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"Unimaginable curse": Karl Stefanovic pays tribute to fallen father

Karl Stefanovic has paid tribute to Lachlan Webb, a young Queensland dad who sadly passed away from a rare genetic brain disorder. Webb first started showing symptoms of Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) early last year, a rare degenerative brain disorder where the inability to fall asleep is just one of the many symptoms of the condition which many describe to be a living nightmare. From there the symptoms progress to the inability to walk, loss of sight and speech and eventual total shutdown of the body's ability to keep itself alive among others. The Queensland father had already lost his grandmother, aunties, uncles and his mum Narelle to the disease, with his mum passing away just six months after she was diagnosed. The condition is so rare that only 50 families worldwide are known to carry the gene. Karl Stefanovic first met Webb and his sister Hayley back in 2016, after they both learned that they carried the fatal gene. Despite the diagnosis the siblings were determined to ensure the "curse" ended with them, travelling to the US to participate in a clinical study. The siblings also both underwent IVF with their respective partners to ensure that their children won't carry the gene. "Lachlan was a remarkable man battling an unimaginable curse," Karl said on the Today show. "Everyone at Today is thinking of the Webb family, Hayley, Lachlan's beautiful wife Claire and his little boy Morrison." "Hayley also has that gene, their bravery and resilience was incredible to witness firsthand and it's such an important message - everyday is a gift and our thoughts, our prayers and our love are with you all this morning." Images: Nine

Caring

Aussie mum jailed after faking her own death for major insurance payout

A Perth woman who faked her own death to secure a $700,000 insurance payout has been sentenced to three years behind bars. Karen Salkilld, 43, an F45 gym franchise owner, claimed she died in a car accident in Broome in December 2023. The mother-of-two, also provided a falsified death certificate, a coroner report and funeral documents, when she made the claim in January. A month later, she received more than $718,000 from Insuranceline, which she accessed by posing as her former partner who was the beneficiary of the sum and opening a bank account in her name. The "relatively sophisticated" scheme was initially successful, until police became suspicious and froze her account after she moved large amounts of the money around, according to Nine News. Salkilld had to visit Palmyra Police Station in person to certify her fake documents, but after three visits, officers realised something was up and arrested her in March. There is no evidence that her former partner knew of the crime. The fitness instructor admitted that she got the idea from a movie after she fell into debt, although she didn't specify which one. "Your offending could not be described as opportunistic," Judge Vicki Stewart told Perth District Court said in sentencing the fitness instructor. "It was calculated and required both effort and persistence." "You were living beyond your means and over-committed yourself," Stewart added. Salkilld pleaded guilty to gaining benefit by fraud and knowingly using a false record to defraud, and was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday. She was ordered to pay a $101,771 compensation to the insurance company. A restitution order for funds in the bank account was also issued - one for $549,195 and another for $67,995 - with the latter being held in the bank's fraud recoveries account. Speaking to Nine News outside court after the sentencing, Salkilld's estranged sister Ann said "it doesn't surprise me that she is capable of doing things like that." She will be eligible for parole in February 2026. Image: Nine News

Legal

Dad cops furious note from "egotistical Karen" for parking in parent's bay

A Perth dad has been left hurt after he was targeted by an "egotistical Karen" for parking in a parent's bay, while his wife was inside a shopping centre changing their seven-month-old baby. "Don't park here again, you selfish prick!" the note read. His wife took to Facebook on behalf of her hurt husband to question why someone would go out of their way to criticise him for parking in a space designated for parents. "My husband was putting a baby gate in the boot while I was in the forum changing our seven-month-old baby," she defended her partner, who parked at the Mandurah Forum. "He came back into the forum looking for me [and] when we returned, someone had put this note on our windscreen. "How about next time you be sure before insulting an innocent husband and father, you hero." The woman said that the note left her husband "hurt and almost feeling guilty" and she argued that he had every right to be there as a parent. Her post attracted over 300 interactions with many agreeing with the mum, and saying that the "Karen" should've gotten their facts straight before taking action. "There is no law for who can park in parents with prams spaces they are just convenience but anyone can park there and use," one man wrote. A few others shared the same sentiment and said that "it's not illegal to park in those bays" regardless of whether or not you have a baby. Some parents even shared their own experiences and why it is important to not judge someone based on looks alone. "This has happened to me also. I had a baby and a toddler and my husband took them inside the Mandurah forum while I unloaded our car," the person began. "A couple with a baby parked next to me and the man kept yelling at me that it was only for parents with prams, even though I told him I had young kids and a pram. But he didn't believe me and yelled loudly to move my car." One mum added that she doesn't see the need for parents with prams spaces altogether. "As a mum of just a five-year-old, I personally don’t see the need for parent spaces. They are not any bigger, just more convenient. Kids need exercise and prams have wheels, not hard to walk," she wrote. "I personally think they should be seniors bays instead, they are less mobile and struggle to walk long distances. Give them the spots." Images: Facebook

Legal

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

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

“Our absolute worst nightmare”: Nine reporter reveals devastating family diagnosis

