territory instead. The incident that could have caused international uproar has instead been met with smiles on both sides of the border. “He made Belgium bigger and France smaller, it’s not a good idea,” Mr Lavaux, who is also the mayor of the Belgian village of Erquelinnes, told French TV channel TF1. “I was happy, my town was bigger,” the Belgian mayor said with a laugh. “But the mayor of Bousignies-sur-Roc didn’t agree.” Aurélie Welonek, mayor of neighbouring Bousignies-sur-Roc, said with amusement to La Voix du Nord, “We should be able to avoid a new border war”. The farmer will be asked to return the stone to its original location by local Belgian authorities. But if he refuses to comply, the case could end up involving the Belgian foreign ministry, which would have to summon a Franco-Belgian border commission which has been dormant since 1930. Mr Lavaux also noted non-compliance could see the farmer facing criminal charges. “If he shows good will, he won’t have a problem, we will settle this issue amicably,” he told Belgian news website Sudinfo. Image Credit: David Lavaux

International Travel

Health

Woman develops new accent overnight

Though Angie Yen has never been to Ireland or any immediate family from there, the Brisbane dentist claims to have woken up one day with an Irish accent. The 27-year-old believes she has foreign accent syndrome, a isolating and uncommon speech disorder. What is foreign accent syndrome? The condition, typically triggered by a head injury, stroke, or brain damage, impairs a person’s ability to control the muscles used to produce speech. The result of this is that people can appear to develop what sounds like a foreign accent overnight - despite never speaking with that accent before, nor mixing with people who do or spending time abroad. But, Angie hasn’t suffered a stroke, head injury, or brain damage, so experts say her case isn’t so simple. Instead, the accent change came about following tonsil surgery. “I didn’t have any issues with talking or eating or anything like that, if anything the throat was ust very, very sore,” she told 7NEWS.com.au. “Everything was normal, I was just on painkillers, so I was living life normally. There was nothing out of the ordinary.” Ten days after the surgery, while singing in the shower hours before a job interview, she noticed something strange. “I was singing notes that I didn’t think I could hit before, even though my throat was quite sore. I knew something wasn’t right.” When she spoke, her voice didn’t sound like hers either. “I was very shocked … I called up one of my friends who had travelled all over the world and asked where my accent is from. He said - you sound like you’re Irish,” she said. While she hasn’t been formally diagnosed with the condition, her primary doctor says her symptoms sound like they match. “He referred me to get some scans for an MRI and also some blood tests to rule out anything underlying that could be going on,” Angie said. The thing that has Angie, her doctors, and experts baffled is that the change didn’t occur until 10 days after surgery. Spreading awareness Though Angie has led a very private life, she has decided to document her journey spreading awareness about the condition on TikTok. “I felt that somewhere in the world someone might wake up with this one day and just feel as lost, alone, and isolated as I am,” she said. “I hope by spreading awareness and letting people know that this is a serious health issue, that eventually we can encourage people to get the help they need and take it seriously.” Mixed accents While most commenters said Angie sounds Irish, there has been a mixed response. “I’ve also gotten Canadian, American, Jamaican, British, New Zealand - all over the world,” she said. “And most countries I’ve never been to. It’s very, very bizarre.” That’s not too uncommon for those with foreign accent syndrome, according to Lyndsey Nickels, a Professor of Cognitive Science at Macquarie University. “People with foreign accent syndrome don’t speak with all the features of a foreign accent, but there are enough things about the way they speak to make it seem as though they have a different accent,” Nickels told 7NEWS.com.au. “Different listeners may have different opinions about what the accent is because the features usually don’t clearly match a single accent.” Nickels confirmed the disorder is thought to be caused by brain damage which can make “moving or coordinating the muscles that we use to produce speech” more difficult. “This causes inaccuracies in the speech, sounds with vowels being particularly vulnerable,” she said. Since the condition is so rare, many people - including some doctors - accuse sufferers of faking it. Speech pathologists can help those with the condition to improve speech muscle movement and coordination to regain accuracy in their speech. Image credit: 7NEWS

Mind

Warning issued for women with breast implants

An urgent warning has been issued by health authorities after a link was found between breast implants and a rare cancer. Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) has been found in a small number of women who have undergone breast reconstruction surgeries, with the cancer developing between three and 14 years after the procedure. The cancer cells usually grow in the fluid and scar tissue that develops around the implant. Safer Care Victoria issued a public safety notice that urges women who have undergone the procedure to keep an eye out for swelling, caused by fluid around the implant, and any pain, rashes, or lumps. “Please speak to your GP immediately if you notice a chance, as this cancer is highly curable if diagnosed and treated early,” Safer Care Victoria said in a statement. “If you don’t have symptoms, there is no need to remove your implants. Removal of implants, as well as the use of anaesthetics, come with a surgical risk.” According to experts, the risk of developing BIA-ALCL depends on the type of implant used, with the risk estimated to be between one in 1000 and one in 10,000. Though the cause of BIA-ALCL is still unconfirmed, the prevailing theory is that bacterial contamination occurs when the implant is inserted or in the period just after surgery, causing a low-grade bacterial biofilm. According to the theory, the biofilm causes chronic irritation over time that triggers the body’s immune system which causes the number of lymphocyte cells to rapidly increase. The lymphocyte cells can then transform into cancer cells and become ALCL. In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration is aware of 76 cases of BIA-ALCL nationally, while New Zealand’s Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority has recorded six cases.

