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Man behind viral "democracy manifest" arrest dies

<p>Jack Karlson, the man behind one of Australia's most famous viral memes, has died aged 82. </p> <p>Karlson shot to fame after footage of his 1991 arrest outside the China Sea Restaurant in Brisbane went viral in 2009 when someone uploaded it to the internet. </p> <p>"Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest," he said during the arrest. </p> <p>"What is the charge? Eating a meal - a succulent Chinese meal?"</p> <p>"Have a look at the headlock here. See that chap over there?" he went on.</p> <p>"Get your hand off my penis! This is the bloke who got me on the penis before."</p> <p>Reports at the time suggested that Karlson had been arrested on suspicion of being criminal that was high on Queensland police's wanted list. </p> <p>While he did have a criminal history himself as he was known for several prison escapes throughout his life, he insisted that he was the wrong man. </p> <p>The reporter who reported Karlson's arrest 33 years ago, Chris Reason, confirmed Karlson's death in a social media post on X, tweeting that "Mr Democracy Manifest has died".</p> <p>A fundraiser had been set up for Karlson by his niece in June after he was reportedly diagnosed with prostate cancer and needed surgery for cataracts. </p> <p>“I know Jack’s video has given a lot of people joy and he has inspired many memes, t-shirts and other things over the years but Jack himself is doing it quite tough,” his niece wrote on the fundraiser at the time. </p> <p>“He has never had much money but has always been generous to family and friends. He lives week to week in regional QLD with the help of a voluntary carer.</p> <p>“Hoping people can dig deep – I think he’s worth at least a beer, maybe even a 6-pack.”</p> <p>In an update last week, his niece said that he wasn't doing well. </p> <p>“He has been in Hospital for two weeks now,” she wrote.</p> <p>“He has had multiple procedures but things are not looking good.</p> <p>“One thing that did lift his spirits was that the GoFundMe was taking off. He has been really appreciative of the donations and the comments.”</p> <p>A documentary about his life is currently in production and set to be released in early 2025. </p> <p><em>Images: 7News</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

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First lady of Australian television dies aged 92

<p>Renowned Australian children’s presenter Dawn Kenyon has died aged 92.</p> <p>Kenyon, originally Dorothy Dingwell, was born in Toowoomba in 1932 and made her TV debut in 1956, the same year that it was introduced in Australia. </p> <p>She became the country's first female host of children's show, with her appearance on <em>Captain Fortune</em>, and was later referred to as the “first lady of Australian television”.</p> <p>Known affectionately as Miss Dawn, she hosted several early Australian children's shows and became a household name with her role on Channel Seven’s <em>Romper Room</em> in the late 1950s, almost a decade before <em>ABC’s Play School </em>made its debut in 1966.</p> <p>In addition to her on screen roles, she also made significant contributions behind the scenes as a producer and screenwriter. </p> <p>A year after she made her TV debut, she married Fred Kenyon, a British TV engineer, and they share three children, Steven, Peter and Anne. </p> <p>After her marriage she chose to step away from her presenting career and relocated to England when her husband accepted a job there. </p> <p>Her legacy endured, with her friends in the media industry paying tribute to her as news broke of her death. </p> <p>“Dawn was always a shining light,” Australian journalist Anita Jacoby said.</p> <p>“She was so often the first to greet us, introduce us to new families, and lead us deeper into that magic of the Merry Makers,” <em>60 Minutes’ </em>Jeff McMullen said.</p> <p><em>Image: National Archives of Australia/ news.com.au</em></p>

Caring

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Internet icon falls asleep during interview with Karl

<p>An interview on the <em>Today</em> show has gone pear-shaped after the famous guest seemed to fall asleep live on air. </p> <p>Hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo were joined by Jack Karlson: the man behind the infamous “Democracy Manifest” news segment from 1991, which later became a much-loved online meme.</p> <p>Karlson, who appears in the vintage news clip being arrested outside a Brisbane restaurant after enjoying what he referred to as a “succulent Chinese meal”, was joined by one of his arresting officers on the morning show to discuss the incident. </p> <p>The interview kicked off and quickly went downhill, as the elderly gentlemen seemed to be having audio problems and couldn't hear Karl and Sarah's line of questioning.</p> <p>Then, as the former police officer began answering questions, Karlson closed his eyes for over a minute, seemingly having a nap live on air. </p> <p>Stefanovic noticed Karlson's impromptu kip, asking, “I just got a little worried there, Jack might’ve nodded off like <em>Weekend at Bernies</em>. You still with us, Jackie boy?”</p> <p>Karlson opened his eyes and rejoined the conversation to discuss the upcoming documentary <em>The Man Who Ate A Succulent Chinese Meal</em>, based on Karlson’s life.</p> <p>Directed by Heath Davis and co-produced by Tim Randall and Mark Dapin, author of <em>Carnage: A Succulent Chinese Meal</em> based on the now-viral event, the film is currently set for release in March 2025.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PeihcfYft9w?si=QX2m9akJwHEwwBev" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>The video of Karlson’s arrest became an meme when it was finally uploaded to the internet in 2009. </p> <p>In the video, Karlson declared while resisting arrest by police: “This is democracy manifest!”, “Get your hand off my penis!” and “What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?” </p> <p><em>Image credits: Today </em></p>

TV

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Chinese zoo's "panda" display under fire