Channel Nine reporter Hayley Webb has shared how she and her brother Lachlan have been struck down with a terrifying terminal illness. The siblings have spent their entire lives living with Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) lying dormant in their bodies. The devastating illness, which has already claimed the lives of three aunts and uncles as well as their mother, will eventually leave the siblings unable to ever fall asleep again. From there, symptoms progress to, but are not limited to, the inability to walk, loss of sight and speech and an eventual total shutdown of the body's ability to keep itself alive. Hayley and Lachie first discovered they had the gene in 2016, and decided to take part in a study of the disease in California to end the generational curse of the genetic disorder. But tragically, earlier this year, Lachlan began having symptoms at just 35 years old, and discovered his condition had rapidly worsened. <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/CycA3kxBDGi/?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/CycA3kxBDGi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by thetodayshow (@thetodayshow)</a> </div> </blockquote> "The months leading up to it, I thought something was wrong - my memory was getting worse and I just knew something was different," Lachie told Karl Stefanovic on Today. "I put it off for a month or two just in case it was something else, but once I got tested I realised my fears were confirmed." Lachlan was diagnosed in April, just one day after his son's first birthday, which Hayley described as “just our absolute worst nightmare”. The diagnosis triggered the disease's rapid shutdown of the mind and body, now Lachie struggles to sleep, requires a wheelchair to get around and his speech is starting to go as well. "Lach and I have always been so close - best mates our whole life," Hayley said. "The thought of not having him around is just too much to bear." Sitting in front of the pair, Hayley's heartbreaking admission brought Karl to tears. "I don't think I've ever done a story like this, and certainly never met anybody like you two in my life," the Today host said. With Lachie being officially diagnosed with the disease so young, Hayley has started to wonder about her own mortality. The disease has an average duration of 18 months, ultimately leading to death, making the siblings worry about their families and their futures. “It's just, like, been such a stark reality check that it's not a guarantee that we're gonna get to 60, it's not a guarantee we'll make it to 50,” she said. “I've got a three-and-a-half year-old and a baby on the way who I desperately want to see grow up.” While no doctor or test can predict how long Lachie has - his wife Claire and Hayley, who is expecting, have done something extraordinary, taking their family's fate into their own hands. "We both underwent IVF and through that process we were able to conceive children who won't have the gene, so the family curse stops here," Hayley said. Image credits: Today

Caring

“People don’t understand boundaries”: Woman ruins couple’s romantic proposal

A young couple has been left devastated and mortified after their marriage proposal was crashed by an inconsiderate “Karen” on the beach. Zenicca Llanza, a 24-year-old from the Philippines, shared a video of her boyfriend getting down on one knee at the beach and asking her to marry him. Her partner had arranged a romantic set up on the beach, complete with a tent, picnic table, proposal sign, a cake and rose petals. However, when the time came for him to pop the question, a beach goer began to interfere and rearrange the set up, interrupting the romantic moment. In the video posted to TikTok, Zenicca’s partner got down on one knee and began to recite a speech, as the unnamed woman walked into shot. <div><iframe title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7269928964536192298&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40warngwarng%2Fvideo%2F7269928964536192298&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2F80e87476646048bca323b002688ff427_1692662253%3Fx-expires%3D1692910800%26x-signature%3D2CX7o9uY0RsEB7creGyXnWP8mas%253D&key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> She then moves the proposal sign before walking over to the couple to get a look at the ring, before Zenicca even got a chance to wear it. “How to quickly ruin a proposal,” Zenicca wrote on TikTok. “Please be mindful of other people's once in a lifetime event! You never know you're already ruining it,” she wrote. The video has racked up tens of thousands of views, with many people being outraged on Zenicca’s behalf. “You could excuse the first few seconds w good intentions but the rest I feel like we’re just really bad manners and not having any self awareness,” commented one person. “This made me physically ill. I'm so sorry omg,” added another. “Aw I could tell she had good intentions but was ignorant in the moment that she was slightly ruining something y’all would cherish forever,” commented a third. “Just tell her it’s a personal moment. Sometimes people don’t understand boundaries.” Image credits: TikTok

Relationships

Damning first draft of Clare Nowland statement found

New documents have brought forth allegations that the NSW police force removed key elements in their initial statement regarding the death of 95-year-old Clare Nowland. <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/clare-nowland-dies-officer-charged">The mother-of-eight passed away</a> in Cooma Hospital on May 24, one week after <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/furious-response-to-95-yr-old-woman-tasered-by-police">she was tasered by a police officer</a> at her Yallambee Lodge aged care facility. Nowland had reportedly been approaching law enforcement with her walking frame and a steak knife when she was tasered, before she fell backwards and fractured her skull. In the wake of the incident, Police Commissioner Karen Webb reportedly approved a 71-word press release - one that made no mention of the knife, the taser, or even Nowland’s movements. “A critical incident investigation has been launched after an elderly woman sustained injuries during an interaction with police at an aged care facility in the state’s south today,” it read. “The 95-year-old woman was taken to Cooma District Hospital, where her condition is being monitored. A critical incident team will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. That investigation will be subject to independent review. “No further details are available at this time.” However, ‘new’ documents - obtained by the Australian Associated Press under Freedom of Information laws - have revealed that there was another draft, 100 words longer than the released statement, that mentions those key aspects of the case. According to the Sydney Morning Herald - who obtained the internal emails regarding the statement - that draft had been sent to NSW Police Executive Director of Public Affairs Elizabeth Deegan for review, but had been cut by more than half mere hours later, leading the SMH to run with the headline "<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/top-nsw-cops-covered-up-tasering-of-clare-nowland-20230621-p5di67.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Top NSW cops covered up Tasering of Clare Nowland</a>". The original 171-word document made mention of the reports that a Yallambee Lodge resident had a knife, and noted that two officers had arrived to find a woman “still armed … in a small room”. “Police and paramedics attempted to speak to the woman; however, all instructions were ignored,” it continued. “When she stood up and moved towards officers, a taser was deployed by a constable.” It explained that the woman had received treatment from paramedics at the scene, leaving room for information on her condition. It even mentioned that the officer who had deployed the taser was under review. Commissioner Webb defended the decision to edit their original draft while speaking to 2GB’s Ben Fordham, denying that the police force had hidden anything when she told him that “early in the investigation it was necessary for us to make sure that the family were aware of what the circumstances were. “Mrs Nowland has a large family and we didn’t want that family to hear on the radio on TV what had happened to their mum, and so we had to be a bit sensitive to that, and when we were able to talk about it we did.” She added that it was “a very sensitive matter”, and that it was an “unusual” circumstance with everyone seeking answers, but that “it’s appropriate we think about and respect that family, and certainly they deserve that. “It was important that the family were informed of the situation in a factual manner before we went public on it - I think that’s very necessary and I’m sure that family appreciates that now.” Images: 9News / Nine

