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Homeowner fined just $667 over fire that killed six people

A homeowner has been slapped with a fine for smoke alarm failure after a house fire killed six people. The 61-year-old woman has been forced to pay just $667 for failing to install legally required and compliant smoke alarms, after a father and his five children died in the property due to a deadly house fire. Donna Rose Beadel was the owner of the home on Russell Island where Wayne Godinet, 34, and his five sons were residing in August 2023. The house was engulfed in flames, also destroying two neighbouring homes and leaving several people needing treatment for minor burns and smoke inhalation, while the children's mother Samantha Stephenson, and another woman survived the blaze. Cleveland magistrate Deborah Vasta handed down the maximum fine of $667.25 to Ms Beadel for failing to comply with smoke alarm legislation, saying, "It seems a pittance, however it's not for me to comment on the laws." "It's absolutely no excuse that she failed to keep abreast of the laws required of an investment property owner in having the premises legally wired with smoke detectors after January 2022," Vasta said. The fine comes just weeks after the children's grandmother claimed her daughter had "begged" their landlord to <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/major-claim-in-investigation-into-deadly-house-fire-that-killed-five-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fix</a> the smoke alarms in the house. When Ms Beadel was charged for her involvement in the tragedy, Rebecca Stephenson claimed that her daughter had spoken to the landlord about updating the smoke alarms in the property just one week before the fire. Image credits: Nine

Legal

“Don’t be alarmed”: Better Homes and Gardens star makes shock announcement

Better Homes and Gardens star Karen Martini has announced she will be “stepping back” from her role on the program. After almost two decades on the show, the 52-year-old admitted she has “so much on my plate” this year as she balances a range of different projects. The chef and restaurateur will be taking a break from the show to focus on work, while also making more time for her teenage daughters, Stella, 17, and Amber, 15. She told <a href="https://7news.com.au/entertainment/tv/better-homes-and-garden-star-karen-martini-makes-shock-announcement-stepping-back-c-13310981">7News</a>, “With my two new restaurants— Johnny’s Green Room already open and Saint George set to launch soon — as well as so many other projects on the go, 2024 is shaping up to be my busiest year ever.” “My daughters are in their last teenage years too — it’s quite daunting as Stella is in year 12 and also on her Ls.” “With so much on my plate, I’ve made the decision to step back from Better Homes and Gardens (BHAG) this year while I focus on some of my other exciting projects.” “So don’t be alarmed if I’m not in your living room every Friday night.” Karen will continue to make the occasional guest appearance on the show, but will not feature in every episode. After the news of Karen’s departure was announced on the Better Homes & Gardens Instagram account, longtime viewers shared their messages of support to the chef in her next ventures. One person wrote, “Been watching since you joined in 2007 and I’ve loved watching you in the kitchen. All the best.” The 52-year-old also shared her excitement over the newest addition to the Better Homes line-up: chef and MKR judge Colin Fassnidge. “I’m so excited that my mate Colin Fassnidge is entering the Better Homes kitchen,” she went on. “I think his cheeky flavour is sure to spice up the show and I can’t wait to see him on air when we are back on Friday, February 2.” Image credits: Instagram

"Am I the only one?" Magda reveals the alarming state of her health

Magda Szubanski has shared the details of her various health conditions, revealing she has battled several illnesses throughout her life. The actress and comedian, 61, listed her various health woes in an interview with <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/tvweek" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">TV Week</a> magazine, and said she wondered if there were others with similar problems. "There are times in my life I've been absolutely blighted by illness," she said. "Osteoarthritis, migraines, anxiety - I also suffer from sleep apnoea - and that leads me to ask, 'Am I the only one who feels like this? Are other people feeling the same way? Do they have the same challenges?'" she added. The frank admission comes just days after Magda called for <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/body/magda-szubanski-calls-for-fat-people-to-be-protected-from-online-hate-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vilification rules</a> to be put in place for "fat people" online, only to be blasted by her following. The comedian shared the controversial tweet in which she wondered why "fat" people are not "protected" from hate speech online. She wrote, "It's interesting to me that you are banned from attacking just about every identity on Twitter except being fat. Why are we not protected from vilification?" Szubanski was then blasted by several heartless online users, as she received comments such as, "Have another Snickers bar. Sounds like your blood sugar is low," and "Lose some weight then." Image credits: Getty Images

