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Shocking moment Glenn McGrath grabs three snakes with bare hands

<p>Aussie Cricket legend Glenn McGrath has turned into a part time snake wrangler after having to remove three snakes from his rural Queensland property with his bare hands.</p> <p>McGrath found the carpet pythons slithering inside his home on Wednesday, and decided to share the footage of him removing the unwelcome guests in different locations in his house. </p> <p>One python was inside his pantry, another was in the living room and third was making its way across the hall.</p> <p>"After plenty of encouragement and support from my wife, all three Coastal Carpet Pythons that were in the house were safely released back into the bush," he captioned the video. </p> <p>In the video, his wife Sara screamed in absolute horror as he removed one of the snakes by grabbing its tail, carefully wrapping it around a mop, and taking it outside.</p> <p>"You're going to get bitten," she screamed. </p> <p>McGrath calmly reassured her that he had it all under control. </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/Cw3aLO5yCV1/?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/Cw3aLO5yCV1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Glenn McGrath (@glennmcgrath11)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Fortunately, the carpet pythons are a non-venomous breed, so there was no real threat to McGrath. </p> <p>However, many fans of the cricketer still applauded his bravery in the comments. </p> <p>"Haha good technique mate. Steve Irwin couldn't have done it any better," wrote one fan. </p> <p>"This is better than his 50 he scored against New Zealand," quipped another. </p> <p>"Keeping a good line and length between self and snake! Good work!" wrote a third. </p> <p>"This 🐍 knows he’s being handled by a CHAMP.. " commented a fourth. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Does private health insurance cut public hospital waiting lists? We found it barely makes a dent

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yuting-zhang-1144393">Yuting Zhang</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jongsay-yong-10803">Jongsay Yong</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ou-yang-937801">Ou Yang</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>The more people take up private health insurance, the <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/senate/community_affairs/completed_inquiries/1999-02/pubhosp/report/c05">less pressure</a> on the public hospital system, including <a href="https://www.privatehealthcareaustralia.org.au/australians-sign-up-to-private-health-insurance-in-record-numbers-to-avoid-hospital-waiting-lists/#:%7E:text=%22Private%20health%20insurance%20is%20the,and%20keep%20pressure%20off%20premiums.">shorter waiting lists</a> for surgery. That’s one of the key messages we’ve been hearing from government and the private health insurance industry in recent years.</p> <p>Governments <a href="https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/health_insurance/surcharges_incentives/index.htm">encourage us</a> to buy private hospital cover. They tempt us with carrots – for instance, with subsidised <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Medicare-and-private-health-insurance/Private-health-insurance-rebate/">premiums</a>. With higher-income earners, the government uses sticks – buy private cover or pay the <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Medicare-and-private-health-insurance/Medicare-levy-surcharge/">Medicare Levy Surcharge</a>. These are just some of the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/delivering-australias-lowest-private-health-insurance-premium-change-in-21-years#:%7E:text=Home-,Delivering%20Australia's%20lowest%20private%20health%20insurance%20premium%20change%20in%2021,be%202.70%20percent%20in%202022">billion-dollar strategies</a> aimed to shift more of us who can afford it into the private system.</p> <p>But what if private health insurance doesn’t have any meaningful impact on public hospital waiting lists after all?</p> <p>That’s what we found in our <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/publications/working-papers/search/result?paper=4721936">recent research</a>. Our analysis suggests if an extra 65,000 people buy private health insurance, public hospital waiting lists barely shift from the average 69 days. Waiting lists are an average just eight hours shorter.</p> <p>In other words, we’ve used hospital admission and waiting-list data to show private health insurance doesn’t make much difference.</p> <h2>What we did</h2> <p>Our <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/publications/working-papers/search/result?paper=4721936">work</a> looked at data from 2014-2018 on hospital admissions and waiting lists for elective surgery in Victoria.</p> <p>The data covered all Victorians who were admitted as an inpatient in all hospitals in the state (both public and private) and those registered on the waiting list for elective surgeries in the state’s public hospitals.</p> <p>That included waiting times for surgeries where people are admitted to public hospitals (as an inpatient). We didn’t include people waiting to see specialist doctors as an outpatient.</p> <p>The data was linked at the patient level, meaning we could track what happened to individuals on the waiting list.</p> <p>We then examined the impact of more people buying private health insurance on waiting times for surgeries in the state’s public hospitals.</p> <p>We did this by looking at the uptake of private health insurance in different areas of Victoria, according to socioeconomic status. After adjusting for patient characteristics that may affect waiting times, these differences in insurance uptake allowed us to identify how this changed waiting times.</p> <h2>What we found</h2> <p>In our sample, on average <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/4721936/wp2023n09.pdf">44% of people</a> in Victoria had private health insurance. This is close to the national average of <a href="https://www.apra.gov.au/private-health-insurance-annual-coverage-survey">45%</a>.</p> <p>We found that increasing the average private health insurance take-up from 44% to 45% in Victoria would reduce waiting times in public hospitals by an average 0.34 days (or about eight hours).</p> <p>This increase of one percentage point is equivalent to 65,000 more people in Victoria (based on <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3101.0Main+Features1Jun%202018?OpenDocument">2018 population data</a>) taking up (and using) private health insurance.</p> <p>The effects vary slightly by surgical specialty. For instance, private health insurance made a bigger reduction to waiting times for knee replacements, than for cancer surgery, compared to the average. But again, the difference only came down to a few hours.</p> <p>Someone’s age also made a slight difference, but again by only a few hours compared to the average wait.</p> <p>Given the common situation facing public and private hospitals across all states and territories, and similar private health insurance take-up in many states, our findings are likely to apply outside Victoria.</p> <h2>Why doesn’t it reduce waiting lists?</h2> <p>While our research did not address this directly, there may be several reasons why private health insurance does not free up resources in the public system to reduce waiting lists:</p> <ul> <li> <p>people might buy health insurance and not use it, preferring to have free treatment in the public system rather than risk out-of-pocket costs in the private system</p> </li> <li> <p>specialists may not be willing to spend more time in the public system, instead <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1753-6405.12488">favouring working</a> in private hospitals</p> </li> <li> <p>there’s a growing need for public hospital services that may not be available in the private system, such as complex neurosurgery and some forms of cancer treatment.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>Why is this important?</h2> <p>Government <a href="https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/health_insurance/surcharges_incentives/index.htm">policies</a> designed to get more of us to buy private health insurance involve a significant sum of public spending.</p> <p>Each year, the Australian government spends about <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/delivering-australias-lowest-private-health-insurance-premium-change-in-21-years#:%7E:text=Home-,Delivering%20Australia's%20lowest%20private%20health%20insurance%20premium%20change%20in%2021,be%202.70%20percent%20in%202022">$A6.7 billion</a> in private health insurance rebates to reduce premiums.</p> <p>In the 2020-21 financial year, Medicare combined with state and territory government expenditure provided almost <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/hospitals/australias-hospitals-at-a-glance/contents/spending-on-hospitals">$6.1 billion</a> to fund services provided in private hospitals.</p> <p> </p> <p>There might be an argument for this public spending if the end result was to substantially take pressure off public hospitals and thereby reduce waiting times for treatment in public hospitals.</p> <p>But the considerable effort it takes to encourage more people to sign up for private health insurance, coupled with the small effect on waiting lists we’ve shown, means this strategy is neither practical nor effective.</p> <p>Given the substantial costs of subsidising private health insurance and private hospitals, public money might be better directed to public hospitals and primary care.</p> <p>In addition, people buying private health insurance can skip the waiting times for elective surgery to receive speedier care. These people are often <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/4682822/wp2023n08.pdf">financially well off</a>, implying unequal access to health care.</p> <h2>What’s next?</h2> <p>The Australian government is currently <a href="https://consultations.health.gov.au/medical-benefits-division/consultation-on-phi-studies/">reviewing</a> private health insurance.</p> <p>So now is a good time for reforms to optimise the overall efficiency of the health-care system (both public and private) and improve population health while saving taxpayer money. We also need policies to ensure equitable access to care as a priority.</p> <p>When it comes to reducing hospital waiting lists, we’ve shown we cannot rely on increased rates of private health insurance coverage to do the heavy lifting.<!-- 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/211680/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/yuting-zhang-1144393">Yuting Zhang</a>, Professor of Health Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jongsay-yong-10803">Jongsay Yong</a>, Associate Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ou-yang-937801">Ou Yang</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</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/does-private-health-insurance-cut-public-hospital-waiting-lists-we-found-it-barely-makes-a-dent-211680">original article</a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Harry Potter star bares all for Vogue at 82