<p>A zoo in China has come under fire after visitors noticed something strange about the baby panda display. </p> <p>Taizhou Zoo, in the eastern Jiangsu Province, advertised their baby panda enclosure, which was actually just two small Chow Chow dogs dyed black and white. </p> <p>The tickets to the display which are believed to have gone public late last week, read "Xiong Mao Quan" which translates to "panda dogs", Chinese newspaper The Global Times reported.</p> <p>Footage of the animals in the enclosure has gone viral, with many sharing their confusion over the zoo's special enclosure. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province dyed two chow chow puppies black and white and promoted them as so-called “panda dogs.” <a href="https://t.co/Jo7q1dBzZJ">pic.twitter.com/Jo7q1dBzZJ</a></p> <p>— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) <a href="https://twitter.com/shanghaidaily/status/1786948655880290806?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>A staff member at the zoo, Liu Qiuming, told the local publication the panda scheme was used to attract more visitors and better their experience, as the zoo does not have any pandas of its own.</p> <p>The display has reportedly raised concerns of fraud but another staffer has insisted the zoo has not tricked or manipulated its visitors, given the direct translation of the exhibit. </p> <p>"This is just a new display we offer to visitors. We are not charging extra," a ticket seller told The Global Times.</p> <p>"The wording featuring Chow Chow dogs is correct and exactly describes what they are, so we are not cheating our visitors."</p> <p><em>Image credits: X (Twitter)</em></p>

International Travel

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First look at the new and improved Brekky Central

<p>After completing their final broadcast in the legacy Martin Place studio, the <em>Sunrise</em> team have broadcast their first show from the new and improved Brekky Central. </p> <p>The breakfast program began its first show from Seven’s Eveleigh studios, unveiling the highly-anticipated state-of-the-art studio on Monday morning.</p> <p>Hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Shirvington could hardly contain their excitement as they greeted viewers for the first time from their new desk. </p> <p>Sunday’s <em>Weekend Sunrise</em> marked the end of an era at the Martin Place studios for both <em>Sunrise</em> and Channel 7 after more than 19 years.</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/reel/CvD5DnZgGtB/?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/reel/CvD5DnZgGtB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sunrise (@sunriseon7)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><em>Sunrise</em> and <em>The Morning Show</em> have now joined <em>7NEWS</em> in Eveleigh, which began broadcasting from its new home in June, while 7NEWS.com.au and 7NEWS Spotlight moved across in May.</p> <p>The arrival of the <em>Sunrise</em>, <em>Weekend Sunrise</em> and <em>The Morning Show</em> teams means that for the first time in more than 40 years, the entire Seven Sydney operation and all broadcast and operational staff across all departments are now under one roof.</p> <p>Speaking of the move to Eveleigh, Seven Network Director of Morning Television, Sarah Stinson, said “From today, viewers will see a brighter and fresher look, but the heart of our shows will never change. Our teams will continue to bring the best coverage of news, sport, weather, entertainment and so much more – and we’ll continue to have a laugh as only <em>Sunrise</em> and<em> The Morning Show</em> can.”</p> <p>Throughout the show, viewers got an inside look to the brand-new set, while Mark Beretta gave the audience a tour of the studio, make-up room and control room.</p> <p>“Twenty years ago when we moved into Martin Place we did a tour, so now it is appropriate to do a new tour,” the sports presenter explained.</p> <p>With a <em>Sunrise</em> microphone in hand, Beretts proceeded to walk around the vast new set, sharing details of the layout and curtain that divides <em>Sunrise</em> from the <em>7NEWS</em> set.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

TV

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Sweet reason for Ray Hadley's big property purchase

<p dir="ltr">2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley has purchased a stunning Central Coast property with his wife, Sophie. </p> <p dir="ltr">The seaside retreat is situated on the Bouddi Peninsula in New South Wales, right on the water’s edge of Pretty Beach, and boasts impressive views across Brisbane Water - views that a balcony accessed by the living, kitchen, and dining space makes the most of.</p> <p dir="ltr">The property has five bedrooms, allowing plenty of space for Hadley and Sophie to host their visiting family members  - and most importantly, their grandkids. </p> <p dir="ltr">Hadley, who currently resides in the northwest of Sydney, has four children with five grandchildren from them. And, in happy news for the family, another on the way. </p> <p dir="ltr">He regularly provides his radio listeners with updates on the growing brood, with a focus on the youngest generation - all of them five and under - who mean the entire world to him. </p> <p dir="ltr">As he told <em>9Honey</em>, “​​before I had grandkids five years ago, mates would say, 'you won't believe the difference it makes' ... it's basically changed my life.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Five years ago I had none, now I've got five and another one on the way. They basically are my life.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I just adore them, every one of them, and they've all got different personalities, they're all different people.”</p> <p dir="ltr">He went on to share that the youngest is learning to walk and talk, while the others are prepping for school, with his eldest granddaughter even going so far as to ask him not to work, and to instead come along for her first ever school drop-off. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Just the fact that she asked me to do it made me feel 10-foot tall,” he shared.</p> <p dir="ltr">And the new property will give him the chance to spend more time with them, serving as a midway point for sleepovers, after years of the radio host travelling up the M1 from Sydney to be with them.</p> <p dir="ltr">It isn’t the first time Hadley has dipped his toes into the real estate market, either, with the 68 year old having downsized from his acreage after he turned 66, moving for the first time since the mid-1990s.</p> <p dir="ltr">The home isn’t even his first coastal retreat, with Hadley having snapped up a property on the Gold Coast in 2016, and planning to make an upgrade once again at Main Beach.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though for the time being, he may be a little busy settling into his new home, and maybe even treating himself and Sophie to a night out at their friend John Singleton’s nearby eatery.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: realestate.com.au, Getty</em></p>