Body

Beat jet lag with these tips and tricks

Tossing and turning, eating because you’re bored and trying to pry your eyes open after a long-haul flight. If you’ve experienced one of these while flying, I am sure you’re well aware of the woes that, unfortunately, come with jet lag. While jetting off is an exciting time, the out-of-whack body clock is most certainly not! The key to beating jet lag is understanding what it is and what is going on with your body. Put simply, jet lag means your circadian rhythm (a fancy name for body clock) is out of synch with its new environment. It’s likely to occur when you cross four or more time zones at once. While travel in the westward direction is said to be kinder on the body clock, either which way you fly, jet lag is an annoyance I am sure everyone would prefer to do without. If your trip involves travelling across five time zones, you might want to consider a stopover. Here are some other helpful little tricks that actually work. Sleep bank Prior to flying ensure you are getting enough sleep. Don’t stay up the night before a flight thinking you’ll sleep on the plane because if you can’t get to sleep on the plane you will be out of whack. Instead, in the days prior to take-off, try and get as much good quality sleep as you can. Time-zone trickery The key to beating jet lag is all the smooth transition between two time zones. Map out a plan before you get on board and set your clock to the time at your destination as you get on board. You’ll want to divide your flight time to accommodate time zone transition. For example, the flight from Sydney to LA might leave at midday but reach LAX at 5.30am. Given that 12pm Sydney is 5pm in LA, and the flight is about 13 hours, you should spend no more that the first half of the flight awake. Tailor the inflight services to your needs, even if that means missing a meal (often breakfast) so you can sneak in an extra hour of shut-eye. Dress right Although being able to easily fall asleep does have a lot to do with how comfortable you are, there are other factors, ones within your control, which you should consider. For instance wearing a good quality eye mask to block out light and choosing light, comfortable clothing made from a nice natural fabric that breathes (such as cotton) will help you get comfy and ready for sleep. Obviously lying down helps but failing be able to fly business class, at least try and choose your seat. Eat light You should watch what you eat not only before you fly but also on the flight too. Before you jet off you’ll want to steer clear of rich, heavy foods. Instead opt for lighter meals that include veggies. This is so your stomach doesn’t have to go into heavy-duty digestion mode once you’re on-board. If you can, make your pre-flight meal your main one and then eat light on the flight, leaning towards foods that are easy to digest. It’s better for your stomach to have two smaller meals when you fly allowing yourself ample digestion time in between rather that quickly eating a three-course meal. Say no to drugs Try to avoid using sleeping tablets as they tend to disrupt normal sleep cycles and may prolong jetlag. Drink H20 Water is your best ally when fighting jet lag. It’s best to buy a bottle before you board so you always have a supply with you. Most planes (unless you’re in business or above) only serve water by the glass. Limit caffeine and alcohol You should minimise, if not cease, your intake of caffeine and alcohol and ensure you are well hydrated before and during the flight. You might think a couple of glasses of wine will send you off into a nice deep sleep, but not only alcohol dehydrate you, it also tends to result in inefficient sleep. Keep active Regular physical activity – such as walking around the plane and stretching – may also be beneficial. Stop-over strategy If you have a stop-over take advantage of what is available to you. If this is not a good time to sleep for the timezone you’re heading to, don’t! Instead have a shower (they’re often at big airports and can be used by anyone for a small fee), stock up on another light meal and avoid sitting around. Going for a walk around it a good way to stay awake and stimulated. If you can get some fresh air, do! Landing strategy As soon as possible after landing you’ll want to take a shower and have breakfast – if it’s breakfast time. Look for high protein options avoiding the easy carb route and get a good portion of salads or greens. A fresh juice is also a good option. And if you like your coffee, go for it. A good shot of coffee will reboot your energy levels. Berocca can also be helpful. If it’s daytime when you land, go out and expose yourself to daylight – the stimulus will help reset your body clock by regulating melatonin. And although you may feel like going to bed, stay awake and be somewhat physically active at least until sundown. Immediately adopting the local time is the best way to crush jet lag in just a few days: don’t go to bed before 10pm when you land, and get yourself out of bed before 10am on the first morning. Nothing quite kills motivation as much as jet lag, and when you land, the last thing you want to do is head out for a nice long walk or light jog, but pushing yourself to doing just that is one of the best things for you. It will help you revitalise your numb muscles after the flight, and give you more energy during the following days. If you have a beach or pool nearby, go for a swim. It is sure to give you a revitalised feeling. The general rule is you should exercise a night if you travelled westwards, and in the morning if you travelled eastwards. Image credits: Getty Images

Travel Tips

Why you should still set an alarm when you retire

Retirement life means never having to set an alarm for work again, right? Well, while it’s true that you won’t have to get up super early to hotfoot it to the office anymore, there is still some benefit to setting that alarm each and every day. You’ve probably heard people talking about their body clock – usually this is in discussions about jet lag or living with newborn babies. But in fact your body clock will tend to be in much better shape if you wake up and go to bed at the same time each day. A better night’s sleep What you can expect to happen is that you should start to become tired at about the same time each night. While we’re not suggesting you need to give yourself a strict bedtime, it’s important to listen to your body’s cues for rest and not miss ‘the wave’ of tiredness, which can lead to a restless sleep. A more productive day Having a steady circadian rhythm (another term for your body clock) will make you more alert through the day as you aren’t tired from not getting enough sleep. You will also make the most of your day as you won’t be feeling the need for an afternoon nap. Less need for sleeping in Having your body adjust to waking at the same time each day, and ideally heading off to bed around the same time each night, means that you won’t feel the need for the weekend lie-in. As you won’t need to ‘catch up’ on sleep, you will be able to get up as normal and make the most of your weekend. The right amount of sleep After a while, you will be able to work out if what you are doing is giving you enough hours of sleep to be your most productive and alert. You will be able to adjust things so that if you are feeling sluggish in the mornings you might need to go to bed 30 minutes earlier from now on. Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/04/5-new-hobbies-to-try-now/">5 new hobbies to try now</a> <a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/03/how-to-cope-with-redundancy-later-in-life/">Tips for coping with redundancy when you’re 60-plus</a> <a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/03/retiring-from-work-not-life/">Tips to master retiring from work – not life</a>

Retirement Life

Is there such a thing as the perfect alarm tone?

