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"Absolute honour": Federer's stirring words as Nadal hangs up his racquet

<p>Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have led a wave of tributes after Rafael Nadal announced he would be retiring from playing professional tennis. </p> <p>Nadal announced the news in an emotional Instagram video, where he thanked his family, team, friends and loyal fans for their support, while announcing that the David Cup Finals in November would be his last competition. </p> <p>In his video, the Spanish tennis champion also thanked his "greatest rivals" for giving him fierce competition throughout his stellar career. </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/DA8EpTsg3iV/?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/DA8EpTsg3iV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Rafa Nadal (@rafaelnadal)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Those great rivals were the first to honour Nadal after his shock announcement, with Roger Federer sharing a photo of their pair sitting side by side, both in tears, as the Swiss great announced his own retirement two years ago. </p> <p>He wrote, “What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honour.”</p> <p>Novak Djokovic also shared a message for Nadal, posting a photo collage of their friendship behind the scenes. </p> <p>“Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport,” the 24-time Grand Slam title winner wrote.</p> <p>“You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis and I think that’s probably the greatest achievement anyone can wish for. Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit is going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever."</p> <p>“Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon of tennis and sport in general. Thank you for pushing me to the limit so many times in our rivalry.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Daniel Irungu/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Retirement Life

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Think you’ve decided what to buy? Actually, your brain is still deciding – even as you put it in your basket

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tijl-grootswagers-954175">Tijl Grootswagers</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/genevieve-l-quek-1447582">Genevieve L Quek</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/manuel-varlet-156210">Manuel Varlet</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p>You are standing in the cereal aisle, weighing up whether to buy a healthy bran or a sugary chocolate-flavoured alternative.</p> <p>Your hand hovers momentarily before you make the final grab.</p> <p>But did you know that during those last few seconds, while you’re reaching out, your brain is still evaluating the pros and cons – influenced by everything from your last meal, the health star rating, the catchy jingle in the ad, and the colours of the letters on the box?</p> <p>Our recently published <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-62135-7">research</a> shows our brains do not just think first and then act. Even while you are reaching for a product on a supermarket shelf, your brain is still evaluating whether you are making the right choice.</p> <p>Further, we found measuring hand movements offers an accurate window into the brain’s ongoing evaluation of the decision – you don’t have to hook people up to expensive brain scanners.</p> <p>What does this say about our decision-making? And what does it mean for consumers and the people marketing to them?</p> <h2>What hand movements tell us about decision-making</h2> <p>There has been <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-051053">debate within neuroscience</a> on whether a person’s movements to enact a decision can be modified once the brain’s “motor plan” has been made.</p> <p>Our research revealed not only that movements can be changed after a decision – “in flight” – but also the changes matched incoming information from a person’s senses.</p> <p>To study <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62135-7">how our decisions unfold over time</a>, we tracked people’s hand movements as they reached for different options shown in pictures – for example, in response to the question “is this picture a face or an object?”</p> <p>When choices were easy, their hands moved straight to the right option. But when choices were harder, new information made the brain change its mind, and this was reflected in the trajectory of their hand movements.</p> <p>When we compared these hand movement trajectories to brain activity recorded using neuroimaging, we found that the timing and amount of evidence of the brain’s evaluation matched the movement pattern.</p> <p>Put simply, reaching movements are shaped by ongoing thinking and decision-making.</p> <p>By showing that brain patterns match movement trajectories, our research also highlights that large, expensive brain scanners may not always be required to study the brain’s decision evaluation processes, as movement tracking is much more cost-effective and much easier to test on a large scale.</p> <h2>What does this mean for consumers and marketers?</h2> <p>For consumers, knowing our brains are always reevaluating decisions we might think of as “final” can help us be more aware of our choices.</p> <p>For simple decisions such as choosing a breakfast cereal, the impact may be small. Even if you have preemptively decided on a healthy option, you might be tempted at the last minute by the flashy packaging of a less healthy choice.</p> <p>But for important long-term decisions such as choosing a mortgage, it can have serious effects.</p> <p>On the other side of the coin, marketers have long known that many purchase decisions are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698912000781">made on the spot</a>.</p> <p>They use strategies such as attractive packaging and strategic product placement to influence people’s decisions.</p> <p>New ways of studying how people’s brains process information – right up to the last minute – can help marketers design more effective strategies.</p> <h2>Opportunities for further research</h2> <p>Further research in this area could explore how different types of information, such as environmental cues or memories, affect this continuous decision evaluation process in different groups of people. For example, how do people of different ages process information while making decisions?</p> <p>Our finding – that hand movements reflect the inner workings of the brain’s decision making process – could make future studies cheaper and more efficient.</p> <p>The ability to fine-tune marketing in this way has implications beyond just selling products. It can also make public strategic messaging far more effective.</p> <p>This could include tailoring a public health campaign on vaping specifically for people aged under 30, or targeting messaging about superannuation scams more effectively at those of retirement age.</p> <p>The act of reaching for a product is not a simple consequence of a decision already made; it’s a highly dynamic process. Being aware of what influences our last-minute decision-making can help us make better choices that have better outcomes.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/234167/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tijl-grootswagers-954175">Tijl Grootswagers</a>, Senior Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/genevieve-l-quek-1447582">Genevieve L Quek</a>, Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/manuel-varlet-156210">Manuel Varlet</a>, Associate Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </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/think-youve-decided-what-to-buy-actually-your-brain-is-still-deciding-even-as-you-put-it-in-your-basket-234167">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Mind

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John Laws hangs up in disgust on Kyle and Jackie O