Legal

Assault victim breaks silence after Rolf Harris' death

Warning: This article contains information about sexual assault which some readers may find distressing. One of Rolf Harris's victims has spoken out about the "impact of evil" the disgraced entertainer had on her life, after the news of his death broke around the world. Karen Gardner, a presenter for the the BBC, accused the convicted pedophile of assaulting her three times when she was his 16-year-old bag carrier for the show Star Games in 1977. Upon hearing the news of his death, Gardner wrote on Twitter, "Very few of us escape the impact of evil people. What we have to do is expose them, share and stand together to dilute the pain." "For me it was Rolf Harris but he inflicted much worse on other girls." Ms Gardner shared the details of her harrowing experience in the recent ITV documentary Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight, which aired just last week. She told the program, "In the space of I guess about 35 minutes, he assaulted me three times in plain sight. And it was horrible because you're surrounded by people, and he had a method of operating." "I won't talk about the actual details, but he was paying me attention, he was saying how great I had been, and he, he hugged me, and that that's when, when it happened. And it was humiliating and degrading and awful and your, your blood turns to concrete." "And then it was mid-afternoon and they had organised a couple of taxis and one of the cars came to get him. And I had to get in the back seat of the car." Ms Gardner said Rolf got beside her and assaulted her again, adding, "Maybe because there wasn't anyone there, I did tell him to f**k off. And he said something, which makes, still makes me feel sick now. He said to me, 'You're irresistible.' I was 16. He was 48. He was 10 years older than my dad." Harris was acquitted of assaulting Ms Gardner after the jury could not reach a verdict at two trials. Rolf Harris' <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/rolf-harris-cause-and-date-of-death-confirmed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">death</a> was confirmed on May 23rd, while his death certificate states he died at the age of 93 on May 10th, after a battle with neck cancer. Image credits: ITV / Getty Images

Caring

Set sail in style alongside these sporting legends

The time has come for sports fans with a passion for cruising to live their dreams, with <a href="https://www.cunard.com/en-au/cruise-types/event-cruises/sporting-greats">The Voyage of Sporting Greats</a> - the latest offering to the world of thrilling themed voyages from British luxury cruise line Cunard. The first-of-its-kind-trip will set sail in February 2024, headlined by none other than AFL legend Adam Goodes, cricket’s Brett Lee, and golfer Karrie Webb. Sunrise and Olympic presenter Mark Beretta will also be joining in on the fun, as well as Bruce McLaren’s daughter, Amanda McLaren. While onboard, guests will have the opportunity to attend live fireside chats with their sporting heroes, to enjoy sports-themed shore excursions with those very same stars, and to get to know them better - if you’ve ever wondered just how heavy some of those trophies can be, now’s your chance to ask. For example, the Queen Elizabeth - one of four ships setting sail as part of the 2024 fleet, alongside Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, and the brand new Queen Anne - has a jam-packed star-studded program to offer guests, featuring everything from talks to sporting activities, and unique excursions to the shore in Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart. Additionally, the Queen Elizabeth - the second largest ship in Cunard’s fleet with room for 2,000 guests and an additional 1,000 crew - boasts more than 10 different eating establishments, an entire Games Desk with the likes of paddle tennis, croquet, hitting bays, and bowls, as well as an impressive two-story library, a ballroom, and a Royal Court Theatre - the latter will even host performances by <a href="https://circa.org.au/">Circa</a>, an Australian contemporary circus company, in February 2024. As Katrina McAlpine, the commercial director of Cunard Australia and New Zealand, explained, “we are extremely excited to host some of the biggest local names in sport on Queen Elizabeth next February. “Brett Lee, Adam Goodes, Karrie Webb, Mark Beretta, and Amanda McLaren will captivate sport enthusiasts with stories of their career defining moments, their professional highs and lows, and give guests the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with them during priceless and bespoke activities onboard and ashore. “The Voyage of Sporting Greats offers sports fans a once in a lifetime chance to meet and engage with some of our country’s most famous sporting icons in one place.” 2014 Australian of the Year and AFL great Adam Goodes, for one, is eager to join in on the fun with his fellow sporting greats, noting that “this is a spectacular opportunity to join the other sporting icons and connect with guests aboard Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth. I am looking forward to sharing stories about my career, what drives and inspires me and what projects I am currently working on. “I am specifically keen to talk to fans onboard and create great memories of the sailing for them.” Celebrated Australian golfer Karrie Webb is similarly excited for Cunard guests to experience their athletic lineup. And golf fans in particular will benefit, with Karrie “very much looking forward to sharing with guests my favourite tips and golf stories, as well as having a swing with them onboard.” Amanda McLaren - daughter of the late Bruce McLaren - is honoured to be taking part, and “can’t wait to interact with guests and to share the McLaren racing story - and my father’s legacy that kick started in Australia.” And for cricket legend Brett Lee, the trip is set to become the highlight of his year, with the star most looking forward to catching up with guests on the “voyage for the ages”. The same could be said for and by renowned sports presenter Mark Beretta, who is thrilled to be facilitating the talent on deck as they share their stories. “Sharing stories of Australian sporting history and anecdotes from behind the scenes of the world of sports, plus talking to some of the biggest stars in Australian sport is going to be a treat for me and our guests,” he shared. “I’m also looking forward to getting on the road with guests to host a very special excursion!” The stars and their fellow cruisers will depart from Sydney on February 13 2024, heading to Tasmania and back over a span of 7 nights, with stops to stretch their legs and enjoy all that the shore has to offer in Hobart, Port Arthur, and Melbourne. To find our more about costs the voyage’s impressive guest list, and what’s on offer on this trip of a lifetime, potential passengers can learn all about it - and secure their spot - here: <a href="https://www.cunard.com/en-au/cruise-types/event-cruises/sporting-greats">https://www.cunard.com/en-au/cruise-types/event-cruises/sporting-greats</a> Images: Cunard [supplied]

