Search

Placeholder Content Image

Culture vultures may live longer

<div> <div class="copy"> <p>Those who think enjoying a good dose of culture is <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/arty-farty" target="_blank">arty-farty</a> could be missing out, with a new study linking arts appreciation to living longer.</p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Researchers at University College London, UK, found that people who regularly go to the theatre, concerts, the opera, museums or art galleries have a lower risk of dying than those who refrain.</span></p> <p>This adds to <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.euro.who.int/en/publications/abstracts/what-is-the-evidence-on-the-role-of-the-arts-in-improving-health-and-well-being-a-scoping-review-2019" target="_blank">evidence</a> linking art engagement with physical health and wellbeing.</p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The “universality of art and the strong emotional responses it induces”, leads some researchers to suggest it has evolutionary benefits, write Daisy Fancourt and Andrew Steptoe, although others question whether art is “an evolutionary parasite”.</span></p> <p>Fancourt and Steptoe argue that creativity and imagination have been linked to increased survival throughout human <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19900185" target="_blank">evolution</a> and that arts engagement enhances cognition, empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence.</p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The arts could also give life a greater sense of meaning, reduce risk taking behaviours, get people out and reduce sedentary behaviour and loneliness – all of which are associated with better health outcomes.</span></p> <p>Titled “The art of life and death”, the study, <a rel="noopener" href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l6377" target="_blank">published</a> in the journal BMJ, followed more than 6000 adults aged 50 and older for 14 years in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/" target="_blank">ELSA</a>).</p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Participants self-reported arts engagement at the study’s inception, along with a comprehensive range of demographic, behavioural, socio-economic and health factors. Mortality data was sourced from National Health Service records.</span></p> <p>While cognition, mental health and physical activity were protective, arts involvement was independently linked to lower mortality after these variables were factored in, and this persisted through several analyses.</p> <p>Overall, people who engaged in the arts once or twice a year had a 14% lower chance of dying than those who never got involved, while enjoying culture more regularly was associated with a 31% lower risk.</p> <p>The study’s strengths include its size and scope, although the researchers acknowledge that it only recorded arts engagement at one time point and it was observational.</p> <p>In a related <a rel="noopener" href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l6774" target="_blank">commentary</a>, Nicola Gill and co-authors from Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, note that people with lung disease, depression or loneliness, who could derive the most benefits, were least likely to engage in the arts.</p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Work must now be done to ensure that the health benefits of these activities are accessible to those who would benefit most,” they write – including children.</span></p> <p>“The current study should add weight to growing concerns about the decline in arts subjects and music in schools and universities.”</p> <em>Image credits: Getty Images    <!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=34527&amp;title=Culture+vultures+may+live+longer" alt="" width="1" height="1" /> <!-- End of tracking content syndication -->          </em></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/culture-vultures-may-live-longer/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Natalie Parletta. </em></p> </div> </div>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

"He's a culture vulture": Firess Dirani slams Shannan Ponton on SAS Australia

<div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>Two contestants from SAS Australia are bickering in the media, with Shannan Ponton and Firass Dirani clashing publicly on the show.</p> <p>After the pair had a disagreement in Tuesday night's episode, Ponton spoke to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/sas-australia-shannan-ponton-calls-firass-dirani-a-sociopath/news-story/28ff73872032e9db7a9e2fc8a00fe5e2" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink"><em>news.com.au</em></a><em> </em>about Dirani, saying he's a "sociopath".</p> <p>“I honestly believe that he’s a sociopath in his behaviour," Ponton explained.</p> <p>Fans haven't liked Dirani's behaviour as he often clashes with the show's instructors, which result in intense physical punishments of his fellow recruits.</p> <p>This was a sticking point for Ponton.</p> <p>“Time and time again, we said, ‘Listen mate, you’ve got to stop this behaviour.’ And he said, ‘What behaviour?’” Ponton told news.com.au.</p> <p>“It was as infuriating as it was confusing. At no stage did he ever assume responsibility for his actions. At no stage did he say sorry.</p> <p>“Some of the girls said to him, ‘Firass, all we want is an apology for what you did to us today,’ and it was never forthcoming. Even at the end, he never assumed responsibility for what he’d done. It was always some weird, inarticulate way to put together some story that didn’t make any sense.”</p> <p>Dirani wasn't about to take those claims lying down and hit back with an interview in the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8887245/SAS-Australia-Firass-Dirani-calls-Shannan-Ponton-redneck-feud-escalates.html" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink"><em>Daily Mail</em></a>.</p> <p>“I find it strange where this vile aggressive labelling behaviour is coming from?” Dirani told the publication. “I suspect there’s more prejudice against me than I imagined.”</p> <p> “Feels like a redneck to me. Him and his followers. That’s called a line in the sand.”</p> <p>Dirani took things one step further with his comments, saying that Ponton was a "culture vulture".</p> <p>“What’s with his Maori tattoos?” Dirani said to the <em>Daily Mail</em>. “You’re embarrassing a whole culture. You are not worthy of such ancestral powerful artwork. You don’t even fall on the coat-tails of such warriors. You culture vulture.”</p> <p>The "culture vulture" comment comes after Ponton has Maori tattoos on his arms despite not being of Maori descent. </p> <p>Ponton has spoken about his tattoos before, saying he thinks that Maori people are "beautiful".</p> <p><span>"On my right shoulder, I have the Maori tattoo, which is the symbol for family. I think the Maori people are so beautiful and their philosophy on family means everything to me," he explained to <em><a href="http://thecelebritywhisperer.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Ponton2.pdf">The Celebrity Whisperer.</a></em></span></p> <p>Aussie journalist Jessica Rowe defended Dirani, saying he has "such a good heart" and reminded fans that at the end of the day, it is a TV show. The pair worked together on Channe 7's show <em>The Real Dirty Dancing.</em></p> <p>“Let’s remember, it is a reality TV show,” Rowe said. “They’ve got to make it entertaining.</p> <p>“When they edit things they want to have particular storylines so we’re not seeing absolutely everything. And obviously, when you are sleep-deprived and you have to sit in freezing water and run a long way because Firass is mucking around thinking it’s funny, you would be annoyed,” she said. “However, he’s a great guy. They’re making him out to be a villain that he’s not.”.</p> </div>