<p>The radio waves became a battlefield this morning as the titans of Australian talkback clashed in a dramatic showdown involving corset dresses, colon procedures – and a surprise departure for medical attention.</p> <p>The day kicked off with Jackie O making a grand entrance, albeit a slightly woozy one, having undergone surgery to bid farewell to a cervical polyp. Kyle, ever the supportive co-host, explained to listeners that Jackie was feeling under the weather and experiencing some tingling in her arm. (Because, as you know, corset dresses and surgery recovery are a match made in radio heaven.)</p> <p>"She just stepped out for a lay down. She’s got like a corset dress on and she had an operation yesterday," Kyle explained, giving us all a mental image of a radio host napping in style.</p> <p>But that was just the appetiser. The main course featured none other than radio legend John Laws, who decided to play hardball with the hosts in a dramatic fashion. Scheduled for an interview to celebrate an impressive 70 years on-air, Laws decided he'd had enough after catching wind of Jackie O's surgical  – and, let's face it, highly graphic – revelations.</p> <p>Jackie O explained to a bemused Kyle that her surgeon had operated on her “via the colon or the vagina, I’m not sure which... What must I have looked like on the operating table? Nude, shower cap...” </p> <p>Now, let's take a moment to appreciate the delicacy of the situation. Laws, a seasoned broadcaster, chose that exact moment to hang up on the dynamic duo faster than you can say "corset controversy". Apparently, the mere thought of following that "real" a discussion about medical procedures, particularly those involving the nether regions, was way too much for his delicate radio palate.</p> <p>In an unexpected turn of events, Laws' assistant then became the unwilling messenger between the offended radio icon and and the KIISFM hosts. “Is it true he got angry about Jackie’s disgusting story?” Kyle asked. The assistant revealed that Laws "just doesn’t like it, Jackie. He doesn’t like following all that talk about vaginas." A sentiment we're sure many have echoed when trying to enjoy their morning coffee.</p> <p>But the cherry on top was Laws hanging up not once, but twice! Cementing forever his stance on steering clear of on-air discussions involving surgical escapades.</p> <p>Jackie O valiantly defended herself, insisting it wasn't gratuitous and was, in fact, a perfectly normal chat about a medical procedure. Laws, unmoved, made it clear he had no interest in such shenanigans.</p> <p>As if that weren't enough drama for one day, Jackie O had to bow out early due to feeling unwell, prompting Kyle to make a mercy call to Laws on-air to explain the situation. Laws, ever the gentleman, softened his stance, admitting he was just surprised at the talk and muttering a nonchalant "never mind".</p> <p>After that morning of medical misadventures, corset calamities and a radio veteran hanging up, who would have guessed that a discussion about surgery could cause such a ruckus?</p> <p><em>Images: KIISFM / X </em></p>

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"A three-storey, luminous birdcage with suspended hanging gardens and an extensive crypt below": Sydney Modern is open at last

<p>The Sydney Modern Project had the odds stacked against it since its inception in 2013. It has surely been the most controversial state gallery extension to be built in Australia. </p> <p><a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/about-us/people/art-gallery-of-nsw-executive/dr-michael-brand/">Michael Brand</a> – a Canberra-born, ANU and Harvard trained art historian with an outstanding museum career in Australia and America – was appointed as director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2012. This was on the retirement of Edmund Capon, who held the post for the preceding 33 years. </p> <p>Brand <a href="https://www.thecultureconcept.com/sydney-modern-designing-an-art-museum-for-the-21st-century">launched</a> the unfunded plan for a new building in 2013, the Tokyo firm SANAA <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/tokyos-sanaa-architects-win-art-gallery-of-nsw-sydney-modern-design-competition-20150527-ghamun.html">won</a> the architectural competition in 2015 and construction commenced in 2019 with a budget of A$344 million. The knives were quickly out for Brand and his project. </p> <p>Some, like Paul Keating, did not like the location and called it a “<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/paul-keating-slams-art-gallery-of-nsw-expansion-as-land-grab-masquerading-as-art-20151124-gl6xuz.html">gigantic spoof</a>”.</p> <p>Others did not like the design; a <a href="https://www.cultureheist.com.au/">book</a> was published by a former gallery employee attacking the project; and the new culture at the gallery. Prominent people in the Sydney art scene lined up to attack the project and the director.</p> <figure></figure> <p>There were some people who simply did not like Brand. He is a reserved, scholarly individual with a brilliant eye, in total contrast with the flamboyant, media savvy Capon. </p> <p>There were faults with the original architectural design and significant modifications were implemented before construction commenced.</p> <p>There were also external circumstances that impacted on the project: the murky world of NSW state government politics, bush fires that shrouded Sydney in smoke, COVID-19. </p> <p>However, Sydney Modern, now that it is open, is a spectacular achievement. The floorspace of the gallery has almost doubled, creating a gallery precinct (Brand prefers to call it a “gallery campus”) with two buildings connected by an art garden. </p> <p>On one side we have the stately neo-classical building that looks like a traditional 19th century art gallery with a series of extensions by Andrew Anderson, on the other side, a new 21st century structure.</p> <h2>A luminous birdcage</h2> <p>The new building may be described as a three-storey, luminous birdcage with suspended hanging gardens and an extensive crypt below. The main architectural concept is that of three limestone-clad, cascading pavilions leading down towards the water with a huge supporting rammed earth wall. </p> <p>Below is the crypt, locally called the “tank”, in recognition of its origins as a fuel storage reservoir secretly and speedily constructed at the start of the second world war to store fuel for Allied shipping. </p> <p>It reminds me of the huge water cisterns in Istanbul constructed by the Byzantines to store water for the city.</p> <p>The tank is presently occupied by Adrián Villar Rojas’ “time-travelling sculptural forms” dramatically lit by constantly changing light sources. The smoke and mirrors display is deliberately disorientating, evoking more of a mood than a visual assessment of the artwork.</p> <p>In the upstairs birdcage, it is very easy to orient yourself and be aware of your location and the various possible exits. In the crypt all is murky and unpredictable as you gradually negotiate the spaces and dodge the pillars and protruding sharp edges of the sculptures.</p> <h2>Indigenous art at the heart</h2> <p>Although there is an emphasis on Indigenous art with the transfer of the Yiribana Gallery from the basement of the old building to the entry gallery of the new one, this is more than simply a symbolic gesture to have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the heart of the gallery. </p> <p>Indigenous art is found at all levels of the new building and is integrated into the display of non-Indigenous Australian and international art.</p> <p>One of the highlights for me are the newly commissioned woven metal pieces by Lorraine Connelly-Northey. Her huge metal handbags made from discarded, well-weathered metal sheets from the outback have a stark sense of presence and are laced with wit. </p> <p>Her work looks out onto the most ambitious project, the sprawling art garden by Jonathan Jones scheduled to open mid-2023.</p> <p>Less a deliberate policy and more as part of the process of what Brand describes as selecting the most interesting new art, women artists make up 53% of the 900 exhibitors in the new building. </p> <p>The major thematic groupings, or exhibitions, in the new building are Dreamhome: Stories of art and shelter, Making worlds, Outlaw and Rojas’s The end of imagination in the crypt. These will remain in place for the next six months before there is a new set of exhibitions.</p> <h2>An elegant build</h2> <p>Despite the slings and arrows, Sydney Modern (now known somewhat unimaginatively as the North Building of the Art Gallery of NSW) has come to fruition. </p> <p>Possibly not the most magnificent art gallery in the world, as the NSW premier and his arts minister spruiked at the opening, but an elegant, formidable and very functional new building.</p> <p>Politicians in Australia have always been very good at throwing money at new buildings, the true test will come if this doubling in size of the gallery will be accompanied by a substantial increase to the operating budget of the institution. </p> <p>With new gallery spaces projected for Melbourne, Adelaide and possibly Canberra, funding is required for more than rammed earth, glass, bricks and mortar. Australia does not need a stampede of white elephants.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-three-storey-luminous-birdcage-with-suspended-hanging-gardens-and-an-extensive-crypt-below-sydney-modern-is-open-at-last-194451" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

