Placeholder Content Image

Cruise passengers share why you never leave your cabin balcony door open

<p>A couple on a cruise ship have learned the hard way why you should never leave the balcony door in your cruise cabin open and unattended for too long. </p> <p>While on a cruise around the US and docked in the port of Orlando in Florida, the couple took to TikTok to share their "horror" experience of when their cabin filled up with birds. </p> <p>In the video, they opened the door to their room and were swarmed by a flock of birds as they captioned the video, "When you go on a cruise and you come back to a bunch of (bird emoji) everywhere."</p> <p>"Felt like we were living in a horror movie scene. I can breathe now because I can (laugh)about it," the passenger added.</p> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: currentcolor !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px; max-width: 100%; outline: currentcolor !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7423175328480136491&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40greedy810%2Fvideo%2F7423175328480136491&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-pu-sign-useast8.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2FoM5JajVJBIUqbExUAiiApxIM8Af9zqBEi0wBCg%3Flk3s%3Db59d6b55%26x-expires%3D1729123200%26x-signature%3DC%252F8Xte%252FDJymZpHuGaa4Y8zX%252F6AA%253D%26shp%3Db59d6b55%26shcp%3D-&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <p>The video was taken on the Carnival Freedom cruise ship in the USA, with the couple later posting another video of a room steward catching two birds in a cardboard box.</p> <p>Viewers in the comments were a mix of amused and horrified, as one person wrote, "You're not supposed to leave your balcony door open when you're gone."</p> <p>"You have a whole Alfred Hitchcock movie in your room," another commented, comparing the scene with the film,<em> The Birds</em>.</p> <p>Others speculated that the unusual behaviour of the birds could be impacted by the nearby Hurricane Milton. </p> <p><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

Cruising

Placeholder Content Image

How air travellers can cut their door-to-door emissions right now – by as much as 13% on the Sydney-Melbourne route

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rico-merkert-90253">Rico Merkert</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-li-1460445">David Li</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p>Our climate is changing, and airlines are under pressure to reduce emissions from air travel. For many of us, especially in Australia, flying is an essential form of transport, so how can we reduce its environmental impact? Getting to and from the airport is an overlooked aspect of air travel that offers an immediate way to cut total carbon emissions from the trip by a surprisingly large amount.</p> <p>Our newly published <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920923002468">research</a> shows for an average economy passenger flying from Sydney to Melbourne, the carbon emissions from using a fossil-fuelled car to get to and from the airports make up a staggering 13.5% of the total door-to-door emissions. At a global scale, this number reaches 12.1% for long-haul flights and up to 22.8% for short-haul air journeys.</p> <p>For comparison, in the International Air Transport Association’s <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/programs/environment/roadmaps/">2050 net-zero emission roadmap</a>, 13% of global airline decarbonisation will come from electric and hydrogen propulsion. A further 65% is to come from mass adoption of sustainable aviation fuel. This is fuel produced from non-petroleum-based renewable sources such as some municipal solid waste, woody biomass, fats, greases and oils.</p> <p>Each of these big lifters requires a mammoth level of investment and technological breakthroughs, and comes with limitations and risks. Some solutions might make air travel prohibitively expensive. Airlines are moving mountains to decarbonise, but there are increasing concerns their net-zero plans might not stack up.</p> <p>In contrast, a 13.5% emission reduction on a Sydney-Melbourne door-to-door journey today may sound like a dream. Yet our research shows it’s easily achievable if travellers can be persuaded to change how they get to and from the airport.</p> <h2>So how can travellers be convinced to switch?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/agricultural-and-resource-economics-review/article/future-of-carbon-labeling-factors-to-consider/FDBC62244F2ACA29A7602886085B4A91">Research</a> has shown carbon “labelling” helps shift consumer behaviour towards greener choices. It’s a bit like how the nutrition label on the back of our cereal box helps us choose healthier options.</p> <p>For instance, when searching for a flight on online travel platform Skyscanner, all flight options are displayed with carbon emissions, so consumers can make a more informed choice.</p> <p>Two <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5n53672m">recent</a> <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/03611981211046924">studies</a> at the University of California, Davis, suggest showing consumers the emission outcomes of different gate-to-gate flight choices, such as aircraft types and transit stops, can prompt them to choose greener flights, reducing emissions by up to 3.8%.</p> <p>But air journeys don’t start or end at airports. They start at home and end at destinations, or vice versa. Our air-travel carbon emissions are divided into ground and air segments and counted as airport and airline emissions respectively. While airlines focus on gate-to-gate decarbonisation through future technologies, the door-to-door emissions produced by travel to and from airports can be reduced immediately.</p> <p>Let’s look at an example of a Sydney-to-Melbourne trip. Say you travel from North Sydney to Sydney Airport by car, then fly to Melbourne Airport and catch a taxi to the city centre. That trip emits 82 kilograms of CO₂ door-to-door. But if you use a train, bus or electric vehicle (charged from a renewable source) to travel to and from the airport, the emissions from your trip drop to 71kg: a 13.5% fall door-to-door.</p> <p>Although travel platforms are increasingly communicating gate-to-gate emissions to consumers, we’re not aware of any that are including door-to-door emissions. Helping climate-conscious consumers understand the door-to-door carbon impact of airport ground connections could drive them to choose greener options such as public transport and electric vehicles.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=464&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=464&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=464&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=583&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=583&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=583&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Google Flights chart of air travel options showing emissions and cost" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Travel aggregator search platforms are now labelling carbon emissions when offering flight options.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Google Flights</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Give airlines an incentive to inform passengers</h2> <p>Governments and airports have long collaborated in driving consumers towards greener ground transit options. For instance, Transport for NSW has set a 50% emission-reduction <a href="https://www.future.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-09/Future_Transport_Strategy_2.pdf">target</a> for 2030.</p> <p>However, consumer adoption of these options has remained low. <a href="https://www.ttf.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/TTF_Accessing_Sydney_Airport.pdf">Most airport trips</a> in Australia today are still made by conventional car.</p> <p>As consumers, we have relationships with airlines that we don’t have with airports. When it comes to flying, we choose our airline carefully. Yet we rarely think about how we get to the airport.</p> <p>Airlines are experts in customer communication and engagement. They operate some of the largest frequent-flyer programs in the world. Last time we checked, Qantas had <a href="https://www.finder.com.au/frequent-flyer/qantas">15 million</a> program members and Virgin had <a href="https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/release/velocity-frequent-flyer-soars-11-million-members">11 million</a>.</p> <p>Through these channels, airlines learn about us and how we tick when it comes to making flying choices. This puts them in an ideal position to keep us informed about door-to-door travel and drive the transition towards greener airport ground-connection options. To give them an incentive to do so, their efforts should be recognised through emission accounting.</p> <h2>A cost-effective way to cut emissions</h2> <p>Travellers using the Sydney Airport train station must pay an <a href="https://www.opal.com.au/en/opal-fares/airport_station_access_fee/">access fee</a>, which adds <a href="https://airportlink.com.au/trip-information/price/">A$15.74</a> to the cost of the journey. As our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920923002468">paper</a> highlights, the average customer using the airport train removes 2.7kg of CO₂. Achieving the same amount of decarbonisation during the flight using more sustainable aviation fuel – which is more expensive – would cost the customer about the same: between $10 and $16.</p> <p>So there is an opportunity for airlines to highlight this decarbonisation outcome as a way to persuade travellers to reconsider driving a car or catching a taxi, and instead take the airport train or bus. Airlines could also consider collaborating with airports to build airport charging facilities for electric vehicles as uptake in Australia approaches a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/31/australian-electric-vehicles-ev-sales-rise-increase">double-digit share</a> of new vehicle sales.</p> <p>This overlooked opportunity to cut door-to-door emissions from air travel has a substantial upside. It deserves far more attention from airlines, airports and consumers.<!-- 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/211099/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/rico-merkert-90253">Rico Merkert</a>, Professor in Transport and Supply Chain Management and Deputy Director, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS), University of Sydney Business School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-li-1460445">David Li</a>, PhD Candidate, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-air-travellers-can-cut-their-door-to-door-emissions-right-now-by-as-much-as-13-on-the-sydney-melbourne-route-211099">original article</a>.</em></p>

