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Readers response: What would you do if you won $1,000,000 in the lottery tomorrow?

<p>Many people, especially those who indulge in weekly lottery tickets, like to fantasise about what they would do if they came into a huge sum of money.</p> <p>For some people, their first purchase would be a house or a once in a lifetime holiday, while others would give the money to family or charity. </p> <p>We asked our reader what they would do if they won $1 million in the lottery tomorrow, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said.</p> <p><strong>Anne Hare</strong> - I'd find a really good accountant and put him on retainer. I'd tell no one until I'd got my finances in order. Then I'd go nuts!</p> <p><strong>Irene Winters</strong> - Give most of it to our children and grandchildren, and keep a bit to pay for our old age.</p> <p><strong>Erica Whitehead</strong> - Help my family and do a kitchen and bathroom renovation.</p> <p><strong>Julie Armstrong</strong> - 1 million would be perfect for us to buy a house and live out the rest of ours days comfortably and not have to stress over the rent increases. Plus, we could pay off our daughter's mortgage.</p> <p><strong>Darlene Challen</strong> - Fix this house up properly, sell it and find my dream little house for myself and my dog, might spend Christmas in NY and/or go on a tropical cruise, then put the rest away for my 9 grandies.</p> <p><strong>Karen Neilson</strong> - Give a big chunk to my children and grandchildren, then give some to each of my siblings and Brother in Law. Keep some for myself, just enough to live comfortably for the few years I’m still on this earth! Give some to Cancer Research, The Heart Foundation and the Rescue Chopper. Give some to a couple of friend who do it tough.</p> <p><strong>Marlene Hassett</strong> - Buy a new car and a couple of things around my house and the rest to my kids and grandkids.</p> <p><strong>Alex Elson</strong> - I would finally, finally take our van out of the shed and go away for a while! </p> <p><strong>Jeannine Litmanowicz</strong> - I would open a scholar fund for my grandchildren so they have money for higher education when they grow up. And also, since they are still young, I would treat them to a week travelling around with them and my daughters and husbands to the Balkans.</p> <p><strong>Christine Whyte</strong> - Keep myself very comfortable till it was time to distribute to 10 grandkids.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Money & Banking

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From handing out their own flyers, to sell-out games: how the Matildas won over a nation

