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Russell Hill's daughter shares her outrage over Greg Lynn's sentence

<p>Russell Hill's daughter has expressed her anger over the jury's verdict of former pilot Greg Lynn, who was found not guilty for Hill's murder. </p> <p>Greg Lynn faced a lengthy trial over the deaths of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay, but after a week of jury deliberations, was only <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/shocking-verdict-in-trial-of-murdered-campers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found guilty</a> for the murder of Carol and was cleared of charges relating to Russell's death. </p> <p>Following the shock verdict, Hill's daughter Debbi, said she was “angry” at the jury and that she felt her father didn’t get the justice he deserved. </p> <p>“It’s new, we’ve only just found out, but the more I think about it, the more angry I get at the fact that it didn’t have to be this way,” Ms Hill told <em>60 Minutes</em> on Sunday. </p> <p>“My dad was not a violent person in any way. He wouldn’t have provoked anything.”</p> <p>Ms Hill went on to say that she thinks about what happened to her father every day. </p> <p>“I’m just really angry that he went camping that day, that time, that he is the person he is and he happened to be right there with my dad and Carol, and this is what happened,” she said. </p> <p>“I think it was just really bad luck for Dad and Carol that they were there at the time, but it wouldn’t have happened if he [Lynn] wasn’t such an awful person.”</p> <p>After the trial concluded, more information has come to light about Lynn's past after non-publication orders were lifted.</p> <p>His first wife Lisa Lynn, 34, was found dead in the front yard of her home in 1999, with a coroner’s report indicating a blood-alcohol level of 0.21 and high levels of anti-depression medication present in her system at the time of her death. </p> <p>No suicide note was ever found and Lynn was never charged over her death, however detectives are now looking to have the Victorian coroner conduct a full inquest into the 1999 death.</p> <p>Ms Hill said it was quite concerning to learn about Lynn’s history, saying, “I hope he doesn’t get away with this, but I’ve lost a bit of faith in the whole system.”</p> <p>“I’m not trusting of it now. We’ll have to wait and see. He’s just such a terrible person.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook / Victoria Police </em></p>

Legal

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Titanic star dies suddenly at 79

<p>British actor Bernard Hill has died suddenly at the age of 79 just days before a scheduled appearance at a fan convention. </p> <p>His agent announced his death in the early hours of Sunday morning, although no cause of death has been shared. </p> <p>Hill was most known for his role of Captain Edward Smith in the Oscar-winning 1997 film <em>Titanic</em> opposite Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, and earned global recognition playing Theoden, King of Rohan, in two of the three <em>The Lord Of The Rings</em> films.</p> <p>The actor was scheduled to appear at Liverpool’s Comic-Con over the weekend but cancelled at the last minute, as the convention shared on X. </p> <p>When news broke of the actor's passing the organisers of the event took to social media to lead the tributes. </p> <p>“We’re heartbroken to hear the news of Bernard Hill’s passing,” they wrote on X.</p> <p>“A great loss. Thinking of his family at this very sad time, and wishing them a lot of strength.”</p> <p>Hill's <em>Lord of the Rings</em> co-star Elijah Wood shared his condolences, adding a moving quote from the film they starred in together. </p> <p>"So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill. We will never forget you," he wrote. “For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning.”</p> <p>In the hours after his death, four <em>Lord of the Rings</em> actors who play the iconic hobbits took to the stage of Liverpool Comic Con to pay their respects to Bernard.</p> <p>Sean Astin, known for his role in the trilogy of Samwise Gamgee, said on stage, "He was intrepid, he gruff, he was irascible."</p> <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Echoing Sean's words, Billy Boyd who played Pippin in the films, said, “We were watching the movies and I said to Dom, I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as Bernard did.”</p> <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Caring

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Beverly Hills 90210 star dies at age 58

<p dir="ltr"><em>Beverly Hills 90210</em> star David Gail has passed away at the age of 58. </p> <p dir="ltr">The news was confirmed by his sister Katie Colmenares, with tributes quickly pouring in for the actor. </p> <p dir="ltr">Gail was best known for playing the fiancé of Shannen Doherty’s Brenda Walsh on the series, with his character becoming a fan favourite. </p> <p dir="ltr">Peter Ferriero, who hosts the Beverly Hills 90210 rewatch podcast, paid tribute to the actor with a series of clips from when Gail joined him for an episode of the podcast. </p> <p dir="ltr">“In memory of David Gail. Here are a few stories he shared when he joined the podcast,” Ferriero said on Saturday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“David was a kind human. Someone I wish I spoke to more.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“He was full of life and incredible stories. I am grateful I got to know. I am so saddened by your loss, and the world’s loss. He was a gift to us all.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Also paying tribute to the dead star was Gail’s sister Katie Colmenares who shared a heartfelt post on Instagram.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There’s barely been even a day in my life when you were not with me, by my side, always my wingman, always my best friend, ready to face anything and anyone with me,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The bears will never be the same but I will hold you so tight every day in my heart you gorgeous loving amazing fierce human being.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Along with <em>Beverly Hills 90210</em>, the actor played Dr Joe Scanlon in the series <em>Port Charles</em> between 1999 and 2000.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other credits of Gail’s include 2008’s <em>Belly of the Beast</em>, <em>ER</em>, and <em>Robin’s Hoods</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.045455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 14pt;"><em>Image credits: Fox</em><span id="docs-internal-guid-6619d0e4-7fff-0b9c-af67-b83fd08a3506"></span></p>

Caring

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Survival guide for cool-weather camping