Cruising

No cake for Karen: Karl mocks Hemsworth birthday detractors

Today co-hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo have said their piece (of cake) amid the internet controversy that has erupted over a birthday celebration in the Hemsworth-Pataky household. In a photo shared to Instagram to wish their “two little men” - 9-year-old twins Tristan and Sasha - a happy birthday, the family can be seen gathered around a table. On said table is a cake, with one of the kids bent over it, face pressed against it, and the others watching on - some in a show of surprise, all smiling. The image - which appears to be a screenshot from a video - was paired with Chris’ caption stating that there is “Only one way to eat cake in this house and that’s to have mum slam your head into it face first!!” Despite the fact that this was only a brief glimpse into the family’s festivities that day, Chris’ followers wasted no time in slamming them for their birthday prank, with some even going as far as to accuse them of wasting an entire cake without any proof that that was the case. “Why people smash their kids’ face[s] in the cake is above my understanding but whatever,” said one critic. “Agreed,” wrote another. “I think it’s ridiculous.” <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/Cp_TjmPP_LW/?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/Cp_TjmPP_LW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth)</a> </div> </blockquote> And when entertainment reporter Brooke Boney asked Karl and Sarah for their take on the situation, the two let loose. “Chris Hemsworth has been called out by his fans, with some saying his latest Instagram post is violent, and shows him putting his son in an unsafe situation,” Brooke explained. “I'm all for holding people accountable,” she added, “but saying that this is a violent image is a bit too much. “It's a bit of a stretch - they look like they’re a family having fun.” Karl hopped straight to responding, imitating a much older - and sarcastic - version of himself when he quipped, “I think it sends a bad message.” “He’s such a terrible father,” Sarah deadpanned. “People need to wake up to themselves,” Brooke agreed, hands up in amused exasperation. “It’s such a joke!” “It’s face in a cake,” Karl powered on through his own laughter, “now we’re not going to be able to pin the tail on the donkey.” “Unacceptable,” a straight-faced Sarah mused, “unacceptable.” When Karl asked Sarah if she played pin the tail on the donkey, she finally broke, laughing as he told her “you can’t do it anymore.” Images: Today / Nine, Instagram

Family & Pets

New NASA images capture birth of a star

The James Webb Space Telescope continues to stun with its images of the universe following the release of an image showing a “fiery hourglass” housing a newborn star. The image of the protostar (a young star that is still unstable and cocooned in a cloud of dust and gas) has offered scientists insight into what stars might look like “in their infancy”. With the star located in the dark cloud L1527 and only visible in infrared light, the image was captured using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). The protostar itself is hidden from view within the “neck” of the hourglass shape. "An edge-on proto-planetary disk is seen as a dark line across the middle of the neck," NASA said in <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-catches-fiery-hourglass-as-new-star-forms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a release</a>. "Light from the protostar leaks above and below this disk, illuminating cavities within the surrounding gas and dust." <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/star-birth1.jpg" alt="" /> The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a photo of a young star using its infrared camera. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI. Image processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI) Blue and orange clouds forming above, below and around the protostar that form the hourglass represent empty spaces created as material shoots away from the protostar and collides with surrounding matter, with the colours being caused by layers of dust between the camera and the clouds. The thicker the dust, the more orange the clouds appear, since blue light is unable to escape and be perceived by our eyes. While it may appear small, the disk in the middle of the hourglass is about the size of our solar system. According to NASA, the protostar is relatively young at about 100,000 years old and considered a class 0 protostar, “the earliest stage of star formation”. ‘Protostars like these, which are still cocooned in a dark cloud of dust and gas, have a long way to go before they become full-fledged stars,” NASA said. "L1527 doesn't generate its own energy through nuclear fusion of hydrogen yet, an essential characteristic of stars. "Its shape, while mostly spherical, is also unstable, taking the form of a small, hot and puffy clump of gas, somewhere between 20 and 40 percent the mass of our Sun." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Our universe is beautiful. <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAWebb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASAWebb</a> captured a stellar birth which is so poetically nestled in this hourglass shape. A truly stunning marker of time. <a href="https://t.co/8UflbFPdid">pic.twitter.com/8UflbFPdid</a> — Shannon Stirone 💀 (@shannonmstirone) <a href="https://twitter.com/shannonmstirone/status/1593026314310934528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2022</a></blockquote> The protostar will get closer to stable nuclear fusion (the requirement to be a star) as it gathers more mass and its core compresses. "The scene shown in this image reveals L1527 doing just that," NASA said. "The surrounding molecular cloud is made up of dense dust and gas being drawn to the centre, where the protostar resides. “As the material falls in, it spirals around the centre. "This creates a dense disk of material, known as an accretion disk, which feeds material to the protostar.” “Ultimately, this view of L1527 provides a window into what our Sun and solar system looked like in their infancy.” Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI. Image processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI)

Technology

Webb on Webb: How JWST peers back in time at the earliest stages of the Universe

What did the first galaxies and <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/physics/webb-spotted-first-oldest-stars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stars look like</a>? How have they evolved over time? Does life exist somewhere else out there in the great inky blackness of the universe? How can astronomers possibly hope to see through the vast amounts of gas and dust to uncover nascent stars nestled in their cloudy nurseries? In Cosmos Magazine #96, Swinburne University postdoctoral researcher, Sarah Webb, explains how astronomers are exploring these questions, uncovering the deepest mysteries of the universe and space and time. The appropriately named Webb, walks us through the most powerful time machine we’ve ever built, showing us how the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/james-webb-space-telescopes-golden-mirror/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">golden mirrors</a> of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) allow it to peer through the space dense with gas and dust and look at (but not touch!) the very early days of our universe. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p217307-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.62 resetting spai-bg-prepared" action="/science/webb-on-webb-back-time-early-universe/#wpcf7-f6-p217307-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="resetting"> <input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/" aria-invalid="false" /> </form> </div> </div> Be dazzled by beautiful, swirling galaxies and cliffs of dust hiding bright new-born stars as Webb explains the science behind her favourite JWST images, including the Southern Ring Nebula, spiral galaxy NGC 628 and the Cartwheel galaxy. Comparing the Hubble Deep Field with the JWST First Deep Field, we can see just how far technology, engineering and science have come, with JWST seeing further and more clearly than any instrument before it. Australia’s research contribution is highlighted, as Webb discusses some of the incredible science being done by astronomers right here in Australia – work which demonstrates JWST’s unbelievable potential to contribute to an enormous number of fields such as finding the most distant galaxy, early galaxy birth and evolution, dead stars, planets and asteroids, and of course looking for the most promising exoplanetary candidates for signs of life elsewhere in the Universe.  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=217307&title=Webb+on+Webb%3A+How+JWST+peers+back+in+time+at+the+earliest+stages+of+the+Universe" width="1" height="1" />  <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/webb-on-webb-back-time-early-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/clare-kenyon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clare Kenyon</a>. Clare Kenyon is a science journalist for Cosmos. An ex-high school teacher, she is currently wrangling the death throes of her PhD in astrophysics, has a Masters in astronomy and another in education. Clare also has diplomas in music and criminology and a graduate certificate of leadership and learning. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI </div>

