Search

Major festival event cancelled after deadly find

<p>Mardi Gras Fair Day has been cancelled four days out from the event after asbestos was discovered in Victoria Park, Sydney CBD. </p> <p>The organisers of the event, were informed of the site's contamination on Monday, with EPA officers finding positive results for bonded asbestos after undertaking tests earlier this week. </p> <p>Mardi Gras chef executive Gil Beckwith said that they are heartbroken after the decision was made, but the community's wellbeing is more important. </p> <p>“Fair Day is one of our most loved events, and is attended by over 70,000 people each year,” Beckwith said. </p> <p>“It breaks our heart to see this Sunday not go ahead, but given the safety concerns, we must put our communities’ wellbeing first.</p> <p>“The rest of our festival continues unchanged, offering many chances over the 17 days for our communities to come together in celebration and solidarity.”</p> <p>Other highlights including the Mardi Gras Parade and Bondi Beach Party will still go ahead as planned. </p> <p>This comes after the EPA confirmed that there is a widespread asbestos contamination with 22 sites across Sydney being affected, prompting the closure of parks, building sites, schools and train stations. </p> <p>Asbestos is a fibrous substance that can be trapped in the lungs if it's breathed in, and can lead to an increased risk in developing lung, ovary and throat cancer, according to the cancer council. </p> <p>Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore said that it was an “incredibly disappointing” decision.</p> <p>“The NSW government and the EPA must make sure this never happens again,” she said. </p> <p>Asbestos has been found in two other city parks including Belmore Park in Haymarket and Harmony Park in Surry Hills. </p> <p>The Sydenham to Bankstown Rail Corridor sites including Campsie, Hurlstone Park, Dulwich Hill, Belmore, Wiley Park, Punchbowl and Marrickville have also been affected, with licensed removalists working hard to clear the sites. </p> <p>Over the coming week 32 more parks will be closed off, as they conduct more tests for contamination. </p> <p>“We urge everyone to avoid the mulched garden beds and mulched areas under trees at these parks while the inspections are being carried out,” a City of Sydney spokesperson said.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

"Anzac Day is not for sale": Veterans slam Anzac Day rock festival

<p>Military veteran organisations in New South Wales have expressed their fury after a controversial rock concert booked at the Domain on Anzac Day was approved. </p> <p>The Pandemonium 2024 rock music festival which includes performers like Placebo, Alice Cooper and Blondie is scheduled around around 11.30am on the 25th of April, just 900 metres from where the traditional march by veterans will be. </p> <p>The veteran groups are concerned that the first performances will clash with the memorial march that is set to end at 12:30pm. </p> <p>RSL NSW president Mick Bainbridge has called out the event organisers for the inappropriate timing of the festival. </p> <p>"We all love to have fun and live music is fantastic for Sydney, but Anzac Day is not the day for a music festival," he said.</p> <p>"Anzac Day is a day to think of the sacrifices made by the approximately 120,000 people from NSW who served overseas during World War I, as well as all who have served since.</p> <p>"It is a day for respect and quiet contemplation." </p> <p>Despite reports claiming that the organisers of Pandemonium 2024 have offered to direct a portion of ticket sales to veteran charities, the veteran groups have declared that Anzac Day is "not for sale".</p> <p>"Anzac Day is not for sale," Bainbridge said</p> <p>Although the RSL NSW president said that he understood the value of music for younger people, it shouldn't compromise the day of honour and respect. </p> <p>"If the organiser sincerely wants to support veterans' wellbeing, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss how they can donate to organisations, including RSL NSW and RSL LifeCare Veteran Services to do so – without compromising a day of honour and respect."</p> <p>"I love live music and the community it builds. But it has to be at the right time," he added. </p> <p>"We've seen through the Royal Commission's hearings how important it is to protect and honour our community of veterans, and build opportunities to support each other, not tear them down."</p> <p><em>Image: Nine News/ Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

How to protect yourself from cyber-scammers over the festive period

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachael-medhurst-1408437">Rachael Medhurst</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-wales-1586">University of South Wales</a></em></p> <p>The festive season is a time for joy, family and festive cheer. However, it’s also a prime target for cybercriminals. As online shopping ramps up, so does the risk of falling prey to cyber-attacks. That’s why it’s crucial to be extra vigilant about your <a href="https://blog.tctg.co.uk/12-cyber-security-tips-of-christmas">cybersecurity</a> during this time.</p> <p>Here are some essential tips to safeguard yourself and your data during the festive period:</p> <h2>Phishing</h2> <p>Phishing is when criminals use scam emails, text messages or phone calls to trick their victims. Their <a href="https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams">goal</a> is often to make you visit a certain website, which may download a virus on to your computer, or steal bank details or other personal data.</p> <p>This type of scam tends to <a href="https://www.egress.com/blog/phishing/holiday-phishing-scam-guide">increase</a> at this time due to the amount of people having bought or received new gadgets and technology.</p> <p>Look out for there being no direct reference to your name in any communications, with wording such as “Dear Sir/Madam” or other terms such as “valued customer” being used instead. Grammar and spelling mistakes are also often present.</p> <p>Be wary of any suspicious links or attachments within emails too, and don’t click them. It’s better to contact the company directly to check if the message is genuine. You can also <a href="https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams">report</a> suspicious messages and phishing scams to the government’s National Cyber Security Centre.</p> <h2>Shopping safely online</h2> <p>The convenience of online shopping is undeniable, especially during the festive season. However, it’s crucial to prioritise your security when buying online.</p> <p>Before entering your personal and financial information on any website, ensure it’s legitimate and secure. Look for the “https” in the address bar and a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-vast-majority-of-us-have-no-idea-what-the-padlock-icon-on-our-internet-browser-is-and-its-putting-us-at-risk-216581">padlock</a> icon, which indicates a secure and encrypted connection.</p> <p>When creating passwords for online shopping accounts, use strong, unique combinations of letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts, as a breach on one site could compromise all your others.</p> <p>As with shopping in the real world, be cautious when encountering offers that are significantly below usual prices or which make extravagant promises. Always conduct thorough research on the seller and product before making a purchase. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.</p> <p>And if you are out shopping in towns or city centres, there will often be a large number of public wifi options available to you. However, criminals can intercept the data that is transferred across such open and unsecured wifi. So, avoid using public wifi where possible, especially when conducting any financial transactions.</p> <h2>Social media</h2> <p>While social media platforms provide people with a means to keep in touch with family and friends over the festive period, they are often a goldmine for <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-spot-a-social-media-scam-aMtwF3u1XKGt">scams</a> and malware (software designed to disrupt, damage or gain unauthorised access to a computer). In the spirit of the festive season, people often share an abundance of personal information on social media, often without considering the potential consequences.</p> <p>This trove of data can make people vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Scammers can exploit this information to gain unauthorised access to social media accounts, steal personal information, or even commit identity theft. To protect yourself, be mindful of what you share.</p> <p>Be wary when interacting with posts and direct messages, especially if they contain suspicious links or attachments. Before clicking on anything, hover over the link to verify its destination. If it shows a website you don’t recognise or seems unrelated to the message, do not click on it. If you receive a message from someone you know but the content seems strange or out of character, contact them directly through a trusted channel to verify its authenticity.</p> <p>Likewise, be wary of messages containing urgent requests for money or personal information from businesses. Genuine organisations will never solicit sensitive details through social media.</p> <p>There are many buy and sell platforms available on social media. But while such platforms can be a great place to find a unique gift, it is also important to remember that not all sellers may be legitimate. So, it’s vital that you don’t share your bank details. If the seller sends a link to purchase the item, do not use it. When meeting to collect an item, it’s generally safer to use cash rather than transferring funds electronically.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aO858HyFbKI?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Advice for staying safe online.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Package delivery scams</h2> <p>As well as being a time for giving and receiving gifts, the festive season is also ripe for cybercriminals to exploit the excitement surrounding <a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/about-us1/media/press-releases/scams-linked-to-parcel-deliveries-come-top-in-2023/">package deliveries</a>.</p> <p>Scammers often pose as legitimate delivery companies, sending emails or text messages claiming that a delivery attempt was unsuccessful or requiring additional fees for processing, or even customs clearance. Typically, these messages contain links or phone numbers that, when clicked or called, lead to fake websites or automated phone systems designed to collect personal information or payments.</p> <p>To protect yourself, always verify the legitimacy of any delivery notifications you receive. Check the sender’s email address or phone number against the official contact information for the delivery company. If the information doesn’t match or seems suspicious, don’t click any links or provide personal details.</p> <p>Legitimate delivery companies will never ask for upfront payment or sensitive information through unsolicited messages or calls.</p> <p>Remember, cybercriminals are skilled at manipulating the festive spirit to their advantage. Stay vigilant, exercise caution, and don’t let your excitement for gifts and deliveries compromise your cybersecurity.<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/218294/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachael-medhurst-1408437"><em>Rachael Medhurst</em></a><em>, Course Leader and Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security NCSA, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-wales-1586">University of South Wales</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-protect-yourself-from-cyber-scammers-over-the-festive-period-218294">original article</a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking

Crown Princess Mary shares family festive fun

<p>Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik have shared a wholesome insight into their family Christmas. </p> <p>In a sweet video posted to the Danish royal family Instagram account, the entire family gathered together in the family's official residence, Amalienborg in Copenhagen, to celebrate the festive season and decorate their Christmas tree. </p> <p>In the video, Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik are joined by their children, Christian, Isabella, and twins Vincent and Josephine to decorate the tree. </p> <p>Prince Frederik climbs a ladder to adorn the massive tree, as Princess Mary passed ornaments to her eldest son Prince Christian. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" 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);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0a5Lr0tN7A/?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> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </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;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0a5Lr0tN7A/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by DET DANSKE KONGEHUS 🇩🇰 (@detdanskekongehus)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 12, are seen holding red candles and Princess Isabella, 16, also adds some of the candles to the tree.</p> <p>The family are joined by their border collie dogs, who bring a charming chaos to the decorating process. </p> <p>The video ends with a close up of a very special Christmas tree ornament: a detailed ceramic replica of the impressive royal residence. </p> <p>The video, which has been shared on all the Danish royal family's social media accounts, is accompanied by the following words which have been translated into English.</p> <p>"Christmas greetings from the Crown Prince family, who recently decorated the family Christmas tree in the Hall of Knights in Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg."</p> <p>The Danish royals are taking some time out over the holidays following what has been a busy and somewhat tumultuous year.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Family & Pets

4 tips to help your loved one with dementia enjoy the festive season

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nikki-anne-wilson-342631">Nikki-Anne Wilson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a></em></p> <p>The festive season is fast approaching, and if you’re organising celebrations with family or friends, you might be grappling with a seemingly endless to-do list. But as you make these plans, it’s important to consider how you can best include any friends or loved ones living with dementia.</p> <p>While no two people experience dementia in the exact same way, <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/about-dementia/what-is-dementia">dementia</a> often affects the way people process and respond to their environment. Too much stimulation – like a lot of noise and activity at a Christmas party – can be overwhelming and may cause confusion or agitation.</p> <p>Finding ways to create a <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/creating-a-calming-home-for-people-with-dementia#:%7E:text=The%20physical%20environment%20is%20important,in%20and%20enjoy%20everyday%20activities.">safe environment</a> at home for your loved one with dementia will help maximise the chances everyone has a good time.</p> <h2>1. Plan ahead, but be flexible</h2> <p>Planning celebrations can be overwhelming for everyone involved, and having excessive expectations can raise stress levels. Try to keep <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/information/about-you/i-am-a-carer-family-member-or-friend">expectations realistic</a> and in line with the current needs of your friend or loved one living with dementia.</p> <p>For example, people with dementia may experience <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/information/about-you/i-am-a-carer-family-member-or-friend/personal-care/eating">changes in their appetite</a> or food preferences, or difficulties chewing and swallowing. These changes might make some of the things on your festive menu unappetising or difficult to eat. Be guided by the needs and preferences of the person with dementia and keep options limited to one or two special foods if larger banquets are likely to be overwhelming.</p> <p>Things can change quickly for people living with dementia and their abilities will likely <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/about-dementia/what-is-dementia/progression-of-dementia#:%7E:text=A%20person%20with%20dementia's%20abilities,over%20a%20number%20of%20years.">vary from day to day</a>. Try to be flexible and have a backup plan in place. For special events, plan to record speeches or ceremonies to share when things are quieter.</p> <p>If you’re planning a large event, consider having a smaller gathering with your loved one with dementia and just a few special people.</p> <h2>2. Stick to the familiar</h2> <p>The sudden appearance of lots of decorations <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/sites/default/files/helpsheets/Helpsheet-TipsToAssistSocialEngagement03-TipsForHolidayCheer_english.pdf">may be overwhelming</a> for a person with dementia and trigger a negative sensory reaction or distress. Ensure decorations are safe and familiar and put them up slowly over a period of a few days.</p> <p>Try to also stick to familiar traditions and routines. <a href="https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/daily-care/daily-care-plan">Daily routines</a> are an important way of supporting people with dementia and sudden changes <a href="https://memory.ucsf.edu/caregiving-support/behavior-personality-changes#I-Investigate-Possible-Causes">may result in agitation and distress</a>. Stick to routine eating, bathing, and rest times where possible throughout the holiday period.</p> <p>For many people with dementia, long-term memories are less affected than <a href="https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/symptoms-and-diagnosis/symptoms/memory-loss">more recent memories</a>. Familiar family traditions can therefore be a good way to <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/national/support-and-services/carers/therapies-and-communication-approaches">reminisce</a>. Family keepsakes or <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/sites/default/files/20110303-NSW-LifeHistoryBook.pdf">memory books</a> can also help connect with stories from past celebrations.</p> <h2>3. Have a quiet space</h2> <p>Try to have <a href="https://www.scie.org.uk/dementia/supporting-people-with-dementia/dementia-friendly-environments/noise.asp">a quiet place</a> where the person living with dementia can go if things become overwhelming. Designating a support person who can stay with them throughout the day and take them to a separate room or area away from the action can help to keep things calm.</p> <p>Having some familiar objects or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5432607/#:%7E:text=Passive%20music%20listening%20is%20reported,et%20al.%2C%202013">quiet music</a> in the space can be a good way to block out the noise of activities and reduce agitation.</p> <h2>4. Make sure everyone has a part</h2> <p>Everyone wants to feel a part of the activities on a special day, including people living with dementia. Ensuring everyone has a role to play may mean modifying tasks to suit the abilities of the person with dementia.</p> <p>For example, if you’re hosting an event at home, try to get your friend or relative with dementia involved in the kitchen by tossing the salad or helping to set the table.</p> <p>People with dementia are still the same person, even if their abilities have changed or they can no longer communicate their needs and feelings like they used to. It’s important to treat everyone with dignity and try to include your friends and loved ones with dementia in celebrations whenever possible.</p> <h2>Sometimes, you can’t be together</h2> <p>Despite the best laid plans, sometimes it won’t be possible to share in festive celebrations with your loved one living with dementia. More advanced dementia, <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/racf-latest-advice.aspx">aged care visitor restrictions</a> or even just distance can keep many of us apart from our loved ones.</p> <p>Be prepared for this separation to bring up your own feelings of <a href="https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/caregiver-health/grief-loss-as-alzheimers-progresses">grief or sadness</a>. Look after your mental health as well as the person with dementia.</p> <p>Caring responsibilities still largely <a href="https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/resource/download/national-strategy-gender-equality-discussion-paper_0.pdf">fall to women</a> and it’s important to share the load. Where possible, the holidays can be a good time to think about giving primary carers a break to help them recharge for the year ahead.</p> <p>If you’re caring for someone with dementia and need support, <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/support">Dementia Australia</a> or <a href="https://www.carergateway.gov.au/about?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid-search&utm_campaign=10841470526&utm_adgroup=146956908840&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAjw9-6oBhBaEiwAHv1QvI1uJVJRppcDJtdgYNTDeObUk1tyrNUtLGBqpp3ytjb_khYkGExICBoC_5EQAvD_BwE">Carer Gateway</a> offer useful resources.<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/214944/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nikki-anne-wilson-342631"><em>Nikki-Anne Wilson</em></a><em>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image </em><em>credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-tips-to-help-your-loved-one-with-dementia-enjoy-the-festive-season-214944">original article</a>.</em></p>