<p>Being comfortable is king to enjoying winter camping. Take a look at our suggestions to help you gear up and get out there when the weather is cold but the campfire is hot.</p> <p><strong>Shelter</strong></p> <p>It’s one of the most important aspects of camping in any season! Your bedding and shelter arrangement should be both comfortable and functional so you can always create a home away from home.</p> <p>Winter around the country can mean different things – for instance, some camp spots during winter are often covered in a blanket of snow where as at others the temperature is cool at night and moderate during the day. Depending on the type of winter you’ll be camping in, you’ll need to adjust the shelter and bedding options to suit but there are a few things every winter camper should be aware off.</p> <p>Make sure your tent pegs are suited to the type of ground where you’ll pitch your tent or shelter. For example in light sandy soil conditions a strong sand peg should work well however in snow covered ground or loose sand locations a longer sturdier peg will keep you tent and shelter firmly in place. Laying a ground sheet underneath your tent will help keep the dew and moisture away from your gear. Pitching your tent or shelter in a location that will take advantage of the morning sun is also a nice touch and one that your fellow campers will appreciate!</p> <p>If you’re likely to be camping in light snow or humid conditions, it’s a good idea to pitch a flysheet over your tent or even a tarpaulin. This will trap “dead air” between your tent and the cold air providing extra insulation and will also help reduce moisture and condensation from appearing in your tent. The same principle applies to your swag – a fly and ground sheet will help prevent condensation and creating a layer of dead air will help give you a comfy and warmer sleep.</p> <p>Hot Tip: Using a ground sheet underneath your tent or swag will help prevent moisture from entering your shelter from below.</p> <p><strong>Sleeping</strong></p> <p>What you sleep in or on can also affect your comfort level. In cold conditions the humble airbed isn’t the best insulator so it’s a good option to use a self-inflating or 4WD mattress. These bedding options also trap dead air and your body warmth will help to create a warmer bed of air to sleep on. Your choice of sleeping bag is also important so it’s a good idea to match the bag to the climate. Along with fill material and weight, sleeping bags are also rated on their insulation or temperature rating. Sleeping bags such as the Blackwolf Zambezie sleeping bag are suited to sub-zero temperatures where as less insulating sleeping bags will keep you comfortable in plus zero degree conditions. Some of us “feel the cold” more than others so it’s important to take this into consideration when deciding what sleeping bag you’ll need. We recommend using a sleeping bag rated to below the temperatures you’re expecting – it’s easier to make yourself cool than it is to add extra warmth.</p> <p>Hot Tip: Hot water bottles are great additions for a warm sleep.</p> <p><strong>What to wear</strong></p> <p>Dressing in layers is a great idea as this allows you to adjust your warmth to suit the conditions or activity. A base layer such as thermals will control your core body temperature. An insulating or middle layer such as a fleece jumper will create a micro-climate and trap warmth around your body. An outer or protective layer will protect you from the elements such as wind or rain.</p> <p><em>How To: As most of your body heat is lost through your extremities don’t forget your accessories such as beanies, scarves and gloves.</em></p> <p><strong>Cooking</strong></p> <p>Everyone loves a warming winter meal and we all have memories of a great winter stew or roast. Bringing these meals to the campsite in winter and sharing them with family and friends are easily some of the best pleasures of winter camping. Cooking over a fire is a great idea as the campers are able to enjoy the warmth provided by the fire whilst the meal is cooking. Options for cooking over a fire include the traditional cast iron cookware or fire grill and cast iron plate. Cooking options not needing a fire include thermal cookers such as the Dream Pot or a Cobb cooker. These options are perfect for cooking delicious stews, soups and roasts.</p> <p><em>Hot Tip: When cooking with cast iron, charcoal briquettes provide a long burning and consistent source of heat making cast iron cooking so easy! If firewood is your heat source, don’t forget to bring enough firewood for your heating and cooking needs!</em></p> <p>With a heap of easy cooking options available there’s no reason why you can’t be sharing a warm and hearty stew or sensational roast on your next winter camping trip.</p> <p><strong>Winter warmers</strong></p> <p>Comfort and warmth are key for enjoying your winter camping experience. Hot showers and gas heaters are just two options that will make your winter camping trip much easier and more comfortable. Gas heaters are great as they are portable and provide a constant source of heat. Water heaters such as the Coleman Hot Water on Demand system are popular options for winter campers – who can say no to an instant warm shower or hot cuppa?</p> <p><em>First appeared on the Ray’s Outdoors website. <a href="http://blog.raysoutdoors.com.au/expertadvice?category=Camping" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Visit them</strong> </a><a href="http://blog.raysoutdoors.com.au/expertadvice?category=Camping" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>here for more camping advice</strong></a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="../lifestyle/caravan-camping/2015/05/4-campfire-recipes/">4 simple and delicious campfire recipes you should try</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="../lifestyle/caravan-camping/2015/05/outdoor-photography-tips/">Outdoor photography tips to help you take shots like a pro</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="../lifestyle/caravan-camping/2015/03/bush-damper-recipe/">How to make bush damper</a></strong></em></span></p>

Domestic Travel

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Is Eurovision finally cool? That depends on your definition – ‘cool theory’ expert explain

