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Australia’s fertility rate has reached a record low. What might that mean for the economy?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-boymal-392960">Jonathan Boymal</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ashton-de-silva-3066">Ashton De Silva</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sarah-sinclair-385470">Sarah Sinclair</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>Australia’s fertility rate has fallen to a new <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/births-australia/latest-release">record low</a> of 1.5 babies per woman. That’s well below the “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7834459/#:%7E:text=PIP%3A%20Replacement%20level%20fertility%20is,of%202.1%20children%20per%20woman.">replacement rate</a>” of 2.1 needed to sustain a country’s population.</p> <p>On face value, it might not seem like a big deal. But we can’t afford to ignore this issue. The health of an economy is deeply intertwined with the size and structure of its population.</p> <p>Australians simply aren’t having as many babies as they used to, raising some serious questions about how we can maintain our country’s workforce, sustain economic growth and fund important services.</p> <p>So what’s going on with fertility rates here and around the world, and what might it mean for the future of our economy? What can we do about it?</p> <h2>Are lower birth rates always a problem?</h2> <p>Falling fertility rates can actually have some <a href="https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2007/MR1274.pdf">short-term benefits</a>. Having fewer dependent young people in an economy can increase workforce participation, as well as boost savings and wealth.</p> <p>Smaller populations can also benefit from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927537112000620.">increased investment</a> per person in education and health.</p> <p>But the picture gets more complex in the long term, and less rosy. An ageing population can strain pensions, health care and social services. This can hinder economic growth, unless it’s <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21302431/">offset by increased productivity</a>.</p> <p>Other scholars have <a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/publications/end-economic-growth-unintended-consequences-declining-population">warned</a> that a falling population could stifle innovation, with fewer young people meaning fewer breakthrough ideas.</p> <h2>A global phenomenon</h2> <p>The trend towards women having fewer children is not unique to Australia. The global fertility rate has dropped over the past couple of decades, from 2.7 babies per woman in 2000 to <a href="https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/WLD/world/fertility-rate">2.4 in 2023</a>.</p> <p>However, the distribution is not evenly spread. In 2021, 29% of the world’s babies were born in sub-Saharan Africa. This is projected to <a href="https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/newsroom/news-releases/lancet-dramatic-declines-global-fertility-rates-set-transform">rise to 54% by 2100</a>.</p> <p>There’s also a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/psp.2720">regional-urban divide</a>. Childbearing is often delayed in urban areas and late fertility is more common in cities.</p> <p>In Australia, we see <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/births-australia/latest-release#data-downloads">higher fertility rates</a> in inner and outer regional areas than in metro areas. This could be because of more affordable housing and a better work-life balance.</p> <p>But it raises questions about whether people are moving out of cities to start families, or if something intrinsic about living in the regions promotes higher birth rates.</p> <p><iframe id="U1wEx" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/U1wEx/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <h2>Fewer workers, more pressure on services</h2> <p>Changes to the makeup of a population can be just as important as changes to its size. With fewer babies being born and increased life expectancy, the proportion of older Australians who have left the workforce will keep rising.</p> <p>One way of tracking this is with a metric called the old-age dependency ratio – the number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age individuals.</p> <p>In Australia, this ratio is currently about 27%. But according to the latest <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/publication/2023-intergenerational-report">Intergenerational Report</a>, it’s expected to rise to 38% by 2063.</p> <p>An ageing population means greater demand for medical services and aged care. As the working-age population shrinks, the tax base that funds these services will also decline.</p> <p>Unless this is offset by technological advances or policy innovations, it can mean higher taxes, longer working lives, or the government providing fewer public services in general.</p> <h2>What about housing?</h2> <p>It’s tempting to think a falling birth rate might be good news for Australia’s stubborn housing crisis.</p> <p>The issues are linked – rising real estate prices have made it difficult for many young people to afford homes, with a significant number of people in their 20s <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/more-australian-adult-children-are-living-with-their-parents-longer">still living with their parents</a>.</p> <p>This can mean delaying starting a family and reducing the number of children they have.</p> <p>At the same time, if fertility rates stay low, demand for large family homes may decrease, impacting one of Australia’s most significant economic sectors and sources of household wealth.</p> <h2>Can governments turn the tide?</h2> <p>Governments worldwide, including Australia, have long experimented with policies that encourage families to have more children. Examples include paid parental leave, childcare subsidies and financial incentives, such as Australia’s “<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-baby-bonus-boost-looks-like-across-ten-years-81563">baby bonus</a>”.</p> <p>Many of these efforts have had only limited success. One reason is the rising average age at which women have their first child. In many developed countries, including Australia, the average age for first-time mothers has surpassed <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mothers-babies/australias-mothers-babies/contents/overview-and-demographics/maternal-age">30</a>.</p> <p>As women delay childbirth, they become less likely to have multiple children, further contributing to declining birth rates. Encouraging women to start a family earlier could be one policy lever, but it must be balanced with women’s growing workforce participation and career goals.</p> <p>Research has previously highlighted the factors influencing fertility decisions, including levels of paternal involvement and workplace flexibility. Countries that offer part-time work or maternity leave without career penalties have seen a <a href="https://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/mdo738/research/Doepke_Hannusch_Kindermann_Tertilt_Handbook_23.pdf">stabilisation or slight increases</a> in fertility rates.</p> <h2>The way forward</h2> <p>Historically, one of the ways Australia has countered its low birth rate is through immigration. Bringing in a lot of people – especially skilled people of working age – can help offset the effects of a low fertility rate.</p> <p>However, relying on immigration alone is not a long-term solution. The global fertility slump means that the pool of young, <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2020/03/can-immigration-solve-the-demographic-dilemma-peri">educated workers from other countries</a> is shrinking, too. This makes it harder for Australia to attract the talent it needs to sustain economic growth.</p> <p>Australia’s record-low fertility rate presents both challenges and opportunities. On one hand, the shrinking number of young people will place a strain on public services, innovation and the labour market.</p> <p>On the other hand, advances in technology, particularly in artificial intelligence and robotics, may help ease the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0164070420302020">challenges of an ageing population</a>.</p> <p>That’s the optimistic scenario. AI and other tech-driven productivity gains could reduce the need for large workforces. And robotics could assist in aged care, lessening the impact of this demographic shift.<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/241577/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-boymal-392960">Jonathan Boymal</a>, Associate Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ashton-de-silva-3066">Ashton De Silva</a>, Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sarah-sinclair-385470">Sarah Sinclair</a>, Senior Lecturer in Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT 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/australias-fertility-rate-has-reached-a-record-low-what-might-that-mean-for-the-economy-241577">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Money & Banking

"Super uncomfortable for everyone": Qantas plays R-rated movie for every passenger

<p>Qantas has issued an apology after an R-rated movie was played for every passenger onboard a flight from Sydney to Tokyo. </p> <p>On Saturday, the flight was delayed by an hour due to problems with the in-flight entertainment system, which resulted in cabin crew only being able to play one film on everyone's individual screens. </p> <p>After requests were taken by passengers, the movie <em>Daddio</em> was chosen. </p> <p>The 2023 drama stars Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson as a taxi driver and his passenger as they discuss their relationships, including an affair Johnson’s character had with a married man.</p> <p>One passenger took to Reddit to share their experience of the flight, saying it was "extremely inappropriate", due to scenes of “graphic nudity and a lot of sexting”.</p> <p>“The kind where you could literally read the texts on screen without needing headphones,” the passenger wrote.</p> <p>“It was super uncomfortable for everyone, especially with families and kids on board.”</p> <p>Another passenger said the airline made the switch to <em>Inside Out 2</em> followed by a New Zealand nature show after playing “40 minutes of penis and boobs”.</p> <p>“These poor kids and the parents because y’all should’ve heard the audible gasps across the plane,” the passenger said.</p> <p>Cabin crew members attempted to fix the screens of those who didn't want to watch the R-rated film, but when this didn't work, resorted to switching the movie entirely. </p> <p>“The movie was clearly not suitable to play for the whole flight and we sincerely apologise to customers for this experience,” a Qantas spokesperson stated.</p> <p>“All screens were changed to a family-friendly movie for the rest of the flight, which is our standard practice for the rare cases where individual movie selection isn’t possible."</p> <p>“We are reviewing how the movie was selected.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