With the return to office work – and no longer being able to roll out of bed and straight into a Zoom meeting – many of us will be waking up earlier to beat the morning rush. So it’s important to ensure we’re on top of our alarm game. But what type of alarm provides peak alertness upon waking? <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Pythagoras.html?id=Sve3fLUG3bEC&redir_esc=y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pythagoras</a> posited this same question in around 500 BCE. He believed specific songs – melodies that roused the energies – had the ability to counteract the drowsiness waking may bring. And he appears to have had a point. <a href="https://www.longdom.org/open-access/the-awakening-futures-sound-positive-commentary-on-the-efficacy-for-audio-to-counteract-sleep-inertia-64399.htmldoes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Research</a> has now shown certain alarm sounds can indeed enhance our alertness upon waking. In particular, alarms that have the qualities of “tunefulness” (think <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho7796-au8U" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC by The Jackson 5</a>) have melodies that energise the listener, and are great for effective waking. But to understand why this is the case, we first need to understand how our brains respond to complex stimuli when moving out of the sleep state. Waking up right is important Waking up groggy never feels right. And how we wake up can not only affect our mood and the day’s outlook, but also our cognition and mental performance. In some instances, grogginess after waking has the potential to be dangerous several hours later, by reducing our performance in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/2/2/17" target="_blank" rel="noopener">critical decision-making</a> (such as in health settings, emergency responses, security or while driving). This cognitive state of reduced alertness is referred to as “<a href="https://www.dovepress.com/sleep-inertia-current-insights-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-NSS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sleep inertia</a>”. It’s a growing concern as it can have serious consequences while performing high-risk tasks, including driving. How does the brain wake up? Transitioning from sleep to alertness does not follow an on/off switch-like system, as <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001679" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brain imaging techniques</a> have revealed. Waking relies on complex biological processes, including increased blood flow allocation to the brain. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11147165_The_process_of_awakening_A_PET_study_of_regional_brain_activity_patterns_mediating_the_re-establishment_of_alertness_and_consciousness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Studies</a> show the brain regions important for alert performance (the prefrontal cortical regions) take longer to “start-up” than other areas (such as the basal ganglia) which are important for arousal. This means you can be awake, but not quite with it. Research has also shown <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9236630/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blood flow</a> activity within the brain to be diminished after waking, in comparison to the pre-sleep state. Thus, alert wakefulness may in part require mechanisms that encourage a redistribution of blood flow to the brain – something certain types of sound and music <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRE624795zU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">can do</a>. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451718/original/file-20220313-19-1jxuuz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451718/original/file-20220313-19-1jxuuz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451718/original/file-20220313-19-1jxuuz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451718/original/file-20220313-19-1jxuuz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451718/original/file-20220313-19-1jxuuz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451718/original/file-20220313-19-1jxuuz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451718/original/file-20220313-19-1jxuuz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>A positron emission tomography (PET) scan of the human brain can reveal areas with more activity (in red). WikiCommons</figcaption></figure> Another factor that influences alertness upon waking is the stage of sleep at the time. You’re less likely to feel groggy if you wake up from a light sleep, compared to a deeper slow-wave or REM sleep. A <a href="http://apsychoserver.psych.arizona.edu/jjbareprints/psyc501a/readings/Carskadon%20Dement%202011.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">light sleep stage</a> is characterised by Theta wave frequencies (as measured from the brain’s electrical activity) and can be associated with feeling drowsy. In this sleep stage, arousal from external stimuli such as an alarm can quickly draw a person out of sleep. Conversely, deep sleep or slow-wave sleep consists of Delta wave frequencies, which are associated with unconsciousness. This is the more challenging sleep stage to fully wake up from. Alarm effectiveness also depends on age. Young adults aged 18 to 25 need louder alarms <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6715806/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">than older</a> people, and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/pr1983189" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preteens</a> need an even greater threshold than young adults. You may require an alarm as much as 20 decibels louder at 18 than you would at 80. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451719/original/file-20220313-21-1i8uamq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451719/original/file-20220313-21-1i8uamq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451719/original/file-20220313-21-1i8uamq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451719/original/file-20220313-21-1i8uamq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451719/original/file-20220313-21-1i8uamq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451719/original/file-20220313-21-1i8uamq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451719/original/file-20220313-21-1i8uamq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>Preteens need louder alarms than young adults (aged 18–25), who in turn need louder alarms than older people. Jason Rosewell/Unsplash</figcaption></figure> Is sound frequency and tune important? But when it comes to choosing an alarm, what exactly is the best choice? A growing body of evidence suggests different alarm sounds can positively influence human performance after waking. Our <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/2/4/31" target="_blank" rel="noopener">systematic review</a> published in 2020 showed temporal frequencies (the pitch of the sound as measured in Hertz) around 500 Hz are better at arousing young children than 2000+ Hz varieties. We lack research to say whether this also applies to adults, but it’s assumed the same alarm types would be beneficial. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/czyGmRXJ184?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Example of a temporal T-3 alarm sound around 500 Hz.</figcaption></figure> Voice notifications such as a person yelling “wake up!” work better than higher frequencies. However, they are not as effective as 500 Hz tonal beeping alarms – similar to those preinstalled in most <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXhEz3hqlQE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mobile phones</a>. Our research also explores how qualities of music, and specifically melody, play a role in encouraging alert wakefulness. We found that the way in which people interpret their <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0215788&utm_source=yxnews&utm_medium=desktop&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fyandex.ru%2Fnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alarms “tunefulness”</a> also reflects how groggy they feel after waking. Here, people who use alarms that carry a tune they will readily hum along to will experience less grogginess than those with a standard “beeping” alarm. With this in mind, we developed a <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/2/2/17" target="_blank" rel="noopener">custom rhythmic melody</a> that led to significantly better performance upon and after waking, when compared to standard beeping alarms. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PF37zV1BOw0?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>We designed this experimental alarm tone to increase alertness and reduce morning grogginess. (Stuart McFarlane)</figcaption></figure> Other <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2004.00142.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">studies</a> have also found popular music (which can be interpreted as being melodic) is good to counteract sleep inertia after a short nap, and even more yet if it is music the listener personally enjoys. What can I do to improve my waking alarm? What does all this mean for the day-to-day? Well, given all of the above, we believe the perfect alarm must sound something like this: <ul> <li>it has a a melody you can easily sing or hum along to</li> <li>it has a dominant frequency around 500 Hz, or in the key of C5 and</li> <li>it is not too fast or too slow (100 – 120 beats per minute is ideal).</li> </ul> Also remember the alarm must be louder for younger people (or for particularly deep sleepers). If we consider the default alarms available on our devices, much more work is needed – especially since research in this area is relatively new. Hence, we suspect the availability of custom alarm downloads will increase with time. Most pre-loaded alarms at the appropriate loudness will wake you, but specific designs (such as the one above) have been modelled on the latest research to not only encourage arousal, but also provide increased alertness. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178902/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stuart-mcfarlane-1222051" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuart McFarlane</a>, Researcher, Auditory Perception and Cognition, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RMIT University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrian-dyer-387798" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Dyer</a>, Associate Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RMIT University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-there-such-a-thing-as-the-perfect-alarm-tone-we-think-so-and-this-is-what-it-might-sound-like-178902" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Technology