Real Estate

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8 fictional places you can visit in real life

<p>Step into the world of your favourite book, movie or TV show with a visit to these fictional locations that represented the original.</p> <p><strong>Hogwarts, <em>Harry Potter</em></strong></p> <p>You won’t see anyone playing Quidditch on the lawns, but Alnwick Castle in Northumberland in the UK played Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films (with a little digital trickery thrown in). The castle has been the home of the Dukes of Northumberland for more than 700 years and is in high demand with film and TV crews – it also stars in the <em>Downton Abbey </em>Christmas specials.</p> <p><em><strong>Jurassic Park</strong></em></p> <p>The lush jungle foliage and towering waterfalls of the island of Kauai in Hawaii served as the backdrop for Stephen Spielberg’s rampaging dinosaurs in all three <em>Jurassic Park</em> movies. You can rent a four-wheel drive and travel through the national park where the movie was filmed though, sadly, none of the dinosaurs remained behind after shooting wrapped.</p> <p><strong>West Egg, <em>The Great Gatsby</em></strong></p> <p>F Scott Fitzgerald modelled West Egg on Great Neck in Long Island, New York. This area on the north coast of Long Island was known as the Gold Coast because of the huge mansions, polo fields, golf courses and country clubs built there by America’s super wealthy (think Vanderbilt, Astor or Guggenheim). The very grand Oheka Castle in nearby Huntington partly inspired Gatsby’s house.</p> <p><strong>Amity Island, <em>Jaws</em></strong></p> <p>Don’t go in the water! The beach on Amity Island was the setting for the first scene in the classic 1970s horror movie, <em>Jaws</em>. As well as looking the part of the perfect American seaside resort, the shallow water of the bay made it easier for the crew to operate the mechanical sharks.</p> <p><strong>Hundred Acre Wood, <em>Winnie the Pooh</em></strong></p> <p>Just over an hour from London you can walk in the footsteps of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin through Ashdown Forest. There’s only about 25 square kilometres of wooded area left from what was once a mighty forest, but it is still quintessentially English and one could almost expect Pooh, Tigger and Piglet to come bounding around a shady corner.</p> <p><strong>Greenbow, <em>Forrest Gump</em></strong></p> <p>Life is like a box of chocolates in Varnville, South Carolina, which served as the fictional town of Greenbow in the Oscar winning movie <em>Forrest Gump</em>. The old Southern mansion that Forrest and his mamma lived in was a fake however, built just for production (and torn down right after), and even some of the Vietnam War scenes were shot around Varnville. Thank goodness for special effects.</p> <p><strong>King’s Landing, <em>Game of Thrones</em></strong></p> <p>The historic Maltese capital of Mdina played the part of Kings Landing in the first series of <em>Game of Thrones</em>. The medieval walled city is in the centre of the island and has a population of just 300 – many of whom weren’t happy about the series. Maltese officials complained about the damage done and filming moved to Croatia for the following series.</p> <p><strong>Hobbiton, <em>The Lord of the Rings</em></strong></p> <p>The three Lord of the Rings movies were such a smash hit that the village of Hobbiton was completely rebuilt in the original film location near Matamata in the North Island of New Zealand. You can step inside the tiny hobbit holes, visit the Green Dragon Inn and (of course) buy a souvenir at the gift shop.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

International Travel

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Seinfeld: how a sitcom ‘about nothing’ changed television for good

