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"Tone deaf": Jetstar forced to apologise over "racist" joke

<p>Jetstar has been forced to apologise after posting a "racist joke" on their Facebook page, in which they poke fun at the Vietnamese currency. </p> <p>The Aussie airline mocked the currency of the Southeast Asian country in a post, saying, "Sorry but Vietnamese money being called Dong is objectively funny."</p> <p>"And a million Dong is $65 and I basically have $65 which means I'm a millionaire," it wrote.</p> <p>The post was flooded with comments from many of their 782,000 followers, resulting in the post being deleted.</p> <p>One person wrote, "No more Vietnamese will fly with Jetstar. Racial hatred."</p> <p>"I'll never choose Jetstar until they issue an official apology to the Vietnamese people," another declared.</p> <p>A third comment read, "A tone deaf joke. Just a reminder — racial hatred is illegal in Australia. Just because you delete the post doesn't mean it's OK."</p> <p>One commenter slammed the joke for being "unprofessional, disrespectful, and unacceptable".  </p> <p>"Ensure understanding of cultural respect and sensitivity before making culturally disrespectful joke on such a formal airline page."</p> <p>Jetstar responded to some of the comments made about the post, with one response saying, "You are totally right, and that's why we've deleted the post. We're really sorry for any offence caused."</p> <p>Another apology added, "We agree the post was inappropriate and as a result it was removed earlier today."</p> <p>One flyer shared a personal apology message she received after contacting the airline through its official Facebook page to complain about the post. </p> <p>"We agree the post was inappropriate and as a result it has been removed. We're really sorry for any offence caused," the Jetstar spokesperson wrote."</p> <p>'Please be assured that this incident was in no way related to Vietnamese nationality or race."</p> <p>"You have my absolute assurance that Jetstar will not tolerate discrimination on ethnicity, race or any other unlawful grounds."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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"Get a grip": Retirees roasted over tone-deaf pension question

<p>A pair of retirees - and their significant others - have found themselves at the centre of a new online debate, all because of their submission to one financial advice column, and its circulation on social media.</p> <p>Both retirees - each with millions of dollars to their names - submitted their concerns to the <em>Sun Herald</em>’s George Cochrane, hoping for financial advice and a solid strategy moving forward with their respective retirements.</p> <p>The first request saw a 78-year-old man and his 79-year-old wife ask if they should look into selling some of their shares in order to stay below a threshold. </p> <p>The couple were receiving an account-based pension from their self-managed super fund, with a combined total of nearly $2.3 million - he had $1,5999,956 and she had $675,590 as of July 2017.</p> <p>Their combined funds were invested in Australian shares, they noted, and gave them a “healthy return which includes imputation credits”. They went on to share that since 2017, some of their shareholdings had “more than doubled in value”, and that the husband’s contribution to their fund had exceeded “the $3 million limit which the government intends to bring in.”</p> <p>“What will be the tax implications if my SMSF reaches $4 million and my wife’s $1.8 million?” they asked. “Should we sell some of our shares to stay below the $3 million threshold?”</p> <p>The second request came from a 60-year-old woman on behalf of herself and her 50-year-old husband, in which she revealed they had property valued at $4 million, and that they’d accessed her super to pay their $300,000 mortgage. His super, meanwhile, still contained half a million. </p> <p>Additionally, the two had plans to relocate to Europe to a “less expensive property” in order for them to spend more time - and have more funds to put towards - travelling. </p> <p>“We prefer not to work,” she shared, “have no children and intend to spend all our money. What would be a good strategy?”</p> <p>Advice was given, but the column’s wave of response came when The Guardian’s deputy news editor Josephine Tovey shared it to her Twitter, sharing her thoughts on the “generational inequality” it represented, and closing her take with the line “what problems to have”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Honestly if you want to get your blood up about generational inequality in Australia may I recommended the letters on the Money page of the Sun Herald? What problems to have. <a href="https://t.co/uka3EpbOOj">pic.twitter.com/uka3EpbOOj</a></p> <p>— Josephine Tovey (@Jo_Tovey) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jo_Tovey/status/1660073911944638464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Many - mostly those from younger generations, primarily millennials - were quick to side with Tovey, unable to wrap their heads around the idea that the couples’ problems were valid ones. </p> <p>“Oh no. I have TOO MUCH MONEY. What to do, what to do,” one user wrote.</p> <p>“‘I have more money than I know what to do with. Please help’,” another contributed. </p> <p>“I'd ‘prefer not to work’ too but here I am,” one quipped. </p> <p>And as someone else put it, “more than $4 million in assets but too cheap to pay for professional advice. Nothing could be more boomer than this.”</p> <p>“I think that there is huge inequity and variance among Boomers - often depending on the presence or absence of intergenerational wealth,” another user noted. “Ditto with millennials cos of [the] same reason”.</p> <p>However, for every person who was condemning them, another was prepped and ready to come to their defence. </p> <p>“Dear oh dear. Tall poppy syndrome strikes again - Australians are so good at trying to tear down the successful,” one said. “Seriously, get a grip everyone. Good luck to them and I hope they enjoy their respective retirements.”</p> <p>“My partner and I don’t have kids, we live in a modest house and save as much as we can so that we can retire early and travel, we are not landlords, we didn’t inherit any money but we should have about $2 million to retire on, we are working class,” one shared, “doesn’t seem wrong to me.”</p> <p>“They obviously worked hard and earnt it!! Haters going to hate - but good on them - I hope in 20 years when I retire, I have problems like this too,” another wrote. </p> <p>“So they have worked hard all their lives, they don’t have children and they want to travel - why is this an issue?” someone wanted to know, before adding that “they deserve to spend their twilight years in comfort.”</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