Kevin Rudd sounds alarm over Chinese invasion

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has spoken out about the chance of Taiwan being invaded by China and detailed several ways Australia can avoid “sleepwalking into war”, as reported by <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/former-pm-kevin-rudds-chilling-china-warning/news-story/feadbf7e68e90a4c3789a59802eb59af" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>. Appearing on ABC’s 7.30 on Wednesday night, Mr Rudd said few in the West realised how much Chinese leader Xi Jinping wanted to gain control of Taiwan. “It’s right up there next to Xi Jinping’s desire for the party to remain in power and for him to be the predominant leader within the Communist Party of China,” he said. Mr Rudd said there were only two things preventing China from invading Taiwan: questions of militaristic dominance and the risk of being slapped with similar sanctions to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. <iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMrKRudd%2Fvideos%2F804940963809595%2F&show_text=true&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="429" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> “There has been a little too much excited commentary in the West about how China will seize on this strategic opportunity to move on Taiwan. I don’t think that’s the case,” Mr Rudd said. However, the former PM did note that the dynamic could shift if the balance of both military and economic power “continues to change in China’s favour”. He added that an invasion of Taiwan would likely be amphibious, unlike Russia’s land-based “blitzkrieg” invasion of Ukraine, and that war game modelling conducted by the US suggests that China would come out on top by just a thin margin. “In most of the war gaming which has been done so far - and these are desktop exercises by and large - if you look at what various US officials have said off the record and partly reported in the American media, the Chinese at this stage win most of the time,” Mr Rudd said. He said recent events meant the situation was being watched very closely by all parties, and that a potential invasion would depend on what the Taiwanese and US does next. “Taiwanese, for the first time in a very long time, I think, are now readdressing their national defence idea needs and I think they will be looking very carefully at the fight which the Ukrainians have put up against Russia,” he said. “I think it really does depend … on how much more the Taiwanese and the Americans do.” Mr Rudd said Australia’s role should be to encourage the US and other allies towards deterring any invasion, and that working with allies in Japan, South Korea and India was crucial to avoid “sleepwalking into war”. Image: Kevin Rudd (Facebook)

Travel Trouble

Ben Fordham slams Dr Swan's Covid "alarmism"

Radio broadcaster Ben Fordham has launched a scathing attack on the ABC's Dr Norman Swan, condemning his "Covid scare campaign" in the wake of the Omicron wave. The 2GB radio host jumped to the defence of Dr Angelique Coetzee, who "discovered" the Omicron variant in South Africa, who claims he has been subject to online "attacks" and abuse from scientists, doctors and global politicians for down-playing the severity of the variant. Fordham called out a series of doctors who he called "Covid alarmists", as he urged listeners not to listen to them after citing low deaths rates from the latest Covid variant. "This doctor [Coetzee] should be celebrated for her groundbreaking research on coronavirus but instead she had people trying to convince her to shut her mouth," he said."The death rate from Omicron is 0.1 per cent. Its fatality rate is the same as a bad flu season in Australia.""But the scare campaign has been in overdrive. At the start of the pandemic we were warned about 150,000 deaths in Australia. We've had 4,300.""All tragic but nothing like we warned about," he said. According to the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Department of Health</a>, the Australian death toll has been significantly higher since the Omicron variant, as opposed to the 2021 Delta variant. Fordham went on to slam "Covid cheerleader" Dr Swan who recently claimed that Omicron was not as mild as previously believed and gave little to no natural immunity. "Norman Swan was ignoring the science, he was ignoring the scientist who discovered Omicron," Fordham said.The radio host continued his praise of Dr Coetzee, who said she has been "accused of lying" by many global superpowers. "They are accusing me of lying, of downplaying Omicron because of how it has been in Europe … in their minds, it is impossible for a disease with more than 38 mutations to be mild.""I have stated many times before it can be a serious illness if you are unvaccinated and have comorbidities but for the majority of people it is a mild illness.""If a clinical feature proves I am wrong, then I will apologise."Fordham ended the segment by praising Dr Coetzee, who has vowed to "stick to her guns" and not give in to the pressure."Good on you doctor. Don't give in to the scaremongers," he said.Image credits: Instagram @benfordham9 @norman.swan

Caring

Schapelle Corby's unique career change

Former convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby has turned her creative passion into a new career move. The 44-year-old began making beach-themed epoxy clocks in her spare time, after she taught herself the art in 2020. Each clock she makes takes five days to complete, is made on recycled wood and features her signature, as she sells her creations on Instagram. “I’m self taught and through a lot of trial and error I’m happy with where I am creatively with my clocks,” Corby told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/drug-smuggler-schapelle-corbys-bizarre-career-change/news-story/91cdd64b005a180df8bff19806d6943e" target="_blank">Confidential</a>. “I’m mainly inspired to do beach theme art work. I do all the work by myself, sanding, drilling etc. All of the shells used are collected by myself mainly on the low tide of a full moon. I remember each shell I find and while I’m working on my creations I really feel love for each piece of the process.” <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CO1v3kULRA4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <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/CO1v3kULRA4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Schapellecorby (@schapelle.corby)</a> </div> </blockquote> Schapelle became somewhat of a reality TV star following her release from spending 10 years in Bali's infamous Kerobokan prison. She appeared on the first season of SAS Australia, before also trying her hand at Dancing With The Stars. Now residing in Brisbane, her epoxy clock business takes up most of her time. “Epoxy resin has become more than just a hobby for me. It really occupies most of my thoughts,” she said. “I’m continually thinking of an epoxy problem, and finding solutions fills my dreams also. “I’ve dreamt of certain creations vividly, woke and got to work creating what came to me in a dream. This creative art form has given me so much purpose to my days; I absolutely love this passion of mine.” Image credits: Instagram @schapelle.corby

Money & Banking

Alarming painkiller warning for Aussie families

Image: Shutterstock A cheap painkiller prescribed to millions of Australians every year is “like Santa Claus in a pill,” according to Sydney psychiatrist Dr Tanveer Ahmed. He said the drug Lyrica has “become all things to all people,” leaving an increasing number of patients addicted. “It is being dished out like lollies,” Dr Ahmed told A Current Affair. He says it is much easier for GPs to prescribe Lyrica than other painkillers like codeine, which are heavily regulated to prevent addiction. “There really is very little restriction, you can go and get a repeat at a pharmacy without question, you can go to doctors and there is very little monitoring,” he said. Finance broker Christalla Andreadis started taking Lyrica after suffering severe spinal injuries in a car accident in 2017, and now she’s struggling to stop. “Now everyone is going to know my dirty little secret,” she said. “I can’t go on like this, you suffer in silence and when you’re thinking, ‘I can’t do this anymore’, I don’t want to grow old like this.” The 52-year-old was embarrassed to admit she was outsmarted by a simple painkiller. “The drug gets its claws into your soul. It has taken every fibre of my being, is what it has taken me to try and come off it,” Ms Andreadis said. In the past two years, she has managed to reduce her dosage but can’t quit cold turkey. Gayle Wilson’s daughter Anita died after taking a deadly combination of Lyrica and opioids. “I feel as though I failed her. I couldn’t find anything else to do, to keep her alive,” Gayle said. Anita’s death at only 33 followed years of addiction to pain medication, which started after she had her wisdom teeth removed in 2017. Lyrica, as known as pregabalin, was originally prescribed to treat epilepsy and nerve pain. Manufactured by Pfizer, it was added to the Australian Pharmaceutical benefits scheme in 2013. The company launched a marketing blitz, investing $3.8 million into almost 500 education events teaching Aussie GPs about the drug. Pregabalin scripts skyrocketed from 36,000 a year in 2012 to more than 40 million by 2018. In America Pfizer have been prosecuted over the marketing of Lyrica. “They agreed to pay $2.3 billion for a healthcare fraud settlement, they were illegally marketing four different drugs and Lyrica fell under that umbrella,” Amy Kawaa explained. Amy started a support group for patients who beat addiction to Lyrica. When A Current Affair approached Pfizer, we initially received a one sentence response, saying Pfizer no longer owns Lyrica. The programs questions were then forwarded on to a company called Viatris, which was created late last year when a division of Pfizer merged with another pharmaceutical firm. Pharmacist Said Khodary said the number of Lyrica scripts he has filled has more than doubled in the past three years. "Anyone on a healthcare card, pension card, can pick it up for $6," Mr Khodary said. He's well-seasoned at spotting doctor shoppers. "They try to come up with lots of excuses, sometimes they're sweating, they're nervous, they're a bit anxious sometimes," he said. Victoria is the only state which has mandatory monitoring for Lyrica prescriptions. "There is no way for us to really monitor if they're getting prescriptions elsewhere. It would really help a lot," Mr Khodary explained.