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nathan-abrams-122305">Nathan Abrams</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bangor-university-1221">Bangor University</a></em></p> <p>A quarter of a century ago, on 14 May 1998, the final episode of Seinfeld was broadcast, ending one of the most significant sitcoms of all time after nine seasons and 180 episodes. In fact the self-styled “show about nothing” was so important we can talk about the pre-Seinfeld and post-Seinfeld eras.</p> <p>Set in Manhattan, Seinfeld focused on the minutiae of daily life for four friends: Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), his best friend, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and his neighbour Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards).</p> <p>Such a setup might sound familiar to fans of 90s American comedy shows. But Seinfeld abandoned the traditional sitcom structure of an A story and a B story and instead gave each character their own storyline, full of self-aware and metatextual jokes.</p> <p>While co-creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld wanted a single-camera, filmlike aesthetic, the network, NBC, forced them to adopt a multi-camera setup taped in front of a live studio audience to supply the laughter track.</p> <p>Eventually, David and Seinfeld subverted that by shooting more scenes using single cameras and externally so that they could not be taped in front of a studio audience. They also employed a rapid-paced, quick-cutting, music-led style that was then unusual for sitcoms.</p> <p>This created the opportunities for expanding the narrative and cinematographic possibilities we’ve seen since. Seinfeld was a forerunner of the cinematic television we watch today.</p> <p>Consider the elaborate single-camera set pieces of the comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime, or the epic, cinematic look of Netflix’s Better Call Saul.</p> <p>Seinfeld tackled a host of then-taboo topics, which were part of everyday life, including antisemitism, same-gender relationships and masturbation. But because censorship and social mores at that time would not allow the characters to say the word “masturbation”, instead they referred to who can be the “master of their domain”. Such topics are commonplace these days.</p> <p>All four characters are antiheroes. None of them is particularly likeable nor were they intended to be. They are morally ambiguous, malicious, selfish, self-involved and extremely petty. They refuse to improve themselves, evolve or even manifest the slightest desire for change. They learn no lessons and the arc of the entire series revisits those they have wronged.</p> <p>Similar characters can be found in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367279/">Arrested Development</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472954/">It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia</a>. Also, consider Walter White from <a href="https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/70143836">Breaking Bad</a> and <a href="https://www.hbo.com/the-sopranos">Tony Soprano</a>.</p> <p>If all four leads in Seinfeld are bad, then George is the worst. Modelled on co-creator, Larry David, he is the epitome of male privilege. Such characters populate the televisual landscape today, not least in David’s later show, <a href="https://www.hbo.com/curb-your-enthusiasm">Curb Your Enthusiasm</a>, in which he stars as a version of himself.</p> <p>Elaine Benes stands out as a strong female character for the time. In one episode, in the face of a shortage of contraception, she judges whether her sexual partners are “sponge-worthy” or not. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays her with a tremendous physical comedy, as well as comic timing. She was unapologetic, and her sexuality and work life are foregrounded. Clearly, this set the template for her later series, <a href="https://www.hbo.com/veep">Veep</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1njzgXSzA-A?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Festivus is celebrated on December 23 each year, thanks to Seinfeld.</span></figcaption></figure> <p>The show generated billions of dollars in revenue, making NBC US$150 million (about £93 million) a year at its peak. By the ninth and final season, Jerry Seinfeld was earning US$1 million an episode. NBC executives tried to get him to return for a tenth season by offering him US$5 million an episode, but Seinfeld turned it down.</p> <p>Among the show’s fans was the legendary director Stanley Kubrick. “He was crazy about The Simpsons and Seinfeld,” his friend <a href="https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/movies/kubrick-by-michael-herr/">Michael Herr recounted</a>. As a Kubrick expert, I even suspect that the set design influenced his final film, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120663/">Eyes Wide Shut</a> (1999).</p> <p>Watching Seinfeld again now – and I have re-watched every episode – some of it lands terribly today. Take the episodes with Babu Bhatt, a Pakistani immigrant who runs a restaurant across the street from Jerry’s apartment. He appears in three episodes of the show and is known for his catchphrase, “Very bad man!” which he uses to insult Jerry.</p> <p>The problem is that Babu is played by actor Brian George, who was born in Jerusalem to Iraqi Jewish parents, and is clearly wearing makeup and affecting a south Asian accent.</p> <p>At the same time, the lack of diversity in Seinfeld is striking. New York is represented by Manhattan alone, rather than any of the other four boroughs that make up the metropolis. Its image of the Big Apple is white and middle class.</p> <p>As journalist and screenwriter Lindy West has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/09/politically-correct-jerry-seinfeld-comedy-marginalised-voices">observed</a>, the series featured only 19 black people, 18 of whom were one-off characters such as “the waiter” and “the guy who parks cars”. There was only one recurring black character – Kramer’s lawyer, Jackie Chiles – whose mimicry of OJ Simpson’s lawyer, Johnnie Cochran, makes him look like a real shyster.</p> <p>So, while Seinfeld may feel like a dated product of the late 1990s, it was ahead of the curve aesthetically, structurally and in terms of narrative and characterisation. Today’s television would be unthinkable without it.<!-- 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/201497/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>Image credit: Getty</em></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nathan-abrams-122305">Nathan Abrams</a>, Professor of Film Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bangor-university-1221">Bangor University</a></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/seinfeld-how-a-sitcom-about-nothing-changed-television-for-good-201497">original article</a>.</em></p>

TV

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Restaurant under fire for denying entry to war veteran with service dog

<p>A Perth restaurant has been slammed after denying entry to a US war veteran and his service dog.</p> <p>David Pearce and his English Labrador, Gunner, were denied entry to the Chinese restaurant Juice Bao Bao on May 19.</p> <p>Gunner is a certified service dog who assists Pearce through life as he suffers from PTSD, hearing loss and a brain injury.</p> <p>"I tried to explain he's a service dog and they have to allow us in and they said no service dogs, the owner doesn't want any dogs," Pearce said</p> <p>"It was embarrassing, [and] a bit humiliating.”</p> <p>Pearce sustained his injuries while serving in Iraq and Syria.</p> <p>He has served in the US military for nearly 20 years. He and Gunner have been “best buddies” for nine years.</p> <p>"He's saved my life a couple of times," Pearce said.</p> <p>Pearce has launched an official complaint to the Western Australian government following the ordeal.</p> <p>Juice Bao Bao manager Elaine Hsu took responsibility for the decision to refuse entry to Pearce.</p> <p>"That was my personal decision so that's my fault," she told 9News.</p> <p>"We want to sincerely apologise to him and we want to ask him to come here [for a] free meal.</p> <p>"[We will] make sure this [does] not happen again.”</p> <p>The restaurant has received a number of negative reviews since Pearce shared his story.</p> <p>"I'm not really interested in a free meal, although some dumplings would go down really nicely," Pearce said .</p> <p>"I'm just happy that they're changing their policy."</p> <p>Assistance and service dogs are legally allowed to enter any public venue if their certification is displayed on their vest and the owner can provide a service animal ID.</p> <p><em>Image credit: 9News / Nine</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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

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

TV

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Graffiti grandma banned by council