Technology

Karen’s Diner slammed for "crossing the line"

Karen’s Diner has been slammed for crossing the line and body shaming a man for his receding hairline. The popular restaurant popped up and instantly became a sensation where the staff are basically required to be “very rude” to customers. However, in this instance, the staff at Karen’s Diner in Brisbane went a step too far and made a comment about a man’s receding hairline. “What’s one thing your f***ing sign says,” the visibly angry man yells at the workers. “No body shaming,” he said as he pointed to the sign of instructions which must be followed. At the man’s feet are some napkins and straws which suggest the man may have thrown them in fury. <div><iframe title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7146733441411828994&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40bechardgrave%2Fvideo%2F7146733441411828994%3F_r%3D1%26_t%3D8Vycdj6hoP4%26is_from_webapp%3Dv1%26item_id%3D7146733441411828994&key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> The video was shared to TikTok by Bec Hardgrav who said that during her time there, the staff were commenting about people’s looks. “They were making offensive comments about people’s appearances," she said. “They told my friend she needs to brush her hair, like how mean is that. “They told my other friend that she was too old and threw cups at us. “I know they’re paid to be mean to you but it was a little hectic. Safe to say I probably won’t come back." Some people commented on the video saying that people should not go to the restaurant if they can’t handle the banter. “You should all know the risks before entering. If you’re too soft, don’t eat there,” someone wrote. “Karen's shouldn't go to Karen's diner,” another commented. “Do people not understand the concept on this place? If you’re going to get offended and mad, don’t go- simple,” another wrote. Others however, were on the man’s side saying he knew the rules more than the staff did and applauded him for his stance. “Literally the guy at the end is on the right,” someone commented. “There’s a difference between Karen’s and bullies,” another wrote. “The guy at the end is well in the right,” someone else wrote. The Karen’s Diner website also has the house rules which must be followed otherwise people will be asked to leave for breaking them. “No racist, sexist, homophobic or ableist comments or slurs will be tolerated,” the list begins. “No body shaming, no sexual harassment, any damage or vandalism of the venue will lead to instant removal from the venue, keep your food and drink on your tables, don’t throw them, it’s not fun. “Even though this is Karen’s Diner, OHS rules still apply. We are a functioning restaurant so do not interfere with hospitality processes. “Just sit down, shut up, eat your food and bring on the banter.” Images: TikTok

Food & Wine

The Webb telescope has released its very first exoplanet image – here’s what we can learn from it

Did you ever want to see an alien world? A planet orbiting a distant star, light years from the Sun? Well, the <a href="https://webb.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)</a> has just returned its first-ever picture of just that – a planet orbiting a distant star. The <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/09/01/nasas-webb-takes-its-first-ever-direct-image-of-distant-world/?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=NASAWebb&utm_campaign=NASASocial&linkId=179637235" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new images</a> reveal JWST will be a fantastic tool for astronomers aiming to improve their knowledge of exoplanets (planets around other stars) – even better than we had hoped it would be! But for those who’ve grown up on a diet of Star Trek, Star Wars, and myriad other works of science fiction, the images may be underwhelming. No wonderful swirling clouds, in glorious or muted colours. Instead, we just see a blob – a single point of light. So why do these observations have astronomers buzzing with excitement? And what might we learn in the months and years to come? Observing hidden worlds Over the past three decades, we have lived through a great revolution – the dawn of the Exoplanet Era. Where we once knew of no planets orbiting distant stars, and wondered whether the Solar System was unique, we now know planets are everywhere. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yv4DbU1CWAY?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>The history of the first 5,000 alien worlds discovered – the dawn of the Exoplanet Era.</figcaption></figure> At the time of writing, the number of known exoplanets <a href="https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stands at 5,084</a>, and the count grows larger with every week. But the overwhelming majority of those exoplanets are detected indirectly. They orbit so close to their host stars that, with current technology, we simply cannot see them directly. Instead, we observe their host stars doing something unexpected, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-to-find-an-exoplanet-part-1-56682" target="_blank" rel="noopener">infer from that the presence</a> of their unseen planetary companions. Of all those alien worlds, only a handful have been seen directly. The poster child for such systems is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HR_8799" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HR 8799</a>, whose four giant planets have been imaged so frequently that astronomers have produced a movie showing them moving in their orbits around their host star. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KVgKidAuf4o?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>The first video of exoplanets orbiting their star. HR 8799 host four super-Jupiters, and it took seven years of imaging data to produce this movie.</figcaption></figure> Enter HIP 65426b To gather JWST’s first direct images of an exoplanet, astronomers turned the telescope towards the star HIP 65426, whose massive planetary companion HIP 65426b was <a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017A%26A...605L...9C/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discovered using direct imaging back in 2017</a>. HIP 65426b is unusual in several ways – all of which act to make it a particularly “easy” target for direct imaging. First, it is a long way from its host star, orbiting roughly 92 times farther from HIP 65426 than the distance between Earth and the Sun. That puts it around 14 billion kilometres from its star. From our point of view, this makes for a “reasonable” distance from the star in the sky, making it easier to observe. Next, HIP 65426b is a behemoth of a world – thought to be several times the mass of the Solar System’s biggest planet, Jupiter. On top of that, it was also previously found to be remarkably hot, with temperature at its cloud tops measuring at least 1,200℃. This combination of the planet’s size and temperature means it is intrinsically bright (for a planet). <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.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/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482618/original/file-20220904-39859-xghmli.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Four images of HIP 65426b, at four different wavelengths of infrared light." /></a><figcaption>JWST’s first images of an alien world, HIP 65426b, are shown at the bottom of a wider image showing the planet’s host star. The images were taken at different wavelengths of infrared light. Image: NASA/ESA/CSA, A Carter (UCSC), the ERS 1386 team, and A. Pagan (STScI).</figcaption></figure> How were the images taken, and what do they show us? Under normal circumstances, the light from HIP 65426 would utterly overwhelm that from HIP 65426b, despite the distance between them. To get around this problem, JWST <a href="https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1577/a-new-view-of-exoplanets-with-webb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carries several “coronagraphs”</a>, instruments that let the telescope block the light from a bright star to look for fainter objects beside it. This is a bit like blocking the headlights of a car with your hand to see whether your friend has climbed out to say hello. Using these coronagraphs, JWST took a series of images of HIP 65426b, each taken at a different wavelength of infrared light. In each image, the planet can be clearly seen – a single bright pixel offset from the location of its obscured stellar host. The images are far from your standard science fiction fare. But they show that the planet was easily detected, standing out like a sore thumb against the dark background of space. The researchers who led the observations (<a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2208.14990" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detailed on the preprint server arXiv</a>) found that JWST is performing around ten times better than expected – a result that has astronomers around the globe excited to see what comes next. Using their observations, they determined the mass of HIP 65426b (roughly seven times that of Jupiter). Beyond that, the data reveal the planet is hotter than previously thought (with cloud tops close to 1,400℃), and somewhat smaller than expected (with a diameter about 92% that of Jupiter). These images paint a picture of an utterly alien world, different to anything in the Solar System. A signpost to the future The observations of HIP 65426b are just the first sign of what JWST can do in imaging planets around other stars. The incredible precision of the imaging data suggests JWST will be able to obtain direct observations of planets smaller than previously expected. Rather than being limited to planets more massive than Jupiter, it should be able to see planets comparable to, or even smaller than, Saturn. This is a really exciting. You see, a basic rule of astronomy is that there are lots more small things than big things. The fact JWST should be able to see smaller and fainter planets than expected will greatly increase the number of possible targets available for astronomers to study. Beyond that, the precision with which JWST carried out these measurements suggests we will be able to learn far more about their atmospheres than expected. Repeated observations with the telescope could even reveal details of how those atmospheres vary with time. In the coming years, then, expect to see many more images of alien worlds, taken by JWST. While those pictures might not look like those in science fiction, they will still revolutionise our understanding of planets around other stars.<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/189876/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonti-horner-3355" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonti Horner</a>, Professor (Astrophysics), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Southern Queensland</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-webb-telescope-has-released-its-very-first-exoplanet-image-heres-what-we-can-learn-from-it-189876" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: NASA/ESA/CSA, A Carter (UCSC), the ERS 1386 team, and A. Pagan (STScI)