<p dir="ltr"><em>Harry Potter</em> actress Miriam Margolyes has graced the cover of <em>British Vogue</em> and bared all for a shoot with the publication, stripping down to share her thoughts on life, love, career, and everything in between. </p> <p dir="ltr">It was an important step for Miriam - best known for her role as Professor Pomona Sprout in the <em>Harry Potter </em>and her BAFTA-winning performance in <em>The Age of Innocence </em>- who confessed during her interview for the magazine’s Pride issue that “I like my face. I think my face is kind and warm and open and smiley. </p> <p dir="ltr">“But I hate my body. I hate [having] big tits, a drooping belly, and little twisted legs.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not thrilled with that. But you can just make the best of it. You have to. You do the best you can.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Miriam’s beaming smile was front and centre in the ‘nude’ shot, which saw the 82-year-old star sitting at a table and dressed only in a pearl necklace, an array of carefully arranged desserts in the foreground to cover her. </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/Ctb2pb0NruE/?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/Ctb2pb0NruE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by British Vogue (@britishvogue)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">A self-confessed “bit of a child” who “can’t resist naughtiness”, Miriam came armed with her wit and humour as she opened up about her life - from her feelings about her own body, to her experience as a Jewish lesbian since coming out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in 1966. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I never had any shame about being gay or anything really,” she told <em>Vogue</em>’s Chris Godfrey. “I knew it wasn’t criminal because it was me. I couldn’t be criminal.” </p> <p dir="ltr">As Miriam confessed, however, her parents hadn’t quite seen it from the same perspective. Her mother, she explained, had made her swear on the Torah that she wouldn’t have sex with a woman again, and that she has regrets about revealing that part of herself to them. </p> <p dir="ltr">Both of her parents have since passed away - her mother of a stroke just months after Miriam came out - and while Miriam doesn’t think they ever came to accept her sexuality, she never stopped loving either of them. </p> <p dir="ltr">She went on to share that she and her partner of 54 years, Heather, have a civil partnership but don’t live together - and never have. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We were able to lead our lives without diminishing them,” she said. “I didn’t want her to have to give up anything. And I didn’t want to give up anything.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too. And so far, it’s worked.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Gay people have the luck to be able to fashion the relationship they want,” she added. “It’s much more flexible for us.”</p> <p dir="ltr">And as for why Miriam is so open when it comes to topics others might shy away from, she had a simple answer in store, explaining that “it’s a strong position if you’re not afraid to be who you are.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We’re all so insecure. People are frightened such a lot of the time and what I’ve always tried to do is to make people feel more relaxed, make people feel good about themselves, and just try and lessen the torture for people a bit.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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“I could barely finish”: Sandra Sully’s most embarrassing on-air moment

