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TikTok couple slammed for leaving toddlers unattended in cruise cabin

<p>TikTok Influencers Matt and Abby Howard have been slammed online for their controversial parenting choice while on a family vacation. </p> <p>In a now deleted video, the couple explained that they had brought their sons Griffin, 2, and August, 1 on a family cruise, and they went to dinner without the boys, but monitored the room through FaceTime. </p> <p>"So we ended up taking them for 5 nights and it became apparent that they weren't enjoying it and therefore we weren't either," they said in the caption. </p> <p>"So THEN we switched our dinner time to AFTER their bedtime and FaceTimed the monitors while we ate."</p> <p>Abby noted that baby monitors "don't work on board unless you're only like 10 feet away", adding that their dinnertime solution worked out "much better for everyone" </p> <p>Social media users were quick to respond to their decision, with many highlighting the safety concerns. </p> <p>"They literally could not have gotten to them fast enough if anything had happened and I cannot stop thinking about that. It’s sickening," one wrote on Reddit. </p> <p>"It's literally common sense that you do not leave a baby alone unsupervised," another added. </p> <p>"The fact that they would so willingly leave their children in an unfamiliar environment completely alone is shocking," another added. </p> <p>"Are they seriously that f****** dumb? Do they not watch the news, have they not seen what happened to Madeline McCann?" a fourth wrote.  </p> <p>Following the controversy, the couple released a video claiming that a family member was always with the children while they were at dinner, although they didn't clarify who. </p> <p>"We take our roles as parents extremely seriously and we love our children more than anything in the entire world, and we're very protective of our kids," Matt said in the video. </p> <p>"We had someone with our children at all times on this boat," he continued adding that the speculation surrounding them is "completely untrue". </p> <p>"I do want to clarify that we have not, would not, will not ever leave our children unattended. We would would never, ever want to put them in harms way in anyway," Abby added. </p> <p>She explained that her family would "tag team" to help the couple out with watching their children. </p> <p>Viewers were quick to speculate whether they were telling the truth, while others were glad they clarified. </p> <p>"Thanks for the clarification because it did come off like the boys were alone- context is everything," one wrote. </p> <p>"I hope this is the truth," another added. </p> <p>"For them to post about it like it's some genius parenting hack is just wild," a third wrote. </p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

Family & Pets

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Young homeowners are more likely to use their home as an ‘ATM’ than their Boomer parents. Here’s why

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachel-ong-viforj-113482">Rachel Ong ViforJ</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-phelps-378137">Christopher Phelps</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a></em></p> <p>For many Australians, the family home is their largest financial asset. With an increasing variety of ways to tap into home equity, the temptation to access this wealth is ever growing.</p> <p>Homeowners increase the debt owed on their home when they borrow against their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2013.783202">equity</a>. Standard mortgage home loans now provide facilities for relatively cheap or free withdrawals of equity from the home.</p> <p>This turns the <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-home-as-an-atm-home-equity-a-risky-welfare-tool-22000">home into an ATM</a>, which borrowers can access when they choose.</p> <p>Our new <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2024.2400158">study</a> asks what motivates Australians to tap into their home equity, and how does this behaviour change with age?</p> <p>Surprisingly, despite having much lower housing equity levels, younger homeowners borrow often, and borrow more, than their Boomer parents.</p> <h2>How common is equity borrowing?</h2> <p>Using 15 years of data from the government-funded <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/hilda">Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia </a>(HILDA) survey, we tracked the mortgage debt and repayments of homeowners aged 35 and over.</p> <p>The chart below shows younger owners are far more likely to engage in equity borrowing.</p> <p>In 2006, nearly 39% of the youngest homeowners, aged 35–44, borrowed against their home equity. By 2021, this number had dropped to 29%. Despite the decline, it’s still 24 percentage points more common than those aged 65 and over. The older group has remained steady at about 5% over the years.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="Ll9Cw" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Ll9Cw/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <h2>How much do equity borrowers withdraw from their home?</h2> <p>Among those who use their home like an ATM, younger borrowers now withdraw larger amounts than older borrowers.</p> <p>In 2006–07, equity borrowers aged 35–44 and 45–54 withdrew on average $43,000 and $57,000, respectively (expressed in real values set at 2022 price levels). By 2021, the amount withdrawn by these two age groups had climbed to $70,000 and $100,000.</p> <p>On the other hand, the amount withdrawn by borrowers aged 55 or older fell from more than $50,000 to less than $40,000.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="ujq3S" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ujq3S/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <h2>What motivates equity borrowing?</h2> <p>Young homeowners’ equity borrowing behaviours are sensitive to changes in house prices and debt values, and their financial risk preferences. Among those aged 35–44, a $10,000 increase in the primary home value raises the likelihood of equity borrowing by ten percentage points.</p> <p>Every $10,000 in debt against the primary home reduces the likelihood by 2.8% percentage points. Those willing to take substantial financial risk are eight percentage points more likely to borrow against their home than those who are risk-averse.</p> <p>Those aged 65+ are not inclined to borrow, and exhibit little change in equity borrowing behaviour with variations in asset, debt, income or financial risk preferences.</p> <h2>Why borrowing practices differ between age groups</h2> <p>As well as being more likely than older homeowners to borrow against equity, the younger group also withdraws higher amounts than their Boomer parents.</p> <p>This is despite younger borrowers already carrying much higher debt against their primary home. Among those in our study who engaged in equity borrowing in 2021, the median debt before borrowing was $401,000 for 35-44 year-olds compared to $0 for those aged 65+.</p> <p>As real house prices have risen over decades, the current generation of young homeowners has had to invest more money into purchasing their first home than previous generations.</p> <p>It’s therefore not surprising the primary home is now widely viewed as a financial resource to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-home-as-an-atm-home-equity-a-risky-welfare-tool-22000">tapped into to meet spending needs</a>.</p> <p>On the other hand, most Baby Boomers bought their first home at more affordable prices than their children, and at lower levels of debt. Now they don’t appear to be spending their kids’ inheritance by drawing down housing wealth.</p> <p>In fact, older parents may shy away from equity borrowing to <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/wealth-transfers/wealth-transfers.pdf">bequeath wealth to children</a>. Some also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279417000058">dislike passing debt</a> on to their children.</p> <p>Older people may also avoid equity borrowing due to concerns about <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-08/p2023-435150.pdf">aged care costs</a>. Some may be hampered by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2013.08.003">poor financial literacy</a>.</p> <h2>More debt ahead without policy changes</h2> <p>Present trends suggest young homeowners will remain indebted for longer periods, and more and more will <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-of-us-are-retiring-with-mortgage-debts-the-implications-are-huge-115134">retire with mortgage debt</a>.</p> <p>For indebted retirees, there are real prospects of <a href="https://theconversation.com/fall-in-ageing-australians-home-ownership-rates-looms-as-seismic-shock-for-housing-policy-120651">drawing down of superannuation</a> to pay off mortgages in retirement.</p> <p>This may impose extra burdens on the age pension system. Another unwelcome consequence, which may add to health costs, is the prospect of <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/sites/default/files/migration/documents/AHURI-Final-Report-319-Mortgage-stress-and-precarious-home-ownership-implications-for-older-Australians.pdf">debt-related psychological distress</a> among those who can’t pay off their mortgage in old age.</p> <p>If the current trends continue, the <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/what-happens-when-australia-s-boomers-hand-5-trillion-to-their-heirs-20240515-p5jdvf">great wealth transfer</a> that has already begun looks set to <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-everyone-wins-from-the-bank-of-mum-and-dad-73842">further entrench inequality</a> between those who have access to the bank of mum and dad and those who do not.</p> <p>Encouraging older people to use their housing equity to fund their needs in old age may lighten fiscal burdens on younger generations. But policy reforms will be needed to relieve concerns about the risks of equity borrowing in old age.<!-- 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/238924/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><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachel-ong-viforj-113482"><em>Rachel Ong ViforJ</em></a><em>, ARC Future Fellow &amp; Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-phelps-378137">Christopher Phelps</a>, Research Fellow, School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </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/young-homeowners-are-more-likely-to-use-their-home-as-an-atm-than-their-boomer-parents-heres-why-238924">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Money & Banking

