Search

What’s the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest? One’s about plumbing, the other wiring

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-todorovic-1210507">Michael Todorovic</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matthew-barton-1184088">Matthew Barton</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a> In July 2023, rising US basketball star Bronny James collapsed on the court during practice and was sent to hospital. The 18-year-old athlete, son of famous LA Lakers’ veteran LeBron James, had experienced a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bronny-james-cardiac-arrest-3953eee8789e83f3cccfb6dd798bc54e">cardiac arrest</a>. Many media outlets incorrectly referred to the event as a “<a href="https://en.as.com/nba/lebron-james-son-bronny-plays-for-the-usc-trojans-for-the-first-time-since-suffering-a-heart-attack-n/">heart attack</a>” or used the terms interchangeably. A cardiac arrest and a heart attack are distinct yet overlapping concepts associated with the heart. With some background in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKrgEv7-rVM&t=16s">how the heart works</a>, we can see how they differ and how they’re related. <h2>Understanding the heart</h2> The heart is a muscle that contracts to work as a pump. When it contracts it pushes blood – containing oxygen and nutrients – to all the tissues of our body. For the heart muscle to work effectively as a pump, it needs to be fed its own blood supply, delivered by the coronary arteries. If these arteries are blocked, the heart muscle doesn’t get the blood it needs. This can cause the heart muscle to become injured or die, and results in the heart not pumping properly. <h2>Heart attack or cardiac arrest?</h2> Simply put, a heart attack, technically known as a myocardial infarction, describes injury to, or death of, the heart muscle. A cardiac arrest, sometimes called a sudden cardiac arrest, is when the heart stops beating, or put another way, stops working as an effective pump. In other words, both relate to the heart not working as it should, but for different reasons. As we’ll see later, one can lead to the other. <h2>Why do they happen? Who’s at risk?</h2> Heart attacks typically result from blockages in the coronary arteries. Sometimes this is called coronary artery disease, but in Australia, we tend to refer to it as ischaemic heart disease. The underlying cause in about <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507799/#:%7E:text=It%20has%20been%20reported%20that,increases%20beyond%20age%2050%20years.">75% of people</a> is a process called <a href="https://youtu.be/jwL4lkSlvSA?si=H2as7dQkhbIqWWkU">atherosclerosis</a>. This is where fatty and fibrous tissue build up in the walls of the coronary arteries, forming a plaque. The plaque can block the blood vessel or, in some instances, lead to the formation of a blood clot. Atherosclerosis is a long-term, stealthy process, with a number of risk factors that can sneak up on anyone. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diet, diabetes, stress, and your genes have all been implicated in this plaque-building process. Other causes of heart attacks include spasms of the coronary arteries (causing them to constrict), chest trauma, or anything else that reduces blood flow to the heart muscle. Regardless of the cause, blocking or reducing the flow of blood through these pipes can result in the heart muscle not receiving enough oxygen and nutrients. So cells in the heart muscle can be injured or die. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/597616/original/file-20240531-17-o2j0w.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/597616/original/file-20240531-17-o2j0w.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/597616/original/file-20240531-17-o2j0w.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/597616/original/file-20240531-17-o2j0w.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/597616/original/file-20240531-17-o2j0w.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/597616/original/file-20240531-17-o2j0w.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/597616/original/file-20240531-17-o2j0w.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/597616/original/file-20240531-17-o2j0w.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Heart attack vs cardiac arrest" /></a><figcaption>Here’s a simple way to remember the difference. Author provided</figcaption></figure> But a cardiac arrest is the result of heartbeat irregularities, making it harder for the heart to pump blood effectively around the body. These heartbeat irregularities are generally due to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_soKG-Tzh0&t=903s">electrical malfunctions</a> in the heart. There are four distinct types: <ul> <li> ventricular tachycardia: a rapid and abnormal heart rhythm in which the heartbeat is more than <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10541285/">100 beats per minute</a> (normal adult, resting heart rate is generally 60-90 beats per minute). This fast heart rate prevents the heart from filling with blood and thus pumping adequately </li> <li> ventricular fibrillation: instead of regular beats, the heart quivers or “fibrillates”, resembling a bag of worms, resulting in an irregular heartbeat greater than 300 beats per minute </li> <li> pulseless electrical activity: arises when the heart muscle fails to generate sufficient pumping force after electrical stimulation, resulting in no pulse </li> <li> asystole: the classic flat-line heart rhythm you see in movies, indicating no electrical activity in the heart. </li> </ul> Cardiac arrest can arise from numerous underlying conditions, both heart-related and not, such as drowning, trauma, asphyxia, electrical shock and drug overdose. James’ cardiac arrest was attributed to a <a href="https://www.espn.com.au/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/38260006/bronny-james-cardiac-arrest-caused-congenital-heart-defect">congenital heart defect</a>, a heart condition he was born with. But among the many causes of a cardiac arrest, ischaemic heart disease, such as a heart attack, stands out as the most common cause, accounting <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11898927/">for 70%</a> of all cases. So how can a heart attack cause a cardiac arrest? You’ll remember that during a heart attack, heart muscle can be damaged or parts of it may die. This damaged or dead tissue can disrupt the heart’s ability to conduct electrical signals, increasing the risk of developing arrhythmias, possibly causing a cardiac arrest. So while a heart attack is a common cause of cardiac arrest, a cardiac arrest generally does not cause a heart attack. <h2>What do they look like?</h2> Because a cardiac arrest results in the sudden loss of effective heart pumping, the most common signs and symptoms are a sudden loss of consciousness, absence of pulse or heartbeat, stopping of breathing, and pale or blue-tinged skin. But the common signs and symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain or discomfort, which can show up in other regions of the body such as the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach. Also frequent are shortness of breath, nausea, light-headedness, looking pale, and sweating. <h2>What’s the take-home message?</h2> While both heart attack and cardiac arrest are disorders related to the heart, they differ in their mechanisms and outcomes. A heart attack is like a blockage in the plumbing supplying water to a house. But a cardiac arrest is like an electrical malfunction in the house’s wiring. Despite their different nature both conditions can have severe consequences and require immediate medical attention.<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/229633/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-todorovic-1210507">Michael Todorovic</a>, Associate Professor of Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matthew-barton-1184088">Matthew Barton</a>, Senior lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/whats-the-difference-between-a-heart-attack-and-cardiac-arrest-ones-about-plumbing-the-other-wiring-229633">original article</a>. </div>

Body

You’re probably brushing your teeth wrong – here are four tips for better dental health