Body

"Struggling to survive": Blanche d’Alpuget speaks about late Bob Hawke

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> It's been almost two years since former Prime Minister Bob Hawke passed away and his wife of 24 years Blanche d’Alpuget remembers him with "great affection and admiration". Hawke died at the age of 89 on May 16th, 2019. D’Alpuget spoke with Michael Usher on The Latest on Thursday night about how her life has changed since her husband passed away as well as dealing with her grief and battling breast cancer. “It took up so much of my time, because first I had months of chemotherapy, and then I had to recover from that,” she said. “Then I had a big surgery and recover from that, and then have more drugs pumped into me. “So in a way, the first anniversary of his death wasn’t as bad because I was just struggling to survive.” As she struggled with chemotherapy, she felt "so tired". “But there’s a feeling of sisterhood and brotherhood between all people who’ve experienced cancer, really; only they know what it’s like,” she said. “I didn’t think I was going to die during any of it; I knew I was going to survive.” She also reflected on Hawke before he passed away as he became "sweeter and sweeter" as he got older. “It was really wonderful. Our love just got stronger and stronger,” she said. “My life is simpler now, but it’s missing an element, a very large element.” </div> </div> </div>

Caring

Aussie researchers' new pill to fight obesity

A new pill could be the next weapon in the fight against obesity, after researchers from the Garvan Institute discovered a way to turn ‘energy-storing’ fat into ‘energy-burning’ fat. The Australian scientists found that blocking the Y1 receptor, which normally helps us regulate our body heat, could increase the amount of fat we metabolise and prevent weight gain. “The Y1 receptor acts as a ‘brake’ for heat generation in the body,” said Dr Yan-Chuan Shi, Leader of the Neuroendocrinology Group at Garvan and a senior author of the paper published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22925-3">Nature Communications</a>. “In our study, we found that blocking this receptor in fat tissues transformed ‘energy-storing’ fat into ‘energy-burning’ fat, which switched on heat production and reduced weight gain.” Dr Shi continued, “Most of the current medications used to treat obesity target the brain to suppress appetite and can have severe side effects that limit their use. “Our study reveals an alternative approach that targets the fat tissues directly, which may potentially be a safer way to prevent and treat obesity.” Y1 receptor linked to obesity In a seven-week trial, scientists tested their theory with mice divided into two groups and fed a high-fat diet. One of the groups was also fed BIBO3304, the experimental treatment, which blocked the Y1 receptor. This group of mice gained about 40 percent less body weight than the mice who were only given the high fat diet, caused by “an increase in body heat generation and reduction in fat mass,” Dr Shi said. When the treatment was applied to human fat cells taken from obese individuals, the researhers found that the same genes that produced heat in mice also turned on, meaning that targeting the Y1 receptor pathway could increase fat metabolism and reduce weight gain in people too. Targeting the brain versus human tissue Researchers also emphasised that the experimental treatment does not cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning that the anti-obesity effects occur in peripheral tissues rather than the brain. Most current weight-loss treatments reduce how much we eat by targeting our central nervous system, but this can result in significant psychiatric or cardiovascular side effects and “over 80 percent of these medications being withdrawn from the market,” said Dr Shi. By targeting the Y1 receptor, Professor Herzog said the treatment “is effective at preventing obesity by increasing energy expenditure”. “It reveals a new therapeutic approach that is potentially safer than current medications that target appetite,” said Professor Herzog. With obesity affecting an estimated two thirds of Australian adults, the team of researchers hope human clinical trials can begin within three years.