TV

Placeholder Content Image

Grant Denyer expresses fury as two busloads of Sydney vultures “raid” supermarkets in Bathurst

<p>TV presenter Grant Denyer has expressed his outrage after witnessing panic-buyers from Sydney travelling to regional cities “by the busload” to stock up on food and supplies.</p> <p><em>The Dancing With The Stars</em><span> </span>host claims to have seen a gang of coronavirus preppers “raiding” supermarkets in his hometown of Bathurst, 200km west of Sydney.</p> <p>The same group reportedly targeted two other central west NSW cities, Orange and Lithgow, before returning to Sydney.</p> <p>Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Grant wrote: “This is crazy. We live in Bathurst and we had two busloads of people from Sydney storm the town and raid our three supermarkets. Which were already depleted.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B93Zanun9tM/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B93Zanun9tM/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">This is crazy. We live in Bathurst NSW and we had 2 bus loads of people from Sydney, storm the town and raid our 3 supermarkets. Which were already depleted. They also hit Orange and Lithgow. Geez guys, chill. If we’re patient, there’s plenty for everyone. We have enough food supplies in Australia. You don’t need to buy for 2 years, just a couple of weeks. Let’s get through this together, with patience, kindness and resilience</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/grantdenyer/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Grant Denyer</a> (@grantdenyer) on Mar 17, 2020 at 11:51pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“They also hit Orange and Lithgow. Geez guys, chill. If we’re patient, there’s plenty for everyone. We have enough food supplies in Australia.</p> <p>“You don’t need to buy for two years, just a couple of weeks. Let’s get through this together, with patience, kindness and resilience.”</p> <p>One woman on Twitter, who lives in a small town with a population of 1500 people about 100km from Melbourne, revealed that people in buses arrived on Tuesday.</p> <p>“Yesterday four tour buses arrived from Melbourne and 200 people descended on our supermarket and stripped the shelves of everything. Not. One. Foodstuff. Left,” she wrote.</p> <p>Riddells Creek Foodworks, between Melbourne and Bendigo, wrote on Facebook it would have “no other choice but to enforce very strict conditions for entry into our store.”</p> <p>“You will now be asked for ID proof that you live in the following areas – Riddells Creek, Clarkfield, Monegeetta, Bolinda, Romsey, Lancefield, Sunbury Riddell Road up to and including Settlement Road (from Riddells Creek End), Gisborne, New Gisborne, Cherokee,” it said.</p> <p>“We apologise for any inconvenience this will cause. Unfortunately, due to the current situation, we can only accommodate customers living in these areas.”</p> <p>Grant resides in Bathurst with his wife, Chezzi, and daughters, Scout and Sailor. He commutes to Melbourne on Sundays to film<span> </span><em>Dancing With The Stars</em>.</p> <p>The future of the show is looking uncertain after contestant  Christian Wilkins was tested for COVID-19 as a precaution following his father Richard’s diagnosis.</p> <p>Producers had already banned members of the public from the audience, meaning the dancers performed to an empty studio on March 15.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9xQ9xhHH2V/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9xQ9xhHH2V/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Bye bye Melbourne. It was magnificent filming in the home of @dancingon10. I hope I get to return again next week. Although who really knows what’s going to happen. A little strange having no audience for the filming but it was still such an incredible show. Slightly eerie experience considering the seriousness of what we’re all witnessing around us. Although it was so nice to laugh, sing like kids and watch some bloody amazing entertainment to take our mind of things. Just for a bit. Big love to all our celebs and dancers for putting on such a mega show, but also the huge crew who make it look and sound so insane. They’re a special bunch. I really am very lucky to have this kind of opportunity and experience. Stay safe everyone 🙏🏻</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/grantdenyer/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Grant Denyer</a> (@grantdenyer) on Mar 15, 2020 at 3:53pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>While on his flight home last week, Grant wrote on Instagram: “Bye bye, Melbourne. It was magnificent filming in the home of @dancingon10. I hope I get to return again next week. Although who really knows what’s going to happen?”</p>

Travel Trouble

Our Partners

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.