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Cleo Smith's parents share heartwarming update

<p>Three years after her kidnapping, Cleo Smith is adjusting well to her normal life, with her parents sharing a heartwarming update. </p> <p>On Sunday, her parents shared the now seven-year-old's latest achievement - winning her first gymnastics competition. </p> <p>The snaps posted by <em>60 Minutes</em> on Facebook, showed Cleo smiling as she proudly held up a medal and certificate with all her ribbons on it after a routine on the balance beam. </p> <p>“Such a beautiful brave girl who Australia got to know. Glad she is doing so well and you should be so proud of your gymnastics achievement,” one commenter said on the post. </p> <p>“I love seeing an update on how she is going.”</p> <p>"Bless her little heart! Her whole family are the epitome of resilience," another added. </p> <p>"I think the whole of Australia is behind you Cleo! Well done," a third wrote. </p> <p>The update was shared just two months after the family shared a collection of photos of <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/new-photos-of-cleo-smith-show-insight-into-her-life-after-kidnapping" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleo enjoying life</a> with her family. </p> <p>The snaps included Cleo celebrating her seventh birthday, a family fishing trip, and her playing with her little sister Isla, and their first day of school. </p> <p>Cleo was just four-years-old when she was kidnapped from her tent while camping with her family in Western Australia's Gascoyne region, around 10 hours north of Perth, on October 16, 2021. </p> <p>Police and rescue personnel spent nearly three weeks looking for her, and 18 days later she was found in Terrence Kelly's home in Carnarvon, just minutes away from her own family home. </p> <p>Kelly was arrested near the home and has been in custody in Perth since. He is appealing the 13-year and six-month prison sentence he received for the abduction. </p> <p>At an appeal hearing in February, the court was told Kelly has various mental impairments, including a severe personality dysfunction, which they say was a significant factor in the crime. </p> <p><em>Images: 60 Minutes Facebook</em></p>

Caring

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Parents under fire for taking their sick toddler on a long-haul flight

<p>A couple has come under fire after documenting their experience online of boarding a long-haul flight with their toddler, despite the child being sick. </p> <p>Alina and her husband were excited to go on their long-awaited holiday to Thailand with their one-year-old son in tow, taking off on their first big family trip. </p> <p>However, shortly before they were set to take off, their child developed a raging fever, and they decided to go on the trip anyway. </p> <p>Taking the experience to social media, Alina said her son’s temperature soared to around 40 degrees, with their little boy’s condition escalating so rapidly that the parents were considering calling off their entire trip. </p> <p>“My husband and I even wanted to cancel the flight,” she confessed in the video, which has received around 1.4 million views.</p> <p>However, after realising they would be out of pocket by several thousands of dollars if they cancelled the trip at such short notice, they decided to take the risk and board the plane. </p> <p>“Our tickets would have been wasted, and the trip that cost us $3,000 would have been wasted,” the mum wrote. "One plus of this flight was that the flight was at night, and the child could sleep and recover.”</p> <p>In the clip, the parents were seen walking their son around the plane, cradling the sick toddler as he cried uncontrollably.</p> <p>Luckily, the parents “managed to bring down the temperature”, but they weren’t convinced their son would keep quiet for the rest of the trip. </p> <p>“We were so worried about how the baby would feel on an eight-hour flight,” she continued, walking the baby up and down the corridors of the airport, trying to calm him down. </p> <p>As they tried to settle the child, they realised that their hopes that he would sleep the whole way were misguided. </p> <p>“The flight turned out to be difficult,” Alina confessed. “The baby kept waking and crying.” </p> <p>In the middle of the night, their son’s fever returned, which forced the parents to “bring the temperature down again” and left them “very worried” about their son’s health. </p> <p>Their baby’s fever took a toll on the parents as well, who complained of feeling “squeezed like a lemon” while trying to keep his temperature down, as Alina recalled, “We took turns looking after the baby so each of us could sleep.”</p> <p>In a later video, the parents defended their choice to take their son on the flight despite his intense fever and blamed it on his teething, not sickness. </p> <p>“Our baby wasn’t sick, he was teething, and that’s why he had a fever,” she said. “If our child had been sick, we would have cancelled everything … I consider myself a wonderful mother.”</p> <p>Despite the mother's clarification of her son's fever, the parents were slammed for even considering taking a sick child on such a long flight. </p> <p>“It’s OK, don’t worry about making anyone else on that flight sick,” a sarcastic comment read. “This is so tremendously selfish, you are appalling for doing this to him and others.” </p> <p>“I was in the same situation,” another parent said. “I lost all bookings, but who cares, my daughter comes first always and forever, no matter the amount of money!”</p> <p>“Trips come and go; your baby’s health is priceless!” read another comment. “Forty degrees is a hospital admission! Not a flight to Thailand!”</p> <p>However, not everyone was as judgmental, with many parents extending their sympathies to the first-time parents, as one person wrote, “You know what’s best for your baby. Everyone will say things. But only you will know when you are in that situation.”</p> <p>“Everyone is a first-time parent,” another defended. “This was a lesson learned. A baby’s health is of utmost importance. No holiday is more important than that. I hope he is OK now.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Parents' devastation after baby attacker flees the country