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vanessa-brown-142590">Vanessa Brown</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/nottingham-trent-university-1338"><em>Nottingham Trent University</em></a></em></p> <p>With an aesthetic dependent on novelty and spectacle, and a structure that’s both disjointed and drawn-out, Eurovision – for some – cannot fail to fail. In its “failed seriousness” (the phrase writer Susan Sontag <a href="https://www.artandobject.com/news/what-camp-met-tries-define-ineffable">used to describe “camp”</a>), the song contest has all the exaggerated expressiveness that audiences associate with kitsch. So, how could it possibly be cool?</p> <p>I’m interested in viewing the show through the lens of <a href="https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/45239/1/1507168_Brown.pdf">cool theory</a> (which identifies different kinds of cool and breaks those down into core qualities). “Coolness” itself is a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14797585.2021.2000837">slippery and controversial term</a> that can mean almost opposing things.</p> <p>For some, “cool” is simply what is fashionable. It can also be a rebellion against what is fashionable. Or an anti-social attitude in which nothing and no one else matters beyond your own stylish persona.</p> <p>Indeed Sam Ryder – the UK’s near-win Eurovision act of 2022 whose high energy performance combined epic, earnest vocals with flowing natural locks, pearly teeth and a bejewelled one-piece – told the Guardian in 2022 that cool is “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/may/19/cool-is-the-enemy-eurovision-hero-sam-ryder-on-how-he-ditched-his-ego-and-found-his-joy">the enemy</a>”.</p> <p>The profile of Ryder claimed he had no interest in the “detached rock star” exterior. This refers to the sense of unwillingness of “cool” musicians to have their dignity compromised by other people’s rules – an unwillingness to be caught making an effort.</p> <p>But Eurovision is all about effort. A publicised drama of rehearsals and heats, nervous waving and nail biting in the green room – the performers are just generally far too eager. Because whether it’s death metal or pared back electronica, being liked is what these musicians are here for.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RZ0hqX_92zI?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Sam Ryder’s 2022 Eurovision performance.</span></figcaption></figure> <p>On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine the uber-cool 1960s <a href="https://www.loudersound.com/features/krautrock-communism-and-chaos-the-anarchic-story-of-can">krautrock band Can</a> giving two hoots what a jury in Brussels would make of their genre-defining understated rock. Nor the jazz men Miles Davis, Charlie Parker or Lester Young, who set the parameters of cool performance with their sharp, formal attire and <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/cool-shades-9780857854643/">refusal to acknowledge the audience</a>.</p> <h2>What kind of ‘cool’ is Eurovision?</h2> <p>Although the performers of Eurovision aren’t detached, the audience can be. Sociologist Janna Michael’s <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1469540513493206?journalCode=joca">2015 study</a> of European urban hipsters revealed that the point of cool is not what is liked, so much as how it is liked. This goes some way to explaining Eurovision’s appeal.</p> <p>Since the 1980s, Eurovision has been presented (certainly in Britain) as something to enjoy in a specifically detached way, through irony. From 1973 to 2008, former commentator Terry Wogan’s flippant narration allowed the audience to collude in a knowing superiority over the event, finding its failed seriousness funny.</p> <p>The cult following of Eurovision among those with a camp sensibility was further endorsed by the appointment of comedian Graham Norton as Wogan’s more obviously camp successor.</p> <p>Do these fans love Eurovision because they enjoy the catharsis of the unabashed release of “bad taste”? Or because they enjoy feeling superior to those people (and nations) who genuinely engage with the drama of the competition? This is a side of <a href="https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780719066153/Kitsch-Cultural-Politics-Taste-Ruth-0719066158/plp">cool’s ironic detachment that celebrates disdain for others</a>.</p> <p>However, many British fans now speak enthusiastically about the tolerance and openness of Eurovision. As <a href="https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/showbiz-news/eurovisions-rylan-clark-blown-away-26873868">host Rylan Clark said this year</a>: “Everyone is welcome.” In recent years Eurovision has become more obviously and consciously open to gender diversity and aligned to LGBTQ+ tastes.</p> <p>This was crystallised by bearded Austrian drag queen Conchita’s winning performance in 2014. The <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2023/05/11/eurovision-alesha-dixon-and-hannah-waddingham-turned-into-drag-queens-18770837/">drag makeovers given to all three semi-final hosts this year</a> confirmed the contest’s status as a space which endorses self-creation, individuality and tolerance – all aspects of the cool attitude.</p> <h2>Becoming mainstream</h2> <p>In the past, scholars of the theory of coolness have often focused too heavily on men and masculine, emotionally blank forms of “cool”, with composure and self-possession at their heart. Though this brand of cool is eloquently expressed in jazz, it is also visible in the consummate performer of drag.</p> <p>Thanks to the popularity of shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race, drag – once enjoyed purely in LGBTQ+ subcultures – is now mainstream entertainment. This is perhaps one reason Eurovision has suddenly become perceived as “cool” <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120607180110.htm">by some</a>. But experiences of exclusion and marginalisation have historically been the conditions in which modern cool has been forged.</p> <p>The very fact that Eurovision has been viewed for decades as a cultural white elephant, a place of almost inconsequential melodrama, gives it the potential to be resurrected as cool.</p> <p>Liking Eurovision was once an anti-mainstream position. This gave the show the potential to become “cool”, through both its exaggeration of qualities seen as undesirable by dominant social tastes, and its willingness to push the boundaries of convention, despite the detractors.</p> <p>The concept of cool is complicated – and it is changing. Indeed, <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120607180110.htm">some recent studies</a> have shown that perception of coolness is connected to activism and pro-social traits. Eurovision may seem like sparkly fluff, but perhaps now more than ever, it is also a vehicle for promoting greater acceptance of other ways of life. It’s all cool.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205600/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vanessa-brown-142590">Vanessa Brown</a>, Course Leader MA Culture, Style and Fashion, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/nottingham-trent-university-1338">Nottingham Trent University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty </em><em>Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-eurovision-finally-cool-that-depends-on-your-definition-cool-theory-expert-explains-205600">original article</a>.</em></p>

Music

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Fun camping activities for the whole family

<p>Dust off the tent and grab the sleeping bags because it is well and truly camping season! A traditional summer pursuit for many families, camping is not only great fun for all ages but a wonderful family bonding times. If you’re camping with the extended family this season, here are some activities that will engage even the most disinterested kid. Get ready for some wholesome fun that does not involve technology!</p> <p><strong>Scavenger hunt</strong></p> <p>Make it a competition so everyone, even the adults, get involved and active! As you will likely be around nature, create a nature-themed hunt. It can be as simple as collecting items like leaves of certain colours, different shaped rocks, snail shells or even spotting different types of bugs and animals. In this case, get everyone to take a photo of the item. Make sure you warn kids of things to avoid like certain poisonous or prickly plants that might be around.</p> <p><strong>Obstacle course</strong></p> <p>Create the ultimate outdoor obstacle course to challenge the whole family. It can be as easy or hard as you want so set it to accommodate all ages and activity levels in the family. Obstacles like crawling under picnic tables, skipping stones, long jumps on a beach, hanging off a branch are all options. Use what is at your campsite and race each other with the ‘losers’ having to cook dinner or collect firewood.</p> <p><strong>Nature watching</strong></p> <p>Since the whole family will be in the thick of the bush, take the time to get to know nature better! Most national parks and campsites will have brochures of types of animals and birds in the area or grab a guidebook and go bird and animal watching. Or learn about the different types of flora in the area. Just be sure to respect nature and not damage anything.</p> <p><strong>Learn new skills</strong></p> <p>A camping trip is a great time to teach the kids how to read maps and compasses (or brush up if you are rusty). Reading a map and compass is quickly becoming a lost skill but one which is still important. Make it a bit more fun by going orienteering. Create an easy compass course and see how well the family follows directions.</p> <p><strong>Cook up a treat</strong></p> <p>If you are lucky enough to have a big campfire blazing away at night don’t waste the opportunity and cook up some camp favourites. The classic damper is a great option, otherwise toasting marshmallows while sharing stories is the perfect way to unwind at night. Or you can create s’mores, an American favourite of marshmallows and chocolate sandwiched between crackers.</p> <p><strong>Ghost stories</strong></p> <p>Even the most disinterested grandkids will be engrossed with a night time session of ghost stories around the campfire. Engulfed in the blackness of night with not much signs of civility, the scare factor is heightened. If nobody can think of any good ones (we recommend you have some prepared to scare everyone!) or the grandkids are too young, play the game where everyone contributes a sentence which slowly builds an often outrageous and hilarious tale.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Top 10 worst camping mistakes and how to avoid them