Domestic Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Huge fallout after panicked passenger opens exit door midflight

<p>Asiana Airlines has immediately stopped offering its emergency exit seats after a passenger opened a door during a flight over South Korea on May 26, sparking panic inside the plane.</p> <p>Passengers will no longer be seated in emergency exit seats on its 174-seat A321-200 aircrafts and the 195-seat A321-200s, as a safety measure.</p> <p>According to airline officials, the man, 33, who opened the door was seated near the emergency exit.</p> <p>During preliminary questioning, the 33-year-old told investigators that he felt suffocated and tried to get off the plane quickly, police reported.</p> <p>Twelve people suffered minor injuries as a result, with air blasting in the cabin and terrifying passengers.</p> <p>Some testified they suffered severe ear pain and saw others screaming and crying.</p> <p>A video shared on social media shows passengers’ hair being whipped by air blowing into the cabin.</p> <p>The emergency exit doors usually cannot be opened mid-flight due to the difference in air pressure inside and outside the plane.</p> <p>However, the 33-year-old managed to open the door likely because the plane was flying at a low altitude while preparing to land and there wasn’t much difference to pressure, Asiana Airlines officials report.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">(warning: distressing)</p> <p>A man traveling on an Asiana Airlines flight opened the plane's cabin door minutes before it came in for its planned landing. <a href="https://t.co/QUIUXuVDgD">pic.twitter.com/QUIUXuVDgD</a></p> <p>— NowThis (@nowthisnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1662179612804149249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>The Transport Ministry said the plane was at 213 metres when the man pulled the door open.</p> <p>The aircraft, which was flying to the city of Daegu from the southern island of Jeju was carrying 200 passengers and landed safely.</p> <p>Passengers onboard included teenage athletes on their way to a track and field competition, according to Asiana Airlines.</p> <p>The 33-year-old told authorities that he had wanted to get out of the plane because he felt suffocated, <em>Yonhap</em> news agency reported, citing police.</p> <p><em>Yonhap</em> said the man told police he had suffered stress after losing his job recently.</p> <p>A district court in Daegu has since approved a warrant to formally arrest him.</p> <p>"I wanted to get off the plane soon," the man told reporters at the court ahead of his arrest warrant review.</p> <p>"I'm really sorry to kids," he said, likely referencing the teenage athletes.</p> <p>Daegu police said they have up to 20 days to investigate the man before determining whether to send him to prosecutors for a possible indictment.</p> <p>If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for breaching the aviation security law that bans passengers from handling entry doors, emergency exit doors and other equipment on board, according to the Transport Ministry.</p> <p>Those who were taken to hospitals were primarily treated for minor issues such as breathing difficulties.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Twitter</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

"His door remains open": King Charles "eager" to reconcile with Prince Harry

<p>King Charles is reportedly "eager" to reconcile the fractured relationship with Prince Harry, despite the Duke of Sussex's recent claims. </p> <p>A source close to the monarch shared that King Charles has always shown a willingness to have a healthy and supportive relationship with both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, regardless of the rumours that have frequently been shared. </p> <p>“Those close to the King insist that he has always made clear how much he loves both of his sons, keeping communication channels open throughout the last few years, despite the many barbs from California,” the UK <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/01/03/duke-sussex-wrong-claim-king-charles-has-shown-no-willingness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Telegraph</a> said, citing sources close to the royal family.</p> <p>Insiders told the British newspaper that Harry’s side of the story was “wrong” adding that Charles, 74, and his younger son, 38, have remained in contact and met up several times during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.</p> <p>Their relationship has “occasionally been tense” but the monarch has “reiterated that his door remains open and that the Duke and [Meghan Markle] are welcome at any time,” according to the report.</p> <p>In a recently released trailer for an upcoming interview with Prince Harry, he <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/i-would-like-to-get-my-father-back-prince-harry-s-desperate-plea-to-his-family" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> the royal family have shown "no willingness to reconcile" the fractured relationship. </p> <p>Harry told ITV’s Tom Bradby in the explosive trailer, “It never needed to be this way. The leaking, the planting, I want a family – not an institution.”</p> <p>“They feel as though it’s better to keep us, somehow, as the villains. I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

"You heard it here for the first time": Kate Winslet settles 25-year Titanic debate

<p dir="ltr">Kate Winslet has finally weighed in on what is arguably the biggest debate in cinematic history: was there room for Jack on the floating door at the end of <em>Titanic</em>?</p> <p dir="ltr">The actress, who plays Rose in the film and got prime position on the famous piece of debris, has given her take on if there was space for Jack, played by Leo DiCaprio before his demise. </p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking on the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/happy-sad-confused/id827905050">Happy Sad Confused Podcast</a>, the 47-year-old actress said, "I don’t f**king know. That’s the answer. I don’t f**king know.”</p> <p dir="ltr">"Look, all I can tell you is, I do have a decent understanding of water and how it behaves."</p> <p dir="ltr">Drawing on her experiences with water sports like paddle boarding, scuba diving and kitesurfing, she says she has a decent understanding of how the ocean behaves. </p> <p dir="ltr">"If you put two adults on a stand-up paddle board, it becomes immediately, extremely unstable. That is for sure," she said. "I have to be honest. I actually don’t believe that we would have survived if we had both gotten on that door. I think he would have fit, but it would have tipped and it would not have been a sustainable idea."</p> <p dir="ltr">"So, you heard it here for the first time," she exclaimed. "Yes, he could have fit on that door. But it would not have stayed afloat. It wouldn’t."</p> <p dir="ltr">The debate resurfaced in recent weeks after <em>Titanic </em>director James Cameron commissioned a forensic analysis on the famous scene.</p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking to the <a href="https://torontosun.com/">Toronto Sun</a>, Cameron said he got experts to replicate the scene in order to "put this whole thing to rest and drive a stake through its heart once and for all."</p> <p dir="ltr">He said, "We took two stunt people who were the same body mass as Kate and Leo and we put sensors all over them and inside them and we put them in ice water and we tested to see whether they could have survived through a variety of methods and the answer was - there was no way they both could have survived. Only one could survive."</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 18pt;"><em>Image credits: Paramount Pictures / Getty Images</em></p>

Movies

Placeholder Content Image

Am I ever gonna see your face again? Nuanced and thoughtful, Kickin’ Down the Door puts The Angels back in the spotlight