<p dir="ltr">A fed up grandma who helped motorists avoid huge potholes has been banned by the local council.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jenny Hartich from the NSW Central Coast has taken it upon herself to spray paint warning signs or colourful animals around and near potholes.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 76-year-old said she was sick of waiting for the council to fix the roads and knew she had to take matters in her own hands.</p> <p dir="ltr">“No, I've been fixing it, doing it and getting it done, getting them filled,” she told <em>A Current Affair.</em></p> <p dir="ltr">“The community have donated money and donated spray cans just to keep me going to keep everyone safe. They know they're coming up to a pothole.”</p> <p dir="ltr">But despite her helpful work, Jenny said she has been banned from warning motorists for her own safety and requested she take photos of the potholes and send it to them.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They didn't want to see me splattered on the road.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Severe rain has caused many potholes to open up on NSW roads with drivers becoming frustrated waiting for compensation from the government.</p> <p dir="ltr">Transport for NSW (TFNSW) said more than 1,000 claims for damage have been made between March and June this year.</p> <p dir="ltr">Only 82 of the claims have been processed due to a delay in investigations.</p> <p dir="ltr">"When a claim is received, an investigation into the condition of the road is carried out," a TFNSW spokesperson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Factors such as the incident location and date as well as inspection and maintenance records are taken into consideration to determine whether there is potential liability and the claim may be accepted."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: A Current Affair</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Nobel economics prize: insights into financial contagion changed how central banks react during a crisis

<p><em>This year’s <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2022/prize-announcement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nobel prize in economics</a>, known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences, has gone to Douglas Diamond, Philip Dybvig and former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke for their work on banks and how they relate to financial crises.</em></p> <p><em>To explain the work and why it matters, we talked to Elena Carletti, a Professor of Finance at Bocconi University in Milan.</em></p> <p><strong>Why have Diamond, Bernanke and Dybvig been awarded the prize?</strong></p> <p>The works by <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2022/10/popular-economicsciencesprize2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Diamond and Dybvig</a> essentially explained why banks exist and the role they play in the economy by channelling savings from individuals into productive investments. Essentially, banks play two roles. On the one hand, they monitor borrowers within the economy. On the other, they provide liquidity to individuals, who don’t know what they will need to buy in future, and this can make them averse to depositing money in case it’s not available when they need it. Banks smooth out this aversion by providing us with the assurance that we will be able to take out our money when it’s required.</p> <p>The problem is that by providing this assurance, banks are also vulnerable to crises even at times when their finances are healthy. This occurs when individual depositors worry that many other depositors are removing their money from the bank. This then gives them an incentive to remove money themselves, which can lead to a panic that causes a bank run.</p> <p>Ben Bernanke fed into this by looking at bank behaviour during the great depression of the 1930s, and showed that bank runs during the depression was the decisive factor in making the crisis longer and deeper than it otherwise would have been.</p> <p><strong>The observations behind the Nobel win seem fairly straightforward compared to previous years. Why are they so important?</strong></p> <p>It’s the idea that banks that are otherwise financially sound can nevertheless be vulnerable because of panicking depositors. Or, in cases such as during the global financial crisis of 2007-09, it can be a combination of the two, where there is a problem with a bank’s fundamentals but it is exacerbated by panic.</p> <p>Having recognised the intrinsic vulnerability of healthy banks, it was then possible to start thinking about policies to alleviate that risk, such as depositor insurance and reassuring everyone that the central bank will step in as the lender of last resort.</p> <p>In a bank run caused by liquidity (panic) rather than insolvency, an announcement from the government or central bank is likely to be enough to solve the problem on its own – often without the need for any deposit insurance even being paid out. On the other hand, in a banking crisis caused by insolvency, that’s when you need to pump in money to rescue the institution.</p> <p><strong>What was the consensus about bank runs before Diamond and Dybvig began publishing their work?</strong></p> <p>There had been a lot of bank runs in the past and it was understood that financial crises were linked to them – particularly before the US Federal Reserve was founded in 1913. It was understood that bank runs made financial crises longer by exacerbating them. But the mechanism causing the bank runs wasn’t well understood.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489027/original/file-20221010-11-on0vn4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489027/original/file-20221010-11-on0vn4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489027/original/file-20221010-11-on0vn4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=405&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489027/original/file-20221010-11-on0vn4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=405&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489027/original/file-20221010-11-on0vn4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=405&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489027/original/file-20221010-11-on0vn4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=509&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489027/original/file-20221010-11-on0vn4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=509&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489027/original/file-20221010-11-on0vn4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=509&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Police controlling an angry crowd during a Paris bank in 1904" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">A bank run in Paris in 1904.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/paris-police-hold-back-crowd-making-242294071" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Everett Collection</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>How easy is it to tell what kind of bank run you are dealing with?</strong></p> <p>It’s not always easy. For example, in 2008 in Ireland it was thought to be a classic example of bank runs caused by liquidity fears. The state stepped up to give a blanket guarantee to creditors, but it then became apparent that the banks were really insolvent and the government had to inject enormous amounts of money into them, which led to a sovereign debt crisis.</p> <p>Speaking of sovereign debt crises, the work by Diamond and Dybvig also underpins the literature on financial contagion, which is based on a <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/262109" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2000 paper</a> by Franklin Allen and Douglas Gale. I worked with Allen and Gale for many years, and all our papers have been based on the work of Diamond, and Diamond and Dybvig.</p> <p>In a similar way to how state reassurances can defuse a bank run caused by liquidity problems, we saw how the then European Central Bank President Mario Draghi was able to defuse the run on government bonds in the eurozone crisis in 2011 by saying that the bank would do “<a href="https://qz.com/1038954/whatever-it-takes-five-years-ago-today-mario-draghi-saved-the-euro-with-a-momentous-speech/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whatever it takes</a>” to preserve the euro.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tB2CM2ngpQg?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p><strong>The prize announcement has attracted plenty of people on social media saying we shouldn’t be celebrating Bernanke when he was so involved in the quantitative easing (QE) that has helped to cause today’s global financial problems – what’s your view?</strong></p> <p>I would say that without QE our problems would today be much worse, but also that the prize recognises his achievements as an academic and not as chair of the Fed. Also, Bernanke was only one of the numerous central bankers who resorted to QE after 2008.</p> <p>And it is not only the central bank actions that make banks stable. It’s also worth pointing out that the changes to the rules around the amount of capital that banks have to hold after 2008 have made the financial system much better protected against bank runs than it was beforehand.</p> <p><strong>Should such rules have been introduced when the academics first explained the risks around bank runs and contagion?</strong></p> <p>The literature had certainly hinted at these risks, but regulation-wise, we had to wait until after the global financial crisis to see <a href="https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/fsr/art/ecb.fsrart201405_03.en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reforms such as</a> macro-prudential regulation and more stringent micro-prudential regulation. This shows that regulators were underestimating the risk of financial crises, perhaps also pushed by the banking lobbies that had been traditionally very powerful and managed to convince regulators that risks were well managed.</p> <p><strong>If retail banks become less important in future because of blockchain technology or central bank digital currencies, do you think the threat of financial panic will reduce?</strong></p> <p>If we are heading for a situation where depositors put their money into central banks rather than retail banks, that would diminish the role of retail banking, but I think we are far from that. Central bank digital currencies can be designed in such a way that retail banks are still necessary. But either way, the insights from Diamond and Dybvig about liquidity panics are still relevant because they apply to any context where coordination failures among investors are important, such as sovereign debt crises, currency attacks and so on.<!-- 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/192208/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><span id="docs-internal-guid-b64a001e-7fff-6de9-427e-bf63c137d340">Written by Elena Carletti. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/nobel-economics-prize-insights-into-financial-contagion-changed-how-central-banks-react-during-a-crisis-192208" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </span></em></p> <p><em>Image: The Nobel Foundation</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Peppa Pig has introduced a pair of lesbian polar bears, but Aussie kids’ TV has been leading the way in queer representation