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clement-seeballuck-583867">Clement Seeballuck</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dundee-955">University of Dundee</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicola-innes-388237">Nicola Innes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dundee-955">University of Dundee</a> We all know the advice for healthy teeth – brush twice daily and don’t eat too much sugar. So why do those of us following these instructions find we sometimes need a filling when we visit the dentist? The truth is, there’s a little more to preventing tooth decay than these guidelines suggest. Here’s what you need to know. <h2>Brush up on your skills</h2> How you brush makes a big difference. The mechanical act of brushing removes the very sticky dental plaque – a mixture of bacteria, their acids and sticky byproducts and food remnants. It forms naturally on teeth immediately after you’ve eaten but doesn’t get nasty and start to cause damage to the teeth until it reaches a certain stage of maturity. The exact amount of time this takes isn’t known but is at least more than 12 hours. Bacteria consume sugar and, as a byproduct, produce acids which dissolve mineral out of the teeth, leaving microscopic holes we can’t see. If the process isn’t stopped and they aren’t repaired, these can become big, visible cavities. Taking two minutes to brush your teeth is a good target for removing plaque and you should brush at night and one other time daily. Brushing frequently stops the bacteria developing to a stage where the species which produce the most acid can become established. Electric toothbrushes can be <a href="https://www.cochrane.org/CD002281/ORAL_poweredelectric-toothbrushes-compared-to-manual-toothbrushes-for-maintaining-oral-health">more effective than manual brushing</a> and a small toothbrush head helps to reach awkward areas in the mouth, while medium-textured bristles help you clean effectively without causing harm to gums and teeth. The main thing, however, is to get brushing! <h2>Use fluoride toothpaste and disclosing tablets</h2> Most of the benefit from brushing comes from toothpaste. The key ingredient is fluoride, which evidence shows <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD002278/full#CD002278-abs-0003">prevents tooth decay</a>. Fluoride replaces lost minerals in teeth and also makes them stronger. For maximum benefit, <a href="https://www.cochrane.org/CD007868/ORAL_comparison-between-different-concentrations-of-fluoride-toothpaste-for-preventing-tooth-decay-in-children-and-adolescents">use toothpaste with 1350-1500 ppmF</a> – that’s concentration of fluoride in parts per million – to prevent tooth decay. Check your toothpaste’s concentration by reading the ingredients on the back of the tube. <a href="https://theconversation.com/childrens-toothpaste-the-facts-80508">Not all children’s toothpastes are strong enough</a> for them to gain maximum benefit. Your dentist may prescribe higher strength fluoride toothpaste based on their assessment of your or your child’s risk of tooth decay. Plaque is difficult to see because it is whitish, like your teeth. Disclosing tablets are available in supermarkets and chemists and they make plaque more visible, showing areas you may have missed when brushing. <h2>Spit, don’t rinse</h2> At night, you produce less saliva than during the day. Because of this, your teeth have less protection from saliva and are more vulnerable to acid attacks. That’s why it’s important to remove food from your teeth before bed so plaque bacteria can’t feast overnight. Don’t eat or drink anything except water <a href="https://www.sign.ac.uk/assets/sign138.pdf">after brushing at night</a>. This also gives fluoride the longest opportunity to work. Once you’ve brushed, don’t rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash – you’re washing away the fluoride! This can be a difficult habit to break, but can <a href="https://www.sign.ac.uk/assets/sign138.pdf">reduce tooth decay by up to 25%</a>. <h2>No more than four ‘sugar hits’</h2> Intrinsic sugars are found naturally in foods like fruit and they are far less likely to cause tooth decay than added or <a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/sugar-salt-and-fat/free-sugars">free sugars</a>. Free sugars are generally those added to foods by manufacturers but also include honey, syrup and fruit juices. These are all easy for bacteria to consume, metabolise and produce acids from. However, it can be difficult to tell which are the worst sugars for teeth. For example, although normal amounts of fruit are fine, fruit juices have sugar liberated from the plant cells and heavy consumption can cause decay. <a href="http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/guidelines/sugars_intake/en/">The World Health Organization</a> and <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/how-much-sugar-is-good-for-me/">NHS</a> recommend free sugars should ideally make up less than 5% of your daily calorie intake. So what does this look like? For adults and children over about 11 years old, this is around 30g – about eight teaspoons – of sugar daily. A 330ml can of Coke has <a href="https://www.coca-cola.co.uk/drinks/coca-cola/coca-cola">35g of sugar</a>. The <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phe.c4lfoodsmart&hl=en_GB">change4life app</a> is helpful to track how much sugar you consume in your diet. Although not as important as how much, how often you eat sugar also matters. Simple carbohydrates like sugar are easier for bacteria to digest than proteins or complex carbohydrates. Bacteria produce acids after they metabolise sugar which causes demineralisation. Fortunately, through the actions of fluoride toothpaste and the remineralising effects of saliva, your teeth can recover from the early stages of these attacks. It’s like having a set of scales – trying to keep the balance between sugars on one side, fluoride toothpaste and cleaning on the other. Typically, your teeth can be exposed to four “sugar hits” – episodes of sugar intake – daily without irreversible damage to the teeth. Why not try counting how many sugary hits you have a day? This includes biscuits, cups of sugary tea or coffee and other snacks with refined carbohydrates like crisps. A simple way of cutting down would be to stop putting sugar in hot drinks and limiting snacking. Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, spit don’t rinse, eat and drink nothing after brushing, and don’t have sugar more than four times daily. Easy!<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/103959/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clement-seeballuck-583867">Clement Seeballuck</a>, Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dundee-955">University of Dundee</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicola-innes-388237">Nicola Innes</a>, Professor of Paediatric Dentistry, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dundee-955">University of Dundee</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/youre-probably-brushing-your-teeth-wrong-here-are-four-tips-for-better-dental-health-103959">original article</a>. </div>

Body

Why and how often do I need to wash makeup brushes and sponges?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/enzo-palombo-249510">Enzo Palombo</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rosalie-hocking-1428271">Rosalie Hocking</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> From the bristles of brushes to the porous surfaces of sponges, your makeup kit can harbour a host of bacteria and fungi. These potentially hazardous contaminants can originate not only from the cosmetics themselves, but also from the very surface of our skin. So, how can we keep things hygienic and avoid microbial growth on makeup brushes and sponges? Here’s what you need to know. <h2>How do germs and fungi get in my brushes and sponges?</h2> Germs and fungi can make their way into your makeup kit in lots of ways. Ever flushed a toilet with the lid open with your makeup brushes nearby? There’s a good chance <a href="https://theconversation.com/mobile-phones-are-covered-in-germs-disinfecting-them-daily-could-help-stop-diseases-spreading-135318">faecal particles</a> have landed on them. Perhaps a family member or housemate has used your eyeshadow brush when you weren’t looking, and transferred some microbes across in the process. Bacteria that trigger a pimple outbreak can be easily transferred from the surface of your skin to a makeup brush or sponge. And tiny little mites called Demodex mites, which have been linked to certain rashes and acne, live on your skin, as well, and so may end up in your sponge or brushes. Bacterial contamination of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38020232/">lip cosmetics</a>, in particular, can pose a risk of skin and eye infections (so keep that in mind if you use lip brushes). Lipsticks are frequently contaminated with bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Low-quality cosmetics are more likely to have higher and more diverse microbial growth compared to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319562X23002978?pes=vor">high-quality cosmetics</a>. Brushes exposed to sensitive areas like the eyes, mouth and nose are particularly susceptible to being potential sources of infection. The range of conditions caused by these microorganisms includes: <ul> <li> abscesses </li> <li> skin and soft tissue infections </li> <li> skin lesions </li> <li> rashes </li> <li> and dermatitis. </li> </ul> In severe cases, infections can lead to invasion of the bloodstream or deep tissues. Commercially available cosmetics contain varying amounts and types of preservatives aimed at inhibiting the growth of fungi and bacteria. But when you apply makeup, different cosmetics with unique formulations of preservatives can become mixed. When a preservative meant for one product mixes with others, it might not work as well because they have different water amounts or pH levels. So preservatives are not foolproof. We also need to observe good hygiene practices when it comes to brushes and other cosmetics applicators. <h2>Keeping brushes clean</h2> Start with the basics: never <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Isolation-of-Pathogenic-Microbes-from-Beauty-Salons-Hassan-Hamad/0199635290628fe326fcd04a2b8a2422884a8240">share makeup brushes or sponges</a>. Everyone carries different microbes on their skin, so sharing brushes and sponges means you are also sharing germs and fungi. If you need to share makeup, use something disposable to apply it, or make sure any shared brushes are washed and sterilised before the next person uses it. Clean makeup brushes by washing with hot soapy water and rinsing thoroughly. How often? Stick to a cleaning routine you can repeat with consistency (as opposed to a deep clean that is done annually). <a href="https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/routine/clean-your-makeup-brushes#:%7E:text=To%20protect%20your%20skin%20and,every%207%20to%2010%20days.">Once a week</a> might be a good goal for some, while others may need to wash more regularly if they are heavy users of makeup. Definitely wash straight away if someone else has used your brushes or sponges. And if you’ve had an eye infection such as conjunctivitis, ensure you clean applicators thoroughly after the infection has resolved. You can use bactericidal soap, 70% ethanol or chlorhexidine solutions to wash. Just make sure you wash very thoroughly with hot water after, as some of these things can irritate your skin. (While some people online say alcohol can degrade brushes and sponges, opinion seems to be mixed; in general, most disinfectants are unlikely to cause significant corrosion.) For some brushes, heating or steaming them and letting them dry may also be an effective sterilisation method once they are washed with detergent. Microwaving sponges isn’t a good idea because while the heat generated by a domestic microwave would kill microbes, it would need temperatures approaching 100°C for a decent period of time (at least several minutes). The heat could melt some parts of the sponge and hot materials could be a scalding hazard. Once clean, ensure brushes and sponges are stored in a dry place away from water sources (and not near an open toilet). If you’re having makeup applied professionally, brushes and applicators should be sterilised or changed from person to person. <h2>Should I wash them with micellar water?</h2> No. Not only is this expensive, it’s unnecessary. The same benefits can be achieved with cheaper detergents or alcohol (just rinse brushes carefully afterwards). Disinfection methods such as using bactericidal soap, 70% ethanol, or chlorhexidine are all very good at reducing the amount of microbes on your brushes and sponges.<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/220280/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/enzo-palombo-249510">Enzo Palombo</a>, Professor of Microbiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rosalie-hocking-1428271">Rosalie Hocking</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> Image credits: Getty Images 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/why-and-how-often-do-i-need-to-wash-makeup-brushes-and-sponges-220280">original article</a>.