<p>When I was a kid, my dad Max took me to basketball games at Melbourne’s Entertainment Centre. I’d wait in my plastic bucket chair as the cheerleaders shook their pom poms and the teams did lay ups. The music was loud, and around the time everyone had found their seats, one song would often come on. </p> <p>It opened with a wailing, single note guitar, followed by a chunky, palm muted riff, driving along until bursting into the chorus when the vocals would demand “Am I ever gonna see your face again?” And as I licked my lemonade icy pole I’d delight as the whole stadium would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/australia-culture-blog/2014/apr/15/australian-anthems-the-angels-am-i-ever-gonna-see-your-face-again">chant back</a> “No way, get fucked, fuck off.”</p> <p>I had no idea the band was called The Angels. I didn’t know they were supposed to be the next AC/DC but didn’t quite “make it”. The intense relationships at their core were lost on me. I was just delighted by how wild it felt, this song the audience owned, breaking rules, answering back. </p> <p>A new documentary, Kickin’ Down the Door chronicles Australian band The Angels across four decades, from suburban Adelaide to the gloss of <a href="https://themusic.com.au/news/iconic-alberts-music-studios-to-be-torn-down-to-make-way-for-luxury-apartments/wSnS1dTX1tk/08-10-15">Albert Studios</a>and beyond.</p> <p>The classic Oz rock vibe is omnipresent: dudes, riffs, volume. </p> <p>But this story’s star quality is how hard it works to showcase the band from both front of house and backstage, offering something far more nuanced than the well-thumbed tale of these national music icons.</p> <h2>Finding intensity</h2> <p>The documentary centres on the songwriting team of the Brewster brothers, vocalist Bernard “Doc” Neeson, and a revolving cast of drummers, bass players and producers. </p> <p>The themes are what you might like in a documentary about Australian rock ‘n’ roll: journeys to adulthood, mateship, resistance, lashings of hope, dollops of luck. Interviews from the band and their nearest and dearest sidle up against archival footage with cute animations bridging scenes. </p> <p>There’s the ubiquitous drop-in from a couple of international names to provide cred – thankfully a Bono-free endeavour. There’s a slither of pre-hat Molly Meldrum. The eye candy of 70s and 80s Aussie life abounds.</p> <p>The songs are central to Kickin’ Down the Door, but rock ‘n’ roll has always been about theatre, and front man Doc Neeson’s lead in creating an unsettling intensity at live shows lifted The Angels beyond the meat and potatoes of standard Oz rock.</p> <p>In one scene, the lighting guy talks about how Doc used silence and darkness as a tool of intensity – the antithesis of rock show bombast.</p> <h2>A complex portrait</h2> <p>Like The Angels did with rock ‘n’ roll, Kickin’ Down the Door offers a key change in the way it positions the people behind the scenes. Director Madeleine Parry has brought together a complex web of relationships pivoting on creative jubilation, obligation, devotion and estrangement.</p> <p>At an early gig, the Brewsters’ mother is recalled as dancing on a table in a “sea of blokes”. These were her boys, who could do no wrong.</p> <p>Mothers, girlfriends, wives and children are elevated close to the story’s centre, anchored within the nostalgic rhythm of white suburban Australian life to contrast with the band’s sprint – then marathon – to rock ‘n’ roll stardom. Beyond the band bubble, everyone’s sacrifice is apparent.</p> <p>“We all supplied the stability while they chased the dream,” says Neeson’s then partner. </p> <p>In bringing women to the front, Parry frames the main players as multi-dimensional, emotional and expressive. The intensity of volume, riffage and flamboyance sits in dialogue with each band members’ reflections to present the way that “performance” seamlessly slides across gender and genre.</p> <p>This deep thoughtfulness shines through the dizzying foray of complex legal and financial arrangements bands can be thrown into, setting them up with lifelong debt. </p> <p>This is the persistent myth of “luck” in rock ‘n’ roll. This myth grinds against the power imbalance inherent in an incredibly competitive, brutal and sometimes hedonistic global business culture. For decades, rock ‘n’ roll has relied on the exploitation of artists who sacrifice family, health, economic security and friendships to have sustainable careers.</p> <p>This documentary skilfully weaves the devastation that comes when these pressures evaporate years of work for bands and their teams. </p> <p>It isn’t so much a story about the big bad music industry swallowing up another Australian wanna be. Rather, it is a well-crafted assemblage of the pervasive way rock ‘n’ roll’s mystique works behind the scenes, prioritising profits over health and wellbeing, and the sustainability of artists and their families.</p> <h2>The sonic legacy</h2> <p>Undoubtedly the biggest names now in Australian guitar driven music – Amyl and the Sniffers, Courtney Barnett, King Gizzard &amp; the Lizard Wizard, Tame Impala – are part of the sonic legacy of bands like The Angels. </p> <p>But they also show a marked shift in how they do business when courting international markets, maintaining elements of independence and control that The Angels had no blueprint for.</p> <p>This current crop of bands also show we are on the road to far better gender representation of what contemporary rock music looks and sounds like. And in other genres, artists like Baker Boy, Genesis Owusu, Barkaa and Jaguar Jonze continue to contest and take ownership of “the sound” of Australian music. </p> <p>Incidentally, I never went on to play basketball. I picked up an electric guitar instead.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/am-i-ever-gonna-see-your-face-again-nuanced-and-thoughtful-kickin-down-the-door-puts-the-angels-back-in-the-spotlight-194057" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Music

Placeholder Content Image

"Revolving door of chaos": UK PM quits after 44 days in office

<p dir="ltr">Liz Truss has resigned as UK Prime Minister after just 44 days in the top job. </p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Truss was sworn in as prime minister on September 6 by Queen Elizabeth II. She has now become the shortest-serving prime minister in Britain's history. Previously, this record was held by George Canning, who served for 119 days in 1827.</p> <p dir="ltr">She explained that she tried to deliver on the "vision for a low-tax high-growth economy" but was unable to continue her role following pressure from members of her party. </p> <p dir="ltr">A leadership election will be held in the next week to find Truss’ replacement but until then she will remain Prime Minister.  </p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking in front of Number 10 Downing Street, Ms Truss accepted that she was unable to deliver her promises as leader of the Conservatives Party. </p> <p dir="ltr">Opposition Leader Keir Starmer said the Tory "soap opera" was damaging the country's economy and the issue needed to be sorted. </p> <p dir="ltr">"We can't have a revolving door of chaos," he told the BBC. </p> <p dir="ltr">"We can't have another experiment at the top of the Tory party. </p> <p dir="ltr">"There is an alternative and that's a stable Labour government and the public are entitled to have their say, and that's why there should be a general election."</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Liz Truss’ Full Speech</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">“I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability,” she said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Putin's illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And our country had been held back for too long by low economic growth.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was elected by the Conservative Party with a mandate to change this.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We delivered on energy bills and on cutting national insurance.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And we set out a vision for a low tax, high growth economy – that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I recognise though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I have therefore spoken to His Majesty The King to notify him that I am resigning as Leader of the Conservative Party.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This morning I met the Chair of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We have agreed there will be a leadership election to be completed in the next week.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This will ensure we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country's economic stability and national security.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I will remain as Prime Minister until a successor has been chosen.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

"You opened the door to hell": Epstein victims address Ghislaine Maxwell as she is sentenced

<p dir="ltr"><em>Content Warning: This article discusses Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for recruiting and grooming four teenage girls who were sexually abused by her then-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein.</p> <p dir="ltr">At her sentencing hearing in Manhattan federal court, the 60-year-old showed no emotion as she was sentenced early Wednesday (Australia time).</p> <p dir="ltr">Before learning the sentence, four of the survivors read out victim impact statements, describing the abuse they faced at the hands of Maxwell and Epstein, as well as the long term emotional impacts they have experienced as a result.</p> <p dir="ltr">“For a long time I wanted to erase from my mind the crimes that Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell committed against me … but I’ve had to acknowledge the long-lasting effects,” Annie Farmer, the fourth victim to take the stand, said, breaking into tears during her statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">“One of the most painful and ongoing impacts of Maxwell and Epstein’s abuse was the loss of trust in myself.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Sarah Ransome, Elizabeth Stein, and the accuser known as “Kate” also shared their statements, while the attorney for Virginia Giuffre read out her statement in court.</p> <p dir="ltr">Standing up at a Plexiglass-enclosed lectern, Maxwell described Epstein as a “manipulative, cunning and controlling man” who fooled everyone around him and said she was “sorry” for the pain his victims experienced.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is my greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I also acknowledge that I have been convicted of helping Jeffrey Epstein commit these crimes.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And despite the many helpful and positive things I have done in my life and will continue to do … I know that my association with Epstein and this case will permanently stain me.”</p> <p dir="ltr">However, she attempted to shift the blame onto Epstein, emphasising that he “should have been here before all of you”, echoing arguments her lawyers made that she had been scapegoated for Epstein’s crimes.</p> <p dir="ltr">This is despite her involvement as the person to introduce the victims to Epstein and statements from victims describing her abusing them as well.</p> <p dir="ltr">During sentencing, US Circuit Judge Alisan Nathan said Maxwell didn’t appear to express remorse or take responsibility for her actions.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Maxwell directly and repeatedly and over the course of many years participated in a horrific scheme to entice, transport and traffic underage girls, some as young as 14, for sexual abuse by and with Jeffrey Epstein,” Judge Nathan said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The damage done to these young girls was incalculable.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The sentencing comes after Maxwell was convicted of five of six charges laid against her in December 2021, which followed a month-long trial and 40 hours of deliberation by jurors.</p> <p dir="ltr">Maxwell was convicted of:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">sex trafficking, </p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">conspiracy to entice individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, </p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">conspiracy to transport individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity,</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Transportation of an individual under the age of 17 with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, and,</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of individuals under the age of 18.</p> </li> </ul> <p dir="ltr">Prosecutors last week called Maxwell’s conduct “shockingly predatory” and said she deserved to spend at least 30 years behind bars, based on their interpretation of sentencing guidelines.</p> <p dir="ltr">Maxwell’s lawyers argued that she should be sentenced for no more than five and one-quarter years, due to her being scapegoated and the time she has already spent in prison since her arrest in July 2020.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, her official sentence is far lower than the maximum possible sentence of 55 years that she could have received.</p> <p dir="ltr">Judge Nathan calculated that the sentencing guidelines called for 15.5 to 19.5 years in prison, but delivered a higher sentence due to the victims’ disturbing testimony and Maxwell’s “direct and repeated participation in a horrific scheme”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Miss Maxwell is not punished in place of Epstein,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Miss Maxwell is being punished for the role that she played.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-10dc5516-7fff-a058-d8cb-bdb75916e583"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Digital inequality: why can I enter your building – but your website shows me the door?