<p>The parents of an infant boy who suffered severe burns after having hot coffee poured over him have spoken of their devastation after learning their son's <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/manhunt-after-stranger-pours-scalding-hot-coffee-on-baby-in-public-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alleged attacker</a> fled the country. </p> <p>The nine-month old baby boy was attacked while having a picnic with his mother at a Brisbane park on August 27. </p> <p>The man allegedly came up to the boy and poured a Thermos of hot coffee on the baby, burning his face and chest. The boy has since undergone three rounds of surgery to treat his wounds. </p> <p>On Monday, Queensland police said that the 33-year-old man accused of the attack has fled the country on his own passport a day before they identified him. </p> <p>The foreign national had travelled by car to NSW on August 28 before flying out of Sydney airport on August 31. Police said that a warrant has been issued for his arrest. </p> <p>The babies parents, who chose to remain anonymous, have spoken of their devastation. </p> <p>“It sounds like they were very, very close in catching him, and this obviously means that we’re going to have to wait who knows how long to get justice for our son,” the mother told the <em>ABC</em>.</p> <p>“It’s a bit heartbreaking.”</p> <p>She said the incident had left her living in fear and it would affect her mental health for the rest of her life. </p> <p>"Returning home I had panic attacks, and still continue to do so. I do feel relief that he's not in this country, in some sense, but I will always have fear and anxiety being out in public with my son," she said.</p> <p>"It should be a happy, joyful time. I'm a first-time mum and he's taken that away from me."</p> <p>Luka's father said his baby boy was in "good spirits" and didn't "want to sit still" despite his injuries.</p> <p>Queensland Police Detective Inspector Paul Dalton  said the investigation was one of the most “complex and frustrating” he had been involved in.</p> <p>He said the alleged attacker was “aware of police methodologies” and was “conducting counter-surveillance activities” that made it more complex.</p> <p>“It wasn’t until September 1 that we were able to put a name to the face in the CCTV,” Inspector Dalton said.</p> <p>He added that it was still too early in the investigation to disclose the name of the suspect publicly as it could "jeopardise the integrity of this investigation and any chance of bringing this person to justice".</p> <p>“We will keep going until we find you, and I have not lost that determination,” Inspector Dalton said. </p> <p>“I’ve got 30 detectives working for me. They are devastated that they missed this person by 12 hours. I think only the family would be more upset about that.”</p> <p>He urged the man, who had been "coming and going" from Australia since 2019 on working and holiday visas, to return to Australia and come forward. </p> <p>“I encourage him to do that. There’ll be no judgment on you whatsoever,” Inspector Dalton said.</p> <p><em>Images: ABC News/ news.com.au</em></p>

Legal

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Parents of Aussies killed in Mexico share heartwarming update

<p>The grieving parents of the two Aussie brothers who were killed in Mexico while on a surfing trip have shared a heartwarming update more than four months after their deaths. </p> <p>Jake and Callum Robinson were tragically killed in the province of Baja California in Mexico on April 27th, as their bodies were discovered at the bottom of a 15-metre-deep well during a large scale police operation. </p> <p>Following their deaths, more than $520,000 was raised by the community to help the boy's parents, Martin and Debra, who have revealed the money has helped create a foundation to continue their sons' legacy through philanthropic activities.</p> <p>The heartwarming update was shared by Perth not-for-profit group Indian Ocean Paddlers on the family's behalf on Monday. </p> <p>The group was among thousands of donors, who rallied behind the family to assist with costly expenses, including repatriation and funeral costs.</p> <p>The Robinsons are "forever grateful" for the support received, writing, "We have been overwhelmed by the love we have received in Australia."</p> <p>"To drive this initiative, we have created a foundation as a tribute to Callum and Jake and will be guided by people well versed in caring for others."</p> <p>"Although it’s early days, we hope to have a webpage available soon which will provide information on how your precious donation money will be spent. Your support is more than just a financial gift; it’s testament to the power of community and the belief that together, we can create lasting change."</p> <p>"You have played a crucial role in making our vision a reality, and for that, we will be forever grateful."</p> <p>The Robinsons also opened up on how they're coping four months on from losing their sons, saying, "Not a day goes by when we don’t think about our beautiful sons, the connections they had with people like you and the lives they could have had."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Family & Pets

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"What do you say?" TV host's heartbreaking parenting plea

<p>An Aussie TV host has shared a heartfelt plea for advice after revealing that his 12-year-old daughter has been bullied at school.</p> <p>Barry Du Bois, co-host of <em>The Living Room</em>, shared an emotional post on Instagram admitting he is struggling to help Arabella with the bullying issue, and asked other parents for advice. </p> <p>“I just watched my little girl walk out the gate of our home, a place where I know she is safe and feels a sense of security and belonging,” Barry said.</p> <p>“She is heading to a place that doesn’t offer that same security, her school. As a parent, I’m supposed to protect and guide her through difficult times, but this morning, I am lost.”</p> <p>“Yesterday, Arabella came home from school claiming she was sick,” he continued. "This isn’t the first time it has happened. She wasn’t actually sick but is instead being bullied again.”</p> <p>Barry then asked for help from his followers on how to help his daughter, asking, “What do you say to a child when you’ve already said, ‘Don’t let them upset you. Just keep being kind. You are not the horrible things they say’.”</p> <p>“She said, ‘I don’t want to be special; I just want to be liked’,” the TV star added before revealing he felt “weak, angry, confused and a little fearful”.</p> <p>The touching post encouraged some of his famous friends to share their own stories of helping their kids deal with bullying. </p> <p>“My mate sent his daughter to Jiu Jitsu after being bullied. She fell in love with it and gained another level of confidence,” wrote <em><span id="U841310982414ULB">The Bachelor Australia</span></em> star Tim Robards. </p> <p>“Sometimes you’ve just got to go up to the parents and say, ‘your kid bullies mine’,” added <em><span id="U841310982414cBD">Married At First Sight’s</span></em> Ryan Gallagher.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Family & Pets

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"He was at peace": Sam Landsberger’s parents break silence after sudden death

<p>The heartbroken family of Sam Landsberger have revealed what he was doing in his final moments before he tragically <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/prominent-sports-journo-killed-at-just-35" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> at the age of 35. </p> <p>Landsberger, 35, was struck by a truck driven by a 45-year-old Seaford man at the intersection of Bridge Rd and Church St in Richmond, Melbourne on Tuesday morning.</p> <p>According to Sam's father Jake, his son's final moments were spent on the phone to his mother Anne while he was walking to meet a friend.</p> <p>“Anne was on the phone with Sam when it happened, heard the hit, she heard the commotion, and we’ve been beside ourselves worrying whether she actually possibly distracted him,” Jake told <em>The Herald Sun</em> on Wednesday. </p> <p>‘The next thing there was commotion, a stranger picked up the phone, and said: ‘Who am I talking to’, so Anne said: ‘I’m Sam’s mother, who are you’."</p> <p>“And he said, ‘I’m sorry to say but your son has just been hit by a vehicle … he’s lying on the ground’. </p> <p>“The man conversed with Sam initially until he lost consciousness’.”</p> <p>Landsberger was rushed to hospital but later died from his extensive injuries. </p> <p>His father said the family received a message from the man who helped Landsberger on Wednesday, saying, “He messaged us and said, ‘I told Sam I was on the phone with his mother and he was at peace knowing that he was communicating with you through me’."</p> <p>Victoria Police have since confirmed the truck driver, 45, who stopped at the scene, underwent “standard” roadside alcohol and drug tests, which were both negative. </p> <p>“He was requested by Melbourne Highway Patrol officers to provide a blood sample as per standard procedure under the Road Safety Act being a driver involved in a serious collision,” a spokesman said.</p> <p>“The driver allegedly refused and was charged on summons with refusing to provide a blood sample.”</p> <p>The man was “immediately” given a notice banning him from driving, and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on September 19th.</p> <p>Sam's father said that while his family are "angry" over what happened, they have been overwhelmed by the amount of love they have received since Sam's tragic passing. </p> <p>“I can’t put into words the comfort, the joy and the pride we are getting from that,” Jake said.</p> <p>“By the time we both took two sleeping pills to go to bed about 9pm on Tuesday, I personally had received in excess of 250 messages and Anne probably the same."</p> <p>“The tributes, watching AFL360, seeing The Tackle had been postponed, the stories all over the media … I said to Anne while we sat at our table bawling our eyes out, I wish I could go back to the morgue in the coroner’s court, just wake Sam up briefly and say, ‘Sam, look how much you were loved, look how much you were admired’."</p> <p>“Because he had no idea. He did not realise. The degree to what we’ve seen has blown us to smithereens.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Twitter</em></p>

