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Why my trip back home unexpectedly filled me with pain and confusion

Ray Thomas left his family farm in South Australia when he was in his 20s and moved to New Zealand. He has always loved writing short stories and watching sport. He married an amazing woman 16 years ago and they both retired three years ago. They love family life, travelling, spending time in their large garden and fostering young children. It all began innocently and without warning. On a recent trip to my home state of South Australia, I had visited a niece and her family, and then my older sister, in the same day. Surrounded by the once familiar countryside, now almost drought-like after months of virtually no rain, pain and confusion slowly began to build within me. Initially, it felt like a small fire that I thought would soon burn itself out. After spending time with family, I began to realise the importance of being around family members. It started simply by talking about family members and loved ones, both past and present, which were reinforced when looking at old photos. Memories of family members I had not thought about for decades suddenly became very real, and for some reason, extremely important to me. Why now? Why after leaving the country of my birth more than 45 years ago? I didn’t have the answers, and to this day I still haven’t, but I knew the confusion to be real, the pain had not yet set in. Little did I know that during the remainder of the trip, the fire would not extinguish. Rather, it was like a wind had caught it and began to totally consume me. Staying with very dear and close friends, and spending time around my beautiful home city of Adelaide, did nothing to quell the fire. In fact it only inflamed it even further. A short time later, we were staying at my brother’s house at Port Elliot, and spent many happy days there, and nearby Victor Harbour, both places I knew really well and enjoyed. It was here that the pain began. The pain of possibly never again spending time in that part of the state with its magnificent scenery and memories was very real. Then we visited my parent’s graves at Mundalla and a chance to “talk” to them and former friends/neighbour who are resting nearby. Suddenly, an absolute realisation I was home and the pain and confusion really began which I could not understand but knew to be genuine and real. Now, I knew and accepted that the bushfire which had been burning strongly within me was totally real which while being frightening at times, also contained a sense of inner peace. Several precious days with my elderly, frail brother, his amazing wife and several members of their family, capped off an amazing trip. Upon returning to New Zealand, I have accepted the trip had a profound effect on me, left me feeling confused, with a very strong sense of being called home. The pain of wanting to return home is palpable, as is the confusion of knowing what to do next. Do I allow time to take its course, with the possibility that the strong feelings will disappear? I sense not, but this is a remote possibility. What I would like to do, is not rational, and totally unfair on my amazing wife. I could visualise us buying a house in Victor Harbour close to, or with views of the beach. A house with a large garden, because we both love gardening, would be ideal for us. We would obtain a cute, little dog which we would take for daily walks, along the many beautiful, picturesque walkways. However, realistically at our age to suddenly move to another country with all the associated issues involved with shifting, and adjusting to the scorching summer heat would be difficult, but problems we could overcome. The biggest issue for my wife would be moving away from her very close family, friends which would not be fair on her. As much as I would love to return to live, realistically I have to acknowledge that it is highly unlikely to happen. So what options do I have? There are several, but none that totally resolve the problem. Until this has happened, with me being an Aussie but now married and happily living in NZ has never been an issue, but now it is. I love everything about New Zealand. Over the years, it has been very good to me, including marrying my amazing wife. I love the magnificent scenery the snow-capped mountains during the winter time, the lakes and the comparative short distances between towns and cities. Driving across the South Island is approximately the same as driving from Adelaide-Bordertown. To drive from one end of the island to the other takes approximately the same amount of time of driving from Melbourne-Sydney. There is nothing NOT to love about this beautiful country, but it is NOT home. I usually describe Australia, in a general sense, as being “too flat, too dry, too boring, you travel great distances, to get anywhere”, but it is ultimately home. Many years ago, I purchased a plot at the local cemetery, near to where my wife will lay next to her first husband… the “love of her life” and the father of their two incredible children. The thought of resting reasonably close together has always been comforting for both of us. Now, however the pain and confusion becomes very real, not only to me, but my amazing wife. Do I forsake that or consider the option of having my ashes returned home to be close to loved family members? The thought of not being with my wife pains me a great deal, as does the thought of not returning home and being close to family. I have discussed my pain and confusion with her, and although she has not said a great deal, and doesn’t want to influence my decision, I sense she understands my desire to return home but saddened that after countless years of happy marriage, our final resting places may be separated by a great distance, rather than the close proximity we had always envisaged. With time, hopefully I will obtain total clarity and know what to do. Thereby my pain and confusion will cease, and allow my fantastic wife and I to live our (hopefully) long and precious lives together. A few weeks later Time is not necessarily a great healer, but it does allow a chance to reflect. At the time, my pain and confusion was very real, to the point that it was affecting me mentally, and physically. I have looked at possible alternatives regarding my burial, but have decided to not pursue that, at least for now, because it is too painful to think about and where there seems to be no perfect solution. It has become obvious, that returning to South Australia to live is no longer a viable alternative. The time has come, not to entirely forget about the pain and confusion, but not allow it to totally consume me, like it did for several painful weeks. I have needed a distraction, something else to focus my life on, and with the help of my amazing wife, we are about to do just that. We are both excited about what the future holds for us.

Mind

We asked 5 experts: Do we have to poo every day?

Some days you might find yourself in and out of the toilet, and some days might go by without a single visit for a Number Two. Should this be a cause for concern? We asked five experts if we have to poo every day. Five out of five experts said 'No'. Here's what they had to say. Christopher Hair, Gastroenterologist – No "The human body is complex, which helps to explain why so many 'normal' functions differ between people, including sleep, urination and defecation. What is perceived as normal for many, is [not] normal for others. Pooing is one such example of this range. What is normal is well defined yet broad. In <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28762379" target="_blank">many studies</a> into normal ‘healthy’ defecation, normal pooing ranges from three times per day to three times per week. Less than 40% of healthy people poo once a day." Hair continues, "Pooing out of the normal for an individual might signify illness such as infection (pooing more) or cancer (pooing blood). Sometimes not pooing at all might indicate illness, such as a metabolic condition." Damien Belobrajdic, Research Scientist – No "Opening your bowels every day is not essential for the proper functioning of your digestive system. However, long periods without bowel movements (fewer than three three stools per week) can cause a number of complications such as haemorrhoids, anal fissures or faecal impaction. Constipation can be caused by many factors, including a range of medical conditions, some medications (such as opioids, some antacids), nutritional supplements (such as iron) and of course, a diet low in fibre." Belobrajdic adds, "The best way to promote optimal digestive health and regular bowel motions is to drink plenty of water and consume high fibre foods at every meal. This can be achieved through a varied diet including wholegrain breads and cereals, legumes, nuts and seeds, vegetables and fresh fruits." Dan Worthley, Gastroenterologist – No "In a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28762379" target="_blank">recent large study</a> of 4,775 people reporting 'normal' bowel patterns, it was found that about 95% of people move their bowels between three and 21 times weekly. So between three times a day and three times a week is what I like to call the 'Goldilocks zone for pooing'." Worthley continues, "But just as important as frequency, is form. To describe our stool consistency, we use the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9299672" target="_blank">Bristol Stool Form Scale</a> which uses a seven-point scale ranging from Type 1 'separate hard lumps, like nuts' to Type 7 'watery no solid pieces'. Type 4 ('Like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft') is the Nirvana of all bowel actions, but <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9299672" target="_blank">50% of normal patients </a>report some variation from this." Jakob Begun, Gastroenterologist – No "Stool is the end product of our gut metabolising our food, and it consists of non-absorbed material, microbes and water. Each week the average person produces between 500 and 1,100 grams of stool. The frequency of defecation is governed by many factors including diet, the intrinsic motor activity of the gut, the rectal capacity, behavioural factors, as well as the gut microbiome. <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28762379" target="_blank">Studies have generally confirmed</a> the 'three and three' rule – that normal bowel frequency varies between three times a day, and once every three days." Begun adds, "When assessing whether people have constipation there's an emphasis on symptoms in addition to stool frequency. So a person who moves their bowels less often than once a day, but does not have any discomfort, straining, or other symptoms, is normal." Vincent Ho, Gastroenterologist – No "Studies in the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1846921/pdf/brmedj02601-0041.pdf" target="_blank">UK</a> and <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20205503" target="_blank">Sweden</a> found almost all patients had a frequency of bowel motions between three times per week and three times per day. So this is thought to be the normal range for how often you should go to the toilet. Experiencing temporary changes in bowel frequency or consistency is normal. Many non-disease factors are known to affect the frequency of bowel motions including fluid intake, physical activity, diet, age and social factors such as embarrassment in going to the toilet at work." Written by Alexandra Hansen. Republished by permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-asked-five-experts-do-we-have-to-poo-every-day-98701">The Conversation</a>.