<p>Television isn’t always all glitz and glamour, and as Sandra Sully knows, it can come with its fair share of embarrassment too. </p> <p>Over the course of her decades in the industry, she’s braved no few memorable moments - the good and the bad - and during an appearance on the <em>I’ve Got News For You</em> podcast, she opened up about the most embarrassing of them all. </p> <p>It was in 2007 that the sports team at Ten decided to run some footage from the day - without letting Sully in on their shenanigans - of when play was halted at the Australian PGA Tour by a kangaroo who had made its way onto the course, and decided to play with its own testicles in front of South Africa’s top golfer Rory Sabbatini. </p> <p>“I would throw to sport and they always had a ‘play of the day’ and I generally got a chance to look at it,” Sully explained to <em>I’ve Got News For You</em> host Andrew Bucklow, “and for whatever reason, I was busy and they deliberately didn’t let me see it – they didn’t put it in the rundown.”</p> <p>“It was international coverage, with the kangaroo, and the team at Sports Tonight put music to it with bells, ‘ding dong, ding dong’,” she added, “and I wasn’t expecting it. </p> <p>“I could barely finish the bulletin.”</p> <p>After airing the footage from the tour during their on-air segment, Sully and sports presenter Brad McEwan could be seen laughing at their desk, with Sully wheezing that she “can’t go on.” </p> <p>As Sully tried to bring things back around to a more sensible footing, McEwan cracked a joke about it all, sending the pair into another round of giggles, before Sully steered them straight into the weather report - though it wasn’t all smooth sailing from there, with the newsreader barely able to get her words out through her own amusement, despite one “I don’t think I’ll forgive you” making it through. </p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ohnd98mZybs" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Sully went on to explain things like that had happened “so many times” throughout her career, and that to go on in her industry, she really had “to have a sense of humour”. </p> <p>And while humour is important to Sully, she admitted to Bucklow that nerves also factor in before each and every show, despite having so many years of experience under her belt.</p> <p>“It’s not extreme nerves,” she said, “but there’s always a moment with about 10 seconds to go that, you know, there’s a mental register.</p> <p>“You’re on a tightrope, and anything can go wrong. It’s live television.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

TV

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Alicia Silverstone bares all for cause she truly believes in

<p>Alicia Silverstone bared it all and posed nude in only faux leather boots for PETA’s new campaign.</p> <p>The campaign is an effort to promote more sustainable, vegan versions of the material.</p> <p>“If it takes me getting naked for you to care about animals then that is what I’m after,” the Clueless star, 46, said in a campaign video.</p> <p>“I never, ever, get naked in TV, in film, nothing, never, nope — but I’ve done it for PETA because that’s how much it matters to me,” the actress explained.</p> <p>“I’d rather go naked than wear animals,” Silverstone declared.</p> <p>“There’s this idea that leather is somehow better for the earth but what they don’t realise is the amount of resources – water, food, oil for transport – the amount of energy that goes into making leather is extraordinary. It’s just not sustainable. The Earth can’t handle it,” she refuted.</p> <p>Silverstone also posed with a cactus to encourage people to buy different types of vegan leather.</p> <p>“DON’T BE A PRICK,” the PETA picture proclaims. “Wear Vegan. Buy cactus, mushroom or apple leather instead!”</p> <p>This isn’t the first time the Clueless star has stripped down for a cause she loves. In 2019, she took it all off for PETA to encourage everyone to ditch wool, featuring on a Times Square billboard.</p> <p>Her new campaign will have its own billboard just in time for the New Year’s Eve ball drop.</p> <p>Silverstone has been a vegan since 1999 when she was 21 and has continued to live meat-free.</p> <p><em>Images: Peta</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Jennifer Aniston bares all to share struggles with infertility

<p>Jennifer Aniston has bared all in her latest cover shoot, while opening up about her desperate struggle to have children. </p> <p>The 53-year-old actress admitted to <a href="https://www.allure.com/story/jennifer-aniston-december-2022-cover-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Allure magazine</a> that she regrets the decision to not freeze her eggs when she was younger, revealing that she "threw everything" at her infertility battle, including going through IVF in a desperate attempt to conceive. </p> <p>"I was trying to get pregnant. It was a challenging road for me, the baby-making road," she said of her IVF journey, which the magazine notes was "several years ago". </p> <p>"All the years and years and years of speculation... It was really hard. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it. I was throwing everything at it."</p> <p>She also slammed speculation that any of her former husbands, including Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux, initiated a divorce because she "wouldn't give him a kid", noting that the constant rumours about her relationship made her infertility battle all the more difficult. </p> <p>The actress added that she wishes someone had told her to freeze her eggs when she was younger, adding that she has now come to terms with the fact that she will never conceive children. </p> <p>"I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me, 'Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favour.' You just don’t think it. So here I am today. The ship has sailed," she said. </p> <p>Aniston admitted that she was too focused on her career at the height of her fame from starring on the sitcom <em>Friends</em> to think about the possibility of having a family. </p> <p>"I just cared about my career. And God forbid a woman is successful and doesn’t have a child," she said.</p> <p>"And the reason my husband left me, why we broke up and ended our marriage, was because I wouldn’t give him a kid. It was absolute lies. I don’t have anything to hide at this point."</p> <p>Jennifer went on to say that she has come to terms with the fact she won't have children, saying she found some "relief" in the fact that the possibility of kids is no longer lingering over her as never-ending "maybe".</p> <p>She has found self-confidence in her age, saying she no longer cares what anyone thinks about her.</p> <p>"I would say my late 30s, 40s, I’d gone through really hard s***, and if it wasn’t for going through that, I would’ve never become who I was meant to be," she explained.  </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram - Allure</em></p>

Body

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The Aussie company revolutionising how we stay fresh