Caring

Mariah Carey slapped with multi-million dollar lawsuit over hit festive song

<p dir="ltr">Mariah Carey is facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit over her hit festive song, as another musician has come forward claiming she plagiarised an original work.</p> <p dir="ltr">Carey’s song <em>All I Want For Christmas Is You</em> has long been a staple of December, and has sold over 10 million copies since its 1994 release. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, Andy Stone, lead vocalist of Vince Vance and the Valiants, claims Carey infringed on his copyright. </p> <p dir="ltr">Stone co-wrote a song, which has the same title as Carey’s smash hit, in 1989 to which he claims Carey and her team of copying his song’s “compositional structure,” according to the complaint obtained by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/mariah-carey-facing-20-million-lawsuit-over-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News Digital</a>.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w8HWHd0EYJA?si=IdW0GIKXEQBJqaO_" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">The court documents state that Carey “directly” copied lyrics from Stone’s 1989 hit and “approximately 50 per cent” of the song is copyright infringement.</p> <p dir="ltr">Stone went on to claim that Carey and her team “undoubtedly” had access to his version of <em>All I Want For Christmas is You</em> due to its “wide commercial and cultural success.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Stone’s track charted on Billboard for years, with the band even performing the track at the White House in 1994 - the same year Carey’s festive song was released. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Carey has capitalised on the success of her infringing work,” Stone’s complaint alleged. </p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yXQViqx6GMY?si=Exrq9M0AA2u5XRpB" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">“<em>All I Want For Christmas is You</em> has become a ubiquitous part of popular culture, and Carey’s name has become synonymous with the season.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Stone first sued Carey over the copyright issue in June 2022 in a Louisiana court before dropping the claim five months later. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Social media snaps map the sweep of Japan’s cherry blossom season in unprecedented detail

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrian-dyer-387798">Adrian Dyer</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-dorin-12573">Alan Dorin</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carolyn-vlasveld-1442834">Carolyn Vlasveld</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/moataz-elqadi-1442833">Moataz ElQadi</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p>Social media contains enormous amounts of data about people, our everyday lives, and our interactions with our surroundings. As a byproduct, it also contains a vast trove of information about the natural world.</p> <p>In a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0367253023001019#sec0024a">new study published in Flora</a>, we show how social media can be used for “incidental citizen science”. From photos posted to a social site, we mapped countrywide patterns in nature over a decade in relatively fine detail.</p> <p>Our case study was the annual spread of cherry blossom flowering across Japan, where millions of people view the blooming each year in a cultural event called “hanami”. The flowering spreads across Japan in a wave (“<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom_front">sakura zensen</a>” or 桜前線) following the warmth of the arriving spring season.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="ALT TEXT" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Celebrating the cherry blossom is a centuries-old tradition in Japan.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami">hanami festival</a> has been documented for centuries, and research shows climate change is making <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6bb4">early blossoming more likely</a>. The advent of mobile phones – and social network sites that allow people to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1574954116302321">upload photos tagged with time and location data</a> – presents a new opportunity to study how Japan’s flowering events are affected by seasonal climate.</p> <h2>Why are flowers useful to understand how nature is being altered by climate change?</h2> <p>Many flowering plants, including the cherry blossoms of Japan (<em>Prunus</em> subgenus <em>Cerasus</em>), require insect pollination. To reproduce, plant flowers bloom at optimal times to receive visits from insects like bees.</p> <p>Temperature is <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0200549">an important mechanism</a> for plants to trigger this flowering. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01269.x">Previous research</a> has highlighted how climate change may create mismatches in space or time between the blooming of plants and the emergence of pollinating insects.</p> <p><iframe id="rtiQ0" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/rtiQ0/2/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p>It has been difficult for researchers to map the extent of this problem in detail, as its study requires simultaneous data collection over large areas. The use of citizen science images deliberately, or incidentally, uploaded to social network sites enables <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_data">big data</a> solutions.</p> <h2>How did we conduct our study?</h2> <p>We collected images from Japan uploaded to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/">Flickr</a> between 2008 and 2018 that were tagged by users as “cherry blossoms”. We used computer vision techniques to analyse these images, and to provide sets of keywords describing their image content.</p> <p>Next, we automatically filtered out images appearing to contain content that the computer vision algorithms determined didn’t match our targeted cherry blossoms. For instance, many contained images of autumn leaves, another popular ecological event to view in Japan.</p> <p>The locations and timestamps of the remaining cherry blossom images were then used to generate marks on a map of Japan showing the seasonal wave of sakura blossoms, and to estimate peak bloom times each year in different cities.</p> <h2>Checking the data</h2> <p>An important component of any scientific investigation is validation – how well does a proposed solution or data set represent the real-world phenomenon under study?</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=743&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=743&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=743&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Blossom dates calculated from social media images compare well with official data.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ElQadi et al.</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Our study using social network site images was validated against the detailed information published by the <a href="https://www.japan.travel/en/see-and-do/cherry-blossom-forecast-2023/">Japan National Tourism Organization</a>.</p> <p>We also manually examined a subset of images to confirm the presence of cherry flowers.</p> <p>Plum flowers (<em>Prunus mume</em>) look very similar to cherry blossoms, especially to tourists, and they are frequently mistaken and mislabelled as cherry blossoms. We used visible “notches” at the end of cherry petals, and other characteristics, to distinguish cherries from plums.</p> <p>Taken together, the data let us map the flowering event as it unfolds across Japan.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?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/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="An animated map showing cherry blossom flowering across Japan" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Images uploaded to social media over a ten year period 2008-2018, let us map the cherry blossom front as it sweeps across Japan.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ElQadi et al.</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Out-of-season blooms</h2> <p>Our social network site analysis was sufficiently detailed to accurately pinpoint the annual peak spring bloom in the major cities of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo">Tokyo</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto">Kyoto</a>, to within a few days of official records.</p> <p>Our data also revealed the presence of a consistent, and persistent, out-of-season cherry bloom in autumn. Upon further searching, we discovered that this “unexpected” seasonal bloom had also been noted in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45898333">mainstream media</a> in recent years. We thus confirmed that this is a real event, not an artefact of our study.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?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/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Cherry blossom photographs from Flickr taken within Japan from 2008 to 2018 show an April peak as well as an unexpected smaller peak in November.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ElQadi et al.</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>So, even without knowing it, many of us are already helping to understand how climate change influences our environment, simply by posting online photographs we capture. Dedicated sites like <a href="https://wildpollinatorcount.com/">Wild Pollinator Count</a> are excellent resources to contribute to the growing knowledge base.</p> <p>The complex issues of climate change are still being mapped. Citizen science allows our daily observations to improve our understanding, and so better manage our relationship with the natural world.<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/206574/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrian-dyer-387798">Adrian Dyer</a>, Associate Professor, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-dorin-12573">Alan Dorin</a>, Associate Professor, Faculty of Information Technology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carolyn-vlasveld-1442834">Carolyn Vlasveld</a>, PhD candidate, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/moataz-elqadi-1442833">Moataz ElQadi</a>, Adjunct Researcher, Faculty of Information Technology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-snaps-map-the-sweep-of-japans-cherry-blossom-season-in-unprecedented-detail-206574">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Technology