Money & Banking

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“So tone deaf”: Karl loses it over Medibank bosses' massive bonuses

<p dir="ltr">Karl Stefanovic has slammed the top bosses at Medibank after it has been revealed they will be taking home millions in bonuses amid the company’s cyber attack crisis.</p> <p dir="ltr">While ten million of Medibank’s customers are learning whether their personal data has made it onto the dark web - and fork out cash to keep themselves safe - bosses will still be collecting a total of $7.3 million in bonuses.</p> <p dir="ltr">Joel Andrews, one customer whose data has been stolen, told <em>Today </em>that “it’s disgusting” that bosses aren’t willing to give up their bonuses despite affected customers facing financial losses.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m furious,” Andrews said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“To think that it’s taken them a month to get this information out to us and say what’s been released, I understand it takes time to find these things out but it’s taken them that long. </p> <p dir="ltr">“They promised early on that they would act quickly because it’s such a time-sensitive issue, and it feels like they have just left it up to them, on their timing.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I mean you’ve got the Medicare boss getting $1.5 million in bonuses last financial year,” co-host Ally Langdon said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He also receives 150 percent of his fixed salary in shares … it’s pretty tone deaf, isn’t it?”</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s disgusting,” Andrews replied.</p> <p dir="ltr">"To think that all of the customers out there, ten million customers, if each of them have to pay for their own software to do data protection, losses to them are around $100 each,.</p> <p dir="ltr">"That's a significant loss to each person and they are not willing to give up their bonuses."</p> <p dir="ltr">Stefanovic, who found out he was also a victim of the attack just two days ago, said he had “no sympathy” for the company as it faces declining share prices and hefty costs as a result of the attack and agreed the bonuses were “disgusting”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s a failure across the board and they’re giving themselves bonuses,” the <em>Today Show</em> host said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s unbelievable.</p> <p dir="ltr">"This is so tone deaf, it is one of the most tone deaf things I have seen a corporation do in Australia for a long, long time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The health insurance company has come under fire for how it handled the cyber attack, with customers’ data being leaked onto the dark web after it refused to pay a ransom and affected customers finding out if they’ve been targeted more than a month later.</p> <p dir="ltr">As the Australian Federal Police continue their investigation into the attack, they have promised to take swift action against anyone who accesses the private data shared on the dark web.</p> <p dir="ltr">Affected customers who aren’t happy with Medicare’s actions or its handling of the situation have also begun proceedings to file a lawsuit against the company.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bf090b99-7fff-1249-0ed1-ac63862a591b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: The Today Show</em></p>

Money & Banking

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You’re not tone deaf and you know more about music than you think

<p>Think of the last time you were at a birthday party and the obligatory rendition of “Happy Birthday” began. If you’re like most people, you probably joined in without a second thought. Would you be surprised to know that the version of “Happy Birthday” you’re used to singing might be different every time?</p> <p>The musical key that “Happy Birthday” is sung in often depends on the note that the person who starts the song chooses to sing first. This starting point determines the key for the rest of the song. We’re still able to recognize the song because the intervals — the differences in pitch between notes — remain the same and the notes just shift up or down depending on where that starting point is.</p> <p>This act of shifting pitches up or down but preserving the intervals between notes is called transposition and although it may not seem like a simple task, people tend to handle it quite well. In one study, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/h0094201">both children and adults easily recognized common songs like “Happy Birthday” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” after they were presented at various keys</a>.</p> <p>How is it that most people can perform this complex musical task even in the absence of any formal musical training? Even though you may not realize it, you actually have a lot more musical knowledge than you might think.</p> <h2>Pattern recognition</h2> <p>Where does this knowledge of music come from? You get it from your everyday life without realizing it thanks to a process called <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_1707">statistical learning</a>. This concept suggests that we learn about our environment through passive exposure and that we constantly use this knowledge to interpret the world around us. Statistical learning is how we learn to recognize patterns and can be used to explain complex learning processes like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.274.5294.1926">language acquisition</a>. Significantly, this process is almost entirely subconscious — we learn just by being exposed to new information.</p> <p>In the case of music, we have no shortage of experience to draw from. We hear music constantly, whether intentionally or as a bystander. Riding in a car, standing in an elevator, sitting in a waiting room — we can’t help but be exposed to music. And we gain something from this passive exposure: We become familiar with the patterns and regularities of the music of our culture and we develop an implicit knowledge of music.</p> <p>This process happens very early on. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-0277(98)00075-4">Eight-month-old babies can recognize patterns in sequences of tones</a> and some studies show that even at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4973412">three months of age</a>, babies can recognize changes in short melodies. This implicit musical knowledge only grows as we get older and is why most people might not be as musically challenged as they think.</p> <p>In one study, people were recruited to sing in a public park and their performance was compared to that of professional singers. The results showed that the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1121/1.2427111">amateur singers’ pitch and timing accuracy was close to that of experts</a>. This aligns with other research showing that people without musical training also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-004-2044-5">perform well on pitch discrimination tasks</a> in which they have to recognize the difference between two tones that vary slightly in pitch.</p> <p>These results might seem surprising at first, but they are backed by large-scale studies as well. While many people might claim to be tone deaf, some research estimates that the rate of congenital amusia — a condition in which a person is unable to recognize or process musical information — <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ejhg.2017.15">is less than two per cent in the general population</a>.</p> <h2>Cultural expectations</h2> <p>Our implicit knowledge of music also leads us to develop expectations of how music should sound. That’s why music from other cultures might sound strange at first — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-0277(98)00075-4">it deviates from the expectations you’ve developed based on the music of your own culture</a>.</p> <p>This is also true across musical genres. Jazz musicians were found to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0163584">more accurate at predicting changes in jazz music than classical musicians and non-musicians</a>.</p> <p>Our expectations are also responsible for generating <a href="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0428-19.2019">musical pleasure</a> and the desire to move when listening to music, and have been used as a tool by artists and composers for centuries to elicit stronger emotions.</p> <p>So although you might not be aware of it, you’re a walking music processing machine. And next time you find yourself singing “Happy Birthday,” you can sing a bit more confidently with your hidden music expertise in mind.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/youre-not-tone-deaf-and-you-know-more-about-music-than-you-think-174453" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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Backlash against "tone deaf" flood advice from Australia’s 50th richest woman

