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Parents demand action after five-year-old son brutally attacked with golf club

<p>William Brooks-Chiplin was playing in the front yard of his friend’s house in Tamworth, NSW on Thursday, when he was allegedly attacked with a golf club by another child. </p> <p>The five-year-old's face was extremely swollen and he was left dizzy and unable to move his jaw. </p> <p>“The people who came out and saw it thought he was gone. He didn’t make a sound, and he wasn’t moving,” his father, Kayleb Brooks, said.</p> <p>“My thought was he was going to die. No kid should ever experience that,” his mother, Marrisa Tisdell, added.</p> <p>His parents also said the young boy “is having nightmares, waking up and screaming in his sleep”.</p> <p>William is required to return to hospital for further scans to determine whether he has any hairline fractures or issues with his eyesight. </p> <p>NSW Police said they identified the 10-year-old accused of hitting William, and he had been given a warning under the Young Offenders Act, designed to provide an alternative process to court proceedings for children accused of crimes. </p> <p>For children aged between 10 and 14 years, the act is design in such way because, “a child cannot be held criminally responsible for their conduct because they don’t understand right or wrong”, according to Hugo Law Group’s Linday Stankovic.</p> <p>However, William's parents are calling for the government to change the age of criminal responsibility following the incident. </p> <p>“The kid pretty much just got a caution,” William's mum said. </p> <p>“(It’s) is unfair, because in the meantime he is suffering and nothing is being done about it,” his dad added. </p> <p>However, things aren't that simple as there are other concerns about the implication. </p> <p>Earlier this month, the Australian Human Rights Commissioner wrote to the NT government urging it to not lower the age of  criminal responsibility from 12 to 10-years-old.</p> <p>“The younger a child comes into contact with the criminal justice system, the more likely they will go on to commit more serious and violent crimes," National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds said.</p> <p>“Lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years will not make communities safer, it will only see rates of child offending increase.</p> <p>“These are primary school age children, and harsh, punitive responses are not the answer. “</p> <p>A recent report also found that more than three-quarters of children had mental health needs or cognitive disability, and 47 per cent had multiple diagnosed cognitive disabilities.</p> <p><em>Image: 7News</em></p>

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Teens arrested after vandalising over 100 graves

<p>Three teenagers have been arrested after they allegedly damaged 100 graves in Toowoomba Cemetery last weekend. </p> <p>Police allege that about 100 headstones in the heritage-listed cemetery were vandalised overnight between Friday August 9 and Saturday August 10. </p> <p>Images from the cemetery show the extent of the damages with headstones pushed over and some even cracked in two. </p> <p>Two 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old all from Toowoomba have been dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act.</p> <p>“Police would like to thank members of the community for their assistance,” Queensland Police said in a statement.</p> <p>Councillors on the Toowoomba Regional Council have condemned the alleged acts of wilful damage. </p> <p>"If you are the person so angry at society that this sounded like a good idea, there are many other ways to vent frustration than this," Councillor Tim McMahon said.</p> <p>State MP David Janetzki also expressed his concern over the damages caused. </p> <p>"For criminals to target the sacred resting place of our community's departed loved ones is unforgivable," Janetki wrote on Facebook.</p> <p>Toowoomba Region Mayor, Geoff McDonald condemned the vandalism saying: “What occurred at Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery on Friday night August 9 is simply disgraceful, disappointing and disgusting." </p> <p>“Such criminal acts of disrespect not only undermine the sanctity of a place meant for remembrance and reflection, but also inflict deep emotional pain on the families of those interred.</p> <p>“Memorial headstones serve as a tribute to loved ones, and their destruction is an affront to the memories they represent.”</p> <p>He added that council workers are cleaning up the damage and repairing the gravestones. </p> <p><em>Images: Cemetery Tours Toowoomba</em></p>

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Teen who pushed 79-year-old woman off pier escapes conviction

<p>A teenager who pushed a 79-year-old woman off a pier and later posted a video of it to social media has not been given a criminal conviction. </p> <p>The 14-year-old, who was on bail at the time of the attack, shoved the elderly woman off Mornington Pier in January, with his his friends cheering him on. </p> <p>Bystanders had to rescue her because she couldn't swim. </p> <p>A court has heard that he was remorseful his actions and he has since been handed a diversion, meaning that he will have to undergo a mandatory program which includes counselling and education courses. </p> <p>If he completes the four-month order, the charges will be removed from his record. </p> <p>"We're very pleased with the outcome," the teenager's dad said outside of court. </p> <p>During his sentencing, the magistrate said it was "not going to be an easy process" but "you're remorseful for your behaviour, which is a positive step for you and the community". </p> <p>"You're a smart young man, with support things can change," the magistrate said. </p> <p>The 14-year-old is currently serving a diversion for assaulting a a 35-year-old woman in Hastings in November, which he was on bail for in January. </p> <p>Although the teen was remorseful inside the courtroom, according to Nine News, he reportedly raised his middle finger to those waiting outside when he left. </p> <p><em>Images: Nine</em></p> <p> </p>

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"Move over": Vyleen White's daughter slams Queensland premier

<p>The grieving daughter of Vyleen White, who was <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/grandmother-fatally-stabbed-in-front-of-granddaughter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fatally stabbed</a> in a shopping centre car park, has slammed the Queensland premier over his comments claiming her mother's death could not have been prevented.</p> <p>A 16-year-old boy from Bellbird Park has been <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/update-on-tragic-stabbing-of-queensland-grandmother" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged with murder</a>, with four other teenagers charged with the unlawful use of a motor vehicle.</p> <p>Following the tragic incident, White's daughter, Cindy Micallef joined the Queensland African Communities Council (QACC) to call for "peace" and more action against youth violence, following <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13059179/Vyleen-White-Ipswich-stabbing-Family-white-grandmother-allegedly-murdered-South-Sudanese-boy-joins-African-community-plead-calm-racial-tensions-flare.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> of abuse and harassment towards the African-Australian community. </p> <p>Micallef said that while her family had been "torn apart from the heart", she did not want the community to react in anger. </p> <p>"Mum's legacy will live on in peace. She was never one to be prejudiced, she always looked for the best in people," she said at a media conference in Redbank Plains. </p> <p>Micallef has also called on Queensland Premier Steven Miles to take stronger action on crime prevention. </p> <p>"He promised to protect the community and make changes," she told the press conference. "There's no substance to what he says.</p> <p>"If this government isn't going to make a change move over, because we're going to get someone in to make the changes we need."</p> <p>This comes after the Queensland premier told reporters "nobody can seriously stand up and say they could have prevented this murder". </p> <p>Miles had reportedly been unaware that the accused teen had been out on bail at the time of the alleged murder. </p> <p>Micallef expressed her concern that the premier is not standing with them, so her and her family have joined the African community in calling for action. </p> <p>"You know what, I was really glad he said it because I'm like, 'You're not the man for the job if you can't reassure people in the community this is the utmost priority'," Micallef said.</p> <p>"We all need to feel safe."</p> <p>She also called for support for the African community. </p> <p>"You don't judge the whole community by a couple of bad apples," she said.</p> <p>This news comes just days after Vyleen White's <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/tragic-new-details-emerge-as-vyleen-white-s-husband-speaks-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">husband</a> spoke out on her death. </p> <p><em>Images: 9News</em></p>

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Not just a youth movement: history too often forgets older protesters