<p dir="ltr">While applying deodorant is part of our daily hygiene routine, some aerosols and roll-ons have been known to irritate the skin with long-term use. </p> <p dir="ltr">On top of the elements of sensitivity, the long list of chemicals in these products can actually be counterproductive to stopping or limiting perspiration. </p> <p dir="ltr">Luckily, there are now all-natural deodorants on the market that help to nourish the skin without causing irritation, while still keeping you clean, fresh and dry throughout the day. </p> <p dir="ltr">Australian-made and owned brand FRANK + BARE is the first Aussie company to create AHA deodorants. </p> <p dir="ltr">AHA, or Alpha Hydroxy Acids, are 100% natural ingredients that work together as a skin performance product, while also being incredibly effective as a natural deodorant. </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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb04skDtU53/?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/Cb04skDtU53/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 🌿Clean Green Skincare Deo ♻️ (@frankandbare_)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The 5 AHA’s included in the FRANK + BARE range, namely glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid and citric acid, work to exfoliate the armpit and improve skin tone, while assisting with ingrown hairs and hyperpigmentation. </p> <p dir="ltr">The result is a gentle deodorant that provides effective odour control as well as smoother, brighter and clearer skin.</p> <p dir="ltr">Housed inside recyclable zero-waste packaging, the seven  natural deodorants in the revolutionary range have a smooth and creamy consistency, which make them easy to apply, while also being perfectly pH balanced and actively preventing odour-causing bacteria from developing while improving axilla health. </p> <p dir="ltr">The range includes scents of Magnolia + Black Pepper, Oakmoss + Myrrh, Coconut + Lime, Ylang Ylang + Grapefruit, Spearmint, Frangipani and a Fragrance Free product. </p> <p dir="ltr">So if you’re looking for a more natural alternative to your deodorants, look no further than FRANK + BARE for a more simple and sustainable option to add to your hygiene routine. </p> <p dir="ltr">You can try out the entire FRANK + BARE range on their official website <a href="https://frankandbare.com.au/">here</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Hollywood heavyweight barely recognisable in new Marvel movie

<p dir="ltr">A Hollywood superstar has shocked fans with how completely unrecognisable he is in the new <em>Thor</em> movie.</p> <p dir="ltr">The trailer for <em>Thor: Love and Thunder</em> was released a couple of days ago and follows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on his journey of self-discovery.</p> <p dir="ltr">His journey is however interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher who wants to get rid of the gods. </p> <p dir="ltr">But which A-lister plays the unrecognisable role of Gorr?</p> <p dir="ltr">None other than Christian Bale. </p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Go8nTmfrQd8" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">Gorr…or Bale for that matter, appears completely different thanks to the full face of makeup which has gotten rid of his hair and completely changed his facial structure. </p> <p dir="ltr">His terrifying new look shows him all bloody and scarred as he prepares to take down the gods.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Thor: Love and Thunder</em> will be released in cinemas on July 7.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: YouTube </em></p>

Movies

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Baring it all: Britney Spears and Hilary Duff spark debate on how we react to nudity

<p dir="ltr">Taking part in a nude photo shoot has been an easy way for celebrities to go viral for years now, but the latest risque photoshoot of <em>Lizzie Mcguire</em> star Hilary Duff has raised some questions about how our reactions can differ depending on who the subject is.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5a98dc54-7fff-7d65-163e-b4111461ebe4">Duff, who starred on the hit Disney show when she was just 14, recently went viral for her Women’s Health magazine cover shoot, which was accompanied by a candid interview where she discussed body positivity and acceptance, and opened up about her eating disorder and the pressure she felt to look a certain way.</span></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/CdYgFl3LKs-/?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/CdYgFl3LKs-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Hilary Duff (@hilaryduff)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Because of my career path, I can’t help but be like, ‘I am on camera and actresses are skinny’,” she told the magazine.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m proud of my body. I’m proud that it’s produced three children for me. I’ve gotten to a place of being peaceful with the changes my body has gone through.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I also want people to know a makeup artist was there putting glow all over my body and someone put me in the most flattering position.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The 34-year-old actress received a flood of praise for her “liberating” shoot and for being a “badass gorgeous woman”, with one person describing it as a “perfect example of how a childhood star can actually grow up to be a well-adjusted, loving, ‘normal’, strong and fantastic example of a working woman and human in entertainment and beyond”.</p> <p dir="ltr">But the praise has come in stark contrast to the reactions other stars have received for sharing similar images, with pop icon Britney Spears being a prime example.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1dd1dae4-7fff-a1a0-cbee-11d3a8c062c0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Spears has been posting minimally censored photos of herself on Instagram for the past few months and has previously explained she was doing so in a bid to reclaim her body after feeling constrained under her 13-year conservatorship.</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/Ca0b3kjPBRF/?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/Ca0b3kjPBRF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Britney Spears (@britneyspears)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">However, the slew of images she’s self-shared on social media have attracted more of a negative response in comparison to Duff, with some critics calling the photos “disturbing” and “embarrassing”.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a now-deleted Instagram caption on a post from earlier this year, Spears defended her images, writing: “Alrightyyy then folks… showing my bod in French Polynesia as a rebel and free WOMAN!!!!!”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-86a760f8-7fff-c652-efc8-b06bde07c271"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I WILL DO BIG LETTERS CAUSE I THINK THAT MEANS IT’S IMPORTANT AND I DON’T WANT TO BE LEFT OUT.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Spot the difference.</p> <p>You just love to criticize Britney Spears for everything she does. Jus admit it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/britneyspears?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#britneyspears</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hilaryduff?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hilaryduff</a> <a href="https://t.co/U3eUsz2ti1">pic.twitter.com/U3eUsz2ti1</a></p> <p>— Dolly Arthur (@DollyArthur_) <a href="https://twitter.com/DollyArthur_/status/1524107226549469185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Fans have begun questioning the difference between reactions to Spears’ and Duff’s photos, with some noting that the difference in image quality - Duff’s glamorous magazine shoot versus Spears’ low-quality photos seemingly taken with a mobile phone - may be part of the reason.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I adore Hilary and she looks incredible, but the difference in comments on her post compared to Britney doing the same thing is astounding,” one popular tweet reads.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-55b14785-7fff-df25-441a-161c2e75b7d8"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“People are so brainwashed by social media that they think nudity is wrong unless you’ve hired a photographer,” they added.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I adore Hilary and she looks incredible, but the difference in comments on her post compared to Britney doing the same thing is astounding.</p> <p>People are so brainwashed by social media that they think nudity is wrong unless you've hired a photographer and glam team. <a href="https://t.co/QCII2KSfAp">pic.twitter.com/QCII2KSfAp</a></p> <p>— Fan Account (@breatheonmiley) <a href="https://twitter.com/breatheonmiley/status/1524089441899397122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Both Britney Spears and Hilary Duff look amazing. Just because one was professionally photographed shouldn’t make a difference,” someone else tweeted.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another user shared a screenshot of their Twitter feed, showing a headline about the mixed reaction to Spears’ nudity above one from TMZ that reads: “You NEED to see these photos of Hilary Duff in the buff!”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Stop policing women’s bodies… except Britney Spears!” they captioned the image.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hilary Duff posts a nuded photoshoot and everyone praises her, Britney Spears posts her own nudes from her phone and she’s shamed. Can someone explain the difference?” another person tweeted.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Britney Spears and Hilary Duff trending today in a ‘you painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her’ vs ‘put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting “vanity”, morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for your own pleasure’ kind of way,” a third said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c1962d61-7fff-ff49-1cf8-43fe37da2f87"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The debate around this double standard comes amid a wider debate about how female celebrities have been held to particular standards in the past, such as former Disney star Miley Cyrus who was forced to publicly apologise for a 2008 Vanity Fair photoshoot that was deemed too risque by Disney.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">IM NOT SORRY</p> <p>Fuck YOU <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/10yearsago?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#10yearsago</a> <a href="https://t.co/YTJmPHKwLX">pic.twitter.com/YTJmPHKwLX</a></p> <p>— Miley Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) <a href="https://twitter.com/MileyCyrus/status/990682726440226817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2018</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The singer and actress later retracted the apology, sharing a photo of a New York Post newspaper from 2008 with the headline “Miley’s Shame” to Twitter in 2018.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’M NOT SORRY. F***K YOU,” she captioned the post.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though the praise for Duff and other celebrities - such as 78-year-old model <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/beauty-style/lauren-hutton-poses-topless" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lauren Hutton</a> - who engage in topless or nude photoshoots is a good thing and a sign that the times might be changing, the reactions the likes of Spears receive for similar images shows that we still have a problem with female nudity - and that there is plenty of work left to be done.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-89ee2454-7fff-19fd-16c6-d66fd5cf7b24"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @britneyspears (Instagram) / @hilaryduff (Instagram) / @harpersbazaaraus (Instagram)</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Heroic mum fights off mountain lion with her bare hands