<h2>Watch out for these campsite rookie errors</h2> <p>Ah, family camping trips: the chance to commune with nature, bond with your loved ones and create lasting memories. What could go wrong? Lots, actually. Lack of planning and preparation could turn your dream holiday into a real nightmare.</p> <p>Here’s how to avoid some of the more common camping mistakes.</p> <h2>Not testing out new equipment</h2> <p>Picture this: in anticipation of the big family camp out, you invested in a deluxe portable gas barbeque.</p> <p>You’re excited to fire it up at the campsite to feed the hungry kids when you realise, all too late, that the thing doesn’t work. Uh oh.</p> <p>Failing to test out new equipment is one of the biggest mistakes that campers can make.</p> <p>With anything you take out camping, you want to make sure you know how to use it beforehand; set up a new tent in your backyard, learn how to use that BBQ and climb inside a new sleeping bag to make sure it’s big enough before you set out on your trip.</p> <h2>Storing toiletries in your tent</h2> <p>Most campers know that keeping food in your tent is an open invite for a furry friend slumber party.</p> <p>But other products may also entice critters.</p> <p>People often forget that things like toothpaste, insect repellant and soap can attract animals, so keep all personal-care products safely locked away in your car or in the same dry bag you use to store your food.</p> <h2>Arriving in the dark</h2> <p>It can be frustrating to set up camp in the dark, especially if you’re staying on an unfamiliar site.</p> <p>Try to arrive during daylight hours to give everyone a chance to find the toilet and get the lay of the land.</p> <p>Of course, arriving after dark is sometimes unavoidable (hello, long-weekend traffic).</p> <p>In those cases, try using head lamps to light the way so your hands are free to set up equipment.</p> <h2>Underestimating the weather</h2> <p>Funny thing about the weather – it rarely seems to listen to the daily forecast.</p> <p>You could look at the weather report, see that it’s beautiful and leave the raincoat at home.</p> <p>Then it starts to rain on day two and you’re stuck.</p> <p>Always pack rain gear for every member of the family and plan some rainy-day activities to keep everyone in good spirits until the storm passes.</p> <p>And don’t forget extra socks.</p> <h2>Not packing a repair kit</h2> <p>Nothing puts a dampener on a camping trip faster than a leaky tent (pun absolutely intended).</p> <p>Luckily, you packed your handy dandy repair kit, right?</p> <p>Here’s what you need:</p> <ul> <li>extra rope</li> <li>metal pole</li> <li>sleeves to reinforce bent tent poles</li> <li>sewing kit to patch up rips and tears</li> <li>roll of duct tape</li> <li>extra pair of shoelaces (in case your first pair breaks)</li> </ul> <h2>Skimping on food</h2> <p>Taking just enough food for the duration of your trip could leave you in a tight spot if something goes wrong.</p> <p>For example, let’s say you’re going on a hiking trip, someone twists their ankle and you have to stay an extra day.</p> <p>You should also have a plan B in case someone accidentally burns the pancakes or drops the sausages right into the fire.</p> <p>Pack one extra day’s worth of meals and a stash of snacks and energy bars, just in case.</p> <h2>Forgetting a first-aid kit</h2> <p>A well-stocked first-aid kit could save your trip from ending miserably at the nearest emergency room.</p> <p>Check the contents of your kit to replace expired medications and to ensure you have everything you need.</p> <h2>Keeping a messy campsite</h2> <p>It’s wonderful to spot animals in their natural habitat, but not so much fun to find them feasting on the contents of your cooler.</p> <p>Leaving food and rubbish strewn about your campsite can attract unwanted visitors and ruin the experience for everyone.</p> <p>If animals eat your food, it’s not healthy for them and could also be a problem for future campers because animals can become habituated to getting food at the campsite.</p> <p>Avoid this problem by keeping meal supplies and garbage locked away in your car, or strung up in a dry bag on a designated pole or tree.</p> <h2>Showing up without a campsite reservation</h2> <p>You probably wouldn’t show up to a hotel without a reservation and expect to get the room of your choice.</p> <p>The same goes for campsites – particularly in the busy summer months.</p> <p>Avoid disappointment by reserving your campsite well in advance.</p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/camping-caravanning/top-10-worst-camping-mistakes-and-how-avoid-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Hill Street Blues star passes away

<p>Hill Street Blues star Barbara Bosson has passed away aged 83.</p> <p>Bosson, who played Fay Furillo in the American police drama, was a popular TV star in the ‘80s, earning five consecutive Emmy nominations for her role. She was also the ex-wife of TV giant Steven Bohcho, who created <em>Hill</em></p> <p><em> Street Blues </em>and several other hit shows at the time.</p> <p>The news of Bosson’s death was shared by her son, Jesse Bohcho, who shared an image of he and his mother when he was a child.</p> <p>"More spirit and zest than you could shake a stick at. When she loved you, you felt it without a doubt. If she didn't, you may well have also known that too. Forever in our hearts. I love you Mama. Barbara "Babs" Bosson Bochco 1939-2023," he captioned the image.</p> <p>Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey shared her support, commenting a red heart under Bochco’s Instagram.</p> <p>Bosson was also known for her roles in shows including<em> Murder One</em>, <em>Hooperman</em> and films including <em>Cop Rock</em> and <em>Calendar Girl Murders</em>.</p> <p>Hill Street Blues proved Bosson's main claim to fame, with her leaving the show in 1985 during its sixth season after being fired from the project over creative disagreements.</p> <p>Bosson and Steven Bohcho went on to work together on other projects, including the <em>Rockford Files</em> spin-off <em>Richie Brockelman</em>, <em>Private Eye</em>, <em>Hooperman</em> and the musical <em>Cop Rock</em>.</p> <p>The pair divorced in 1997 but continued to co-parent their son Jesse, who was born in 1975. Steven died in 2018 at the age of 73.</p> <p>Further details of Bosson’s death are yet to be revealed.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

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Police finally reveal motive behind murder of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay

<p>Police have alleged that the two secret lover campers, Russel Hill and Carol Clay, were "childhood sweethearts" who had started their affair 15 years ago.</p> <p>In a summary of the case against Gregory Lynn, who allegedly killed the pair, police believe that Mr Hill and Ms Clay had rekindled their romance 15 years prior, and would go on regular camping trips to "spend time together".</p> <p>The pair allegedly drifted apart and had children with other partners, according to the documents provided to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.</p> <p>Mr Hill was married to another woman for 51 years, and according to the police facts provided to the court, his wife believed that he had gone camping alone.</p> <p>“Those close to them believe that they kept their relationship a secret to spare Hill’s family from distress,” the police statement read.</p> <p>The pair had gone camping in Wonnangatta Valley on March 19 2020, and they vanished sometime after 6 pm the next day.</p> <p>Police alleged that Mr Lynn killed the pair after an altercation over a drone, with Mr Hill fatally stabbed and Ms Clay shot in the head.</p> <p>Police also believed that he returned to the area in May and November 2020 to try and "destroy" evidence by setting the pair's remains on fire.</p> <p>Their bodies were buried around 40km from the campsite in Dargo on November 2021.</p> <p>Mr Lynn was in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this week for a committal hearing to decide whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial in the Supreme Court.</p> <p><em>Images: Victoria Police</em></p>