Beauty & Style

How an innocent meal led to a months-long health battle for a 9-year-old

A mother has issued a dire warning about a common household item after her daughter’s innocent bacon and egg roll turned into a months-long health battle. Kristen Saunders has warned parents about wire barbecue grill brushes, after her nine-year-old daughter choked on a piece of the metal. At a venue in Newcastle in July, Kristen’s daughter ate a bacon and egg roll and started to feel like she was choking. Unbeknown to her parents, the nine-year-old had swallowed a piece of wire that had come off a barbecue grill brush and ended up in her roll. “I think like most parents, we’re like, ‘You’ll be fine, have some water, it’ll settle down’,” Saunders told <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/newcastle-breakfast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC Newcastle Breakfast</a>. Saunders took her daughter to the GP, who noticed she had a high temperature but nothing serious. However, over the next few days a sore throat worsened to the point she was unable to eat solid food, before she also started showing neurological symptoms. “There was this one particular day I was at home with her and all of a sudden she was a bit confused answering questions,” Saunders said. “I was like, ‘Hang on, there’s something really problematic here’ and called the GP.” Saunders’ daughter was stumbling, disoriented and unable to recognise her own family, and was admitted to hospital. “They identified that there were some abscesses in the brain,” Saunders said. “They ended up at the last-minute doing a CT and identified there was this tiny bit of wire, sort of near her neck.” Saunders’ daughter was then airlifted to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, where it was discovered that the young girl had a major infection in one of her arteries after the wire pierced her oesophagus then pushed into the carotid artery. The girl had to undergo surgery, as Saunders said the experience was “awful” but her daughter was given “amazing care”. “She is well on her way to recovery but it could have been so much worse,” Saunders said. “Please protect your family and friends and throw out your wire barbecue grill brushes.” Image credits: Facebook

Caring

Outrage after dog seen trapped in car cloaked in barbed wire

One dog owner has become the subject of the internet’s ire when an image of their dog inside of a car lined with barbed wire circulated on social media. The German shepherd was spotted by someone walking by the carpark of Caves Beach’s southern end, who snapped a picture of the “disturbing” scene, and posted it to a local Facebook page for assistance. “A German Shepherd inside a car full of barbed wire,” they captioned the series of images. “Unfortunately the car left before authorities arrived.” As their friend informed Yahoo News Australia, the dog had seemed “visibly distressed” and that’s what had drawn the witness over, and that they’d only left the area in order to get reception to call for police aid. People were quick to speak up, condemning the owner and voicing their concern for the shepherd, with one declaring it to be “the most f***ed up thing I've seen”. “I would have smashed the car after taking the photos,” another said. “This is such strange behaviour and very distressing to see. To be done in the middle of the day in a public place where people will clearly see,” someone else wrote. “I really hope [the] police can still contact them and have a word.” “I am completely dumbfounded that someone thought that this was ok. That poor dog - god only knows the environment it is subjected to at 'home',” one added. And, as another put it, “this is so disturbing”. Some didn’t immediately assume the worst of the owner, however, suggesting that perhaps they were in a challenging living situation and left with few other choices, writing “I wonder if the owner is homeless and living out of their car. The wire could be some type of safety measure. Poor dog, though.” Those requesting to know more didn’t have to wait long, with updates soon coming in to inform everyone that NSW Police had confirmed officers had attended the scene, but that upon finding the car space empty, they were “making arrangements to speak to the registered owner”. The owner was eventually located by the police, with a spokesperson sharing that “they have checked the dog and confirmed there were no injuries and that [it] is being well cared for. “They have also been assured the wire has been permanently removed from the car.” They could not, however, reveal why the owner had lined the vehicle with the dangerous wire, or why the dog had been left in there. Nor could RSPCA NSW, who noted that the matter was under police investigation. Images: Facebook

Family & Pets

"I just got brushed": Ally Langdon responds to greatest snub in Australian television

An awkward exchange between Tracy Grimshaw and her rumoured A Current Affair replacement has been caught on camera and immediately went viral on social media. The media veteran bid an emotional farewell to ACA after 17 years of hosting. Of course, Channel 9 staff delivered a standing ovation after she signed off for the last time. However, the clip shows a very awkward exchange between Grimshaw and current Today co-host Allison Langdon. After hugging several other staffers, Grimshaw approaches Langdon, who has her arms outstretched ready for an embrace. Instead of acknowledging this, Grimshaw instead walks right past her, appearing to slightly shake her head before leaning in for a hug with a male colleague. The clip immediately attracted thousands of likes, comments and shares. “I’m actually second hand embarrassed for that lady,” one person wrote, while another added they “need to know the drama” behind the exchange. “In front of at LEAST 50 people as well,” another commented, while one TikTok user said it was proof “Allison is definitely taking her place!” <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@badassnewss/video/7169539767065955586" data-video-id="7169539767065955586"> <section><a title="@badassnewss" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@badassnewss?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@badassnewss</a> Tracy Grimshaw has signed off ACA for the last time and also regected a hug from Today Show host - Allison Langdon on the way out 😬 bit awks. <a title="tracygrimshaw" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tracygrimshaw?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#tracygrimshaw</a> <a title="acurrentaffair" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/acurrentaffair?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#acurrentaffair</a> <a title="goodonyatrace" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/goodonyatrace?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#goodonyatrace</a> <a title="congratulations🎉" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/congratulations%F0%9F%8E%89?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#congratulations🎉</a> <a title="♬ another love sped up - avery" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/another-love-sped-up-7043057957856398126?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ another love sped up - avery</a></section> </blockquote> Langdon and Stefanovic weighed in on the “snub” on Today describing the situation as “brutal” but explaining that there was a “reason” behind the apparent brush off. The pair revealed they had “managed to secure some never-before-seen footage from another angle of the shock snub”, with the new clip showing the excruciating moment in even clearer detail. “That’s the moment my heart breaks,” Langdon said. “Look how red my face is. I just got brushed. I don’t think Tracy knows who I am.” Stefanovic joked Langdon “didn’t have much sleep last night”, with his co-host teasing that she was “devastated” after being “brushed” by her “hero”. They went on to share a statement from Grimshaw herself clearing up the incident, with her confirming it had been a big misunderstanding: “I’m sorry I missed you, was so overwhelmed and obviously didn’t see your petite head once Karl’s big boofhead loomed into vision. Argh, big sorry x’’ the statement said. Langdon said she had accepted the apology and the Today co-hosts joked about it being “one of the greatest snubs in Australian television”. “Anyway, apology accepted Trace. It was a very big night. It was a beautiful night to be part of. I have decided I still love her,” Langdon said. Images: TikTok