<p>A mother in California is being hailed a hero after fighting off a dangerous mountain lion that attacked her son.</p> <p>The woman used her bare hands to fend off the animal after it lunged at her five-year-old son and dragged him along the front lawn of his home. </p> <p><span>The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the boy was playing near his house, west of Los Angeles, when the mountain lion attacked. </span></p> <p><span>After the mother heard the boy's screams, her protective instincts kicked in and she rushed to the rescue. </span></p> <p>"She ran out of the house and started punching and striking the mountain lion with her bare hands and got him off her son," Department spokesman Patrick Foy told the Associated Press.</p> <p>"The true hero of this story is his mom because she absolutely saved her son’s life."</p> <p>Once the boy was free from the jaws of the mountain lion, he was immediately taken to the hospital where law enforcement were notified of the attack. </p> <p>Mr Foy shared that the five-year-old boy had sustained traumatic injuries to his head and torso.</p> <p>Authorities also confirmed that following the attack, the mountain lion has been shot and killed by a wildlife officer. </p> <p>The officer was sent to the scene shortly after the attack, arriving to find the mountain lion crouching in the bushes with its “ears back and hissing” at him.</p> <p>“Due to its behaviour and proximity to the attack, the warden believed it was likely the attacking lion and to protect public safety shot and killed it on site,” the wildlife department said in a statement Saturday.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Compromising texts laid bare at Ben Roberts-Smith trial

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial continues, his private texts messages and conversations with his now ex-wife have been revealed to the court.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Under cross-examination, he was questioned about intimidating letters Nine newspapers allege he sent to an SAS soldier with “mafia-style threats”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nicholas Owens, SC, representing Nine, told the court Emma Roberts-Smith messaged her husband after media reports alleged he sent the threatening letters.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The court was told Ms Roberts-Smith said to her husband: “What the f*** are you doing. What is this all about”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Owens alleged Mr Roberts-Smith admitted to sending a letter to a soldier, known as Person 18, which his wife replied by saying: “No more f***ing lies Ben.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You know they can trace your fingerprints and where this letter was sent.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Roberts-Smith denied sending the letters, as well as refuting Mr Owens’ assertion he burnt the remaining envelopes “in your firepit at home”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Mr Roberts-Smith did admit to burning computer hard drives with petrol, he said he did not do it to conceal evidence from the official Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force inquiry into Australian troops’ conduct while in Afghanistan.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also denied “panicking” about the inquiry potentially revealing alleged war crimes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If I’m not going to trade in a computer, I’m going to destroy the hard drive,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’ve burned laptops in 2010 and 2012. It’s not anything to do with anything.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Owens also read out an alleged exchange of text messages between Emma Roberts-Smith and her then-husband in late 2017 detailing the supposed criminal activities of another soldier.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Roberts-Smith claimed a soldier, known as Person 6, had smuggled weapons illegally to Australia from Afghanistan.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ben Roberts-Smith: “I miss you too.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Emma Roberts-Smith: “Haha, girls doing okay, I just miss you not here.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ben Roberts-Smith: “What happened to [name of Person 6] will scare the others.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Mr Owens asked whether he had sent the last message because he knew WA Police were investigating Person 6 and had raided his home, Mr Roberts-Smith said he was unaware of any police investigations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During his fifth day of cross-examination by Nine media lawyers, Mr Roberts-Smith was quizzed about two letters received by Person 18, who lived in Perth.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One letter read, “You have one chance to save yourself.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You must approach the inquiry and admit that you colluded with others to spread rumours and lies.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We are very aware of your murderous actions over many tours in Afghanistan.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We have many witnesses.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You have participated in the execution of two PUCs. You know what you have done and so do we.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Person 18 had partolled with Ben Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Owens accused the war hero of making private investigator John McLeod send the letters, and that Mr Roberts-Smith’s handwriting was on part of the address line.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Mr Roberts-Smith agreed he had written part of the address line, he denied writing the threatening letters to Person 18 or asking Mr McLeod to do so.</span></p>

Legal

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Ashley Cain bares all after death of baby: “You saved my life”