<p>Peppa Pig’s first same-sex couple, a pair of lesbian polar bears, were recently introduced after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/sep/08/peppa-pig-introduces-its-first-same-sex-couple" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a petition to include a same-sex family</a> received nearly 24,000 signatures.</p> <p>Children’s television has often been a place to push the boundaries of diverse representations onscreen. In particular, Australian children’s TV has been a global leader in screen diversity, including gender and queer representation.</p> <p>Emmy-winning Australian series <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10614090/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Day</a> (2020-22) tells the story of a transgender girl starting high school.</p> <p>Another Emmy-winner, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8747140/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hardball</a> (2019-21) includes gay dads for one of the lead characters.</p> <p>Even recent updates to The Wiggles’ line-up has placed a greater emphasis on gender diversity, including <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/the-wiggles-announces-four-new-band-members-with-focus-on-diversity-gender-equality/news-story/dbc914965a83332c857e7665b3639ba0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adding a non-binary unicorn</a>.</p> <h2>Diverse representation</h2> <p>Children’s TV is often less risk averse than programming aimed at adults.</p> <p>The ABC is <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1329878X16687400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">empowered</a> to take risks with representations of gender and sexuality in children’s programming because of its publicly funded role.</p> <p>But such progressive portrayals can sometimes chafe with outdated expectations of children’s television. In 2004, Play School <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07380560802314128" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faced controversy</a> for showing lesbian mothers.</p> <p>As social acceptance has progressed, Australian children’s TV has been able to achieve more queer representations.</p> <p>Talking to the Queering Australian Screens <a href="https://djomeara.com/phd-research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research project</a>, television professionals often praised the genre for its openness to new ideas, representations and bringing in new talent.</p> <p>Tony Ayres, Creator of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowhere_Boys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nowhere Boys</a> (2013-18), observed those who commission children’s TV are “generally very open to diverse representation”.</p> <p>This representation happens behind the scenes, too, with Ayres describing how these shows often give new talent their first credit.</p> <p>David Hannam, who has written for several kids’ TV shows including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_Academy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dance Academy</a> (2010-13), said children’s television “has led the way”.</p> <p>Speaking of his time at the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, Hannam noted the foundation had an “almost charter responsibility” to show diversity on screen, “with great caution and responsibility”.</p> <p>Julie Kalceff created First Day, which starred a young trans actor, Evie McDonald, as a trans girl starting high school.</p> <p>When she was developing the show, Kalceff shared that she was initially concerned about what would be allowed on children’s TV:</p> <p>There were no trans people on television. There were no TV shows with trans actors in the lead role. I thought there’s no way the ABC is going to do this. And there’s no way they’re going to do it with kids’ TV. But to their credit, the ABC was so supportive, and was so behind the project from the beginning.</p> <h2>What audiences want</h2> <p>It is not only TV producers who are eager to widen representation in children’s television. Audiences are also seeking out more inclusive content.</p> <p>Just like Peppa Pig in the UK, there have been calls in Australia for more diversity in animated hit Bluey, with the show adding its <a href="https://10play.com.au/theproject/articles/bluey-introduces-first-auslan-signing-character-in-a-new-special-episode/tpa220616bswgm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first Auslan signing character</a> in June.</p> <p>One of our research projects, Australian Children’s Television Cultures’ <a href="https://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/2022/05/new-research-shows-the-way-families-watch-TV-is-changing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 survey</a> found 90% of Australian parents believe diverse representation is an important element of children’s TV.</p> <p>As one father explained:</p> <blockquote> <p>Diversity on screen helps children learn about people with different upbringings from their own, expanding their empathy for and curiosity about other people.</p> </blockquote> <p>In contrast to the controversy Play School received nearly 20 years ago for its inclusion of same-sex parents, a mother praised the show for “doing a fantastic job” of depicting diversity in relationships.</p> <p>Not everyone believes Australian television is doing enough. One survey respondent praised the way shows like Bluey reflect Australian culture, but said he would “love to see more LGBT representation […] It would be nice as a kid to know you’re valid.”</p> <h2>Uncertain futures</h2> <p>The streaming era has changed how families and children watch TV. This raises concerns about the future of Australian children’s content.</p> <p>The recent <a href="https://theconversation.com/cheese-n-crackers-concerns-deepen-for-the-future-of-australian-childrens-television-147183" target="_blank" rel="noopener">removal of quotas</a> for Australian networks to air a minimum number of hours of children’s television, alongside the absence of quotas on streaming services, has led to <a href="https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/09/producers-slam-hypocritical-networks-as-australian-childrens-tv-plummets.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a reduction</a> in the production of local kids’ TV.</p> <p>From Play School to Bluey, children’s TV has reflected the richness of Australian cultural life. There is a risk that if Australian child audiences need to rely on international content, future generations will not see themselves on screen.</p> <p>With the loss of local voices, Australian kids’ TV may also lose its ability to push boundaries of diversity and inclusion.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/peppa-pig-has-introduced-a-pair-of-lesbian-polar-bears-but-aussie-kids-tv-has-been-leading-the-way-in-queer-representation-190648" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Peppa Pig</em></p>