Caring

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"Leave it to the judges!": Dancing With The Stars fans rage against double elimination

<p><em>Dancing With The Stars</em> fans have unleashed on the show after two fan favourite contestants were sent home in one dramatic episode. </p> <p>Just weeks ahead of the semi-finals, Nova Peris and Julie Goodwin were sent home, but fans are disappointed to see Julie go after her improvement over the weeks on the show.</p> <p>Julie impressed the judges with her Foxtrot, scoring 27 points for the dance, while Nova scored just 19 points. </p> <p>There was no final dance-off at the end of the episode, so both contestants were sent home. </p> <p> While they were two of the lowest-scoring dances of the night, Ben Cousins was also at the bottom of the leaderboard with 21 points for his Viennese Waltz.</p> <p>Fans of the show were quick to flock to social media to complain about the double elimination, stating Ben should have gone home instead of Julie.</p> <p>"Why do they keep saving Ben, seriously?" one person asked. "Ben Cousins shouldn’t have been on in the first place. Why is he still there???" another questioned.</p> <p>"PLEASE..... STOP the audience voting!!!! Leave it to the judges!!!" another fan said, with people agreeing. "100% agree! People keep voting for footy players and well-known actors. Should be mostly about their dancing ability," someone else commented.</p> <p>"One thing is for sure... it won't be determined by how good or bad the dancers are. It's just a popularity contest when it comes to the vote," someone else complained.</p> <p>"It is so wrong getting the audience to vote. All the dancers have family there," another person pointed out.</p> <p>"Julie should have stayed," another fan said. "I am so sad to see you go, you should not have gone. You were simply amazing!" another fan wrote, tagging Julie in the comments.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Seven </em></p>

TV

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Your parents’ income doesn’t determine yours – unless you’re ultra rich or extremely poor

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/catherine-de-fontenay-5631">Catherine de Fontenay</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>Australia is among the strongest global performers in terms of income mobility between the generations, according to a new <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/fairly-equal-mobility">Productivity Commission report</a>.</p> <p>The country’s long-term economic growth has led to each generation earning more than the last, on average.</p> <p>Our report finds 67% of the so-called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xennials-born-between-millennials-and-gen-x-2017-11">“Xennial”</a> generation – those born in 1976–1982, on the cusp of the Millennial/Gen X divide – earn more than their parents did at a similar age.</p> <p>This is particularly true of those born into poorer families.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="NsmB3" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/NsmB3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>When we look at where people rank in an income distribution, the picture is a little less rosy. While children with parents at the bottom or top of the income scale are more likely to remain there, almost 15% of people with parents in the lowest income decile, remain there while just 6% move to the top.</p> <p>And those living in poverty - who often include renters, people from migrant backgrounds who don’t speak English at home and single parents - face some of the biggest barriers to improving their economic lot.</p> <p><a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/fairly-equal-mobility">Fairly Equal? Economic mobility in Australia</a>, released on Thursday, measures intergenerational income mobility by examining the relationship between a person’s income and the eventual income of their children.</p> <h2>Measuring inequality</h2> <p>Most countries anxiously monitor income distribution and economic mobility amid concerns inequality may be increasing.</p> <p>And countries with high inequality tend to have low mobility: the rungs of the social ladder are far apart making it difficult to move up to the next level.</p> <p>If mobility is low, the consequences are serious. Low mobility is discouraging, unproductive and unstable. If young people have little chance of achieving their aspirations, their wellbeing is affected.</p> <p><a href="https://ideas.repec.org/p/cor/louvco/2023026.html">Social unrest is more likely</a>. And the abilities of young people from less affluent backgrounds are under-used. The next tech entrepreneur Steve Jobs may never be discovered, and many other opportunities are lost.</p> <p>In Australia we are used to thinking of ourselves as having inequality and mobility somewhere between Scandinavia and the US; but that comparison is not as comforting as it used to be, if inequality and mobility are worsening in the US.</p> <p>Our report considers people’s income mobility over the course of their lives, and across generations. If income mobility is low, people will struggle to recover from initial disadvantage, and those born into privilege will be financially secure.</p> <p>First we look at whether people move in the income distribution; there is a surprising amount of movement. And we look for evidence people can access opportunities throughout life, after setbacks.</p> <h2>Recovering from setbacks</h2> <p>There is not much evidence of recovery after a person experiences a severe illness or a job loss, perhaps because the causal factors are still at work.</p> <p>More encouragingly, the income of women who experience separation <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/4815110/HILDA-User-Manual-Release-22.0.pdf">does increase</a>, eventually restoring the buying power of their household. This is in part due to well-targeted government support.</p> <p>For intergenerational mobility, we extended the dataset developed by <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jel.20211413">an analytical dataset</a> to measure the influence parents’ income had on the income their offspring were likely to earn.</p> <p>We found Australia’s intergenerational mobility is actually higher than the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sjoe.12197">Scandinavian</a> countries, and second only to <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3662560">Switzerland</a> among comparable studies.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="5DFB9" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/5DFB9/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>In all countries studied there was some link between parents’ income mobility and that of children, because parents pass on tastes, ambitions and abilities.</p> <p>And there was greater correlation between the incomes of mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons than with parents of the opposite gender, perhaps because of role model effects.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="BJ4hD" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/BJ4hD/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>While Australia’s strong income mobility between generations is remarkable, it’s concerning there is less mobility among those at the very bottom and top of the income distribution scale.</p> <p>The fact children born into the poorest families were more likely to remain in the lowest deciles, while those born into the top earning families tended to remain in the top deciles, suggests privilege is often passed on.</p> <p>People who grew up in frequently poor households were <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/3537441/HILDA-Statistical-report-2020.pdf">three time more likely</a> to be poor at age 26 to 32 than those who never experienced poverty.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="SxHBo" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/SxHBo/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>And consistent with <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/37c2c8b7-328c-41e1-bace-87ed7a551777/australias-welfare-chapter-2-summary-18sept2019.pdf.aspx">other studies</a> we found children whose family received government payments were twice as likely to receive support as adults, compared with those whose families received no help.</p> <h2>Movement in the middle</h2> <p>Taken together, these results suggest some segmentation of opportunities. In the middle of the income distribution, there are opportunities to get ahead, and individuals’ careers are not restricted by their families’ circumstances.</p> <p>At the bottom, things are a lot more “sticky”, and finding opportunities to permanently escape poverty is more difficult. Some of this boils down where people live, peers, school quality and local job options.</p> <p>Researchers <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jel.20211413">Deutscher and Mazumder</a> (2023) have shown regional economic conditions have a big impact on mobility, and we show remoteness limits movement out of poverty.</p> <p>Overall, the mobility picture is extremely good news for most Australians.</p> <p>But this should not blind us how difficult it is to move out of poverty, especially for those in remote areas. Identifying where mobility fails to deliver allows us to focus our policy response.<!-- 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/234158/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/catherine-de-fontenay-5631">Catherine de Fontenay</a>, Honorary Fellow, Department of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </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/your-parents-income-doesnt-determine-yours-unless-youre-ultra-rich-or-extremely-poor-234158">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Money & Banking