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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 &amp; 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 &amp; 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&amp;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&amp;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 &amp; 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 &amp; 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

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"He is everything to me": Why Johnny Ruffo is hanging on for Christmas

<p>Beloved former<em> Home and Away</em> star Johnny Ruffo has opened up amid his<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/johnny-ruffo-s-devastating-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> terminal cancer diagnosis</a> sharing the emotional reason he is holding out for Christmas.</p> <p>After spending years in the public eye, Ruffo is telling his tragic yet heartwarming story in a memoir.</p> <p>The 34-year-old told 7entertainment in an exclusive interview that his terminal diagnosis has given him a new goal, that being, looking forward to Christmas time. Johnny will reunite with his brother and “best friend”, who has been away in Ireland for the past three years.</p> <p>The siblings share a two-year age gap and fondly says they are “thick as thieves”.</p> <p>Ruffo has also admitted that his greatest hopes in life have changed. “Just time now, I suppose," he said. "More time with loved ones."</p> <p>“My brother lives in Ireland now so I haven’t seen him for three years and he’s coming home for Christmas and I honestly can’t wait to see him.”</p> <p>The singer speaks highly of his brother, stating he is his “closest” confidante, other than girlfriend Tahnee Sims.</p> <p>“We’re thick as thieves. Honestly, he is my hero, he is everything to me. And I cannot wait to see him,” he said.</p> <p>“I don’t know how I’m going to react, I cannot wait, he’s everything.”</p> <p>Ruffo touched on the brothers’ long-distance relationship throughout COVID and his second battle with cancer, calling Michael’s physical absence “the most glaring impact” of it all.</p> <p>Ruffo called his last family Christmas “very quiet and low-key”.</p> <p>"Sadly, the most contact I could have with my brother in Ireland was via WhatsApp. All jokes aside, I miss him a lot because out of all the men in my life, my brother is the one who sees me even better than I can see myself.”</p> <p>Talking about what he plans to do with his remaining time, Ruffo said he “still has so many things that I want to achieve and that I want to do in life”.</p> <p>He revealed that naming the book <em>No Finish Line</em> meant it “wasn’t the end”.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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"Not you lot!": Michael Caton hangs up on Kyle and Jackie O

<p dir="ltr">Australian actor Michael Caton has no time for radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson’s radio show, it seems, after he dramatically hung up on a producer calling on behalf of the show.</p> <p dir="ltr">‘Intern Pete’ Deppeler called the star of <em>The Castle</em> directly on Thursday, after failing to reach him through a representative, to offer a right of reply to Henderson’s claim on-air that he had been rude to her ex-husband at a party two decades ago.</p> <p dir="ltr">Deppeler told the hosts on Friday that Caton blew up at him as soon as he introduced himself.</p> <p dir="ltr">He recalled saying, “Hi, Michael. It’s Intern Pete from the <em>Kyle and Jackie O show</em>…” before he was interrupted by Caton.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>Packed to the Rafters</em> actor reportedly became angry, yelling, “No! Not you lot!” before hanging up.</p> <p dir="ltr">The unsuccessful call came after Henderson claimed Caton was rude to her ex, ‘Ugly Phil’ O’Neil, at the Australian People’s Choice Awards after-party during the 90s, when the couple were still married.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We loved <em>The Castle</em>. At the after-party, Phil goes and buys a bottle of red wine and takes it over to Michael Canton,” Henderson recounted on Thursday’s show.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He says, ‘Mate, I just love you and what you do, and I wanted to give you this bottle of wine’. [Caton] said, ‘No thanks’. So Phil just walked back with the bottle of wine.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think he actually said worse than that, if I’m honest. A polite way of saying, ‘Go away’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Henderson said O’Neil returned looking dejected, telling her, “Oh wow… that was embarrassing.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She then warned listeners that it’s “really hard” to approach celebrities you like with the hope they’ll be nice.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You hear horror stories… they’re not all lovely,” she said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a56f6459-7fff-fb57-92e9-b66dd305c8d6"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Though it is unknown why Caton hung up on the producer, <em><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11037813/The-Castle-star-Michael-Caton-hangs-Kyle-Jackie-O-Show.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Mail</a></em> speculated that Caton's response may be due to Henderson’s claims, or that the star may still be annoyed with Deppeler for confusing him with American actor Michael Keaton during a red carpet interview in 2018.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram / Getty Images</em></p>

News

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Ash Barty clinches first win since hanging up her racquet

<p dir="ltr">After hanging up her tennis racket, Ash Barty has picked up her golf clubs and gone on <a href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/ash-barty-wins-first-title-after-retiring-from-tennis/news-story/c89225a703fbd7298cdce929c90d768e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to win</a> her first competition at a local golf tournament in Brisbane.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 25-year-old made the shocking announcement that she would be retiring from professional tennis after claiming her third grand slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8a9540b8-7fff-521a-b74e-98076bba2183"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">After sharing that it was time for her to pursue her other dreams, rumours have circulated about whether she would be returning to tennis or cricket, and her latest victory has confirmed which direction she’s heading in.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Next stop for <a href="https://twitter.com/ashbarty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ashbarty</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/WPGATour?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WPGATour</a> 🏌️‍♀️ <a href="https://t.co/2meSQG3jTj">https://t.co/2meSQG3jTj</a></p> <p>— Golf Australia ⛳️ (@GolfAust) <a href="https://twitter.com/GolfAust/status/1510760019763302402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Barty won the ladies competition at the Brookwater Golf and Country Club in the outskirts of Brisbane on Saturday, finishing ahead of four other competitors.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her victory secured her a $30 prize, an amount that pales in comparison to the total $31,920,112 she won during her tennis career.</p> <p dir="ltr">But it isn’t the first time she’s seen golfing success either, having stunned American golfing icon Tiger Woods at an exhibition event in 2020, the same year she won the Brookwater club’s women’s championship.</p> <p dir="ltr">Golfing has also been a huge part of her love life, after she met her now-fiance Garry Kissick at the Brookwater Golf and Country Club in 2016. </p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cac24b5e-7fff-75c8-d3bf-252b08b25a3d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: news.com.au</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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“Hang in there my sweet”: Grant Denyer shares update on baby Sunday