"A true legend": Jane Fonda pegs award at director's head

<p>Film icon Jane Fonda is known to entertain the masses, and her cheeky antics at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival saw her do just that.</p> <p>While hosting Palme d’Or Awards on May 27, Fonda, 85, called up director Justine Triet who had won the award for <em>Anatomy of the Fall</em>, but it was Fonda’s deliverance of said award that had viewers in stitches.</p> <p>The 85-year-old tried to get Triet's attention, but after multiple attempts of calling out to her, Fonda decided to throw the scroll at the director’s back.</p> <p>When the scroll hit Triet on the back of the head and fell to the floor, she didn’t appear to notice.</p> <p><em>The Book Club</em> star’s unconventional passing of the award sent Twitter users into a frenzy, with many praising her, calling her a “queen” with an “excellent shot.”</p> <p>"A true legend." one person wrote.</p> <p>"This just made my day! 😂😂😂" another said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">favorite cannes moment is officially jane fonda throwing the palme d'or certificate at justine triet because she forgot to take it <a href="https://t.co/6tv8TEj8zw">pic.twitter.com/6tv8TEj8zw</a></p> <p>— flo ¨̮ (@astralbarnes) <a href="https://twitter.com/astralbarnes/status/1662568221931601920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Fonda hit the red carpet dazzled in black sequins. Her black gown was faired with a chain necklace and matching earrings.</p> <p>The beloved actress has been documenting her Cannes weekend via Instagram, sharing photos of herself with Hollywood greats Eva Longoria and Kate Winslet, as well as a snippet of her accommodation.</p> <p>Fonda’s attendance comes five months into her remission after <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/jane-fonda-reassures-fans-after-cancer-diagnosis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcing her non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis</a> in September 2022.</p> <p>She revealed the happy news on her Instagram, titling it "BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!!!"</p> <p>”Last week I was told by my oncologist that my cancer is in remission and I can discontinue chemo," she wrote. "I am feeling so blessed, so fortunate."</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

All grown up! Catherine Zeta-Jones' daughter makes Cannes debut

<p dir="ltr">Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas’ daughter, Carys Zeta-Jones, has made her debut at the Cannes Film Festival.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 20-year-old, who appeared alongside her parents, attended the screening for <em>Jeanne du Barry</em> on Tuesday.</p> <p dir="ltr">Carys stunned in a semi-sheer white gown with intricate floral detailing. She completed the look with a pair of statement diamond earrings and had her hair up in an elegant bun.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her mother, Catherine, looked glamorous in a flowy red gown with a plunging neckline which she paired with a matching dark red lip.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her father, Michael, who was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or award during the evening, looked dapper in a suit and stood centre frame as they made their glamorous entrance.</p> <p dir="ltr">The festival will also screen a previously-unreleased documentary about Michael’s life, called<em> Michael Douglas: The Prodigal Son</em>, as part of a tribute to his lengthy career.</p> <p dir="ltr">Carys’ appearance in the Cannes Film Festival feels like a full circle moment as it is where her parents met in 1998.</p> <p dir="ltr">The pair ended up getting married just two years later and have been considered as one of the power couples in the industry since.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Beauty & Style

A mother’s love story blossoms from a family reunion 40 years in the making

<p dir="ltr">When Helen Mansfield took to social media in search of her biological mother, she could never have foreseen the good fortune she’d bring about - not only to herself, but to those she held most dear, too. </p> <p dir="ltr">It was in 2016 that Helen posted to Facebook, hoping to connect with her mother - who had given her up when Helen was only 10 days old. </p> <p dir="ltr">And a mere five hours later, someone did reach out, informing Helen that her mother was in the United Kingdom, and that her name was Glenda Joy. </p> <p dir="ltr">Helen, on the other hand, was in Perth, Australia. She’d been adopted by a Welsh couple, but had moved to Perth after marrying an Australian - with whom she shares two daughters.</p> <p dir="ltr">Four decades of mystery had gone by, but after that stranger on Facebook had set her on the right path, things had quickly fallen into place. </p> <p dir="ltr">As Helen informed<em> 7News</em>, “straight away, we knew each other. [She] gave me a big hug and said ‘I feel I just won the lottery’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">It should have marked the end of that happy chapter for Helen and Glen, but Helen’s adoptive dad, Gwyn, had other ideas. </p> <p dir="ltr">Because when Helen introduced the two - as her biological mother and her adoptive father - they immediately felt a connection, and set out on a number of adventures together, enjoying everything from the cricket to the beach, and last but certainly not least, a kiss. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I went in to Helen,” Glen recounted, “and I said ‘I’ve got something to say’. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I said ‘your dad kissed me’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Glen added that she hadn’t been expecting it, but that wasn’t a bad thing, as she’d very much “wanted it to happen”.</p> <p dir="ltr">And it was only good times from there, with the unexpected couple getting married in the United Kingdom after enjoying a commitment ceremony in Perth with Helen as their joyous celebrant.</p> <p dir="ltr">They have every intention of returning to Australia, too, for a trip packed full of celebration with Gwyn’s 80th and the upcoming birth of a great-grandchild.</p> <p dir="ltr">But at the end of the day, Helen is “just really happy it happened”, and holds hope in her heart that their story will offer encouragement to anyone else in a similar position, searching for their biological or long-lost families. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I hope that anybody else - you know, it probably won’t go this far because this is a different story - but anybody else who wants to reach out and find their birth mother,” she added, “should try and do it.” </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 7News</em></p>

Relationships

What’s behind the magic of live music?