<p>When people hear the term “accessibility” in the context of disability, most will see images of ramps, automatic doors, elevators, or tactile paving (textured ground which helps vision impaired people navigate public spaces). These are physical examples of inclusive practice that most people understand.</p> <p>You may even use these features yourself, for convenience, as you go about your day. However, such efforts to create an inclusive physical world aren’t being translated into designing the digital world.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463211/original/file-20220516-25-nl8hd8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A large wheelchair sign is visible to the left of a wheelchair ramp." /></a><figcaption><em><span class="caption">New buildings are required to comply with a range of physical access requirements, which may include tactile paving (seen in yellow).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Accessibility fails</strong></p> <p>Digital accessibility refers to the way people with a lived experience of disability interact with the cyber world.</p> <p>One example comes from an author of this article, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-07-13/dark-patterns-online-captcha-accessibility-disability-community/11301054" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott</a>, who is legally blind. Scott is unable to purchase football tickets online because the ticketing website uses an image-based “CAPTCHA” test. It’s a seemingly simple task, but fraught with challenges when considering accessibility issues.</p> <p>Despite Scott having an IT-related PhD, and two decades of digital accessibility experience in academic and commercial arenas, it falls on his teenage son to complete the online ticket purchase.</p> <p>Screen readers, high-contrast colour schemes and text magnifiers are all assistive technology tools that enable legally blind users to interact with websites. Unfortunately, they are useless if a website has not been designed with an inclusive approach.</p> <p>The other author of this article, Justin, uses a wheelchair for mobility and can’t even purchase wheelchair seating tickets over the web. He has to phone a special access number to do so.</p> <p>Both of these are examples of digital accessibility fails. And they’re more common than most people realise.</p> <p><strong>We can clearly do better</strong></p> <p>The term “disability” covers a spectrum of <a href="https://www.apsc.gov.au/working-aps/diversity-and-inclusion/disability/definition-disability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">physical and cognitive conditions</a>. It can can range from short-term conditions to lifelong ones.</p> <p>“Digital accessibility” applies to a broad range of users <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/people-use-web/abilities-barriers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with varying abilities</a>.</p> <p>At last count, nearly <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one in five Australians (17.7%)</a> lived with some form of disability. This figure increases significantly when you consider the physical and cognitive impacts of ageing.</p> <p>At the same time, Australians are becoming increasingly reliant on digital services. According to a <a href="https://www.pwc.com.au/consulting/connected-government/potential-of-digital-inclusion.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 survey</a> by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, 45% of respondents in New South Wales and Victoria increased their use of digital channels during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> <p>In contrast, research undertaken by <a href="https://www.infosys.com/australia/digital-accessibility-journey/executive-summary.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Infosys in December 2021</a> found only 3% of leading companies in Australia and New Zealand had effective digital accessibility processes.</p> <p><strong>But have we improved?</strong></p> <p>Areas that <em>have</em> shown accessibility improvement include <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/inclusive-design-social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media platforms</a> such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, food ordering services such as <a href="https://www.afb.org/aw/20/4/16411" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uber Eats</a>, and media platforms such as the ABC News app.</p> <p>Challenges still persist in <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognizant/2022/03/03/how-to-make-online-banking-disabled-people-friendly/?sh=21a3d5dda4a5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online banking</a>, <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Websites-critiqued-on-accessibility-to-disabled-customers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">travel booking sites</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahkim/2020/12/30/accessibility-of-online-shopping/?sh=66a9d883e49e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shopping sites</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10209-021-00792-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">educational websites and content</a>.</p> <p>Data from the United States indicates lawsuits relating to accessibility <a href="https://www.essentialaccessibility.com/blog/web-accessibility-lawsuits">are on the rise</a>, with outcomes including financial penalties and requirements for business owners to remedy the accessibility of their website/s.</p> <p>In Australia, however, it’s often hard to obtain exact figures for the scale of accessibility complaints lodged with site owners. <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/disability-rights/publications/overlooked-consumers-20-australian-population-disabilities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This 1997 article</a> from the Australian Human Right Commission suggests the conversation hasn’t shifted much in 25 years.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><em><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=257&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=257&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=257&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=323&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=323&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463213/original/file-20220516-19-vjfht8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=323&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A rendered illustration of a disabled man in a wheelchair and woman with a hearing aid lifting weights." /></a></em><figcaption><em><span class="caption">It’s a human right to have fair and equal access to the web and all its services.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>There are solutions at hand</strong></p> <p>There’s a clear solution to the digital divide. The World Wide Web Consortium’s <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines</a> (WCAG) standard has been widely adopted across the globe. It’s universally available, and is a requirement for all Australian public-facing government websites.</p> <p>It guides website and app developers on how to use web languages (such as HTML and CSS) in ways that enable end users who rely on assistive technologies. There are no specialist technologies or techniques required to make websites or apps accessible. All that’s needed is an adherence to good practice.</p> <p>Unfortunately, WCAG is rarely treated as an <a href="https://www.rev.com/blog/web-accessibility-laws-australia-new-zealand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enforceable standard</a>. All too often, adherence to WCAG requirements in Australia is reduced to a box-ticking exercise.</p> <p>Our academic work and experience liaising with a range of vendors has revealed that even where specific accessibility requirements are stated, many vendors will tick “yes” regardless of their knowledge of accessibility principles, or their ability to deliver against the standards.</p> <p>In cases where vendors do genuinely work towards WCAG compliance, they often rely on automated testing (via online tools), rather than human <a href="https://zoonou.com/resources/blog/why-automated-accessibility-testing-tools-are-not-enough/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testing</a>. As a result, genuine accessibility and usability issues can go <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262352732_Benchmarking_web_accessibility_evaluation_tools_Measuring_the_harm_of_sole_reliance_on_automated_tests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unreported</a>. While the coding of each element of a website might be WCAG compliant, the sum of all the parts may not be.</p> <p>In 2016, the Australian government adopted <a href="https://www.accessibility.org.au/policy-and-research/australian-policy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">standard EN 301549</a> (a direct implementation of an existing European standard). It’s aimed at preventing inaccessible products (hardware, software, websites and services) entering the government’s digital ecosystem. Yet the new standard seems to have achieved little. Few, if any, references to it appear in academic literature or the public web.</p> <p>It seems to have met a similar fate to the government’s <a href="https://www.governmentnews.com.au/national-transition-strategy-web-accessibility-in-transition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Transition Strategy</a> for digital accessibility, which quietly disappeared in 2015.</p> <p><strong>The carrot, not the stick</strong></p> <p>Accessibility advocates take different approaches to advancing the accessibility agenda with reticent organisations. Some instil the fear of legal action, often citing the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1RbzjUBT1s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maguire v SOCOG case</a>, where the 2000 Olympic website was found to be inaccessible.</p> <p>In a more recent example, the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-05/blind-woman-launches-court-action-against-coles-over-its-website/5869874?nw=0&amp;r=HtmlFragment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Manage v Coles settlement</a> saw Coles agree to make improvements to their website’s accessibility after being sued by a legally blind woman.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=448&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=448&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=448&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=563&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=563&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463210/original/file-20220516-21-7tu89a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=563&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Screenshot of the top of Coles's 'accessibility' section on the company's website, with a red Coles logo on the top-left." /></a><figcaption><em><span class="caption">After getting sued by a legally blind customer in 2014, Coles made improvements to its website’s accessibility features.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot/Coles</span></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>In the Coles case, the stick became the carrot; Coles went on to win a <a href="https://www.accessibility.org.au/award-winners-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national website accessibility award</a> after the original complainant nominated them following their remediation efforts.</p> <p>But while the financial impact of being sued might spur an organisation into action, it’s more likely to commit to genuine effort if this will generate a <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/business-case/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">positive return on investment</a>.</p> <p><strong>Accessible by default</strong></p> <p>We can attest to the common misconception that disability implies a need for help and support. Most people living with disability are seeking to live independently and with self-determination.</p> <p>To break the cycle of financial and social dependence frequently associated with the equity space, governments, corporations and educational institutions need to become accessible by default.</p> <p>The technologies and policies are all in place, ready to go. What is needed is leadership from government and non-government sectors to define digital accessibility as a right, and not a privilege. <!-- 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/182432/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/scott-hollier-1337594" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Hollier</a>, Adjunct Senior Lecturer - Science and Mathematics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edith Cowan University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-brown-1344442" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Brown</a>, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), School of Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edith Cowan University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/digital-inequality-why-can-i-enter-your-building-but-your-website-shows-me-the-door-182432" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