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/effie-karageorgos-453765">Effie Karageorgos</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a></em></p> <p>Recent sustained anti-coal action by Blockade Australia in the Hunter Valley has brought public protest back into the news cycle. Activists have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-21/coal-protests-block-rail-lines-to-newcastle-port/102504056">occupied trains, railway lines and machinery</a> in an attempt to obstruct coal production and broadcast their message about the climate crisis.</p> <p>Under recent <a href="https://www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/commentary/explainer-what-are-your-rights-to-protest-australia#:%7E:text=In%202022%2C%20Tasmania%20passed%20anti,%E2%80%9C%E2%80%A6">anti-protest legislation</a> in New South Wales, which has been matched by similar laws in other states, some protesters have been charged by police for their activism.</p> <p>Internationally, protesters faced with arrest have devised new ways to protest. Recently, Iranian activists have started engaging in “<a href="https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/international-relations-security/civil-upheaval-iran-why-widespread">micro-protests</a>”, which are small-scale protests over a shorter period of time, to evade arrest.</p> <p>My historical research into the infrastructure of protest, using the anti-Vietnam War campaign in New South Wales as a case study, has found that many Australians who did not or could not actively or publicly protest similarly found “quieter” ways to express their opposition to the conflict.</p> <h2>The youth are revolting</h2> <p>In the popular Australian imagination, it seems the protester is a young person creating a public spectacle – holding up a sign, occupying a building or marching down a city street, even though older activists regularly play a part in protest movements.</p> <p>Many might think of figures like <a href="https://theconversation.com/lidia-thorpes-mardi-gras-disruption-is-the-latest-in-an-ongoing-debate-about-acceptable-forms-of-protest-at-pride-200713">Lidia Thorpe</a> disrupting the 2023 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade or ongoing protests by <a href="https://www.schoolstrike4climate.com/">School Strike 4 Climate</a>, which have shown how willing young people are to agitate for their collective futures.</p> <p>But, in fact, one of the two anti-coal activists charged on last month for occupying a train in Singleton, New South Wales, is <a href="https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/news?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGZWJpenByZC5wb2xpY2UubnN3Lmdvdi5hdSUyRm1lZGlhJTJGMTA3MTc3Lmh0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D">64 years old</a>.</p> <p>My research shows our public memory of protest doesn’t come close to capturing everyone who used their energies to protest Australian involvement in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, so we need to shift our idea of both protest and the protester to understand the potential scope of activism.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Thm03IUiJ6U?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Quiet protest</h2> <p>Vietnam War-era protest organisations, such as the Association for International Cooperation and Disarmament, Save Our Sons, Youth Campaign Against Conscription and the Vietnam Moratorium Campaign, were aware of how important “quiet protest” was to the wider movement.</p> <p>They <a href="https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/1JkmeexY">continually appealed to supporters</a> for help selling buttons, putting up posters, selling raffle tickets, filling envelopes, leafleting and other clerical work. These were all carried out by people who were opposed to the war, and are all considered acts of protest.</p> <p>Social movement theorists agree that time and availability are crucial in drawing people to protest. As far back as 1974, the sociologist <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/002188637401000206">Anthony Orum</a> wrote: "Without people who have time on their hands, great revolutions would probably never get off the ground."</p> <h2>Time and capacity</h2> <p>But what of those who did not have the time or capacity to march on streets, but who still saw themselves as part of the anti-Vietnam War movement?</p> <p>The <a href="https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/1l4dPbX1">administrative records</a> of protest organisations held in the <a href="https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/">State Library of New South Wales</a> let us into the lives of such people.</p> <p>These include Ian Robertson, a full-time Macquarie University student, whose parents had banned political activity because they feared it would disrupt his studies. Another silent protester was a Mrs Thomson, who was too busy organising her daughter Sue’s wedding to participate in anti-Vietnam protest activities. Public servants were also not permitted to publicly support the movement.</p> <p>Most such records come from elderly members of the movement. In November 1969, Mabel Wilson, who in her words was “six years an octogenarian,” sent $5 to the <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C96428">Committee in Defiance of the National Service Act</a>, writing: "I admire your courage and am completely in sympathy with your ideals. Alas! I am very old […] As you can see I can be of practically no use to you – or anyone […] My heart is with you all the way."</p> <p>Similarly, on March 21 1970, Doris J Wilson of Asquith sent a donation to the Northern Districts Vietnam Moratorium Group with a letter saying: "I am past the age where I can do very much more than be just a voice."</p> <p>On September 14 1970, L.T. Withers sent the same group a letter saying: "Congratulations for what you have accomplished. I feel rather guilty at being so useless […] myself and my wife are not as energetic as we used to be as the years are catching up on us a bit. I have enclosed a small donation to your local funds […] I would also be grateful if you could keep me informed of your activities."</p> <p>Ruth Fryer of Hornsby sent a letter on February 9 1971 with a $3 donation: "Sometimes you wish you were young &amp; strong again! But the hard work seems to be left to the young ones."</p> <p>These Australians, among many others, were interested in the anti-Vietnam campaign and wanted to be involved as much as they could, given their limitations.</p> <h2>The infrastructure of historical protest</h2> <p>Studying the infrastructure of historical protest organisations shows us that we need to expand our idea of what a protest movement is and who it includes if we want to achieve the present-day goals of activist campaigning.</p> <p>These findings are exciting because they capture a larger group of Australians in the protest tradition, and move past a limited, and often ableist and ageist, vision of protest to incorporate many others who feel just as strongly about the issues governing their lives.<!-- 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/208472/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/effie-karageorgos-453765">Effie Karageorgos</a>, Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-just-a-youth-movement-history-too-often-forgets-older-protesters-208472">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Then and now – how the concept of arranged marriage has changed throughout the years

<p>At the age of 24, Meera Patel had set her sights on finding a husband within a year, and she did exactly that with the help of her parents and the age-old tradition of arranged marriage.</p> <p>Having never dabbled in the world of dating, let alone marriage, the Sydney pharmacy student made sure to keep her expectations realistic. Speaking to the <em><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-15/why-indian-australian-millennials-choosing-arranged-marriage/10113718" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a></em>, she said that she wasn’t planning on “casting positive thoughts into the universe".</p> <p>As a Gujarati Indian woman, the concept of arranged marriage is common but over the years, it has modernised to become adaptable with today’s society. The method, which is a popular form of matchmaking in South Asia, dates to thousands of years.</p> <p>A study on the <em><a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/indian-youth-is-a-strange-mix-of-conservative-and-liberal-attitudes/articleshow/58319013.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">youth of India</a></em> conducted in 2016 found that 84 per cent of married couples had an arranged marriage.</p> <p>The tradition – which has a stigma attached to it – has evolved over the past 50 years, according to Nonie Tuxen, a PhD student and resident of Mumbai.</p> <p>“If you speak to a lot of people here in India over the age of, say, 75, many of them did not see or speak to their spouse prior to their wedding,” she said.</p> <p>“Whereas nowadays, young people both here in India, and in the diaspora, have a great deal of say in who they marry.</p> <p>“There’s a lot of confusion about whether an arranged marriage is forced in some way – it never is, forced marriage is an entirely separate issue.</p> <p>“The decision ultimately lies with them … it doesn’t lie with their families.”</p> <p>Which is why, when Meera believed the time was right, she asked her parents to help her find a husband.</p> <p>Meera’s close friend, Hemangini Patel, says that the lines between “love marriages” and arranged marriages are blurring.</p> <p>“I just thought that your parents introduced you to someone and you had to get married in, like, a month,” she says.</p> <p>But according to Hemangini, Meera felt overwhelmed by the world of dating once she had reached her 20s, which is when marriage becomes a commonly spoken about topic amongst the Indian community.</p> <p>“I was doing a Master’s degree which was a two-year course … so [I had] no time to think about anything except for work and studying” says Meera.</p> <p>“I would have no idea where to go and look for a person.</p> <p>“So, when my parents approached me with the idea [of arranged marriage] … I’m like, ‘Yes! You do all the work for me and I’m happy with whatever!'”</p> <p>But Meera was never dreaming about Prince Charming, and her list of expectations in her potential partner had nothing to do with outward appearance, but rather she was focused more on his culture and beliefs.</p> <p>Meera’s Prince had to be Hindu and belong to the BAPS Swaminarayan faith.</p> <p>“I’m very religious, so I wanted someone with the same religious background as me, to make it easier for us to understand each other,” she said.</p> <p>“We have some dietary requirements – we don’t eat onion and garlic, and we’re very strict vegetarians, as well, so I wanted someone who can understand that.”</p> <p>Language was also an important factor that had to be considered. The BAPS Swaminarayan faith, which was established in the east-Indian state of Gujrat, has a majority of Gujarati speakers.</p> <p>“I wanted someone who could not only communicate with my parents but everyone else in my family,” says Meera.</p> <p>After Meera approached her parents about the possibility of an arranged marriage, they got in touch with Gujarati families across the world.</p> <p>While they went through many potential suitors, it was ultimately a New Zealand man, Rushi, who stole Meera’s heart.</p> <p>“My dad contacted his dad, and after that we exchanged numbers,” she said.</p> <p>After getting to know each other through text and phone calls, Meera and Rushi flew to one another to meet each other’s families.</p> <p>That was two years ago. Now, as Meera and Rushi get ready to marry each other in January, they know each other better than they know themselves.</p> <p>“It’s going to be a big wedding from what I hear because it’s going to be planned by parents fully,” she says.</p> <p>“As long as they’re happy, I’m happy.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Relationships