<p dir="ltr">Australia’s 50th richest woman, Sarina Russo, shared her advice to affected communities after parts of Brisbane struggle to recover from the horrific floods.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dressed in leggings, a short sleeved shirt and dark glasses, the 70-year-old recruitment agency chief set the scene by announcing: “We’re here overlooking the most beautiful city called Brisbane and sadly last week we had massive floods – once-in-a-hundred year flooding, and it caused massive devastation.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But you know, when things are going wrong and endorphins are low, this is the time you need to exercise.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I really believe that fitness is everything.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CayuE6PorFj/?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/CayuE6PorFj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sarina Russo (@sarina.russo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Her #fitspo comes after 13 people tragically passed away after months worth of rain smashed southeast Queensland last week.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The desire to get fit every morning, regardless whether it’s raining, whether it’s sunny, whether it’s too hot, whether it’s too cold, icy, snowy, whatever the weather is, if it is to be, it’s up to me,” she continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Your attitude determines your altitude. See you at the top.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Believed to be worth a whopping $267 million, Russo was named as Australia’s 50th richest woman on Tuesday.</p> <p dir="ltr">She explained the key to her success is staying fit, and that overweight people, or those who don’t exercise and drink too much are not “successful”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Responses on Russo's Instagram feed were varied.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Probably a good thing you have comments turned off on your 'just exercise' post," wrote one person. "You do realise most people affected by the floods have spent the last week literally wading through s**t, up and down stairs, moving the water logged entirety of their lives onto the footpath... Pretty sure they are exercising and I'm pretty sure it's not making them feel better about it all."</p> <p dir="ltr">"Houses flooded, businesses destroyed. But yeh going for a run should knock it on the head," wrote another.</p> <p dir="ltr">"She has been in the sun a bit too long," added a third.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Instagram</em><span id="docs-internal-guid-44659756-7fff-c967-aec7-31d0bee19089"></span></p>

Travel Trouble

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Adele facing backlash after a tone-deaf instagram post

<p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Adele has sparked backlash from fans over a “tone-deaf” post in the wake of her postponed Las Vegas residency.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">In a tweet posted on Tuesday night, the singer subtly shut down reports she was cancelling her planned Brit Awards performance next week amid “trouble in paradise” in her new relationship with Rich Paul.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">She posted a happy photo of herself grinning, and captioned it: “Hiya, so I’m really happy to say that I am performing at the Brits next week! Anddddd I’ll also be popping in to see Graham for a chat on the couch while I’m in town too! I’m looking forward to it!”</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Rather than simply dispel the reports she was pulling out of her upcoming appearance, the post has sparked anger among the thousands of disappointed fans who had received word last month that she was cancelling her Vegas shows at the last minute.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">“Have you refunded all the fans yet from the Vegas shows?” one user wrote underneath her tweet.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">“What about all those people that have lost money because you cancelled at the last minute. Where is their performance?” said another disgruntled fan, to which someone replied: “Yep. Exactly. Where is it? She could care less.”</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Adele’s post followed rumours her relationship with US sports agent Rich Paul is on the rocks, suggesting it was a factor in the cancellation of her Las Vegas residency.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">According to the <em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">New York Daily News</em>, the singer interrupted rehearsals to take calls from her boyfriend and was seen crying.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">An inside source said: “There’s trouble in paradise. That’s why she can’t perform.”</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">The 33-year-old singer devastated fans by cancelling her Las Vegas residency 24 hours before it was set to start last month. She announced the cancellation of the three-month run of concerts at Caesar’s Palace in a tearful Instagram post.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">On Tuesday, <em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">The Sun</em> reported that she had also pulled out of her planned performance at the Brit Awards at London’s 02 Arena on February 8, causing a “huge headache” for show bosses who were left scrambling to find a replacement.</p>

Music

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"This is so wrong": Scott Morrison blasted over "tone deaf" photo