<p>For months, fans were relegated to watching their favorite singers and musicians over Zoom or via webcasts. Now, live shows – from <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/lollapalooza-2021-vaccine-requirement-saturday/10922695/">festivals like Lollapalooza</a> to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/14/theater/broadway-reopening-shows-nyc">Broadway musicals</a> – are officially back.</p> <p>The songs that beamed into living rooms during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic may have featured an artist’s hits. But there’s just <a href="https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/emotional-and-surreal-fans-return-to-live-music-in-ireland-40525205.html">something magical</a> about seeing music surrounded by other people. Some fans reported being so moved by their first live shows in nearly two years that <a href="https://twitter.com/CaitlinSchiffer/status/1437988855676817411?s=20">they wept with joy</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://music.columbia.edu/bios/mariusz-kozak">As a music theorist</a>, I’ve spent my career trying to figure out just what that “magic” is. And part of understanding this requires thinking about music as more than simply sounds washing over a listener.</p> <h2>Music as more than communication</h2> <p>Music is often thought of as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00052">twin sister to language</a>. Whereas words tend to convey ideas and knowledge, music transmits emotions.</p> <p>According to this view, performers broadcast their messages – the music – to their audience. Listeners decode the messages on the basis of their own listening habits, and that’s how they interpret the emotions the performers hope to communicate. </p> <p>But if all music did was communicate emotions, watching an online concert should’ve been no different than going to a live show. After all, in both cases, listeners heard the same melodies, the same harmonies and the same rhythms.</p> <p>So what couldn’t be experienced through a computer screen?</p> <p>The short answer is that music does far more than communicate. When witnessed in person, with other people, it can create powerful <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/article/music-as-a-coevolved-system-for-social-bonding/F1ACB3586FD3DD5965E56021F506BC4F/share/467b545a472056b57236dd84e46e9495712b2a6e">physical and emotional bonds</a>.</p> <h2>A ‘mutual tuning-in’</h2> <p>Without physical interactions, our well-being suffers. We fail to achieve what the philosopher Alfred Schütz called a “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40969255">mutual tuning-in</a>,” or what the pianist and Harvard professor Vijay Iyer more recently described as “<a href="https://www.ojaifestival.org/2017-ojai-music-festival-program-notes/">being together in time</a>.” </p> <p>In my book “<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/enacting-musical-time-9780190080204?cc=us&lang=en&">Enacting Musical Time</a>,” I note that time has a certain feel and texture that goes beyond the mere fact of its passage. It can move faster or slower, of course. But it can also thrum with emotion: There are times that are somber, joyous, melancholy, exuberant and so on. </p> <p>When the passage of time is experienced in the presence of others, it can give rise to a form of intimacy in which people revel or grieve together. That may be why physical distancing and social isolation imposed by the pandemic were so difficult for so many people – and why many people whose lives and routines were upended reported an <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.581036">unsettling change in their sense of time</a>.</p> <p>When we’re in physical proximity, our mutual tuning-in toward one another actually <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0094446">generates bodily rhythms that make us feel good</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00782">gives us a greater sense of belonging</a>. One study found that babies who are bounced to music in sync with an adult <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12140">display increased altruism</a> toward that person, while another found that people who are close friends tend to <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121213104230.htm">synchronize their movements</a> when talking or walking together. </p> <p>Music isn’t necessary for this synchronization to emerge, but rhythms and beats facilitate the synchronization by giving it a shape.</p> <p>On the one hand, music encourages people to make specific movements and gestures while they dance or clap or just bob their heads to the beat. On the other, music gives audiences a temporal scaffold: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hYYgz-AJKU">where to place these movements and gestures</a>so that they’re synchronized with others.</p> <h2>The great synchronizer</h2> <p>Because of the pleasurable effect of being synchronized with people around you, the emotional satisfaction you get from listening or watching online is fundamentally different from going to a live performance. At a concert, you can see and feel other bodies around you. </p> <p>Even when explicit movement is restricted, like at a typical Western classical concert, you sense the presence of others, a mass of bodies that punctures your personal bubble.</p> <p>The music shapes this mass of humanity, giving it structure, suggesting moments of tension and relaxation, of breath, of fluctuations in energy – moments that might translate into movement and gesture as soon as people become tuned into one another.</p> <p> </p> <div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"> <div> <div> </div> </div> </div> <p>This structure is usually conveyed with sound, but different musical practices around the world suggest that the experience is not limited to hearing. In fact, it can include the synchronization of visuals and human touch.</p> <p>For example, in the deaf musical community, sound is only one small part of the expression. In Christine Sun Kim’s “<a href="http://christinesunkim.com/work/face-opera-ii/">face opera ii</a>” – a piece for <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31750130/">prelingually deaf</a> performers – participants “sing” without using their hands, and instead use facial gestures and movements to convey emotions. Like the line “fa-la-la-la-la” in the famous Christmas carol “<a href="https://youtu.be/WgEVI8DEkF8">Deck the Halls</a>,” words can be deprived of their meaning until all that’s left is their emotional tone.</p> <p>In some cultures, music is, conceptually, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0096">no different</a> from dance, ritual or play. For example, the <a href="https://doi-org.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/10.2307/850267">Blackfeet in North America</a> use the same word to refer to a combination of music, dance and ceremony. And the <a href="https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262018104.003.0002">Bayaka Pygmies of Central Africa </a>have the same term for different forms of music, cooperation and play.</p> <p>Many other groups around the world categorize communal pursuits under the same umbrella.</p> <p>They all use markers of time like a regular beat – whether it’s the sound of a <a href="http://www.kumeyaay.info/music/gourdrattles.html">gourd rattle</a> during a <a href="http://eviada.webhost.iu.edu/scripts/collection.cfm?mc=7&ctID=33">Suyá Kahran Ngere ceremony</a> or <a href="https://nyupress.org/9780814731208/the-games-black-girls-play/">groups of girls chanting</a> “Mary Mack dressed in black” in a hand-clapping game – to allow participants to synchronize their movements.</p> <p>Not all of these practices necessarily evoke the word “music.” But we can think of them as musical in their own way. They all teach people how to act in relation to one another by teasing, guiding and even urging them to move together. </p> <p>In time. As one.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-the-magic-of-live-music-169343" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

"I've been attacked": Barry Humphries' response to Comedy Festival incident

<p>Anti-trans campaigner Graham Linehan has shared an email he received from the late Barry Humphries in the response to the fallout from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival incident. </p> <p>In 2019, Humphries name was removed from one of the key awards at the annual comedy festival after he made comments ridiculing transgender people, included labelling gender affirmation surgery as “self-mutilation”.</p> <p>In an interview in 2018, Humphries branded being transgender “a fashion” and criticised teachers who support trans youth in schools, declaring it a "pretty evil" practice. </p> <p>As a result, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, which was partly founded by Humphries, renamed their 'Barry Award' amid the controversy. </p> <p>Now, just days after Humphries passing, writer and anti-trans campaigner Graham Linehan has shared an email he allegedly received from Humphries after the renaming of the award. </p> <p>The email purportedly from Humphries said, “Thanks for your letter. I’ve been banned by the Melbourne Comedy Festival which Peter Cook and I launched! I’ve been attacked and branded fascist and ‘transphobic’ by the ‘they’ brigade, and accused of racism by people who have never met an [Indigenous person]."</p> <p>“That actors who have become rich and famous by performing in JKR’s plays and films and then vindictively excoriated her, seems to me a cowardly betrayal. Thanks for writing to me and good luck against a powerful and malign foe.”</p> <p>Humphries appears to be referring to J.K. Rowling by “JKR”, as the <em>Harry Potter</em> creator is one of the most high-profile anti-trans campaigners and refers to herself as “TERF”, an acronym for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist”.</p> <p>Linehan co-created TV comedies including <em>Father Ted</em>, <em>Black Books</em> and <em>The IT Crowd</em> but has in recent years become better known for his strident anti-trans views.</p> <p>In the wake of Humphries’ death, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s 2019 decision has come under attack by some commentators, who accused the festival of “cancelling” the comedian.</p> <p>However, festival’s director Susan Provan defended the organisation for their decision, while also paying tribute to Humphries' influence on comedy. </p> <p>She told ABC radio in Melbourne, “We’ve never cancelled Barry Humphries. There seems to be some misconceptions going on around there. We changed the name of an award, which… was the right decision to make when we did that."</p> <p>“We have celebrated, and continue to celebrate Barry, an incredible comedian, comic artists, who took Australian comedy global. We will always celebrate that he was amazing. And we really value his contribution to the comedy festival too.”</p> <p>Provan added the decision had been made in 2019 because Humphries’ “comments did not reflect the values of our community”.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