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"I want her parents to know": Fellow Qantas passenger reveals final moments of young woman

<p>The passenger who was seated next to the woman who tragically <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/young-woman-dies-on-qantas-flight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> after boarding a Qantas flight has broken his silence on her last moments. </p> <p>Ravinder Singh was seated next to Manpreet Kaur, who passed away shortly after boarding a flight from Melbourne to Delhi on June 20th. </p> <p>The 24-year-old student, who had dreams of becoming a chef, was travelling to see her parents in India for the first time in four years, but did not make it to her destination. </p> <p>Now, Ravinder Singh has shared details on her final moments in the hopes it will bring her grieving parents some comfort. </p> <p>“I was sitting next to her on the Qantas flight from Melbourne to Delhi and was actually the last person to talk to her,” Ravinder Singh exclusively told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/passenger-speaks-after-woman-dies-next-to-him-on-qantas-flight/news-story/24e8396d8eb3a1d35aea4a4291b847ba" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>news.com.au</em></a>.</p> <p>“When I boarded the plane, she was already seated in the aisle. I was in the window, so I asked if she could please get up so I could occupy my seat.</p> <p>“I noticed that she began scrolling through photos on her mobile phone and stopped at a photograph of an elderly couple. I asked if they were her parents. She smiled and nodded and kept staring at it.”</p> <p>Mr Singh, who had been in Australia to visit family, said that everything seemed fine and the plane eventually began moving towards the runway, ready for take off.</p> <p>He explained that Ms Kaur had then put her phone down and rested her head on the seat in front, when he realised something was not right.</p> <p>“She was wearing her seatbelt and leaned forward to rest her head on the seat in front. As the plane was preparing for takeoff, I wanted to alert her to sit upright,” he shared.</p> <p>“But the plane jerked and I expected her to wake up. But instead, her head just moved towards me."</p> <p>“I got the attention of a flight attention and told her that this woman does not seem very well. She checked her pulse and after that, the reaction of the cabin crew was very commendable."</p> <p>“They tried their best to revive her. She was then evacuated by medical staff.”</p> <p>The retired army officer said the incident still “haunts him” and he wants her parents to know that she “left the world peacefully”. </p> <p>“The incident has been etched in my memory for life,” he said.</p> <p>“It is very difficult to digest that a young girl with whom you were just interacting with has passed away in front of your eyes."</p> <p>“Her innocent face stills haunts me and I want her parents to know she loved them a lot. She left this world peacefully looking at their photograph."</p> <p>“My heart breaks for her family who would have been looking forward to seeing her after a long time.”</p> <p>It is understood that Ms Kaur had been feeling "unwell" when she arrived at the airport and boarded the plane with no issues, with reports suggesting she died of tuberculosis. </p> <p><em>Image credits: news.com.au</em></p>

Caring

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Life after the kids leave: Navigating changes and embracing empty nest syndrome

<p>As your children grow up and go to college, you dread the day they will leave your nest. When they finally leave, it is natural to feel empty and miss the familiar echoes of laughter around the dinner table. While feeling a sense of loss is natural for every parent, it shouldn’t linger. When the feeling lingers, it becomes the empty nest syndrome.</p> <h2>What Is Empty Nest Syndrome?</h2> <p>Empty nest syndrome is an emotional phase and a sense of loss that parents experience when children leave home. Your children becoming adults and leaving your nest symbolises the end of active parenting responsibilities. Since you are uncertain about what to do with the free time on your hands, you may experience a loss of identity and purpose. You have fewer chores and miss your children.</p> <p>When you have empty nest syndrome, you experience a mix of emotions. You may feel lonely and sad in an empty house. The feeling lasts a few days or weeks, but for others, it is intense and may stir up anxiety. If you have empty nest syndrome, you may feel a sense of redundancy and persistent sadness. With no more school runs and daily involvement in your kids’ lives, it’s easy to feel redundant in their lives, leaving you with a lingering sadness and restlessness.</p> <h2>How to Deal with Empty Nest Syndrome</h2> <p>If you are experiencing empty nest syndrome, you can take the following steps to live a fulfilling life:</p> <p><strong>Set New Goals</strong></p> <p>The sudden quietness that comes with children leaving the house can be jarring. However, in the silence awaits a new chapter of your life that starts with you setting new goals. Think about what you want to learn or try out, and write down the steps you need to get there. Whether it is travelling the world or picking up a new hobby, you can achieve self-fulfilment.</p> <p><strong>Identify New Ways to Strengthen Family Bonds</strong></p> <p>You need to redefine your relationships with your children and partner. Your parenting role takes centre stage in your life. As the nest empties, you have a chance to nurture the bond with your partner. Discover each other's aspirations and dreams. You can travel the world together or find new hobbies as a couple. You also need to redefine your bond with your children. Understand that the relationship with your adult children is evolving. Stay connected to your kids, but ensure they have their independence.</p> <p><strong>Adapt Your Cooking Style for Two</strong></p> <p>When you have children at home, you cook for a large family, and you are always excited to prepare the next meal. As your children move out, you have to transition to cooking in a smaller household. Downsizing meals can be challenging when you are used to preparing a large pot of food. Portioning meals to avoid cooking excess food will be challenging at first. However, you can find meal kits from meal delivery services, such as <a href="https://www.hellofresh.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">HelloFresh</a>, that offer meal kits for two. Most meal delivery services send pre-portioned ingredients to prevent food waste.</p> <h2>Discovering New Hobbies to Bring Joy and Fulfilment</h2> <p>Reduce your empty nest symptoms by finding new, exciting activities. Having new hobbies gives you a sense of fulfilment and takes up your time. Consider learning new hobbies like gardening, writing or volunteering. Join a club in the community or volunteer programs. It’s a great way to meet new people and fill up your free time with rewarding experiences.</p> <p>Empty nest syndrome is a period of transformation, and it’s important to maintain a positive attitude during this period. You can rediscover yourself and redefine your priorities. If there is a dream you had put on hold, you can pick it up.</p> <p><em>Image: Becca Tapert / Unsplash</em></p> <p><em>This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with HelloFresh.</em></p>