TV

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Hero dad coward-punched while trying to rescue car crash victim

<p dir="ltr">A 63-year-old father is fighting for his life after being coward-punched in the head while helping a teen in a car accident. </p> <p dir="ltr">Rob Seddon rushed to help a 17-year-old who crashed his Toyota Corolla into a caravan outside his home on Skyhawk Ave in Hamlyn Terrace on the Central Coast around 10pm on Saturday. </p> <p dir="ltr">Along with other neighbours, Mr Seddon assisted the teen before they were ambushed by a group of males who attacked them. </p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Seddon was allegedly hit from the back on the head which caused him to fall backwards, hit his head and lose consciousness. </p> <p dir="ltr">He was flown to John Hunter Hospital in a critical condition where he underwent brain surgery and remains in intensive care in a coma.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Seddon’s 21-year-old son was also allegedly attacked and suffered a broken nose.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I could hear the sheer horrible noises from this guy that was being hurt, I had tears in my eyes, I knew it was bad,” neighbour Diane Gardner told Nine News.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was absolutely horrible. You could hear his pain and he wanted help.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Police are asking anyone with information about the alleged attackers to come forward. </p> <p dir="ltr">The 17-year-old driver who crashed into Mr Seddon’s caravan was breathalysed at the scene and returned a positive blood-alcohol reading.</p> <p dir="ltr">He was then charged with negligent driving and drink-driving on P-plates.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Nine News</em></p>

Caring

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Woolies worker seriously stabbed while stacking shelves

<p dir="ltr">A Woolworths worker who was allegedly randomly stabbed with a 40cm has opened up about the terrifying ordeal.</p> <p dir="ltr">Donna Grocott was stacking shelves in the pet aisle at Woolworths in Ellenbrook Central in northeast Perth when she was allegedly stabbed in the back of her hip by Cassandra Hickling on August 16.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 44-year-old worker was rushed to hospital with the 40cm knife still lodged in her back and required seven staples after it was removed.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also suffered injuries to her fingers but says she is lucky to be alive after the knife failed to puncture any major organs.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I feel very fortunate that my injuries were not worse,” Ms Grocott said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’d like to thank the people who helped me at the store and the emergency responders and the hospital staff for taking care of me.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Hickling, 35, was arrested at her home and charged with attempted murder. She remains behind bars awaiting her court appearance at the end of the month.</p> <p dir="ltr">Midland Police Detective Sergeant Tania Mackenzie confirmed the women did not know each other and that Hickling purchased the knife from a different shop.</p> <p dir="ltr">“(It is) something I’ve never heard of happening before in my career,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was just someone going about their day-to-day work, stacking shelves in the shopping centre.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There’s been no one else in the aisle and she’s been approached by the suspect who has (allegedly) stabbed her with a filleting knife.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Woolworths is offering counselling to staff.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 7News/Facebook</em></p>

Caring

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Patti Newton's first televised interview since losing Bert