Body

Lifestyle

IKEA makes fashion waves with new collection

Ikea has already made a name kitting out our homes and now they’re expanding to our wardrobes. From Thursday, May 13, the Swedish furniture giant will offer its first-ever limited-edition fashion and accessories collection. Now you can show your love for Ikea through your everyday wear. The <a href="https://www.ikea.com/au/en/new/eftertraeda-limited-collection-puba4401ab0">EFTERTRÄDA collection</a> - with EFTERTRÄDA meaning ‘successor’ in Swedish - offers the same minimalist style as their home furnishings. The range features t-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, keyrings, towels, and bottles that feature the iconic Ikea logo at centre stage. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/COxNSSPJmmj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/COxNSSPJmmj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by IKEA Australia (@ikea_australia)</a> </div> </blockquote> This isn’t the first time the retailer has made waves in the world of fashion. In 2017, Balenciaga made a $2,850 version of Ikea’s iconic blue shopping bag, and more recently the furniture giant turned their bags into bucket hats that sold out immediately in-store and online. “We’ve seen great excitement and demand for products like the KNORVA bucket hat, so we’re very excited to be able to offer a complete and full apparel and accessories line for Australians,” said Maria Langford, Ikea Australia’s business leader. Prices range from $3 to $39 and it’s likely that the collection won’t stay on shelves for long. To own a piece of Ikea history, head online or to your nearest store.

Beauty & Style

School pal reveals William and Kate’s intense “chemistry”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s relationship, from its inception, has been watched by eyes across the world. While the couple held hands and said their marriage vows in front of millions, we’ve also been able to watch their three children grow while they diligently carry out their royal duties. It seems their entire love story has played out before our eyes, however only a select few are privy to their relationship origins at St Andrews. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841192/kate-william-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/19f2d7b5b8ec41ea9394e202978639fe" /> The royal pair’s former classmate Laura Warshauer has revealed what really happened during the first few times Kate and Will met. Telling PEOPLE, she revealed the couple "definitely had chemistry". "Whenever Kate was in the room, Will was obviously paying attention to her," she said. She went on to reveal just how deep their spark went. "When we'd be sitting at lunch in the dining hall and the two of them would be talking, it was amazing to see how natural it was, how they had so much to say to each other. "Looking back, there were all these small moments—certainly moments where I was like, 'Wow, this could really be something.'" William and Kate recently celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary, after being wed in a royal spectacle at Westminster Abbey in April 2011. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841193/kate-william.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/0256be85a33c49488766524e854651f3" /> The pair have known each other for many years however, with both of them first meeting in 2001 while both attending St Andrews in Scotland. Kate has said previously of her first meeting with William: "I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you." <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841190/kate-william-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ff247369c8be4ccda8d49868cc47fbbb" /> They share three children, Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, six and Prince Louis, three. Images: Instagram

Relationships

Place your bets! Clear favourite for name of Harry and Meghan’s new baby

The world is waiting in anticipation for the birth of Meghan and Harry’s second child, especially the name they decide to give their first daughter. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their son Archie in May 2019, and are waiting for their second child who is due in the coming weeks. Bets have already been placed on the name of the little royal, with betting agent Ladbrokes tipping “Philippa” as the top pick. The name is a nod to Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip, who died in April. It is paying $4. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841194/meghan-harry-archie-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8534c86b90194ba49f6918fb9ad703d6" /> Diana, Harry’s late mother, is closely trailing behind on $6. Allegra and Elizabeth are tied third at $11. “The support for baby Philippa is showing no signs of slowing down, and we’ve been forced to trim the odds again that it’s the name for Harry and Meghan’s daughter,” Jessica O’Reilly of Ladbrokes told PEOPLE. Meghan and Harry shocked bookies when they named their son Archie, as the popular suggestions had been Arthur, Charles and Albert. Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie honoured her late grandfather in her first child’s name, after giving birth in February with husband Jack Brooksbank. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841195/meghan-harry-archie-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4965ae8759f348b7a2e7dc212f881f20" /> They named their son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank. Meghan, 39, and Harry, 36, revealed to Oprah Winfrey in their bombshell interview in March that they were expecting a little girl after announcing their pregnancy on Valentine’s Day. Harry earlier told the September issue of British Vogue that the couple would only be having two children “maximum”. Images: Instagram

Family & Pets

A man makes a shocking discovery after DNA test

A man who took a DNA test found an uncomfortable truth in his genes that makes a long-running family joke much more awkward. The man posted his story anonymously on Reddit, sharing his desire to bust the family joke his father would make that the family was related to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who penned Sherlock Holmes. The 27-year-old, whose parents divorced when he was only one year old, was discouraged from taking a DNA test to look into his family history by his mother. Assuming she merely did not want him wasting money on a potentially inaccurate test, he took one anyway. “This isn’t too far from expected for her, she’s a very financially conscious person and said that I shouldn’t waste my money on something silly like a DNA test,” he wrote in the post. When he got the results, he said they “shook [him] to my core”. The man discovered his biological father was not who raised him, but his ‘dad’s’ best friend. On his mother’s side, the family tree was as he expected, writing, “I saw cousins, aunts, and uncles who all had used the same DNA service that I had.” When he looked at his father’s side, he saw a list of names he recognised but were “just not my family as I had known it”. Bringing up the discovery with his father, the man said he “took it in his stride” and “immediately averted his worst fear” by assuring him it would not affect their relationship. “This man has paid child support, invested his efforts and time, and worked multiple jobs at a time to afford me the best life he could aadn biologically I’m not even his,” he said. The discovery of his mother’s affair instead proved to be the “real twist”. “I grew up with this other guy’s daughters (my apparent half-sisters) and wife as close family friends,” he continued. Now facing “a quandary” of whether to reach out to his “apparent biological father”, the man explained his biological dad has been married for 26 years. He even noted that the pair shared similar physical characteristics. “Fun family anecdote has always been that he ‘rubbed off on me’ because we share a cleft chin,” the Redditor explained. “Makes sense now.”