The part of your teeth you’ve been forgetting to brush

Like so many things in life, brushing your teeth is a matter of quality over quantity. There’s no point in brushing your teeth four times a day if you’re doing it the wrong way. Jessica Hilburg, DDS and associate dean for clinical affairs at the NYC College of Dentistry, was recently asked by the Huffington Post about the most-common errors people make when they give their mouth the old once-over. "Sometimes people forget to brush the insides of their teeth, the surfaces that face the tongue and the palate," Hilburg said. "Sometimes people forget these areas because we don't see them when we look in the mirror. Food and plaque can buildup in these areas so it's just as important to brush there as it is on the front of our teeth where we can easily see." Hilburg added not brushing your teeth long enough or using the wrong amount of pressure while brushing your teeth is equally incorrect and can ultimately be damaging. "Applying too much pressure while brushing could damage gums and be abrasive to the teeth," she said. "Applying too little pressure while brushing just isn't as effective and will not remove the plaque as well as using gentle pressure. (Also) just rubbing the toothbrush back and forth in long strokes will not do as good a job as the short strokes because the short strokes allow you to get in between the teeth much better." She added, "The 'right amount of pressure' is pressure that feels comfortable, does not crush the bristles of the toothbrush (too much pressure) and of course leaves your teeth feeling and looking clean." What are your thoughts? Image: Getty

Caring

WIRES to launch new Koala rescue course

A new koala rescue course has been launched nationwide by WIRES for registered wildlife carers. The course, which launches this month, is part of a WIRES plan to increase rescue and rehabilitation capacity and improve emergency rescue response for koalas. It will explore the best practice for rescuing and transporting injured, sick or orphaned koalas and will be delivered online. In February 2022 koalas in Queensland, NSW and the ACT were officially classified as an endangered species and WIRES chief operating officer Kyla Shelley said the sheer number of koala rescues in NSW painted a clear picture of the increased need to build volunteer capacity and capability. "We have seen almost a doubling of koala rescues in the last two years," she said. "These are usually complex situations and require specific skills to assist this unique species." The WIRES koala rescue course will cover: <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Work health and safety risks involved in rescuing and transporting koalas </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Koala biology, behaviour, distribution, and threats </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Appropriate capture, handling, and transport methods </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Rescue scenarios and how to approach koalas </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Koala observational assessment and reporting processes post-rescue </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Common injuries and diseases. </li> </ul> The course is based on the standards and guidelines outlined in the NSW environment department code of practice for injured, sick and orphaned koalas and the official guidelines for initial treatment and care of rescued koalas. Image: Getty

Family & Pets

Michael K Williams and The Wire: how the show redefined television watching

This article contains spoilers for The Wire. Emmy-nominated actor Michael K Williams has died aged 54, reportedly of a <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/09/06/actor-michael-k-williams-found-dead-in-nyc-apartment/">suspected drug overdose</a>. Early last year the actor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8CCmkpBb2g/?utm_medium=copy_link">mused on instagram</a> “How will I be remembered and what will be my legacy?” Undoubtedly the actor will be remembered for his breakthrough role as <a href="https://www.hbo.com/the-wire">The Wire</a>’s Omar Little. The homosexual, morally ambiguous outlaw who hunts Baltimore drug dealers for fun was somehow larger than life yet authentically believable. Armed with his signature sawed-off-shotgun, facial scar, duster jacket, and grin, Williams’s sheer presence played a key part in HBO’s 2002 series about <a href="https://drugpolicy.org/issues/brief-history-drug-war">America’s “war on drugs”</a>. This was the federal government’s zero-tolerance approach to illegal drug use that increased prison sentences for all drug-related incidents. Twenty years on, we can see how the programme redefined television and its impact in multiple ways. <h2>1. Television as Greek tragedy</h2> Unlike the then-popular <a href="https://theconversation.com/farewell-csi-the-show-that-made-forensics-fun-40857">CSI</a>-style investigative American cop show, The Wire embraces the cold-hearted nature of ancient <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/447310">Greek tragedy</a>. Indifferent to individuals’ heroism and morality, the show demonstrates how the American dream remains unachievable for many. Internal politics within local government, an overworked police force and an underfunded education sector thwart individual talent and ambition. Characters are at the mercy of these institutions that stand in for traditional Greek gods. Omar may be the closest the show has to a heroic figure, but his attempts for redemption are rewarded by the barrel of a child’s gun as he is unceremoniously killed for a couple of dollars. He is the Achilles falling victim to Apollo’s eventual will, as envisioned by ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9qK-VGjMr8g?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <h2>2. The visual novel</h2> The show’s creator, David Simon, coined the phrase “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/10/22/stealing-life">visual novel</a>” to describe the programme’s distinctive and demanding viewing experience. Instead of each episode neatly concluding with a captured criminal, The Wire made it impossible to simply tune in at any point in the season. One investigation stretches over 13 hours of television, so you have room for all the regular idiosyncrasies and nuance of how people relate and how institutions work, much like a Dickens novel. Put simply, “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/video/2009/aug/29/david-simon-edinburgh-interview-full">Fuck the casual viewer</a>” as Simon once elucidated. <h2>3. Streaming series</h2> The Wire heralded the binge-watching revolution when DVD box sets made consuming 13 hours of television in one sitting possible and irresistible. Compared to HBO’s other quality television dramas from the period – including <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/the-sopranos">The Sopranos</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/mar/09/rewatching-deadwood-still-the-most-extraordinary-rootin-tootin-tv-ever">Deadwood</a> – The Wire’s exploration of America’s war on drugs proved that television audiences had the patience and intelligence to consume a narrative that could be consumed as if it were one very long film. <h2>4. Good guys or bad guys?</h2> It’s difficult to imagine a universe where <a href="https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones">Game of Thrones</a> could have been commissioned had The Wire not blurred the previously clear division between hero and villain. Baltimore’s police department and Barksdale’s drug-dealing crew are presented as two social structures in a pragmatic conflict with one another. A parallel ensues between Baltimore’s criminal justice system and the laws of the street and the equal pressure they apply to individuals. For instance, drug kingpin Stringer Bell’s (Idris Elba) brutal murder of Omar’s lover Brandon for robbing his stash house is depicted as a logically justifiable action similar to that of the US justice system’s treatment of criminals. Without such iconic episodes, would we have been able to empathise with the callous actions of the bloodthirsty Lannisters in Game of Thrones? <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/420027/original/file-20210908-27-rd3frm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Man in suit." /> Idris Elba as drug kingpin. <a href="https://www.hbo.com/content/dam/hbodata/series/the-wire/character/the-street/russell-stringer-bell-1920.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.web.1200.675.jpeg" class="source">HBO</a> <h2>5. Challenging the war on drugs</h2> Perhaps Williams’ and the Wire’s greatest legacy will be the key role it has played in making the world increasingly sceptical of America’s war on drugs. Season four received the <a href="https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-wire/season-4">strongest critical reception</a> for portraying how a host of school children could be forced into a life of drug abuse against their will. The series highlights underfunded social services, a lack of employment opportunities, “benevolent” drug dealers, and drug-addicted parents to compellingly reveal that not all addicts are addled layabouts through choice. Instead, these people have been worn down by a system and societal structure that was against them from the moment they were unlucky enough to be born black in the projects (the US’s social housing). A testament to just how much the show changed opinion, during his first presidential campaign <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=w2F3eLZHmoA">Barack Obama said</a>, “Omar’s a great guy.” While Obama was keen to point out he was not endorsing the character’s lawbreaking, The Wire nevertheless helped instigate a global debate as to whether America’s war on drugs is worth its escalating cost in terms of human lives and taxpayer money. David Simon <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2011/06/wire-creator-david-simon-has-counter-offer-eric-holder/351634/">has since vowed he will write a sixth season</a> if drugs are legalised nationally in the US. From new Portuguese laws to Cleveland police’s <a href="https://www.cleveland.pcc.police.uk/how-can-we-help/community/heroin-assisted-treatment-hat/">heroin assisted treatment programme</a>, drug addiction is now starting to be treated as a health problem, as the obituaries for <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-58470253">Michael K Williams’ untimely death</a> attest. The Wire and Williams’ performance went a long way in showing that drug addiction is an illness that demands understanding and that those suffering from it need society’s help and support, not its condemnation.<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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167480/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-lamb-453614">Ben Lamb</a>, Senior Lecturer in Media, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/teesside-university-1230">Teesside University</a> 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/michael-k-williams-and-the-wire-how-the-show-redefined-television-watching-167480">original article</a>. Image: Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy

Postnatal psychosis is rare, but symptoms can be brushed aside as ‘normal’ for a new mum

The period after birth of a child is supposed to be a time of great happiness for women. However, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7491613/pdf/WPS-19-313.pdf">a significant number</a> of new mothers will experience a mental illness at this time. One is <a href="https://www.thewomens.org.au/health-information/pregnancy-and-birth/mental-health-pregnancy/post-partum-psychosis">postnatal psychosis</a> (also known as postpartum or <a href="https://www.cope.org.au/health-professionals/health-professionals-3/perinatal-mental-health-disorders/puerperal-psychosis/">puerperal psychosis</a>). It’s not related to postnatal depression. Postnatal psychosis affects <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD009991.pub2/full">one to two in every 1,000 new mothers</a>, or about 600 women each year in Australia. But our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026661382100245X">interviews with women</a> who have been diagnosed with this rare but serious condition show their symptoms were often dismissed as a normal part of adjusting to motherhood. <h2>What is postnatal psychosis?</h2> Postnatal psychosis affects women across all cultures and geographic areas. The condition can put a woman at risk of self-harm or suicide and, on rare occasions, of harming others including her new baby or other children. We don’t know what causes it. But contributing factors may include sleep deprivation, and rapid hormone changes associated with pregnancy and childbirth. The risk of postnatal psychosis increases if a woman has a history of <a href="https://www.sane.org/information-stories/facts-and-guides/bipolar-disorder#what-is-bipolar-disorder">bipolar disorder</a> or has had postnatal psychosis before. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JUFRZ6PgfQE?wmode=transparent&start=81" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <h2>What are the symptoms?</h2> <a href="https://www.cope.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Postpartum-Psychosis_Health-Prof-Fact-Sheet.pdf">Symptoms</a> can begin in the first few days after giving birth but may not appear until up to 12 weeks afterwards. Some women have manic symptoms <ul> <li> manic symptoms include feeling they do not need to sleep, and are powerful and strong </li> <li> women may have unusual experiences, such as seeing or hearing things others cannot. They may believe things that are not true </li> <li> they can also make unrealistic and impulsive plans, can be disorganised or forgetful, and talk very quickly </li> <li> their moods may change rapidly or they may seem excessively happy. </li> </ul> Others have depressive symptoms <ul> <li> depressive symptoms include a loss of energy and an inability to sleep or eat </li> <li> women may have thoughts or auditory hallucinations that they are a bad mother and they may say they wish to die. Hallucinations or delusions (false beliefs) point to postnatal psychosis rather than to postnatal depression </li> <li> women may find it difficult to complete activities, such as caring for themselves or their baby, or attending to other tasks in the home </li> <li> they may believe they are helpless, hopeless and worthless, especially as a mother </li> <li> they can become isolated and no longer enjoy activities. </li> </ul> <h2>Women say it’s traumatic</h2> Women say postnatal psychosis is traumatic, especially if they do not get help when they first report symptoms. But it can be challenging to diagnose because of the stigma surrounding mental illness around the time of giving birth. Women say they are <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs00737-015-0548-6.pdf">reluctant to disclose</a> unusual symptoms as they feel ashamed they are finding motherhood difficult and worry they may lose custody of their baby. When we <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026661382100245X">interviewed ten women</a>, who had experienced an episode of postnatal psychosis in the past ten years, we discovered another barrier to diagnosis. Women said they knew they had unusual symptoms, such as not being able to sleep or changes in the way they thought or behaved, but they found it difficult to get help. Often, they were told these symptoms were a normal part of adjusting to motherhood. Their postnatal psychosis was not identified until their only option was admission to an acute mental health unit and separation from their baby. So we need more education about the condition for health-care workers. By identifying the condition earlier, this gives women more treatment options. <h2>There are treatments</h2> Once diagnosed, the condition can be treated with antipsychotic and mood stabilising medication, prescribed by a psychiatrist or other treating doctor. This is <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00737-009-0117-y">very effective</a> but medication is often not started until the symptoms have become very severe and the woman requires hospitalisation in an acute mental health unit, without her baby. This separation can compromise the developing bond between them. So early diagnosis can potentially reduce the time a woman may spend in an acute mental health unit. <h2>Admission to a mother-baby unit</h2> Best practice is to admit women and their babies to a <a href="https://www.cope.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/COPE-Perinatal-MH-Guideline_Final-2018.pdf">mother-baby unit</a>, which is usually linked to a hospital. This allows women to continue to care for their babies with the support of child and family health-care professionals. However, publicly funded units are only available in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. In New South Wales, two public mother-baby units <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-unit-provides-mother-and-baby-mental-health-support-to-western-sydney-20210909-p58q9v.html">are being built</a>. In NSW, the only existing one is a <a href="https://www.sjog.org.au/our-locations/st-john-of-god-burwood-hospital/our-services/mental-health-and-therapy/mother-and-baby-unit">private facility</a>, which many families cannot afford. <h2>Helping others</h2> The women we interviewed said they developed support networks with each other. One woman told us: <blockquote> You feel like, okay, that was such a hard experience, is there a way that we could make that a little less hard for the women who are going to go through it next time? </blockquote> Women wanted to tell their stories so others would better understand postnatal psychosis and could find it easier to get help. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, contact the following organisations for more information or support: <a href="https://www.panda.org.au/info-support/postnatal-psychosis">Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia</a> (PANDA), 1300 726 306; <a href="https://www.cope.org.au/">Centre of Perinatal Excellence</a>; <a href="https://healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au/pregnancy-and-new-parents/maternal-mental-health-and-wellbeing/bipolar-disorder">Beyondblue</a>, 1300 22 4636; Lifeline, 13 11 14. You can also contact your GP or go to your nearest hospital emergency department.<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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170278/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/diana-jefferies-183951">Diana Jefferies</a>, Senior lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> 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/postnatal-psychosis-is-rare-but-symptoms-can-be-brushed-aside-as-normal-for-a-new-mum-170278">original article</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Family & Pets

"Just so frightening": Kate Ritchie's heartbreaking confession

Kate Ritchie has opened up about her major fears when she left the soap Home and Away after 20 years on the show. The star who played Sally Fletcher for more than two decades admitted to Anh Do on an episode of Anh's Brush With Fame, that she wasn’t sure she could “survive” if she walked away from the role. Ritchie left Home And Away in 2008 at the age of 28, having played Sally since the show’s pilot episode, at just eight-years-old. “I didn’t know where she ended and I began or vice versa, and I had to work out whether I was more than that,” said Ritchie. She explained that it had “became really obvious” when it was time to finally leave the show. “It was just so frightening. What do I actually do when someone doesn’t hand me a schedule on a Friday afternoon and tell me where to be on a Monday? “And they were just the logistics that I knew I’d miss. I think it was the other stuff about missing the character and trying to figure out my identity without this other person, that was the stuff I hadn’t really considered too much and that hit me quite hard,” she said. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840566/kate-ritchie-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a83838f8f3774c24ace14c050b7c9d54" /> Kate Ritchie and the late Heath Ledger on the set of Home and Away. Image: Home and Away The star is now 42, and found herself choking back tears as she recalled stepping away from the character of Sally Fletcher, who she described as her “best friend for 20 years”. “She gave me purpose and a sense of achievement. I feel differently now, after loads of therapy,” she said. “I thought the only thing I’d ever done of value in my life was when I was her. I was lost, and I wondered how I was going to survive without her. How were people going to react to me if I wasn’t Sally? Sally was a great person, a great friend and a great daughter … did people only feel something for me because they liked her?” Ritchie has gone on to continue her work as an actor, but can also boast that she has since added TV host, children’s author and a radio host under her belt as well. “I think the best thing to come out of all of this, is that I’m great without [Sally]. I nearly choked on the words! We’re all great without our security blankets,” she told Do. Ritchie shared the clip from tonight’s episode to her Instagram account, admitting that she “worr[ies] so often of what people think. Of me revisiting the same old chapter of my life. The chapter people continue to ask me about and the one that defined me. Publicly and personally. One day I’ll move through that worry … But for now I’ll speak with Anh.”