<p>In her first televised interview since her late husband died, Patti Newton as revealed the sad question Bert asked her before he passed away. </p> <p>Appearing on <em>The Morning Show</em>, Patti recalled Bert's remarkable outlook on life, and shared a sweet conversation the couple had while he was in hospital. </p> <p>“I went in one day and he was very upset sitting in the wheelchair and I said, ‘What’s the matter? Has something happened?’ And he said, ‘No, I just want to know whether I have been a good person and whether you think I have done an OK job through all of this,’” Patti recalled.</p> <p>“And I had to say to him that out of everyone I know, all the people in his position and in his line of work, I do not know anybody else that would have handled having a leg amputated and being so, you know – not being able to move or go anywhere – so well.”</p> <p>She continued on, saying “I was so proud of him because, to be honest, it was a joy. I would go in every morning and I would ask how he was and he would say, ‘Oh, I had the most beautiful shower’. </p> <p>“I think that anybody who can be happy and feel so good about having a lovely shower, you know, you have got to admire that I think. It is finding the best out of nothing really.”</p> <p>Patti has previously shed light on how life has been since her husband died in October 2021, saying she feels his presence everywhere. </p> <p>“He is very much present in the house and everywhere we go … I think he is sort of here with me and he always will be.</p> <div id="indie-campaign-rHsIzpAmAj7xkA4llYlH-2" data-campaign-name="NCA ENTERTAINMENT newsletter" data-campaign-indie="newsletter-signup" data-jira="TSN-268" data-from="1640955600000" data-to="1677502800000"></div> <p>“It is not easy but it never is,” she added.</p> <p>Patti also went on to reveal how her beloved grandchildren have been coping with the loss of their grandfather. </p> <p>“Little Monte will come and say, ‘Nan, Nan, quick come look outside because Poppy is there.’ And I see the moon is up there with the face and he will say, ‘See, he is looking down on you Nan.’<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: #ffffff;">”</span></p> <p>Bert, affectionately known as “Moonface” in the entertainment industry, died in palliative care at a private clinic in Melbourne at the age of 83 after having his leg amputated due to a life threatening infection.</p> <p><em>Image credits: The Morning Show </em></p>

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"I've been saving them heaps": Teen speed camera crusader hailed a hero

<p>A 17-year-old from the Central Coast has found a unique way to help out his community, by warning motorists about upcoming speed cameras. </p> <p>Beau Jackson has been hailed a national hero for spending his spare time on the road helping drivers to avoid unnecessary speed camera fines by alerting them to mobile speed cameras hidden out of sight. </p> <p>No matter the weather, Beau can be seen before and after work on most days across the Central Coast on the lookout for "unfair" cameras that are collecting revenue from unsuspecting drivers. </p> <p>He stands out on the side of the road next to his motorbike with a handwritten sign warning passing drivers. </p> <p>Motorists express their gratitude by beeping their horns and yelling out messages of support. </p> <p>"I want to look out for people as it's a pretty hard time right now," Beau told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/aussie-teens-speed-camera-crusade-helping-locals-avoid-fines/1ab8ed54-1a3c-4396-a2da-ff2c3aa5b422" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">A Current Affair</a>.</p> <p>"I don't want people getting a fine. I've been saving them heaps in the month I've been doing it."</p> <p>"People can cop a $170 fine for just going four kilometres over the limit and right now people are struggling so I just want to help them."</p> <p>Beau claims he has checked with local police to check that what he's doing isn't illegal. </p> <p>"They think I'm doing the community a service as I'm actually making people slow down," he added. </p> <p>Local motorists have declared Beau a national hero for the work he haas done. </p> <p>"He's great at it, saving all our licenses," one man said.</p> <p>Others have pulled over to offer Beau drinks and chocolate while a local tyre business showed their appreciation by giving him new tyres for his motorbike.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine</em></p>

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Kevin Rudd sounds alarm over Chinese invasion

<p dir="ltr">Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has spoken out about the chance of Taiwan being invaded by China and detailed several ways Australia can avoid “sleepwalking into war”, as reported by <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/former-pm-kevin-rudds-chilling-china-warning/news-story/feadbf7e68e90a4c3789a59802eb59af" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Appearing on ABC’s <em>7.30 </em>on Wednesday night, Mr Rudd said few in the West realised how much Chinese leader Xi Jinping wanted to gain control of Taiwan.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s right up there next to Xi Jinping’s desire for the party to remain in power and for him to be the predominant leader within the Communist Party of China,” he said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-374d4e77-7fff-21ab-e2d0-138f8ec508ae"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Rudd said there were only two things preventing China from invading Taiwan: questions of militaristic dominance and the risk of being slapped with similar sanctions to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMrKRudd%2Fvideos%2F804940963809595%2F&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="429" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">“There has been a little too much excited commentary in the West about how China will seize on this strategic opportunity to move on Taiwan. I don’t think that’s the case,” Mr Rudd said.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the former PM did note that the dynamic could shift if the balance of both military and economic power “continues to change in China’s favour”.</p> <p dir="ltr">He added that an invasion of Taiwan would likely be amphibious, unlike Russia’s land-based “blitzkrieg” invasion of Ukraine, and that war game modelling conducted by the US suggests that China would come out on top by just a thin margin.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In most of the war gaming which has been done so far - and these are desktop exercises by and large - if you look at what various US officials have said off the record and partly reported in the American media, the Chinese at this stage win most of the time,” Mr Rudd said.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said recent events meant the situation was being watched very closely by all parties, and that a potential invasion would depend on what the Taiwanese and US does next.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Taiwanese, for the first time in a very long time, I think, are now readdressing their national defence idea needs and I think they will be looking very carefully at the fight which the Ukrainians have put up against Russia,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think it really does depend … on how much more the Taiwanese and the Americans do.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Rudd said Australia’s role should be to encourage the US and other allies towards deterring any invasion, and that working with allies in Japan, South Korea and India was crucial to avoid “sleepwalking into war”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5e2d1395-7fff-51cf-8223-dca3ce5c7818"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Kevin Rudd (Facebook)</em></p>

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