Relationships

Finance

University students jailed after finding KFC loophole

A group of Chinese university students have been sentenced to up to two and a half years in jail after they found a loophole to receive AUD $40,000 worth of KFC. The university students from east China’s Jiangsu Province scammed KFC through their mobile apps, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1223171.shtml" target="_blank">the Global Times reports.</a> The group obtained free KFC meals and made profits by reselling it. In total, the fast food giant had economic losses equating to 200,000 yuan ($40,000). One student discovered that through his WeChat account, he could get meals and coupons without fronting up the money. The young person would sell coupons as well as meals to make a profit. He would also order meals for himself. In the time period between April and October 2018, his dealings led for the company to lose over 58,000 yuan ($11,000). The other students that were part of the elaborate scam had losses that ranged from 8,900 yuan ($1700) to 47,000 yuan ($9400) each. The court ruled the main instigator, whose last name is Xu, would be given a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence, along with a 6000 yuan ($1200) fine. They were charged for “crimes of fraud and imparting criminal methods”. The other four scammers were sentenced from 15 months to two years in jail. They were also fined between 1000 yuan ($200) and 4000 yuan ($800).

Legal

These ‘tin heads’ are looking for apprentices

When Robert and Margaret Gaston realised they had a lot of tins some 16 years ago, it signalled the start of collecting spree. Today the West Australian duo have a collection of more than 12,000 unique tins on display in a huge shed on their Geraldton property dubbed the Tin Heads Museum. With some dating back hundreds of years, it wasn’t long before their collection drew overseas tourists, journalists, and even an international TV crew. “I can claim the biggest collection in Australia,” Mr Gaston said. But as dementia started to affect Mrs Gaston’s memory and Mr Gaston’s health began declining, Robert started the search for the next generation of tin heads. “There’s too much history in the place to chuck it all away,” he said. The Tin Heads Museum is more than just a collection for the pair who relish finding new tins, discovering the stories behind them, and chatting with similarly-interested visitors. The oldest tin in their collection was made in about 1635. Another features Queen Victoria and dates from 151 years ago. “You could come along and say ‘oh, my grandma used to have a tin like that and I was only allowed to have a biscuit when she said I could’. It brings back memories in people,” Mr Gaston said. The profits from museum visitors are all donated to the Heart Foundation, with Mr Gaston planning to hand over $2,000 this year alone. Mr Gaston said the new owners could take the museum on as a business or donate the funds to a worthy cause. “I was hoping to spend the rest of my life here but that’s not going to happen now,” Mr Gaston said. “I would love to know that it was going to be in good hands so that it can carry on because I would love to be able to come back myself in a few years' time and have a look at it again. "And it should mean a lot to the people of Geraldton — that there's something in Geraldton that you won't find anywhere else in Australia.” Image credit: ABC

Retirement Income

Avoid these three things to maximise your retirement income

Everyone wants to start their retirement with enough funds to live as comfortably as possible. One of the biggest sources of many Australians’ retirement incomes will be their super funds. But, the banking royal commission found that super funds have some problems and don’t always serve our best interests as customers. Here are three traps to avoid that could potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars. Falling for bigger returns Switching from an industry super fund to a retail fund might sound appealing, but the large returns these retail funds offer also come with high and potentially costly risks. Appearing on 7.30, Michelle Bradley-Smith detailed how a cold-call from a smooth talking financial advisor put her retirement at risk. “They were very persuasive,” she told the program. With just $120,000 in her industry super account and rapidly approaching retirement, Ms Bradley-Smith was convinced to move her super from the industry fund into a higher-risk AMP account. “He said that his company could make me another $24,000 as opposed to what the company I was with at the time could make me,” she said. “And it sounded like $24,000 extra when I only had seven years of work left. It sounded good.” After the 2018 banking royal commission started repeatedly calling out AMP’s conduct, Ms Bradley-Smith realised she made a grievous error. She paid more than $4,000 upfront to transfer her super and had committed thousands more in annual fees. Over the next six months, she watched as super balance began to shrink. “After them telling me that they were there to make money, I lost … $7,000 and that’s not what I was there for,” she said. “I thought, ‘I’m going to be losing money. By the time I’m 67 I might not even have $100,00’.” Having multiple accounts Approximately a third of Australian super accounts are known as “unintended multiples”, totalling about 10 million accounts. Despite campaigns aimed at reducing the problem, nearly 40 percent of Australians have more than one super account. Not consolidating existing funds can mean you pay more in fees across all of your accounts, ultimately reducing the amount of money available when you retire. Unnecessary insurance Most super accounts come with multiple forms of insurance such as life insurance, and total and permanent disability insurance. When combined with multiple accounts, each coming with their own insurance, this can become a problem. “One in four Australians are not aware whether or not they have life insurance through their superannuation,” the Productivity Commission chairman Michael Brennan told 7.30. “And one in six have duplicate accounts, which means they’re paying premiums on more than one account.” Though this might not seem like much of a problem, it comes with some unintended consequences. “They can’t claim on both [accounts],” Mr Brennan said. This means that you might be paying for multiple forms of insurance and only gain some of the benefits when it comes to claiming them.