From maxing out to slowing down, how much do heart rates vary across sports?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/theresa-larkin-952095">Theresa Larkin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gregory-peoples-1556509">Gregory Peoples</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a></em></p> <p>A classic image of the Olympics and Paralympics is an athlete at the end of a race struggling for breath, their heart obviously racing.</p> <p>But at the other end of the scale are athletes such as archers and shooters, who need to slow their heart rates down as much as possible.</p> <p>Athletes in speed and endurance events regularly push their heart rate to the maximum. But these athletes usually have low heart rates at rest.</p> <p>What causes our heart rates and respiratory (breathing) rates to change so much, and is this healthy?</p> <h2>When heart rates and respiratory rates rise</h2> <p>If you are still and calm as you read this, your heart is probably beating 60–100 times per minute and you are likely breathing 12–20 times per minute.</p> <p>These are the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-should-my-heart-rate-be-and-what-affects-it-98945">normal ranges for a resting adult</a>.</p> <p>During physical activity when muscles are contracting, the muscles need more oxygen to provide them with energy to work.</p> <p>To deliver this extra oxygen (<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-is-blood-red-229121#:%7E:text=Haemoglobin%20is%20like%20a%20red,oxygen%2C%20our%20blood%20is%20red.">carried in our blood</a>), our heart pumps blood faster. In other words, our heart rate increases.</p> <p>We also breathe faster to get more oxygen into our lungs to be delivered to the exercising muscles.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3YOap5k0R_8?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Your resting heart rate can tell you plenty about your health and fitness.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>How fast can our heart rate get during exercise?</h2> <p>Aerobic means “with oxygen”. In <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7050-aerobic-exercise">aerobic exercise</a> (“cardio”) you use large muscles repetitively and rhythmically. For example, walking, running, cycling, swimming and rowing.</p> <p>Muscles that are contracting during aerobic exercise use a lot of energy and need ten times <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4551211/">more oxygen than at rest</a>.</p> <p>High intensity aerobic events that involve large muscles or the entire body cause the highest heart rates.</p> <p>An <a href="https://www.heartonline.org.au/resources/calculators/target-heart-rate-calculator">estimate</a> of maximum heart rate (beats per minute) is 220 minus your age. This equates to 195 beats per minute for a 25-year-old – close to the average age of the Australian Olympic team of 26.5 years.</p> <p>Athletes competing in Olympic events of endurance or speed will reach their maximum heart rate.</p> <p>You can usually only maintain maximum heart rate for a few minutes. But in a 2000-metre rowing race, the rowers maintain intense effort at close to maximum heart rate for 6–8 minutes.</p> <p>This is one of the toughest events for the heart. It’s no wonder rowers often collapse in the boat <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-68731840">as they cross the finish line</a>.</p> <p>Highly trained endurance athletes can have a maximum heart rate higher than expected for their age. <a href="https://olympics.com/en/athletes/eliud-kipchoge">Eliud Kipchoge</a> from Kenya is considered the greatest marathon runner of all time. During his <a href="https://au.coros.com/stories?world-record">world record run</a> in the 2022 Berlin marathon, he ran with a heart rate of around 180 beats per minute for almost the entire race.</p> <h2>How does breathing change with exercise?</h2> <p>Our breathing changes with exercise to increase oxygen uptake from the air.</p> <p>At low-to-moderate intensity exercise, you start to take deeper breaths. This brings in more air and oxygen with each breath. However, there is a limit to how much the chest can expand.</p> <p>With higher intensity exercise, respiratory rate increases to increase oxygen intake.</p> <p>Elite athletes can breathe <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818249/">more than 50 times</a> per minute. This is driven by <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-breathwork-and-do-i-need-to-do-it-231192">our diaphragm</a>, the most important muscle of breathing.</p> <p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-28/paris-olympics-grace-brown-cycling-gold-medal-australia/104151466">Grace Brown</a>, Olympic gold medal cyclist in Paris, <a href="https://inscyd.com/article/grace-brown-olympic-gold-physiology/">breathes close to a maximal oxygen uptake</a> when she is cycling at high intensity.</p> <h2>Some athletes need to slow things down</h2> <p>Archery and shooting athletes perform better with a lower heart rate. They time their shots to be <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3580727/#:%7E:text=Results%20showed%20that%20the%20champion,both%20during%20diastole%20and%20systole">between heart beats</a> when the body is the most still.</p> <p>This is easier with a slower heart rate, with more time between beats.</p> <p>Archers consciously lower their heart rate <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6441821/">prior to shooting</a> by <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6721071/">slowing their breathing</a>.</p> <p>Other Olympians use <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10224217/#:%7E:text=For%20practicing%20slow%20and%20deep,minutes%20before%20starting%20the%20exercise.">breathing techniques</a> to calm pre-race anticipation and high heart rates.</p> <p>Slowing the breath, <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-breathwork-and-do-i-need-to-do-it-231192">especially the exhale</a>, is the best way to lower your heart rate.</p> <p>Beta-blockers also reduce heart rate, by blocking adrenaline. This is why they are on the <a href="https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list">prohibited substances list</a> of the World Anti-Doping Agency.</p> <h2>What about resting heart rates?</h2> <p>Athletes often have a <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/is-a-low-heart-rate-worrisome">low resting heart rate</a>, around 40-50 beats per minute, and slower during sleep.</p> <p>Some are even lower – five time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain famously had a resting heart rate of <a href="https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/miguel-indurain-vs-your-body-34288">28 beats per minute</a>.</p> <p>Legendary US swimmer Michael Phelps is the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/michael-phelps-olympic-medals-record-how-many-gold-swimmer-world-record">most successful Olympian</a> of all time – he had a resting heart rate of <a href="https://www.reanfoundation.org/low-resting-heart-rate-and-lifespan/#:%7E:text=Studies%20on%20Athletes%20and%20Low%20Resting%20Heart%20Rate&text=It%20could%20also%20hint%20at,BPM%20throughout%20his%20professional%20career">less than 40 beats per minute</a>.</p> <p>Regular moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise makes the <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/athletes-heart-rate">heart stronger and more efficient</a>. A stronger heart pumps more blood per beat, which means it doesn’t need to beat as often.</p> <p>Exercise also <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12477376/">increases vagus nerve</a> activity to the heart and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms4775">slows down</a> the heart’s pacemaker cells. These both reduce heart rate.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6306777/">A large review</a> found endurance training and yoga were the best exercises to reduce resting heart rate. But training needs to be maintained to keep resting heart rate low.</p> <p>When elite athletes reduced their training volume by half during COVID lockdown, their <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/5/2970">resting heart rate increased</a>.</p> <h2>What does this mean for our health?</h2> <p>A slower resting heart rate is linked to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6306777/">longer life expectancy and reduced death from cardiovascular disease</a>. Indeed, <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/4/206">a study</a> of more than 8,000 Olympians from the United States found they lived longer than the general population.</p> <p>So it is healthy to do activities that increase your heart rate in the short-term, whether as an Olympian or Paralympian competing, or a fan with your heart racing watching a gold medal event.<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/235594/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/theresa-larkin-952095">Theresa Larkin</a>, Associate professor of Medical Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gregory-peoples-1556509">Gregory Peoples</a>, Senior Lecturer - Physiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</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/from-maxing-out-to-slowing-down-how-much-do-heart-rates-vary-across-sports-235594">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Body

Channel 10 axes another show amid ratings crisis

<p>Channel 10 has decided to axe yet another popular show as they continue to grapple with declining ratings and viewers leaving. </p> <p>Following the cancellation of <em>The Bachelors </em>and <em>The Masked Singer</em>, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13449749/Channel-10-axes-amid-ratings-crisis-revealed-Channel-Seven-considering-saving-unlikely-series.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Daily Mail Australia</em></a> reported that the network was also cancelling <em>Gladiators</em>. </p> <p>Despite the show's success in the UK, the Australian reboot struggled to find the same effect as they failed to sustain their initial viewership. </p> <p>The show produced by Warner Bros and hosted by Beau Ryan and Liz Ellis was launched with high hopes and attracted 395,000 metro viewers during its premiere. </p> <p>However, by the second episode the numbers plummeted to just 196,000 - over half of the initial viewership. </p> <p>Critics on social media were also quick to point out the lack of crowd presence, despite the show being filmed under normal conditions, with one person saying: "It felt like watching an event without any real energy."</p> <p>The Traitors is another the show that was axed by the network after just two seasons, and now an insider has revealed that Channel Seven is considering commissioning the series.</p> <p>"The show's concept has potential, but it needs a fresh approach and a new platform," the insider told <em>Daily Mail Australia</em>. </p> <p>They also shared what's in store for Channel 10 as they attempt to revive their ratings. </p> <p>"Channel 10 is now deciding to put all their eggs in one basket, planning to roll out not one, but two seasons of Australian Survivor in 2025," the insider said. </p> <p>"They are putting together a 10th season special as well as an Australia vs USA Survivor all-star showdown which will be screened simultaneously in America and Down Under."</p> <p>A Channel 10 executive said: "Survivor has consistently performed well for us, and we believe this new approach will reignite audience interest."</p> <p>The <em>Daily Mail</em> reported that they have contacted Channel Seven and 10 for a comment. </p> <p><em>Image: Ten</em></p>