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Dick van Dyke reveals the secret to feeling young at 98

<p>Dick Van Dyke has opened up about his secret weapon that helps him stay young as he prepares to celebrate his 98th birthday. </p> <p>The Hollywood legend spoke out about defying the ageing process in a recent interview with <em>Yahoo</em>, saying there are four key things that help him maintain his youthful vigour and zest for life. </p> <p>Firstly, he credited his good genes for helping him stay young later in life. </p> <p>Secondly, the actor said that his 51-year-old wife, Arlene Silver, was instrumental in helping him feel young.</p> <p>“Having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me (helps),” the actor gushed over his spouse of 11 years.</p> <p>Van Dyke also added that a “positive attitude” was key to keeping healthy, stating, “I get that from my wife.”</p> <p>Lastly, he said exercise is important for people of any age, but particular those in their senior years, as he said he does whatever he can to keep moving. </p> <p>“I wrote a book called <em>Keep Moving</em>, I still go to the gym three days a week and work out,” he shared.</p> <p>“I advise everybody to do that, because that’s what ages people — it’s just a stiffening up and not exercising their muscles and their lungs,” he added. “Exercise is the answer.”</p> <p>Dick Van Dyke has previously spoken about his wife Arlene, whom he first met at the 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards when he was 81 and she was 35.</p> <p>The pair initially became friends before their relationship turned romantic.</p> <p>“We share an attitude,” Van Dyke said cooingly of his wife. “She can go with the flow. She loves to sing and dance, which we do almost every day. She’s just delightful.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Record boost to Centrelink payments coming for nearly one million Aussies

<p dir="ltr">Hundreds of thousands of Australians receiving welfare are due to receive the biggest increase to their payments in two decades.</p> <p dir="ltr">The increase will see payments for young people, including parents, students and those on disability, increase from January 1, 2023.</p> <p dir="ltr">From next year, the base rate for singles on Youth Allowance will increase by at least $19.10 - with a maximum $32.40 extra a fortnight - taking the maximum rate up to $569.80.</p> <p dir="ltr">Single Australians with dependents can expect a boost of $41.40, bringing payments up to $729.60, while couples will receive an additional $35.20 a fortnight.</p> <p dir="ltr">For those under 21 without kids who receive Disability Support Pension, including Youth Disability Supplement, the payment increase is expected to range between $27.40 and $40.70 a fortnight.</p> <p dir="ltr">Recipients of Austudy, ABSTUDY, Mobility Allowance, Double Orphan Pension, Carer Allowance and Pharmaceutical Allowance will also be included in the increases, which are part of a routine indexation that happens every January to keep up with inflation.</p> <p dir="ltr">It comes after the Reserve Bank of Australia forecasted that inflation would peak at eight percent by the end of 2022.</p> <p dir="ltr">In comparison, payments for young people and students have been indexed at 6.1 percent. </p> <p dir="ltr">Social services minister Amanda Rishworth said the increase would help ease the pressure coming from the current cost-of-living crisis.</p> <p dir="ltr">“With the cost of living increasing, we need to ensure students and young people can cover basic costs while focusing on their studies and career aspirations,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">While young people are the subject of these payment increases, those who receive Jobseeker or the Aged Pension won’t be left out, with indexation increases announced for all welfare payments were announced by the federal government in September.</p> <p dir="ltr">These payments are also indexed at other times of the year, with the Aged Pension increasing in March and September.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4ef18bd0-7fff-9f99-b17c-fdf2ca04bab3"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Beat the winter blues with glowing, youthful skincare

<p dir="ltr">With colder months well and truly setting in, it's a daily battle to keep our skin feeling hydrated, while also trying to stay on top of the physical signs of ageing. </p> <p dir="ltr">There are many environmental factors that can have our skin looking lacklustre in winter, with the main one being dryness and chill that results in dehydrated skin. </p> <p dir="ltr">While many people already have their trusted moisturiser well and truly implemented in their daily skincare routine, sometimes our skin needs a little extra help in colder months. </p> <p dir="ltr">No7’s revolutionary new Day Creams have something for everyone, with these groundbreaking products delivering huxury hydration, while also targeting the visible signs of ageing. </p> <p dir="ltr">No7 has released three new Day Creams for everyone to find the perfect match for their skin. </p> <p dir="ltr">First up is <a href="https://www.priceline.com.au/brand/no7/no7-protect-perfect-intense-advanced-day-cream-50-ml">No7 Protect &amp; Perfect Intense ADVANCED Day Cream</a>, which has been specially developed to provide advanced protection and 24-hours of hydration for visibly younger looking skin. </p> <p dir="ltr">This Day Cream combines the power of SPF15 with No7’s unique Double Defence technology to actively reduce fine lines and wrinkles, while also working to prevent future signs of skin ageing. </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/Cb0P9VTl4P0/?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/Cb0P9VTl4P0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by No7 USA (@no7usa)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Next is <a href="https://www.priceline.com.au/brand/no7/no7-lift-luminate-triple-action-day-cream-50-ml">No7 Lift &amp; Luminate TRIPLE ACTION Day Cream</a>, which helps skin feel firmer than ever.</p> <p dir="ltr">This Day Cream is formulated with anti-wrinkle peptide technology, as well as a Brightening Complex and Firming Complex to reduce physical signs of ageing. </p> <p dir="ltr">Complete with SPF15, this Day Cream will have you feeling protected and hydrated, while looking as youthful as ever!</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/tv/Cc0-DBxjmiv/?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/tv/Cc0-DBxjmiv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by No7 USA (@no7usa)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Lastly, <a href="https://www.priceline.com.au/brand/no7/no7-restore-renew-face-neck-multi-action-day-cream-50-ml">No7 Restore &amp; Renew FACE &amp; NECK MULTI ACTION Day Cream</a> offers a hydration boost to lacklustre skin, while also using SPF15 to protect from environmental factors detrimental to our skin. </p> <p dir="ltr">This age-defying Day Cream smooths and evens skin tone and pigmentation, while reducing the physical signs of ageing that target the face and neck area. </p> <p dir="ltr">With hydration lasting an impressive 24 hours, this Day Cream will have you feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the world. </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/Cci7OXpM43o/?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/Cci7OXpM43o/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by No7 USA (@no7usa)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">These revolutionary products have been a hit with people around the globe, with customers saying their skin instantly looks and feels more hydrated. </p> <p dir="ltr">A clinical study revealed that after just two weeks of use, women found their skin looking younger, smoother and more radiant, while fine lines and wrinkles were visibly reduced after just four weeks. </p> <p dir="ltr">No7’s new range of Day Creams are available exclusively at <a href="https://www.priceline.com.au/search/?q=No7">Priceline</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Two countries pause Moderna rollout for youths over rare side effects