Body

Warm quinoa and vanilla pudding

These cold evenings (and mornings) call for warm puddings. Rice pudding has always been one of my favourite desserts, but it takes a long time to make, so this is where nutritious superfood quinoa comes in. The result is similar to rice or tapioca pudding. Made with coconut milk it's ridiculously creamy, but you can use any kind of milk you prefer. Warm quinoa and vanilla pudding with caramelised pecans Serves: 4 Ingredients: For the caramelised pecans <ul> <li>½ cup pecans, roughly chopped</li> <li>1 tbsp pure maple syrup</li> <li>¼ tsp cinnamon</li> <li>Pinch sea salt</li> </ul> For the pudding <ul> <li>½ cup white quinoa</li> <li>2 cups unsweetened canned coconut milk (or whatever milk you prefer)</li> <li>4 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey</li> <li>1 tsp vanilla extract</li> <li>1 tsp cinnamon</li> <li>Pinch flaky sea salt</li> <li>½ cup sultanas</li> </ul> To serve <ul> <li>½ cup coconut cream or regular cream</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>First, toast the pecans in a dry frying pan for approximately 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the maple syrup, stirring constantly while it bubbles and coats the nuts. Finally sprinkle with the cinnamon and sea salt.</li> <li>Next, place the quinoa in a fine sieve. Rinse thoroughly with cold water and allow to drain. This is an important step as it reduces any bitterness from the residue on the quinoa.</li> <li>In a medium-sized pot, combine the quinoa, milk, maple syrup/honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar to allow some steam to escape. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.</li> <li>Remove the lid and continue simmering for 5 more minutes or until pudding has thickened and the quinoa has absorbed most (but not all) of the milk. Remove from heat and stir through the sultanas.</li> <li>Pour into serving bowls, drizzle over some cream, sprinkle with some pecans and then serve immediately.</li> </ol> Written by Jordan Rondel. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/recipes/106070951/recipe-warm-quinoa-and-vanilla-pudding-by-jordan-rondel">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Food & Wine

How a manicure could save your life

Sarah Burrows was having her usual monthly manicure when the beauty therapist doing her nails casually asked about a mole on her chest. Burrows had been ignoring it for months, thinking there was nothing particularly unusual about it, but the fact that her beautician had noticed it – and was concerned enough to bring it up – took her by surprise. She felt compelled to get it checked out by her GP, starting a chain of events that would lead to her being diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. "If it hadn't been brought to my attention, I don't think that I would have ever done anything about it," says Burrows, 52. "It's hard to think that I could be telling a completely different story now if I hadn't had that conversation while getting my nails done." Burrows, a marriage guidance counsellor from Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK, had been a regular visitor to the clinic of holistic beauty therapist Lucy Dempster for nearly five years. It was in January last year, while she was wearing a slightly lower-cut top than normal, that Dempster spotted the mole on her chest. Burrows recalls: "She really gently said that she had been doing some training on skin cancer and perhaps I should get it checked out. She reassured me that, of course, if it was nothing then I would only have taken up maybe five minutes of a doctor's time." Dempster recognised the mole as she had recently taken part in a pilot training course designed to help beauty, hair and skincare professionals spot skin cancer. Launched in the UK in January this year, the Masced training scheme (short for Melanoma and Skin Cancer Early Detection) aims to improve early diagnosis rates based on the assumption that many people get their hair or nails done more frequently than they see a family doctor. Through a professionally accredited, 45-minute online course, beauty professionals are trained in the warning signs and given advice on how to bring up concerns tactfully with clients. While they are not expected to diagnose the disease, they can suggest someone visits their GP to get checked out. Skin cancer is on the rise in Britain, with the incidence of melanoma soaring by 128 per cent in the past 20 years. Experts have put the rise down to the growing popularity of cheap package holidays to sunny destinations, as well as a boom in sunbed use in the '70s, '80s and '90s. Melanoma is now the fifth most common cancer in the UK and one of the most common among 15- to 34-year-olds. Most melanoma cases occur in the over-85s, who have had a lifetime of exposure to the sun, and rates are expected to rise by another 7 per cent by 2035 as the population ages. While incidence of skin cancer has seen similar growth in other Western countries in recent decades, the UK has slightly higher mortality rates, with 2.6 deaths per 100,000 people compared to the European average of 2.2. Lower survival rates have been partly blamed on a tendency to diagnose cancers later in the UK – something the Masced scheme aims to combat. The project is the brainchild of Claire Dale, of cancer charity Skcin, who came up with the idea after her mother died of malignant melanoma aged 63. "My mother was really into beauty and health and fitness so she was always in the gym or at the salon, but rarely went to the doctor," she says. "No-one ever noticed the mole she had on her abdomen until it was too late. That got me thinking about whether the kind of professionals she saw all the time could be trained to spot skin cancer in otherwise healthy people. If Masced had been around then, her mole might have been seen in time and her life could have been saved." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Please Retweet. Great article in <a href="https://twitter.com/Telegraph?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Telegraph</a> today about our <a href="https://t.co/HqhvQY86G9">https://t.co/HqhvQY86G9</a> campaign and how it has helped save a life! Huge thanks to all involved <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/skincancer?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#skincancer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/melanoma?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#melanoma</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/beauty?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#beauty</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/health?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#health</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/manicure?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#manicure</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/skincare?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#skincare</a> <a href="https://t.co/dUSNmEGHl1">https://t.co/dUSNmEGHl1</a> — Skcin (@Skcin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Skcin/status/1036678764955136001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2018</a></blockquote> While it was sadly too late for Dale's mother, the scheme is already saving lives. Burrows, a mother-of-two herself, saw her GP after speaking to Dempster and was referred to a specialist. He diagnosed the mark on her chest as a basal cell carcinoma, a type of tumour that occurs in eight out of 10 skin cancer cases and rarely spreads. While that was easily treatable with a chemotherapy cream, the doctor found another suspicious mark on the back of her left thigh. "He asked how long I'd had the mark for and I said: 'What mark?' When was the last time you looked at the back of your own legs? I had no idea it was there," she says. A biopsy revealed it was a malignant melanoma – a spreading form of skin cancer that kills six people every day in the UK. Burrows went in for surgery to have it removed, only for doctors to find yet another malignant tumour on her other leg. She was referred to The Christie cancer hospital in Manchester for tests on her lymph node to check whether the cancer had spread. Luckily, biopsies showed she was all clear. "On both occasions, it was caught before it had spread throughout the rest of my body, which they say it probably would have done had it been ignored any longer," Burrows says. She sighs as she imagines what the outcome might have been had Dempster not spotted the original mole. "It was one of those chance conversations with somebody who had been told to keep an eye out. The mole didn't have any of the signs you normally read about – it wasn't bleeding, itchy or uneven. It was only because somebody else mentioned it that made me do something about it." Ironically, Burrows is always careful in the sun as she is quite fair-skinned and doesn't tan. Doctors believe most of the damage was probably done before she reached puberty and she blames it on an incident of being badly sunburnt as a young child. "It was my seventh birthday and I was in Cornwall. I remember it because it was my birthday so I was supposed to be happy, but I was so sunburnt, I was just crying," she says. "I've since spoken to my mother and aunts and uncles and they have all said suncreams just weren't around nearly as much back then. In fact, I remember my mother putting olive oil on, which seems like really crazy behaviour now." Dempster, 49, plays down her role in saving Burrows's life, but agrees that the training could protect hundreds of lives nationwide. Although she runs her clinic single-handedly from her home near Wilmslow, Cheshire, she has already helped four clients who have received treatment for suspected tumours. She says: "If it makes that much difference with just one person, imagine how much of an impact it can have if everyone in a busy salon is trained." Written by Rosie Taylor. Republished by permission of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/106797232/how-a-manicure-could-save-your-life">Stuff.co.nz</a>. <div class="sics-component__html-injector sics-component__story__paragraph"> <div class="SandboxRoot env-bp-350" data-twitter-event-id="0"> <div id="twitter-widget-0" class="EmbeddedTweet EmbeddedTweet--edge js-clickToOpenTarget tweet-InformationCircle-widgetParent" data-click-to-open-target="https://twitter.com/Skcin/status/1036678764955136001" data-iframe-title="Twitter Tweet" data-scribe="page:tweet" data-twitter-event-id="1"> <div class="EmbeddedTweet-tweetContainer"> <div class="EmbeddedTweet-tweet"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Body

Why seniors should embrace the internet

Barbara Binland is the pen name of a senior, Julie Grenness, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is a poet, writer, and part-time English and Maths tutor, with over 40 years of experience. Her many books are available on Amazon and Kindle. Our news age… Seniors online! Yes, we have embraced digital technology, the internet and all its benefits. Otherwise, we would not be reading this website for baby boomers. This is a growing trend, expanding and educating retired people in the uses of the digital world of the 21st century. Anyone can buy a computer in any format, to learn to acquire basic mastery of the necessary skills. Genius! We have turned on the internet! Great, we now have a portal to a whole world of opportunities. Is there a health condition in the household? Browse, and learn reliable information about the condition, treatments and their side-effects. Online support groups are available. Need to do banking or financial transactions? Yes, we can handle them online. Housebound? Online, we can find cyber buddies, social media, chat rooms, and websites for likeminded people, new friends anywhere in the world. Want to contact family and friends far away? There is Skype, and Facebook, and other social media. We can make cyber pen pals, to create bridges across the globe, and make new friendships, with email buddies. Can’t travel? Digital travelogues are very popular. Retired, and no longer in the rat race? Well, there are employment opportunities online, to work at home. Or we can seek employment opportunities by browsing. Want to fulfil dreams of exploring old and new hobbies? A whole world of websites and free informational emails await, with tips. YouTube has coaching in refreshing old skills, or learning new hobbies. Or do we want to play music of view movies? Online is answer! Maybe we want the latest news, and to read the daily newspapers online, and read news for around the whole wide world. Or we can browse for general information of interest, and even study courses online. Maybe we need a larger font, that is all. So, scroll and click, and we can increase the print size. Want new ways to spend money? Online shopping is the solution! But, if we have technology issues, geeks are available. Our server can assist, or we can hire a local computer expert. Or we can ask some young acquaintance, as millennial hi-tech savvies are groomed in the digital world, they can often solve issues in a flash. Here is a sensible tip: ask the problem solver to write it all down, then practise. Never be afraid to ask questions, we are all like Neanderthals to these young ones. But our retirement brains can embrace these changes in a positive way. How do you enjoy the internet today?