Retirement Income

Monster queues for unlikely ALDI product

Footage taken outside one of ALDI’s Sydney stores has shown customers waiting in lines up to 400m long to pick up a very unlikely buy. In a user’s YouTube video, a large number of customers are seen queuing up outside an ALDI store in Western Sydney on the morning of Saturday, May 8. <img style="width: 500px; height:281.53846153846155px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841189/aldi-queue.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/29d1231de3d9486a821995beff5849f7" /> ALDI fans have been known to line up for air fryers, back-to-school gear, and winter ski sales, but this time shoppers were looking to get their hands on something different. The product that’s in such hot demand? ALDI’s new range of budget cast aluminium pots and pans. The supermarket’s Special Buys sale for May 8 included three cast aluminium saucepans, a frypan, and a baking dish - all priced between $19.99 and $24.99. Many shoppers reported seeing similar buying frenzies at their local stores too. “Was the same at my local ALDI too, heaps of heaters - but the pots and pans, all gonski,” one said. Another added: “I saw a woman at ALDI Greensborough Plaza yesterday with a trolley full of the pots and pans. She had them stacked two and three high.” An ALDI worker said: “We had just about the same queue in Glenmore Park this morning, was crazy to see! “We had to open up five registers this morning within the first 2-3 minutes, air fryer, heaters and all pots and pans are already sold out.” Many viewers were surprised by the rush of shoppers trying to grab items depicted in the video. Some were questioning what the fuss was all about. “Bizarre. Nothing really that special about the pots and pans that warrants this reaction. You can get similar elsewhere without the queues and the battle scars,” one said. “How many pots and pans does the average person need? I have had the same set for over 50 years!” another wrote. Image credit: SydneyCarsNTravel / YouTube

Money & Banking

Entertainment

Friends is back 17 years later!

A Friends reunion special at HBO Max is finally coming after being long-delayed. Friends: The Reunion will debut on HBO Max on May 27. The special show will debut exactly one year after it was originally set to hit the stream service. Unfortunately, the program had to be delayed multiple times due to production shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Friends: The Reunion was originally set to film in February 2020 but was only able to begin filming in April. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CO0h9nnnNwi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CO0h9nnnNwi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Lisa Kudrow (@lisakudrow)</a> </div> </blockquote> Familiar faces are set to hit Friends including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer. The iconic group returned to the iconic comedy's original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank. Variety reported in 2020 that each of the six stars were paid at least US$2.5 million (approx. $3.2 million) for participating in the special. A number of A-listers are also set to appear in Friends: The Reunion including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, Cara Delevingne, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon Lady Gaga, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck and Malala Yousafzai. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841218/lisa-kurow.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ca1fc73db260413ca66c3350da7689e6" /> The special was directed by Ben Winston. The executive producers included Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane. While the exact cost of WarnerMedia keeping the rights to the original Friends is not disclosed, reports suggest the streaming service is paying US$400 million (approx. $518 million).