<p>Sweden and Denmark have said they will pause the use of Modern’s COVID-19 vaccine for younger age groups after reports of possible rare side effects, such as myocarditis.</p> <p>The Swedish Health Agency said on Wednesday it would pause using the shot for those born in 1991 and later, as data points to an increase in myocarditis and pericarditis among youths and young adults who have been vaccinated.</p> <p>Those conditions involve inflammation of the heart or its lining.</p> <p>“The connection is especially clear when it comes to Modern’s vaccine Spikevax, especially after the second dose,” the healthy agency said in a statement, adding the risk of being affected was very small.</p> <p>Denmark said that, while it was already using the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine as the main option for those aged 12-17 years, it had decided to pause giving the Moderna vaccine to those under 18 as a “precautionary principle”.</p> <p>“In the preliminary data….there is a suspicion of an increased risk of heart inflammation, when vaccinated with Moderna,” The Danish Health Authority said in a statement.</p> <p>It referred to data from an as yet unpublished Nordic study, which would now be sent to European Medicines Agency (EMA) for further assessment. Final data was expected within a month, it added.</p> <p>Sweden and Denmark said they now recommend the Comirnaty vaccine, from Pfizer/Biontech instead.</p> <p>Norway already recommends the Pfizer vaccine to minors and said on Wednesday that it was reiterating this, underlining that the rare side effects could happen particularly for boys and young men, mainly after receiving a second dose.</p> <p>“Men under 30 should also consider choosing Cominarty when they get vaccinated,” Geir Bukholm, head of infection control at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said in a statement.</p> <p>A Finnish health official said that Finland expected to publish a decision on Thursday.</p>

Caring

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The impact of lockdowns on Australia’s youth

<p>Social isolation resulting from lockdowns, a lack of hope for the future and fear of the virus are fuelling anxiety and depression among Australian children and teenagers at alarming rates.</p> <p><strong>Mental Health problems in young people</strong></p> <p>The <a href="https://www.ranzcp.org/membership/faculties-sections-and-networks/youth-mental-health">Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP)</a> recently reported that emergency hospital visits from children and teenagers with mental health problems has risen between 25 and 40 percent across Australia since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and shows no signs of abating.</p> <p>The numbers are backed up by a survey of 25,000 teenagers by Mission Australia, which shows a significant rise in anxiety and depression, especially among teenage girls.</p> <p>These young people are facing a myriad of problems from rising tensions in families, parents under financial pressures.</p> <p>The rise in <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/offences/assault/domestic-violence/">domestic violence offences</a> during lockdowns has been so pronounced it has <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/a-shadow-pandemic-covid-leads-to-rise-in-domestic-violence-offences/">been called a ‘shadow pandemic’</a>.</p> <p>Young people have been forced into isolation through homeschooling, and online trolling and bullying, <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/beware-of-covid-19-scams/">along with other cyber crimes</a> are on the rise.</p> <p><strong>Online offences are increasing</strong></p> <p>Trolling, cyber bullying and <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/what-is-the-offence-of-sextortion-in-new-south-wales/">online sex offences</a> have jumped by 30 per cent in the past six months, as the pandemic forces more of us to work and play and socialise online.</p> <p>Nearly 12,000 URLs with offensive online content – most commonly child sexual abuse – were reported to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner this year – 30 per cent more than in the first half of 2020. Child abuse material shared online has nearly doubled since the start of the pandemic, with 21,000 notifications flagged to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation in 2020.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/federal-government-seeks-greater-control-over-online-content/">The Federal Parliament passed new laws against online abuse</a> earlier this year, but will not be in effect until early 2022.</p> <p>The legislation will give the eSafety Commissioner rapid website-blocking power to respond to ‘crisis events’, for example, the Christchurch shooting, by requesting internet service providers block access to terrorist and extreme violent content for a limited time period.</p> <p>The legislation also aims to include online games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty, which will be under the same regulations set out for social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, forcing them to erase bullying messages to children or threats to adults within 24 hours.</p> <p>Corporations who fail to comply with the laws will face fines of up to $555,000.</p> <p>Adults who post “seriously harmful content’’ online – such as death threats, menacing messages or revenge porn – will risk fines of up to $110,000.</p> <p><strong>Bleak future ahead</strong></p> <p>But there’s a general feeling of hopelessness being reported too, particularly by older teens who’ve had final years of schooling, university, travel plans, apprenticeships and jobs interrupted.</p> <p>This is a time these young people should be enjoying themselves, making plans, looking forward to their lives ahead. But the mental health experts say many are finding it difficult to imagine and consider a life beyond the uncertainty presented by Covid.</p> <p>These are <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-mental-health/">the very real side effects of extended lock downs </a>that need to be considered beyond the economic balance sheets.</p> <p>Health professionals have stated they’re worried people are delaying non-urgent medical check-ups for fear of contracting Covid in public places, teachers have said that despite online learning options, student outcomes are not always what they should be. The list goes on.</p> <p>In the past couple of weeks as Covid case numbers rise, it has become clear that the Berejiklian Government’s lockdown strategy is not working as planned to combat the latest Delta outbreak.</p> <p><strong>Are the lockdowns actually working?</strong></p> <p>One option the NSW Government is said to be considering is keeping South-Western Sydney in lockdown because it appears to be the hotspot of the city’s infections while, at the same time, opening up the remainder of Sydney in an effort to revive economic activity.</p> <p>But this is likely to be met with great resistance and controversy considering the severe criticism <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/heavy-handed-covid-policing-the-discriminatory-sweep-of-southwestern-sydney/">the State Government has already faced over the its Covid-management style</a>.</p> <p>Those in Western Sydney have been very vocal about feeling repressed by what they perceive is the “authoritarian rule” of police presence on the streets.</p> <p>The social evidence keeps stacking up – <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/tough-new-covid-restrictions-for-greater-sydney/">extended lockdowns</a> are a big price to pay and our politicians need to find alternatives to managing the pandemic, as soon as possible.</p> <p><em>Written by Sonia Hickey. Republished by <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/the-impact-of-lockdowns-on-australias-youth/" target="_blank">Sydney Criminal Lawyers. </a></em></p>

Legal

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"Not an old person's disease": ICU nurse's blunt warning to Aussie youth

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>The head intensive care nurse at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Michelle Spence, has said that hospitals are now preparing for the prospect of deaths among younger people.</p> <p>"What we are seeing now is young people who are going to die. There is no doubt about it," she said.</p> <p>"And these are people who are 30s, 40s, 50s, who have no past history."</p> <p>She said that despite deaths in Victoria predominately being older people this is going to change.</p> <p>Authorities revealed yesterday that 20 per cent of people in Victorian hospitals with the virus were under the age of 50, with four children included in that number. </p> <p>Ms Spence said the hospital had patients ranging from their 30s to their 80s "and all of them are at varying degrees of their COVID journey".</p> <p>"We're definitely not just seeing the elderly, that is not the case at all."</p> <p>"It is definitely not an old person's disease," Ms Spence said.</p> <p>Being a patient with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit is no picnic, with very ill people being separated from the families and the process being long and slow.</p> <p>"Being in ICU is not a nice place to be," she said.</p> <p>"It is absolutely not a comfortable thing to do."</p> <p>Her warning comes after Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews issued a firm warning to younger people.</p> <p>"It would be wrong to assume that young people are somehow more immune to this," he said.</p> <p>"If you want this to be over, if you want to get to the other side of it and find that COVID normal … and be able to go and have a beer, or go and have a meal with a friend and be able to move around the community much more freely than you can now, you've got to follow the rules."</p> <p>Mr Andrews warned: "There are a lot of young people who have died of this in other parts of the world."</p> <p>"There are a lot of otherwise healthy people … and they have become ill," he said.</p> <p>"This is not just something that affects people that are frail-aged."</p> <p>Health Minister Jenny Mikakos agreed, saying it's "not an older person's disease".</p> <p>"Our data from the start of July shows us that a quarter of the infections that we are seeing in our community are actually amongst young people in their 20s.</p> <p>"By way of comparison, people in their 60s only represent 6 per cent of people who have been diagnosed with this virus."</p> </div> </div> </div>