News

Ed Sheeran shoots for the stars with daughter’s name reveal

<p dir="ltr">When Ed Sheeran and his wife Cherry Seaborn announced the birth of their second child in May 2022, they kept things simple. </p> <p dir="ltr">In a post to social media, Sheeran shared a picture of socks on a crochet blanket, with a caption reading “Want to let you all know we’ve had another beautiful baby girl. We are both so in love with her, and over the moon to be a family of 4”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple shared no ‘face reveal’ - opting to keep their children far removed from the public eye - and did not share their youngest daughter’s name with Sheeran’s 42.8m followers. </p> <p dir="ltr">But in a March interview with <em>Rolling Stone</em>, the 32-year-old singer-songwriter took everyone by surprise, opening up about his family life, and revealing the out-of-this-world moniker bestowed upon their youngest, Jupiter. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Me and Cherry were talking earlier about how it’s so lovely,” he told the publication, opening up about the little things in life that he and his family cherish the most. “We had an entire day. We did nothing but this. It’s so nice and wholesome having family on tour. </p> <p dir="ltr">“On the last tour, I’d party till 7 am, sleep till 4 pm, get up, and do the gig. But I was like, 26. It’s very different.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Jupiter’s birth, and establishing their new “lovely” life, were no easy feats for the couple. In February 2022 - a month that was already proving determined to knock Sheeran down - when Cherry was six months along in her pregnancy, she was diagnosed with a tumour. Surgery was required, but couldn’t be performed until she had given birth. </p> <p dir="ltr">As Sheeran wrote in a post outlining plans for his album <em>Subtract</em>, “Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly, and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety. I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“There’s nothing you can do about it,” he confessed to <em>Rolling Stone</em>. “You feel so powerless.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Over the course of his interview, Sheeran toyed with a chain bracelet - one gifted to him by his wife, with their daughters’ name engraved. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It felt symbolic,” he said of the swap to the silver from the rubber bands that had previously adorned his wrist, “to take off those bracelets and put on one for my family.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After the slew of tragedies to hit Sheeran in such a short span of time, it was Cherry who realised that he was in need of professional help, leading to the singer seeking out a therapist. </p> <p dir="ltr">“No one really talks about their feelings where I come from,” he said. “People think it’s weird getting a therapist in England … I think it’s very helpful to be able to speak with someone and just vent and not feel guilty about venting. Obviously, like, I’ve lived a very privileged life. So my friends would always look at me like, ‘Oh, it’s not that bad.’ ”</p> <p dir="ltr">“The help isn’t a button that is pressed, where you’re automatically okay,” he added. “It is something that will always be there and just has to be managed.”</p> <p dir="ltr">And as Sheeran himself <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/writing-songs-is-my-therapy-ed-sheeran-reveals-further-heartbreak">wrote in his <em>Subtract</em> post</a>, “Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings … in just over a week I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Family & Pets

"Writing songs is my therapy": Ed Sheeran reveals further heartbreak

<p>In the wake of the tragic news of the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tragedy-strikes-ed-sheeran-tour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heartbreaking loss</a> suffered by his co-writer and touring partner, Ed Sheeran has taken to Instagram to share his struggle following a series of life-changing events – and how this has altered the course of his new album, Subtract.</p> <p>The singer shared how he “spiralled” into depression last year after his wife, Cherry, was diagnosed with a tumour during her second pregnancy, which couldn’t be treated until after she gave birth.</p> <p>The star explained that he was "trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album" for almost a decade, when the series of events changed everything.</p> <p>“Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out.</p> <p>“And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts," he captioned.</p> <p>“Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth.</p> <p>“My best friend Jamal [Edwards], a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety.</p> <p>“I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air".</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" 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);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpPY7qyI6XB/?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> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </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;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpPY7qyI6XB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The four-time Grammy award winner shared that this album was a "trapdoor" into his soul, and a way for him to make sense of everything he's been through.</p> <p>Sheeran announced the birth of his second daughter, Jupiter, in May of last year.</p> <p>Subtract will be released on the 5th of May 2023, through Asylum/Atlantic.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

Nespresso launches limited-edition festive collection

<p>Nespresso and world-renowned pastry chef and chocolatier Pierre Hermé are thrilled to join forces and announce a limited-edition capsule collection to kick off the festive season. The exclusive coffees and accessories are a celebration of refined tastes and indulgence, representing the best when it comes to tasting pleasures.</p> <p>The limited-edition collaboration builds upon Pierre Hermé’s extensive background as an expert of flavour, bringing to life a collection that focuses on shared moments with friends and family over the festive period.</p> <p>Of all the festive scenes in the world, Parisian design and culinary science is the pinnacle - the lights, the Christmas markets, the extravagant art, the city’s infectious energy - all these make Paris during Christmas a dream. Australians have long looked to Europe for inspiration when it comes to Christmas and with this new collection, Aussies will have the chance to experience Parisian finesse without leaving the country.</p> <p>From the creator of the Haute Pâtisserie, Pierre Hermé’s pastries are at the apex of avant-garde design, skilled technique and refined flavours. Decades of experience beginning with an apprenticeship at age 14 for Gaston Lenôtre, widely considered the father of modern pastry, led to Pierre Hermé being crowned the prestigious title of World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2016.</p> <p>With namesake boutiques and cafés all over the globe, Pierre Hermé’s creativity and sophistication in gastronomy is unparalleled. His unmistakably modern imagination pairs with technique to craft the ultimate coffee for the most discerning of palates – foodies will delight in the complex flavours while rejoicing in the ease of use, all from the comfort of home.</p> <p>If you're a devote Nespresso fan make sure you pick up the limited edition advent calendar. Containing 24 coffees and a surprise gift for the last day. The coffees are a mix of favourites from Nespresso’s permanent range and Pierre Hermé’s co-created limited edition collection. All presented in an exquisite box designed to be reused afterwards.</p> <p>In addition to the limited edition coffee pods, Nespresso have come out with three limited edition coffee machines including: </p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/Coffee-machines-new.jpg" alt="" width="835" height="414" /></p> <p>The Nespresso | The Pierre Hermé collection is available now in Nespresso boutiques worldwide and online. As with all shared moments, the collection is available for a limited time only and while supplies last.</p> <p>You can check out the beautiful new collection here: </p> <p><em>Images: Supplied</em></p> <p> </p>