Caring

Alarming new way the Vic outbreak is spreading

Victorian authorities say people are becoming infected with COVID after just "brushing past" strangers with the virus. Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar said at least four of the state's 54 locally transmitted cases have come from "fleeting" contact between Victorians, “What we’re seeing now is people are brushing past each other in a small shop, they are going to a display home, they are looking at photos in a Telstra shop,” he said. “This is relatively speaking, relatively fleeting. They do not know each other’s names, and that is very different from what we have been before. “This is stranger to stranger transmission.” He said the ease with which the virus is spreading may be a feature of the Indian variant. “We are used with previous variants, we are more used to transmission roccurring in the home, in the workplace, where people know each other already, not all of those big social settings,” he said. “These are quite different.” “We have seen transmission in these places with very fleeting contact. We have transmission in places like the Telstra store in South Melbourne, JMD Grocers, the display home we talked about a few days ago, I’d add Craigieburn Central shopping centre. “They are all examples of transmission with very limited contact. With previous variants, we are more used to transmission occurring in the home, in the workplace, where people know each other already, not at all of those big social settings. These are quite different.” If anyone has been to any of the following sites in the past two weeks, they should come forward and get tested: • Craigieburn Central • Bay Street shops in Port Melbourne • Clarendon Street in the South Melbourne • Pacific Epping, also known as the Epping Plaza • The Epping North shopping centre • Broadway Reservoir

News

Snorkeller makes an alarming find

An Aussie snorkeller spotted something unusual while swimming in Emily Bay on Norfolk Island. Susan Prior was watching the fish swim past her when she caught sight of a mullet swimming with something shiny wrapped around it. Alarmed, Prior thought it might have been a plastic collar from a juice or milk bottle and another reminder of just how polluted the oceans are becoming. It wasn’t until she had a closer look that she saw it wasn’t plastic at all, but what appeared to be a gold wedding ring. “Yesterday, I saw another mullet with a ring collar, but this one looked a shiny metallic gold, with a lot less algal growth compared to the plastic ones,” she wrote <a href="https://www.norfolkislandreef.com.au/blog/when-plastic-and-gold-wedding-rings-escape-into-the-wild">on her blog</a>. <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/COqkolthEXY/?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/COqkolthEXY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Norfolk Island Time (@norfolk_island_time)</a> </div> </blockquote> “Sometimes these rings escape into the wild, and this is the sad consequence,” she added. She said that since mullets feed by snuffling through the sand, it’s easy for any kind of rings to slip over the noses and become stuck. Prior snapped some photos of the fish and later logged into a community social page to find a post about a man who had lost his wedding ring in the bay. “I decided to see if I could find the possible owner,” she said. “It didn’t take long for my suspicion to be confirmed; we now have a poor mullet weighed down with someone’s (expensive) gold wedding ring.” Though the owner of the wedding ring, Nathan Reeves, now has an idea of where the ring is, the task of reclaiming it won’t be easy. Prior told Newsweek a group of men from the island will be attempting to catch the fish and gently remove the ring. This is sure to be a challenge due to the “very skittish” behaviour mullets are known for. “We need to get quite a few of us in there to corral it and then use a throw net to try and catch it,” she told the publication. Despite the difficulty, Prior is looking forward to seeing the ring retrieved and returned to its owner. She wrote on her blog, “Here’s hoping we can deliver a happy ending to his story and for the owner of the wedding ring! The mullet has a life to live and it’s only fair he gets to live it.” Image credit: Susan Prior / norfolkislandtime.com

Relationships

"Quite alarming!": Queen cracks joke about new statue

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> The Queen has made her audience laugh after cracking a joke about a new statue unveiled in her honour. Her Majesty spoke to South Australian Premier Steven Marshall, Governor Hieu Van Le and sculptor Robert Hannaford to view the statue that has been installed in the grounds of the government house in Adelaide. Video footage of the conversation released by Buckingham Palace shows that the sudden unveiling surprised the Queen, who made a quick joke. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CL46ghGH_tC/?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/CL46ghGH_tC/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)</a> </div> </blockquote> After seeing the statue so suddenly, she joked that “it must be quite alarming to suddenly see it out of the window - you’d think, gracious, has she arrived unexpectedly!” She was also presented with a scale model of the statue, which she thanked the sculptor for and said "I'm glad it's not quite as big as the original statue!". A palace statement said Her Majesty was also “briefed by the Governor and Premier on developments in the region, including the vaccination rollout to key workers, the response to Covid-19 and the lifting of restrictions in South Australia. “The Queen also heard from the Governor about the recovery from drought and bushfires in the area at the start of 2020, and from the Premier about how cooperation between health services, police, government - and the resilience of the Australian people - has been instrumental in their frontline response to the pandemic." </div> </div> </div>