<p>A photo of Scott Morrison posing with employees at a UK pub has sparked intense backlash from frustrated Australians.</p> <p>The Jamaica Inn in Launceston, England, posted a photo of the smiling PM to Facebook on Monday.</p> <p>“Pleasure to have the Australian Prime Minister [and] his 20+ personal team for lunch this weekend. You never know what you might find at Jamaica Inn!” it was captioned.</p> <p>Morrison flew to the UK last week to attend the G7 summit as a guest.</p> <p>However, Aussies are not impressed by his pit stop at the pub after being told by the government overseas travel won't be possible until 2022.</p> <p>Hundreds of people took to the Facebook post to vent their frustration, calling the picture "tone deaf".</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FJamaicaInnCornwall%2Fposts%2F10158795209417800&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="609" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></p> <p>“I can’t decide if I’m more angry or sad over this post. So many of us would give anything to see our UK families. Where’s the compassion?” one woman commented under the image.</p> <p>“What a joke. End off. He should have to quarantine when he gets back,” one man said, adding that he and his wife may move back to the UK so they can visit family.</p> <p>“He is laughing at us. This is above ridiculous. He continues posting photos that go against what he preaches,” another woman said.</p> <p>“I can’t believe the audacity of this man! Double standards,” a third woman chimed in.</p> <p>“This is so wrong. He keeps fellow Australians locked in while enjoying lunches overseas at taxpayers' expense,” one man wrote.</p> <p>Currently, any Australian who is granted an exemption to travel overseas must pay for mandatory hotel quarantine upon their return.</p> <p>Unlike most people, Morrison will quarantine at The Lodge in Canberra, News.com.au reported.</p>

Travel Trouble

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Paul Hogan’s “homesick” plea falls on deaf ears

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aussie actor Paul Hogan appeared on </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunrise</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> complaining that he’s “desperately homesick” in Los Angeles and eager to return to Australia - without much sympathy from </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunrise</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> viewers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Crocodile Dundee</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> star appeared emotional as he was being interviewed by hosts Natalie Barr and David Koch on Tuesday, May 11, speaking from his $4.5 million mansion in Venice Beach.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m desperately homesick. You’re living in a country right now, alongside New Zealand, that’s the light of the world,” he told the program hosts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m living in LA county which has 10 million people, and about half of ‘em got COVID. So am I homesick? You bet your life.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kochie also noted that the 81-year-old, who regularly appears on </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunrise</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, was the “most down” they’d ever seen him. Hogan said he was trying to stay positive despite taking steroids for a kidney issue that resulted in his face bloating. He also said he barely left his house in California, as the pandemic has seen the area spike in homelessness and crime and the wider Los Angeles area being hit hard by COVID-19.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kochie pointed out that many celebrities entering Australia had managed to skip hotel quarantine and isolate privately. But Hogan dismissed the idea, insisted he and his youngest son, Clance, would have to complete hotel quarantine together and would “strangle each other”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite his visibly low spirits, many </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunrise</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> viewers were unsympathetic to the star’s situation, questioning how “desperate” he really was if he refused to undergo hotel quarantine for two weeks.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Quarantine like everyone else … or stay in America,” </span><a href="https://twitter.com/michelleweb67/status/1391892344908128258"><span style="font-weight: 400;">one viewer wrote</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Desperately homesick … won’t quarantine for two weeks to get back. Must be reeeeal bad,” </span><a href="https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1391883558067728387/retweets/with_comments"><span style="font-weight: 400;">another tweeted</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some viewers did show their support for the actor on the show’s Facebook page, with one user writing: “Lot of mean people here. He is an elderly 81-year-old fella obviously homesick. A bit of compassion wouldn’t hurt.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This isn’t the first time Hogan has expressed his desire to come home either. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an October 2020 interview with the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Courier Mail</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, he said of his LA home, “I’m like a kangaroo in a Russian zoo - I don’t belong here.”</span></p> <p><strong>Image Credit: Channel 7</strong></p>

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Peter Dutton labelled "tone deaf" during Question Time

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has been slammed after shutting down Labor leader Anthony Albanese during his speech around Brittany Higgins and the March 4 Justice protests.</p> <p>In Question Time on Monday, Dutton walked up to the podium to cut off Albanese as he spoke about Higgins and the thousands protesting around the nation.</p> <p>Albanese moved to suspend standing orders during Question Time so that a motion could be put forward, including that an independent inquiry is held around Brittany Higgins.</p> <p>He also put forward four actions and went on to talk about the Prime Minister's response to Higgin's rape allegations.</p> <p>Dutton cut short Albanese's speech and asked that he "no longer be heard".</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Here it is. My wife and I literally shouted at the television. On this of all days. <a href="https://t.co/QF84GSF0jz">pic.twitter.com/QF84GSF0jz</a></p> — Foxy Bogan (@foxybogan) <a href="https://twitter.com/foxybogan/status/1371324997722021891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>Albanese appeared surprised and in shock at the move by Dutton.</p> <p>However, Dutton was within his rights to do so as the Prime Minister and a number of Liberal party figures face criticism for their handling of a range of recent allegations as well as not attending the Canberra rally.</p> <p>Scott Morrison has also been criticised for saying that rallies such as "March 4 Justice" are "met with bullets" in other countries.</p> <p>“It is good and right, Mr Speaker, that so many are able to gather here in this way, whether in our capital or elsewhere, and to do so peacefully to express their concerns and their very genuine and real frustrations,” he said during Question Time.</p> <p>“This is a vibrant liberal democracy, Mr Speaker, not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets, but not here in this country.”</p> <p>Albanese has described the PM's response as "not so much a tin ear as a wall of concrete".</p> <p>“(Women are) crying out that this is a moment that requires leadership, and it requires leadership from this prime minister. And we are not getting it, Prime Minister,” he said.</p> <p>Mr Albanese read out Ms Higgins’ quote: “I watched as the Prime Minister of Australia publicly apologised to me through the media, while privately his media team actively undermined and discredited my loved ones.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

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Is this the most heart-warming video you have ever seen?