Technology

James Webb Telescope captures oldest galaxy

After its <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/technology/nasa-releases-highest-resolution-images-of-infrared-universe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first images</a> spread like wildfire across the internet, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is believed to have broken the record for the oldest galaxy ever detected. Scientists from the Harvard and Smithsonian Center of Astrophysics have identified a 13.5-billion-year-old galaxy called GLASS-z13, which dates to 300 million years after the Big Bang. The previous record-holder was a galaxy known as GN-Z1, spotted by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2016, with its light taking 13.4 billion years to reach Hubble. The team of researchers, who shared their findings in a pair of preprints published on Wednesday, also identified another galaxy, GLASS-z11, which is roughly the same age as GLASS-z13. "We found two very compelling candidates for extremely distant galaxies," Rohan Naidu, one of the researchers who detected GLASS-z13 in Webb's data, told <a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=35871X943606&isjs=1&jv=15.2.4-stackpath&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fwebb-space-telescope-found-oldest-and-most-distant-known-galaxy-2022-7&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2329601-jwst-has-found-the-oldest-galaxy-we-have-ever-seen-in-the-universe%2F&xs=1&xtz=-600&xuuid=388e4cc6413616544971c2f592b98908&abp=1&xcust=xid%3Afr1658964936510ffc&xjsf=other_click__auxclick%20%5B2%5D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Scientist</a>. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/07/glass-z13-1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> The red circle captured by the James Webb Space Telescope is believed to be the oldest galaxy ever observed. Image: Naidu et al, P. Oesch, T. Treu, GLASS-JWST, NASA/CSA/ESA/STScI "If these galaxies are at the distance we think they are, the universe is only a few hundred million years old at that point." Researchers told the publication that these two galaxies are relatively small compared to the Milky Way galaxy, which is 100,000 light-years wide. In comparison, GLASS-z13 is approximately 1600 light-years wide, while GLASS-z11 is 2,300 light-years in diameter. "With the advent of JWST, we now have an unprecedented view of the universe thanks to the extremely sensitive NIRCam instrument," researchers explained in the <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.09434" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preprint</a>. Though the JWST commenced science operations in mid-July, it is expected that it will help scientists uncover more about the universe’s age and evolution. <a href="https://webb.nasa.gov/content/science/firstLight.html#:~:text=Webb%20will%20be%20a%20powerful,darkness%20of%20the%20early%20universe." target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA attributes this</a> to its ability to peer further back in time - as far as the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang - allowing for the discovery of previously unseen galaxies. Image: Naidu et al, P. Oesch, T. Treu, GLASS-JWST, NASA/CSA/ESA/STScI

Technology

REVIEW: Does Karen’s Diner live up to the hype?