“I remember her face”: Todd Sampson drops bombshell family secret

TV personality Todd Sampson has revealed a bombshell family secret in the latest episode of Anh’s Brush With Fame. While discussing his upbringing with host and artist Anh Do while he painted his portrait, the Body Hack and Gruen presenter explained that he grew up in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada with his working-class parents. His mother worked the till at the local KFC. Before he was even born, she had fallen pregnant at just 15. “At the time and in the area, it was quite religious. She was basically told she had to give up the child. She gave up the child to her sister – and she was raised as my cousin,” he revealed. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFdcDKpgHAz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFdcDKpgHAz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by toddsampson (@toddsampson2)</a> on Sep 22, 2020 at 6:05pm PDT </div> </blockquote> He recalled his mum’s decision to hide her daughter’s true identity which she labelled as “the biggest regret of my mother’s life.” He also revealed the unbelievable circumstances that led to him finding out this his “cousin” Wendy was actually his older sister. “I was such an investigative kid – also known as a little sh*t. I used to record my parents’ conversations when I would go to bed. I got a recorder for Christmas, and just before I’d go to bed, I would hit record under the sofa where my parents were, then go off to sleep.” He said that each morning he’d listen back to what his parents had discussed. “That day, I’m listening to the recording and I’m like, ‘Wait now, did they just say that Wendy’s my sister?’ They were debating at night whether they should tell us, and whether we were old enough to comprehend what had happened. But Wendy had been in and out of our lives as our cousin,” he said. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFb4dh0gD8m/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFb4dh0gD8m/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by ABC TV + iview (@abctv)</a> on Sep 22, 2020 at 3:35am PDT </div> </blockquote> Sampson shared the moment he confronted his mother to ask if Wendy was really his sister. “I remember her face – it was just shock and relief. She said, ‘Yes, she is.’ Then, it was only as an adult, many many years later, that I reconnected with her as my older sister. Now I’m super-proud that she’s my sister, and all that she’s done in her life. Do said he couldn’t imagine doing what Sampson’s mother had done. However, Sampson responded by pointing out, “(You’re) not 15 in a convent situation. She had Wendy in a room by herself.”

Family & Pets

IKEA product designer claims that her $1.49 design is the “world’s best”

Iina Vuorivirta “loves doing the dishes” and it was this passion that took the IKEA product designer to the ultimate level. She was given a brief from Ikea to make “the best dish brush in the whole world”, which is a dream come true for the designer. “It still makes me a little bit shaky,” Ms Vuorivirta said to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/why-this-149-ikea-product-is-the-worlds-best/news-story/b38a51076082b5d3b93d874da95cf3c9" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>. The brush that you can buy for a low $1.49 from the furniture giant might not look like much, but it took a full 18 months of design, testing and iteration to meet five requirements set by IKEA. These elements are: <ul> <li>Form</li> <li>Function</li> <li>Low price</li> <li>Quality</li> <li>Sustainability</li> </ul> Vuorivirta worked across the whole product range but said that her favourite products are “these kind of everyday life little heroes that you sort of take for granted, but when you have them right it’s a fluid part of your daily routine”. She spoke at IKEA's recent Democratic Design Days conference in Almhult and went into detail about the extensive testing the dish brush went through. “It was a long learning curve, together with a big amount of people to get this thing done,” she said. “We made it out of recycled plastics. I even designed air bubbles inside the handle to be able to maximise the material but not (compromise) when it comes to the ergonomics, how it feels to handle, how balanced it is, and how it of course looks.” <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" class="post_image_group" src="https://over60.monday.com/protected_static/657795/resources/37749882/big-Screen%20Shot%202019-08-12%20at%2010.18.20%20am.png" alt="" data-asset_id="37749882" data-url-thumb="https://over60.monday.com/protected_static/657795/resources/37749882/thumb-Screen%20Shot%202019-08-12%20at%2010.18.20%20am.png" data-url-thumb-small="https://over60.monday.com/protected_static/657795/resources/37749882/thumb_small-Screen%20Shot%202019-08-12%20at%2010.18.20%20am.png" data-url-thumb-big-scaled="https://over60.monday.com/protected_static/657795/resources/37749882/thumb_big_scaled-Screen%20Shot%202019-08-12%20at%2010.18.20%20am.png" data-url-large="https://over60.monday.com/protected_static/657795/resources/37749882/large-Screen%20Shot%202019-08-12%20at%2010.18.20%20am.png" data-url-big="https://over60.monday.com/protected_static/657795/resources/37749882/big-Screen%20Shot%202019-08-12%20at%2010.18.20%20am.png" data-url-original="https://over60.monday.com/protected_static/657795/resources/37749882/Screen%20Shot%202019-08-12%20at%2010.18.20%20am.png" data-filename="Screen Shot 2019-08-12 at 10.18.20 am.png" data-is-gif="false" data-post-id="411604433"" /> Photo source: IKEA The brush went on sale in Australia in April and has since sold 20,000 units. Ms Vuorivirta said that a lot of thought went into the whole process. “With this one we didn’t only want to make the best dish brush in the whole world but also we were really being picky when it comes to the price tag,” she explained. “This will be the dish brush for the many people and the price tag also needs to be according to that. So it was a long journey. But it still makes me really happy.” IKEA is known for the obsessive and minute changes that are made across its entire range which is used to drive down costs. “You would be surprised if you knew how much time we spent on each single detail of a product,” said Henrik Heegaard, product design manager and co-create Ikea manager. “Cut down assembly by five seconds, cut down the time it takes from the start of the production line to the end, these things make the whole difference.” Heegaard also explained that the recent addition of sustainability to the design requirements of Ikea have meant that sometimes, the company may compromise on price. “Where we look at products where we supply high volumes, of course we are very, very keen on making sure that is planet-positive — how can we go from virgin plastics to recycled plastics, for instance — and today that is more expensive,” he said. “There we go in and say, you know what, here we take our responsibility and put recycled plastic in there since this is a need our customers have. Then there's also times where we need to have a very specific price point where we just need to try harder to add in sustainability."

Home & Garden

Kylie Kwong opens up to Anh Do about devastating baby loss: "We felt blessed he lived for six days"