<p dir="ltr">Grant Denyer has shared an emotional update about his youngest daughter Sunday, accompanied by a sweet photo of her and his wife Chezzi in hospital.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh my poor little bubba!” Denyer captioned the photo, shared to Instagram on Wednesday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m so sorry to see you in this state.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8b691545-7fff-d19a-8c08-12e606b81dac"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">In the photo, Chezzi is masked-up and holding Sunday, who has a bandaged hand and is wearing a half-body cast extending from under her arms down to her ankles, with a nappy over the top.</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/CbJo62sLkGD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CbJo62sLkGD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Grant Denyer (@grantdenyer)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Sunday had a special procedure today in hospital to fix her severe hip dysplasia,” Denyer’s post continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The poor thing has to wear a half body cast for the next 12 weeks which will be so uncomfortable and immobilising for her, but will be worth it in the end.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hang in there my sweet, you’ve already shown us how brave and bright you are.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Love Dad.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Hip dysplasia is one of the most common abnormalities in newborns, meaning that the hip bone isn’t in the right place in its socket and can move around, causing the hip to not develop correctly.</p> <p dir="ltr">If left untreated, it can cause the child to develop a ‘waddling walk’ and, as the child gets older, it can lead to osteoarthritis and other hip deformities.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, treatments for hip dysplasia are generally quite successful, with treatment options including splints, non-surgical movement of the bone, or the use of surgery to move the bone and a hip spica - a plaster covering the child from knee to waist - to hold the hip in place. </p> <p dir="ltr">Denyer’s update prompted a wave of well-wishes from fans and friends.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Dancing With The Stars</em> castmate Ricki Lee posted multiple heart emojis, while Peter Helliar commented, “Love &amp; strength to you all”, with a heart and fist-bump emoji.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Don’t you just wish you could take the pain for them!” Fabian Coulthard added.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hope lil lady feels better soon!” journalist Jan Fran wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Poor baby,” V8 Supercar driver David Reynolds commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yeah it’s hard to watch mate,” Denyer replied back.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e0b8ad8a-7fff-e900-b54f-3866534fcc9c"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Sunday has made quite a few appearances on Denyer’s social media accounts, including frequent videos of her making funny noises or doing something cute.</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/Ca9F4-HDGj4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/Ca9F4-HDGj4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Grant Denyer (@grantdenyer)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">In a post made a week prior to the surgical photo, Denyer explained Sunday’s condition in more detail.</p> <p dir="ltr">“As a 1 (year old) she’s a bit of a late bloomer, but at least we now know it’s because of her recently diagnosed hip dysplasia,” Denyer captioned the post, which included a video of Sunday crawling.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In fact it’s so severe her hip really isn’t even in its joint. She’s had a dislocated hip since birth. Which makes this even more special.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Sunday is going in for an operation next week to correct it, then it’s 6-12 weeks in a half body plaster cast. Which will be torture for the poor thing. We’re taking away her mobility just as she’s discovered it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Denyer went on to describe how he found it “devastating” but knew it was necessary, as “she’ll be much more comfortable when she’s healed”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She’s the happiest little soul… can’t believe she’s been so bright with such a huge issue for her little body. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Love you bubba xox.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d357dcf9-7fff-05ab-8f48-3eb3ffdb78f1"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @grantdenyer (Instagram)</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Hanging out for a cruise? You’re not alone

<p dir="ltr">It feels like a lifetime ago when we were actually able to book cruises for a relaxing getaway.</p> <p dir="ltr">Thanks to Covid, that all stopped about two years ago to help stop the spread of the infectious disease.</p> <p dir="ltr">And let's not forget about the <em>Ruby Princess</em> fiasco…but we won’t go there. </p> <p dir="ltr">The ban on foreign cruises in and around Australian waters was extended until April 17, and cruise ship owners are hoping they can hit the waters once again. </p> <p dir="ltr">Marguerite Fitzgerald, the newly appointed President of Carnival Australia and P&amp;O Cruises Australia believes a return to the seas is on the horizon. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Once the ban is lifted, we expect there will be a lot of excitement and demand, and we want to be ready for that,” she told <a href="https://cruisepassenger.com.au/news/well-be-back-better-than-ever-new-carnival-boss-vows-a-party-to-celebrate-the-return-of-ships/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cruise Passenger</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">She predicts the cruise ban will be lifted by the middle of the year and is preparing a complete makeover of the ships following a grueling two-year break.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We are cancelled through to the end of May. It takes a while to ramp ships back up, when you think about having to bring crew over and suppliers have a lead time to be ready to supply the ships.  </p> <p dir="ltr">“So a middle of the year return, assuming we continue to make good progress, that's what we are aiming for.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Watch this sea (space).</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Carnival Australia </em></p>

Cruising

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Woolies responds after GENIUS trolley hack goes viral

<p>Woolworths has spoken up about a supermarket trolley hack that went viral on social media.</p> <p>The image shows a green shopping basket attached to a metal bar with hooks at the back of the trolley.</p> <p>The photograph has gone viral many times over the years but made a resurgence on Facebook and shocked Australian shoppers.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838416/woolies-trolley.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4b33f431f9994baca6f355fe692459db" /></p> <p>The green basket suggests it is a Woolworths’ trolley, however a spokesperson for the supermarket says the trolley was not part of their fleet.</p> <p>They told Yahoo News Australia that Woolworths’ trolleys do feature a rail brace at the back to help keep its structure and help bear the load of items inside.</p> <p>They are not used to hold baskets.</p> <p>A number of Australian Facebook users said they “had no idea” what the metal bars seen on the back of trolleys were used for.</p> <p>“I thought that was just made to piss me off every time I kick it by mistake,” one woman wrote. </p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838415/woolies-trolley-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4254426756ea4da995fd53ca4682371d" /></p> <p>“No more squashing the bread,” a woman suggested when many other shoppers wondered why they would need a basket if they had a trolley.</p> <p>“I guess it would be something to do with putting fragile stuff in the back so that kids don’t stomp all over them!” another said.</p>