Caring

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“There’s no compromise”: Gordon Ramsay talks about his new 5th son and his love of family

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Gordon Ramsay is known for his angry and uncompromising nature, but his TV persona is a very different man to the one his family know and love. This is especially the case when he demanded to be in the delivery room for the birth of his fifth son after not being there for the birth of his other four children.</p> <p>"Tana didn't f---ing want me there!" cried Ramsay.</p> <p>He made sure history wouldn’t repeat itself 17 years after their fourth child.</p> <p>"I said, 'F--k it, I'm going to be there'," he says, and his wife Tana happily gave in.</p> <p>Despite Ramsay’s best efforts to be present in the delivery room, the reality of a c-section proved to be too much and he fainted for the first time in his life.</p> <p>"It was hot in there, there was no air-conditioning, and the floor looked like the middle of a f---in' abattoir," he recalls to<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/gordon-ramsay-children-63208" target="_blank">Now To Love</a>.</p> <p>"I'm not good at that stuff. I know my strengths and that was my weakness."</p> <p>Ramsay made sure he learned from his fathers mistakes, as his father was a “hard drinking womaniser” who never owned a home. This drove Ramsay to purchase his first flat when he was just 19, making sure his future was already different from his parents.</p> <p>"I learnt how to become a great dad," he says, "opposite to what I experienced."</p> <p>As Ramsay divides his time between London and Los Angeles, he makes sure his kids get his best mood.</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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B6dZP39jh96/?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="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B6dZP39jh96/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Gordon Ramsay (@gordongram)</a> on Dec 24, 2019 at 6:55am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"I don't see them as much as Tana," explains Ramsay, "so when I do see them, I don't want fall-outs."</p> <p>The happy couple definitely have their hands full with 22-year-old Megan, 20-year-old twins Holly and Jack, 18-year-old Matilda and 1 year old Oscar, but wife Tana is well aware people have the wrong perception of her husband.</p> <p>"When Megan brings a boy home you can see in his eyes, he's terrified, but Gordon will be the first to make him feel at home. He loves being surrounded by the kids and their friends."</p> <p>The doting dad couldn’t be prouder of his son, who turned one around a week ago.</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/B-jXgPLjU6p/?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/B-jXgPLjU6p/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Happy Happy 1st Birthday to this little Boy have a great day Oscar love you Daddy</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/gordongram/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Gordon Ramsay</a> (@gordongram) on Apr 4, 2020 at 1:41am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"He FaceTimed me this morning – he's got these beautiful little teeth at the front, two at the back. When I shout 'zoom zoom' he lights up and starts slapping his hands on his little chair."</p> <p>Ramsay isn’t a fan of when people mistake him for Oscar’s grandfather, but he stands firm by his decision to be a father to a newborn in his 50s.</p> <p>"Everyone says, 'You're mad', and it's like, 'F--k off! What's it got to do with you?'"</p> <p>He says he’s savouring every second of new parenthood, especially because it’s “horrible” seeing his older kids leave the nest and start careers of their own.</p> <p>"It sort of confirmed that we hadn't over-mollycoddled them."</p> <p>"They've got to understand it's not just on a plate. I'm there for them but I can't do it for them."</p> <p>This means the kids are self-sufficient, fly economy and hold weekend jobs.</p> <p>They can all also cook well by the age of 10, but none of them are following in their dad’s footsteps.</p> <p>Jack, his 20 year old son at university, sells his dishes to classmates.</p> <p>"He can cook brilliantly but he has no interest," says Gordon.</p> <p>"He's like, 'F--k no, I want a proper job'."</p> <p>The hope of a chef son hasn’t died out with Oscar, 1, as he’s started eating like his dad.</p> <p>"He has started throwing his food back – so there's a palate there," says Gordon.</p> <p>"And he's already got that first wrinkle in his forehead, which is great news."<span> </span></p> </div> </div> </div>

Family & Pets

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Visual arts help marginalized youth learn mindfulness and self-compassion