Placeholder Content Image

Russia 0, Door 1: Soldier’s shocking defeat blows up online

<p dir="ltr">As the Russian invasion of Ukraine wages on, a battle between a Russian soldier and a door has <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/russia-ukraine-war-hapless-russian-soldier-loses-fight-against-door/I246LNFUTCXAE3Q2OVUSJ34Y7A/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resulted</a> in a crushing defeat.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3530fd72-7fff-6d10-7117-ac550587562f"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">A clip of the incident from Yeshiva World News reported Moshe Schwartz has gone viral online, with the interaction dubbed the Battle of Techno House.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">At the Battle of Techno House, the door secured a decisive victory against Russian forces <a href="https://t.co/QnMowf5T7l">https://t.co/QnMowf5T7l</a></p> <p>— 🇺🇦 Sid Chambers, PhD 🇺🇦 (@ArtfulTakedown) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArtfulTakedown/status/1499180997526663174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The soldier, reportedly in Kherson, Ukraine, is seen attempting to gain access into a store.</p> <p dir="ltr">When his first attempts fail, the soldier smashes the glass on the door but that also fails.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9c2b14f1-7fff-8297-db3c-24dce3d9498e"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Seemingly exasperated, the soldier tugs on the door handle before accepting defeat and walking away.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Geolocation confirmed.</p> <p>46.65046, 32.60758 <a href="https://t.co/bfjntnsPsG">https://t.co/bfjntnsPsG</a> <a href="https://t.co/fYUZxlLZGo">pic.twitter.com/fYUZxlLZGo</a></p> <p>— GeoConfirmed (@GeoConfirmed) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeoConfirmed/status/1499153094076153860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The soldier, reportedly in Kherson, Ukraine, is seen attempting to gain access into a store.</p> <p dir="ltr">When his first attempts fail, the soldier smashes the glass on the door but that also fails.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3ae3c580-7fff-901d-3f62-401101382f21"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Seemingly exasperated, the soldier tugs on the door handle before accepting defeat and walking away.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/FM3zsz5WYA0bOOl.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="1176" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>A Wikipedia page was allegedly created documenting the incident. Image: <a href="https://twitter.com/SwarmDMX/status/1499122912493809670" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a></em></p> <p dir="ltr">The page said the incident ended with a “decisive” victory for the door, and that casualties and losses included “ammunition, pride and a window”.</p> <p dir="ltr">One video of the incident was viewed more than a million times in one hour and attracted thousands of comments joking about an otherwise grim situation.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e6c0c3df-7fff-57b8-c599-f42aa0b7a7b1"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">It comes as Russian forces have captured the strategically significant hub of Kherson, the first to be captured since the invasion began last week.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

Serena Williams opens the door for Ash Barty

<p>On the eve of the US Open, Serena Williams has dropped out due to a hamstring injury and the pundits are saying this leaves the coast clear for our Aussie World No. 1 – Ash Barty - to win the grand slam event.</p> <p>At 39 years of age, the odds seem to be against Williams staying in the ring long enough to equal Margaret Court’s grand slam record of 24 singles titles, having claimed her last major victory at the 2017 Australian Open.</p> <p>This latest injury means another chance to continue on the grand slam circuit has gone but it’s all good news for our Ash Barty who’s had a dream run on the circuit, winning Wimbledon in July and the Cincinnati Masters last week.</p> <p><strong>Williams said she’s upset to miss the major event</strong></p> <p>Williams took to Instagram to reveal she had pulled out of the tournament she has won six times.</p> <p>‘After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring,’ she wrote.</p> <p>‘New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favourite places to play — I’ll miss seeing the fans but will be cheering everyone on from afar.</p> <p>‘Thank you for your continued support and love. I’ll see you soon.’</p> <p>Williams’ coach Partick Mouratoglou replied ‘You have tried everything’, and the US Open account added: ‘We’ll miss you, Serena! Get well soon.’</p> <p><strong>This could be the ‘end of an era’ in tennis</strong></p> <p><em>New York Times</em> tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg posted on Twitter that it was the ‘end of an era’ because men’s stars Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will also be absent from Flushing Meadows.</p> <p>‘The 2021 US Open will be the first Grand Slam event without Serena Williams, Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal in the main singles draw since the 1997 US Open,’ wrote Rothenberg.</p> <p>USA Today Sports columnist Dan Wolken added this move will ensure Williams continues to rank badly as she is already ranked 22nd in the world.</p> <p>With the likes of our own Aussie Ash Barty winning so many titles – along with Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka who have dominated in past years, it could well mean Williams’ days of winning grand slams may be over.</p> <p>Barty is now ranked as the world No. 1 by 3175 points over World No. 2 Sabalenka. This is because she’s won her fifth title of the year in Cincinnati, as well as Wimbledon and the Olympic bronze in the mixed doubles.</p> <p>If Williams’ days of grand slam dominance are over, it would open the door for the younger brigade which of course includes Ash Barty.</p> <p>The US Open starts on Monday August 30 and will screen in Australia on the Sports streaming service <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2021/08/how-to-watch-the-us-open/goto.kayosports.com.au/mgXEZa" target="_blank">Kayo</a>.</p> <p>You can also watch this year’s men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals, semi-finals and both finals in Australia on SBS, or choose to live stream the matches via <a rel="noopener" href="mailto:https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/sport" target="_blank">SBS On Demand.</a></p> <p><em>Photo: Getty Images</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Grandmother shot dead after opening her front door