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How to survive camping in bad weather

<p>When the elements are wild and unpredictable it can make for an unpleasant camping trip. Here are our top tips to surviving camping in bad weather.</p> <p><strong>Don’t go</strong></p> <p>This seems like the obvious choice but many people still move forward with their trip as it’s a waste of all the time, planning and preparation. However, nobody is likely to have a good time, especially grandchildren, if you’re cooped up in a tent or caravan for the entire weekend. If it’s possible to postpone the trip, then do it.</p> <p><strong>Location</strong></p> <p>Even if conditions are sunny and perfect when you arrive at your campsite, always think about the best location to pitch your tent if it does happen to rain and storm. Where will the water run? When the water hits the tent, will it pool in the indentation you set up? Steer clear of gullies, river banks in case of flash flooding.</p> <p><strong>Extra shelter</strong></p> <p>When you’re camping in the winter months, even if it’s forecast to be clear, it’s always a good idea to bring extra shelter. You can use this extra shelter to provide protection for your camping gear, provide an area to cook and eat, and if there is a leak in your tent, use as a tarp.</p> <p><strong>Wet-weather gear</strong></p> <p>When you need to move around a campsite in the rain, appropriate wet-weather gear will keep you dry and warm. That means waterproof jackets and hoods, ponchos and rubber boots – and when it comes to camping gear, you do usually get what you pay for. Make sure you have a few sets of spare clothes as well in case you do get a drenching.</p> <p><strong>Waterproof bags</strong></p> <p>Sometimes your gear will get wet and since you don’t want wet things in your sleeping area, store them in bags. Ensure dry things stay dry by also storing them in waterproof bags.</p> <p><strong>Wet weather activities</strong></p> <p>Be prepared with an arsenal of wet weather activities such as cards, board games, puzzles and crosswords to do. Otherwise, go for a drive and explore the area – you could find some great spots to check out when the weather is dry or have some fun splashing in the mud and rain with the grandkids.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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LGBT+ history: the story of camp, from Little Richard to Lil Nas X

<p>Although camp is difficult to define, it probably doesn’t need much description. </p> <p>Ever since 1956 – when former teenage drag queen Little Richard began performing his tribute to anal sex, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F13JNjpNW6c&amp;ab_channel=Darwinner">Tutti Frutti</a>”, while wearing a six-inch pompadour, plucked eyebrows, and eyeliner – camp has increasingly been accommodated into social acceptance and understanding. It has been adopted and adapted by celebrities including Dolly Parton, Prince, Elton John, Ru Paul, Lady Gaga, and Lil Nas X. It was the theme of the 2019 Met Gala, prompting widespread commentary about what camp is.</p> <p>Susan Sontag, whose work inspired <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2019/05/met-gala-camp-on-theme">the Met Gala Ball’s theme</a>, wrote in <a href="https://qz.com/quartzy/1419465/susan-sontags-54-year-old-essay-on-camp-is-essential-reading-to-understand-culture-in-2018/">Notes on Camp</a> (1964) that camp is about “artifice and the unnatural”, a “way of seeing the world as an aesthetic phenomenon”. Camp, Sontag continues, is “the spirit of extravagance”, as well as “a kind of love, a love for human nature”, which “relishes, rather than judges”.</p> <p>Sontag also writes, however, that the camp sensibility is “disengaged, depoliticized”, and that it emphasises the “decorative … at the expense of content”. But camp is intricately enmeshed with queerness, and is anything but disengaged and merely decorative. Rather, in subverting social norms and rejecting easy categorisation, it has a long and radical history.</p> <h2>Camp’s political beginnings</h2> <p>For many working class queer men in urban centres such as New York around the turn of the 20th century, camp was a tactic for the communication and affirmation of non-normative sexualities and genders. This was enacted at <a href="https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/george-chauncey/gay-new-york/9780786723355/">Coney Island male beauty contests</a>, <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/queens-and-queers-rise-drag-ball-culture-1920s">Harlem and Midtown drag balls</a>, and in the streets and saloons of downtown Manhattan. </p> <p>As historian George Chauncey established in his book <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2952659">Gay New York</a>, the so-called “fairy resorts” (nightclubs whose attraction was the presence of effeminate men), which sprang up downtown, established the dominant public image of queer male sexuality. This was defined by a cultivated or performed effeminacy, including make-up, falsetto, and the use of “camp names” and female pronouns. </p> <p>These men questioned gender categories, and did so by behaving “camply”. In this way, camp evolved as a visible queer signifier. It has helped some queer people, both then and since, “make sense of, respond to, and undermine”, in Chauncey’s words, “the social categories of gender and sexuality that serve to marginalise them”.</p> <p>Decades later, in late June 1969, not far from New York’s former “fairy resorts”, a group of queer and trans teenagers used camp to dramatically shift the outcome of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/stonewall-riots-global-legacy-shows-theres-no-simple-story-of-progress-for-gay-rights-119257">Stonewall uprising</a>. A series of demonstrations against the closure of a popular gay bar, these protests are often credited with launching the gay rights movement. </p> <p>Facing an elite unit of armed police, the youths marshalled their campest street repertoire, joining arms, kicking their legs in the air like a precision dance troupe. They sang “We are the Stonewall Girls / We wear our hair in curls,” and called the police “Lily Law” and “the girls in blue”. Once again, camp accomplished a powerful subversion, this time of the presumed machismo and authority of the police.</p> <h2>Liking camp</h2> <p>Camp offers a critical stance that derives from the experience of being labelled deviant, highlighting the artificiality of social conventions. For the writer Christopher Isherwood, whose 1939 novel <a href="https://shop.penguin.co.uk/products/goodbye-to-berlin-by-christopher-isherwood">Goodbye to Berlin</a> became the darkly camp musical <a href="https://masterworksbroadway.com/music/cabaret-original-broadway-cast-recording-1966/">Cabaret</a> (1966), camp was underpinned by “seriousness”. To deploy it was to express “what’s basically serious to you in terms of fun and artifice and elegance”. </p> <p>Two of the 20th century’s campest artists, Andy Warhol and <a href="https://makeyourownbrainard.cal.bham.ac.uk/">Joe Brainard</a>, took Isherwood’s stance on camp seriously, and based much of their careers on the belief that “liking” was a valuable aesthetic. Both are famous for the camp excess of their imagery, producing work that featured multiple iterations of camp images. </p> <p>For Warhol, it was Marilyn Monroes and Jackie Kennedys. For Brainard, pansies and Madonnas. Even, in Brainard’s case, a transgressive, dramatic account of how much <a href="https://blog.lareviewofbooks.org/interviews/wonder-talking-joe-brainard-andrew-epstein/">he liked Warhol</a> , featuring the words “I like Andy Warhol” repeated 14 times. Warhol also embraced camp as a personal style, performing a theatrical effeminacy that equated to a strategic queerness designed to discomfit those among his contemporaries who held him to be “<a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/575/57574/popism/9780141189420.html">too swish</a>”.</p> <p>Warhol’s use of camp finds an echo, in the 21st century, in the work of <a href="https://theconversation.com/lil-nas-xs-dance-with-the-devil-evokes-tradition-of-resisting-mocking-religious-demonization-158586">Lil Nas X</a>, a musical artist who similarly deploys Sontag’s iteration of camp as “a mode of seduction — one which employs flamboyant mannerisms susceptible of a double interpretation”. </p> <p>His smash hit “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2Ov5jzm3j8&amp;ab_channel=LilNasXVEVO">Old Town Road</a>” (2019) is a queer country/hip-hop cross-over, whose music video is replete with sequins, tassels, chaps and choreographed dancing. Much of this was ignored by some fans who only appeared to notice Lil Nas X’s commitment to camp on the release of the video for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6swmTBVI83k">“Montero (Call Me By Your Name)</a>” (2021).</p> <p>Montero features the biblical Adam making out with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, before gleefully riding down a stripper pole to hell where he performs a lapdance for Satan (all characters played by Lil Nas X). Like Warhol, Lil Nas X uses a camp style to put visuals to repressive narratives and double standards. </p> <p>In particular, he claims camp transgression for black queerness, enacting, once again, a critical stance on the contradictions and condemnations that serve to marginalise those who don’t, or can’t, conform. His work confirms, in other words, that camp is much more than a quirky outfit. That it is a strategy, as much as a style.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/lgbt-history-the-story-of-camp-from-little-richard-to-lil-nas-x-174501" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