<p>An eight-month-old baby hearing the sound of their parents for the first time has been captured in a heart-warming video.</p> <p>Little Cohen Gorman was born deaf in March of 2020.</p> <p>Mum Tamara Nevin told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/heartwarming-moment-baby-born-profoundly-deaf-hears-mum-and-dad-for-the-first-time--c-2291170" target="_blank">7News </a>there was no family history of hearing loss, saying: “When Cohen was born, it was this instant overwhelming feeling of love, he felt like our missing piece.</p> <p>“My pregnancy with Cohen was pretty uneventful, in fact I would say that I really enjoyed being pregnant.</p> <p>“All his scans showed a healthy little baby.</p> <p>“We had no idea that there would be anything wrong with his hearing.”</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/CLq-rdZDMMZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLq-rdZDMMZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mummy and Me (@mummy.and.me)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>After failing newborn hearing screenings three times, Cohen would go on to see an audiologist where they would tell the parents the surprising news.</p> <p>“The week between his tests felt like forever and we would do our own tests at home, playing music into his ear, or making loud sounds to see if he reacted,” Tamara said.</p> <p>“Sometimes he would react and we thought he was ok, other times he didn’t.”</p> <p>“I blamed myself a lot for his hearing loss, thinking it was something I did while I was pregnant,” she added.</p> <p>“My partner then had to support me and our baby and adjust to parenthood.</p> <p>“It was a very different feeling than what you would expect when you welcome a baby into the world.</p> <p>“And that’s hard because that’s a time we can’t get back with Cohen.”</p> <p>Cohen’s diagnosis was confronting for the family, who believed their little boy would never be able to hear the voice of his parents.</p> <p>“One of the first things I said to our audiologist was, ‘so our son will never hear us say we love him’.</p> <p>“It was heartbreaking to think of.</p> <p>“We grieved, in a sense, because we thought he would miss out on things, that he wouldn’t get to experience everything we hoped he would.”</p> <p>However, hope was restored when Cohen had cochlear implants put in at eight months old.</p> <p>“Cochlear implants have given Cohen the gift of sound and for that, we couldn’t be more grateful,” Tamara said.</p> <p>“Now he turns to us when we call him, he sways when he hears music.</p> <p>“The implants will allow him to access sound, so that with the help of listening and spoken language therapy, he will listen and talk like a ‘typical hearing’ child.”</p> <p>The wonderful moment where Cohen heard his parents for the first time was recorded and shared online with the world.</p> <p>Mark Fitzpatrick, Chair of First Voice – an organisation that helps children with who suffer from hearing loss – told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/heartwarming-moment-baby-born-profoundly-deaf-hears-mum-and-dad-for-the-first-time--c-2291170" target="_blank">7NEWS</a><br />he wants Australians to be more aware about the support that is available to babies with hearing conditions.</p> <p>“Most critically, 84 per cent of Australians don’t know where to turn to for support if their child is born with or develops hearing loss.</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/CI5UcKSjQGk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CI5UcKSjQGk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mummy and Me (@mummy.and.me)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“The possibilities for deaf children are endless.</p> <p>“With early identification, excellent technology, and world-leading therapy and support in the early stages of life (and beyond), anything is possible for these children.</p> <p>“99.9 per cent of all Australians have an oral language, despite one in six Australians having a hearing loss.</p> <p>“Supporting children to develop their own speech early in life opens up all kinds of possibilities for them later in life, including the way they want to communicate.</p> <p>“Most importantly, it will provide them the opportunity to engage in the community that they want in the way they want to.”</p>

Family & Pets

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Scott Morrison’s emotional plea falls on deaf ears