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Police investigating the shooting of a Newcastle grandmother in her home have say they have “a number of lines of inquiry” to pursue.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stacey Klimovitch, her 31-year-old daughter, and her eight-week-old granddaughter were inside the home when Ms Klimovitch was shot.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s understood the 61-year-old briefly argued with the shooter before they fired the weapon through the screen door.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Detective Superintendent Wayne Humphrey described the incident as “horrendous”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“An innocent person has answered the front door of a home and she’s been shot in the chest and killed in the presence of a relative and a child,” he said. “It doesn’t get any worse.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Humphrey said he believed the attack was targeted but that the alleged shooter’s motives were still unknown.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">NSW Police said they were called to the Stockton home just after 8pm on Wednesday, June 9.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Thursday, specialist forensic police continued to probe the scene after a crime scene was established.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s understood the attacker fled the scene on foot and is still at large.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Klimovitch’s best friend and neighbour said she spoke to the “brand new” grandmother moments before she was attacked.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’ve never heard a gunshot but there was no mistake what it was,” the neighbour told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">9News</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. “That’s when I heard the noise and the screaming. I tried to call her and couldn’t get her on the phone.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The neighbour said Ms Klimovitch was “so happy to be a brand new grandmother.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m going to miss her. Things like this shouldn’t be allowed to happen,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Community members have posted in Facebook groups questioning whether more police patrolling the streets could have prevented the attack.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Stockton, the place that once had a beautiful beach, now has no beach but plenty of car break-ins, drugs, assaults, and now murders,” Ben Davidson wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“An unattended police station is not working … Things need to change.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Police have launched Strike Force Backhouse to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">NSW Police have also urged anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage from the nearby area to contact Newcastle police or Crime Stoppers.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: news.com.au</span></em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Community outrage as four-lane road built metres from front doors

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>Peter Coles loved the quiet lifestyle of the Willowdale development in Sydney's south-west that he paid $805,000 for his home in 2018.</p> <p>"We thought there'd be plenty of room for parking, plenty of room for safety, if children got out of the house and onto the road, they'd be a fair way from the traffic," he told <em>A Current Affair.</em></p> <p>His house and his neighbours houses were built 15 metres from Denham Court Road, but things are changing as two lanes are becoming four.</p> <p>Constant traffic is going past 2.5 metres of their front yards and just 4 metres from their front doors.</p> <p>"We knew they were going to do the road up but this is horrific, really we had no idea of it," resident Robert Jackson said.</p> <p>Developer Stockland did a letter drop in 2019 saying that the road would be expanded, but residents claim that no specific details were given about the road. </p> <p>Mr Coles said "now we look out and, within two-and-a-half metres, we've got cars and trucks, all sorts of vehicles, moving past at 70 kilometres an hour."</p> <p>Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils CEO Charles Casuscelli said that the road is a safety issue.</p> <p>"Sometimes councils and state government agencies need people to thump desks and look them in the eyes and say, 'if you were living here, what would you want?'," Mr Casuscelli said.</p> <p>'I'll tell you what they don't want. They don't want more tar, concrete, or bricks or steel or timber," he said.</p> <p>"What they need is natural environments that are pleasant to live in and actually work for their families."</p> <p>A statement given to <a rel="noopener" href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/real-estate-nightmare-aussie-residents-fed-up-with-roadworks-on-doorstep/bc7728b9-9adf-4053-95ec-b49956a78df6" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink"><em>Nine</em></a> from a Campbelltown City Council said that the road design was approved with requirements of the RMS.</p> <p>"The development application, including the road design, was approved in accordance with the requirements of the RMS, the developer's obligations under the Special Infrastructure Contribution and the requirements of other State Government agencies," the statement reads.</p> <p>"Stockland engaged with residents directly and ensured ongoing communication at each stage of the project. All registered plans for the lots on Denham Court Road, Passiflora Avenue and Plumegrass Avenue highlights road widening from the existing road at the time to the boundary of the lots.</p> <p>"Parking has never been available along Denham Court Road. The plans for construction include a designated bike lane on the side of the road, so while cars are currently driving close to the finished kerb and gutter, once the other side of the road is complete, a bike lane will be painted on the road and cars will be further away from the boundary of these homes."</p> </div> </div> </div>

Home & Garden

Placeholder Content Image

Alex Pullin’s girlfriend leaves heartbreaking note on door: “Respect my privacy”

<p><span>Alex Pullin's mourning girlfriend has left a tear-jerking note on her front door just a day after losing her partner in a tragedy on the the Gold Coast.</span><br /><br /><span>Alex, 32, was a world champion snowboarder who lost his life after going spearfishing in the water at Palm Beach.</span><br /><br /><span>He suffered a blackout at about 10:30 am on Wednesday and did not wake up despite paramedics performing CPR for 45 minutes on Pullin.</span><br /><br /><span>On Thursday his girlfriend Ellidy Vlug honoured her boyfriend with a handwritten letter that she taped to a front door on the Gold Coast home.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836881/pullin-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/5e2df3ca0b75477091fab15d77f55414" /><br /><br /><span>“Dear media, thank you for your thoughts, this is a very difficult time for me and I ask that you respect my privacy during this period of grief,” Ms Vlug wrote.</span><br /><br /><span>“Know that Chumpy absolutely loved life and lived life to the full.</span><br /><br /><span>“He lived for us – his family, our puppy Rummi, our amazing friends and the home we made together.</span><br /><br /><span>“He was living his dream, our dream.</span><br /><br /><span>“I am eternally grateful that I have lived my life with him and I am deeply saddened that his life has been cut short.</span><br /><br /><span>“Rest in peace my beautiful man.</span><br /><br /><span>“Kind regards, Ellidy.”</span><br /><br /><span>Earlier that day, Ms Vlug told Daily Mail Australia she last saw her boyfriend alive moments before he'd decided to go for a dive, telling him: “Love you, watch out for sharks.”</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Vlug then went for a walk by herself, and when she returned home, she was met by a neighbour at her door telling her a spear fisher had been pulled from the ocean.</span><br /><br /><span>She then raced to the beach with her mother, where she was told the body belonged to her boyfriend of eight years.</span><br /><br /><span>It's been little more than 24 hours since his death, and Ms Vlug and the couple's friends and family can still hardly believe their loss.</span><br /><br /><span>“I don't know what I'm going to do without him,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>But the 28-year-old model and business owner says she is determined to make him proud.</span></p> <p><span><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836880/pullin-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/25ca6ac77f89425786952b2c6085cb9d" /></span></p> <p><span>The couple were parents to one-year-old Rummi, their beloved Kelpie puppy, and Ms Vlug said Pullin absolutely adored her.</span><br /><br /><span>“He was a family man through and through. Me, and his sister and parents and Rummi were his world,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Vlug shares a tight-knit relationship with Pullin's parents and sister.</span><br /><br /><span>They all live in New South Wales, so were physically separated during the COVID-19 lockdown, but remained in close contact with each other.</span></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Coronavirus Victoria: Army goes door-to-door for hotspot testing

<p>Hundreds of troops are descending on Victoria to doorknock COVID-19 hotspots and offer residents free testing.</p> <p>On Thursday morning, Premier Daniel Andrews said residents could expect to see doorknockers “inviting them to come and get a free test, whether they be symptomatic or asymptomatic”.</p> <p>Half of the residents of Broadmeadows and Keilor Downs – suburbs with the highest number of community transmission cases – will be tested over the next three days, <em><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/coronavirus-victoria-army-to-door-knock-melbourne-hotspot-suburbs-to-offer-free-covid-19-testing/ar-BB15WtKB?li=AAaeSy5">The Guardian</a> </em>reported.</p> <p>The Premier said the “army” of doorknockers will expand in the coming days to other hotspot suburbs of Hume, Casey, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin.</p> <p>“Rather than waiting for an unsustainable number of community transmissions to become known, we are going to go out and literally door-to-door we are bringing the public health and coronavirus response to your doorstep, if you are in these worst-affected suburbs,” Andrews said.</p> <p>The Victorian Government adjusted the number of Australian Defence Force personnel it requested from the Federal Government from more than 1,000 to 150 on Thursday, <em><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-victoria-australian-defence-force-called-to-assist-with-rising-infection-numbers/e554e198-da66-4d07-ae5a-1ec4e2509964">9News</a> </em>reported.</p> <p>The ADF planned to provide support in testing sites, logistics and transporting laboratory samples and travellers to hotel quarantine.</p> <p>Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds told 3AW Radio on Thursday the troops were “well trained and well prepared to deal with all of the required health measures”.</p> <p>More than 1,000 public health workers have also begun doorknocking the hotspot suburbs to raise awareness about coronavirus and government guidelines to multicultural and linguistically diverse communities.</p> <p>The efforts came as the state recorded the first Australian death in a month.</p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