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5 ways to stay cool while camping

<p>The temperature is beginning to soar and when you’re heading out on a camping adventure the last thing you want is to feel hot and bothered, especially if you’re living in a tent. Luckily there’s no need to forgo the adventure altogether if the forecast predicts stinking hot days, just follow these tips.</p> <p><strong>1. Position your campsite</strong></p> <p>Before you set up camp, think ahead to position your tent where there will be the most afternoon shade. Remember what’s shady in the morning might not be the case as the day progresses.</p> <p><strong>2. Air the tent</strong></p> <p>Try to set up your tent as late as possible to avoid heat building up inside. Leave the fly off and open up doors and windows so any breeze can cool the tent.</p> <p><strong>3. Wear light clothing</strong></p> <p>Pack for the weather so bring plenty of light-coloured, loose-fitting and moisture-wicking cloths. Wear a hat and lather up with the sunscreen. This will help keep cool while you traversing the bushlands.</p> <p><strong>4. Plan suitable activities </strong></p> <p>Seek out hot-weather activities like exploring caves or swimming in rivers or pools that will keep you cool in hot conditions. If you plan to do outdoor activities schedule them in for the morning or evening, when the sun is not so hot.</p> <p><strong>5. Hydrate and eat cold foods</strong></p> <p>Load up on cold food you don’t need to cook like salads, fruits and ice blocks. And make sure you keep hydrated. Water is best over dehydrating drinks like alcohol, coffee and tea.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Tips

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10 vintage camping hacks every camper should know

<p>Camping out for more than a night or two can bring the same challenges – ones my own family faced all the time, back when most people lived without air conditioning. When we’re hit with crazy humidity or rainy days, I’ve had to recall my mother’s old tricks for keeping the salt from clumping, the grill clean, and much more, so we can enjoy great meals made over a crackling fire.</p> <p><strong>Create a dry box</strong></p> <p>Invest in an airtight and waterproof container to store your camping essentials. I’m talking a box of matches, a torch plus batteries, first aid supplies, a few protein bars, and any other small, must-have items. This will come in handy if you’re camping in damp or rainy conditions.</p> <p><strong>Invest in a small thermometer</strong></p> <p>Place a small stick-on thermometer inside your esky lid to ensure that the temperature inside is a food-safe 1.6-4.4C°. And if you want to upgrade your esky situation, invest in a waterproof cooler light so you can see what you’re looking for after the sun goes down.</p> <p><strong>Make your own ice packs</strong></p> <p>Keep a few empty milk containers or water bottles the weeks before you head out into the wilderness. Wash thoroughly, allow to dry, and refill with clean tap water at home. Freeze and place in your cooler to keep the contents cool but dry.</p> <p><strong>Save aluminium foil</strong></p> <p>Save that used aluminium foil! Crumple it up and store in a zip-top bag to take along. Use it to scrub down the campfire grate or grill, clean your cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, and to scrape bark off your marshmallow sticks.</p> <p><strong>Keep your salt from clumping</strong></p> <p>Take a cue from your local cafe and put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker to keep the salt flowing instead of clumping together. Using a plastic shaker with a snap-down lid is also helpful to keep moisture out and salt inside where it belongs.</p> <p><strong>Don't forget your spices</strong></p> <p>Bringing along armfuls of spices can seem inconvenient, but you still want flavour in your favourite camping meals, right? Instead, repurpose Tic-Tac containers and other small, food-safe tins and use them as makeshift spice jars. Store them in a zip-top bag or plastic tub to keep them dry.</p> <p><strong>Prep what you can in advance </strong></p> <p>Once you’re in the great outdoors, you won’t want to spend a ton of time meal prepping. Opt for no-cook meals or prep your ingredients at home before you leave. Pancake batter can be made at home, stored in a clean container or squeeze-top bottle, and kept in the esky until you’re ready.</p> <p><strong>Get creative with your fire starters</strong></p> <p>A proper campfire is made with crumpled paper, kindling and firewood, but that can be a lot to gather. Instead, you can get your fire started with some unconventional materials, like dryer lint (you can pre-portion this by stuffing it into toilet paper tubes) or even corn chips!</p> <p><strong>Bring your cast iron skillet or Dutch oven from home</strong></p> <p>Don’t fuss with multiple pots and pans when you camp or special camping cookware. Instead, bring just your cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Cast iron can withstand the elements and can be used over a propane cooktop, grill, or straight over the campfire.</p> <p><strong>Grab some bright-coloured ribbon</strong></p> <p>Stop tripping over tent tethers and running into the clothesline! Tie neon-coloured ribbon (or even fabric scraps) onto these cords to keep from getting tangled up. Use these old-school tricks and your entire outdoor experience will be way more enjoyable.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/10-vintage-camping-hacks-every-camper-should-know?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

Travel Tips

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The best camping spots in Australia