“End of an era”: Richard Wilkins reflects on Ellen’s legacy

Following on from Ellen’ DeGeneres’ announcement that she will be ending her talk show after almost two decades, Richard Wilkins <a href="https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/richard-wilkins-reflects-ellen-degeneres-legacy-ends-talk-show/5fd290da-6fc5-40c5-b2b7-6253b459489c">shared his experience</a> working with her and watching her career grow over the years. Commenting on the “swag of accolades” The Ellen DeGeneres Show has brought in - including three Emmys, 20 People’s Choice Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom - Wilkins says the effort was “not bad for a gal from Louisiana, who found comedy as a way to escape complicated teen years”. Wilkins goes on to describe the first time he interviewed the star about “a decade or so ago”. “It was the coldest studio I’ve ever been in - figuratively and literally. It wasn’t just the temperature, which was freezing. I couldn’t work out whether it was to counteract the heat generated by the huge screens with the lighting, or just to keep everyone on their toes. But, man, it was cold,” he said. “It was the weirdest of interviews,” he recalled. “Immediately after the credits rolled and the hysterical applause, a voiceover guy announced, ‘Please stay seated. Ellen’s going to be interviewed by Richard Wilkins from Australia. Come down, Richard - you’re on.” Wilkins admits that the interview “was quite intimidating” as audiences watched Ellen “being grilled mercilessly by some bloke they’d never heard of before.” “And I think it’s fair to say Ellen likes asking questions more than she likes answering them.” As he recounted the two other moments he was face-to-face with the talk-show queen, Wilkins shared his shock over the claims surrounding the show but that he was “not really surprised”. “She clearly knows what she wants and she doesn’t suffer fools badly,” he said. “And I imagine she was pretty tough on her staff. In a situation like that, I would assume where there’s smoke, there’s certainly a bit of fire about.” Despite the hit in popularity due to the controversies and additional challenges from the pandemic, Wilkins said he “will be sad to see Ellen disappear from the screen” and that she deserved praise for making the show a success for so long. But, he found it “kind of strange” that she would be looking for “a new challenge” when “making tomorrow’s show better than today’s show would be an ongoing challenge.” Either way, he remarked that the end of the show will mark “the end of an era”. “I wonder what we'll be doing at midday from now on when Ellen leaves a big hole in Nine's telecast schedule in a year's time. Congratulations to Ellen — we'll be interested to see what she comes up with next,” he concluded.

"Put on the spot": Delta Goodrem interview divides fans

<div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> Singer Delta Goodrem was put on the spot with an intense question from The Project panellist Kate Langbroek while Goodrem was trying to promote her latest album. She appeared on The Project via video link from Sydney and was discussing her latest album and book when Langbroek asked her about sexual assault in the music industry. “Earlier this week we ran a story on the sheer volume of women in the music industry who have experienced sexual assault or harassment, and the figure was as high as, I think, 96 per cent of women,” panellist Kate Langbroek said. “Did that figure shock you?” “Listen, nobody deserves to feel unsafe in the workplace and my heart completely breaks to hear that figure." Goodrem quickly responded. Langbroek wasn't happy with that answer and kept pressing. “But does it surprise you?” Langbroek pressed again. Goodrem appeared flustered and repeated the question back four times. “Does it surprise me? Ahh… does it surprise me? “Um listen, I only know…,” she began before trailing off again. “Does it surprise me? Does it surprise me?” “I am shocked by that number, it's completely surprising and my heart is.. you know, it really hurts my heart to hear that,” she said. “And I continue to support and be there for the community and my girls and it’s definitely very troubling.” Viewers weren't happy with Langbroek's questioning, saying it was "irresponsible". <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I feel like that was an irresponsible line of questioning just now on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheProjectTV?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheProjectTV</a>. Delta was clearly caught off guard and not prepared for the SA question. Bringing the issue to light is important but I don’t think that line of questioning achieved anything productive. — Isobel (@isobel_saccaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isobel_saccaro/status/1392777448719147008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Delta seems a bit taken aback by that question and doesn’t want to ruffle feathers <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/theprojecttv?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#theprojecttv</a> — Lone Vlogger (@Nardeen_92) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nardeen_92/status/1392774402266210307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote> Others thought Goodrem could've handled the question better and used it as a talking point about sexual assault in the music industry. "As much as I love Delta and am looking forward to all the things she's got coming out, her inability to answer the question about whether she's surprised was the answer in itself. You can't have been in the industry as long as she has and not know," one fan wrote. The segment was posted to The Project's Twitter account after the show aired, but was quickly removed. </div>