<p>Former British soccer star Ashley Cain has opened up following the loss of his daughter who passed away from a rare, aggressive cancer.</p> <p>Baby Azaylia died on Saturday, at just eight months old.</p> <p>Cain, a former Coventry City player in England turned reality TV star, documented his baby girl’s short but meaningful life on Instagram.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840923/ashley-cain-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4d1b0ec3cc52451aaf0afd066ba92c99" /></p> <p>Little Azaylia underwent a number of treatments due to her rare form of leukaemia.<span class="CmCaReT" style="display: none;">�</span></p> <p>On Tuesday, the star took to social media to share his heart was “shattered”.</p> <p>“I can’t put into words my sadness and pain, there aren’t words to describe it. I love you with every ounce of my body and I miss you so much already,” he wrote on Instagram.</p> <p>“You made me a better man. You made me the person I’ve always wanted to be. You’ve taught me more in your 8 months than I’ve learned my whole life.</p> <p>“I don’t know why you’ve been taken away from me and my heart aches in your absence.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/COFj6fvHzVq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/COFj6fvHzVq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by BEAST 🇻🇨🇬🇧 (@mrashleycain)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Cain said Azaylia’s leukemia had come back in February – not long after they had been given permission to leave the hospital and continue her treatment as an outpatient.</p> <p>The eight-month-old was given just days to live in early April, however she Azaylia battled on as the family made the most of their time together.</p> <p>“You saved my life, you really did. With my second chance, I make a promise to you that I will make yours live on in our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers,” Cain said.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMzGKv9nmrr/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMzGKv9nmrr/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by BEAST 🇻🇨🇬🇧 (@mrashleycain)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“I am blessed, I am honoured and I am privileged to be your father. I would go through all of the pain again and again. Because what you gave me in those eight months will live with me for eternity.”</p>

Caring

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Woolies shelves stripped bare but not for the reason you think

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>Shoppers who visited Sydney's Neutral Bay Woolworths were left in shock as many shelves were left bare.</p> <p>Although some thought it was due to panic buying because of the coronavirus pandemic, Woolworths has said in a statement it was for another purpose.</p> <p>The store's products were deliberately removed to show the significant role that bees and insects play in Australia's food supply.</p> <p>With the 2020 bushfires alone destroying 15.6 million hectares of forests, the food supply for bees and homes for insects is rapidly dwindling.</p> <p>Woolworths Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Hicks said that he hoped the stunt would show people how much their personal food supply would be impacted.</p> <p>“As the Fresh Food People, we’re passionate about providing millions of Australians access to the fresh food they love most," he said. "What many people don’t realise is how much of our food supply relies directly on pollinating bees."</p> <p>“Our goal here is to start a conversation in Australian homes about what a supermarket without bees would look like and how their impact goes far beyond just fruit and vegetables. However, if we take small actions to support bees and pollination today, we can create a better tomorrow and prevent this from becoming a reality.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

Food & Wine

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"I can barely breathe": Lisa Curry's heartbreak as daughter Jaimi dies

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Lisa Curry and her ex-husband Grant Kenny have had to say goodbye to their eldest child Jaimi Lee Curry Kenny, 33.</p> <p>The family have confirmed that she passed away following a private battle with a long-term illness, and the family have chosen not to disclose the nature of her illness.</p> <p>Lisa has broken her silence and paid tribute to her "beautiful daughter" in a powerful Instagram post.</p> <p>"Our hearts are completely broken. 💔So loved. So beautiful. So kind to everyone.... So painful. I can barely breathe," the 58-year-old wrote.</p> <p>"Jaimi will forever be remembered as a caring, bright and loving soul who always put others before herself. Her love of flowers, cooking, art, decorating, photography, babies, the beach, and helping others will always be remembered."</p> <p>"Our hearts are broken and the pain is unbearable but we cherish every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured and so loved first child."</p> <p>"We thank all the paramedics, support staff and the incredible team at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital for their tireless commitment to give us the extra time we were able to spend with Jaimi," the mother-of-three said.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFIXFVNjSpc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFIXFVNjSpc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Lisa Curry AO (@lisacurry)</a> on Sep 14, 2020 at 1:38pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"It goes without saying that this is a very difficult time for our family and all who knew and loved Jaimi so very much."</p> <p>"Rest in peace my beautiful baby. I will miss you every sunrise, I will miss you when the sun is shining and the birds are singing. I will miss you when the clouds are dark and stormy and when the rainbow appears. I will miss you when I close my eyes. I will miss you when I open my eyes. I will miss our long hugs and long chats. I will miss watching, feeling and knowing your love for your sister and brother, your little nephew, Cleo, your Ma and dad😞."</p> <p>The heartbreaking message was finished with disbelief that Jaimi was gone.</p> <p>"I just can't believe you're not here anymore. I sit and just shake my head. It doesn't seem real or right. You will forever be with me in my heart Jaimi. I love you so much. 🌸👼💕."</p> <p>Her father Grant Kenny also released a statement, thanking the "incredible team" at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.</p> <p>"Jaimi will forever be remembered as a caring, bright and loving soul who always put others before herself," Mr Kenny wrote in the statement.</p> <p>"Our hearts are broken and the pain is immense but we must move forward cherishing every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured first child.</p> <p>"We thank the incredible team at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital for their tireless commitment to making her better and giving us as the extra time we were able to spend with her."</p> <p>He has asked for privacy for himself and his family during this time.</p> <p>"It goes without saying that this is a very difficult time for family and friends and we trust we will all be allowed to grieve in privacy," he said.</p> </div> </div> </div>

News

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Richard Wilkins and son Christian bare all in rare interview