Kylie Kwong has opened up about her experience of coming out as gay to her parents and losing her son. The celebrity chef and her partner Nell lost their baby Lucky to a premature stillbirth in 2012. The 49-year-old told Anh Do on Anh’s Brush With Fame that she “cried for 10 hours straight” after Nell’s waters broke five months early and the doctors delivered the devastating news that their son would be stillborn. “In the end we felt blessed he lived for six days … inside Nell, alive, and then he let go. But the six days was profound,” said Kwong. Kwong bid her goodbye to Lucky with the help of a Zen Buddhist teacher, who performed a spiritual ritual over Nell’s pregnant belly. “It was so important because we got to be with him, we got to mother him, we got to say goodbye to him,” Kwong said. When Do asked what Kwong said, she replied, “I said, I really love feeding you. “I said I want you to know that your mother is the most amazing person in the world and that you are very, very loved. “I said to him that I want you to know that we have always loved you, and I promised him that Nell and I would always look after each other.” Kwong also shared how she came out as gay to her family at the age of 19. After telling her mother Pauline, Kwong waited another six months to break the news to her father Maurice. But he suspected that Kwong was seeing a woman and confronted her one evening. “He came into my room and said, ‘So darling, are you seeing that woman?’” Kwong recalled. “And I said, ‘Yes dad, I am. Dad, I’m gay.’ “I said, ‘Dad, I respect you. During our childhood, you and Mum always brought us up to be truthful and honest, and you’ve always said to us, we three kids, that you just want us to be happy.’ “I said, ‘Dad, this makes me really happy. This is just who I am. And I’m really sorry if I’ve disappointed you or let you down but I just need to be myself.’” He thanked her for her honesty but asked her to move out of the house in four days. “’From this moment, I disown you as my daughter’, he said that, he said that sentence,” Kwong recounted. “’And when you call home, you can speak to your mum and your brothers, but I’m not going to speak to you’.” <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FABCTV%2Fvideos%2F956729351385863%2F&show_text=0&width=476" width="476" height="476" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> However, after two “very quiet” nights, she woke up to her father’s “sobbing face on my pillow”. He took back his words and asked her to stay, Kwong said. “His whole kind of energy and demeanour was of this vulnerable … a lot kind of smaller presence. A beautiful presence,” said Kwong. “And he’s like, ‘Oh my darling, I can’t do it to you. You’re my baby. You’re my little girl, and I love you and I just can’t … Even though I don’t understand your way of life, I can’t throw you out and I love you and I want you to stay.’ “What he actually did in that moment was, he was 52, he dropped 52 years of ego, just like that. “He had done this transformation in those two silent nights. He dropped ego and he became human.” Since then, Kwong maintained a “wonderful relationship” with her father until his death from prostate cancer in 2006. Two months later, Kwong started a relationship with Nell. She proposed to the artist in 2015 and <a rel="noopener" href="https://qnews.com.au/we-are-so-happy-aussie-chef-kylie-kwong-marries-her-partner/" target="_blank">tied the knot in March this year</a>. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0CEGMlnzSy/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0CEGMlnzSy/" target="_blank">A post shared by ABC TV + iview (@abctv)</a> on Jul 17, 2019 at 2:03pm PDT </div> </blockquote>

Caring

"She did not like me”: Dannii Minogue's tense relationship with mother-in-law

Dannii Minogue was once married to actor Julian McMahon, which seems like a lifetime ago for the star. They met when they were both starring on Home and Away, but Minogue has shed some light on what their marriage was like behind the scenes, especially her relationship with her mother-in-law, Lady Sonia McMahon. Minogue appeared on Anh’s Brush with Fame and was surprisingly candid about her past. "His family did not like me. There's a certain social pecking order and I was definitely not in that scene. She [Sonia] only spoke to me a couple of times," Minogue explained to Anh. Things eventually escalated to where Minogue was banned from the house. "She would not let me go to the family house. Sometimes [Julian] had to go and collect something and I was waiting in the car out the front. It was as if I'd done something wrong to the family, but I hadn't done anything wrong," she admitted. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7827297/dannii-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/28e60f1d181641b481c3a0861abfa222" /> Lady Sonia McMahon and son Julian McMahon Minogue also revealed that Sonia caused trouble at the wedding. "On the actual day of the wedding there was drama. [Sonia] said she wasn't going to show up, so that's quite stressful. Julian and I were going ahead with the marriage regardless. "So she did end up coming and was causing a scene … it wasn't the greatest … it was hard. I just tried to stay away from it, I just wanted to enjoy the day." The marriage lasted for 18 months, with the pair divorcing in 1996. The pair have both since moved on, as Julian is onto his third marriage after tying the knot with Kelly Paniagua in 2014, and Minogue shares 8-year-old son Ethan with her ex Kris Smith, and is in a relationship with music producer, Adrian Newman.

"A woman handed me a letter": Jimmy Barnes reveals the unlikely way his long-lost daughter found him

Anh Do has revealed the unlikely way Jimmy Barnes’ discovered he was the father of two of his long-lost children. While appearing on Anh’s Brush With Fame, the 62-year-old music icon confessed that a love child “approached him after a concert asking for a paternity test”. In an interview with <a href="https://www.who.com.au/">Who</a> magazine, Anh reflected on the memorable moments on his show, saying: “I remember Jimmy Barnes telling me that after a show a woman handed him a letter.” “He read it that night and it said that she thinks she may be his daughter from 30 years ago. And there's a photo. “And Barnsey looks at the photo, and thinks to himself, 'Yep, I had better take a paternity test!' And it turns out it's his daughter.” The revelation made to Anh while he painted the star, follows Jimmy’s previous confession that he fathered two love children. The two daughters, Amanda Bennett and Megan Torzyn first tracked down their father in 2010. The girls, who are both now in their 40s, later found out that one of them unknowingly attended the same school as their half-brother, Jimmy’s son David Campbell. Jimmy already had five children before reuniting with his two long-lost daughters. The star shares four children with his wife Jane and also has a son, Today Extra host David Campbell, from a teenage fling. “My kids are all so great that when I found out there were a couple more, I felt they would be good people - and they're lovely girls,” Jimmy previously told <a href="https://www.newidea.com.au/">New Idea</a>. “My only regret is not knowing them when they were younger, but life is what it is and all things happen for a reason. “At the time it was probably better for them that they didn't know me, because I was pretty wild.”

Music

To retire or re-wire? How to reframe your retirement

<a href="http://www.megangiles.com/" target="_blank">Megan Giles</a>, Retirement Transition Consultant, supports those approaching retirement to successfully transition and create a retirement they will love to live! Retirement is a gloomy word. It is derived from the French words ‘re’ and ‘tirer’, meaning to draw back and suggests that the best part of our lives is over once we are no longer working. It insinuates that retirement is simply a time to sit back and wait for the inevitable. But what if we framed it differently? I recently put the call out to my readers, thinking that surely there must be a better (and more inspiring) word than retirement to describe the life stage post-career. I figured who better to ask than those who are currently living this reality? I received a number of insightful suggestions but the one that really struck me was the notion to ‘rewire’ as shared by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/retiringnotshy/?ref=br_rs" target="_blank">Jan Wild</a> of <a href="https://www.retirement-planning.info/" target="_blank">Retiring Not Shy</a>. I love this as it evokes a sense of renewal, reinvigoration and the opportunity to challenge assumptions. What would you rather do – retire or rewire? Growing research in the field of neuroplasticity demonstrates that the brain is not static. It continues to evolve and adapt, i.e. rewire, as we age. Scientists have demonstrated that the brain is sufficiently plastic (i.e. able to reorganise its neural pathways) to transform and change at any age, even in adulthood. Significant learning is not confined to childhood and adolescence as previously thought. If your brain can rewire, what shouldn’t you? Do you want to challenge the stereotype that older persons are unable to learn new things – or that the best of your life has passed once you step into retirement? Here are three science-based facts to inspire you to rewire and grasp life with both hands as you step into retirement. Use it or lose it It’s only when you stop doing things that you forget how to do them. There is a tendency for people to limit themselves as they age by doing only the things that feel comfortable, i.e. undertaking only familiar and repetitive activities. What this means, however, is that this familiarity enables the brain to become a little lazy (Guglielman 2017). Provided you keep challenging yourself, there is no reason that you can’t get out there and learn a new language or take up stand-up paddle boarding. Your brain will adapt and allow you to learn new skills. Tip: Keep using your brain and your body in new and exciting ways. Fire up your network of friends, family and community (and those long held dreams!) and try new adventures and activities. Keep pushing yourself. Don’t allow old age to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Perhaps you’re a little nervous about driving and so you start to accept lifts from friends or catch the bus into town. You put mechanisms in place to ensure you can still get ‘out and about’ but without the stress of driving. This means, however, that your brain will stop receiving the stimuli that driving creates and instead focus its efforts on other functions. As a result you no longer have the competence (or confidence) to drive. This is known as negative learning (Merzenich, 2005). Tip: Don’t assume that because you are older, there are things you ‘shouldn’t’ be doing. Provided your health will allow it, avoid ‘work-arounds’ and keep challenging yourself with complex (and perhaps exciting!) tasks. Avoid getting caught up in ‘seniors moments’ A lapse in memory can be inconvenient and even embarrassing. It can even be time-consuming, such as forgetting where you left the keys. But before you start researching the symptoms of Alzheimers and self-diagnosing, recognise we all have forgetful moments. Regardless of age, people tend experience significant drop offs in retention after 60 minutes and after 24 hours because out brains ‘bump out’ older information to make way for new information (Waddington 2009). Further to that, forgetfulness can be caused by a number of things such as stress, fatigue or medication. Tip: Avoid identifying with the stereotype. Acknowledge that you will forget things from time to time and get on with living a full and opportunity-filled retirement! The ability of the humble brain to change and adapt as we age is quite astounding. Be inspired by its capability and keep stretching, striving, flexing and challenging in all aspects of life. Forge your own path and create a retirement you will love to live!