<p>When the days are sunny and the nights are balmy, it means one thing: camping season! There is very little that trumps a camping holiday that combines fun, affordability and experiencing the great outdoors. We are so blessed in Australia to have it all – the bushlands, red desert, coastal beaches and lush rainforests – so wherever you camp out you are sure to find natural beauty. There are too many great camping options to list but here are some to get you started.</p> <p><strong>VICTORIA</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Grampians National Park </span></p> <p>With more than 30 tracks leading to spectacular lookouts atop summits or over waterfalls, the Grampians National Park is a great site to set up camp. There are remote campsites, like Borough Huts and Boreang grounds, which are ideal for adventurous multi-day hikes or if you are after a spot more accessible, Hall Gaps is a great spot with toilets and fireplaces.</p> <p><strong>NSW</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kosciuszko National Park</span></p> <p>You can pretty much camp anywhere in NSW’s largest national park but our recommendation is up near the Main Range trail. As it includes Mt Kosciuszko – Australia’s highest peak – you will be privy to the most breathtaking views. This is recommended for the more adept hikers and campers, though, as they are no facilities.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Booderee National Park</span></p> <p>Camping in the Booderee National Park gives you access to the pristine white sands of Jervis Bay. Camp at secluded site Green Patch (great for families) or the grassy patch at Cave Beach, which is near some great surf.</p> <p><strong>SOUTH AUSTRALIA</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Lake Eyre National Park</span></p> <p>Spanning 9,500 square kilometre, Lake Eyre is an oasis in the middle of the South Australian desert. Camping in Lake Eyre National Park is akin to living in the sand dunes. The sites at Halligan Bay, ABC Bay and near Muloorina Station are accessible only by 4WD. While it’s one of the most remote camping experiences, it’s well worth it if you are up for the adventure.</p> <p><strong>WESTERN AUSTRALIA</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mitchell River National Park</span></p> <p>Located in a remote part of the Kimberley, Mitchell River National Park contains some of the most majestic waterfalls and Aboriginal rock art. Camp at Mitchell Falls to see the much photographed Mitchell Falls waterfall which stretches and flows through four tiers.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Cape Le Grand National Park</span></p> <p>Home to the beautiful pure white sands of Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand National Park is great for all sorts of activities – bushwalking, swimming and camping under the stars. The campsite has solar-heated showers so you can warm up after a swim in the clear azure ocean.</p> <p><strong>QUEENSLAND</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Hinchinbrook Island National Park </span></p> <p>Wander through dense rainforests, sandy beaches, cascading waterfalls, rugged headlands, palm wetlands at Hinchinbrook Island. There are some great walking tracks ranging from short and easy to the more challenging, as well as many rugged bush camping opportunities available at Nina Bay, Little Ramsay Bay, Banksia Bay, Zoe Bay, Sunken Reef Bay and Mulligan Falls.</p> <p><strong>TASMANIA</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Flinders Island </span></p> <p>Locating at the northern tip of Tasmania, Flinders Island is a hidden treasure. There is great fishing, scuba diving opportunities (there is a number of wrecks in the area), bike riding, hiking and horse riding with numerous public campsites around.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Beverly Hills, 90210 star Joe E. Tata dead at 86

<p dir="ltr"><em>Beverly Hills, 90210</em> star Joe E. Tata has passed away at the age of 86 following a battle with Alzheimer’s. </p> <p dir="ltr">His devastating death was announced by Tata’s co-star Ian Ziering on Instagram, who paid tribute to the man who played Peach Pit owner Nat Bussichio on the show for 10 years.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ziering started off his post acknowledging the deaths of other colleagues, Jessica Klein one of 90210’s most prolific writers and producers, Denise Douse who played Mrs. Teasley, before sharing the heartbreaking announcement. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m very sad to say Joe E Tata has passed away. Joey was truly an OG, I remember seeing him on the Rockford files with James Garner years before we worked together on 90210,” his post began.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He was often one of the background villains in the original Batman series. </p> <p dir="ltr">“One of the happiest people I’ve ever worked with, he was as generous with his wisdom as he was with his kindness. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Though the peach pit was a 90210 set, It often felt like the backdrop to the Joe E Tata show. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChsG7TirHFW/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChsG7TirHFW/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Ian Ziering (@ianziering)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“The stories of days gone by that he would share, incredible experiences in the entertainment industry that he was a part of would keep us all captivated. </p> <p dir="ltr">“He may have been in the back of many scenes, but he was a leading force, especially to us guys, on how to appreciate the gift that 90210 was. </p> <p dir="ltr">“My smile dims today but basking in fond memories moves him from my eyes to my heart where he will always be.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My sincere condolences go out to his family and friends, and everyone else he was dear too. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Rest In peace Joey.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Tata’s health began to deteriorate in 2014 but it was only in 2018 when he was officially diagnosed with Alzehimer’s </p> <p dir="ltr">“Now 86 years old, his illness has progressed to its final stages," Tata’s daughter Kelly wrote on a crowdsourcing page for her father. </p> <p dir="ltr">"He spends his days scared and confused. The few times I've seen him, there is relief and joy in his eyes."</p> <p dir="ltr">"Nat was a loving father figure to the kids of West Beverly High. In real life, my Dad, Joey, is honest, kind, and a truly incredible father."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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Camping tragedy as parents and 6-year-old girl killed