<p>Scott Morrison gave an emotional plea to the Queensland Premier to allow a 26-year-old woman attend her father’s funeral today during a radio interview.<span> </span><br /><br />However it seems even the PM’s words did not hold enough weight as it has now prompted Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to claim Mr Morrison “bullied” her during an extraordinary phone call.<br /><br />Canberran Sarah Caisip, 26, is still stuck in quarantine after she travelled to Queensland to spend time with her father during his final days.<span> </span><br /><br />Unfortunately he died before she could get out.<br /><br />The Prime Minister confirmed this morning he had called Ms Palaszczuk and urged that she take move to allow Ms Caisip to skip quarantine so she can attend the funeral, which is taking place on Thursday afternoon.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837789/sarah-funeral.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/10f3d824380d4c58be77cf69023969c3" /><br />Ms Caisip has since been allowed to have a private viewing at the funeral home after the service, but is not allowed to attend the funeral.<br /><br />“I’ve appealed to her to overrule the decision,’’ Mr Morrison told 4BC radio earlier today.<span> </span><br /><br />“That would allow Sarah to go to the funeral today. It’s not about borders. It’s not about politicians. It’s not about elections. The only thing that matters today is that Sarah can be with her 11-year-old sister Isobel and her mother while they mourn the passing of their father and husband Bernard at Mount Gravatt today.”<br /><br />Both Mr Morrison and radio broadcaster Ray Hadley were close to tears during the emotional interview as they spoke about their own father’s deaths.<br /><br />“Sadly she wasn’t able to see her father before he passed. All of us who have been through that process know how important that is. It’s still fresh in my mind,’’ he said.<br /><br />Mr Morrison became emotional once again as he discussed the woman being in hotel quarantine on Father’s Day.<br /><br />“It was Father’s Day on the weekend and I’m just thinking if Sarah had to go through that day in a hotel in isolation and there she is today,” he said.<br /><br />“Surely, just this once, this can be done.<br /><br />“There have been no COVID cases in Canberra for 60 days. I’ve done all I can.”<br /><br />“I just hope they change their mind. I hope they let Sarah go.”<br /><br />He said he hoped that Queensland could provide “hope” to one family that needed it.<br /><br />In Parliament, the Queensland Premier accused the Prime Minister of bullying her over borders.<br /><br />“I will not be bullied, nor will I be intimidated by the Prime Minister of this country,” Ms Palaszczuk said,<br /><br />“(He) contacted me this morning … and I made it very clear to the fact that it was not my decision.<br /><br />“(I made it clear) that I would pass his comments on to the chief health officer, and it is her decision to make.”<br /><br />Ms Caisip has written a heartbreaking letter to the Queensland Premier after she was unable to cross the border to spend time with him during his final days.<br /><br />“My dad is dead and you made me fight to see him, but it was too late and now you won’t let me go to his funeral or see my devastated 11-year-old sister,” Ms Caisip said.<br /><br />The woman, who lives in the ACT, which is COVID-free was wrestling with the Queensland Government to be allowed into the state in time to visit her dying father Bernard.<br /><br />This year would be their final Father’s Day together as a family.<br /><br />“You won’t listen and your government is destroying my life,” she said in her letter to Ms Palaszczuk.<br /><br />“Now you are preventing me from going to view his body, which is a very important tradition for me, and also preventing me from going to his funeral this Thursday, even though I am in Brisbane in hotel quarantine and only a few kilometres away.<br /><br />“I came from virus-free Canberra, so the fact that I’m even in quarantine is beyond belief but the fact that I am being denied my basic human rights to care for my grief-stricken mother and little 11-year-old sister enrages, disgusts and devastates me at the same time.<br /><br />“My little sister is now without my support and I will never forgive you.”</p> <p>The Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has spoken to media about her decision to block the 26-year-old woman from attending her father’s funeral in Brisbane on Thursday afternoon.</p> <p>"The last thing I would want to happen is to have an oubreak at a funeral," she said.</p> <p>"I do not want to see in Queensland any risks, people attending funerals, catching COVID-19 and then going back to vulnerable places like aged care homes".</p> <p>Canberra has not had any active cases of coronavirus for two months.</p>

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“Pathetic”: Julie Bishop slams “gender deafness” and misogyny in Australian politics

<p>Julie Bishop has condemned a sexist attack against former prime minister Julia Gillard, calling it “pathetic” and “grotesque in brutality”.</p> <p>Speaking to Andrew Denton on<span> </span><em>Interview</em>, Bishop said the sexism and misogyny that she witnessed during her 20-year political career would not cease until more women enter parliament.</p> <p>The former deputy Liberal leader recalled a 2013 Liberal National fundraiser in Queensland where a menu included a “Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail” dish, which was described as having “small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box”.</p> <p>The event sparked controversy and was eventually condemned by then-party leader Tony Abbott.</p> <p>Bishop said the incident was “grotesque in its brutality”.</p> <p>The former WA representative said, “We have to remember that in recent times, parliament was all male. And so you had a whole bunch of men in Canberra and they set the rules, they set the customs, the precedence and the environment.</p> <p>“There was very much that culture around politics ... but that kind of behaviour’s just pathetic.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">"The more women that are in politics, the more they would say that behaviour is unacceptable." - <a href="https://twitter.com/HonJulieBishop?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@honjuliebishop</a> on Julia Gillard's treatment from male politicians. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/InterviewAU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#InterviewAU</a> <a href="https://t.co/LZYoJp6lk5">pic.twitter.com/LZYoJp6lk5</a></p> — Andrew Denton's "Interview" (@InterviewAU) <a href="https://twitter.com/InterviewAU/status/1161238702586077185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Bishop said she herself often encountered “gender deafness” when she was the only woman in the room.</p> <p>“If I spoke in a room of 20 men, if I would put forward my idea, there was sort of silence,” Bishop said.</p> <p>“It was as if I hadn’t spoken and then somebody would say precisely what I said or come up with precisely the same idea. And then they’d all say, ‘Oh that’s a great idea. Why don’t we do that?’</p> <p>“And I’d say, ‘Excuse … Didn’t I just say that?’”</p> <p>While she initially thought it was an isolated problem, she later found women around the world are facing the same issue.</p> <p>“I just labelled it gender deafness,” she said. “I love men and I think they have a wonderful contribution to make to humanity. But if you’re the only female voice in the room, they just don’t seem to hear you. It’s as if they’re not attuned to it.”</p> <p>Bishop, who was the only woman in Tony Abbott’s 2013 cabinet, said greater female representation would help change the environment.</p> <p>“There must be a critical mass of women, and 50 per cent sounds like a good idea,” she said.</p> <p>“So I would think that the more women that are in politics, the more they would say that behaviour is unacceptable. So I think the numbers really do matter in this instance.”</p> <p>Bishop retired from politics in May. At the end of July, she was announced as the next chancellor of the Australian National University, becoming the<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/julie-bishops-big-new-job-first-woman-to-hold-the-position/" target="_blank">first woman to hold the position</a>. She has also attracted controversy for<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/im-not-interested-pauline-hanson-tells-georgie-gardner-what-she-really-thinks-about-julie-bishop/" target="_blank">joining the board of international consultancy firm Palladium</a>.</p>