Technology

Gentle yoga moves to help ease neck and shoulder tension

Tracy Adshead is a yoga teacher specialising in yoga for seniors. She is passionate about bringing healing and healthy ageing to the community. This is a gentle yoga practice for improving neck, upper back and shoulder mobility and for relieving mental tension that sometimes causes shoulder discomfort. It should be practiced from a seated position. Move slowly with awareness. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N1i0OcG52Ro" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Follow Tracy on Facebook <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/%20https:/www.facebook.com/TracyChairYoga/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf">here</a>.

Body

Why Duchesses Kate and Meghan aren’t allowed to wear diamonds during the day

It comes as no surprise that high-profile royal ladies Kate and Meghan have to follow a strict dress code – but one rule that has us puzzled is why they can’t wear diamonds during the day. Of course, the duchesses are allowed to wear their engagement or wedding rings, but according to royal etiquette expert Myka Meier, the diamond rule was implemented as the royal don’t want to appear “flashy”. “Other jewels are worn pre-6pm,” the Beaumont Etiquette founder told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/royals/why-meghan-and-kate-cant-wear-diamonds-in-the-daytime/news-story/c449890553a6aab2b7eedc00c466015f">news.com.au</a>. “Before 6pm, you’ll see metallics, gemstones, pearls, sapphires. At night, you’ll see the diamonds come out, and that’s in order to not come across as flashy in your appearance.” The Duchess of Cambridge, who is a fan of bold jewellery for special occasions, wore a pair of stunning emerald and diamond earrings with a matching necklace to the BAFTAS red carpet in February. <img class="attachment-full size-full lazy-loaded" src="https://cdn.mamamia.com.au/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/19103746/kate-middleton-getty-baftas-ft.png" alt="" width="650" height="507" data-src="https://cdn.mamamia.com.au/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/19103746/kate-middleton-getty-baftas-ft.png" /> The exception to the rule is wedding days. When Meghan wed Prince Harry in May this year, she wore a diamond-encrusted Queen Mary bandeau tiara, as well Cartier earrings and bracelet. <img class="attachment-full size-full lazy-loaded" src="https://cdn.mamamia.com.au/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/09132826/MeghanMarkleF.jpg" alt="Meghan Markle wedding" width="650" height="507" data-src="https://cdn.mamamia.com.au/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/09132826/MeghanMarkleF.jpg" /> Meier also told news.com.au the reason why Kate and Meghan never take off their jackets, no matter how hot it is out. Meier explained that's because working royals are told "not to disrobe in the public eye".

Beauty & Style

“I’m failing as a mum”: Studio 10 star Sarah Harris’ emotional meltdown

Being a working mother is no easy feat, just ask Studio 10 star Sarah Harris, who – while raising two young boys – is juggling her commitments with Channel Ten. The 37-year-old admitted to <a href="https://www.who.com.au/">WHO</a> magazine that she recently suffered a “meltdown” as she struggled to find the balance between work and parenting. Sarah said that she felt like she was “failing as a mum” and things were becoming “too much” for her. “You reach a point where you feel like you’re failing at everything and sometimes it all gets too much,” Sarah said. “You think, ‘I’m just failing as a mum at the moment.’” Speaking to the magazine, Sarah mentioned that she had a meltdown two months ago when she and her husband Tom Ward were living to work and pay off their mortgage. She said she desperately needed a break. She told Tom: “What happens if one of us gets sick or one of us dies tomorrow – what have we got to show for it?” But the couple is in a much better place now, as the pair have booked a family trip to Queensland for a well-deserved break. <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/BnDeE3MgufB/?utm_source=ig_embed_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> <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/BnDeE3MgufB/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" target="_blank">Happy chaps 🤗</a> <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/whatsarahsnapped/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" target="_blank"> Sarah Harris 📺🌮</a> (@whatsarahsnapped) on Aug 29, 2018 at 12:21am PDT </div> </blockquote> Sarah and Tom have two sons together – Harry who is eight months and Paul who is three years old. Sarah sat down with <a href="http://www.kiis1065.com.au/shows/kyle-jackie-o/">KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O</a> and revealed how she was shamed after her son Paul locked himself inside a confessional box at church, and firefighters were called to get him out. “He was stuck in there for 10 minutes and by all reports, it was like he was channelling Damien from The Omen,” she said. “He was losing his mind because he was in this teeny, tiny dark room with no window. They called the firies [fire brigade] and the police to come and break the door down to get him out. “Everyone was trying to calm him down and kind of ‘talk him off the ledge’. “They used an axe to break the door down.” She went on to say: “When the firies came and they knocked the door down they were making all these completely inappropriate but hilarious jokes like, ‘Well this is probably the first time anyone has come out of the closet in this place, am I right guys?’” Sarah admitted to facing criticism due to the incident. “I've already had people ringing up saying I should control my kids and that I'm an absent mother, and if I was home more this wouldn't happen,” she said.

Family & Pets

News

"Enough is enough": Julie Bishop lifts lid on toxic parliament

Julie Bishop has delivered her first public address after resigning as foreign minister, slamming the “appalling behaviour” that occurred in Canberra in the lead-up to the leadership spill. Bishop addressed the audience at the Australian Women’s Weekly Women of the Future awards on Wednesday night, where she said that the events that led to the ousting of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister “would not be tolerated in any other workplace in Australia,” the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.afr.com/" target="_blank">Australian Financial Review</a> reports. Ever since the leadership spill, many influential women have come forward to blast the Liberal party’s bullying behaviour. And now Bishop is saying it calls for a “much broader debate about workplace culture” including “allegations of bullying, harassment and coercion and the unequal treatment of women". She also highlighted the severe lack of female representation in the party, saying: “I say to my party, it is not acceptable for us to have in 2018 to have less than 25 per cent of our parliamentarians as female. “It’s not acceptable for our party to contribute to the fall in Australia’s ratings from 15th in the world in terms of female parliamentary representation in 1999 to 50th today. There’s a lot to be done,” added Bishop. “Our party, in fact, all parties, recognise they have a problem in attracting and maintaining women, diversity in general. “When a feisty, amazing woman like Julia Banks says this environment is not for me, don’t say ‘toughen up princess’, say ‘enough is enough’,” Bishop said as she referenced the comments made by MP Julia Banks on how she was bullied throughout her time at the Liberal party. “Politics is robust, the very nature of it, it’s not for the faint hearted,” Bishop continued. “I have seen and witnessed and experienced some appalling behaviour in Parliament, the kind of behaviour that 20 years ago when I was managing partner of a law firm of 200 employees I would never have accepted. “Yet in Parliament, it’s the norm. “We must defend and strengthen our institutions, and we must treat our Parliament with more respect. Unacceptable workplace practices are the responsibility of us all to identify, to stop it, to fix it.” The former foreign minister was expected to take Malcolm Turnbull’s place as prime minister, but after Peter Dutton’s failed attempt at a leadership spill, Bishop was voted out in the first round, before the role went to Treasurer Scott Morrison. She said political parties have a long way to go when it comes to equality amongst men and women. “There’s a lot to be done and I’m committed to be helping do it.”

News

The frightening story of Julie Bishop having her tea spiked by a fellow politician

Australia’s former Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop, has recalled a frightening experience she encountered two years ago, in a room filled with 20 other foreign affairs ministers from around the world. At the dinner held in Cambodia, Bishop looked forward to her conversation with her Cambodian and Chinese counterparts, who she would be seated between. Despite the political gathering being a dry event, the Foreign Affair’s Minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, showed off to his colleagues the flask of Scotch sitting in his pocket. Bishop grew absorbed in a conversation with China’s Wang Yi when she reached for her teacup. “I took a sip of tea and spat it out,” Bishop recalled to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/bishop-conquered-the-world-but-couldn-t-face-her-own-party-20180831-p5012z.html">The Sydney Morning Herald</a>. “It was scotch.” While Wang asked if she was OK, Bishop looked up to see Lavrov waving at her from across the room. "He'd bribed a waiter to put scotch into my teacup. Lavrov is evil," she said. It was just one of the ways Bishop was deceived during her time as Foreign Affairs minister, as fellow politicians planned to vote her out on a messaging app during the Liberal leadership spill. The WhatsApp thread, reported by ABC’s Insiders, showed several Liberal PMs deciding to vote Bishop out in the first round of the spill. Attempting to foil a rumoured tactic to secure Peter Dutton as prime minister, the group were encouraged to vote for Scott Morrison, despite their “heart tugging” them to Bishop. “Cormann rumoured to be putting some WA votes behind Julie Bishop in round 1,” Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher began, writing to the WhatsApp group. “Be aware that this is a ruse trying to get her ahead of Morrison so he drops out and his votes to Dutton. “Despite our hearts tugging us to Julie we need to vote with our heads for Scott in round one.” “Someone should tell Julie,” one PM responded. “I have… Very respectfully,” Minister for Defence Christopher Pyne said. Bishop received 11 votes in her favour after the first round and then shortly after, resigned from her role.