When one door closes just open a window - 14 sites with great free art

<p>As the coronavirus outbreak forces the closure of museums, art galleries, libraries and theatres around the word, the concept of “on demand culture” is gaining momentum.</p> <p>Institutions – museums, galleries and concert halls, which by their very nature rely on in-person visits – are seeking out digital solutions in the form of live-streamed performances, virtual tours and searches of online collections. The Sydney Biennale announced a <a href="https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/?gclid=CjwKCAjw3-bzBRBhEiwAgnnLCh7Dci4zUp2TZ2UWAdSHNyu4crESwT52p0og5UA-FouEesZ8lzZ_7xoCD3AQAvD_BwE">shift to digital</a> display this week and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has streamed a <a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/culture/music/online-and-on-song-mso-keep-the-music-going-20200322-p54cm2.html">performance</a> of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony to a live audience that peaked at 4500 and gathered thousands of subsequent viewers.</p> <p>The current pandemic is dragging cultural institutions into the 21st century, forcing them to catch up with technological solutions to replace on-site experiences. But many institutions are already well down this path. They have already found the shift online has benefits and dangers.</p> <p>Voorlinden will have to wait. <a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525067445930-5968dc619dfb?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=765&amp;q=80">Christian Fregnan/Unsplash</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></p> <p><strong>Crossing technical boundaries</strong></p> <p>From as early as the 1920s, museums have been using the technologies of the day. Back then, it was presenting <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=XDZ7DwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PT78&amp;lpg=PT78&amp;dq=1920s+museum+lectures+on+public+radio&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=gD-dFO6UN8&amp;sig=ACfU3U2pXdZIo3UGAnTODDW7VUcvtJvjbA&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjDreuvu7ToAhX-zzgGHb-3CfMQ6AEwA3oECAoQAQ#v=onepage&amp;q=1920s%20museum%20lectures%20on%20public%20radio&amp;f=false">public lectures on broadcast radio</a>.</p> <p>From the early to mid-1950s, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology collaborated with CBS to produce <a href="https://www.penn.museum/collections/videos/playlist/list.php?id=7">What in the World</a>, a program that presented storeroom objects to a panel of industry specialists who had to figure out what in the world the objects were and who made them.</p> <p>A more recent turn is towards cultural institutions partnering with digital media organisations to deliver access to mediated cultural content. <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/">Google Arts &amp; Culture</a>, a digital platform, makes the collections of over 12,000 museums available online. Web portal <a href="https://www.europeana.eu/en">Europeana</a>, created by the European Union, hosts over 3,000 museums and libraries.</p> <p>Well before the coronavirus closed ticket desks and moved some experiences onto digital media platforms, virtual gateways had become an important means of generating awareness and engagement with culture.</p> <p><a href="https://www.annefrank.org/en/">Anne Frank House</a> has illustrated how online visitors can take part in holocaust remembrance without travelling to Amsterdam. Anne Frank House now uses a chatbot to create personalised conversations with users globally via Facebook messenger. Similarly, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/eva.stories/?hl=en">Eva.Stories</a> is an Instagram page that recounts, via a series of 15 second videos, the diary of a 13-year-old girl killed in a concentration camp.</p> <p><strong>Doors shut</strong></p> <p>The forced closures as a result of coronavirus will accelerate and amplify this shift towards digital transformation.</p> <p>At a time of social distancing, individual artists, small private companies and major public cultural institutions are quickly re-purposing technology in creative ways.</p> <p><a href="https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/festival-and-series/morning-melodies">Morning Melodies</a> is an online broadcast of the usually popular live performances offered by the Victoria Arts Centre.</p> <p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/music-reads/features/isol-aid-festival-review-2020-covid-19-julia-jacklin-spacey-jane/12082228">Isol-Aid</a> live streamed a music festival over the weekend, with 72 musicians across Australia each playing a 20-minute set on Instagram.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.acmi.net.au/events/melbourne-cinematheque/">Australian Centre for the Moving Image</a> has set up an online weekly film nights, while acknowledging it “can’t replace the joy of being in the cinema”.</p> <p><strong>What might be lost</strong></p> <p>Despite the benefits of this mediated content, social media scholars Jose Van Dijck and Thomas Poell <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2309065">point out</a> digital technologies come with a set of core logics or rules that shape users, economic structures and institutions. These underlying rules of online engagement have long-term implications for how we engage with culture. For future generations, it’s conceivable that a visit to the library, museum, theatre or art gallery won’t be something experienced in person but rather through a digital media platform.</p> <p>With the “on demand culture” comes a dispersal of audiences into online spaces. In those spaces, their private contemplation of art and culture can become fodder for data mining and analysis.</p> <p>Art gals on google arts &amp; culture...</p> <p>This data then feeds into the repurposing of cultural content according to the priorities of social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. In 2018, Google Culture launched a <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/15/578151195/google-app-goes-viral-making-an-art-out-of-matching-faces-to-paintings">face match app</a> that matched user selfies to images drawn from cultural collections. It expanded access for new global audiences, but questions remain about the extent to which phone camera images were used to train Google’s facial recognition algorithm. Some users were critical of the collection’s <a href="https://twitter.com/KaraBTweets/status/952572084076646400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E952572084076646400&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fsections%2Fthetwo-way%2F2018%2F01%2F15%2F578151195%2Fgoogle-app-goes-viral-making-an-art-out-of-matching-faces-to-paintings">lack of diversity</a>.</p> <p>The mediation of culture highlights a new set of ethical dilemmas as content goes online.</p> <p><strong>What we gain</strong></p> <p>This isn’t to say the availability of “on demand” cultural content isn’t a good thing. At “normal” times it can allow people to virtually visit exhibitions or enjoy performances they can’t access in real life. Online presentations can enhance understanding with “explore more” links or additional information.</p> <p>During times of crisis, online cultural experiences can be a <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90478442/for-artists-the-show-must-go-on-and-zoom-is-their-venue">lifeline for both art audiences and creators</a>. It is vital that we create avenues through which the community can access culture and seek out technological solutions to keep artists and cultural workers employed during what could be a long hiatus.</p> <p><strong>14 art &amp; culture links</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://abiawards.com.au/">Australian Book Industry Awards</a> will be awarded online, as will the <a href="https://thestellaprize.com.au/prize/2020-prize/">Stella Prize</a> for female authors.</li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1143946145941832/">Born to Boogie Dance Connection</a> is hosting a much-needed online groove this week.</li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/dnice/">Club Quarantine</a> is where DJ D-Nice or Derrick Jones from 90s hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions is spinning tracks for 100,000+ viewers. Guest appearances include Michelle Obama, Naomi Campbell, Chaka Khan, Halle Berry, Rihanna, and Diddy.</li> <li><a href="https://www.europeana.eu/portal/en">Europeana Collections</a> are celebrating Women’s History Month.</li> <li><a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/">Google Art and Culture</a> Explore collections from around the world, from the British Museum to Macchu Pichu.</li> <li><a href="https://www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en/">Guggenheim Museum Bilbao</a> in Spain is the place for Mark Rothco, Jeff Koons and Richard Serra.</li> <li><a href="https://karaoke.camp/">Karaoke Camp</a> uses Zoom to connect singers worldwide.</li> <li><a href="https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/at-home/">Melbourne Museum</a> has virtual tours of the Phar Lap, dinosaur and First Peoples displays.</li> <li><a href="https://www.mmca.go.kr/eng/">National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art</a>, South Korea is showing meet the curators chats on YouTube.</li> <li><a href="https://nowadays.nyc/">Nowadays</a> live music lounge in New York is streaming DJs online.</li> <li><a href="https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en">Rijksmuseum</a> is home to Dutch masters: Vermeer’s Milkmaid, Van Gogh’s Self-portrait and Rembrandt’s most well-known painting: the Night Watch.</li> <li><a href="https://www.socialdistancingfestival.com/">Social Distancing Festival</a> is drawing live streaming performances together in one place.</li> <li><a href="https://www.zoo.org.au/animal-house">Zoo Victoria’s Animal House</a> is livesteaming lions, giraffes, snow leopards cubs, penguins and the occasional <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/52000441/coronavirus-melbourne-zookeeper-s-livestream-dance-goes-viral">dancing zoo keeper</a>.</li> </ul> <p><em>Written by Caroline Wilson-Barnao. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-one-door-closes-open-a-window-14-sites-with-great-free-art-134153">The Conversation.</a> </em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