What are heart rate zones, and how can you incorporate them into your exercise routine?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hunter-bennett-1053061">Hunter Bennett</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a></em></p> <p>If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more popular in recent years partly because of the boom in wearable technology which, among other functions, allows people to easily track their heart rates.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6537749/">Heart rate zones</a> reflect different levels of intensity during aerobic exercise. They’re most often based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate, which is the highest number of beats your heart can achieve per minute.</p> <p>But what are the different heart rate zones, and how can you use these zones to optimise your workout?</p> <h2>The three-zone model</h2> <p>While there are several models used to describe heart rate zones, the most common model in the scientific literature is the <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/9/1/article-p100.xml">three-zone model</a>, where the zones may be categorised as follows:</p> <ul> <li> <p>zone 1: 55%–82% of maximum heart rate</p> </li> <li> <p>zone 2: 82%–87% of maximum heart rate</p> </li> <li> <p>zone 3: 87%–97% of maximum heart rate.</p> </li> </ul> <p>If you’re not sure what your maximum heart rate is, it can be calculated using <a href="https://www.jacc.org/doi/full/10.1016/S0735-1097%2800%2901054-8">this equation</a>: 208 – (0.7 × age in years). For example, I’m 32 years old. 208 – (0.7 x 32) = 185.6, so my predicted maximum heart rate is around 186 beats per minute.</p> <p>There are also other models used to describe heart rate zones, such as the <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/14/8/article-p1151.xml">five-zone model</a> (as its name implies, this one has five distinct zones). These <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/9/1/article-p100.xml">models</a> largely describe the same thing and can mostly be used interchangeably.</p> <h2>What do the different zones involve?</h2> <p>The three zones are based around a person’s <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200939060-00003">lactate threshold</a>, which describes the point at which exercise intensity moves from being predominantly aerobic, to predominantly anaerobic.</p> <p>Aerobic exercise <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/difference-between-aerobic-and-anaerobic">uses oxygen</a> to help our muscles keep going, ensuring we can continue for a long time without fatiguing. Anaerobic exercise, however, uses stored energy to fuel exercise. Anaerobic exercise also accrues metabolic byproducts (such as lactate) that increase fatigue, meaning we can only produce energy anaerobically for a short time.</p> <p>On average your lactate threshold tends to sit around <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2147/OAJSM.S141657">85% of your maximum heart rate</a>, although this varies from person to person, and can be <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00043.2013">higher in athletes</a>.</p> <p>In the three-zone model, each zone loosely describes <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2015.00295/full">one of three types of training</a>.</p> <p><strong>Zone 1</strong> represents high-volume, low-intensity exercise, usually performed for long periods and at an easy pace, well below lactate threshold. Examples include jogging or cycling at a gentle pace.</p> <p><strong>Zone 2</strong> is threshold training, also known as tempo training, a moderate intensity training method performed for moderate durations, at (or around) lactate threshold. This could be running, rowing or cycling at a speed where it’s difficult to speak full sentences.</p> <p><strong>Zone 3</strong> mostly describes methods of high-intensity interval training, which are performed for shorter durations and at intensities above lactate threshold. For example, any circuit style workout that has you exercising hard for 30 seconds then resting for 30 seconds would be zone 3.</p> <h2>Striking a balance</h2> <p>To maximise endurance performance, you need to strike a balance between doing enough training to elicit positive changes, while avoiding over-training, injury and burnout.</p> <p>While zone 3 is thought to produce the largest improvements in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1440244018309198">maximal oxygen uptake</a> – one of the best predictors of endurance performance and overall health – it’s also the most tiring. This means you can only perform so much of it before it becomes too much.</p> <p>Training in different heart rate zones improves <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=38c07018c0636422d9d5a77316216efb3c10164f">slightly different physiological qualities</a>, and so by spending time in each zone, you ensure a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/bf00426304">variety of benefits</a> for performance and health.</p> <h2>So how much time should you spend in each zone?</h2> <p>Most <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1258585/full">elite endurance athletes</a>, including runners, rowers, and even cross-country skiers, tend to spend most of their training (around 80%) in zone 1, with the rest split between zones 2 and 3.</p> <p>Because elite endurance athletes train a lot, most of it needs to be in zone 1, otherwise they risk injury and burnout. For example, some runners accumulate <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/22/5/article-p392.xml?content=pdf">more than 250 kilometres per week</a>, which would be impossible to recover from if it was all performed in zone 2 or 3.</p> <p>Of course, most people are not professional athletes. The <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity">World Health Organization</a> recommends adults aim for 150–300 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.</p> <p>If you look at this in the context of heart rate zones, you could consider zone 1 training as moderate intensity, and zones 2 and 3 as vigorous. Then, you can use heart rate zones to make sure you’re exercising to meet these guidelines.</p> <h2>What if I don’t have a heart rate monitor?</h2> <p>If you don’t have access to a heart rate tracker, that doesn’t mean you can’t use heart rate zones to guide your training.</p> <p>The three heart rate zones discussed in this article can also be prescribed based on feel using a simple <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2004.00418.x">10-point scale</a>, where 0 indicates no effort, and 10 indicates the maximum amount of effort you can produce.</p> <p>With this system, zone 1 aligns with a 4 or less out of 10, zone 2 with 4.5 to 6.5 out of 10, and zone 3 as a 7 or higher out of 10.</p> <p>Heart rate zones are not a perfect measure of exercise intensity, but can be a useful tool. And if you don’t want to worry about heart rate zones at all, that’s also fine. The most important thing is to simply get moving.<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/228520/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hunter-bennett-1053061">Hunter Bennett</a>, Lecturer in Exercise Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-heart-rate-zones-and-how-can-you-incorporate-them-into-your-exercise-routine-228520">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Body

Why Mary Poppins has received a new rating 60 years on

<p dir="ltr">Almost 60 years after <em>Mary Poppins</em> was first released, the classic film has been given a new rating by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). </p> <p dir="ltr">The BBFC, which regulates films and video content in the country, changed the rating of the 1964 Disney musical last week from U (Universal) to PG (Parental Guidance) because it features a racial slur once used by white Europeans to refer to the native peoples of southern Africa.</p> <p dir="ltr">"<em>Mary Poppins</em> (1964) includes two uses of the discriminatory term 'hottentots'," a BBFC spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.</p> <p dir="ltr">"While <em>Mary Poppins</em> has a historical context, the use of discriminatory language is not condemned, and ultimately exceeds our guidelines for acceptable language at U."</p> <p dir="ltr">The approaching 60th anniversary of the film is what prompted the BBFC to reexamine the film, as it is set to return to UK cinemas in celebration of the milestone. </p> <p dir="ltr">Even as <em>Mary Poppins</em> remains a treasured part of UK culture, the film has long been criticised for the use of blackface. It's partly in this context that the discriminatory language referenced by BBFC appears in the film.</p> <p dir="ltr">In one scene, the eccentric Admiral Boom asks one of the Banks children if he is going on an adventure to "defeat hottentots." </p> <p dir="ltr">Later in the film, as Admiral Boom sees chimney sweeps with soot-blackened faces dancing in the distance, he shouts, "We're being attacked by hottentots!" and orders a cannon to be fired in their direction.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Hottentot" is a derogatory term used by European settlers to refer to Khoikhoi peoples of South Africa and Namibia, according to the Oxford Dictionary reference.</p> <p dir="ltr">Per the new film rating, children of any age can still watch without an adult present, but parents should consider whether the content might upset younger or more sensitive children, a BBFC spokesperson said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Disney</em></p>

Movies

Five ways to take advantage of rising interest rates to boost your savings

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/fredrick-kibon-changwony-234363">Fredrick Kibon Changwony</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-stirling-1697">University of Stirling</a></em></p> <p>With the Bank of England base rate <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-bank-of-englands-interest-rate-hikes-are-filtering-through-to-your-finances-210344">currently the highest</a> it has been since early 2008, you may have a valuable opportunity to increase your earnings on pensions, investments and savings accounts. After all, when the central bank raises its main rate – the base rate, which is typically used as a benchmark for loans as well as savings accounts – it is trying to encourage people to spend less and save more.</p> <p>But UK banks and building societies have <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/money/martin-lewis-savings-rates-mortgage-crisis-b2362955.html">recently been accused</a> of letting their savings rates lag the recent rapid rise in the base rate. UK regulator the Financial Conduct Authority has urged these financial firms to offer “<a href="https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/action-plan-cash-savings">fair and competitive</a>” savings rates in response to the increasing interest rates.</p> <p>Many financial institutions do offer accounts with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/jul/15/uk-savings-accounts-interest-nsi-building-societies-banks-deals">rates of 6% or more</a>. This is good news for avid savers – but only if you keep an eye on the market so you can switch from less competitive products. This is why it’s important to establish a regular savings habit, but many people are unsure about what that should involve.</p> <p>My colleagues and I have studied the <a href="https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/handle/1893/32240">correlation between people’s savings goals</a> (if they have any) and how they invest their money. We also looked at how seeking financial information advice, and being “good with numbers”, both influence this correlation.</p> <p>We analysed data from more than 40,000 individuals in 21,000 UK households from five waves of the Office for National Statistics Wealth and Assets Survey (WAS), conducted between 2006 and 2016. This data captures comprehensive economic wellbeing information and attitudes to financial planning.</p> <p>Our research shows the importance to your finances of setting multiple savings goals, keeping up with financial news, and seeking professional advice. Based on this, here are five research-based ways to make the most of your money.</p> <h2>1. Set specific savings goals</h2> <p>Establishing personal savings goals is one of the first steps most financial institutions and advisers will recommend to their customers, because it’s a good idea to <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/compoundinterest.asp">save regularly</a>. Plus, our study shows that total financial assets increase in line with the number of savings goals you have, and that setting specific, rather than vague, goals leads to higher performance.</p> <p>Specific savings goals should have an end date, target figure, and even a meaningful name – for example, “£1,000 for 2024 trip to Asia” or “£250 for 2023 Christmas present fund”. This will create tangible reference points that encourage self-control and increase the pain you feel if you fail to meet your goal.</p> <h2>2. Seek professional financial advice</h2> <p>Rather than relying on friends, family and social media for financial advice, speak to an expert.</p> <p>Our research shows households that access professional financial advice were more likely to allocate a higher share of their wealth to stock portfolios than those that rely on friends, family and social media for financial advice. This result was consistent even across different wealth and income levels, with lower earners possibly using products like ISAs to make investments in stocks and shares. Other <a href="https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/134/3/1225/5435538">research shows</a> stock portfolios outperform most other types of investment in the long term.</p> <p>We also found that access to professional financial advice can substitute for setting goals, because your adviser should help you to determine the kinds of products to invest in (which is called asset allocation) for specific timelines and aims.</p> <h2>3. Brush up on your maths</h2> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-5890.2007.00052.x">Several studies</a> show numerical skills affect how households gather and process information, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0013114">set goals</a>, perceive risks, and <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/fedred89&i=791">decide to invest</a> in various financial assets. So, by brushing up on your basic numeracy and financial literacy skills – even with free online videos – you could boost your savings for the long term.</p> <p>Our study shows that individuals with high confidence in their numerical skills tend to have better financial planning habits – such as investing more in stocks and bonds than cash, which carries more risk but also the potential for greater returns. This trend is particularly evident among households with no savings goals, suggesting that numerical ability could compensate for failing to set such goals.</p> <h2>4. Adopt appropriate savings strategies</h2> <p>Diversified stock market portfolios generally outperform bonds and cash savings <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjz012">over longer periods</a>. However, stock markets can be volatile, so putting savings into less risky assets like bonds and cash is wise for savings goals of less than five years.</p> <p>In the longer term, investing across different global stock markets for more than five years can help counteract inflation. And you can access low-cost, diversified investment portfolios via financial products based on indices of stocks or other assets, such as exchange traded funds.</p> <h2>5. Set, monitor and adjust your plan</h2> <p>Free financial planning and budgeting apps can help you save money by tracking your spending and savings goals, and encouraging you to adhere to a budget.</p> <p>Most importantly, once you set savings goals and create a budget, don’t forget about them. Check regularly to see how your savings are building up and to monitor for any spending changes. A growing array of fintech tools can prompt and encourage this kind of long-term planning.</p> <p>Keeping an eye on savings rates is also important. As banks change rates or create new accounts, consider switching to get a better deal if you can do so without falling foul of account closure fees.</p> <p>It’s important to make sure your savings are working for you at any time, but its crucial in the current economy, when finances are tight but interest rates are rising.<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/208853/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/fredrick-kibon-changwony-234363">Fredrick Kibon Changwony</a>, Lecturer in Accounting & Finance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-stirling-1697">University of Stirling</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/five-ways-to-take-advantage-of-rising-interest-rates-to-boost-your-savings-208853">original article</a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking

“My sex statue is famous”: Larry Emdur reacts to X-rated home reveal

<p dir="ltr"><em>The Morning Show</em> host Larry Emdur has been making a name for himself in the world of game show TV for a few years hosting<em> The Chase Australia</em>, but despite his success, he’s still had his sights set on one more goal: making an appearance on the<em> Have You Been Paying Attention?</em> series. </p> <p dir="ltr">And now, it seems like Larry’s dream has come true, though not exactly in the way he might have expected. </p> <p dir="ltr">The popular host and his wife, Sylvie, have had their hands full recently trying to sell their Kangaroo Valley retreat, better known as Sky Ridge. </p> <p dir="ltr">And while pictures of the property and its picturesque surrounds are available thanks to Belle Property, it wasn’t the property’s luxury four bedrooms or sweeping views that saw it get a mention on the Channel 10 game show.</p> <p dir="ltr">Instead, it was a statue situated in the home’s main living space that caught their attention, with <em>Have You Been Paying Attention? </em>host Tom Gleisner asking his panel if they knew why Larry’s holiday home had gone viral throughout the week. </p> <p dir="ltr">Ed Kavalee was quick to suggest that it was because “the price was right”, while Sam Pang asked if it was because “it has to do with the backyard, they found a shallow grave?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Kavalee eventually got to the right answer, revealing that “there was, like, a pornographic statue in there.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The statue in question could be found perched on top of Larry’s dining room table, and appeared to catch two people caught up in the moment having “X-rated raunchy sex”, as Larry himself put it. </p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>HYBPA?</em> audience found it hilarious, and thankfully, Larry was more than happy to see the funny side of it all, too. </p> <p dir="ltr">Taking to social media after learning about his unexpected cameo, Larry shared that he’d “always wanted to be on <em>Have You Been Paying Attention?</em> but not for a disgraceful reason like this.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“My sex statue is famous,” he added, before sharing details of the property and that “YES !!!! <em>The Price is Right</em>”.</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/CttOo9pByBy/?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/CttOo9pByBy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by @larryemdur</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Larry’s fans raced to express their amusement, with dozens sharing laughing emojis, while others assured him that the feature piece was certainly “a work of art”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Love a good conversation piece,” one user said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s…… unique,” another added. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Can’t stand that show,” one confessed. “But at least this time they are talking about something interesting”.</p> <p dir="ltr">And one other agreed that it had been “so funny”, noting that it was also a “nice house”, but that most importantly, they were sorry you weren't nominated for a gold logie, you sure deserved it”. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: realestate.com.au, Getty</em></p>

Real Estate

Ratings results after Shirvo’s first day in Kochie’s chair

<p dir="ltr">The results are in and <em>Seven</em> has maintained its position on top, with thousands of viewers tuning in to watch newly appointed <em>Sunrise </em>co-host Matt Shirvington <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/kochie-s-sunrise-replacement-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">replace Kochie</a> on the breakfast TV show.</p> <p dir="ltr">Over 235,000 metro viewers tuned in to Seven on Monday, while Nine’s Today drew around 188,000 viewers, and 104,000 watched ABC’s News Breakfast.</p> <p dir="ltr">The reactions were positive and many took to social media to share their well-wishes for the former sprinter after his first day on the show.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Your first morning Shirvo, great, So natural,” one viewer posted on Instagram.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The best person to replace Kochie,” wrote another.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Matt Shirvo is exactly what Sunrise needed,” another viewer added.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I am so glad they went with Shirvo. A fresh start for Sunrise,” commented another.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 44-year-old was<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/kochie-s-sunrise-replacement-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> announced as the new host</a> alongside Nat Barr on June 5, and officially replaced Kochie a week later.</p> <p dir="ltr">He has shared his delight and excitement over joining the show, and even posted an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CtWFmBhPAT4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">image </a>of all the alarms he set in preparation for his new job.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m so excited but also humbled by the opportunity to co-host such an important show to so many Australians,” he said last week.</p> <p><em>Image: Sunriseon7 Instagram</em></p>

RBA announces major interest rate rise

<p>The Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted its official interest rate to 4.1 per cent, an increase not seen since early 2012.</p> <p>The bank’s board chose to lift the cash rate target by 0.25 of a percentage point for the second month in a row amid concerns that inflation is taking too long to decrease.</p> <p>The latest monthly consumer price index from the Australian Bureau of Statistics saw prices rise 6.8 per cent from 2022 to April 2023, up from the March reading due to statistical uncertainties caused by last year’s temporary fuel excise cut.</p> <p>Reserve Bank governor Phillip Lowe warned the public about rising costs of services including hospitality which are labour intensive and vulnerable to increased wages.</p> <p>"Recent data indicate that the upside risks to the inflation outlook have increased and the board has responded to this," he highlighted in his post-meeting statement.</p> <p>"While goods price inflation is slowing, services price inflation is still very high and is proving to be very persistent overseas. Unit labour costs are also rising briskly, with productivity growth remaining subdued.”</p> <p>Lowe noted the most recent and bigger than expected rise in minimum and award wages, which was the highest increase in decades.</p> <p>"Wages growth has picked up in response to the tight labour market and high inflation," he explained.</p> <p>"At the aggregate level, wages growth is still consistent with the inflation target, provided that productivity growth picks up.”</p> <p>The interest rate spike will add around $76 a month to the repayments on a $500,000 loan, and double that on a million-dollar 25-year mortgage.</p> <p>Someone with $500,000 owing on their home loan will see their monthly repayment increase by around $1,134 a month since the RBA started lifting rates from a record low of 0.1 per cent in May 2022.</p> <p>However, there is still the risk of another rate rise.</p> <p>"Some further tightening of monetary policy may be required to ensure that inflation returns to target in a reasonable time frame, but that will depend upon how the economy and inflation evolve," Lowe warned.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Twitter</em></p>

Money & Banking

"The numbers don't lie": Sunrise and Today take their ratings rivalry to the next level