Food & Wine

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Deadly tiger snake found hanging around petrol tank

<p><span>A deadly tiger snake was found curled up around a petrol pump at a suburban service station in Melbourne.</span><br /><br /><span>The deadly reptile had completely wrapped itself around a bowser at the Coles Express in Nunawading, in the city's east on Wednesday.</span><br /><br /><span>Snake catcher Raymond Hoser was called in to remove the one-and-a-half metre tiger snake after it crawled out from under a car.</span><br /><br /><span>"They are deadly, you get bitten by a tiger snake and it's pretty intense… they're quite erratic," he told Nine.com.au.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837920/snake-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/53b9fbe5696740d28697ba6db0affc5f" /><br /><br /><span>Mr Hoser said snakes will often crawl up the wheels of parked cars and into the engine cavity, and when the car stops somewhere else it will slither away "and no one knows any different".</span><br /><br /><span>However the snake proved to be unique after emerging from the vehicle and crawling around the gas pump.</span><br /><br /><span>Tiger snakes are the most common snake in Melbourne.</span><br /><br /><span>They are often found along the Yarra River and in the creeks that run off them, Mr Hoser said.</span><br /><br /><span>However, the expert has warned people not to approach the deadly creatures and said they will usually keep moving if they are not bothered.</span><br /><br /><span>"One wrong move by one wrong person is just destruction."</span></p>

Travel Trouble

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DIY gorgeous hanging decoration for less than $50

<p>An enterprising Aussie woman has shared how she made a gorgeous wall decoration for under $50 using supplies from Bunnings and Spotlight.</p> <p>When she discovered that designs similar to the one she wanted to make retailed for upwards of $180, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDF8HloA2dk/">Keira Rumble</a>, owner of Krumbled Foods, decided to make have a go at making and hanging the decorations herself.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDF8HloA2dk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDF8HloA2dk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">So turns out I’ve become a DIY’er in 2020 and I’m not mad about it 🤣💁🏼‍♀️ After I built this bedhead, I decided that I needed something to hang above it. I kept on seeing similar wall hangings going for a cool $180+ each. These hangings cost me $9-11 each, they were so easy to make (check out my story highlights under DIY) and I did them while kicking back and watching Schitts Creek on Netflix. Better yet, all you need is 3 things, raffia + little 3m hooks both found at @bunnings and craft rings. Paid Partnership @bunnings #DIYJULY #diy #pinterest #raffiadiy #homedecor #homediydecor</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/krumble/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Keira Rumble</a> (@krumble) on Jul 25, 2020 at 10:01pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>She made a trio of circular wall hangings using only three materials that cost a total of $47.40 and shared the DIY process with her 404,000 Instagram followers.</p> <p>Rumble used Grunt Craft Raffia Rope, Command Medium Clear Adhesive Wall Hooks from Bunnings and bought three craft rings from Spotlight. </p> <p>Not only did she save money by making the decoration herself, she also enjoyed the creative design process.</p> <p>But while the craft project was simple to make, Keira said the method was repetitive and time consuming complete.</p> <p>'This makes it an easy project to multitask and do while watching television (I created mine whilst watching Schitts Creek on Netflix) or alternatively it's a great way to relax and unwind after a long day,' she wrote on Instagram.</p> <p><em><strong>How to make a wall decoration like Rumble’s:</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Materials:</strong></p> <p>4 x <a href="https://www.bunnings.com.au/grunt-100m-craft-raffia-rope_p4310756">Grunt 100m Craft Raffia Rope </a></p> <p>2 x <a href="https://www.bunnings.com.au/command-medium-clear-adhesive-wall-hooks-2-pack_p3950277">Command Medium Clear Adhesive Wall Hooks </a></p> <p>3 x craft rings from Spotlight</p> <p><strong> </strong><strong>Method: </strong></p> <p><strong>Step 1: </strong>Research to get your DIY inspiration on Pinterest and Bunnings.com.au</p> <p><strong>Step 2: </strong>Start by measuring out your desired length for the raffia and cut into equal lengths. For a more organic look, each length of raffia doesn't need to be exact</p> <p>Note to create a three-ring wall hanging like this, you'll need approximately four packets of 100m raffia rope</p> <p><strong>Step 3:</strong> Fold a piece of raffia in half and thread it through itself to attach to the ring. Continue repeating this until you've filled your ring. Remember to regularly bunch pieces of raffia you've threaded together tightly to create overlap - this will ensure your wall hanging is full and has enough volume</p> <p><strong>Step 4:</strong> To complete your wall hanging, trim the ends of the raffia (if required) to create a more even circular shape and hang on your chosen wall with a hook! </p> <p>She then stuck the adhesive wall hooks to the wall and placed the gorgeous decorations above her bed.</p> <p>The social media post swiftly received more than 12,000 'likes' from Keira's followers who were more than impressed with the result and some were inspired to make the design themselves. </p> <p><em>Images: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDF8HloA2dk/">Keira Rumble</a> / Instagram</em></p>

Home Hints & Tips

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“Insulted” Boy George hangs up on radio host in awkward interview