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Teen’s touching random act of kindness for blind and deaf man during flight

<p>A teenage girl’s random act of kindness has gone viral after she helped a blind and deaf man communicate on a flight.</p> <p>Last week, Clara Daly and her mum boarded an Alaska Airlines flight after their original flight from Boston was cancelled.</p> <p>Clara’s mum, Jane, explained that the pair rushed frantically to board the flight and just made it in time. </p> <p>Shortly after take-off, a flight attendant made an announcement to the passengers, asking if anyone knew sign language.</p> <p>"Clara has been studying American Sign Language so she rang the flight attendant button," Jane wrote on Facebook.</p> <p>"They explained that the passenger was not only deaf, but also blind. The only way you can communicate with him was by signing into his hand."</p> <p>"They thought that he might need something and they weren't sure how to communicate," Clara told <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/06/22/calabasas-teen-blind-deaf-man-flight/" target="_blank"><em>CBS Los Angeles</em></a></span></strong>.</p> <p>Clara walked over to the man, whose name she later learnt was Timothy, and signed into the palm of his hand to see if she could help him.</p> <p>"Several times he requested her assistance throughout the flight," the proud mum explained.</p> <p>The Californian teen helped him ask for water and how much time was left for the flight.</p> <p>Clara was happy to get up and help whenever he needed to say something and then, "toward the end of the flight, he asked for her again, and this time he just wanted to talk.</p> <p>She spent the remainder of the flight until landing with him," Jane wrote.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjane.daly.501%2Fposts%2F10156396022402726&amp;width=500" width="500" height="764" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p>"He didn't need anything. He was just like lonely and wanted to talk," Clara told<em> CBS Los Angeles. </em></p> <p>Clara was overjoyed that she was able to communicate with Timothy but her only concern was that she would spell something wrong when signing into his hand, as she is dyslexic.</p> <p>Since Clara is dyslexic, she started learning sign language about a year ago because she wanted to know a way to communicate without having to read or write.</p> <p>Her parents, Jane and Bill, expressed how proud they were of their daughter, and her mum shared the story after the airline emailed the photos the flight attendants took of Clara and the man.</p> <p>Jane and Clara’s original flight was direct to Los Angeles but the new flight they were put on had a layover in Portland. Timothy was flying to Portland and if it weren’t for the flight change, they would’ve never met him.</p> <p>"She'll probably kill me for posting this, but - Proud of my girl," the happy mum wrote about her daughter.</p> <p>After her story went viral, Clara said her random act of kindness was “what anyone would have done”. </p>

International Travel

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A passenger has shared a unique note that a deaf Uber driver had placed in his car. Read the thoughtful message here.

<p>Musicians draw inspiration from all sorts of sources – people, experiences, events – but some of our favourite songs of all time are inspired by beautiful (and not so beautiful) places around the world.</p> <p>From “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra to “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran, join us as we tour the globe to see the incredible locations that led to some of the greatest songs ever made.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see them all and tell us in the comments, how many have you visited?</p>

Music

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Deaf Uber driver’s note goes viral

<p><span>A note from a deaf Uber driver has gone viral after being posted to Twitter last week.</span></p> <p><span>Twitter user @lilghostgirl noticed the helpful note from the driver, Onur, explaining that his hearing impairment doesn’t impact his ability to do his job</span></p> <p><span>The note explains that if the passenger needs to tell him something they can either text or write it down on a notepad when the car stops.</span></p> <p><span>Onur also encourages his passengers to use the AUX cord in his note if they wish to listen to music during their ride. He says that if his passenger picks a song with a strong bass, then he can also enjoy the music.</span></p> <p><span>The kind note gained a lot of attention online, with users complimenting Onur for his excellent customer service.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">THIS WAS THE PUREST THING WE LOVE ONUR <a href="https://t.co/YkWCXjQYAt">pic.twitter.com/YkWCXjQYAt</a></p> — lil ghost girl (@Iilghostgirl) <a href="https://twitter.com/Iilghostgirl/status/986353146673983489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><span> </span></p> <p><span>“Onur you are a good man, I wish you all the best in life,” one user wrote.    </span></p> <p><span>“He’s a breath of fresh air,” another noted.</span></p> <p><span>One added, “This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.”</span></p>

Technology

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Queensland mum sues Qantas after horror flight leaves her deaf