<p dir="ltr">Tensions have reached new heights between Australian networks Seven and Nine, with one broadcaster releasing a public statement in defence of its own reportedly lacklustre breakfast show audience numbers. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to a new report from the <em>Daily Telegraph</em>, Nine’s <em>Today </em>has been lagging behind Seven’s <em>Sunrise</em>, with year-to-date average audience figures putting <em>Sunrise </em>ahead by 18 per cent.</p> <p dir="ltr">At a national scale, things don’t look much better for Nine, with <em>Sunrise</em>’s average sitting at 363,000 viewers and 271,000 for <em>Today </em>- numbers confirmed by <em>news.com.au</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The publication also reported that a source claimed executives were concerned about <em>Today</em>’s new line-up of Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo, and that it may not be connecting with their audiences as intended.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nine’s director of morning television, Steven Burling, had plenty to say about the report, calling it a “fabrication and a distortion of the old fashioned and out of date overnight ratings system.” </p> <p dir="ltr">He also noted that <em>Today </em>was actually in a favourable position with younger audiences, and considered that to be “all important”.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, <em>Sunrise</em> weren’t too keen on accepting that fact, with a spokesperson for their network informing news.com.au that the ratings that had placed <em>Sunrise</em> at the top of the pecking order were, in fact, accurate.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The numbers don’t lie,” they stated. “<em>Sunrise</em> has been number one for 19 years and is number one again this year, across the capital cities and nationally.</p> <p dir="ltr">“<em>Sunrise </em>wins in Sydney, New South Wales, Victoria, Adelaide, South Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland. It is growing well in Melbourne. <em>Today</em> is ahead in Brisbane.”</p> <p dir="ltr">They also had thoughts about<em> Today </em>being ahead with younger age groups, unwilling to believe it and instead arguing that <em>Sunrise </em>was the leader of the pack with the 25-54 group. </p> <p dir="ltr">The same couldn’t be said for the 16-39 age bracket, with <em>Today</em> still seizing the win there. </p> <p dir="ltr">The situation may yet change, as it’s already been in flux for a few years, with the two shows actually managing to narrow their gap in 2021.</p> <p dir="ltr">2022 and 2023 were a different story, with that divide widening again, leading many to speculate that it may or may not have something to do with each breakfast programme’s chosen line-up. </p> <p dir="ltr">David Koch has been hosting over at <em>Sunrise</em> for 20 years - with co-host Natalie Barr contributing in some capacity for the same span of time. </p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, <em>Today</em> has endured shake up after shake up in recent times, with Karl Stefanovic’s co-host Sarah Abo only joining him at the helm in 2023, after Allison Langdon left for a position at <em>A Current Affair</em>. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Sunrise / Seven, Today / Nine </em></p>

Tiny Tassie home comes under fire for steep rental rate

<p>A property up for rent in Tasmania’s Huon Valley has faced a wave of criticism over its rental asking price - at a staggering $175 per week for the freestanding, singular room. </p> <p>While the ‘home’ does boast stunning views as well as access to the main property’s amenities, most are in agreement that the asking price serves as a harsh reminder that Australia’s housing crisis is far from over. </p> <p>The advertisement first appeared on Facebook Marketplace, with a listing that declared it to be a “small fully insulated cabin with heat and power. Shared kitchen and bathroom. $175 [per] week!</p> <p>“On a rural bush setting with walking tracks, creeks and magnificent views. Just three-minute drive from Cygnet or 25-minute walk. Genuine inquiries only. Thank you.”</p> <p>Comments from irate viewers came in fast and furious, with even going so far as to post on Twitter about the listing, writing “this tiny wooden box is barely wider than a two-seater couch, has no bathroom, no kitchen, and is a 25 minute walk from Cygnet.</p> <p>“The owner wants $175 a week. If you had tried that on as little as five years ago, someone would have tossed you directly into the Tasman Sea.”</p> <p>“My chook pen is bigger than that,” a fellow user said in response. </p> <p>“I’ve seen better dog kennels,” someone else declared. </p> <p>And one even asked if the building had “approval as a habitable building”, while another asked if it was actually just a ‘dunny’. </p> <p>Luckily for the owner, the Tenants Union of Tasmania at least confirmed to <em>7NEWS.com.au</em> that “the property does meet the requirements of a ‘boarding premises’ under the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas).”</p> <p>The owner was of another opinion to the critics, however, reportedly telling <em>The Mercury</em> that “if people had actually reached out to me before having a crack they would see I am an honest guy trying to help people.</p> <p>“I share the main house with my 18-year-old daughter and we both work full-time jobs. I don't charge electricity, water or rates and I couldn't do it any cheaper with rising interest rates.”</p> <p>And as he also told <em>7NEWS</em>, “I thought, coming into winter, it’s going to be pointless having a good home there [if it’s not being used], and if I can share the cost of living with somebody, my daughter and I would be happy to have the right tenant to come along.”</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

Real Estate

“Sam has plans afoot”: Ratings smash puts Sam Armytage in the driver’s seat

<p><em>Farmer Wants a Wife</em>'s Samantha Armytage has enjoyed early success with her new hosting gig, with the reality series seeing a wave of success in the ratings department for its first few episodes.</p> <p>The 2023 season premiere alone drew in approximately 1.08 million viewers, leading many to believe that Armytage has made leaps and bounds towards reasserting herself as a valued member of the team over at Seven.</p> <p>“She’s now in a place to get just about anything she wants from hereon in,” a source told New Idea, before noting that Armytage was driven by ambition, and was already looking ahead to her next steps with the network.</p> <p>“Sam has plans afoot,” they explained. “She's cleverly stayed on the network's radar, knowing if she landed and nailed a lead role like in <em>FWAW</em> [<em>Farmer Wants a Wife</em>] then doors would open.”</p> <p>Sam, who had parted ways with Seven’s breakfast show <em>Sunrise</em> in 2020, had a tough battle ahead when she took over from beloved former <em>FWAW </em>host Natalie Gruzlewski. Even though Armytage had previously appeared on the show in a guest capacity, fans were shocked by the news, and struggled to come to terms with the upcoming shift.</p> <p>According to <em>New Idea</em>’s insider, this applied in part to Gruzlewski too, with them explaining that “no one saw this coming, least of all Nat. She didn't know the full extent of the role changes until recently - it was a bolt out of the blue!</p> <p>“Sam has sold herself as the better choice because she maintains she is married to a farmer, grew up on a farm, and therefore is more relatable. Although that remains to be seen.”</p> <p>And it was an obvious change from the first 15 minutes of the new season, with Gruzlewski only seen in a handful of frames, while Armytage took centre stage interviewing the latest batch of hopeful contestants. </p> <p>The same source reported that Armytage is a “management favourite”, suggesting that the lineup shakeup was all part of an effort from the network to elevate Armytage’s professional profile again. </p> <p>They also explained that Gruzlewski was “taking the demotion in her stride”, all while demonstrating the good quality that fans had come to know from her.</p> <p>“Nat is no diva and was always a crowd favourite, the farmers and the women almost always warmed to her,” they said, before noting that there was a very real sense “this might end up being Nat’s final season” in light of the changes. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Check your rates: Couple's warning after being overcharged for more than a decade

<p>A disgruntled couple from the NSW south coast town of Kiama have slammed their local council after discovering they have been overcharged by around $8,000 for a rubbish bin they weren’t even using.</p> <p>The couple, Kim and Geoff Oppert reached out to <em>A Current Affair</em> to warn other ratepayers to carefully check the fine print on their bills.</p> <p>The pair had made the decision to downsize their red-lid general waste bin after their daughter moved out of the family home, which ideally would have lowered their rates.</p> <p>Due to a mistake on their bills - clouded by legal jargon - the couple were paying twice as much for their red-lid garbage bin.</p> <p>This meant Kiama Council had been charging them for TWO bins for the past 12 years.</p> <p>"Look at your rates notice and check you're paying for just one bin," Mr Oppert told A Current Affair.</p> <p>"Over 12 years we paid $16,000 in garbage waste disposal and it really should have been half that," he said.</p> <p>"Our rate notice doesn't clearly say how many bins we have. It's bureaucratic speak no one could understand."</p> <p>When the couple finally realised the mistake they went straight to the council.</p> <p>"But they would only give us a refund for two years and quoted some tax act as the reason why," Mr Oppert explained.</p> <p>"It is so unfair and just not right," Mrs Oppert added.</p> <p>"It was their mistake not ours, and they admitted it.”</p> <p>Mr Oppert seeks to warn all Australians paying a council for a bin service, "Check your rates notice and make sure you're not getting ripped off.”</p> <p>Kiama Council were made aware of the situation and gave a partial refund to the couple.</p> <p>"When this matter was brought to our attention, Kiama Council acted quickly to rectify the situation, in accordance with the law, as outlined below.”, a Kiama Municipal Council spokesperson said in a statement.</p> <p>“We refunded the amounts of $805.72 for 2021-22 and $818.61 for 2022-23.</p> <p>The couple have not received a full refund due to tax laws.</p> <p>"The Office of Local Government has advised that, where charges go back more than 1 year, the Recovery of Imposts Tax Act 1963 applies as follows", the spokesperson continued.</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/03/BINS-PIC.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p>"In addition, Kiama Council is now working on an audit of all our urban and residential waste services to ensure our charges are correct.</p> <p>"Council reminds all ratepayers to check their bills and if anything is unclear, please get in touch with us to discuss, we are always happy to help."</p> <p><em>Image credit: A Current Affair/Kiama Municipal Council</em></p>

Real Estate

Ping, your pizza is on its way. Ping, please rate the driver. Yes, constant notifications really do tax your brain