Family & Pets

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"Take it back to her”: Parents' heartbroken plea to thieves who targeted their daughter's grave

<p>When three-year-old Brittany Conway died after swelling a button battery, news of her death made headlines and prompted urgent warnings to parents everywhere. </p> <p>Now, just one month out from the four-year anniversary of Brittany's death, her parents are grieving all over again after their daughter's grave was targeted by callous thieves, who took off with a "precious" keepsake. </p> <p>“She was a vivacious little girl, there was a sparkle in her eye,” Brittany’s mother Lorraine told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/our-little-princess-parents-anguish-after-precious-item-stolen-from-childs-grave-c-15205766" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>7News</em></a>. “She was a very loving, gentle, funny character.”</p> <p>Brittany’s love of tiaras was immortalised when one was placed inside a locked glass-front box attached to her grave.</p> <p>“Brittany loved wearing big bows and pretty dresses, she loved the tiaras and high heels,” Lorraine said.</p> <p>“We just wanted her to know she was our little princess.”</p> <p>Brittany's parents were heartbroken when they discovered that thieves had pried open the lockbox on the grave and stolen the tiara. </p> <p>“I was so angry to think someone had taken something so precious, taken it out of somewhere so sacred,” Lorraine said.</p> <p>The local Gold Coast community has rallied around the family, offering to replace the tiara and even reward money for the beloved item to be returned.</p> <p>Brittany’s parents are still hoping the tiara will be returned, and sharing a public message to the thief that they “did not hate them” for what they had done, but urged them to give the item back.</p> <p>“I’m still angry, I’m hurt, but my main thing now is to get (the tiara) home, and bring it back to Brittany where it belongs,” Lorraine said.</p> <p>“They haven’t thought about how much of an impact it has had on the family."</p> <p>“If you’re watching this, and you’ve taken it, I don’t hate you — just take it back to her.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Neighbours fan favourite leaving Ramsay Street after 30 years

<p>After 30 years on Ramsay Street, a fan favourite actor is saying goodbye to <em>Neighbours</em>. </p> <p>Ryan Moloney, known for his longstanding role as Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi, announced that he would be leaving the show in an announcement video posted to the <em>Neighbours</em> Instagram page. </p> <p>The 44-year-old actor introduced himself as “formerly Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi" before clarifying, "That’s right, I did say formerly, because after 30 years playing Toadie, I will be leaving Ramsay Street.”</p> <p>“I can’t tell you what is happening to the character – maybe I could be the next Jim Robinson. Or maybe I’ll be the next Harold Bishop and just keep popping back over the 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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8tUG1GScZq/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/C8tUG1GScZq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Neighbours (@neighbours)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Moloney hinted at his career change saying he wanted to spend more time behind the camera and start working as a director. </p> <p>As part of his new career move, he shared that he’d just finished on his first <em>Neighbours</em> episode as a director.</p> <p>“Thank you all so much for all the love that you have shown me and Toadie over the years. For three decades, in fact. I’m going to miss you, I’m going to miss him, and I’m going to miss Erinsborough. But whatever you do, make sure you do not miss what is going to happen on Ramsay Street,” he said. </p> <p>The sudden news sent fans into a tizzy, with many sharing emotional reactions to the news as they prepared to farewell a character who has been with them since the 90s. </p> <p>“Omg What?! Toadie is iconic. Won’t be the same. Hopefully he comes back to Erinsborough for a visit,” wrote one viewer.</p> <p>“This is so sad! I hope he keeps ‘popping back’ to the street rather than die. I am going to miss toadie,” said another.</p> <p>Moloney made his <em>Neighbours</em> debut in 1995 as a teenager and stayed with the show until it was axed in 2022.</p> <p>He was then one of the returning cast members when the show was rebooted a year later.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Andy Barnes / FameFlynet.uk.com/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p> <p> </p>

TV

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Teen actress' parents share update after five-storey fall

<p>Mamie Laverock's parents have shared a promising update with fans, after she was left fighting for her life following a five-storey <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/teen-actress-on-life-support-after-devastating-mishap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fall</a>. </p> <p>Her parents Nicole and Rob updated their GoFundMe page for the 19-year-old and said that she was “out of her big surgeries," and confirmed that doctors say she's “doing well.”</p> <p>"Mamie is out of her extensive surgeries and the doctors say she is doing well," they wrote.</p> <p>“It’s impossible for us to be happier,” her parents continued.</p> <p>“Thank you all for your support.”</p> <p>On May 11, Laverock experienced a “medical emergency” and was hospitalised in Winnipeg, Canada before being transferred to another hospital in Vancouver. </p> <p>At the time her parents said her recovery was “unclear", but she was “showing signs of improvement.” </p> <p>More than two weeks later, they shared a harrowing update on their daughter's condition informing fans that she was now on life support after she fell five stories from a balcony walkway while being escorted out of a secure unit in the hospital. </p> <p>Many of her <em>When Calls the Heart </em>co-stars took to social media to promote the crowd-funding page and express their heartbreak. </p> <p>“I love this family, my heart is broken. A devastating time for all who care for Mamie. Please help if you can. They need all the support they can get to make it through this,"  Laverock’s on-screen mother Molly Sullivan wrote on X. </p> <p>"I just donated. If you have the means to do so, I hope you will too. Link in bio,” wrote the show's leading actress Erin Krakow.  </p> <p>The fundraiser has now exceeded the $30,000 CAD target, raising almost $33,000 CAD. </p> <p><em>Image: GoFundMe</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

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“We need a donor”: Parents' desperate plea to save young daughter