<p>Richard Wilkins and his son Christian have opened up on their close bond in a rare interview.</p> <p>Christian, 25, made his way into the hearts of Australia when he competed on Dancing with the Stars and placed second.</p> <p>He is the youngest son of Richard, 66, and shares a close bond with his father as they are so alike.</p> <p>"I would say that Dad and I are very similar,” Christian admitted.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837369/wilkins-family-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/81756bdf7d1e4fd18f2db43e1e5bd96b" /></p> <p>“We share a lot of the same viewpoints. And the ones we don't share, we're very good at challenging each other as to how we can think in different ways without ever making the other person feel uncomfortable.</p> <p>"We both push each other. And I think people would be very surprised at how much we both look at each other for support in terms of life, love and career. We are very much there for each other."</p> <p>Christian is one of five children, and follows behind Adam, Nicholas and Rebecca. The four siblings also share a little sister, Estella, who is 16.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837371/wilkins-family.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/bba508b97d27458abf4a0a15947a7768" /></p> <p>"I appreciate we all have different mums," says Christian, whose mother, Michelle Burke, is wife number three.</p> <p>"But we've never used the terms half or step or whatever sibling."</p> <p>"We're all just each other's siblings and we love being in each other's lives. I never came out traditionally to my parents; I never said it as I never felt any need to. But my siblings were always so supportive of my sexuality. And because of that, it allowed me to feel able to be completely me."</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837370/wilkins-family-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/c823eb006a1341c39ea8719c1bdb493d" /></p> <p>Richard has his own personal sentiments about his children, saying they are “the best thing I’ve ever done.”</p> <p> </p> <p>"I've got five kids and I love them to bits. I'm enormously proud of each of them and supportive, protective and, hopefully, loving. I'm being the best father that I know how to be. And I'm certainly a much better dad now than I was when my first child was born."</p>

Relationships

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Why you should keep your everyday bank account to the bare minimum

<p><span>When you sign up with a bank, you are likely to receive two accounts – one for everyday transactions and one for savings. </span></p> <p><span>A transaction account usually comes with a card so that you can withdraw cash at the ATM and pay day-to-day expenses. On the other hand, a savings account does not usually have a linked card – but it offers higher interest rates compared to the transaction account, allowing you to grow your balance. </span></p> <p><span>Many people put a large sum of their money on their transaction accounts for practical purposes – who knows when you need to make a major purchase? – but experts say this move may not be so wise in the bigger picture.</span></p> <p><span>“I … realised that money sitting in a debit account just, well, sits there,” Laura Munoz of <a href="https://thefinancialdiet.com/5-life-changing-financial-habits-i-took-way-too-long-to-adopt/"><em>The Financial Diet</em></a> wrote. “It doesn’t earn interest and it’s not working for you, so there’s no real reason to keep more than a healthy buffer there in case you need to take out cash in a pinch.”</span></p> <p><span>While it is important to maintain a healthy balance to pay bills and everyday needs in your transaction account, Munoz said savings should be prioritised before spending. By working out how much you roughly spend every month, you can plan ahead and keep only the bare minimum amount in the transaction account to cover everyday expenses while transferring the rest to the savings account immediately.</span></p> <p><span>As <a href="https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/managing-your-money/banking/transaction-accounts"><em>MoneySmart</em></a> advises, “Only keep the money you need to cover your everyday costs in your transaction account. Put the rest of your money in a savings account and watch your savings grow with the extra interest.”</span></p> <p><span>This can also help you curb your shopping habits, as the limited amount will make you more aware of the dollars you fork out.</span></p> <p><span>Munoz said she is now putting most of her cash in two places –a high-yield, risk-free savings account and another savings account that is invested in the stock market. This does not have to be the case for you if you are more risk-averse – find a savings account where your earnings can comfortably grow, and make money work for you.</span></p>

Retirement Income

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Do it yourself: Plant bare-root roses

<p>The best time to plant roses is winter, when they are in a period of dormancy. It’s also when roses are readily available as budget-friendly bare-root plants. In this form they look just like a bunch of thorny sticks, so read the plant tag carefully. The tag gives you a good description of what the rose will look like in bloom, and the conditions in which it should be grown.</p> <p>Rose breeders are constantly coming up with beautiful new colours, scents and forms, and enthusiasts look forward to seeing what’s in store for next season. There are also trends in growing, so a type of rose that was popular decades ago can make a comeback. Think about what you want from a rose before you head to the nursery. To cover a wall or fence you should choose a climber rather than a shrub rose. But to create big blocks of colour or mass plantings, use floribunda rather than miniature varieties.  <br /> <br />Before planting, cut back the stems to above a healthy bud and remove any spindly looking shoots. Cut back long shoots by a third to a half, and trim excessively long roots to about 250mm so they fit in the planting hole.</p> <p><strong>Growing guide:</strong></p> <p>Follow these simple steps on how to plant and care for roses for years of beautiful blooms.<br /> <br /><strong><u>PLANT</u></strong> in well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6 and added organic material.<br /> <br /><strong><u>CHOOSE </u></strong>a sunny, sheltered position and do not underplant.<br /> <br /><strong><u>SPACE </u></strong>plants about a metre apart for good air circulation to help prevent fungal diseases.<br /> <br /><strong><u>WATER </u></strong>regularly the first year and deeply in hot, dry weather.<br /> <br /><strong><u>CHECK</u></strong> regularly for pests or diseases and treat immediately. <br /> <br /><strong><u>DEADHEAD </u></strong>flowers as they finish blooming to encourage more flowers and tear off any suckers as they appear.<br /> <br /><strong><u>PRUNE</u></strong> in winter and apply a preventative fungicide.<br /> <br /><strong><u>FERTILISE</u></strong> regularly for healthy growth and plenty of blooms.<br /> <br /><strong>TIP:</strong> Companion plant roses with chives to avoid powdery mildew.</p> <p><strong>Types of Roses:</strong></p> <p>A single rose flower is normally made up of five petals, where you can see the centre of the bloom. A double has the appearance of another flower inside the five petals. There are seven types of roses, with various sizes and habits.</p> <p><strong>1. Species rose</strong></p> <p>A single flower of five petals, some double flowered. Blooms in spring with ferny foliage. Varieties include: Moyesii, Primula and Rugosa. </p> <p><strong>2. Climbing and rambling roses</strong></p> <p>Climbing plants that can reach up to three metres in height. Climbers have a single fragrant bloom while ramblers have trusses of flowers. Flower display in spring.</p> <p>Climber varieties include, Clair Matin, Climbing Iceberg and Golden Showers. </p> <p>Rambler varieties include, Albertine, Dorothy Perkins and Excelsa. </p> <p><strong>3. Floribunda rose</strong></p> <p>Large clusters of flowers that may be single, semi-double or double. Blooms throughout the year. Varieties include, Apricot Nectar, Iceberg, Sexy Rexy and Satchmo. </p> <p><strong>4. Modern shrub rose</strong></p> <p>Bushy plant with an average height and width of two metres. Single or double flowers that repeat-bloom. Flower display in spring, summer and autumn. Varieties include, Autumn Delight, Golden Wings, Felicia, Titanic and Uncle Walter. </p> <p><strong>5. Old rose</strong></p> <p>Double flowers with strong fragrance. Blooms in late spring and early summer. Varieties inlcude, Charles de Mills, William Lobb, Celsiana Cecile and Brunner. </p> <p><strong>6. Miniature rose</strong></p> <p>Semi-double or double flowers 20 to 40mm in diameter with bushes 200 to 500mm high. Blooms in spring, summer and autumn. Varieties inlcude, Beauty Secret, Gold Coin, Rise ’n’ Shine, Starina and Love Potion. </p> <p><strong>7. Hybrid tea rose</strong></p> <p>Deeply scented double flowers that are up to 150mm across. Blooms in spring, summer and autumn. Varieties include, Double Delight, Fragrant Cloud, Mister Lincoln and Pascali. </p> <p><strong>How to plant bare root roses:</strong></p> <p>Before planting, cut back the stems to above a healthy bud and remove any spindly looking shoots. Cut back long shoots by a third to a half, and trim excessively long roots to about 250mm so they fit in the planting hole.</p> <p><strong><u>Step 1. Position the plant</u></strong></p> <p>Position in a hole that’s twice the width and the same depth as the bud join on the stem, spreading out the roots.</p> <p><strong><u>Step 2. Backfill with soil</u></strong></p> <p>Backfill a little at a time and use your fingers to gently work the soil under and around the roots to eliminate air pockets.</p> <p><strong><u>Step 3. Firm the soil</u></strong></p> <p>Firm down the soil when the hole is completely filled and water deeply to ensure there are no air pockets below the surface.</p> <p><em>Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.handyman.net.au/plant-bare-root-roses">Handyman Australia</a>.</em></p>