<p><span>Boy George hung up on a Brisbane radio show early Friday morning after getting frustrated at the host for giving him an “insulting” introduction. </span></p> <p><span>4BC host Neil Breen played a bit of the Culture Club song<em> K</em></span><em>arma Chameleon</em><span> before introducing Boy George to his listeners.</span></p> <p><span>“If you grew up like I did as a teenager in the 1980s then Boy George was bigger than a big deal here in Australia,” Breen said. “He was massive.</span></p> <p><span>“His band Culture Club dominated the Australian singles chart from late ’82 into ’83 with two songs. </span><em>Karma Chameleon</em><span> was obviously their most notable one that we remember, but </span><em>Do You Really Want To Hurt Me</em><span> as well was their breakthrough song.”</span></p> <p><span>Breen then said to his guest, “I’m a bit nervous, Boy George.”</span></p> <p><span>But things didn’t start off as smoothly as expected when </span><em>The Voice</em><span> coach informed the host he wasn’t thrilled with the introduction.</span></p> <p><span>“Especially after that terrible comment about my music. I mean there’s about 10 records you missed that were huge massive hits,” Boy George said, laughing.</span></p> <p><span>The singer then proceeded to list a few of his other hit songs before saying, “I mean, please.”</span></p> <p><span>The interview then went from bad to worse when Breen said to Boy George: “We know how big you were, you were big in my house.”</span></p> <p><span>Boy George snapped: “No, no, please don’t talk about me like I’m in past context. It’s really insulting.”</span></p> <p><span>Scrambling to get the interview back on track, Breen continued: “I don’t mean to insult you, I was just reintroducing you to the audience who remember those great days but also remember you now and how big you are on </span><em>The Voice</em><span>.”</span></p> <p><span>But once again, Boy George was less than impressed.</span></p> <p><span>“Reintroduce them to someone who has been on national TV in Australia for the last four years? You don’t need to reintroduce me. I’m on TV. Everybody knows who I am,” the singer said.</span></p> <p><span>“I know that, Boy George,” Breen said. “But we’re just having a bit of fun. It’s a breakfast radio show.”</span></p> <p><span>The comment was met with silence and it took a few seconds for the 4BC host to realise that Boy George had hung up on him.</span></p> <p><span>“OK, well Boy George is gone,” Breen said. “We were trying to have a bit of fun here on this breakfast radio show and he was insulted that I played </span><em>Karma Chameleon</em><span>, but anyway.</span></p> <p><span>“I didn’t want to insult Boy George but there you go. He hung up on me and that’s the way it goes.”</span></p> <p><span>4BC is owned by Nine Entertainment, the same company that airs </span><em>The Voice</em><span> in Australia.</span></p> <p><span>“I thought we were all in the Channel 9 tent, but anyway,” Breen joked.</span></p> <p><span>“Sometimes pop stars, they’re funny, they’re finicky. If you play their old song that made them famous they want to disown it, so you know what we’re gonna do, we’re gonna play it again,” he said, before hitting play on the song.</span></p> <p><span>And believe it or not, this isn’t the first time Boy George acted like a diva.</span></p> <p><span>In 2017 he ended an interview with ABC Radio National’s Breakfast program, telling host Fran Kelly, “You’re boring me, goodbye”.</span></p>

Music

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“It seems like you’re looking for trouble”: John McEnroe hangs up on radio shock jock

<p>Tennis legend John McEnroe and Melbourne radio host Neil Mitchell went toe-to-toe about McEnroe’s protest to rename Margaret Court Arena.</p> <p>McEnroe and Martina Navratilova protested with a sign that called for a rename from Margaret Court Arena to Evonne Goolagong Arena in honour of the Aussie 24-time grand slam champion.</p> <p>The pair were forced to apologise after breaking Tennis Australia protocols for their protest, but Mitchell made sure it was addressed when he spoke to McEnroe on the radio.</p> <p>Neil Mitchell: Do you regret doing it?</p> <p>John McEnroe: I think it could have been done better and more effectively. But in terms of regret doing it, no. I apologised because I haven’t been one to have perhaps read the rule book as good as I could have. I was unaware there were certain protocols that needed to be followed. I get where Tennis Australia is trying to … handle this as non-vocally as possible. But in this particular case, I believe there’s been a lot of give and take both ways. I loved Evonne Goolagong when I was a kid and I think she represents to me everything positive about what you’d want a stadium to be named.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">NOW | Former tennis star and commentator John McEnroe says he doesn't regret his protest against Margaret Court.<br /><br />"I think it could've been done better and more effectively but in terms of regretting doing it... no."</p> — 3AW Melbourne (@3AW693) <a href="https://twitter.com/3AW693/status/1222646707541819393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>Neil Mitchell: A lot of the letter writers and reaction from the public is ‘this insulted Australia’. What’s your reaction to that?</p> <p>John McEnroe: I think that’s a little going overboard, personally. Tennis Australia and I have had an excellent relationship – they’ve done a fantastic job with this tournament and made it bigger and better each and every year. To say that I’m insulting Australia – I don’t see where you can take it to that level. That certainly wasn’t what we were planning on doing. I’ve had a lot of history in Australia. Australia is a great sporting country and a great place to visit for the players, and myself. That would not be intentional and I’d be quite surprised if people felt that way.</p> <p>The conversation continued, with the pair discussing whether or not a ban to some countries would be appropriate, but McEnroe clarified that he never used that wording. The conversation became heated once Mitchell asked McEnroe if his accreditation was threatened by Tennis Australia.</p> <p>Neil Mitchell: Did Tennis Australia threaten your accreditation or did they just ask you to apologise?</p> <p>John McEnroe: As far as I know, that wasn’t threatened. Perhaps if there is more people like you, maybe they will reconsider it, I don’t know.</p> <p>Neil Mitchell: What do you mean more people like me?</p> <p>John McEnroe: You seem to have a view that you completely disagree and either subtly or forcefully you’re not agreeing with which is OK. It also sounds like you’re insinuating, to me at least, maybe I’m overreaching here but it seems like you’re looking at perhaps they (Tennis Australia) should do more.</p> <p>Neil Mitchell: I’m not. And I can tell you I’ve been one of the strongest supporters of marriage equality in this country.</p> <p>John McEnroe: Well that I don’t know because I don’t….</p> <p>Neil Mitchell: I know, OK fair enough.</p> <p>John McEnroe: I hope that’s true.</p> <p>Neil Mitchell: What do you mean you hope that’s true? Of course it is true.</p> <p>John McEnroe: Listen mate, I’ve got a match in a little bit. It’s OK to disagree with me but you don’t have to try to like, you know, with the way you’re talking to me, it seems like you’re looking for trouble. But that’s OK. It wouldn’t be the first time.</p> <p>Neil Mitchell: Well you’re the one that questioned me there about whether I was telling the truth.</p> <p>John McEnroe: I said I don’t know. I didn’t say whether you did or did not. That is a perfect example. I don’t know. Whatever. Whatever makes you happy is fine.</p> <p>Neil Mitchell: Enjoy the tennis and thank you very much for speaking to us.</p> <p>It was here that McEnroe hung up. The morning seemed to get worse for the American tennis legend, where sports presenter Tony Jones tried to make a joke and it fell flat.</p> <p>The pair were watching a young girl play tennis and McEnroe said that he wished he had footage of me when he was that age.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!<br /><br />Chompers gets completely shut down by John McEnroe after sledging the great man 🤣<br /><br />Watch: <a href="https://twitter.com/Channel9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Channel9</a> <br />Stream: <a href="https://t.co/VLoDqoHZ5m">https://t.co/VLoDqoHZ5m</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9WWOS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9WWOS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/fQ76cq0jV3">pic.twitter.com/fQ76cq0jV3</a></p> — Wide World of Sports (@wwos) <a href="https://twitter.com/wwos/status/1222667754840514560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>Jones quickly swiped back, saying that “I don’t think it would’ve been [in] colour”.</p> <p>McEnroe laughed and tried to recover, explaining that the remark was “harsh but probably true”.</p> <p>When Jones wished him luck for his game on court three, McEnroe said that he should “go get my wood racket, along with the black and white tv you apparently used to watch me on”.</p> <p>McEnroe then explained that it had been a “tough couple days, I guess, and have to keep taking those punches in and stay tough.”</p>