<p>The heartbroken parents of five-year-old Addison Kemp have made a desperate plea to save their young daughter. </p> <p>Addison suffers from a rare health condition called severe Aplastic anaemia, which means that her body’s bone marrow does not produce enough new blood cells to carry out vital tasks like carry oxygen, control infections or heal after an injury.</p> <p>This means that even a simple nosebleed can be catastrophic for the young girl, as she's forced to spend days in hospital getting blood transfusions to stay alive. </p> <p>Her parents Bianca and Daniel have spoken about her condition in an interview with<em> A Current Affair </em>and explained how without a bone-marrow transplant, the condition could mean death for their young daughter. </p> <p>“She wouldn’t live,” Ms Kemp said.</p> <p>“We need a donor.”</p> <p>The couple first found out about their daughter's condition after she returned home from school with bruises all over her body. </p> <p>Addison was taken to the doctor for a blood test, and they found out about the devastating condition a day later and were told to immediately take her to Queensland Children’s Hospital. </p> <p>“I was gutted, I was devastated. Getting a phone call from the doctor saying you need to rush your little girl to the hospital. That wasn’t a phone call that I wanted,” Mr Kemp said. </p> <p>Addison now has to stay in hospital until she can be matched with a donor. </p> <p>Her little sister Crimson, misses her every day that they are apart. </p> <p>“She gets a bit upset every day that they are not home,” Mr Kemp said. </p> <p>The family said that their bone-marrow did not match up with Addison, and no registered Australian donors had matched up with her either.</p> <p>However, not all hope is lost as any regular Australian could help save a life. </p> <p>Lisa Smith, from bone marrow donation charity Strength to Give, said that the donation process is similar to donating blood which involves a short course of injections before the operation. </p> <p>“The vast majority of time, it is you sitting in a chair, having your blood filtered, while you are watching Netflix," Smith said. </p> <p>Ms Kemp begged Australians to sign up as donors. </p> <p>“I really want to put the message out there that if you can, do,” she said.</p> <p>“You could be saving a life, that’s the biggest thing you could do in the world.”</p> <p><em>Image: A Current Affair</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

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Madeleine McCann's parents share emotional 21st birthday message

<p>Madeleine McCann's parents have shared a heartbreaking message as they marked their daughter's 21st birthday. </p> <p>Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann posted the message on the official Find Maddie Campaign Facebook page, with a photo of Maddie in a pink dress and bucket hat - one of the last photos taken of her before she disappeared. </p> <p>"Happy 21st Birthday Madeleine. Still missing. Still missed. Still looking," they wrote. </p> <p>They added the word "hope" on the Facebook photo posted on the page where people regularly donate towards the search efforts to find the missing girl. </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/C62J1_lgEo3/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/C62J1_lgEo3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Official Find Madeleine Campaign (@officialfindmadeleine)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>It's been 17 years since Madeleine disappeared on May 3 2007, and earlier this month her parents shared another poignant message on the anniversary of her disappearance. </p> <p>"It's 17 years since Madeleine was taken from us," the message posted to social media read. </p> <p>"It's hard to even say that number without shaking our heads in disbelief."</p> <p>"Whilst we are fortunate in many ways and able to live a relatively normal and enjoyable life now, the 'living in limbo' is still very unsettling. And the absence still aches.</p> <p>"Your support continues to encourage us and bolsters our strength to keep going. We know the love and hope for Madeleine and the will to find her, even after so many years, remains, and we are truly thankful for that.</p> <p>"Thank you again for remembering Madeleine and all missing children."</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

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Sleep wrinkles are real. Here’s how they leave their mark

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yousuf-mohammed-858232">Yousuf Mohammed</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/khanh-phan-1489820">Khanh Phan</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vania-rodrigues-leite-e-silva-1497208">Vania Rodrigues Leite E. Silva</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p>You wake up, stagger to the bathroom and gaze into the mirror. No, you’re not imagining it. You’ve developed face wrinkles overnight. They’re sleep wrinkles.</p> <p>Sleep wrinkles are temporary. But as your skin loses its elasticity as you age, they can set in.</p> <p>Here’s what you can do to minimise the chance of them forming in the first place.</p> <h2>How side-sleeping affects your face</h2> <p>Your skin wrinkles for a number of reasons, including ageing, sun damage, smoking, poor hydration, habitual facial expressions (such as grinning, pouting, frowning, squinting) and sleeping positions.</p> <p>When you sleep on your side or stomach, your face skin is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/asj/article/36/8/931/2613967">squeezed and crushed</a> a lot more than if you sleep on your back. When you sleep on your side or stomach, gravity presses your face against the pillow. Your face skin is distorted as your skin is stretched, compressed and pulled in all directions as you move about in your sleep.</p> <p>You can reduce these external forces acting on the face by sleeping on your back or changing positions frequently.</p> <h2>Doctors can tell which side you sleep on by looking at your face</h2> <p>In a young face, sleep wrinkles are transient and disappear after waking.</p> <p>Temporary sleep wrinkles can become persistent with time and repetition. As we <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19624425/">age</a>, our skin <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22233477/">loses elasticity</a> (recoil) and extensibility (stretch), creating <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27329660/">ideal conditions</a> for sleep wrinkles or lines to set in and last longer.</p> <p>The time spent in each sleeping position, the magnitude of external forces applied to each area of the face, as well as the surface area of contact with the pillow surface, also <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27329660/">affects</a> the pattern and rate of sleep wrinkle formation.</p> <p>Skin specialists can often recognise this. People who favour sleeping on one side of their body tend to have a flatter face on their sleeping side and more visible sleep lines.</p> <h2>Can a night skincare routine avoid sleep wrinkles?</h2> <p>Collagen and elastin are two primary components of the dermis (inner layer) of skin. They form the skin structure and maintain the elasticity of skin.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/593034/original/file-20240509-16-hz2ha3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&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/593034/original/file-20240509-16-hz2ha3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=395&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593034/original/file-20240509-16-hz2ha3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=395&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593034/original/file-20240509-16-hz2ha3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=395&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593034/original/file-20240509-16-hz2ha3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=496&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593034/original/file-20240509-16-hz2ha3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=496&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593034/original/file-20240509-16-hz2ha3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=496&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Skin structure" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The dermis is the inner layer of skin.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/skin-structure-old-young-1707589036">mermaid3/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Supplementing collagen through skincare routines to enhance skin elasticity can <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32799362/">help reduce</a> wrinkle formation.</p> <p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30287361/">Hyaluronic</a> acid is a naturally occurring molecule in human bodies. It holds our skin’s collagen and elastin in a proper configuration, stimulates the production of <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/15/4429">collagen</a> and adds hydration, which can help slow down wrinkle formation. Hyaluronic acid is one of the most common <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30287361/">active ingredients</a> in skincare creams, gels and lotions.</p> <p>Moisturisers can hydrate the skin in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1473-2165.2009.00421.x">different ways</a>. “Occlusive” substances produce a thin layer of oil on the skin that prevents water loss due to evaporation. “Humectants” attract and hold water in the skin, and they can differ in their capacity to bind with water, which influences the degree of skin hydration.</p> <h2>Do silk pillowcases actually make a difference?</h2> <p>Silk pillowcases can make a difference in wrinkle formation, if they let your skin glide and move, rather than adding friction and pressure on a single spot. If you can, use silk sheets and silk pillows.</p> <p>Studies have also <a href="https://academic.oup.com/asj/article/36/8/931/2613967">shown</a> pillows designed to reduce mechanical stress during sleep can prevent skin deformations. Such a pillow <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=67035#:%7E:text=Introduction-,The%20duration%20of%20sleep%20and%20the%20position%20of%20the%20face,permanent%20sleep%20lines%20with%20time.">could be useful</a> in slowing down and preventing the formation of certain facial wrinkles.</p> <p>Sleeping on your back can reduce the risk of sleep lines, as can a nighttime routine of moisturising before sleep.</p> <p>Otherwise, lifestyle choices and habits, such quitting smoking, drinking plenty of water, a healthy diet (eating enough vegetables, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07315724.2001.10719017?casa_token=uD1flbkLyKUAAAAA%3AsMTWPmxzO3fGHAI41o80B_bWrGrOrvQFeJwF2FtIEnkd73Qmjvyhxr1-GO2kU8_Yc2LYgZp56DqHVg">fruits</a>, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5452251/pdf/nutrients-09-00521.pdf">yogurt and other fermented foods</a>) and regular use of sunscreens can help improve the appearance of the skin on our face.<!-- 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/217380/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/yousuf-mohammed-858232">Yousuf Mohammed</a>, Dermatology researcher, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/khanh-phan-1489820">Khanh Phan</a>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Frazer Institute, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vania-rodrigues-leite-e-silva-1497208">Vania Rodrigues Leite E. Silva</a>, Honorary Associate Professor, Frazer Institute, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</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/sleep-wrinkles-are-real-heres-how-they-leave-their-mark-217380">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Parents of murdered brothers break silence in tearful address