Music

"She was NOT holding back": Former Ellen producer's parting shot

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in element-type-p"> A former producer on The Ellen Show didn't hold back and slammed Ellen on a breakfast talk show just hours after Ellen announced her final season. Ellen confirmed that she is ending her talk show after an intense year of bullying claims and toxic workplace allegations. Former producer Hedda Muskat said that the show's demise came because viewers have "woken up" to Ellen's true nature. “The viewers have spoken. Her ratings have been in the toilet for a long time now. Her show has not been fun, it has not been interesting, and she’s not really ‘stepping down’ - the viewers fired her.” Muskat said she was one of the show's first hires back in 2003, claiming that Ellen loved "kissing ass with celebrities" and "despised" the non-celebrity human interest guests that Muskat provided. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> "She’s not really stepping down, the viewers fired her" Former The Ellen DeGeneres Show Producer <a href="https://twitter.com/heddamuskat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HeddaMuskat</a> delivers a fiery spray against the comedian after she announced the end of her long-running talk show. <a href="https://t.co/Co7wOUAkkj">pic.twitter.com/Co7wOUAkkj</a> — Sunrise (@sunriseon7) <a href="https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1392607321293869060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2021</a></blockquote> “She really was not in a position to interview real people because she really couldn’t carry a conversation with them,” she said. “This is not ‘bah humbug’ on my end, because I just did my job and went home, but I feel that for the guests it was bad goodwill for them. They just really were not able to connect with her.” Ellen plans on sitting down with talk show titan Oprah Winfrey on tomorrow's episode of The Ellen Show to discuss her decision to quit, which is another move Muskat slammed. “Frankly, I am very disappointed that Oprah is lowering herself to interview Ellen,” she told the hosts. “Oprah can interview kings and queens, I love Oprah … and for her to interview Ellen, it’s like, why? Who cares about Ellen anymore?” The talk show hosts were left in shock, with David Koch and Natalie Barr asking the former producer what she thought Ellen had planned next. “I’d like to see her work on a farm where she can relate with all of the animals and the pets and the dogs and the cows and the pigs because if you can relate to animals far more than she does with people,” she said, prompting shocked laughter from the Sunrise hosts. “I was not able to have any connection with her, make any eye contact, and here is the thing: It’s not just me or three of us, there were over 100 employees over the 19 years that walk away with this sickened feeling about working there. “As much as I loved my job as a booker and producer, I was almost relieved when I got fired... I wanted to take a shower, it was like a whole new dawn. I don’t feel like she has the trust anymore of the viewers, and so I don’t think she is going to come back anytime soon.” Barr joked that Muskat didn't hold back, saying "she went for it then". </div> </div> </div>

Property

Mystery shrouds Michael Schumacher as wife lists Geneva mansion

Michael Schumacher's wife is selling their mansion on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, reports say. Corinna Schumacher has listed the renowned 20,000 square-metre farmhouse on the market for £5 million ($AU9 million), according to German magazine Bunte. The Schumachers bought the "Sur le Moulin" estate in 2002 for £3 million, and not long after Michael would go on to win his fifth F1 world title. The Schumacher family have reportedly left the home mostly vacant, and are moving to another home in Gland where Michael can continue his rehabilitation. The Lake Geneva house has been described as "an exceptional property in a quiet and protected location". “After the Schumachers moved, the house was left without permanent residents," reported Bunte. "At times, their housekeepers and bodyguards stayed there. Corinna Schumacher’s horses also grazed on a two-acre site some time ago.” Schumacher faced horrifying head injuries in a skiing accident in the Swiss Alps in 2013, and his current condition remains a mystery to the public. While most information is not available, Schumacher’s former boss at Ferrari revealed he’s had opportunities to visit the former driver. Jean Todt says the Formula One legend has been able to follow son Mick's career as he follows in his dad’s footsteps. “Of course he is following him,” Todt told RTL France. Todt has been visiting Schumacher monthly and shares information on his condition. “This is a question on which I am going to be extremely reserved,” Todt told RTL. “I see Michael very often – once or twice a month. My answer is the same all the time – he fights. “We can only wish for him and his family that things get better.” Schumacher won five consecutive World Drivers’ Championships with Todt by his side from 2000 to 2004. In January 2020, a leading neurosurgeon told fans that Schumacher would be “very altered” and “deteriorated”. “We must imagine a person very different from the one we remember on the track, with a very altered and deteriorated organic, muscular and skeletal structure,” Nicola Acciari told Contro Copertina. “All as a result of the brain trauma he suffered.” The comments came after Todt said Schumacher is “still fighting”. “I’m always careful with such statements, but it’s true," Todt said. “Michael is in the best hands and is well looked after in his house. He does not give up and keeps fighting. “His family is fighting just as much and of course our friendship cannot be the same as it once was just because there’s no longer the same communication as before.” Images: Instagram

Real Estate

Olympics legend’s home up for sale for only second time in history

The home of Freddy Lane, Olympic gold medallist, is now up for grabs. Built for the legendary swimmer in the 1920s, the residence is three-levels and has long been registered with the National Trust as it remains an example of work by acclaimed architect Leslie Wilkinson. Lane won two gold medals at the 1900 Olympics in Paris and is known now for building the MacCallum Pool located in the eastern side of Cremorne Point. The home has the classic 1930s arches and columns that were typical throughout expensive, stylish homes of that era. Lane’s home was also dubbed the “skyscraper” as it was three-levels and resembled The Astore located in the CBD. Lane died in 1969 and the house was passed on to his daughter Jean Rosalind Rubensohn, who sold it in 1979 for $230,000 to former Vogue Entertaining executive editor Sue Fairlie-Cuninghame and her husband David Fairlie-Cuninghame. The home has maintained its gloriously perfect original finishes, including detailed picture plates and hanging staff bells on the kitchen wall. However, the cellar where Rees worked is now a 5000-bottle wine cellar. The self-contained studio above the garage that was once called home by the family’s chauffeur still sits, along with the bedroom behind the kitchen that had been built for the maid. The couple have listed the Cremorne Point home during on the strongest housing markets in Sydney as they plan to downsize on their Mudgee cattle farm and vineyard permanently.