<p>A holiday turned into a nightmare for one Queensland mum, who claims she became deaf in one ear after her “hellish” turbulent flight home.</p> <p>Joanna Spooner and her two children, then aged 11 and nine months, flew back to Brisbane from Hamilton Island on a QantasLink flight in September 2015.</p> <p>She is now seeking compensation from QantasLink, the regional brand of Qantas.  </p> <p>According to a statement of claims filed in Brisbane’s Supreme Court, the aircraft hit turbulence shortly after take-off which lasted the whole journey.</p> <p>Joanna, a single stay-at-home mum, said she began to suffer pain in her ears and they felt blocked after the bumpy flight.</p> <p>However, it was only after the pain worsened in the months following the flight that she was diagnosed with barotrauma and perilymph fistula in her right ear. She had to undergo emergency surgery and lost hearing in that ear.</p> <p>“At least half of my hearing has gone,” Joanna told news.com.au.</p> <p>"I've got all the vertigo, the pain; it's in my ear but behind my ear, in my face, down my jaw and down my neck. It builds up because the hole has closed up and it builds up in my face which feels like a million different things. It's hell."</p> <p><img width="426" height="320" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/7201ef9b01a61f28e1a1c2694c0aa7fe" alt="The mum and her two kids were flying home after a holiday on Daydream Island when the alleged incident occurred." style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Joanna’s son and daughter also suffered barotrauma at the time of the flight but have since recovered from their injuries, according to court documents.</p> <p>Her daughter suffered earaches and balance problems for four to five weeks after the flight, but her baby son was unwell for longer, Joanna said.</p> <p>“We had 18 weeks of constantly taking him back to GPs and the hospital... we didn’t get anywhere,” she said. “That was when I was finally diagnosed (with perilymph fistula) and I was like, I know something is wrong with him.”</p> <p>Joanna’s son was found to have a ruptured ear drum.</p> <p>“I had to sit on him and pin him to the table because they couldn’t sedate him because of his age,” she said.</p> <p>“They didn’t realise it was that bad. With his ruptured ear drum the fluid had leaked out but it stayed in his ear and it had set and got really hard, on his newly formed ear drum.”</p> <p>Joanna says she can no longer work from home and needs assistance taking care of her kids.<a href="https://beap.gemini.yahoo.com/mbclk?bv=1.0.0&amp;es=hnIBW2gGIS_q04OPoiLcQZoioZc0TvEu8DEaruuLDH1psquSeCjryerhKmFiLFlfRm2AxlJENsbxc4XnUysvMwoNn39yWB2II6hlBYQa.uIAv13e8tey1FXDUCyIPr.iTokBQsXcCKfJDBvrrosNh0Xhow9G0FxJ0z9eMTyG.nS4d8uWHv4PekQUvPPyf3NHA8eCNrF_MpMK3qi2Yu98w_pgYvCjCVXBIY3tdf2iSzLi54n3eQW.I5CAtezYdjwzLG0Es_Mj2VKVIuKuSsrLMx6zRUA3DytCbNzZpERrZt8.bHTL22C55O2nzoxDw3B.9rzDDbWDZq2WFv3cgDTJqVs99_dRilsUKt2Jdl1BgyilQlIzHsyfGu9m9oIVr5wWMiI2K5uJm7ub.yntTAlDOXBFOiRkx_9YJ1udNwelphs6S3nbFsXoubilN7_HIf.l9IRMX98pODZe25sSzr7i2Q1GwPhR.C4wavB3_SjUy6w7ePwSRPKu_04-%26lp=" target="_blank" title="Is your dog itching for stardom, or just itching?"><br /> </a></p> <p>A Qantas spokesperson has responded to the claims, telling news.com.au: “We’re aware of the alleged incident but we are yet to be served with any proceedings so we’re not in a position to comment.”</p> <p><strong><em>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Save money with Over60 Travel Insurance. <a href="https://elevate.agatravelinsurance.com.au/oversixty?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=link1&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance" target="_blank">To arrange a quote, click here.</a> Or for more information, call 1800 622 966.</em></strong></p> <p><span><em> </em></span></p>

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Adorable deaf dog wows with tricks

<p>American bulldog Boof is deaf but he can still learn and perform some great tricks.</p> <p>Two-year-old Boof has received online attention after a video was uploaded of him performing his tricks with his trainer.</p> <p>He is also a SA Dog Rescue and is looking for a home.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSADOGRESCUE%2Fvideos%2F1431331100223735%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=267" width="267" height="476" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></span></p> <p><span style="text-align: center;">SA Dog Rescue shared on Facebook, “Our volunteer says it's her first experience with training a deaf dog and it's amazingly rewarding. She says it's like he's always known.”</span></p> <p>“He loves his training time (and treat time) and she can't wait to start teaching him more new tricks for his potential foster/adopter to continue with him.”</p>

Hearing

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Deaf father sings in sign language to his baby daughter

<p>Kevin Nadrowski and his daughter Bayleigh are both deaf but that doesn’t stop them from sharing special father-daughter bonding time.</p> <p>Kevin shot a video showing him teaching his little girl the song “If You’re Happy and You Know It” in American sign language.</p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aJ8wxcwfvxk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>Kevin commented on the video he uploaded, “To the parents of deaf children, I encourage you to learn American Sign Language to communicate with your loved babies. Please <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://youtu.be/JqfcutzJHx8?t=26s" target="_blank">watch Nyle DiMarco's vlog</a></strong></span> explaining why learning and teaching your babies how to sign in American Sign Language at early age is very important.”</p> <p>The video has racked up over 390,500 views of Kevin’s YouTube page. </p>

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