<p>How do girls feel before and after learning mindfulness? The six girls in our program, aged 11 and 12, drew pictures showing that learning and practising mindfulness helped them feel more in control and compassionate, less judgmental, happy, focused, calm and logical, especially when they make good choices.</p> <p>These girls had just completed the 12-week <a href="https://www.dianacoholic.com/my-work/">holistic arts-based program (HAP)</a>that we offer at Laurentian University, which teaches mindfulness-based practices and concepts using arts like painting, drawing and collage, or materials like clay and sand. We also incorporate games and and tai chi.</p> <p>I developed HAP with the help of <a href="https://laurentian.ca/faculty/hcheu">Hoi Cheu</a>, a professor in the English department with training in film making, marital and family therapy, tai chi and mindfulness. Part of our early team were Sean Lougheed (with a graduate degree in child and youth care), Jennifer Posteraro (research co-ordinator with a graduate degree in psychology) and Julie LeBreton (social work student).</p> <p><strong>Youth facing challenges</strong></p> <p>We wanted to respond to the needs of marginalized children in our communities — such as those who <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10566-010-9139-x">face diverse challenges</a>, including academic, mental health and social challenges, and those facing life circumstances such as abuse, bullying, social exclusion, poverty or family dysfunction.</p> <p>We wanted to help them build skills and capacities such as paying attention, and for improving peer relationships and mood. But we knew that these children may <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-12259-004">not have the attention skills</a> required for a more traditional mindfulness program.</p> <p>In developing the program, we drew on the extensive knowledge bases of <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=y6PY4hv47I0C&amp;lpg=PR3&amp;ots=-huao1DPlo&amp;dq=malchiodi%20art%20therapy&amp;lr&amp;pg=PP1#v=onepage&amp;q=malchiodi%20art%20therapy&amp;f=false">art therapy</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017315581772">arts methods with youth</a>. We then refined the program through research with children involved with the child welfare and/or mental health systems.</p> <p>We receive referrals for the program from a variety of sources, including mental health practitioners, guidance counsellors, principals and teachers, child welfare workers and self-referrals (mostly from parents).</p> <p><strong>Self-compassion, acceptance</strong></p> <p>Discussions about mindfulness seem to be everywhere these days, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-0998-9">some schools</a>. Mindfulness has come under <a href="https://theconversation.com/mcmindfulness-buddhism-as-sold-to-you-by-neoliberals-88338">criticism as it has gained in popularity throughout the West</a>. Some say institutions that use it may encourage or distract people from advocating for systemic change. We understand that systems need to be challenged and changed. In our program, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41669899?seq=1">we work to assist individuals and groups to cope better with, and challenge, the oppressive or unjust systems</a> in their lives.</p> <p>Since 2009, more than 300 other youth from our community have participated in our arts and mindfulness program. Over a two-hour period, two facilitators lead small groups of participants. Through the activities they aim to help participants work together, learn about themselves and express their feelings and thoughts and practise breathing, self-compassion and acceptance.</p> <p>The drawing by several girls in the program of a brain before and after mindfulness is a wonderful depiction of the benefits of learning mindfulness, <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs12671-012-0123-4.pdf">often defined</a> as the ability to pay attention, purposefully, to the present moment without negative judgements. The power of mindfulness is the ability to make choices about one’s feelings, thoughts and behaviours rather than reacting and acting out.</p> <p><strong>‘Happy awareness program’</strong></p> <p>Creative activities such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-015-0431-3">painting how music makes you feel or drawing yourself as a tree </a>aid in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2013.763326">identifying and naming feelings, communicating these feelings and thoughts and discovering things about yourself</a> in ways that are effective and developmentally relevant. Belonging to a <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=PS42CwAAQBAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=andrew+malekoff&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiV-sfVvOPlAhXqYd8KHe0YCF4Q6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&amp;q=andrew%20malekoff&amp;f=false">supportive group helps youth</a> develop a wide variety of capacities and strengths such as social skills, empathy and self-awareness.</p> <p><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2019.1571764">Common reported benefits</a> of mindfulness-based interventions with youth often include improved emotion regulation, mood and well-being and decreases in stress and feelings of anxiety. Almost all of the youth we have worked with described the holistic arts-based program as “fun.” One youth suggested we re-name our program the “Happy Awareness Program.”</p> <p><strong>Benefits to mental health</strong></p> <p>In our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017319828864">research</a> with youth admitted to a small in-patient mental health program, we found that youth who participated in the program activities reported that the program was enjoyable and beneficial in that they learned to identify and express what they were feeling, and they could focus better and think in different ways.</p> <p>We interviewed the youth and they shared feedback about their experiences:</p> <p>“I learned that I like doing art and it relaxes me and makes me express myself better.”</p> <p>“Being mindful helps with the anxiety that I have and helps me just focus either on my work or something else that I am doing.”</p> <p>“There are a lot of fun activities that can help you find yourself and find peace within yourself, to relax and catch your thoughts instead of them jumping all over.”</p> <p>There are a multitude of mindfulness-based programs for youth, many of which have been adapted from two well-known programs originally developed for adults: <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=fIuNDtnb2ZkC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=full+catastrophe+living&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjajZC_x-DlAhWFhOAKHbMFBakQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&amp;q=full%20catastrophe%20living&amp;f=false">mindfulness-based stress reduction</a>, and <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=QHRVDwAAQBAJ&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PP1&amp;dq=mindfulness+based+cognitive+therapy+for+depression&amp;ots=EUEf7xSzr6&amp;sig=ggv0OWhPhIkcN4b0TTInAlEmdEM&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q=mindfulness%20based%20cognitive%20therapy%20for%20depression&amp;f=false">mindfulness-based cognitive therapy</a>.</p> <p>Two examples of programs for youth developed by clinical psychologists are <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=qT6nSwnipiMC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=mbct-c&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiP1s3Y0uDlAhXPmuAKHSMFAX4Q6AEILzAB#v=onepage&amp;q=mbct-c&amp;f=false">Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children</a> and <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=fw0A5HETcIAC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=learning+to+breath&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjo1LD40uDlAhWPTd8KHbt7B4QQ6AEINDAB#v=onepage&amp;q=learning%20to%20breath&amp;f=false">Learning to Breathe</a>.</p> <p><strong>Strengths-based change</strong></p> <p>Arts-based activities do not have to be complicated. For example, having group members notice and write down each other’s strengths can begin to shift the negative beliefs youth have about themselves. Developing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00330.x">self-compassion</a> and self-acceptance is an important part of living more mindfully and experiencing well-being.</p> <p>Awareness and expression of feelings can be facilitated by drawing what we call feelings inventories. Such feelings inventories are always unique.</p> <p>Based on our research experiences, we have become strong advocates of teaching mindfulness-based practices and concepts <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2015.1091700">through the arts</a>.</p> <p>Through this approach, we can make the cumulative benefits of practising mindfulness more accessible to diverse groups of youth — and youth are enabled to express themselves in relevant, meaningful and developmentally appropriate ways.</p> <p>I have learned through <a href="https://www.northrose.ca/northrose-titles.html">my work</a> that change does not have to be daunting. Important learning can take place through experiences of fun and belonging.</p> <p><em>Written by Diana Coholic. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/visual-arts-help-marginalized-youth-learn-mindfulness-and-self-compassion-126149"><em>The Conversation.</em></a></p>

Art

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Australia’s oldest man at 110 reveals his secrets for long life

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>As Dexter Kruger celebrates his 110th birthday, he wants to make it clear that he is still sharp as a tack.</p> <p>Kruger is also well aware that everyone wants to know his secrets to living to such an old age.</p> <p>“I knew you were going to bring that up because everyone does,” he said to the<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/australias-oldest-man-dexter-kruger-turns-110/news-story/24f422827c45ecb2275a16e60e1becea" target="_blank">Courier Mail</a>.</p> <p>“Always eat when you are hungry, always drink when you are dry, always sleep when you are sleepy, don’t stop breathing or you’ll die,” Mr Kruger said, borrowing from an often-quoted old verse, with a cheeky grin.</p> <p>However, he realises that it might just be down to good genes.</p> <p>“I had two cousins who made 100, and then my ­mother’s sister made 103, and I am 110,” he explained.</p> <p>Kruger was born on January 13th, 1910 in what he describes as a different world.</p> <p>“You could say that the horse and buggy was still the transport while motor cars were coming on,” he said of his childhood.</p> <p>“The change (of technology) has been very gradual – it’s hard to realise.”</p> <p>Kruger appreciates the technology as it helps him indulge in one of his favourite hobbies, which is writing.</p> <p>“I do find the technology, especially in producing my books, just marvellous,” he said.</p> <p>As Kruger started writing at the age of 86, he has since published 12 other books and is working hard on his latest one.</p> <p>“It’s a long way off being published – it is a biography – but I have 12 other books (published),” he said.</p> <p> </p> <p>He has plenty to keep him busy on his birthday, as he will be surrounded by 50 of his friends and family.</p> <p>“We only invited about half a dozen people really, but it was sort of an open-ended invitation,” he says.</p> <p>“It’s going to be quite a day.”</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-action-bar-component-wrapper"> <div class="post-actions-component"> <div class="upper-row"><span class="like-bar-component"></span> <div class="watched-bookmark-container"><em>Photo credits: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/australiasoldestman/">Dexter Kruger - Australia's Oldest Man</a></em></div> </div> </div> </div>

Retirement Life

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Outrage over Kmart child attacker verdict as Peter Dutton calls for review

<p>A man who abducted a seven-year-old girl from a Queensland Kmart toy aisle and sexually assaulted her in bushland nearby has been jailed for a maximum of eight years.</p> <p>The mother of the young girl has been left “shaken” by his sentence, says child safety advocates.</p> <p>Prominent child safety campaigner Bruce Morcombe spoke outside court, saying he “fears for the children of Australia” after Sterling Mervyn Free was given eight years in prison over the abduction this morning.</p> <p>The man, Sterling Free, will be eligible for parole in August 2021.</p> <p>Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has slammed the sentence as an “outrage” and has called on the Queensland Government to appeal the decision.</p> <p>“You cannot have a young girl taken and put in a situation that no parent could ever imagine for their child,” he told the <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/crime-and-justice/bruce-denise-morcombe-peter-dutton-slam-sterling-free-sentence/news-story/093f4dc9a89d55eb6994ed99fc945a00" target="_blank" title="www.couriermail.com.au">Courier Mail.</a></em></p> <p>“For a child that’s sexually abused or abducted, for somebody to get essentially a penalty of about two and a half years is unacceptable.”</p> <p>The 27-year-old father of twins lured the girl from the Kmart at Westfield North Lakes in December last year, but was sentenced today.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">The 27-year-old man who lured a girl from Kmart before sexually assaulting her has been sentenced to a maximum of eight years behind bars. He will be eligible for parole in less than two years. Sterling Free’s statement has been read by his lawyer outside court. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7NEWS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7NEWS</a> <a href="https://t.co/qOObCLYJi7">pic.twitter.com/qOObCLYJi7</a></p> — 7NEWS Sunshine Coast (@7NewsSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/7NewsSC/status/1182441043469295616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Judge Julie Dick said Free’s offending was “every parent’s nightmare”.</p> <p>Child safety advocates Denise and Bruce Morcombe read a statement on behalf of the girl’s mother outside court.</p> <p>“While disappointed with the sentence, my daughter and our family are moving forward,” the statement read, according to<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/courts-law/brisbane-kmart-child-attacker-faces-20-years-in-jail/news-story/be0dca06e3d26c96708bd3ab0cbd8998" target="_blank">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p>“The bar needs to be sufficiently high to say to these other people, these other creeps that are out there that have fascination about our kids, don’t go there or you’ll be locked up for decades,” he said. “I’m not sure this sentence does that.”</p> <p>Free’s lawyer read out a statement from Free, saying that he was sorry for the “pain I caused her (the victim), her family and my own family and my children.</p> <p>“I today accept the punishment imposed upon me by the justice system,” the statement read. “I do not wish to cause any further pain upon the young victim, her family nor delay justice any further.</p> <p> <span>“I cannot comprehend the pain I’ve caused her. I took away her innocence and scared her family. I hope that today my sentence provides her and her family some closure.</span></p> <p>“I can only ever say sorry. I know this is not good enough. I cannot imagine the pain and fear I’ve caused. I can’t take that back.”</p> <p>The mother of the young girl has released a statement herself, saying that despite her daughter being taught about “stranger danger”, Free had managed to trick her.</p> <p>“My tiny innocent girl was well aware of stranger danger, however this person was friendly to her and tricked her into following him,” she said in a statement.</p> <p>“No child should ever have to go through this type of trauma, and no sentence will ever be long enough to make up for the ongoing effects this will have on her.</p> <p>“We, as a family, remain positive and are trying to move forward. We would like to thank the QPS, the QDPP and the Australian public for their support throughout this ordeal.”</p>