News

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IKEA launches new homewares range for February 2020

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">IKEA is offering a range of practical and stylish homewares, including a range of baskets, armchairs, a hanging organiser and much more.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The latest product drop in February is focusing on a mindful lifestyle while bringing nature into the home through greenery. Natural colour palettes with fresh hues are contrasted sharply with accented colours.</span></p> <p><strong>TJILLEVIPS basket range</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is a range of sustainable handmade baskets that are woven from six different types of plant fibres, which include bamboo, rattan, seagrass, banana fibre, poplar and jute.</span></p> <p><strong>BINGSTA armchair ($199)</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are low and high back versions of this chair on offer and are two colours available. The colours are subdued and elegant grey or a dark shade of yellow. </span></p> <p><strong>KORNSJÖ cabinet with mirror ($299)</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are plenty of storage options for bags, shoes and belongings that are unsightly. It comes in a nice dark shade of grey.</span></p> <p><strong>BORSTAD hanging organiser for accessories ($16.99)</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This hanging organiser boasts plenty of storage if there’s not a lot of space left in your cupboards.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Photo credits: </span><a href="https://www.bhg.com.au/ikea-borstad-homewares-range-february-2020"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Better Homes and Gardens</span></a></em></p>

Home & Garden

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How to hang art (without messing it up)

<p>While everyone may have different tastes in art, there are some general tips and tricks you should keep in mind when hanging your favourite pieces.</p> <p><strong>Keep it level</strong><br />From photographs to sculpture to pastels, art is meant to be seen. That means it's important to hang it at eye level. It's typically a good idea to have the centre of the artwork about 1.5 metres from the ground.</p> <p>Also make sure that the work is hanging properly. A crooked painting can ruin the entire atmosphere of a room. And heaven forbid you hang it upside down!</p> <p><strong>Think big picture</strong><br />Unless you have your own private gallery at home, you'll need to make sure your art fits with the rest of your possessions - particularly your furniture.</p> <p>Art should enhance your home decor, not clash with or take away from it. Keep this in mind when it comes to art placement, as well as the colour of frames and the works themselves.</p> <p><strong>Safety in numbers</strong><br />While you don't want to overwhelm the senses, it's a good idea to remember how art can work in groups.</p> <p>For instance, say you want to hang a painting above your sofa. While your first inclination may be to centre it directly above the furniture, unless the artwork in question is the right size, it could throw off the look of the room. If it's too big it will dwarf the sofa, and if it's too small it just won't look right compared to a big piece of furniture.</p> <p><strong>The 1.45 rule<br /></strong>This one tip guarantees success when placing your art. Always make sure the centre of the artwork is exactly 1.45m above the floor. This is the average human eye-height and is often used as a standard in galleries and museums. </p> <p>People tend to hang art too high but if you stick to this rule, you’ll create consistency across all the artwork in your home, as all your pictures will share a midline as you look around, no matter what the outside dimensions may be.</p> <p><strong>Step by step</strong></p> <ul> <li>Measure and lightly mark 1.45m on your wall with a soft pencil</li> <li>Measure the height of your artwork and divide by two to get the centre measurement</li> <li>Measure the top of your picture frame to the tightened wire</li> <li>Subtract the tight wire measurement from the half height amount to achieve your ‘to the hook’ amount. This helps you establish how high above 1.45m your hook should be placed</li> <li>Lightly mark your wall just above 1.45m with your ‘to the hook’ amount</li> </ul> <p>With groups of pictures, think of the group as one picture.</p> <p><strong>Avoid catastrophe</strong><br />When you’re hanging a frame, check the picture wire and attachment points for wear. Picture wire is made from many fine wires wound together. Over time and after many moves, some of these fine wires can start to break. This will usually occur right where the centre point of the wire is; the point at which it rests on the wall hook.</p> <p>As you’ve adjusted your frame to keep it level, this wears away at the wire and eventually it can snap – with potentially disastrous results. If a painting or picture is particularly heavy, make sure you use a double strand of picture wire and be very careful about your choice of wall hooks and mounting locations.</p> <p>If your walls are made from gyprock, purchase a stud finder from your local hardware shop. This will help you locate your home’s timber framework so you can place screws or hooks at the points of greatest strength. If you prefer to use special gyprock mounting hooks, pay very close attention to their weight limits and always use a bigger hook than you need for the job.</p> <p><em>Written by Stewart Bunn. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/property/how-to-hang-art-without-messing-it-up.aspx">Wyza.com.au.</a></em></p>

Art

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"Hang up or delete the voicemail": ATO's warning over new phone scam