Food & Wine

Diwali festivals light up the world

<p dir="ltr">Celebrations of Diwali, or the Festival of Lights, has seen homes across India and elsewhere in the world light up with colour as many gathered to celebrate it for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> <p dir="ltr">For Hindus and Jains, Diwali symbolises the victory of light over darkness and commemorates the return of Lord Ram to the Ayodhya kingdom after 14 years of exile.</p> <p dir="ltr">It’s a time of gift-giving and celebrating with friends and family at mandirs (Hindu temples) or at home, with spaces decorated with oil lamps, candles, fireworks and intricate rangoli designs in doorways.</p> <p dir="ltr">While the festivities are due to end on Wednesday, the celebration reached its peak on Monday, the darkest day of the year.</p> <p dir="ltr">On Sunday night, more than 1.5 million lamps were lit and kept burning for 45 minutes at Ram ki Paidi in the city of Ayodhya, beating last year’s World Guinness Record of 900,000 lamps staying lit.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ahead of Sunday’s event, the city was decked out in fairy lights and a laser and fireworks show illuminated the lanes and riverbanks.</p> <p dir="ltr">The festivities weren’t just restricted to Ayodhya either, with celebrations occurring around the world.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Sikh community celebrated a different festival called Bandi Chhor Divas, or the Day of Liberation, which marked the day that the religion’s sixth teacher, Guru Hargobind, led 52 princes out of prison to Amritsar, a city in the north-western Indian state of Punjab.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5a9c086f-7fff-3f66-a77e-8ff307af47cb"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The two-day festival serves as a reminder of the importance of freedom and civil rights, with the second day coinciding with Diwali.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images</em></p>

International Travel

First Nations’ music festival announced

<p dir="ltr">An Aussie first music festival is set to hit Victoria’s iconic Hanging Rock this November, in what is being described as a “celebration of Blak Excellence''.</p> <p dir="ltr">First & Forever is a brand new day-long festival featuring Australia’s finest First Nations artists to showcase their music talent.</p> <p dir="ltr">The line-up was handpicked by rapper and author Briggs with the help of his friend and Aussie music legend Paul Kelly. </p> <p dir="ltr">The jam-packed line-up features the likes of Jessica Mauboy, Christine Anu, Dan Sultan, Baker Boy, Thelma Plum and many more. </p> <p dir="ltr">First & Forever isn't your typical music festival, with the line-up presented in what's billed as "a dizzying procession of acts interwoven in short, uninterrupted sets."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" 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);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjTu_ehP4bt/?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> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </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;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjTu_ehP4bt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by triple j (@triple_j)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">All performances will take place on the single 'Uncle Archie Stage', named in honour of the late Uncle Archie Roach with the blessing of his Foundation.</p> <p dir="ltr">The festival first began as an idea between Briggs and late record label mogul Michael Gudinski. </p> <p dir="ltr">"For years I'd had an idea for a First Nations-led contemporary music festival, something cool and boutique that was really about the music and culture," Briggs told the ABC.</p> <p dir="ltr">"When Gudinski called me about a similar idea he'd had, we found this really collaborative working relationship. We both had a passionate approach to Melbourne, Victorian music, and amplifying Blakfellas' stories. MG got the ball rolling. After he passed, the ball was in my court. I had to take it home."</p> <p dir="ltr">The showcase of Indigenous Australian excellence will take place at the foot of the majestic Hanging Rock on the lands of Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples. </p> <p dir="ltr">The traditional custodians of the land have worked with each other and First & Forever to name the location The Gathering Place – a name that "acknowledges the power of Country to build community, communication and an equitable future."</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://firstandforever.com.au/">Tickets</a> for First & Forever are on sale now, with the event kicking off on Sunday November 27th. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram</em></p>

Music

"You get burnt together, you get wet together, you dance together": how festivals transform lives – and landscapes

<p>Every year in lutruwita/Tasmania, <a href="https://www.triplem.com.au/story/dark-mofo-2022-figures-show-festival-was-a-success-202082">tens of thousands of people</a>journey to and meander through the island state and take in festivals such as <a href="https://darkmofo.net.au/">Dark Mofo</a>, <a href="https://cygnetfolkfestival.org/">Cygnet Folk Festival</a> or <a href="https://www.nayriniaragoodspirit.com/">Nayri Niara Good Spirit Festival</a>. </p> <p>Part of the pull of this place and its cultural offerings are the landscapes in which such events are placed: picturesque mountain ranges and deep valleys; vast open paddocks and pristine bushlands; glistening coastlines; quirky city spaces.</p> <p>As human geographers, we understand that festival landscapes are more than a party backdrop. They are not waiting, ready to greet us like some sort of environmental festival host. They have <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-deep-time-1440836">Deep Time</a> and layers of meaning.</p> <p>But when they become spaces for creative adventures, these landscapes also have profound effects on how people experience festivals, affecting our sense of place, of ourselves and others. </p> <p>Festivals come with specific boundaries – dates, gates or fences – and mark a period and place in which we experience <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02614360802127243">some shifting of social norms</a>. </p> <p>In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755458622000354#!">our research</a>, we wanted to explore how festivals affect people’s sense of place, self and other.</p> <p>As Grace, an avid festival-goer, told us “social expectations that come with adulthood get removed at a festival.” </p> <p>"I don’t know what happens when you walk through the gate of a festival [..] you leave all that behind and you step into what feels like […] a more authentic version of yourself. Or at least a freer one."</p> <h2>Creating spaces</h2> <p>A lot happens to make a festival landscape.</p> <p>Teams of staff and volunteers establish campsites, install rows of toilets that often are also composting works of art, build stages, lay kilometres of pipes and power chords and design paths, sculptures and dance floors. </p> <p>These collective labours create a special atmosphere; serve basic needs for sleep, food, hydration, warmth and sanitation; invite journeying to and from; and foster relationships to places and sites via immersive experiences and hands-on engagements with the landscape itself, for itself.</p> <p>Travis, a stage-builder and DJ, told us: "If you use what’s already there, then [the stage] blends in with that whole environment and ties in to how people see it and how people feel in it."</p> <p>Marion, a festival artist, spoke of her desire to show care and respect by creating work that “doesn’t impose and can […] naturally be reabsorbed” into the landscape. </p> <p>She described how all of the rocks for a labyrinth at one event came from the festival site. Once, the sheep who lived there walked through on their usual path – destroying her installation.</p> <h2>Transformative experiences</h2> <p>When people attend festivals, they often attach themselves to the landscape and detach from their daily lives: they are looking for transformative experiences. </p> <p>In lutruwita/Tasmania, festivals such as <a href="https://www.fractangular.com.au/">Fractangular</a> near Buckland and <a href="https://m.facebook.com/panamafestival">PANAMA</a> in the Lone Star Valley take place in more remote parts of the state. </p> <p>Grace, from Hobart, told us that being in those landscapes taps into "something that humans have done forever […] gather around sound and nature and just experience that and feel freedom."</p> <p>Even when festivals are based in urban landscapes, the transformation of these spaces can evoke a sense of freedom. </p> <p>For Ana, a festival organiser, creating thematic costumes is part of her own transformation. </p> <p>At festivals she feels freedom to “wear ‘more out there’ things”.</p> <p>"If I was on the street just on a Wednesday I’d have to [explain my outfit] […] Whereas at a [street] festival[it] flies under the radar."</p> <h2>Body memories</h2> <p>Festival landscapes have features conducive for meeting in place (think open spaces, play spaces, food and drink venues) and for separating out (think fences and signs). </p> <p>Commingling at festivals can literally lead people to bump into each other, reaffirm old bonds and create new connections through shared experiences. </p> <p>One artist, Marion, told us, "When you go and you camp, you get burnt together, you get wet together, you dance together. [It creates] an embrace for me."</p> <p>Festivals often linger in people’s memories, entwined with <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-008-9222-0">bodily experiences</a>. People we spoke with talked about hearing birdsong and music, seeing the sun rise and fall over the hills and feeling grass under their dancing feet.</p> <p>While <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0038038514565835">one-off events</a> can be meaningful, revisiting festivals may have an <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1440783318773531">especially powerful effect</a>. </p> <p>Annual festival pilgrimages become cycles of anticipation, immersion and memory-making. This continuing relationship with a landscape also allows festival goers to observe how the environment is changing.</p> <p>As festival organiser Lisa said, "Since 2013 […] every summer our site just got drier and drier. 2020 was the driest year of all. There was no creek. There was just a stagnant puddle."</p> <h2>Writing new stories</h2> <p>The COVID-19 pandemic led organisers and attendees to <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/how-music-festivals-are-surviving-coronavirus-cancellations/a-54374343">rethink engagements with live events</a>. Many were cancelled; some were trialled online. </p> <p>But after seasons of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-17/music-festivals-in-tasmania-after-coronavirus/12462076">cancellations</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/without-visiting-headliners-can-local-artists-save-our-festivals-154830">downscaling</a> and <a href="https://untv.theunconformity.com.au/">online events</a>, some festivals in lutruwita/Tasmania are back, attracting thousands of domestic and interstate visitors. </p> <p>For those festivals that have disappeared, their traces remain in our countless individual and collective stories of the magic of festival landscapes.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/you-get-burnt-together-you-get-wet-together-you-dance-together-how-festivals-transform-lives-and-landscapes-186558" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