News

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Mother travelling with autistic child touched by airline’s moving gesture

<p>A mother with an autistic son has thanked her fellow United Airline passengers for their empathy and compassion as her four-year-old Braysen had a meltdown mid-flight.</p> <p>Mum Lori Gabriel took to Facebook to share her experience on the three-and-a-half-hour service from San Diego to Magnolia.</p> <p>"So my little flyer (he's autistic but normally loves to fly) didn't have such a good flight home," she wrote on Facebook.</p> <p>"Trying to get him to stay seated was impossible he wanted to sit on the floor in the hall and in first class."</p> <p>Gabriel told<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/mom-of-boy-with-autism-says-airline-touched-our-hearts-during-sons-meltdown-185043597.html" target="_blank">Yahoo</a></em><span> </span>that she didn’t think it would end this way.</p> <p>“I figured he would sleep on the plane,” Lori explained.</p> <p>“I didn’t think it would turn out this way.”</p> <p>It was a battle to keep Braysen seated, as he was in the middle of a meltdown.</p> <p>“He was screaming, hitting and kicking me, and pulling my hair. I thought, ‘Everyone must hate us,” Lori said.</p> <p>This turned out to be false.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Flori.gabriel.77%2Fposts%2F3478719012141863&amp;width=500" width="500" height="789" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p>There was an unexpected amount of support that came from unlikely places, including fellow passengers and crew members who were highly accommodating.</p> <p>"To the man in first class seat 6C you rock thanks for playing with Braysen and not minding him kicking your seat or messing with you! He loved your high fives!" Lori shared in a Facebook post.</p> <p>However, it was a note from an off-duty airline staff member that meant the most to the Gabriel family, which she included in the Facebook post.</p> <p>"Do not<span> </span><u>EVER</u> let anyone make you feel as though you are an inconvenience or a burden. He is a blessing. God bless your patience, you love, your support, and your strength. Continue to be super woman. And know you and your family are loved and supported."</p> <p>The note is signed: "United Family".</p>

Mind

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Young girl not impressed with her first day of school goes viral

<p>A young girl from Scotland has gone viral as her mother shared a hilarious before and after of her attending her first day of school.</p> <p>Her mother Jillian shared the snaps of her five-year-old daughter Lucie online.</p> <p>The first photo shows Lucie excited for school in her school uniform with her hair in a neat hairstyle and a big smile on her face.</p> <p>The second photo shows what happened afterwards. Lucie’s hair is all over the place, her uniform is dishevelled and her socks and tie askew.</p> <p>Jillian told<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.barrheadnews.com/news/17854631.neilston-girl-lucies-first-day-school-goes-viral/" target="_blank">Barrhead News</a><span> </span></em>about the incident.</p> <p>“Lucie is just like any typical child. When I went to pick her up from school and saw how she looked, I was mortified.</p> <p>"I asked her what she had been doing at school and she said ‘Oh nothing, I just played with my friends.’</p> <p>“Her dad had messaged me from work, asking how her first day went, and I said to him ‘You won’t believe the state she’s in.’</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery to see the hilarious before and after shots of Lucie.</p>

Family & Pets

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Youth vs truth: How box sets beat the box office