<p>Taxpayers have been warned to beware of scammers using ‘Robocall’ technology to make phone calls from what appears to be a real tax office phone number and demanding payments.</p> <p>The warning came after the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) received a “record” number of 40,225 reports of impersonation scams in 2019 so far, with just over $1 million in losses.</p> <p>“Scammers are sending pre-recorded messages … and are manipulating caller identification so that your phone displays a legitimate ATO phone number despite coming from an overseas scammer,” said ATO assistant commissioner Gavin Siebert.</p> <p>“We are now seeing thousands of Australians missing a call from a scammer, returning the call based on the number on caller ID and speaking to legitimate members of the ATO.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">🚨 PHONE SCAM ALERT! 🚨 Scammers are ‘spoofing’ our numbers in an attempt to legitimise their contact. Hang up on suspicious calls &amp; phone our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/scam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#scam</a> hotline on 1800008540 for support. Read more: <a href="https://t.co/gASgV3U5vh">https://t.co/gASgV3U5vh</a> <a href="https://t.co/Yf3L60cQHD">pic.twitter.com/Yf3L60cQHD</a></p> — ato.gov.au (@ato_gov_au) <a href="https://twitter.com/ato_gov_au/status/1113601418332528640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>In the voicemail, scammers often threaten the victim with an arrest warrant or a sentence if they do not call the scammer back on a provided phone number.</p> <p>Once scammers make contact, Siebert said they will generally request debt payment through unusual methods such as gift cards, vouchers and Bitcoin.</p> <p>“The scammers will threaten you with immediate arrest, attempt to keep you on the line until payment is made and may become rude or aggressive,” said Siebert.</p> <p>The Office said it will never:</p> <ul> <li>show caller ID or send pre-recorded messages</li> <li>threaten taxpayers with arrest, jail or deportation</li> <li>demand immediate payment, or</li> <li>refuse to allow taxpayers to speak with a trusted adviser or regular tax agent.</li> </ul> <p>“If you receive a pre-recorded message claiming to be from us, either hang up or simply delete the voicemail,” said Siebert.</p> <p>Taxpayers are reminded not to return any suspicious calls or voicemail messages, and to instead contact the ATO’s scam enquiry line on 1800 008 540 to check if the call was legitimate.</p> <p>Last month, the ATO also warned about an email scam where taxpayers are sent a fake tax refund notification with a malicious link that redirects them to a page designed to steal their personal information.</p> <p>The Office said all online tax services should be carried out through a genuine myGov account.</p> <p>Have you or anyone you know been a victim of this new ATO phone scam? Tell us in the comments below. </p>

Technology

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Decorating hack: Have we been hanging Christmas lights the wrong way?

<p>It may be the most tedious part of decorating a Christmas tree, but stringing lights around the tree doesn’t have to be draining if done correctly.</p> <p>Most people are known to wrap the lights around the tree starting from the very top and working their way down to the bottom, but there may be a better way to string lights around a tree, and not only is it easier, it looks better too.</p> <p>Francesco Bilotto, a designer and home entertainment expert, has claimed for years that hanging Christmas lights vertically from the top to the bottom of the tree is a fool-proof method to get the most sparkling Christmas tree.</p> <p>Speaking to <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.housebeautiful.com/entertaining/holidays-celebrations/news/a7580/hang-christmas-lights-vertically/" target="_blank">House Beautiful</a></em>, Bilotto says that by hanging the lights vertically instead of horizontally, each bulb will be in plain view rather than getting hidden amongst the branches.</p> <p>“This way every tip of your tree, from branch to branch, will twinkle with delight,” he said.</p> <p>He also advised those at home to take the end of the light without the plug and putting it on top of the tree.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/S7OxAdrsy7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/S7OxAdrsy7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">Finally got our tree and decorated it 🎄 #treeontree #golddeers #redsparklyballs #verticallights #besttree #redandgold</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by @<a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/yarilovee/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank"> yarilovee</a> on Dec 6, 2012 at 10:36pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>As you hang the lights vertically, weave them in and out of tree until the excess is hanging off the bottom, then with the lights that are left over, move it across a few inches then work your way back up to the top.</p> <p>Once the process is repeated, it should result in a tree that is sparkling all over.</p> <p>“Another added bonus is when you dismantle your tree and take off the lights, it’ll be easier and less messy to remove strands from the exterior of the tree – rather than fighting a stubborn almost dried branch,” he said.</p> <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: calc(56.25% + 50px); height: 0;"><iframe style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.today.com/offsite/should-you-be-hanging-your-christmas-tree-lights-vertically-579347011617" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div> <p>And to put the technique to test, host of US breakfast show<span> </span><em>Today</em>, Savannah Guthrie, tried it out on air in 2015.</p> <p>Clearly impressed, Guthrie said: “I’ll say this – it’s a lot easier. Usually you’re walking in circles.”</p> <p>Will you be trying out this Christmas lights hack on your tree this year? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

Home & Garden

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Mum’s clever $27 Kmart hack for gorgeous indoor hanging garden

<p>A mother with a love of greenery has shared her hack for transforming a $27 clothing rack from Kmart into a gorgeous indoor garden.</p> <p>Rebecca Grining, of Geelong, Victoria, rents her home which meant she had to find an inventive way to bring the garden into her home as drilling holes in the walls and ceiling was not allowed. So Rebecca turned to budget friendly retailer Kmart to help her find a solution. </p> <p>“When you rent and you will do anything to have hanging plants indoors!” she wrote on a post alongside an image she shared to social media. “Kmart clothes rack to the rescue! The obsession is real.”</p> <p>The photos show a tall, black, clothes rack with four plants hanging from the top rail.</p> <p><img width="399" height="499" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/07/10/00/4E12C11200000578-5935899-image-a-1_1531177363549.jpg" alt="As a renter, with a love of greenery, Rebecca Grining, of Geelong, reveals how a $27 rack from Kmart (pictured) could be transformed into a hanging garden " class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" id="i-9038343d1bfdf3d4"/></p> <p>Rebecca also revealed she had sourced the other pieces for her indoor garden from second-hand shops, making it a very budget-friendly creation.</p> <p>“The four-tiered hanger was in stock [at Kmart] last year, the middle is an op shopped cane basket with the Kmart macrame hanger, the black and grey hanger was from pillow talk,” she told <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://homes.nine.com.au/2018/07/09/14/29/renter-mum-hacks-27-dollar-kmart-item-to-create-indoor-hanging-garden" target="_blank">9Honey</a>.</strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><img width="391" height="393" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/07/10/00/4E12C11B00000578-5935899-image-m-3_1531177580248.jpg" alt=" Ms Grining explained she removed the fabric panel at the bottom of the rack (pictured) as this didn't serve a purpose " class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" id="i-3289a98b98960176"/></span></p> <p>Rebecca shared her hack to a popular mother's Facebook group where the post has been liked nearly 4,000 times.</p> <p>“I have one of those racks (full of clothes overflowing from small wardrobe), but am now thinking I need another to do this!” one mum wrote.</p> <p>Another added: “Deserves the Best Hack Award.”</p>

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