International Travel

Julie Bishop clocks up 21K steps before noon

Julie Bishop has shared how she stays fit amid the coronavirus pandemic. The 63-year-old took to Instagram on Tuesday to post the data from her daily fitness routine, which included walking, running and perfecting her handstand. “Exercise goal #covidstyle was 10k steps in morning 10k steps in evening,” she wrote. The former foreign minister shared that she ran to Cottesloe Beach in the morning and clocked up 21,630 steps by 11.30am that day. <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/B-86OIshLb0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-86OIshLb0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Exercise goal #covidstyle was 10k steps in morning 10k steps in evening but today went mad and🏃‍♀️#cottesloe and return so 21k steps before noon😬Now what?🤷‍♀️Ah ha! Perfect a handstand!🤸‍♀️ #isolife</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/honjuliebishop/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> The Hon Julie Bishop</a> (@honjuliebishop) on Apr 13, 2020 at 11:45pm PDT </div> </blockquote> According to the post, Bishop’s activity stood at 19.7km walking and running distance and 20 flights climbed. Bishop’s “impressive” active routine received praises in the comment section. “Wow, putting us all to shame,” one wrote. “Iso inspo! Better put the Easter eggs down and get moving,” another added.

Beauty & Style

"Alarming levels of inaction": WHO declares coronavirus crisis a pandemic

The World Health Organisation has declared that coronavirus is now a pandemic and stated that the organisation is alarmed about the rising amount of infections as well as being shocked at slow government responses. "We have called every day for countries to take urgent and aggressive action. We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva overnight, according to <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-outbreak-a-pandemic-who/fa0e9b86-03a0-4930-ad23-1c2fc0e2e792" target="_blank">9News</a>. "All countries can still change the course of this pandemic. If countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilise their people in the response. "We are deeply concerned by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction." However, WHO has stressed that it’s not too late for countries such as Iran and Italy to act and become the new frontlines for battle. "They're suffering but I guarantee you other countries will be in that situation soon," WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan said. Italy has put the country on lockdown and Iran has reported a jump in deaths from coronavirus, going from 62 to 354. More than 121,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 4,300 people have died. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that she believed up to 70 per cent of Germans are likely to be infected with the virus. "When the virus is out there, the population has no immunity and no therapy exists, then 60 to 70 per cent of the population will be infected," she told a news conference in Berlin. "The process has to be focused on not overburdening the health system by slowing the virus's spread…It's about winning time."

News

Health expert reveals alarming theory about how coronavirus will spread in Australia

A leading virologist from the University of Queensland has said that it’s likely all Australians will eventually contract the deadly coronavirus as the outbreak continues to hit countries all around the world. University of Queensland professor Ian Mackay told <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/coronavirus-how-the-new-seasonal-influenza-would-compare-to-the-old-one/news-story/843d4666e473e50cde6917cda2e7fccb">The Australian</a> that the virus is likely to be “with us for life”. “It doesn’t look like that virus is ever going to go back in its box,” he said. “If that’s the case, at some point in the coming months or years we’re all going to get infected.” Prime Minister Scott Morrison took the landmark step of treating the virus as a “global pandemic” as he announced that the nation’s emergency response plan has now been enacted. Mackay said that the virus has been the most deadly for people in their 80s. “So it might just tick over a bit like flu does now, harshly affecting the elderly more so than the rest of us, but still causing coughs and colds and perhaps putting people in hospital in numbers that we’re really not clear about yet.” WIth more than 2,760 people killed and 81,000 infected in over 45 countries, there are rising fears that poorer countries with weaker health infrastructures are unable to cope with the virus. "We're at a decisive point," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference in Geneva. "If you act aggressively now, you can contain this virus, you can prevent people getting sick, you can save lives." Leading coronavirus expert Professor Gabriel Leung from the University of Hong Kong said that it is “inevitable” that all countries will be hit by the virus. "It's what's happening in the rest of the world that's now our greatest concern," Tedros said to <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/expert-warns-all-australians-will-contract-coronavirus-204006765.html" target="_blank">Yahoo News</a>. "We are actually in a very delicate situation in which the outbreak can go in any direction based on how we handle it."

News

Australians on board the Diamond Princess need to go into quarantine again: It’s time to reset the clock

The evacuation of about 180 passengers pm February 20th from the cruise ship Diamond Princess to serve another period of quarantine back in Australia has raised questions about the best way to control spread of the coronavirus. The passengers had already spent 14 days quarantined on board the ship, which had been docked in Japan, and now face another 14 days at the Howard Springs quarantine facility close to Darwin. By contrast, Japan’s health ministry is allowing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/world/asia/japan-cruise-ship-coronavirus.html">hundreds of people</a> to leave the ship without being subject to further quarantine. So what’s behind Australia’s announcement to impose a second quarantine period? And what were conditions like on board to prompt this decision? What’s quarantine? Quarantines have been put in place around the world as part of the global public health response to COVID-19 – the disease caused by a new coronavirus, now named SARS-CoV-2. The idea is to limit the spread of the virus within and between countries. Formal measures designed to limit contact between infected (or potentially infected) people are called “social distancing”. And they have been used to control communicable diseases for <a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/116/LEV.13.NLT">at least 2,500 years</a>. Today, the term <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5229a2.htm">quarantine refers to</a> the separation or restriction of movement of people who are not ill but are believed to have been exposed to an infectious disease. This differs to isolation, which is the term used for the separation or restriction of movement of people who are ill, thereby minimising onward transmission. How long should quarantine last? Quarantine periods are determined by certain characteristics of the infectious agent, most notably the incubation period. This is the period between being exposed to it and symptoms appearing. For COVID-19, the <a href="https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.5.2000062">average incubation period</a> is thought to be around six days, and can range from two to 11 days. While a <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.06.20020974v1.full.pdf">preliminary report</a> has suggested a longer incubation period of up to 24 days, this is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.25708">considered unlikely</a>. People who have been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19 are considered to have been potentially exposed to the virus. As a precaution, these people are placed in quarantine, essentially to “sit out” their potential incubation period. The quarantine period of 14 days currently being used in Australia and elsewhere for COVID-19 takes into account the maximum known incubation period for this disease, plus a few extra days as a reasonable precaution. In quarantine, people will either develop the disease and have symptoms or they will remain well. In theory, if a person remains well after their period of quarantine, they are deemed uninfected and restrictions are lifted. Another factor that influences how long someone needs to be quarantined is the infectious period. That’s the period during which the infection can be transmitted from one person to another. If the infectious period starts before the symptoms (from asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic individuals), the virus can be transmitted silently. This can substantially complicate disease prevention and control. When a new virus emerges – as with SARS-CoV-2 – the infectious period is largely unknown. While the proportion of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic COVID-19 cases is not clear, it is increasingly apparent people can be infected <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2001899?query=RP">without having any symptoms</a>. However, further evidence is needed to see if these people can infect others. When is it best to extend the quarantine period? Crucial to quarantine is ensuring that best possible infection control practices are put in place to prevent ongoing transmission. It is also essential to assess real-time data about newly diagnosed cases, which tells us how effective quarantine measures have been. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to extend a person’s period of quarantine, as in the case of the Australian citizens on board the cruise ship Diamond Princess. So, what happened on board the Diamond Princess? <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports">Data from the World Health Organisation</a> (WHO) give us clues to what’s behind Australia’s decision to impose a second period of quarantine. The graph below shows there may have been up to four possible waves of infections on board, including an initial undetected wave before quarantine measures were imposed. Evidence of ongoing transmission during the quarantine period supports the decision by several countries to evacuate their citizens from the Diamond Princess, including Australia, to “reset the clock” and to impose a further 14-day quarantine period. This additional measure – while causing considerable and understandable frustration to those affected – is designed to limit transmission of COVID-19 within Australia. The rights of individuals versus public good Implementing public health measures, such as isolation and quarantine, requires decision-making that <a href="https://www.who.int/healthsystems/topics/health-law/chapter10.pdf">balances the rights</a> of individuals and public good. When appropriately designed and implemented, quarantine and isolation work. Even when quarantine is not absolutely adhered to, it can still be effective at reducing the likelihood of large-scale outbreaks. With <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92450/">SARS</a> (severe acute respiratory syndrome), these strategies were thought to have been an important part in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1691853/">controlling the epidemic</a>, though they were <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5229a2.htm">resource and labour intensive</a>. Written by Stacey L Rowe and Benjamin Cowie. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-australians-on-board-the-diamond-princess-need-to-go-into-quarantine-again-its-time-to-reset-the-clock-131906">The Conversation.</a>