<p>A ping from the pizza company. A couple of pings from your socials. Ping, ping, ping from your family WhatsApp group trying to organise a weekend barbecue. </p> <p>With all those smartphone notifications, it’s no wonder you lose focus on what you’re trying to do do. </p> <p>Your phone doesn’t even need to ping to distract you. There’s <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-28923-001">pretty good</a><a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/691462">evidence</a> the mere presence of your phone, silent or not, is enough to divert your attention.</p> <p>So what’s going on? More importantly, how can you reclaim your focus, without missing the important stuff?</p> <h2>Is it really such a big deal?</h2> <p>When you look at the big picture, those pings can really add up. </p> <p>Although estimates vary, the average person checks their phone <a href="https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/30085/1/PubSub7601_Andrews.PDF">around 85 times</a><a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/trapped-in-the-net-are-we-all-addicted-to-our-smartphones-20190531-p51t44.html">a day</a>, roughly once every 15 minutes.</p> <p>In other words, every 15 minutes or so, your attention is likely to wander from what you’re doing. The trouble is, it can take <a href="https://lifehacker.com/how-long-it-takes-to-get-back-on-track-after-a-distract-1720708353">several minutes</a> to regain your concentration fully after being <a href="https://www.ics.uci.edu/%7Egmark/chi08-mark.pdf">interrupted</a> by your phone.</p> <p>If you’re just watching TV, distractions (and refocusing) are no big deal. But if you’re driving a car, trying to study, at work, or spending time with your loved ones, it could lead to some fairly substantial problems.</p> <h2>Two types of interference</h2> <p>The pings from your phone are “exogenous interruptions”. In other words, something external, around you, has caused the interruption.</p> <p>We can <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-46276-9_21">become conditioned</a> to feeling excited when we hear our phones ping. This is the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2002.00015.x">same pleasurable feeling</a> people who gamble can quickly become conditioned to at the sight or sound of a poker machine.</p> <p>What if your phone is on silent? Doesn’t that solve the ping problem? Well, no.</p> <p>That’s another type of interruption, an internal (or endogenous) interruption.</p> <p>Think of every time you were working on a task but your attention drifted to your phone. You may have fought the urge to pick it up and see what was happening online, but you probably checked anyway.</p> <p>In this situation, we can become so strongly conditioned to expect a reward each time we look at our phone we don’t need to wait for a ping to trigger the effect. </p> <p>These impulses are powerful. Just reading this article about checking your phone may make you feel like … checking your phone.</p> <h2>Give your brain a break</h2> <p>What do all these interruptions mean for cognition and wellbeing? </p> <p>There’s increasing evidence push notifications are associated with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853217300159">decreased productivity</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958820300051">poorer concentration</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927537116300136">increased distraction</a> at work and school. </p> <p>But is there any evidence our brain is working harder to manage the frequent switches in attention? </p> <p>One study of people’s brain waves <a href="https://www.hindawi.com/journals/cin/2016/5718580/">found</a> those who describe themselves as heavy smartphone users were more sensitive to push notifications than ones who said they were light users. </p> <p>After hearing a push notification, heavy users were significantly worse at recovering their concentration on a task than lighter users. Although push notification interrupted concentration for both groups, the heavy users took much longer to regain focus. </p> <p>Frequent interruptions from your phone can also leave you <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563219302596">feeling stressed</a> by a need to respond. Frequent smartphone interruptions are also associated with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131519301319">increased FOMO</a> (fear of missing out). </p> <p>If you get distracted by your phone after responding to a notification, any subsequent <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2050157921993896">procrastination</a> in returning to a task can also leave you feeling guilty or frustrated.</p> <p>There’s <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563219300883">certainly evidence</a> suggesting the longer you spend using your phone in unproductive ways, the lower you tend to rate your wellbeing.</p> <h2>How can I stop?</h2> <p>We know switching your phone to silent isn’t going to magically fix the problem, especially if you’re already a frequent checker. </p> <p>What’s needed is behaviour change, and that’s hard. It can take several attempts to see lasting change. If you have ever tried to quit smoking, lose weight, or start an exercise program you’ll know what I mean.</p> <p>Start by turning off all non-essential notifications. Then here are some things to try if you want to reduce the number of times you check your phone:</p> <ul> <li> <p>charge your phone overnight in a different room to your bedroom. Notifications can prevent you falling asleep and can repeatedly rouse you from essential sleep throughout the night</p> </li> <li> <p>interrupt the urge to check and actively decide if it’s going to benefit you, in that moment. For example, as you turn to reach for your phone, stop and ask yourself if this action serves a purpose other than distraction</p> </li> <li> <p>try the <a href="https://www.themuse.com/advice/take-it-from-someone-who-hates-productivity-hacksthe-pomodoro-technique-actually-works#:%7E:text=The%20Pomodoro%20Technique%20is%20a,are%20referred%20to%20as%20pomodoros">Pomodoro method</a> to stay focused on a task. This involves breaking your concentration time up into manageable chunks (for example, 25 minutes) then rewarding yourself with a short break (for instance, to check your phone) between chunks. Gradually increase the length of time between rewards. Gradually re-learning to sustain your attention on any task can take a while if you’re a high-volume checker.</p> </li> </ul> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/ping-your-pizza-is-on-its-way-ping-please-rate-the-driver-yes-constant-notifications-really-do-tax-your-brain-193952" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Technology

Kyle's cheeky swipe at Ben Fordham after ratings victory

<p>Kyle Sandilands has shared the cheeky text he sent to Ben Fordham after the <em>Kyle and Jackie O Show</em> dominated in the radio ratings. </p> <p>The KIIS co-hosts knocked the dominant 2GB host off the number one spot in Tuesday’s GfK ratings, increasing their total audience share to 14.9 per cent, up 2.1 percentage points.</p> <p>Meanwhile Fordham, who took over as host from Alan Jones in 2020, fell just behind with 14.8 per cent total audience share, down 2.1 per cent.</p> <p>As 2GB have held the title of ‘Sydney’s top-rating breakfast show’ for more than 15 years, Kyle and Jackie O's ratings victory is an impressive feat for the veteran broadcasting duo. </p> <p>Speaking to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/radio/kyle-sandilands-text-to-ben-fordham-onair-after-winning-radio-ratings/news-story/b094e1334468e23bf91e6a2adb6671e4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>, the 51-year-old shock jock said he couldn’t help but rub salt in Fordham’s wound after hearing the news.</p> <p>“I sent him a text saying ‘Sorry Ben … x’, and he wrote back, ‘How did you go?’, because obviously I know everything in radio, he’s only new,” Sandilands joked.</p> <p>He added, “So I said, ‘We beat you by a little bit. By an ants d**k. And he wrote nothing back. I told him in the middle of his show. [But] I did it very nicely, I didn’t gloat and carry on. Just placed it in front of him.”</p> <p>The broadcasting duo have had a successful few weeks, after being <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/kyle-sandilands-reveals-why-he-s-never-been-fired" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inducted into the Hall of Fame</a> at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards last month.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

News

Europe warming at double the rate of other continents

<p>Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, according to a newly released report from the World Meteorological Organization.</p> <p>The State of the Climate in Europe report cites the loss of more than 25 metres of ice loss in alpine glaciers, and 20 metres of loss in Greenland (a Danish territory), as particularly responsible for the rise in ocean levels.</p> <p>Climate change events were also responsible for more than US$50 billion in damages.</p> <p>In its statement releasing the report, the WMO described Europe as the “live picture” of a world burdened by warming climate. Since 1990, Europe’s temperatures have undergone an average rate of temperature increase of 0.5 degrees each decade.</p> <p>That rate is twice as high as the next fastest warming continent.</p> <p>The WMO points to high-impact weather and climate events – nearly 85% of which were floods and storms – as directly affecting around 510,000 people.</p> <p>Extreme heat also took its toll, with provisional record temperatures experienced in southern Italy in August reaching 48.8°C. These temperatures influenced drought and low rainfall across the Mediterranean, leading to deadly wildfires that burned through three times the amount of land area than the region’s 15-year average up to 2020.</p> <h2>But are carbon emissions decreasing in Europe?</h2> <p>Fuel prices and the COVID-19 pandemic were major influences on the continent’s carbon emissions reduction, the WMO found.</p> <p>A 31% decline in carbon emissions between 1990 and 2020 was recorded, although it’s expected to be far less in 2021 due to the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions and altered fuel prices.</p> <p>2021 also marked the introduction of EU legislation to make net zero by 2050 a legally-binding target for member nations.</p> <p>Although temperature data provided by six datasets showed a decrease in 2021 from the preceding year, it still marked one of the 10 warmest years on record.</p> <p>And observers will keenly await the release of next year’s 2022 appraisal, after record summer droughts and heatwaves heaped pressure on European nations.</p> <p>Even now, regions across the continent are recording their hottest temperatures for November on record. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">(2) More November records in Europe.<br />France had 21 records today (left column), the most important were: Aigues Mortes (POR since 1872), Aix en Provence and Valence (1st class stations).<br />In Austria 4 records beaten the highest was 23.3C at Hohe Wand (right column).<br />tb continued.. <a href="https://t.co/DjmR7oR0oR">pic.twitter.com/DjmR7oR0oR</a></p> <p>— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) <a href="https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1587481854680219653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>“[Europe] reminds us that even well-prepared societies are not safe from impacts of extreme weather events,” says WMO secretary-general Professor Petteri Taalas.</p> <p>“This year, like 2021, large parts of Europe have been affected by extensive heatwaves and drought, fuelling wildfires. In 2021, exceptional floods caused death and devastation.</p> <p>“On the mitigation side, the good pace in reducing greenhouse gases emissions in the region should continue and ambition should be further increased. Europe can play a key role towards achieving a carbon neutral society by the middle of the century to meet the Paris Agreement.”</p> <h2>Future outlook</h2> <p>The release of the report comes ahead of the global climate change conference to be held in Egypt, where delegations from around the world convene to recalibrate efforts to address climate change.</p> <p>Last year’s COP26 conference in Glasgow was criticised for scrubbing language to phase out coal from the final agreement. In its place came language to ‘phase down’ its use. Coal is the leading source of carbon emissions from energy use.</p> <p>Similarly, several nations failed to renew important targets to reduce carbon emissions by the end of the decade, considered an important tipping point if net zero by 2050 is to be achieved.</p> <p>The WMO echoed the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasts that weather, climate and water disasters will increase in the future, and that Europe will experience temperature rises at rates exceeding global average increases.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/europe-warming-at-double-the-rate-of-other-continents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Matthew Agius.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