<p>As Australia continues to mourn the loss of Callum and Jake Robinson, two adventurous souls whose lives were tragically cut short during a surfing trip in Mexico, the news that broke the hearts of many has brought profound grief not only to their family and friends but also to the broader community who admired their passion for life and the waves.</p> <p>Martin and Debra Robinson, the grieving parents, have now issued a heartbreaking statement through tears from San Diego, California, where they confirmed and shared the devastating account of their sons' untimely deaths. The brothers, Callum aged 33 and Jake aged 30, along with their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, met their fate in what is believed to be a bungled robbery while camping at San Miguel beach in the Mexican state of Baja California.</p> <p>The details paint a grim picture: the trio's pick-up truck and tents caught the eye of <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/arrests-made-over-aussie-surfers-missing-in-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assailants passing by</a>, leading to a senseless act of violence that claimed their lives. As the Robinsons recounted the harrowing ordeal, the weight of their loss and the injustice of such a senseless tragedy was keenly felt.</p> <p>Days turned into an agonising search when the brothers and their friend vanished on April 27, prompting a desperate hunt that ended in the worst possible outcome. Their bodies, discovered in a well on a nearby cliff, signify the end of a chapter filled with promise and joy, leaving behind a void that can never be filled.</p> <p>In their heartfelt statement, Martin Robinson thanked those who had offered their condolences and said they had been “overwhelmed with the outpouring of emotions and support”. Debra Robinson then spoke through tears, remembering her sons as vibrant individuals who lived life to the fullest. “It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Callum and Jake have been murdered,” she said. “Our hearts are broken and the world has become a darker place for us.</p> <p>“We also mourn the loss of Carter Rhoad, a close friend.</p> <p>“They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together.</p> <p>“Now it’s time to bring them home to family and friends, and the ocean waves in Australia. Please: live bigger, shine brighter and love harder in their memory.”</p> <p>The Robinsons' journey to Mexico, culminating in the grim task of identifying their sons' bodies, stands as a testament to a parent's love and the lengths one would go to honour their children. Instagram posts, now <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/my-heart-is-shattered-girlfriend-s-tribute-to-partner-killed-in-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">haunting reminders of happier times</a>, capture the essence of their final days – a snapshot frozen in time, a poignant reminder of the fragility of life.</p> <p>Amidst the grief, questions linger, and justice remains elusive. Mexican authorities have apprehended suspects linked to the heinous crime, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Yet, no amount of closure can fill the void left by the absence of loved ones whose lives were taken too soon.</p> <p>In the wake of tragedy, Debra Robinson's plea resounds louder than ever: live bigger, shine brighter, and love harder – in memory of those we've lost and the moments we hold dear.</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook / News.com.au</em></p>

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“Selfish” husband leaves wife behind for first class upgrade on their honeymoon

<p dir="ltr">A woman has shared her frustration over a journey she took with her new husband to their honeymoon destination. </p> <p dir="ltr">The wife’s “selfish” husband was quick to ditch her on their way to Mexico for their honeymoon after he was offered an upgrade to business class. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman took to Reddit to share the story of what began at the airport shortly after their wedding, while also explaining that as a frequent flyer, she had racked up a hefty amount of points. </p> <p dir="ltr">In comparison, her new husband is an anxious flyer, who often relies on her to keep him calm during take off and landing. </p> <p dir="ltr">“When I booked our flights I requested to use my points if an upgrade to business class became available, but made it clear I only wanted this upgrade if two seats became available... and then I basically forgot about it,” the wife explained in a Reddit thread.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Then comes the day of our flight. I was so excited for this trip, I checked us in online, all is going well, and then when we go to board, the employee scanning our boarding passes stops us.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“She says it seems that my husband was upgraded to business class, but only him and asks if that is okay.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The wife immediately replied, “No, we are on our honeymoon and would like to stay together”, however, her husband interjected, saying, “No it’s fine, I’ll go to business class.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Approximately 500 of her hard earned points went to his upgrade, while she was left alone in economy for the trip. </p> <p dir="ltr">Stunned by his response, she said: “I look at him in complete shock and he tells me that I fly all the time and have been in business class before, but he hasn’t. So he deserves a chance to experience it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I see we are holding up the line, so I feel like I just need to agree and get on the plane.</p> <p dir="ltr">“To say I am p***ed off is an understatement.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After boarding the flight, the woman became overcome with emotion over her new husband’s actions. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Within maybe five to 10 minutes of sitting there, trying to hold back tears because my husband left me alone on our flight during our honeymoon — and use my points for his upgrade no less, he starts to text me saying he feels anxiety over flying.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Instead of expressing sympathy, she decided to ignore his texts.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I stopped looking at my phone,” the wife said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Just one hour into the flight, her husband began looking for her in economy class.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He comes to the back of the plane to find me, offers me half of his business class breakfast and asks me why I was ignoring him... because he was scared and needed me to tell him it’d be okay since I am such an experienced flyer,” she explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I told him maybe he should have thought about that before leaving me alone before our honeymoon even really began.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“He gets angry, tells me that this may be the only time he gets to fly business class and he was giving me half his breakfast to make up for it so I could at least be supportive of his genuine fear.”</p> <p dir="ltr">When they landed in Mexico, she tried to just “move on and forget” about what her husband did so they could enjoy their honeymoon.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But he guilt tripped me about not comforting him via text before take off and now I am wondering if I am being unreasonable and should have just let him enjoy his time in business class and assure him it’d be okay?” she wondered.</p> <p dir="ltr">She asked the internet whether she was being the a**hole for not being supportive of her husband.</p> <p dir="ltr">Many jumped to the wife’s defence, with one suggesting, “Definitely not the a**hole. Tell your husband actions have consequences and since he wanted to be in business class without you, he gets to fly without you. The fact he did this on your honeymoon trip just makes it worse.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p> </p>

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