Cruising

How stress speeds up your chromosomes’ ageing clock

Ageing is an inevitability for all living organisms, and although we still don’t know exactly why our bodies gradually grow ever more decrepit, we are starting to grasp how it happens. Our new research, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ele.13426">published in Ecology Letters</a>, pinpoints factors that influence one of the most important aspects of the ageing process, at the fundamental level of our DNA. It suggests how stress can cause the biochemical body clock built into our chromosomes to tick faster. DNA - the genetic material in our cells - does not float freely in cells’ nuclei, but is organised into clumps called chromosomes. When a cell divides and produces a replica of itself, it has to make a copy of its DNA, and because of the way this process works, a tiny portion is always lost at one end of each DNA molecule. To protect vital portions of DNA from being lost in the process, the ends of chromosomes are capped with special sequences called <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/telomere">telomeres</a>. These are gradually whittled away during successive cell divisions. This gradual loss of telomeres acts like a cellular clock: with each replication they get shorter, and at a certain point they become too short, forcing the cell into a programmed death process. The key question is what this process, which plays out on a cellular level, actually means for our mortality. Does the fate of individual cells really matter so much? Does the ticking telomere clock really count down the remaining time our bodies have to live? Cellular ageing is just one of many components of ageing - but it’s one of the most important. Gradual deterioration of our body’s tissues, and the irreversible death of our cells, are responsible for the most conspicuous effects of ageing such as loss of physical fitness, deterioration of connective tissues leading to skin wrinkles, or neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. <h2>What makes us tick?</h2> Another crucial question is: are there factors that speed up or slow down the loss of our ticking telomeres? So far, our answers to this question have been incomplete. Studies have provided glimpses of possible mechanisms, suggesting that things like <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220/436/tab-figures-data">infections</a> or even <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jeb.12479">dedicating extra energy to reproduction</a> might accelerate telomere shortening and speed up cellular ageing. This evidence is piecemeal, but these factors all seem to have one thing in common: they cause “physiological stress”. Broadly speaking, our cells are stressed when their biochemical processes are disrupted, either by a lack of resources or for some other reason. If cells lose too much water, for example, we might say they are in “dehydration stress”. More familiar types of stress also count. Tiredness and overwork put us under chronic stress, as does feeling anxious for prolonged periods. <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180712141715.htm">Lack of sleep</a> or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763246/">emotional stress</a> can alter internal cellular pathways, including telomere functioning. With this in mind, we asked ourselves one simple question. Can various types of stress experienced by an individual actually accelerate their rate of ageing? <h2>Stress and strain</h2> In our research, led by my colleague Marion Chatelain of the University of Warsaw (currently University of Innsbruck), we chose to look at this question as broadly as possible. Many studies have looked at this problem in specific species, such as mice, rats, and various fish and bird species (both wild and in the lab). We compiled the available evidence into a summary of the existing knowledge, across all vertebrate organisms studied so far. The emerging picture clearly suggests that telomere loss is profoundly impacted by stress. All else being equal, stress does indeed hasten telomere loss and accelerate the internal cellular clock. Importantly, the type of stress matters: by far the strongest negative impact is caused by pathogen infections, competition for resources, and intensive investment in reproduction. Other stressors, such as poor diet, human disturbance or urban living, also hastened cellular ageing, although to a lesser extent. <h2>Getting radical</h2> A natural question arises: what makes stress exert such a powerful influence on cellular clocks? Is there a single mechanism, or many? Our analysis may have identified one possible candidate: “oxidative stress”. When cells are stressed, this often manifests itself through an accumulation of oxidising molecules, such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-check-the-untrue-story-of-antioxidants-vs-free-radicals-15920">free radicals</a>. Residing at the exposed ends of our chromosomes, telomeres are perfect targets for attack by these chemically reactive molecules. Our analysis suggests that, regardless of the type of stress experienced, this oxidative stress might be the actual biochemical process that links stress and telomere loss. As to whether this means that we should eat more <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/antioxidant">antioxidants</a> to guard our telomeres, this certainly requires more research. I know what you’re wondering: does this mean we have discovered the secret of ageing? Can we use this knowledge to slow the ageing process or stop it in its tracks? The short answer is: no. Ageing is too fundamental to our biology to get rid of it completely. But our study does underline an important truth: by reducing stress, we can do our bodies a big favour. In the modern world, it is hard to escape stress completely, but we can make everyday decisions to reduce it. Get enough sleep, drink enough water, eat healthily and don’t push yourself too hard. It won’t buy you eternal life, but it should keep your cells ticking along nicely. <hr /> The author thanks his colleagues <a href="https://www.uibk.ac.at/ecology/staff/persons/chatelain.html.en">Marion Chatelain</a> and <a href="https://cent.uw.edu.pl/en/person/prof-marta-szulkin/">Marta Szulkin</a> for their contributions to this article and the research on which it is based.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127728/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Szymek Drobniak, DECRA Fellow, UNSW. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/tick-tock-how-stress-speeds-up-your-chromosomes-ageing-clock-127728" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Body