"I want to get out": Panic as man tries to open door mid-flight

<p>A man who was suffering from a panic attack was restrained by fellow passengers after attempting to open the door of the plane mid-flight.</p> <p>Without warning, an agitated man tried pulling on the lever on the door at the back of the plane screaming “I want to get out!” in broken English.</p> <p>It was here that his fellow passengers intervened, but it wasn’t until half a dozen air stewards rushed down the aisle with one carrying handcuffs that the passengers felt safe.</p> <p>Ian McNally, who first spotted what was happening, was shaken up by the incident, but praised the efforts of another passenger.</p> <p>“I was mightily relieved when I saw him rushing to help,” he added.</p> <p>Another witness who did not want to be named was frozen in panic, according to <em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/03/man-restrained-after-trying-to-open-door-of-ba-aircraft-in-midair?CMP=aff_1432&amp;utm_content=The+Independent&amp;awc=5795_1575396722_23a2856c3503f3524c8a7f4b83339901">The Guardian</a></em>.</p> <p>“I thought that was it,” he said. “Everyone who intervened were heroes.”</p> <p>Passenger Dean Whyte, who is a shocking 2 metres tall and a boxer, also intervened with the anxious man, telling him to “calm down”.</p> <p>“It was like something out of a movie. When I got there, he was shouting ‘I want to get out’ in broken English.</p> <p>“I managed to grab him and was preparing to slam him hard if necessary but myself and the steward could see he wasn’t quite right in the head, so I held him and tried to calm him down. Eventually it worked.”</p> <p>Whyte later took a screenshot of the article from <em>The Guardian</em> and said that he was just “happy I was there to help”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">Just Happy I Was There To Help<a href="https://t.co/613bYU1ZRi">https://t.co/613bYU1ZRi</a> <a href="https://t.co/TlrtXY7RRm">pic.twitter.com/TlrtXY7RRm</a></p> — Dean Whyte (@DeanWhyte8) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeanWhyte8/status/1201791740409241600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>A British Airways flight attendant said that they had “never seen anything like that before”.</p> <p> </p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

Australian jewellery store open since Queen Victoria's reign forced to close its doors

<p>It’s been around since Queen Victoria was the British monarch, but its reign as a long-serving, respected family business in Tasmania’s north-west is coming to an end.</p> <p>Originally named E A Joyce and Son, now known as Joyce Jewellers is preparing to close its doors for the last time after being in continuous operation since 1893.</p> <p>Current owner Jennifer Macartney said the downfall of the jewellery shop is due to a number of reasons, with the main being online shopping.</p> <p>“People used to come into town just for shopping or an experience,” she said.</p> <p>“They would come in on a regular basis … they’d look over all the stores and make their purchases.</p> <p>“But now people seem to have a fixed idea of what they want when they come into town and buy it and go home again.”</p> <p>Mrs Macartney is a fourth-generation member of the Joyce family, and inherited the business from her parents.</p> <p>She has fond memories of running through the store as a child. Mrs Macartney, who is the great-granddaughter of founder Edward Joyce, took over the business in the ‘90s when the store had a team of 10 staff members and business was booming.</p> <p>But as time went on, the store couldn’t keep up with the world’s advancements.</p> <p>“The economic climate is not good at the moment and the outlook is not good unfortunately,” she said.</p> <p>“I like to be optimistic, but it’s very difficult under these circumstances.</p> <p>“People are not coming into town to shop as much as they used to.”</p> <p>The store has a large fan base, with many taking to Facebook to voice their grievances over the closure.</p> <p>“Sad to hear this. I have shopped there for years. In fact, still have the paperwork of authenticity for my engagement ring 48 years ago!” wrote Christine Winskill.</p> <p>Debbie Cocks said: “Joyce’s Jewellers one of the very last of old school Burnie names and icons, so sad.”</p> <p>“Wow how sad. I got my ears pierced there in 1978,” said Carol O’Neill.</p> <p>Joyce Jewellers will close its doors on December 10.</p>

Domestic Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Singapore's historic Raffles Hotel reopens its doors

<p><span>Singapore’s iconic Raffles Hotel has finally reopened its doors to the public after two years of extensive revamp and restoration.</span></p> <p><span>The historic 132-year-old grand dame, which was designated a national monument in 1987, returned to business earlier this month with new updates and additions such as revitalised guest suites, fresh coating and marble flooring, and a new lineup of restaurants.</span></p> <p><span>General manager Christian Westbeld said while the scale of the overhaul was unprecedented, the hotel retained its neo-Renaissance architectural style. </span></p> <p><span>“The hotel is a lot fresher. Areas look a lot brighter, they look a lot lighter, they look a lot more inviting and approachable, which is something that we wanted to achieve,” Westbeld told <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/singapore-raffles-hotel-reopening/index.html"><em>CNN Travel</em></a>. </span></p> <p><span>“[But] we didn’t lose the architectural charm, the colonial heritage … That’s the biggest plus and I think the thing people will notice first. Yet at the same time we’ve modernized in a way that is deserved for the current Singapore time and era we’re in.”</span></p> <p><span>He told <a href="http://www.traveller.com.au/raffles-the-toast-of-singapore-and-its-sling-h1gnws"><em>Traveller</em></a>, “Raffles Singapore is one of the few remaining great 19th century hotels in the world.</span></p> <p><span>“[Its] restoration has been carefully designed to preserve its unique historic charm, while creating extraordinary experiences for our esteemed guests.”</span></p> <p><span>The multi-million-dollar renovation project was led by design firm Champalimaud. Edmond Bakos, managing director at the firm told <a href="https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/new-old-raffles-hotel-reopens-after-2-year-renovation-heres-how-it-looks-inside"><em>The Straits Times</em></a>, “The goal was to bring the hotel to the next chapter, not to completely change it.”</span></p> <p><span>The hotel now has 115 suites, up from 103 before the renovation. Westbeld said apart from “more comfortable” rooms, guests will also now be assigned a butler as their main point of contact for services ranging from spa appointments to restaurant reservations.</span></p> <p><span>Raffles’ food and beverage lineup has also been shaken up. The famous Royal Blue China and The Halia were replaced with new concepts such as contemporary Chinese outlet Yi from chef Jereme Leung and Mediterranean sharing and grill restaurant BBR by Alain Ducasse. </span></p> <p><span>The dining space previously hosting Raffles Grill has also been transformed into La Dame de Pic, opened in partnership with decorated French chef Anne-Sophie Pic.</span></p> <p><span>Old favourites making a comeback include The Long Bar, Tiffin Room, The Lobby, Writers Bar, Raffles Courtyard, and Ah Teng’s Cafe.</span></p>

International Travel

Our Partners