News

"That's rubbish": Karl Stefanovic and PM ScoMo clash in tense interview

Prime Minister Scott Morrison copped a grilling from Today host Karl Stefanovic this morning as he announced a surprise policy reversal to keep the retirement age at 67 instead of 70. “You are the boss but you have little or no control over the party. You couldn’t save the Prime Minister and then you became the Prime Minister. Your party is an absolute dog’s breakfast,” Stefanovic began the interview. “I know that. The curtain has come down on that. A new generation of Liberal leadership is in place,” Morrison responded. “Australians want us to be less focused on what we care about and how we feel. We have got to get over that very quickly. I put the ministry in place in record time and we were on and about the business of government straight away.” “Grab the Selleys and plug the leaks and you might have a chance. There is a leak every day,” Stefanovic shot back. “If you can’t control the leaks you might as well be captain of the Titanic.” As Stefanovic kept pressing, Morrison declared the suggestion he wasn’t in control of the party as “rubbish”. Stefanovic next asked Morrison to answer questions from its viewers, one of whom asked the Prime Minister about his government’s plans to raise the retirement age to 70. Morrison took the opportunity to announce an unexpected reversal of the government’s pension policy. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: Scott Morrison has announced the Coalition will no longer be raising the pension age to 70. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9Today?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9Today</a> <a href="https://t.co/eTn0BuEaeC">pic.twitter.com/eTn0BuEaeC</a> — The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/1037090434382684160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2018</a></blockquote> “Look I was going to say this next week but I may as well say it here Karl. I’ve already consulted my colleagues on that, and next week Cabinet will be ratifying a decision to reverse taking the retirement age to 70. It will remain at 67, which is what Labor increased it to,” Morrison said. “I don’t think we need that measure any longer when it comes to raising the pension age.” The decision to raise the retirement age was announced in the Abbott government’s first budget, when Joe Hockey was treasurer. The change was never legislated. Another viewer asked Mr Morrison why he doesn’t send his children to public school. “Well, I went to public schools. I went to Clovelley Primary School and then to Sydney Boys High School,” the PM replied. “My kids were going to a public school but I wanted them to go to a Christian school. Faith is important to us as a family. That’s a choice we made as a family. “I don’t have any issues with the quality of public education but I wanted my kids to go to a Christian school. That’s a choice, if every Australian would like to make, they should be able to make.”

News

Who is John Millman? The Aussie sensation who knocked Roger Federer out of the US Open

Just two years ago John Millman was about to give up his pro tennis dream. The 29-year-old had endured countless setbacks in his 12 years playing on the international circuit, including two shoulder surgeries. But yesterday all the hard work paid off when the Aussie battler felled Swiss superstar Roger Federer and earned his spot in the quarterfinal of the US Open, the biggest victory in Millman’s tennis career. The Brisbane boy is now the first Australian to defeat 20-time grand slam champion Federer since Pat Rafter in 1999. The 29-year-old entered the fourth round ranked 55th in the world. He had never progressed past the third round before in a grand slam and had never beaten a top 10 player, let alone the great Federer. The odds were firmly stacked against him and it seemed the game would proceed as predicted as Millman lost the first set 3-6. But in an unbelievable display of grit and determination, Millman went on to win the next three sets 7-5 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-3). “I’m probably in a little bit of disbelief,” Millman told the stunned New York crowd yesterday afternoon. “I have to control the controllables with my game and one thing I can control is the fight in me. I’ve always brought the fight out. “I have so much respect for Roger and everything he’s done for the game. He’s been a hero of mine and today he was definitely not at his best, but I’ll take it.” Federer was gracious in defeat, although he did blame the humid condition for his lacklustre performance. “John was able to deal with [the conditions] better,” Federer said. “I knew I was in for a tough one. Maybe when you feel like that, you start missing chances, and I had those.” Millman received $920,000 for his monumental efforts, which is more than half of the $1.8 million in prizemoney he had won in the 12 years he has played on the international circuit. “This win will give him a higher profile and they will know he’s not just a battler. He’s got skill and he has got plenty of ticker,” father Ron said. Millman has a giant task ahead of him though as he takes on another tennis great in Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

News

Travel

Sneaky carry-on luggage hack you can't get away with anymore

If you’re a serial offender when it comes to sneaking overweight carry-on bags onto flights, then there’s bad news on the horizon. Your days are numbered. The time of hoping the airline staff doesn’t notice your overweight duffel bag and your tactics of sneaking in a few extra kilos are coming to an end as Tigerair is cracking down in Australia. The budget airline is currently trialling a new check-in process that uses a tag system to ensure all carry-on bags have been approved before boarding. The new system works by weighing and checking the size of the bag before giving it the green light. If it passes the test then it’s given a tag, and a bag with no tag means it has not yet been checked. And as your mind is working in overdrive to think of ways to curb the system, you should know that the tag will be stamped with the date. Meaning they can’t be re-used. The trial is currently in operation for the past month at airports in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/flights/tigerair-to-weigh-check-and-tag-carryon-bags-before-boarding/news-story/f04586b02d3ba94e5b10c2d20c19d415" target="_blank">News.com.au</a> reports that the system will be in place for all Tigerair flights by the end of next year. Speaking with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/flights/tigerair-to-weigh-check-and-tag-carryon-bags-before-boarding/news-story/f04586b02d3ba94e5b10c2d20c19d415" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>, a Tigerair spokesperson said that this is a “new and innovative process” that benefited both parties. “[It] not only highlights our crew that luggage has been checked before boarding but helps to educate our customers on where to stow their bags when they board their flight,” the spokesperson said. “The trial has already been very successful in relieving the common issue of congestion in the cabin overhead lockers by creating more awareness around customers being able to store their bags securely under the seat in front of them. “The process being trialled will also make check-in and boarding more convenient, eliminating the need for ground staff to check baggage weight and size twice, which is more convenient for our customers and allows Tigerair to continue to provide a great value, low-cost service.” Tigerair currently allows for passengers to bring a maximum of 7kg in their carry-on, and they also provide the added option of upgrading to cabin+, which allows up to 12kg.

Travel Tips

5 reasons why you need to visit Turkey

Want a holiday with history, relaxation and delicious food? You should consider Turkey. Here are five reasons why: 1. Turkish baths Turkey is home to more than 1500 thermal springs. The tradition of soaking in warm water for wellness dates back thousands of years. The most famous thermal town is <a href="http://www.pamukkale.net/">Pamukkale</a>. At Pamukkale, you can soak in stunning white limestone baths. The water here is high in calcium. Tree branches and stones left in the flowing water turn white in a short time. Locals believe the water has the power to cure high blood pressure, kidney stones, stroke, rheumatism, physical exhaustion and skin disease. No proof exists for these claims. They also believe the pools can make you beautiful. According to Turkish legend, an ugly unmarried young girl tried to take her own life at Pamukkale. She fell into a natural pool as she ran through the plateau. But she did not die. Instead, she turned into a beautiful woman. A passing Lord then happened to ride by, spotted her and fell in love. Even if that isn’t true - it is a stunning place to see. And who doesn’t love a good Turkish bath? 2. Istanbul Istanbul is one of the greatest cities in the world. It is the bridge between the east and the west. Istanbul offers a mix of Europe and Asia. It has French streets with cafes, wine houses and boutiques. But it also has an Asian side. Istanbul's Grand Bazaar claims to be the most visited tourist attraction in the world. Here you will find leather goods, spices, jewellery and sweets. The historical peninsula is where you will find most of Istanbul’s must-see buildings. If you have one day in Istanbul - this is the place to go. Walk through the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. If you have more time, take a cruise along the Bosporus Strait and dine out at a fresh seafood restaurant. 3. Turkish desserts Turkish delight, baklava, keşkül. Need we go on? Turkish sweets are delicious. And this is the place to indulge. 4. Gallipoli Of course, no trip to Turkey would be complete without a visit to Gallipoli. Tens of thousands of Australians died on the Gallipoli peninsula in World War One. The disastrous attempt to seize control of the Turkish Dardanelles would give birth to the Anzac Legend. On April 25 each year, an Australian service is held to remember the fallen soldiers. But you can take a tour of Gallipoli at any time of the year. If you go, we recommend reading the personal stories of the men who fought here. You can find a few on the <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/learn/schools/resources/understanding-gallipoli">Australian War Memorial Website</a>. 5. Sail away Turkey offers a much cheaper way to see the Mediterranean. Cruises here take you to the stunning cities of Bodrum, Kas and Marmaris. Excursions cover the ancient sites and include lazy days on the beach. Expect stunning beaches, warm sunshine and plenty of history. Written by Alison Godfrey. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.mydiscoveries.com.au/stories/5-reasons-why-you-need-to-visit-turkey">mydiscoveries.com.au</a>.

International Travel

10 people hospitalised after Emirates flight to New York

The 10 passengers and crew members who were hospitalised in New York City after arriving sick on a flight from Dubai appear to have the flu. New York City health officials say they obtained respiratory samples from the patients and their symptoms look like influenza. They say they won't know for sure until they get final results. All of the patients were listed in stable condition. It follows them being taken to hospital for "further medical care and evaluation" after the quarantining of a flight from Dubai in New York. Around 100 passengers reported unknown illnesses. People complained of cough and fever on the Emirates flight, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. Initially, as many as 19 people had been confirmed unwell, NBC New York reported, with 10 taken to hospital. Health officials met the plane on the ground at John F Kennedy International Airport, and medics and federal customs agents took temperatures of passengers and evaluated symptoms. Emirates released a statement apologising for the inconvenience, saying the health and safety of those on board was its main priority. "Emirates can confirm that all passengers have disembarked from flight EK203. "All passengers were screened by the local health authorities prior to disembarkation and 3 passengers and 7 crew were transferred to the hospital for further medical care and evaluation. Nine passengers underwent additional medical screening at the site near the aircraft and were released afterwards. "The rest of the passengers were allowed to leave and clear customs. Our crew and on ground staff extended our full cooperation with the authorities during the onboard screenings and the aircraft has now been handed back to Emirates," the statement said. There were 521 passengers on board Flight EK203, the CDC said. The office of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio described the response as a quarantine. Emirates initially said at least 10 passengers had unspecified illnesses on the flight, but it is unclear why there was a wide disparity in numbers. Photos from passengers show rows of ambulances and firetrucks on the tarmac. Larry Coben said on Twitter that fellow passengers were asked to fill out CDC forms detailing where people have recently travelled. One of those onboard the plane was rapper Vanilla Ice. He posted footage from the scene on his social media, writing, "This is crazy. Apparently, there is over 100 people sick on the bottom floor, so happy I'm up top, it's a double-decker plane 380." Written by Alex Horton. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/106860960/plane-quarantined-in-us-after-passengers-fall-ill" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Travel Trouble