X-rated encounter leaves Ally Langdon speechless

<p dir="ltr">A guest on the T<em>oday Show</em> has left host Allison Langdon and fill-in co-host David Campbell in shock after appearing on the air while in the nude.</p> <p dir="ltr">Langdon and Campbell were interviewing Jimmy Niggles on his latest campaign to raise funds for skin cancer and were greeted with a nude Niggles holding a sign over his genital area that read, “Strip off for skin cancer”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We're down here on Bondi Beach with some very special news. It's very revealing news. It's very exciting for the whole country,” Niggles explained.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-154ea817-7fff-b407-20a9-8635ade84e07"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Spencer Tunick, who is an incredible internationally renowned artist is coming Down Under yet again. And for those who don't know he specialises in large scale nude installation photography.”</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/CkHYIVzBHMU/?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/CkHYIVzBHMU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by thetodayshow (@thetodayshow)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">But the real shock came moments later, when Niggles and his two companions - wearing ‘Strip off for skin cancer’ budgie smugglers - turned away from the camera and ran towards the beach and a family walking along nearby, exposing his bare buttocks and a glimpse of his hand covering his genitals in the process.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh my, I can't look at this,” Langdon said before covering her face with paper.</p> <p dir="ltr">Composing himself, Campbell picked up where they left off with a message for viewers, “That was for a good cause… all for a good cause.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“He went straight for that family too which was a shame.”</p> <p dir="ltr">During the interview, Niggles said he aims to gather 2,000 naked people together for a photo to “shine a massive spotlight on skin cancer in Australia”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-2b51cb65-7fff-eb92-85c1-1aac75a14fcc"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“We're aiming to get 2,000 people to represent 2,000 people that die from skin cancer every year. Each one of those will represent someone,” he said.</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/CN7RJzHjnwj/?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/CN7RJzHjnwj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jimmy Niggles Esq. (@jimmyniggles)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Even though most skin cancers are successfully treated, melanoma is still one of Australia’s biggest killers, with one Australian dying every five hours.</p> <p dir="ltr">Niggles has been raising awareness and encouraging Aussies to get their skin checked for the last decade, when he started the charity Beard Season following the death of his friend in 2010 after a cancerous spot was found too late.</p> <p dir="ltr">In April this year, Niggles shaved off his beard - which he had been growing for 11 months - and raised $1,013,970 for the charity.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d081ee5e-7fff-d384-7d23-1ff545c073d7"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nine</em></p>

Body

Why is ‘Blonde’ Netflix’s Marilyn Monroe biopic rated NC-17 instead of TV-MA?

<p>The NC-17 rating has <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-xpm-2013-oct-25-la-et-ct-blue-is-the-warmest-color-nc17-20131023-story.html">historically</a> been a film certification that’s bad for business due to its adults-only label and pornographic stigma.</p> <p>Yet Netflix’s Marilyn Monroe biopic, “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655389/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Blonde</a>,” will carry the rating – a first for the company. On Sept. 28, 2022, it will debut on its streaming platform, following a Venice Film Festival premiere.</p> <p>Based on Joyce Carol Oates’s <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/second-read/joyce-carol-oatess-blonde-is-the-definitive-study-of-american-celebrity">2000 book</a> and starring <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2022/02/blonde-nc-17-ratings-rumor-untrue-ana-de-armas-1234698562">Ana de Armas</a>, the film reportedly includes a <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2022/02/blonde-nc-17-ratings-rumor-untrue-ana-de-armas-1234698562/">graphic rape scene</a> and a <a href="https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/marilyn-monroe-movie-blonde-create-controversy-says-ana-de-armas-exclusive">vaginal point-of-view shot</a> in its treatment of the Hollywood icon’s life and career.</p> <p><a href="https://search.asu.edu/profile/1250151">I study the rating system</a> and am the author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Naked-Truth-Hollywood-Doesnt-X-rated/dp/0813540895">The Naked Truth: Why Hollywood Doesn’t Make X-Rated Movies</a>.”</p> <p>Movies carrying the NC-17 rating were often difficult to screen and promote, as they were locked out of some movie theater chains and traditional advertising. The critically acclaimed, sexually graphic “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-xpm-2013-oct-25-la-et-ct-blue-is-the-warmest-color-nc17-20131023-story.html">Blue is the Warmest Color</a>” in 2013 was the last serious film released with the rating. Despite making over $2.2 million on 142 screens, its relative success as an NC-17 film didn’t fuel the production of any more movies like it.</p> <p>So why would Netflix resurrect a rarely used, contentious, and restrictive NC-17 for “Blonde”? Netflix’s 2020 film “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9196192/">Cuties</a>,” which caused <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/11/21431174/cancel-netflix-cuties-movie-maimouna-doucoure-backlash-petition">a PR crisis</a> over the perceived hypersexualization of young girls, now has a “TV-MA” rating on the streaming service. Why wouldn’t the company simply use the same rating for “Blonde”?</p> <h2>From ‘X’ to ‘NC-17’</h2> <p>The NC-17 is one of five ratings – the others are G, PG, PG-13 and R – that the <a href="https://www.motionpictures.org/film-ratings/">Classification and Rating Administration</a>, a division of the <a href="https://www.motionpictures.org/">Motion Picture Association</a>, assigns to films submitted for certification.</p> <p>NC-17 means “No one 17 and under admitted.” This classification prevents children from purchasing a ticket or entering a theater, even if accompanied by an adult. It replaced the X rating in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/27/movies/a-no-children-category-to-replace-the-x-rating.html">1990</a>, which had been the adults-only marker since Motion Picture Association of America President <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/27/movies/27valenti.html">Jack Valenti created the rating system in 1968</a>.</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><figcaption><span class="caption">E</span></figcaption></figure> <p>However, Valenti’s failure to copyright the X made it possible for any film to carry the adults-only rating without its distributor having to officially pay the Classification and Rating Administration for certification. This allowed filmmakers to slap it on pornographic films like “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068468/">Deep Throat</a>” to attract viewers and to gain access to the legitimate marketplace.</p> <p>While the X rating could be also assigned for representations of nudity, violence, language, drug use or overall “tone,” this association with hardcore sexual content stigmatized the category’s use by serious filmmakers for years.</p> <p>Valenti hoped renaming the X rating as NC-17 would spur the adults-only rating’s use by the film industry. For the most part, it didn’t, with a few notable exceptions like “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114436/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Showgirls</a>” (1995), “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275491/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_5">Bad Education</a>” (2004) and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723811/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Shame</a>” (2011).</p> <p>Instead, practically all distributors whose films were initially awarded an NC-17 by the Classification and Rating Administration chose one of three options: to re-edit their films down to an R rating, to release an R-rated and unrated version for home video or DVD, or simply to surrender the rating altogether and release the film theatrically without one.</p> <p>It was commonly believed that an unrated film would encounter <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1350195#metadata_info_tab_contents">fewer barriers</a> to exhibition in the U.S. marketplace than an NC-17 one.</p> <h2>An eye toward awards season</h2> <p>Netflix, though, is not a movie theater. It is a streaming service that requires no admittance in the traditional sense, has no employees patrolling its screenings for underage viewers, and shifts the responsibility of denying access to its content to subscribers themselves. Netflix offers <a href="https://help.netflix.com/en/node/264">parental controls</a> so users can restrict access to certain content for each profile in their accounts.</p> <p>Significantly, many Netflix films with mature content carry a “TV-MA” rating. The <a href="http://www.tvguidelines.org/">TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board</a> developed the designation, meaning “For mature audiences. May not be suitable for ages 17 and under.” It’s recognizable to viewers of television series like AMC’s “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3032476/">Better Call Saul</a>,” FX’s “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15892444/">American Horror Story</a>” or even Netflix’s “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5071412/">Ozark</a>.”</p> <p>So why wouldn’t Netflix apply a maturity rating from television to “Blonde”?</p> <p>The answer is simple: Netflix likely sees the film as an Oscar contender.</p> <p>Per the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oscars-2023-theatrical-release-other-rule-changes-1235149530/">Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ rules</a>, to qualify for the Academy Awards, “Blonde” must have a theatrical run, even if that run is extremely short. <a href="https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/netflix-mpaa-1203114133/">In 2019</a>, Netflix joined the Motion Picture Association – the first and only streaming service to do so. So if it decides to release its films theatrically, Netflix must do so with a rating, just like the legacy member companies: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.</p> <p>With its TV-MA-rated “<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80195049">Ibiza: Love Drunk</a>,” “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9196192/">Cuties</a>” and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10886166/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">365 Days</a>,” Netflix never carried a Motion Picture Association rating because these films bypassed theatrical exhibition altogether in the United States.</p> <h2>Making the media rounds</h2> <p>Netflix undoubtedly is also using the NC-17 for “Blonde” as a marketing ploy – what film scholar Justin Wyatt has called “<a href="https://www.routledge.com/Contemporary-Hollywood-Cinema/NEALE-Smith/p/book/9780415170109">marketing controversy</a>,” a technique used in the past to sell films that received an X or NC-17.</p> <p>Netflix has remained mum on the subject. Instead, “Blonde” director Andrew Dominik and star de Armas have dropped hints to the media about the film’s provocative and sensationalist aspects, while, at the same time, expressing incredulity at the film’s NC-17 rating.</p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Largely the same in an interview for French fashion magazine </span><a style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;" href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/ana-de-armas-movies-marilyn-monroe-blonde-netflix">L’Officiel</a><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">. “I didn’t understand why [the rating] happened.”</span></p> <p>Nearly in the same proverbial breath, both director and star have also teased the salaciousness of the subject matter.</p> <p>“It’s an NC-17 movie about Marilyn Monroe, it’s kind of what you want, right?” <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2022/05/andrew-dominik-on-blonde-and-filming-nick-caves-grief.html?utm_source=tw&utm_campaign=vulture&utm_medium=s1">Dominik told Screen Daily</a>. “I want to go and see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story.”</p> <p>De Armas, meanwhile, supports Dominik’s unfiltered look at Monroe’s life, <a href="https://netflixqueue.com/blonde-first-look">declaring it</a> “the most daring, unapologetic, and feminist take on her story that I had ever seen.”</p> <h2>‘A little steam to keep the stream’</h2> <p>I wonder, though: Is “Blonde’s” NC-17 really much of a selling point, given what viewers are regularly exposed to in their living rooms?</p> <p>In a streaming landscape littered with sexually explicit TV-MA television series like HBO’s “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8772296/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1">Euphoria</a>” and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11198330/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">House of the Dragon</a>,” Hulu’s “<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-prosthetic-penises-in-shows-like-hbos-minx-reinforce-existing-stereotypes-and-taboos-179084">Minx</a>” and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13659418/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1">Pam & Tommy</a>,” and even Netflix’s own “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10839422/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Sex/Life</a>” and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21030224/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">How to Build a Sex Room</a>,” it shouldn’t be.</p> <p>Dominik indirectly, but perhaps correctly, undercut his own film’s luridness, <a href="https://www.screendaily.com/features/andrew-dominik-on-his-new-nick-cave-doc-why-blonde-is-a-masterpiece/5167609.article">telling Screen Daily</a>, “If I look at an episode of ‘Euphoria,’ it’s far more graphic than anything going on in ‘Blonde.’” De Armas echoed the same talking points later <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/ana-de-armas-movies-marilyn-monroe-blonde-netflix">in her L’Officiel interview</a>: “I can tell you a number of shows or movies that are way more explicit with a lot more sexual content than ‘Blonde.’”</p> <p>This new wave of sexually frank and progressive series, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/streaming-shows-sex-positive-how-to-build-a-sex-room-1235344021/">according to Variety television writer Joe Otterson</a>, may be one strategy that streaming companies are using to keep subscribers enthralled in an increasingly competitive marketplace. “It might take a little steam to keep the stream,” Otterson writes.</p> <p>“Blonde” – NC-17, TV-MA or unrated – is just another provocative addition to this pot.<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/185359/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aIsFywuZPoQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for ‘Blonde.’</span></figcaption></figure> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kevin-sandler-762390">Kevin Sandler</a>, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/arizona-state-university-730">Arizona State University</a></em></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-blonde-netflixs-marilyn-monroe-biopic-rated-nc-17-instead-of-tv-ma-185359">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Movies