Why loneliness is every bit as alarming as cancer

The ABC’s <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-06/australia-talks-explained/11570332">Australia Talks</a> project aims to stimulate a conversation on a broad sweep of topics — from job security and sexual habits to national pride and personal finances. The project is based on the results of a representative survey of more than 50,000 Australians. One question the ABC’s promotional material focused on was “Are you lonely?” And when ABC chair Ita Buttrose <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-08/annabel-crabb-australia-talks-what-australians-worry-about/11579644">was asked</a> what she thought was the most surprising and disturbing feature of the whole exercise, she singled out the data on loneliness. So, does loneliness deserve this billing? Is it really as important an issue as climate change, the economy, or education? We believe it is, and importantly, results from the Australia Talks survey help explain why. <h2>Loneliness kills</h2> First, loneliness is a killer. <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316">An influential meta-analysis</a>, which collated and analysed the results of nearly 150 studies, underlines the impact on health of loneliness, or more specifically, lack of social integration and social support. It found loneliness increases the risk of death more than such things as poor diet, obesity, alcohol consumption, and lack of exercise, and that it is as harmful as heavy smoking. <h2>People don’t know loneliness kills</h2> Second, most people generally don’t know loneliness kills. Indeed, some of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953617307505?via%3Dihub">our own research</a> found when people in the United Kingdom and United States were asked to rank how important they thought various factors were for health, social integration and social support were at the bottom of their lists. Yet, in a forthcoming paper, we found the quality of social connections is around four times more important as a predictor of retirees’ physical and mental health than the state of their finances. But when was the last time you saw an advert on TV telling you to get your social life in order (rather than your pension plan) before you stop working? When was the last time a health campaign or your family doctor warned you of the dangers of loneliness? Our ignorance about the health consequences of loneliness is a reflection of the fact that loneliness is not part of our everyday conversations around health. Hopefully, the Australia Talks project will change that. In the process, its findings also give us plenty of things to talk about. <h2>Who’s feeling lonely?</h2> The most striking finding from the Australia Talks national survey is simply how pervasive loneliness is in Australia today. Indeed, only half (54%) of participants reported “rarely” or “never” feeling lonely. The survey also finds loneliness is a particular challenge for certain sections of the community. Of these, four stand out. 1. Young people Among people aged 18-24, only a third (32%) “rarely” or “never” feel lonely. More than a quarter (30%) said they felt lonely “frequently” or “always”. This compares sharply with the situation for older people, over two-thirds of whom (71%) “rarely” or “never” feel lonely. The fact that our <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/22876368.pdf">image of a lonely person</a> is typically someone of advanced years suggests we need to update our data (and our thinking). 2. Inner-city dwellers The second group for whom loneliness emerges as a particular problem are people living in inner cities. Compared to people who live in rural areas, those in inner metropolitan areas are less likely to say that they “never” feel lonely (15% vs 20%), but much more likely to say that they “occasionally”, “frequently”, or “always” do (50% vs 42%). Again, this runs counter to much of the discourse around loneliness, which often focuses on the plight of those who are physical remote from others. But this speaks to the psychological reality of loneliness. As we note in our recent book <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-New-Psychology-of-Health-Unlocking-the-Social-Cure/Haslam-Jetten-Cruwys-Dingle-Haslam/p/book/9781138123885">The New Psychology of Health</a>, people’s health and well-being is very much linked to the strength of their connection to, and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1088868314523839">identification with, groups and communities</a> of various forms. 3. One Nation voters Interestingly, a third group that reports disproportionately high levels of loneliness is One Nation voters. Nearly one in ten (9%) of Pauline Hanson’s followers report being lonely “always” compared to around 2% for followers of each of the other parties. We believe feeling disconnected from the world and its institutions often drives people to find solace in marginal political movements. This indeed, is the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1348/014466605X48998">developmental trajectory of multiple forms of extremism</a>. 4. People on low incomes Perhaps the most stark finding concerns the fourth predictor of loneliness: poverty. While 21% of people who earn less than A$600 a week feel lonely “frequently” or “always”, the comparable figure for people who earn more than A$3,000 a week is less than half that (10%). This speaks to the more general (but often neglected) fact that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2920957/">around the world</a> poverty is one of the biggest predictors of <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)00150-6/fulltext">poor health</a>, especially depression and other mental illnesses. It also speaks to our observation that if you are fortunate enough to have a lot of money <a href="https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sipr.12049">when you retire</a>, then one of the key things this allows you to do is to maintain and build social connections. <h2>What can we do about loneliness?</h2> So, there is a lot here for us to talk about when it comes to loneliness. This discussion also needs to ask what we are going to do to address a social cancer every bit as alarming as cancer itself. For us, a large part of the answer lies in <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2019-47128-002.html">efforts to rebuild group-based social connections</a> that are eroded by the tyrannies of modern life. This is a world where all types of community — families, neighbourhoods, churches, political parties, trade unions and even stable work groups — are constantly under threat. So let’s get talking. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126741/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Alex Haslam, Professor of Psychology and ARC Laureate Fellow, The University of Queensland; Catherine Haslam, Professor, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, and Tegan Cruwys, Senior research fellow and clinical psychologist, Australian National University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/loneliness-is-a-social-cancer-every-bit-as-alarming-as-cancer-itself-126741" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

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Homeowner fined just $667 over fire that killed six people

“Don’t be alarmed”: Better Homes and Gardens star makes shock announcement