Real Estate

Hotel where Michael Hutchence died sells for 300 percent profit

The Intercontinental Hotel Double Bay, the spot where Princess Diana stayed in 1996 and INXS frontman Michael Hutchence was found deceased in 1997 has been sold for $180m to an apartment developer. Sources told the Wentworth Courier the deal was brokered by the Agency’s Steven Chen. The buyer, Melbourne apartment developer Fridcorp, later released a statement confirming the purchase of the refurbished 140-room hotel, refurbished by Bates Smart, and land in a joint venture with Piety Group from vendor Shanghai Group, who had paid $140m four years ago. The 3670-square-metre luxury hotel originally opened as a Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1991 and was the hotel of choice in the 90s for famous guests, including Princess Diana, Madonna, Bill Clinton, and Elton John. The circa $180m price tag is triple the $60m that the site sold for only eight years ago. It is understood the deal was done on Friday, May 7. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3PG1gNlTij/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3PG1gNlTij/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by InterContinental Double Bay (@intercontinentaldoublebay)</a> </div> </blockquote> Several other prominent Sydney-based apartment developers are known to have been interested in the hotel and given its record price, sources say it “Absolutely must be a development site”. In a statement sent to The Courier, Fridcorp confirmed the sale and noted that in 2011, Woollahra Council granted a permit to demolish the existing hotel and take advantage of the gorgeous harbour views by adding an eight-storey residential building and retail offering. Prior to this, the hotel was rebranded as the Sir Stamford Double Bay in 2001 and operated until 2009, then underwent a complete facelift and became the Intercontinental Sydney Double Bay in 2014.

Real Estate

Mind-blowing historical “time capsule” discovered in café rafters

When workers were peeling back the old walls of the Liverpool eatery, they weren’t expecting to find a fragile piece of culinary history. The menu, dated from Wednesday, 15 January 1913, belonged to the former Yamen Café in Bold Street and was just one of the artifacts found in the rafters of LEAF, the caé that now occupies the same site on Bold Street. Staff of the LEAF Café in central Liverpool said the discovery had “blown their minds”. The historical menu offered an appetising selection of “refreshments, luncheons and afternoon teas”. LEAF founder and owner Natalie Haywood told CNN that the discovery was almost “creepy” since LEAF sells specialty teas just like its predecessor. Specials of the day included sweetbreads and peas, irish stew, and banana fritters, and the set menu featured boiled fowl, tournedos bearnaise, and meringues chantilly with pears, reflecting the cosmopolitan character of the port city at the time. A bowl of tomato on the menu cost four old pennies, the equivalent of £1.20 (AUD$2.14) today. <img style="width: 500px; height: 499.99999999999994px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841121/_118384859_menu.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/16062d041de84dfea92c5f15a5773802" /> Haywood said, “When I saw it I was staggered, it’s like a time capsule hidden in the walls. “To see what they were doing then, how forward-thinking and creative as a restaurant, is so inspiring. “We have always known this is a historic building but having the menu in our hands has made it all feel real, something dating back to the First World War.” According to a food historian, the menu wasn’t the typical fare for average working class Liverpudlians of the time and the prices were out of reach for most. Bryce Evens, associate professor in history at Liverpool Hope University, said it was aimed at an “upper middle class clientele” and that the “meaty” menu had a continental influence “typical only of the better-off in Britain at the time”. As a bustling maritime city, the foreign dishes and wider use of vegetables on Yamen’s menu illustrated Liverpool’s “cosmopolitanism” and “status as a major city of empire and trade and exchange”, Mr Evans said. Though the area now has a “bohemian” feel, Bold Street was the equivalent of London’s Bond Street in 1913, boasting car showrooms, high-end clothing stores, and fine dining. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841120/_118385638_hat.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/095667b65361449884f60465b7e60e46" /> Along with the 108-year-old menu, other finds included a waiter’s hat with “Yamen” embroidered on the rim, instructions for the English card game whist, and a packet of playing cards. Haywood said the items were found in the rafters of the mezzanine, which was being transformed from an office space into an area for private events. “Down came fluttering from the ceiling this menu from 108 years ago. It’s in absolutely unbelievable condition,” Haywood said. With this find, LEAF now plans to recreate some of the dishes as a tribute to the Yamen. Two permanent additions to the menu will be the Irish stew and Welsh rabbit. Once lockdown restrictions are lifted in England and the refurbishment is complete, Haywood also plans to host a special evening where a more extensive range of the menu items will be served. Image credits: LEAF

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