Jetstar's new travel rule – and why it will cost you

Packing for trips is hard enough as it is and having the added pressure to keep your carry-on weight to 7 kilograms just makes things that much more difficult. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">There’s no getting past airport staff, as vigorous checking procedures and strict rules make sure that passengers do not pass the 7kg limit when they’re travelling, but there is hope on the horizon. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Budget airline Jetstar has announced the option for customers to increase their baggage limit to 10kg – for a price. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Starting from today, customers are able to purchase an extra 3 kilograms of weight for $13 on Starter Fares. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Chief Customer Officer for Jetstar Group, Catriona Larritt, said that the reasoning behind the initiative is to give customers more options. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">“Customers told us that they would like the option to carry more on board and so we are pleased to be able to offer them the option to purchase an extra three kilos. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">“The extra carry-on allowance is particularly useful for those travelling with a laptop or camera bag or those travelling on short trips with an overnight bag who are after a quick departure from the airport without a wait at the baggage carousel.” <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Currently, Jetstar customers are given 7kg of combined carry-on weight between two items. And those who purchase a FlexiBiz fare are given 10kg to take on-board as part of the bundle’s benefits. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Carry-on luggage must be small enough to fit in the overhead compartment and if you’re bringing an extra small item, it must be able to fit under the seat in front of you. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Are you willing to pay for an extra 3 kilos? Let us know in the comments below.

Travel Tips

Health

Try this old military trick to fall asleep in two minutes

Struggling to fall asleep? Try an old military technique that's said to help you nod off in two minutes. The method is outlined in Lloyd Bud Winter's 1981 book Relax and Win: Championship Performance, which has enjoyed a recent resurgence online. It was apparently used by the American military service, which found a 96 per cent success rate after six weeks of practice with people reportedly falling asleep in two minutes or less, reports <a href="https://www.joe.co.uk/news/sleeping-tricks-197402">Joe.co.uk</a>. So how does it work? The method involves two main steps. The first is to relax, and it should take about a minute and a half (which, FYI, isn't included in the two minutes to fall asleep) if you're doing it correctly. <ol> <li>Start by relaxing the muscles in your face.</li> <li>Then drop your shoulders as low as they'll go, followed by your upper and lower arm on one side, and then the other.</li> <li>Breathe out and relax your chest. Then relax your legs (thighs first then calves).</li> </ol> After that, spend about 10 seconds trying to clear your mind. Then focus on one of these images/sayings: <ul> <li>Lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you.</li> <li>Lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room.</li> <li>Saying "don't think, don't think, don't think" to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.</li> </ul> If all goes to plan, you should be drifting off about now. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/106848461/try-this-old-us-military-trick-to-fall-asleep-in-two-minutes">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Body

Spence bravely opens up about depression battle on The Block: "It all builds up"

<div class="domain-article-share-panel is-top" data-sticky-id="0"> <div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-pin">It was a week of reality television that mimicked reality far more accurately than the shiny production usually does.</div> </div> <div class="domain-article-content-body "> <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/the-block/">The Block</a> – usually a showcase for design talk and deadline drama – was punctuated by conversations around mental health as contestant Spence spoke freely of his battle with depression and anxiety while on the show. “We’ve found it extremely hard dealing with this,” he said on Wednesday’s episode. “It’s an experience on it’s own, being a contestant on The Block. There’s nothing you can ever imagine that is going to compare to this.” Later, Spence admitted he underestimated the taxing nature of the show and, in turn, underestimated how that would affect his emotional wellbeing. “I’ve had a lot of depression over the years and get a lot of anxiety, and I have been shown coping mechanisms to deal with it. But I never expected what happened to happen; I never expected that complete shutdown. The thoughts that go through your head are super-dark thoughts. It all builds up and builds up and builds up and then it’s just, snap, I need to get out of here.” While The Block contestant experience isn’t a common one, the renovation experience is. Likewise, while the pressure-cooker environment the show breeds is an anomaly, the stress of an everyday renovation isn’t. According to Melbourne Clinical Psychologist and commentator <a href="http://www.drmelissakeogh.com.au/">Dr Melissa Keogh</a>, renovating can have a hugely harmful impact on our mental health. “Renovating can be harmful to our mental health because of the stress associated with such a life event and in my clinical experience, stress can have a detrimental effect on our emotional wellbeing. “Renovators can have overly high expectations about what they can achieve, how smoothly the project will run and can underestimate the cost.” Dr Keogh says for those, like Spence, with existing mental health conditions, the danger of not looking after yourself intensifies during a renovation. “When we are stressed, from a psychological perspective, the body can go into flight-or-fight mode because we perceive we are being threatened or are in danger. The heart starts thumping, hands are clammy, muscles tighten and its easy to lose perspective. Over time, sleep, mood and appetite can be affected and any underlying mental health issues such as depression and anxiety can be exacerbated.” However, Dr Keogh emphasises it’s not only those with existing conditions who need to care of their minds while undertaking such a task. “People also have a myriad decisions to make on a daily basis and can often disagree with their partner about preferences. A lot of the time, things are out of the control of the renovator and poor planning can see tempers flare and relationships tested.” Dr Keogh suggests there are three things to consider when renovating to prioritise your mental and emotional wellbeing: Don’t take on too much at once “The mistake I often see people making is taking on too many different things at the same time,” Dr Keogh says. “We can have unrealistic expectations about, for example, being able to plan a wedding and renovate a kitchen all at once. I would advise taking things more slowly instead and pacing yourself, as stress can be overwhelming.” Get enough sleep One thing The Block’s Spence noted on the show was how lack of sleep exacerbated what was already a highly stressful experience. “You don’t even have time to think about your own mental health in there, because it’s just so physical,” he said on Wednesday’s episode. “You’re so exhausted, you’ve got a goal and you’ve got people you can’t let down – people are relying on you. So you just keep pushing through. But the more tired you get from no sleep and the physical work, the worse it gets.” Dr Keogh says we shouldn’t be looking to the renovation shows on our screens for realistic and reasonable expectations of renovating. “While pulling an all-nighter might be the norm in reality TV renovations, sleep deprivation can make it difficult to think clearly and can affect emotional wellbeing. It can also lead to accidents. It is my professional opinion that renovators, particularly those with underlying mental health conditions, need to maintain adequate sleep while renovating.” Practice gratefulness “Being able to renovate means we are in a fortunate position to begin with: It means we have an apartment/house/property and the resources to renovate it. It’s good to keep this in mind and focus on the positives as much as possible,” Dr Keogh says, adding if anyone is sensing their mental health is being comprised while renovating, they should seek help immediately. “Don’t wait too long to get help. Speak to your GP about seeing a psychologist or search the Australian Psychological Society’s <a href="https://www.psychology.org.au/Find-a-Psychologist">Find a Psychologist</a> database for a practitioner.” <div class="social-stick"> <div class="domain-article-content-body "> If you or anyone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. </div> </div> <div class="content-wrap ad-space"> <div class="hpg-driver-text">Written by Zara McDonald. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/living/it-all-builds-up-how-to-look-after-your-mental-health-while-renovating-20180905-h14yqt-761958/">Domain.com.au.</a></div> <div class="hpg-driver-text"></div> </div> </div>

Mind

How long are you contagious with gastro?