Karen’s Diner: a restaurant franchise with intentionally bad service and equally as bad food. Marketed as a one-of-a-kind interactive experience, it seems quite appealing – as I myself come from a customer service background and understand how frustrating it can be to keep up a polite facade when consumers are blatantly rude and demanding. Going in with an open mind, we set off on our search for a good meal and an overall unique experience. To ensure we were going to eat that night, we booked our seats in the Karen’s Diner Sydney four days out, and excitement grew after we spent the ensuing days reading the rave reviews posted on social media. The office was buzzing with excitement. Could we become repeat customers? Time would tell. Shortly after arriving, we were immediately shoved aside for an additional 20 minutes waiting to be seated, and the staff weren’t even vaguely apologetic about the wait time. However, hungry and keen to try a few different burgers, we weren’t about to be deterred. Walking to our table, the servers shoved a bottle of table water and glasses in my arms. I was caught quite off guard by that and found it somewhat hazardous. Immediately, I became aware of the ambiance and felt awkward, as it is neither welcoming nor inviting. In photos we’d seen earlier, the venue looked like an old-fashioned style ‘50s diner, specifically designed as the perfect backdrop for the “unique” experience. The venue itself could do with a thorough clean though, with the floors sticky and covered in streaks of grime and spilled drinks. I was unsure whether or not this was part of the act, but there’s a difference between standard OH&S practices and supposed dinner theatre. Our server was neither mean nor polite. I don’t usually like to be judgmental - as long as the job is done efficiently. The overall service experience was inconsistent. The waitress was cold and direct, all while seeming to be disinterested in putting effort into the gag of purposeful meanness. We ordered drinks and she immediately started to roast us – which wasn’t particularly funny or enjoyable (we ordered the most basic soft-drinks, FYI) and considering that a majority of the customers were hanging onto the edge of their seats for the “rude” service, her act was less than impressive. Moving onto the food, we ordered two vegan burgers: The “Vegan Karen” and “Oktoberfest Karen”, as well as two regular burgers: The “Deep Fried Karen” and “Royale Karen”. I am confident the food here is a catfish situation and honestly felt somewhat betrayed. The food looked appealing and delicious online, especially through photos on Instagram – but in reality, we were served up a variety of pale and tasteless burgers, which I personally found reminiscent of cardboard. The sauce on the Vegan burgers tasted like glue and even had the same texture. I think it was just off, as the mock-meat was rubbery and cold and the buns were for sure expired. As for the burgers served with meat - the contents fell out of the bottom and dripped down the hands of my coworker, leaving her less than impressed (her exact word was “filthy” – which I’d have to agree with). For the price tag ($120 all up) I would expect a satisfying meal, with quality, fresh ingredients. For the same price tag, you can visit your local KFC and have a way better dining experience. If I was looking to improve the customer experience at Karen’s Diner, I would start by using fresh produce and revising the prices to reflect what is actually being served and sold. I would also offer the staff training – or hire aspiring actors, rather than those who put minimal effort into the experience. Overall, would I recommend Karen’s Diner? Absolutely not. For $120 and everything Sydney has to offer, I would simply find somewhere else to eat. I rate the food 2.5 stars and the service (or lack thereof) a solid 2 out of 5. When we paid the bill, they gave us the classic Karen “F*** off,” and you know what? I very gladly will. Image: Supplied

Food & Wine

Teenage "speed camera warrior" confronted by grouchy "Karen"

Teenage "speed camera warrior" Beau Jackson has been confronted by a disgruntled middle-aged woman as he warned motorists of an upcoming speed camera. The Central Coast local has dedicated his free time to <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/i-ve-been-saving-them-heaps-teen-speed-camera-crusader-hailed-a-hero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alerting drivers</a> to hidden speed cameras that can often result in <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/speed-camera-crusader-cops-highly-dubious-fine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hefty fines</a>. While parked on the side of the road with a sign bringing attention to the sneaky cameras, thankful motorists often show their appreciation to Beau by honking their horn. Despite his noble cause, the 17-year-old had his first unpleasant experience with a local, and shared the confrontation on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@scamerasloveme/video/7088872965651172610?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media</a>. Beau filmed the woman, who he dubbed 'Karen' walking away and said from behind the camera, "This lady tried getting me by complaining about the honks - tried getting a photo of my number plate." "It's the first Karen interaction," he laughed, as another passer-by honked their horn. "She tried to take a photo of my number plate - I'm legally parked, there's nothing she can do about it." When speaking to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10753241/Beau-Jackson-teenage-speed-camera-warrior-confronted-grouchy-Karen.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail Australia</a>, Beau explained the woman lived close to where he was parked, and got sick and tired of the honking noise. "She asked me to move because she was sick of the honking," he said. "I told her I was only parked there because the speed camera van was parked a few metres in front of me." The woman was unfazed about his mission to save locals from spending hundreds of dollars in speeding tickets and continued demanding that he move. When he continually refused, she started taking photos of Mr Jackson and his bike. "So I started taking photos of her," he recalled. "She backed right off when I did that, and then she starting making phone calls." Beau was unsure of who the woman was calling, but explained that as soon as the mobile speed camera took off from the area, so did he. "When they left, I had no reason to be there anymore so I left," he added. As Beau's video of the encounter racked up thousands of views, many people left comments telling the teenager to ignore the haters and keep protecting the community. Image credits: A Current Affair