<p>A nine-year-old boy who was camping at an Iowa state park in the US with his parents and six-year-old sister has survived a shooting that killed the rest of his family.</p> <p>The Iowa Department of Public Safety identified the victims as Tyler Schmidt, 42; his 42-year-old wife, Sarah Schmidt; and their daughter, Lula Schmidt, all of Cedar Falls, Iowa.</p> <p>Their bodies were found in their tent early Friday at the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground, about 290 kilometres east of Des Moines.</p> <p>Authorities said the suspected gunman, 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, was found dead on Friday in a wooded area of the park with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.</p> <p>Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety’s division of criminal investigation says that the motive for the attack was still unknown.</p> <p>“We don’t know what led up to this, what precipitated it,” he said, adding that so far, “the investigation has not revealed any early interaction between the Schmidt family and him.”</p> <p>Adam Morehouse, brother to the victim Sarah Schmidt, said the family had no connection to Sherwin and he believed it was a “completely random act.”</p> <p>Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green, who said he is a neighbour of the Schmidts, posted on Facebook on Friday the 22nd of July saying that the couple's nine-year-old son, Arlo, “survived the attack, and is safe.”</p> <p>The post did not say whether Arlo was in the tent or even at the campsite when the shootings happened, and the mayor says he doesn’t have those details. It was confirmed Arlo was on the family's camping trip, but said he didn't know the boys whereabouts at the time of the shooting.</p> <p>“He is with family and he is OK, but I have not had any interaction with him,” Morehouse said.</p> <p>“As far as I know, he was uninjured physically.”</p> <p>By the evening of Saturday the 23rd of July, more than $108,000 had flowed into a crowdfunding campaign created for Arlo.</p> <p>The page, organised by a cousin, Beth Shapiro, said: “Arlo is a strong boy, surrounded by family and friends who are supporting him as best we can.”</p> <p>The killings prompted the evacuation of the park and campground, including a children's summer camp. After the evacuations, Sherwin allegedly was the only person unaccounted for.</p> <p>He said that during the course of the investigation, authorities learned Sherwin was armed and “that of course heightened our awareness.” Iowa allows people with permits to carry firearms virtually anywhere in the state.</p> <p>Officials did not say if Sherwin had a permit and provided no information about the firearm used to kill the Schmidts.</p> <p>It was reported that Sherwin was from La Vista, Nebraska.</p> <p>Felicia Coe, 35, of Des Moines, was at the campground Friday morning with her boyfriend and his two sons, ages 11 and 16. She said the 16-year-old went out early to go running, and she was talking with someone at the park at about 6:30 am when two park rangers dressed in helmets, vests and carrying what looked like automatic rifles told them to leave the campground.</p> <p>More law enforcement and an ambulance showed up, at the time, Coe did not know what happened. But she recalls seeing a little boy standing near the paramedics.</p> <p>“He was in his pyjamas. I distinctly remember he had one blue tennis shoe,” she said. She later saw a picture of the Schmidt family online and said she recognised the boy she saw as Arlo.</p> <p>“He’s got this really cute, floppy-curly, moppy, strawberry-blond hair that’s really distinguishable,” Coe said. “He was in these super cute little pyjamas, like a cotton T-shirt and shorts that matched. ... He was just standing there. He wasn’t crying. He wasn’t distraught. But he also wasn’t being comforted. He was just standing there by himself.”</p> <p>The Schmidts moved to Cedar Falls in 2018 and had been active in the community ever since, according to Morehouse.</p> <p><em>Image: Schmidt and Morehead families / Facebook</em></p>

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Hugh Grant trolls outgoing PM Boris Johnson

<p dir="ltr">Actor Hugh Grant has engaged in some hilarious antics against outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid calls for the leader to quit.</p> <p dir="ltr">After several days defying calls for his resignation from Conservative MPs and mass resignations from his cabinet, Mr Johnson finally announced he would resign late on Thursday (Australian time).</p> <p dir="ltr">But, the announcement came with the sounds of <em>Yakety Sax</em> playing in the background - per a request from Grant.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5fa9ef9d-7fff-14c1-c7fc-4f22cc7c8cf6">The<em> Love Actually</em> star requested activists standing outside Westminster to play the famed <em>Benny Hill Show</em> theme song, which activist and anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray honoured at full volume.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Morning <a href="https://twitter.com/snb19692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@snb19692</a> Glad you have your speakers back. Do you by any chance have the Benny Hill music to hand?</p> <p>— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/HackedOffHugh/status/1544953409845043201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Morning [Mr Bray],” Grant tweeted on Thursday afternoon.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Glad you have your speakers back. Do you by any chance have the <em>Benny Hill</em> music to hand?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Bray was all too happy to play the tune, sharing footage of protestors dancing to the wacky tune on the College Green.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-02960a36-7fff-83c2-cb7d-de92ee69ab9d">“Just for [Hugh Grant] as requested here today at the media circus… College Green. The<em> Benny Hill </em>theme tune,” Mr Bray tweeted.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Just for <a href="https://twitter.com/HackedOffHugh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HackedOffHugh</a> as requested here today at the media circus… College Green. The Benny Hill theme tune. <a href="https://t.co/Tazb57gT8e">pic.twitter.com/Tazb57gT8e</a></p> <p>— Steve Bray Activist Against Brexit +Corrupt Tories (@snb19692) <a href="https://twitter.com/snb19692/status/1544998211630383104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The music could even be heard in the background of news broadcasts which aired interviews with MPs, including supporters of Mr Johnson, also held in Parliament Square.</p> <p dir="ltr">Footage of the interviews quickly spread on social media, with many praising Grant and the activists.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Brilliant! Whoever is responsible for the choice of music &amp; the impeccable timing should be given an MBE!!!” one person commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You absolute beauties. He’s only gone and done it!” a second fan wrote.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b3645abc-7fff-ab41-bca7-43924f381034"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Don’t know about you, but I’m pretty damn excited with Boris Johnson’s replacement as the new PM,” another said, sharing a photo of Grant in his role as the British PM in <em>Love Actually</em>.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hugh Grant tweeted a request at activists protesting outside Westminster to play the Benny Hill theme on their loudspeakers; when they did it became the soundtrack for street interviews with leading Tories trying explain the situation to the British people <a href="https://t.co/V1LxUoxRUE">pic.twitter.com/V1LxUoxRUE</a></p> <p>— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) <a href="https://twitter.com/Fritschner/status/1545077380527673344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Your request was Grant’ed Hugh!” another joked. “Bravo Steve! Bravo!”</p> <p dir="ltr">Although Mr Johnson has announced his resignation, he wants to stay until his replacement is chosen.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Today I have appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place,” he said in his speech outside Downing Street.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e0904715-7fff-c9a1-0c72-f82ec641e619"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images</em></p>

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Children and teachers potentially exposed to asbestos for years

<p dir="ltr">Parents have been left fuming after finding out their children and teachers were exposed to the lethal material asbestos. </p> <p dir="ltr">Asbestos was detected in several classrooms at Castle Hill High School back in 2016 but the NSW Department of Education said the report came back negative.</p> <p dir="ltr">Students and teachers had already complained about weird dust particles falling from the roof to the point where they collected samples to get them tested. </p> <p dir="ltr">ClearSafe Environmental Solutions, an independent testing facility, tested the particle and found the dust contained chrysotile asbestos and amosite asbestos.</p> <p dir="ltr">Then in 2020, the school was shut down from May 16 to June 15 where remediation work was carried out.</p> <p dir="ltr">A NSW Department of Education spokesperson confirmed asbestos is no longer a threat to the school following the remediation.</p> <p dir="ltr">“All air monitoring undertaken at the time returned results below or equal to the minimum detection limit,” they said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Testing was completed to ensure the areas were fully remediated and clearance certificates issued before the area was open to students and staff, in strict accordance with SafeWork NSW protocols.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite this, NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell confirmed that an investigation will look into the Department of Education's Professional and Ethical Standards unit and SafeWork NSW.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

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