Vincent Ho is a senior lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist at Western Sydney University. There’s no way you’d want to go to work when you’ve got the telltale signs of gastro: nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea. But what about when you’re feeling a bit better? When is it safe to be around colleagues, or send your kids to school or daycare? The health department recommends staying home from work or school for <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/gastroenteritis">a minimum of 24 hours</a> after you last vomited or had diarrhoea. But the question of how long someone is contagious after recovering from gastro is a very different question. What causes gastro? To better understand how long you can be contagious with gastro, we need to look at the various causes. Viruses are the most common causes of gastro. Rotavirus is the leading cause in infants and young children, whereas norovirus is the leading cause of gastro in adults. There are around <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3320479/">1.8 million cases</a> of norovirus infection in Australia each year. This accounts for almost 40% of the total cases of gastro. Bacterial gastroenteritis is also common and accounts for around <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3320479/">1.6 million cases</a> a year. Of those cases, 1.1 million come from E. coli infections. Other bacteria that commonly cause gastro include salmonella, shigella and campylobacter. These bacteria are often found in raw or undercooked meat, seafood, and unpasteurised milk. Parasites such as giardia lamblia, entamoeba histolytica and cryptosporidium account for around <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3320479/">700,000 cases</a> of gastro per year. Most of the time people recover from parasitic gastroenteritis without incident, but it can cause problems for people with weaker immune systems. Identifying the bug Most cases of diarrhoea are mild, and resolve themselves with no need for medical attention. But some warrant further investigation, particularly among <a href="https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2012/october/stool-culture/">returned travellers</a>, people who have had diarrhoea for four or five days (or more than one day with a fever), patients with bloody stools, those who have <a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/32/3/331/282348">recently used antibiotics</a>, and patients whose immune systems are compromised. The most common test is the stool culture which is used to identify microbes grown from loose or unformed stools. The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15095189">bacterial yield</a> of stool cultures is generally low. But if it does come back with a positive result, it can be potentially important for the patient. Some organisms that are isolated in stool cultures are notifiable to public health authorities. This is because of their potential to cause serious harm in vulnerable groups such as the elderly, young children, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems. The health department <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/casedefinitions">must be notified</a> of gastro cases caused by campylobacter, cryptosporidium, listeria, salmonella, shigella and certain types of E.coli infection. This can help pinpoint outbreaks when they arise and allow for appropriate control measures. You might feel better but your poo isn't Gastro bugs are spread via the the faecal-oral route, which means faeces needs to come into contact with the mouth for transmission to occur. Sometimes this can happen if contaminated faecal material gets into drinking water, or during food preparation. But more commonly, tiny particles of poo might remain on the hands after going to the toilet. Using toilet paper to wipe when you go to the toilet doesn’t completely prevent the <a href="http://jfoodprotection.org/doi/pdf/10.4315/0362-028X-71.12.2582">contamination of hands</a>, and even more so when the person has diarrhoea. The particles then make their way to another person’s mouth during food preparation or touching a variety of contaminated surfaces and then putting your fingers in your mouth. After completely recovering from the symptoms of gastro, infectious organisms can still be shed into stools. Faecal shedding of campylobacter, the E. coli O157 strain, salmonella, shigella, cryptosporidium, entamoeba, and giardia <a href="http://jfoodprotection.org/doi/pdf/10.4315/0362-028X-71.11.2339">can last for many days to weeks</a>. In fact, some people who have recovered from salmonella have <a href="http://jfoodprotection.org/doi/pdf/10.4315/0362-028X-71.11.2339">shed the bacteria</a> into their stools 102 days later. Parasites can remain alive in the bowel for a long period of time after diarrhoea finishes. Infectious cryptosporidium oocysts can be shed into stools for up to 50 days. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/MMWRhtml/ss5401a2.htm">Giardia oocysts</a> can take even longer to be excreted. So, how long should you stay away? Much of the current advice on when people can return to work, school or child care after gastro is based on the most common viral gastroenteritis, norovirus, even though few patients will discover the cause of their bug. For norovirus, the highest rate of viral shedding into stools occurs <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/cda-cdna-norovirus.htm/%24File/norovirus-guidelines.pdf">24 to 48 hours</a> after all symptoms have stopped. The viral shedding rate then starts to quickly decrease. So people can return to work <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/cda-cdna-norovirus.htm/%24File/norovirus-guidelines.pdf">48 hours</a> after symptoms have stopped. Yes, viral shedding into stools <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11280609">can occur for longer</a> than 48 hours. But because norovirus infection is so common and recovery is rapid, it’s not considered practical to demand patients’ stools be clear of the virus before returning to work. While 24 hours may be appropriate for many people, a specific 48-hour exclusion rule is considered necessary for <a href="https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/Files/Corporate/general%20documents/food/PDF/Guidelines_for_Exclusion_from_Work_Due_to_Gastroenteritis.pdf">those in a higher-risk category</a> for spreading gastro to others. These include food handlers, health care workers and children under the age of five at child care or play group. If you have a positive stool culture for a notifiable organism, that may change the situation. Food handlers, childcare workers and health-care workers affected by <a href="https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/infectious-diseases/disease-information-advice/verotoxin-e-coli">verotoxin E.coli</a>, for example, are not permitted to work until symptoms have stopped and two consecutive faecal specimens taken at least 24 hours apart have tested negative for verotoxin E. coli. This may lead to a lengthy exclusion period from work, possibly several days. How to stop the spread Diligently washing your hands often with soap and water is the most effective way to stop the spread of these gastro bugs to others. Consider this: when 10,000 giardia cysts were placed in the palm of a hand, handwashing with soap <a href="http://jfoodprotection.org/doi/pdf/10.4315/0362-028X-73.10.1937">eliminated 99%</a> of them. To prevent others from becoming sick, disinfect contaminated surfaces thoroughly immediately after <a href="https://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/cd/norovirus/home.html">someone vomits or has diarrhoea</a>. While wearing disposable gloves, wash surfaces with <a href="http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/gastroenteritis-outbreaks.aspx">hot water and a neutral detergent</a>, then use household bleach containing 0.1% hypochlorite solution as a disinfectant. Written by Vincent Ho. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.theconversation.com">The Conversation. </a><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/98769/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />

Caring

Prince Frederik of Denmark hospitalised

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark has been forced to cancel his upcoming engagements after undergoing back surgery on Sunday. The Danish palace released a statement confirming that Frederik had an operation to correct a slipped disc. The operation was successful, and he was discharged from the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen on Monday. The future king of Denmark was due to mark Nature Day on Monday and take part in an army-related engagement on Wednesday. His trip to Finland, scheduled for next week, has also been postponed. He is now recovering at home and will resume his royal duties in the coming weeks. Frederik was most recently pictured in public last Wednesday during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Denmark. The father-of-four has previously spoken up about his back pain. Prince Frederik, who celebrated turning 50 by participating in the Royal Run, said in May: "I have had a few back problems lately which have stopped me from going running as I would like to." The news come just days after it was revealed that Frederik and his Aussie-born wife Princess Mary will be coming to Australia for the upcoming Invictus Games. <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/prince-harry-and-duchess-meghan-aren-t-the-only-royals-visiting-australia-next-month">Frederik and Mary will join British royals Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan</a> in Sydney for the Invictus Games, which will run from October 20 to 27.

Caring

Lifestyle

Fierce debate sparked on Facebook: Does jam belong in the fridge or pantry?

What started off as an innocent debate over a breakfast staple soon turned into a fiery dispute with thousands of social media users weighing in. Mandy-lee Anderson of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, asked the question, “Does jam belong in the fridge or the cupboard?” on her Facebook page after she was in a disagreement with her husband. While Mrs Andersen believed the condiment should be stored in the fridge, her husband had opposing views and said that jam belongs in the cupboard. When the couple tried to settle the argument through social media, they didn’t anticipate the overwhelming amount of responses to follow with over a thousand people chiming in. “Because it is a preserve it doesn’t need a fridge, so it is just a personal choice,” one person said. One person took knife habits into consideration when deciding where the item should be kept. “If your jam has lots of crumbs and butter getting into it, then I would keep it in the fridge.” Others questioned whether Mr Andersen’s nationality had anything to do with his decision, as he is a New Zealand national. “In a cold climate it makes no sense to me – but in Queensland, I understand because it’s so hot so you would keep it in the fridge, but I just don’t like my jam cold, that’s all,” Mr Andersen told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/eat/where-to-store-jam-the-fridge-or-pantry/news-story/f51af51d26b7f09f212abde4f3f77130" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>. Do you store jam in the fridge or the cupboard? Let us know in the comments below.

Food & Wine

Princess Diana’s little known nickname

Much of the world knew her as Princess Di, but it turns out Princess Diana didn’t like that moniker – and in fact, much preferred another nickname. According to one royal biographer, the Princess of Wales hated being called ‘Di’ so much, that she would playfully threaten anyone who used it. “Diana was usually friendly and good-natured, but not when she was called Di,” Beatrice Gormley wrote in her 2005 book Diana Princess of Wales. “’Say that again,’ she told her schoolmates, ‘and you die. I am Duchess. Duch’.” Diana instead preferred to be called ‘Duch’ – and as we know, she became a royal duchess upon marrying Prince Charles. In her recorded interviews with biographer Andrew Morton, Diana refers to herself as ‘Duch’ while recounting a conversation with her sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale. “We were so angry, but my sister Sarah said, ‘Right Duch’ – my nickname was Duch – ‘You go in and sort him out’,” Diana said. And she kept the nickname when she officially became the Duchess of Cornwall, as she again referred to herself by that nickname when recounting a conversation with sister-in-law Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson. “You mustn’t worry, Duch – everything is going to be fine. Let me do this, let me do that,” Diana quoted Fergie as saying. Diana has also signed a palace Christmas cards from ‘Duch and Charles’.

Relationships

6 myths about older ladies that just aren’t true

Barbara Binland is the pen name of a senior, Julie Grenness, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is a poet, writer, and part-time English and Maths tutor, with over 40 years of experience. Her many books are available on Amazon and Kindle. Here are some versions of common myths about older ladies. This is for our retirement years. 1. Is it too late to exercise, if I never have before? FACT: It’s never too late to exercise. Even if we are in our fifties or sixties, and have not exercised too much, we can adopt a moderate, balanced exercise regimen. In retirement, we have more leisure time, so can explore gym memberships, or golf, or aqua aerobics, or senior yoga, or pilates, or anything we fancy. We all need a balanced, moderate physical regimen. 2. Is dementia inevitable? FACT: Dementia is a medical condition, for which treatments are evolving and developing. It is not an inevitable or normal factor of ageing. Steps can be taken to prevent this condition. We can engage in healthy exercise, and persevere with intellectual pursuits, such as reading, crosswords, letter writing, puzzles, and maintain a support network for our communication skills. 3. Shall we become depressed? FACT: Depressive conditions can occur at any age. Some people believe all older people become isolated and depressed. But if depression occurs, it can be treated, with appropriate health professionals. Take things one day at a time, but you can plan and look forward to your golden years. One good practice is to write down all your blessings on a daily basis. You woke up! Great! The sun rises and blesses you with another day on Earth, make the most of it! 4. Does ageing mean the end of love? FACT: No, life can begin at sixty. If we have a long-term significant other, we can develop our old love life in an understanding manner. If we are single, we might meet ‘the one’. But use precautions, these guys were active in the swinging sixties. They are called STD’s, part of the legacy of the baby boomers. 5. Do older ladies fear ageing? FACT: In general, older ladies do not fear ageing. We cannot worry about, or control, normal signs of growing older. We can have grey hair, we like it that way! We get chicken necks, and double chins, by heck! But we don’t need the undertakers yet! Lots of women embrace their post-menopausal years, with a positive mindset. There are never enough hours in the day. Women our age can succeed in many pursuits. Plus, wisdom and enlightenment can come with age, but we still don’t know everything! 6. Is arthritis part of ageing? FACT: Women over fifty years of age, arthritis can be more likely to develop. This is due to the loss of cartilage in our joints. We can adopt suitable strategies such as sensible flat shoes, not expansive high heels, and less jogging or stressful activities for our musculoskeletal system. The key factor to managing this condition is pacing ourselves in physical activities. Use it or lose it! But if there is arthritic pain being experienced, there are holistic remedies to alleviate it. These include: heat packs, massage, maybe acupuncture, hydrotherapy, or TENS, known as electrotherapy. Sometimes, rest is best, sometimes simple exercises can be beneficial, for a balanced lifestyle, now we are ‘older ladies’. What are some myths about older ladies you are debunking?