Travel Trouble

Beloved sitcom star dies in house fire

EastEnders star Anna Karen has passed away at 85. Karen died after her house in the east London suburb of Ilford was ablaze on February 22. The actress, who was popular in the 1970s and played Olive in the UK sitcom On the Buses for four years, was the last surviving cast member of the show, which ran for seven series between 1969 and 1973. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Sad news that Anna Karen has passed away in a house fire at the age of 85 R.I.P Anna. God bless you 😇🙏 <a href="https://t.co/9OqKCudmGr">pic.twitter.com/9OqKCudmGr</a> — 🇬🇧📺 Classic British TV 📺🇬🇧 (@Classicbritcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Classicbritcom/status/1496497325920899073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2022</a></blockquote> Shane Collins, Karen’s agent who also represented her late friend Barbara Windsor, released a statement following her passing. “It’s very sad news,” Collins <a href="https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/eastenders-anna-karen-dead-at-85-house-fire/c1001a95-24ec-48b7-b939-0968a71d74d7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “But I’m happy that Anna will now be with her best mate Barbara and her beloved husband Terry Duggan. “Anna was a great lady and a really nice person. She was a fantastic client to look after. I can’t tell you how much I liked her. “She went through a hard time after she broke her hip a few years ago but came back to work again and appeared in EastEnders with a stick. “Over the last couple of years she has been at home with friends popping by and her neighbours looking out for her.” On Tuesday night at 10.20pm local time, 20 firefighters across three fire engines arrived at Karen’s home and attempted to get the blaze under control, as reported by <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/17744012/anna-karen-dead-fire-on-buses/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sun</a>. Unfortunately, Karen died at the scene. According to police, the fire was contained by 11.38pm and the cause is being investigated - though it doesn’t appear suspicious. Tributes to the British actress have quickly emerged online from fellow actors, those who knew her, and fans. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Anna Karen, who played Aunt Sal, has passed away. An EastEnders spokesperson has said “We are deeply saddened to hear that Anna Karen has passed away... Our love and thoughts are with Anna’s family and friends.” <a href="https://t.co/vF5NDIu21a">pic.twitter.com/vF5NDIu21a</a> — BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders) <a href="https://twitter.com/bbceastenders/status/1496512327025365001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2022</a></blockquote> Carol Challis, the wife of the late British actor John Challis, wrote: “So sorry to hear that Anna Karen has died. John and I met her often at conventions and she was such a lovely lady. Not fair.” A spokesperson for EastEnders said: “We are deeply saddened to hear that Anna Karen has passed away… Our love and thoughts are with Anna’s family and friends.” Author and broadcaster Morris Bright described the actress as “the loveliest of ladies” and shared a clip of her discussing her On the Buses role. “Devastated to hear On the Buses star, actress Anna Karen, has died in a house fire aged 85. She was the loveliest of ladies,” he wrote. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Devastated to hear On the Buses star, actress Anna Karen, has died in a house fire aged 85. She was the loveliest of ladies. Here she is with Reg Varney & OTB writers Ronalds Chesney & Wolfe discussing the iconic role of Olive with me back in 2002. Remembered with huge affection. <a href="https://t.co/KmfjSNK4Yt">pic.twitter.com/KmfjSNK4Yt</a> — Morris Bright MBE (@Morris__Bright) <a href="https://twitter.com/Morris__Bright/status/1496499627725627400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2022</a></blockquote> “Here she is with Reg Varney & (On the Buses) writers Ronalds Chesney & Wolfe discussing the iconic role of Olive with me back in 2002. “Remembered with huge affection.” Cheryl Baker, the singer from 1980s pop band Bucks Fizz, also shared a touching tribute to her “fabulous mate”. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I have just heard the awful news that my fabulous mate, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnnaKaren?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AnnaKaren</a> has died in a house fire. What an horrific way to die, I can’t bear to think about it. I adored her - She was an absolute treasure, both on and off the screen. — Cheryl Baker (@Cherylbaker) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cherylbaker/status/1496492500118351883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2022</a></blockquote> “I have just heard the awful news that my fabulous mate, Anna Karen has died in a house fire,” Baker wrote. “What an horrific [sic] way to die, I can’t bear to think about it. I adored her - She was an absolute treasure, both on and off screen.” Image: @bbceastenders (Twitter)

News

Be a Richard, not a Karen: Kind note touches grieving mum

A grieving mother has shared a note she received from a kind stranger on a plane after her daughter had a mid-flight tantrum. Lindsay took to TikTok to explain her difficult situation, and the understanding passenger who helped her. "This weekend, we took our first flight since the loss of our two-year-old daughter." "Our oldest is very outward with her grief and we found ourselves afraid of the unkind world who might not be gentle with us." "She had a tantrum mid-flight and we braced ourselves for angry looks but got this instead." The note Lindsay received from the stranger read, "My name is Richard. I have four kids and I can tell you guys are great parents." "Patient and kind, the world needs that. Just wanted to say that. God Bless." The emotional mother captioned the video, "Be a Richard in a world of Karens." Lindsay posted a follow-up video explaining that her daughter Luna fought a difficult battle over several months with blood cancer, after passing away this July. Their older daughter, two-year-old Olive, was Luna's bone marrow donor. Image credit: TikTok

International Travel

New pop-up “Karen” restaurant delivers rude service on purpose

A unique pop-up dining experience is set to open in October, with a very different and potentially divise gimmick. Karen’s Diner will serve up American comfort dishes alongside terrible service and ‘Karen’ stereotypes. The diner’s catchphrase, "Great Burgers & Rude Service", has already started to create a buzz, as people anticipate their grand opening in Sydney this October. The restaurant is the latest project from the Sydney-based experiential hospitality company, who have previously been behind Wonderland Bar — a Mad Hatter-themed pop-up. The 1950s-style diner pokes fun at ‘cancel culture’ by flipping the golden rules of hospitality on its head. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844383/burgers.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/c873ce11fa5b4295b174c7f61e365ccb" /> Image credit: bemorekaren.com The tongue-in-cheek concept was inspired by the rise in complaining ‘Karens’ in popular culture, a pejorative trope referring to an entitled and privileged white woman, often seen demanding to "speak to the manager". As part of the unique dining experience, staff are encouraged to be rude to patrons, while customers can have fun and go along for the ride. Despite the controversial service, the creators of the venue have assured customers that the food will be of an extremely high quality, with a menu of comfort classics including burgers, wings, shakes and cocktails on offer. Their menu items even feature Karen-themed names, with drink titles including 'The Music Is Too Loud’, ‘I’ve Been Waiting 10 Minutes for Some Service’, and ‘You’ve Just Lost My Business’. There will also be a number of vegan and vegetarian options available for those with dietary requirements. The hospitality group regularly works with actors, so their staff will definitely be brutal in their off-beat offences. Viral Ventures co-founder Aden Levin says the concepts are all designed to be fun and offer customers "something they have never experienced before". "Particularly after the last few months, we just want people to have fun and this is our approach to all our venues and pop-ups around Australia," he says. For more information or to book a table, visit <a href="https://www.bemorekaren.com/">bemorekaren.com</a> Image credits: Shutterstock / bemorekaren.com

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REVIEW: Does Karen’s Diner live up to the hype?

Teenage "speed camera warrior" confronted by grouchy "Karen"

Beloved sitcom star dies in house fire

Be a Richard, not a Karen: Kind note touches grieving mum

New pop-up “Karen” restaurant delivers rude service on purpose

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