Australia has a new bushfire danger rating system

<p>Australia has a new bushfire danger rating system.</p> <p>Fire danger ratings describe the potential level of danger should a bushfire start. They provide people with information so they can take action to protect themselves and others from the potentially dangerous impacts of bushfires.</p> <p>The Australian Fire Danger Rating System (or AFDRS) has in many ways been a project more than 50 years in the making – only now it’s replacing the modelling originally developed in the 1960s with more precise scientific understandings of fuel sources, fire and human behaviours.</p> <p>The new system will extend to the way information is delivered to the public. While many roadside signs will be refreshed, some jurisdictions will instead use more modern communications like the internet and social media to relay information to their communities.</p> <p>So how does a sixty-year-old system – and the science behind it – get an overhaul?</p> <h2>The science behind the new fire danger ratings</h2> <p>While the public sees a colour-coded dial on a road sign, or catches an emergency update on the radio, there is a substantial body of scientific modelling underlying a system which covers one of the world’s largest countries by area.</p> <p>One of the most important changes to the AFDRS science is the expansion of vegetation models used to predict fire behaviour.</p> <p>Previously, the system considered just two types of vegetation – grassland and forest.</p> <p>Now, it’s eight.</p> <p>Grassland and forest remain, but the models have been refined and expanded to include grassy woodlands, spinifex, shrubland, mallee heath, button grass and pine forest.</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/fire-1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p>The left map of Australia shows how fire modelling has seen Australia for the best part of sixty years, the right indicates how the nation will be viewed from September 1.</p> <p>That, says Dr Stuart Matthews, a principal project officer at NSW Rural Fire Service who led the science update for AFDRS, is because Australia is a land of more than just sweeping grassplains and expansive gum forests.</p> <p>“There’s very diverse range of vegetation across the whole country and pretending it’s all either grasslands or open, dry sclerophyll forest just isn’t an accurate representation,” says Matthews.</p> <p>The eight new vegetation models include the ability to consider 22 different fuel types.</p> <p>Creating a system that uses four times as many models is an involved process – one that has covered almost a decade of research, prototyping and public engagement. And the science goes beyond the expansion of vegetation analysis.</p> <p>Working closely with the Bureau of Meteorology to understand weather and climate patterns, the atmospheric science and reporting provided to both the AFDRS and the wider public has been updated to reflect the new vegetation modelling.</p> <h2>How the science moves the dial</h2> <p>Fire authorities use sophisticated systems to determine the rating for any given point in time.</p> <p>These systems – which are to be used nationally – divide the Australian landmass into 2.25 square kilometre units and analyses the fuel source within them.</p> <p>These units also reflect data on when the last time fuel in the region was burnt-through.</p> <p>Combined with the latest forecasts for areas from the weather bureau, information is placed into the fire behaviour model appropriate for the area. The system then creates a textual description of what a burning fire in that area would do, including its rate of spread, heat intensity and flame height.</p> <p>This description is then transferred to a series of tables which converts the description into a numerical value.</p> <p>This value aligns to a rating category on the Fire Behaviour Index, a ‘stepped’ indicator that allows authorities to prepare systems and resourcing to respond in the event of a fire.</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/fire-2.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p>This index effectively guides local authorities’ actions on days of fire risk.</p> <p>For the public, it’s the guide to moving the dial on road signs.</p> <p>There are five categories on the behaviour index: no rating, moderate, high, extreme and catastrophic.</p> <p>Until the end of August 2022, the scale includes ratings like ‘low-moderate’, ‘very high’, and ‘severe’ – these have been retired.</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/fire-3.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p>The ‘no rating’ acts as the “parking bay” for the roadside needle, advising the public of the lowest risk conditions.</p> <p>But there’s science behind that too.</p> <p>‘No rating’ days align to conditions appropriate for a controlled, prescribed burn.</p> <p>“For instance, in forest, prescribed burnings are normally done at a heat output of about 750 kilowatts per metre,” says Matthews.</p> <p>“So, in forests, if the prediction coming out of the model was that intensity would be less than 750kW, it would be classified in the ‘no rating’ range.”</p> <p>Anything above 750kW in a forest community would force authorities to ‘grade up’.</p> <h2>System overhauled, but we won’t need to wait sixty years for the next update</h2> <p>The previous fire rating system was developed by CSIRO scientist A. G. McArthur in the 1960s.</p> <p>And while familiar characteristics have been transferred to the new project, the ‘back end’ processes and science were rigid.</p> <p>Rigid enough that the system has been largely unchanged for the six decades since it was first implemented.</p> <p>In contrast, the new AFDRS is designed to be updated as new science comes to hand.</p> <p>It’s also informed by real world, operational knowledge and experience.</p> <p>This, says Matthews, provides authorities with more precision in fire preparation and response.</p> <p>“It’s a really big change from the old system, where none of the rating levels had an established and agreed meaning,” he says.</p> <p>“In the McArthur work, they were set up as a suppression difficulty measure, but that was never ‘tied down’ and everyone had their own interpretation of what that meant, which made it really hard to assess how the system was working. It was poorly defined.</p> <p>“It’s taken sixty years to get to where we are and one of the obstacles, from a science point-of-view, was that the system was fixed. You couldn’t make incremental changes to it.</p> <p>“With the new system, we’ve built it in a modular way, and clearly broken down the different parts of the system so we can upgrade and change things if we need to.”</p> <p>An important element of the bushfire rating system is to be able to indicate the impact of a possible bushfire in words a landowner might understand.</p> <hr /> <p>The Country Fire Service (South Australia) describes a ‘Catastrophic Level’ bushfire as:</p> <ul> <li>The worst conditions for a bush or grass fire.</li> <li>If a fire starts and takes hold, it will be extremely difficult to control. It will take significant fire fighting resources and cooler conditions to bring it under control.</li> <li>Spot fires will start well ahead of the main fire and cause rapid spread of the fire. Embers will come from many directions.</li> <li>Homes are not designed or constructed to withstand fires in these conditions.</li> <li>The safest place to be is away from bushfire prone areas.</li> </ul> <p>Dr Matthews points out that the messaging for consequences will continue to be based on fire behaviour and known elements like flame heights, fuel loads, wind speed and spotting.</p> <p>“We are building a case for funding for more research to improve the accuracy in the future of the fire impact.“</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/australian-fire-danger-rating-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Matthew Agius.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Country Fire Authority (CFA)</em></p>

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