Retirement Life

New recall: Target issues warning over clothing range

Target has been forced to issue a recall for an entire range of baby clothes after fears that small children could choke due to a broken zipper. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Yesterday, the Wesfarmers-owned department store urged customers to return a $10 baby onesie sold online and in stores between February and June this year. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">The coverall comes in 15 prints and ranges in sizes from newborn to 12-18 months old. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">All products in the range have been affected by the recall. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">In a statement, Target warned shoppers that the defect was a zip puller that could break and detach, which could “pose a choking/ingestion risk to infants”. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: center; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;"><img style="width: 329.4255568581477px; height:500px;" src="/media/7820660/1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/20ad422758d443e09eb7927f23189e4f" /> <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">The company told parents to “stop using the product and return the product to a Target or Target Country store as soon as possible”. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Customers will be given a full refund on any coveralls they return. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Further information can be found at the Target Customer Support Centre on 1300 753 567. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">This is the second baby product to be recalled this week after breast pump manufacturer Medela announced that detachable wall plugs should be returned as a matter of urgency. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">“Medela has received isolated reports of the detachable wall plug breaking into two parts, thereby potentially exposing two metal terminals and creating a risk of electric shock,” the company said in a statement.

Beauty & Style

Finance

How much should I have in my emergency fund?

An emergency fund is exactly that - it’s the money that will tide you over when an emergency happens. This includes losing your job, having to pay for urgent home or car repairs, and to pay for medical and dental emergencies. Because it’s meant to be accessed quickly, you should keep your emergency funds in a liquid bank account. How much do I need? First you should know how much you spend in a month. Keep track of your expenses for three to four months. You should already start saving some money while you do this exercise. An emergency fund should only be used to cover the necessities and not the luxuries, which means bills such as transportation, utilities, groceries and your rent or mortgage. You should not be using this money for holidays or shopping. How much should I save? Once you know your monthly expenses, start working towards saving three months’ worth. For example, if you need $3000 a month to cover all your bills, you should have $9000 squared away for emergencies. Having that amount will give you peace of mind that you can weather the storm until you get back on your feet. While it’s a good start, three months’ worth of savings is not nearly enough to cover larger costs. For example, if you lose your job, it may take you several months to find a suitable replacement. Which is why you should keep going and work towards having six months’ worth of expenses set aside. One financial expert, former TV host Suze Orman, even advocates setting aside eight to 12 months’ worth of expenses to feel truly secure. How can I start saving money? No matter how much you earn, try sticking to the 50-20-30 rule. This means not more than 50 percent of your income should go towards living expenses and essentials, while 20 percent should go towards savings, investments and reducing your debt. The final 30 percent should be used for discretionary spending, such as travel, gifts and entertainment. Adjust your spending accordingly using the guide. For example, if you’re consistently exceeding 30 percent of your pay on discretionary spending, you might need to find cheaper entertainment alternatives or cut down on nights out. And if you’re just starting out, you might want to save a little more aggressively in order to squirrel away that emergency cash. Do I keep going once I complete my emergency fund? After you’re satisfied that the amount in your fund will keep you secure for a good amount of time, you should look into saving money for other purposes, such as buying a home of your own, or your retirement. You may even want to explore investing for potentially higher returns. Be aware though that investments come with risks, so you should speak with a qualified financial consultant whom you trust before committing to any investments. And, of course, if you ever need to withdraw from your emergency fund, you should start building it back up again as soon as you’re able. Written by Siti Rohani. This article first appeared in <a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/money/how-much-should-i-have-my-emergency-fund?items_per_page=All">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="https://www.isubscribe.com.au/Readers-Digest-Magazine-Subscription.cfm">here’s our best subscription offer</a>.

Retirement Income

Aldi shoppers go crazy for stylish $99 velvet chair

Aldi’s new budget homewares range just launched on Wednesday and fans have already picked the “must-have” item. Part of the “Style Your Room” Special Buys range, the $100 Diana Velvet Slipper chair has fans raving. <img src="https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/adedb265d6b34ec5314e717926397f63" alt="" width="650" height="366" /> <img id="i-c0d0703a4e80bc8a" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/05/06/4FB704C100000578-6133029-But_it_was_one_product_in_particular_that_had_people_rushing_int-a-16_1536126035448.jpg" alt="But it was one product in particular that had people rushing into their closest store: a $99 Diana Velvet Slipper chair (pictured)" width="634" height="458" /> The luxe-looking chair, which comes in grey and green velvet, looks exactly like a $650 chair from popular homewares store Temple & Webster. <img src="https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/7e2dd18adadc29886b15be92efe0a495" alt="The $650 velvet chair from Temple &amp; Webster." width="650" height="366" /> “Absolutely crushing on the Diana chair,” one person wrote. “OMG has my name all over it! I need the teal chair!!” another wrote. “That green chair is lush,” another person commented. One woman added: “I just brought it in the green. Just put it together. Beautiful chair.” Special Buys can only be purchased in Aldi stores and not online.

Money & Banking

Woolies' big plan to get rid of checkouts

Woolworths is trialling new technology that may see the end of checkouts – self-service or otherwise – altogether. At their Double Bay store in Sydney, the supermarket giant is letting customers try a new “scan and go” system, which Woolies say could potentially “transform the shopping experience”. From Thursday, thousands of shoppers signed up to its loyalty program will be able to downland a special app to their phones. Customers can then choose their products, scan the barcode through their phone and then directly drop the items into their bags. There will be special scales to weigh fruit and veg, which will display a barcode that can be scanned and give the correct price into the app. When customers are finished shopping, they have to do one final scan at a terminal near the exit. The app will figure out the total price and automatically subtract the amount from a linked card. Woolworths head of payments Paul Monnington said customers wanted the company to make shopping more convenient. “We believe smartphone technology and mobile payments have the potential to transform the shopping experience for our customers in the future. “This trial is not only about testing new technology, it’s also about seeing how our customers and teams respond to a completely new style of shopping.” Mr Monnington said customers could still pay the normal way at Double Bay. When the trial finishes, he said Woolies will “assess future options”. Woolies isn’t the first in the world to try out scan and go technology. Amazon has opened a few “Amazon Go” stores which employs the same concept. However, Woolworths says it’s the first in Australia to trial the new technology.