<p>The northern summer of 2013 was a bad one for Hollywood. <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1815862/">After Earth</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210819/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Lone Ranger</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334879/?ref_=nv_sr_1">White House Down</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/?ref_=nv_sr_1">World War Z</a> </em>and <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663662/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Pacific Rim </a></em>were among the million-dollar turkeys. And you may have noticed the DVD shelves feature more TV series than ever before.</p> <p><strong>So what’s going on?</strong></p> <p>Cinema has been in crisis for 70 years. In the 1950s, it responded to the challenge of television with bigger, brighter and brasher spectacles. But the problem with big-budget spectacle is obvious: when you bet the bank, it’s easy to lose your shirt.</p> <p>A few massive flops such as <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056937/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Cleopatra</a></em> and <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061584/?ref_=fn_al_tt_7">Dr Dolittle</a></em> in the 1960s were enough to frighten investors and producers off the strategy.</p> <p>In the place of that approach, Hollywood discovered low-budget movies with the kind of adult themes television of the 1960s and 1970s couldn’t or wouldn’t handle. From <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064276/?ref_=nv_sr_2">Easy Rider</a></em> (1969) to <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Taxi Driver</a></em> (1976), the strategy worked, but a handful of expensive bombs such as <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080855/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Heaven’s Gate </a></em>(1980) changed LA executives’ minds again.</p> <p>But the TV problem persisted. How could you get your would-be audience to leave the sofa (and the proximity of the refrigerator) to go downtown to the movie theatre? In 1975 and 1976, two films set the model for the future: <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Jaws</a></em> and <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/?ref_=nv_sr_2">Star Wars</a></em>. Spielberg’s shark story was more than a film: it was an event.</p> <p>George Lucas’s first installment of his sci-fi epic went one better by opening up a new market for spin-offs: toys, clothes, games, theme-park rides and merchandise of every kind.</p> <p>Best of all, both films created the opportunity to tell more stories with the same basic set up: what Hollywood would come to call a franchise.</p> <p>The lesson was clear: parents might not be persuaded to get up off the couch, but teens everywhere could be persuaded to evade the watchful eye of Mom and Dad. For nearly 40 years, that wisdom has framed the way Hollywood has made movies.</p> <p>Reducing drastically the number of films they make each year, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_film_studio#Today.27s_Big_Six">the six major studios</a>, who together control more than 80% of global box office, concentrate on the 12-to-25 age range.</p> <p>The major target is boys, especially younger teens who tend to visit the cinema in groups, with a significant subsidiary market for slightly older teens on dates, and girls heading out for an evening together.</p> <p>Older film fans talk about genres such as westerns and science fiction. The industry talks about blockbusters for boys and date movies and rom-coms for girls.</p> <p><strong>Distraction</strong></p> <p>The rise of computer games in the 1980s and the internet in the 1990s increased competition for young audiences’ attention, already distracted by rock music, the revitalisation of the comic book industry in the 1980s, and a massive boom in consumer magazines in the same decade.</p> <p>In the 1980s, video piracy rattled the business: in the 2000s <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-battle-has-been-won-but-the-war-on-piracy-is-far-from-over-16211">the problem of piracy</a> exploded, as an increasingly internet-savvy generation used file-sharing to access the movies the studios lavished so much money and care on.</p> <p>The first strategic response by Hollywood was architectural. Loosening implementation of laws on cross-ownership starting in the 2000s allowed the majors to return to the theatrical end of the business, where they invested huge sums on new multiplexes, luxurious seating and state-of-the-art sound systems.</p> <p>The second strategic response was marketing. Today, at least a third of the budget for a new release is spent on “P&amp;A”, prints and advertising. Increasingly sophisticated teasers and trailers, reports from the set, leaks to the press and huge advertising campaigns jockey for the biggest possible success.</p> <p>The focus of the campaign is the opening weekend. Top-budget movies not only have to open to big crowds; the opening weekend establishes the brand of the film, which will be essential for its long-term success.</p> <p>Once the title, the logo, the specially-commissioned typeface and the carefully selected images have saturated television, billboards, websites, social media, newsprint and magazines, the stage is set for the longer haul of DVD sales and rentals, video-on-demand streaming, cable, satellite and free-to-air TV.</p> <p>According to top industry scholar <a href="http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_26228.html">Tino Balio</a>, that is where, in the 2010s, well over 60% of movie revenues are generated.</p> <p>Films such as <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Lord of the Rings</a></em> and <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Avatar</a> </em>(whose second and third installments are in preparation for 2016 and 2017 release) are typical franchises in at least three senses:</p> <ol> <li>Each film in the series remains open to a sequel.</li> <li>Because of the gap between release dates, fans are likely to buy a previous instalment to get in the mood in advance of the latest episode. </li> <li>The films are made with a lavish attention to detail that invites multiple viewings.</li> </ol> <p>Franchises are good for studios. A one-off film is a prototype: as scriptwriting guru <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Goldman">William Goldman</a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/457097-nobody-knows-anything-not-one-person-in-the-entire-motion">famously said</a> of Hollywood: “Nobody knows anything.”</p> <p>If we could predict success, there would never be such a thing as a box office bomb.</p> <p>But if your <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258463/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4">first Bourne movie</a> is a hit, the chances its sequel will crash and burn are significantly lowered.</p> <p>Add to this the fact that all the majors are now parts of multimedia conglomerates, and that a franchise based on an already-successful product has a much better chance of success itself.</p> <p>Whether it’s a theme-park ride (Disney’s <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325980/?ref_=tt_rec_tt">Pirates of the Caribbean</a></em>) or a comic book family (Warner’s <a href="http://www.dccomics.com/">DC Comics</a>, Disney’s <a href="http://marvel.com/">Marvel</a>), franchises build on synergies with other branches of their parent companies.</p> <p><strong>Curiosity</strong></p> <p>In the mid-20th century, some major film companies shunned TV.</p> <p>Others started making television, among them the wildly successful <a href="http://www.disney.com.au/">Disney</a>, which brokered its music hits, theme parks and TV shows to expand into grown-up films and computer animation, and to acquire the US’s <a href="http://www.disneyabctv.com/web/index.aspx">ABC television network</a> in 1995.</p> <p>This pattern was repeated through the relationship of Paramount with CBS, NBC’s with Universal, Newscorp’s ownership of both Fox Studios and the Fox TV network. Time Warner own HBO and the Turner network among other TV properties, and Sony, owners of Columbia, has also moved into television.</p> <p>Television is no longer the upstart challenger, it seems, but another wing of the same industry. And that’s without factoring in the studios’ involvement in online, mobile and games media.</p> <p>The youth market looks pretty much locked in. So why was the northern summer of 2013 such a tough one for youth-oriented blockbuster movies following a tried and tested formula?</p> <p>The secret may just be that older audience that was left behind in the blockbuster boom of the 1970s, sitting cheerfully at home minding the store.</p> <p>When the cable and satellite TV markets began to mature in the late 1970s, they were still dependent on advertising. But soon enough, execs began to notice the audience left behind by cinema.</p> <p>Those people were happy to pay a subscription to see premium product, especially without the interruptions of commercial breaks. Back catalogues of classic movies and premium runs of new films were early entrants.</p> <p>In 1997, HBO changed the game by launching its prison drama <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118421/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Oz</a></em>, followed in 1999 by the first season of <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141842/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Sopranos</a>.</em></p> <p>Suddenly, we had television that wasn’t dumbed down to meet the requirements of advertisers, that used the serial form to develop complex characters, and that addressed grown-up themes in an adult form.</p> <p>By the 2000s, shows such as <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185906/">Band of Brothers</a>, <a href="http://www.hbo.com/#/deadwood">Deadwood</a>, </em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318997/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1"><em>Angels in America</em> </a>and <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248654/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Six Feet Under</a></em> had not only demonstrated the unfed demand for adult programming; they had staked a claim, with series such as <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Wire</a></em>, to the role once occupied by the popular social novels of Charles Dickens or Upton Sinclair.</p> <p>As the top shows garnered awards and critical praise in the serious as well as the popular press, the shows became collectable items, much like great novels, to be viewed and savoured more than once.</p> <p>Despite his success with <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</a></em>, Joss Whedon’s sci-fi series <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303461/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Firefly</a></em> was dropped after only one season, and as wily a judge of popular taste as Spielberg has consistently failed to ignite a TV franchise.</p> <p>Is TV unsuited to spectacular fantasy? The success of the BBC’s revamped <em><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006q2x0">Dr Who</a></em> and <a href="http://www.hbo.com/#/game-of-thrones">HBO’s <em>Game of Thrones</em></a> might suggest otherwise.</p> <p>Is TV likely to go the same way as the “new Hollywood” of the 1970s, overwhelmed by teen action and superhero spectacle? Unlikely at present given the critical and commercial success of <a href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/breaking-bad">AMC’s <em>Breaking Bad</em></a>.</p> <p>The reliable, comfortably-off audience for serious TV drama may yet trump that fickle youth demographic who stayed away in the summer of 2013.</p> <p><em>Written by Sean Cubitt. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/youth-vs-truth-how-box-sets-beat-the-box-office-18910"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Movies

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Rebecca Gibney shares the secret behind her youthful looks – and it’s completely free

<p>It’s a well known fact that Rebecca Gibney is an outstanding actress, but the highly acclaimed performer is also known for her ageless looks.</p> <p>Speaking to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6462789/Rebecca-Gibney-53-shares-beauty-tips-staying-youthful.html?ITO=applenews" target="_blank"><em>Daily Mail Australia</em></a><span> </span>at last night’s AACTA Awards in Sydney, the former<span> </span><em>Packed to the Rafters</em><span> </span>star revealed her secrets to looking younger than her age.</p> <p>The 53-year-old shared her beauty tips and tricks and luckily, you can follow them at home for yourself.</p> <p>“Lots of water and lots of sleep,” she said. “And be happy!”</p> <p>The actress also went on to mention the amount of time it takes her to get ready for red carpet appearances.</p> <p>“It took me three hours to get ready today!” she said through laughter.</p> <p>But it isn’t just beauty advice that Rebecca chose to share, as according to the star, her journey throughout life has left her with many important lessons.</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/BqJfUkeBsHz/?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/BqJfUkeBsHz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">So grateful for the last week away celebrating our anniversary and having some serious downtime. 🙏🏻 I’m even getting ok at 🧘🏼‍♀️ 👌🏻</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/rebeccagibney_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank"> Rebecca Gibney</a> (@rebeccagibney_) on Nov 13, 2018 at 9:01pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Don’t take yourself so seriously. Don’t take anything so seriously,” she said.</p> <p>“Because you’re here for such a short amount of time, just make the most of it and have fun.”</p> <p>The New Zealand born actress will grace our television screens next year as she stars in a reboot of<span> </span><em>Halifax f.p.</em></p> <p>Rebecca will return to her role as forensic psychiatrist Jane Halifax.</p> <p>The show is set to begin production for Channel Nine in 2019.</p> <p>Do you have any beauty lessons to share? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

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