Home & Garden

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The bare minimum skincare you need revealed

<p>In a world where new miracle fixes and super serums are landing every second on a beauty counter near you, it can be hard to determine exactly what you need and when – and how much you're willing to pay.</p> <p>Dermatologists are in the business of looking at – and treating – skin conditions every day, and often aren't driven by the lofty promises, fancy packaging and big price points that come with hyped skincare brands. Their recommendations are more often than not common sense, easy and affordable, and they have firsthand knowledge of what works.</p> <p>The bare minimum you need to do to your skin according to dermatologists starts with cleansing. It's crucial to keeping your skin healthy, removes dirt, pollution and the dead skin cells that can make your complexion look dull.</p> <p>What are the most important things to look for in a cleanser? It should be soap-free, gentle and suitable for your skin type. To find your cleansing match, wash your face with any soap-free cleanser then wait about 30 minutes.</p> <p>If your whole face feels tight, your skin is dry, and needs a creamy or milky formula. If you face feels greasy or looks shiny, you've got an oily complexion, so opt for a foaming cleanser. If your skin feels tight just on your cheeks, chances are you have combination skin: so can use either depending on the season.</p> <p>Next, Dr Vania Sinovich, dermatologist at Skin Institute in Auckland says, "the best thing you can do to protect your skin is apply adequate sun protection, particular to the face, chest and backs of hands where most visible photo ageing occurs".</p> <p>She also stresses the importance of staying out of the ‪midday sun, the use of protective clothing such as hats to cover the face, ears and back of neck, and "avoiding repeated, unprotected sun exposure which creates free radicals with resultant photo ageing, photo pigmentation, skin cancers and premature skin thinning."</p> <p>Sinovich recommends finding a sunscreen that contains antioxidants to help mop up free radicals, and to use it every day, rain or shine.</p> <p>On the topic of anti-ageing, she says the use of a topical Vitamin A/retinoid formula at night is a no-brainer, and more efficacious than any hope in a jar.</p> <p>"It helps to even skin tone, reduce pore size, smooth out fine wrinkles and boost collagen," says Sinovich, "which helps to keep the skin firm".</p> <p>Some are so potent that can completely change your skin overnight, and unlike standard exfoliators, retinoids work at the cellular level to increase collagen, smooth out annoying fine lines and even out the tone.</p> <p>Prescription retinoids are more effective but can irritate, so ask a professional for advice on the best one for you – and go easy.</p> <p>"I recommend gradual escalation over time to avoid any reactions," says the good doctor. Start with twice weekly use and reap the benefits.</p> <p><em>Written by Helene Ravlich. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Plane passenger shames another passenger who put bare feet on the back of her seat

<p><span>A disgusted airline passenger has shamed a fellow traveller for putting her bare feet on the back of her seat.</span></p> <p><span>The rude passenger first asked to move seats before putting her feet up so she could rest comfortably on the flight.</span></p> <p><span>The annoyed passenger posted pictures of the impolite traveller on a HK Express Flight.</span></p> <p><span>The annoyed traveller said, “She and two of her children hit my chair and asked me to show them my boarding pass. Later a flight attendant came and said the mother wanted to have more leg room.”</span></p> <p><span>“The flight attendant suggested I move to another seat as she (the flight attendant) worried that the bad smell (from the passenger’s feet) might affect my flight experience.”</span></p> <p><span>The passenger agreed to move seats so the flight attendant could deal with the situation.</span></p> <p><span>She then took photos of the passenger’s unacceptable feet position; however, the Facebook post has since been removed.</span></p> <p><span>Have you ever experienced rude behaviour like this on a plane? Let us know in the comments below. </span></p>

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