Money & Banking

How to teach your adult children to be money smart

Now more than ever it is vital that our children gain solid skills when it comes to managing money. As we watch them move into adult life, we see the increasing financial challenges that they face with the cost of housing, the growing pressures of a consumer society and the ease of obtaining credit. Much of this is a far cry from what we faced in our younger days – when things seemed a lot simpler. This makes it more vital than ever to pass on some of the wisdom we have gained over the years through our own financial successes and failures. Here are some tips that may help. A word of warning The first rule when discussing money with adult children is to recognise that it can be a highly charged subject. For a variety of reasons money can be an emotive and tense subject, so it pays to be sensitive and measured in how discussions are raised. It doesn’t matter how much we think we know and understand about financial management, if our approach to our children comes across as interfering, patronising or demeaning, then the message will meet resistance. Make it a priority to gain their agreement about even starting the discussion before pouring out your wisdom. Respecting their independence and intelligence will gain a lot more cooperation. Controlling the bank of mum and dad If we have adequate financial resources of our own we may feel obligated to help out with some cash from time to time. While this may be reasonable in some circumstances, it should never be done at the expense of letting our children take financial responsibility for themselves. Rather than giving open-ended cash handouts, be specific in asking how the money will be used. To use an extreme example, handing over $10k for them to blow on a holiday is very different from them using the money toward a home deposit, so guide them to use financial gifts responsibly. Pay yourself first One of the most fundamental principles you can pass on is the concept of “paying yourself first”. In other words; save BEFORE you spend and set aside a percentage of every dollar of income toward the goal of financial independence. More specifically, some of these savings dollars need to be set aside purely for the purpose of investment and financial growth. It is all too easy to lump all savings together, but saving for an expensive handbag is very different than saving for investment, so try to guide your offspring into being specific and goal driven about the purpose and allocation of their savings. Pay down high interest debt The lure of easy credit and the convenience of “plastic money” can easily get our kids into debt very quickly, which can stifle any long-term financial development. The key lesson to pass on regarding debt is to focus attention on high interest debt, (such as credit card debt), first, even if it is to the exclusion of savings goals for a short period. For example, a $10,000 credit card debt at 18 per cent interest will cost $1800 in interest in a year, if no repayments are made. If they were investing $10,000 they would be doing extremely well if they were able to get an $1800 annual return, so treat high interest debt as if it was a high interest investment and go all out to pay it down quickly to get back into balance. Protect against disaster Sometimes the most productive dollar your kids will ever invest will be the dollar paid on insurance premiums. They have probably already learned at an early age that you simply don’t drive a car around uninsured. A vehicle worth thousands of dollars can be suddenly worthless in an instant if it is not insured. While most parents do well in teaching the kids the value of insuring possessions such as cars, many will often overlook the far more critical importance of income protection and life insurance. A car might be valued in the tens of thousands, but their income over their lifetime will be valued in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, so leaving it unprotected is simply financial folly. Make sure they are in contact with a reputable financial planner who can help them create a comprehensive contingency plan for their insurance protection as a foundation for all their other financial planning. Budgets are boring, but... In a highly disposable consumer society and in an age of high career mobility and income expectations, the simple common sense of a household budget may seem a bit dull and archaic. Too often our kids will think the solution to a cashflow problem is simply to get a better job with a higher income. This mindset is the root of the problem. If they are earning more, chances are they will just spend more if they don’t have sound budgeting skills. Encourage your kids to get their income and expenses budgeted. It doesn’t matter if it is with pen and paper or a smart phone app, the important thing is to have a concrete system that allows them to track spending and allocate income purposefully, so that they can build some financial momentum and keep lifestyle spending in perspective. A good place to start can be the ASIC personal financial planning site, known as MoneySmart. To take a look at the MoneySmart budgeting tool <a href="https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/tools-and-resources/calculators-and-apps/budget-planner">click here</a>. Time in the market, not timing the market Once your kids are in a position to build an investment portfolio, the most valuable lesson you can pass on is that investing in growth markets, such as shares and property, is all about being in it for the long haul and not just a quick killing. “Timing the market” by trying to pick short-term winners is more akin to gambling than it is to investing. “Time in the market” is a much more important principle, which will enable them to ride out fluctuations and build real wealth. A financial planner can offer expert advice when it comes to all these financial habits and practices, so encourage your kids to find one they can relate to and build a long-term relationship with. Written by Bridges. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au">Wyza.com.au. </a>

Money & Banking

Entertainment

The Block host Scott Cam shares a rare photo of his twins

You’ve been watching him on your television screen for years, with the name Scott Cam ringing a bell for every Australian. But despite the fame, there is little to know about the TV personality's personal life. Unlike his fellow TV counterparts, who are featured in different tabloids every week, Scott Cam has managed to keep his private life private. So, it was a pleasant surprise when the 55-year-old was found sharing snippets of his life on social media. The Gold Logie winner for Most Popular Australian TV Personality is seen regularly sharing photos of his children on Instagram, with the most recent being a photo of his 18-year-old twins Bill and Sarah, who are currently travelling Europe. <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/BnRYUkCA-fQ/?utm_source=ig_embed_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> <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/BnRYUkCA-fQ/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" target="_blank">Reunited with my twins having a drink in Barcelona. Very happy 🍻</a> <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/scottycamofficial/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" target="_blank"> Scotty Cam</a> (@scottycamofficial) on Sep 3, 2018 at 10:00am PDT </div> </blockquote> “Reunited with my twins having a drink in Barcelona. Very happy,” he captioned the photo where he and his two children are seen with drinks in their hand, looking happy. A few months before the sweet reunion, Cam shared photos where he said his goodbyes to the twins as they made their way to Europe. <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/BjJS-iLlcwa/?utm_source=ig_embed_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> <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/BjJS-iLlcwa/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" target="_blank">My baby girl is going to Europe for 4 months I’m going to miss her</a> <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/scottycamofficial/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" target="_blank"> Scotty Cam</a> (@scottycamofficial) on May 23, 2018 at 8:34pm PDT </div> </blockquote> “My baby girl is going to Europe for 4 months I’m going to miss her,” he wrote when his daughter, Sarah departed on May 24. <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/Bj6tLWCljLf/?utm_source=ig_embed_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> <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/Bj6tLWCljLf/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" target="_blank">Now twin number 2 is going to Europe for 4 months, what am I going to do? Have a good time Billy</a> <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/scottycamofficial/?utm_source=ig_embed_loading" target="_blank"> Scotty Cam</a> (@scottycamofficial) on Jun 12, 2018 at 1:05am PDT </div> </blockquote> Shortly after, Bill was getting ready for a trip of his own on June 12. “Now twin number 2 is going to Europe for 4 months, what am I going to do? Have a good time Billy,” Cam said. Cam and his wife of 26 years, Ann, are also parents to 22-year-old Charlie. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="/media/7820680/gettyimages-487068435.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7bf28bfa67a2473b84a496e3aca719ef" /> While he’s not one to overshare about his personal life, Cam has previously opened up about his close family dynamic. “We’re a very tight-knit family,” he told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/tv/the-block-scott-cam-family-comes-first-41196" target="_blank">TV Week</a> last year. “We always do family stuff together. We get up every Sunday and all go for a swim and have breakfast together.” Feeling cheeky, he added that he and his wife looked forward to all of the kids being out of school, so they can spend some time as a couple. “Now that we don’t have any kids in school, we can go away on a few little trips,” he said. The Block airs Sunday at 7 pm and Monday-Wednesday at 7:30 pm on Nine and 9Now.

Art

First look! Grant Denyer’s new game show

Grant Denyer will be back on our TV screens hosting a new game show later this year – and we’ve got a taste of what to expect. The beloved presenter of the cancelled Family Feud will be hosting the Australian version of Game of Games, which started in the US as a spin-off of the game segments on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The smash-hit show sees contestants answering questions under pressure, manoeuvring through obstacles and facing gigantic plunges into the unknown – all for the chance to win a big cash prize. Network Ten has given viewers a sneak peek at the new show with the following promo: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/canRD2A_Itw" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Despite his sadness over the end of Family Feud, Grant is looking forward to the next chapter. "I'm hungry and excited about this new project," Grant, 40, tells <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/tv/grant-denyer-game-of-games-details-51007">TV Week.</a> "Something new and bright comes along in moments when doors close," he says. "Ten has been a wonderful family to be part of. They want to continue making fun television."

How to mass delete emails on your smartphone

The iPhone is one of the most successful smartphones in the world, with over 700 million iPhone’s in use in the year 2017, it’s easy to see why people love the nifty device so much. Thanks to Apple, you’re able to have the entire world in the palm of your hand. Whether you want to take an instant photo, or you want to cruise the web, the possibilities are endless. But every once and a while, there are features you come across that make you question why you own one in the first place. One of those features is the email system. For the longest time, Apple has made it unnecessarily difficult to delete mass messages in its Mail app. If you’re someone who is the recipient of spam emails, or pointless messages that clutter your inbox, then keep reading as there is a way to organise your inbox and quickly delete unwanted messages. <img style="width: 500px; height:291.3862718707941px;" src="/media/7820664/trash.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4f3900b82ed648bfb9c33b3b90aabb2a" /> <ol> <li>Open the Mail app and click on inbox.</li> <li>Once you’re in your inbox, tap the “Edit” button in the top right corner.</li> <li>Now select any message to put a checkmark next to it.</li> <li>With one finger, hold the “Move” button that’s found at the bottom of the screen, and with the other finger tap on the message you previously marked to unmark it.</li> <li>You will now be presented a new screen with the “Trash” option.</li> <li>Select “Trash” and all your unwanted messages will disappear from your inbox!</li> </ol> While it can be a little tricky to wrap your head around, once you get the hang of it, it’ll become second nature. Also, it stops you from having to manually select each message and delete it one by one. Did you find this helpful? Let us know in the comments below.

Technology

The new rule Channel 10 newsreaders and presenters must follow

Last year, CBS bought Channel 10 after it was placed into voluntary administration and now, the American media giant has made a request of all newsreaders and presenters who work for the network. The network's talent, including those with years of experience such as Sandra Sully, must undergo voice coaching – a move that CBS believes will give Channel 10 a more grandiose sound. The announcement, which is understood to have offended TV veterans, was made this month by Channel 10's chief content officer Beverley McGarvey and newly appointed director of news Ross Dagan, reported <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au">The Daily Telegraph.</a> Channel 10’s experienced newsreaders and presenters include Sully, Natarsha Belling, Hugh Riminton and Tim Bailey. A spokesman from the network said that ongoing voice coaching was “industry standard”, however, executives from Nine and Seven said it was only for newcomers, not seasoned newsreaders. “It would be considered very insulting to suggest top talent needed to be retrained,” a Channel 7 source told The Daily Telegraph. A Nine source said experienced newsreaders were “absolutely not” required to do coaching. However, voice coach Melissa Agnew said undergoing training wasn’t a criticism of talent. "The best voices in the country do not shun voice training,” she said. “There seems to be a misconception that to work with a voice coach is a remedial thing, and it’s certainly not.” Despite having almost three decades of broadcast experience, Sully saw the benefits of the forced training. “It’s easy to slip into sloppy patterns,” she said. “All broadcast journos are encouraged to do voice work and I’ve done that on and off from day dot.” Channel 10 said in a statement: “We think it is important to invest in our team.” Earlier this month, Ten chief executive officer Paul Anderson revealed that the network would “more closely align with CBS across all platforms”. Since the takeover, the network has secured a $100 million deal to take the rights to Melbourne Cup from rival network Seven. Channel 10 has also ended its relationship with outsourced sales group Multi Channel Network.

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