Royal fans claim they spotted Queen Elizabeth at Glastonbury Festival

<p>Royal fans have hilariously claimed they spotted Queen Elizabeth in the crowd at the annual Glastonbury Festival.</p> <p>Glastonbury is a five-day festival that takes place in Somerset, England, with this year featuring artists such as Diana Ross, Glass Animals, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney and many more. </p> <p>During Robert Plant's performance on the final night of the festival, spectators thought they saw a familiar face in the crowd that looked very similar to Queen Elizabeth. </p> <p>The woman, who is most definitely not the Queen, wore a jacket with a hood up and sunglasses and bore a striking resemblance to Her Majesty. </p> <p>The three second clip of the Queen's doppelganger has been making the rounds on Twitter and has since gone viral.</p> <p>It was shared by royal fan Andy on Twitter along with the caption, "Lovely to see the Queen enjoying a bit of Robert Plant at #Glastonbury."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lovely to see the Queen enjoying a bit of Robert Plant at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Glastonbury?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Glastonbury</a>. <a href="https://t.co/Ra4jyNz9lZ">pic.twitter.com/Ra4jyNz9lZ</a></p> <p>— Andy (@alreadytaken74) <a href="https://twitter.com/alreadytaken74/status/1540427529705627653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>"Classic Liz," one person responded. </p> <p>It is, of course, extremely unlikely that Her Majesty would be in the Glastonbury crowd, considering the fact that her currently health condition has prevented her from attending many recent official engagements. </p> <p>The monarch recently celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the British throne.</p> <p>Increasing mobility issues meant she was unable to attend most engagements but any appearance she did make was appreciated by royal fans.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Twitter / Getty Images</em></p>

Music

REVIEW: Blossom Bar

<p dir="ltr">Feeling a little bored and want to break up the week? Looking for new places to add to your rotation? Look no further than Blossom Bar.</p> <p dir="ltr">Situated in Sydney’s Chippendale Spice Alley, Blossom Bar is a small cocktail hideaway, something you’d likely find walking through the back streets of Tokyo. The venue is intimate and alluring, with different Japanese inspired drinks on the menu that form part of the unique experience. </p> <p dir="ltr">On a Wednesday night, the team at Over60 decided to make it a date and see what Blossom Bar had to offer. </p> <p dir="ltr">Once seated (not too difficult on a Wednesday), we immediately ordered food and drink. The service was quick and the staff seemed to be super confident and efficient. </p> <p dir="ltr">The way the drinks were served and presented made the experience a stand-out and had everyone </p> <p dir="ltr">Starting off strong, the drinks of choice were:</p> <p dir="ltr">The ‘Yuzu Sparkler’ (Japanese gin, yuzu, yuzu bitters, prosecco), served with an actual sparkler, this cocktail looked too pretty to drink. It wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet and had quite a refreshing and citrusy taste to it. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Blossom Martini (Japanese rice gin, maraschino, house-made sakura vermouth). This drink was high on the sweetness scale and I wouldn’t recommend it to those who don’t have a sweet tooth. Best consumed slowly, this drink was like a little dessert. </p> <p dir="ltr">The ‘Bubblegun Martini’ (Hubba Bubba Vodka, hubba bubba syrup, sakura, pressed citrus, rosemary smoke bubble) was served with a bubblegum, forming a rosemary smoke bubble. </p> <p dir="ltr">The absolute crowd favourite was the ‘Disko Drink’ (Vodka, elderflower, house-made yuzu marmalade, lychee sherbet, prosecco), which ended up being the most impressive cocktail on the menu, served with a speaker and disco lights! The staff let us keep the speaker for the table and we ended up picking the tunes all night, and as a millennial would say “the vibes were immaculate”. For those of you who don’t understand, we had an incredible time!</p> <p dir="ltr">The food started rolling out at the perfect time, as we all picked classic sushi restaurant snacks. Think edamame, pork gyoza, chicken and avocado rolls and a grilled salmon nigiri share plate.</p> <p dir="ltr">The portions were small, which complimented the drinks nicely. Blossom bar is first and foremost a cocktail bar, with the emphasis on the relaxed and alluring atmosphere, next time around I will be sure to either start the evening here for a couple of drinks before dinner or eat prior to going, in order to explore a wider variety of their bespoke cocktails.</p> <p dir="ltr">Everything was extremely insta worthy and felt effortlessly glamorous. The prices reflected the quality of the food and drinks, while being on the slightly more expensive side but for a pleasant night out in Sydney it was worth every cent.</p> <p dir="ltr">Blossom Bar is the perfect hole-in-the-wall escape from the hustle and bustle of dining inside the CBD. Spice Alley is quite accessible being a 15-minute walk from Broadway Shopping Centre and a five-minute walk from Central Station.</p> <p dir="ltr">You can flick through a gallery of the team’s favourites below. </p>

Food & Wine

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Major festival event cancelled after deadly find

"Anzac Day is not for sale": Veterans slam Anzac Day rock festival

How to protect yourself from cyber-scammers over the festive period

Crown Princess Mary shares family festive fun

4 tips to help your loved one with dementia enjoy the festive season

Mariah Carey slapped with multi-million dollar lawsuit over hit festive song

Social media snaps map the sweep of Japan’s cherry blossom season in unprecedented detail

"A true legend": Jane Fonda pegs award at director's head

All grown up! Catherine Zeta-Jones' daughter makes Cannes debut