Retirement Life

Tragic moment that shocked Anh Do

It’s no secret that we’re <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/2017/07/anh-do-brush-with-fame-one-of-best-shows-on-tv/" target="_blank">huge fans of Anh Do</a> and <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/2017/07/samuel-johnson-tribute-to-sister-connie/" target="_blank">Samuel Johnson</a> here at Over60, so when last night’s episode of Anh’s Brush with Fame brought the two together, it was always going to be incredible. But a tragic secret from Johnson’s past shocked not only the viewers, but Do himself. As if dealing with his sister Connie’s heartbreaking battle with terminal breast cancer wasn’t enough, the 38-year-old Gold Logie-winning actor revealed it wasn’t the first tragedy he’d had to deal with. Just three years after the Johnson’s family home burned down, Sam and Connie’s mother took her life. “I was too young to really gauge the effects of it, but she had all kinds of psychosis, she was in and out of institutions,” he revealed to Do. “She was in and out of institutions – she tried over and over again... countless times. By the time she eventually succeeded, I’m told there was a bit of relief, for her. According to my older sister, it was probably best that I didn’t grow up with her.” Then, just a few years later, Connie was first diagnosed with cancer at the tender age of 11. “I looked over at my dad, he was just white... he was curled up on the couch, weeping, bawling.” Despite all the hardship, Johnson still has incredibly happy memories from his childhood, describing his dad as “a phenomenal man”. “He was more than capable of bringing up the kids on his own,” Sam gushed. "I remember growing up with a dad who was authoritarian, but also effeminate... so I had a two-in-one deal. I had a great childhood. I had heaps of fun. I don’t remember hardship, I remember the value of not being able to get everything you want.” Sadly, there was more heartbreak to come. In 2006 came the moment Sam describes as his life’s “biggest sadness” – the suicide of his girlfriend, Lainie Woodlands. “I’m still very upset for her, and for her family,” he admitted. “You know how they reckon that you come to terms with your grief as you go along? Not with this one. With every year, it gets more profound, my sadness grows. I feel it a lot more profoundly than the loss of my mother.” Anh then asked a question many might have in the wake of all this adversity – “So you’ve lost your mum, your girlfriend, and now your sister is gravely ill – do you ever think... how unfair is life?” Sam’s response is a total testament to the positive, inspiring man he is. “I’m not a victim. I don’t know if I’m just bullsh**ing myself, but I see my time with Lainie as a gift. Maybe I lost her earlier than I would have liked but I had some of her. I got to share my life with her. You don’t always get as much as you want of everything, you don’t get as much of your loved ones as you want. But you get them, don’t you?” If you need help or support, give Lifeline a call on 13 11 14 or visit <a href="http://www.lifeline.org.au/" target="_blank">Lifeline.org.au</a>.

Art

How “Anh’s Brush with Fame” became one of the best shows on TV

We’ve seen dozens – perhaps even hundreds – of talk shows and interview programs before, but none quite like Anh’s Brush with Fame. If you haven’t seen it before, the concept is pretty straightforward – presenter, comedian and author Anh Do interviews Aussie legends the likes of Magda Szubanski, Dr Charlie Teo, Jimmy Barnes, Ian Thorpe and more – all the while painting a portrait of them. Now, two seasons and two Logie nominations later, it’s safe to say the show is a certifiable hit. Here are three things you might not have known about the show, and how it became so popular. 1. How it started You might be surprised to learn Do only began seriously exploring his artistic talents four years ago. “Painting was always something I thought I’d do once I retired,” he told the <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/stellar/stellar-q-a-anh-dos-take-on-one-nation-and-why-hes-off-the-doughnuts/news-story/ac4096c08f08b7a96a6b562e8f92274b" target="_blank">Daily Telegraph</a>. “But then, about five or six years ago, a good mate passed away suddenly at the age of 50 and it made me realise that if I put off doing stuff until I retire, I might not ever get there. So, I took six months off and I went to TAFE to study painting in 2013.” Just one year later, his portrait of his father, Tam (which can be seen in the background of most episodes) was a finalist in the prestigious Archibald Prize. 2. Where his style came from That same distinctive painting style used for his dad’s portrait has stuck with Do throughout his art career, but you might be surprised to learn where it came from. “When I was at TAFE the teacher told us you can use a variety of tools – brushes, spray cans, knives,” he <a href="https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/tv/anh-dos-breakout-abc-series-returns-ng-b88438989z" target="_blank">recalled</a>. “When I was 18 and studying law, I had worked at the Cheesecake Shop decorating cakes so I went, ‘I might go the knife because I know how to use them’. I went to the art store and said, ‘Give me the biggest art palette knife,’ but it was sort of the size of your hand. “So I went to the kitchenware shop and said, ‘Give me your biggest cake decorating knife,’ and they are the massive ones that you see me use on the show.” 3. The people and the portraits Each of his interview/painting sessions takes around two to four hours to complete, and after each portrait reveal, you get the sense that Do really understands his subject. It’s something he puts down to the raw, real setting of the program in his Sydney studio. “It's incredibly intimate,” he tells <a href="http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4104118/anh-do-turns-celebrity-portrait-painter-for-revealing-new-series-anhs-brush-with-fame/?cs=40" target="_blank">The Herald</a>. “Because there's no studio audience, the guest doesn't feel like they need to perform. They can let their guard down and just be really authentic.” Head over to <a href="http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/anhs-brush-with-fame" target="_blank">ABC iview</a> to watch every episode for free, and tell us in the comments below, what’s your favourite portrait from Anh?

12 essential make-up brushes and how to use them

These days, it seems there’s a different brush for even the tiniest step in your make-up routine. But do we really need every single one? Thankfully, no. As this handy infographic from Cosmopolitan points out, there are only 12 that are actually essential, and when you find out why, you’ll definitely agree. <img width="500" height="2140" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/34401/makeup-brush-infographic_500x2140.jpg" alt="Makeup Brush Infographic"/> What are your go-to beauty tools and products? Let us know in the comments below. Credit: Cosmopolitan.

Beauty & Style

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

What’s the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest? One’s about plumbing, the other wiring

You’re probably brushing your teeth wrong – here are four tips for better dental health

Why and how often do I need to wash makeup brushes and sponges?

How an innocent meal led to a months-long health battle for a 9-year-old

Outrage after dog seen trapped in car cloaked in barbed wire

"I just got brushed": Ally Langdon responds to greatest snub in Australian television

The part of your teeth you’ve been forgetting to brush

WIRES to launch new Koala rescue course

Michael K Williams and The Wire: how the show redefined television watching

Postnatal psychosis is rare, but symptoms can be brushed aside as ‘normal’ for a new mum

"Just so frightening": Kate Ritchie's heartbreaking confession

“I remember her face”: Todd Sampson drops bombshell family secret

IKEA product designer claims that her $1.49 design is the “world’s best”

Kylie Kwong opens up to Anh Do about devastating baby loss: "We felt blessed he lived for six days"

"She did not like me”: Dannii Minogue's tense relationship with mother-in-law

"A woman handed me a letter": Jimmy Barnes reveals the unlikely way his long-lost daughter found him

To retire or re-wire? How to reframe your retirement

Tragic moment that shocked Anh Do

How “Anh’s Brush with Fame” became one of the best shows on TV

12 essential make-up brushes and how to use them

Our Partners