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/fiona-crawford-128832">Fiona Crawford</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p>As the Matildas prepare for their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup sudden-death quarter final against France, they have become the hottest sporting property in the country. For example, formerly uninterested major media just days ago <a href="https://sport.optus.com.au/news/womens-world-cup-2023/os61076/matildas-record-shirt-sales-helicopter-fifa-womens-world-cup-2023">hired a helicopter</a> to spy on one of the team’s training sessions.</p> <p>The expensive, paparazzi-style move was designed to gather exclusive footage of the team, particularly of injured Matildas captain Sam Kerr.</p> <p>That conservative media was going to such lengths to gain footage of the team speaks volumes of the starkly different landscape the current Matildas are operating in, and the evolution of a team that’s gone from few resources and relatively anonymity to equal pay and national treasure status.</p> <h2>No longer an afterthought</h2> <p>More people watched the <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/fifa-womens-world-cup/matildas-set-new-tv-ratings-record-while-sinking-denmark-in-fifa-womens-world-cup-c-11520596">Matildas’ Round of 16 match against Denmark</a> on Channel Seven, the highest rating show of the year to date, than watched the men’s NRL and AFL grand finals last year.</p> <p>Channel Seven is also <a href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/football/channel-7s-extraordinary-matildas-decision-for-world-cup-quarterfinal/news-story/ddd00fa51e40971c940f720be2ad9f0d">delaying Saturday’s news bulletin</a> to broadcast the Matildas’ quarter final, while the AFL will be broadcasting the match in the stadium before the men’s West Coast Eagles versus Fremantle derby.</p> <p>This is all particularly interesting given <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-03/fifa-boss-threatens-women-world-cup-blackout/102295974">FIFA had to castigate broadcasters for undervaluing the broadcast rights</a> in the tournament lead-up.</p> <p>What’s more, Matildas jerseys are <a href="https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/football-australia-celebrates-landmark-fifa-womens-world-cup-and-record-breaking-success">outselling the Socceroos’ jerseys by two to one</a>. It’s worth remembering they were unavailable to buy until recent years because manufacturers didn’t deem there to be a market for them.</p> <p>More than 1.7 million tickets have been sold, exceeding FIFA’s stretch target of 1.5 million. And the total crowd figure record of 1,353,506 set in 2015 <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/womens-world-cup-attendance-record-exceeded-last-16-2023-08-06">had been surpassed</a> with 12 games to spare.</p> <p>That’s a far cry from the Matildas’ early years, when players had to produce and hand out flyers to try to attract people to watch their games, or phone television stations and beg them to broadcast matches. When the team travelled to the 2003 world cup, not a single journalist turned up to the airport press conference.</p> <p>It’s also quite the contrast from the traditional media coverage approach that relegates women’s sport to an afterthought. A <a href="https://news.usc.edu/183765/womens-sports-tv-news-coverage-sportscenter-online-usc-study">30-year study</a> of women’s sports coverage, published in 2021, determined major media generally adopt a “one and done” approach: a box-ticking exercise, providing a token women’s sports story before a succession of in-depth men’s sports stories.</p> <h2>So, how did we get here?</h2> <p>It was 1988 when the intrepid Matildas ventured out to their inaugural “world cup” – a pilot tournament FIFA only staged after <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20190626-ellen-wille-mother-women-football-norway-fifa-world-cup-france">concerted pressure</a> from other organising bodies and women footballers themselves.</p> <p>There were some significant changes considered or implemented – ones that would not have been tabled for the men’s game. Matches were truncated from 90 to 80 minutes; there was some patronising discussion of whether women would play with a <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/fifa-women-s-world-cup-official-history-fifa/book/9781787393530.html">smaller ball</a>; and with the tournament absent any true FIFA badging, the players had to pay $850 each for the privilege of participating. They pulled that fee together by fundraising through lamington drives, car washes, and casino nights.</p> <p>Still, the Australian team quickly made history by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=466728760806708">defeating Brazil</a> in an upset victory in the tournament’s first match, setting the tone for an upwards trajectory.</p> <p>However, the 1995, 1999, and 2003 tournaments were not, by the Matildas’ own standards, considered breakout successes. A harsh red card for Sonia Gegenhuber in the team’s first group-stage match against Denmark in 1995 cruelled the team’s chances from the outset. And 1999 saw <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-26/meet-alicia-ferguson-cook-matilda-wwc-record-fastest-red-card/102272428">Alicia Ferguson awarded the fastest red card in history</a> for an ill-timed tackle two minutes into the game against China.</p> <p>The Matildas’ sustained upward course arguably began in 2007. The World Cup that year was the first womens’ tournament for which SBS broadcast all the games. It also became the first time the Matildas <a href="https://www.matildas.com.au/news/day-westfield-matildas-made-history-2007-fifa-womens-world-cup">progressed to the knockout rounds</a>.</p> <p>Although laundry and internet costs weren’t yet covered, that era also marked the beginning of the players receiving (albeit nominal) daily allowances and playing contracts of up to approximately A$10,000. Administrators were able to leverage that 2007 success into the establishment of the W-League (now renamed the A-League Women’s), the domestic semi-professional football league that helped the Matildas become the first Australian team (women’s or men’s) <a href="https://www.matildas.com.au/news/westfield-matildas-win-afc-asian-cup">to win the Asian Cup</a>. It’s also a development pathway for the current Matildas.</p> <p>2011 marked the emergence of the Matildas’ “golden generation”, with then-youthful players Caitlin Foord and Sam Kerr attending their first Women’s World Cup.</p> <p>All the focus has been on Kerr in recent years, but at the time, Foord was tipped to be the player to watch, and was named the tournament’s best young player.</p> <h2>Striking for pay parity</h2> <p>To understand the groundbreaking success the Matildas are now experiencing, we must look at the lonely stand they took across the road from governing body Football Federation Australia’s office in 2015.</p> <p>They were off contract, unpaid, and without medical insurance. Now lapsed, they had been on contracts of around A$22,000 a year: in the ballpark of Australia’s poverty line.</p> <p>So the Matildas went on strike for two months to draw attention to the imperiled nature of their footballing careers, which demanded full-time, elite-athlete commitment and results, but with part-time, amateur pay.</p> <p>The headlines that followed encapsulated the exasperation many felt (and still feel) at the inequity women athletes experience. This included the <a href="https://junkee.com/the-matildas-have-gone-on-strike-because-oh-my-god-can-we-just-pay-them-properly/65061">Junkee headline "</a>The Matildas Have Gone on Strike Because, Oh My God Can We Just Pay Them Properly?"</p> <p>The Matildas achieved <a href="https://www.matildas.com.au/news/historic-cba-close-footballs-gender-pay-gap">pay parity</a> with the Socceroos in 2019, but the groundwork for that achievement was laid with that 2015 strike.</p> <p>The year 2017 also marked an important moment in the team’s evolution. It was when the team <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/sep/12/matildas-break-new-ground-as-fans-scramble-for-tickets-on-resale-market">sold out Penrith Stadium</a> with a then-record crowd of about 17,000.</p> <p>The crowd figure signalled there was an engaged audience and market there – it had just been under-catered for.</p> <p>Fast forward to 2019. Off-pitch distractions imperilled the Matildas’ group-stage world cup results. The team was steered through the tournament by temporarily installed coach Ante Milicic, after incumbent coach Alen Stajcic had been sacked for reasons still not entirely clear.</p> <p>With the rise of European nations that had invested heavily in women’s football, Australian football had stood still. The Matildas’ opening loss against debutantes Italy put the team under pressure. However, the players then produced the “Miracle of Montpellier”, winning 3-2 against superstars Brazil to salvage their tournament – before being bundled out by Norway on penalties in the round of 16.</p> <p>This year, the media’s initial focus was on Kerr’s troublesome calf and then late substitution decisions by coach Tony Gustavsson. Under pressure following a shock loss to minnows Nigeria, the Matildas recorded a resounding 4–0 victory over reigning Olympic champions Canada.</p> <p>Now, in a few pressure-filled hours, Australia’s most successful football team have the potential to make history: to progress to the semi finals for the first time ever.</p> <p>A win would see Matildas’ media coverage and fandom enter uncharted, euphoric territory. But with record crowds, viewership, and merchandise sales, and with several of their players now household names, in many ways the Matildas will already have won before they even set foot on the pitch.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211338/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/fiona-crawford-128832">Fiona Crawford</a>, Adjunct Lecturer at the Centre for Justice, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</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/from-handing-out-their-own-flyers-to-sell-out-games-how-the-matildas-won-over-a-nation-211338">original article</a>.</em></p>

TV

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How Aussie maths whiz won the lotto 14 times

<p>Winning the lotto is more than likely a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but Aussie man Stefan Mandel defied the odds when he won the golden ticket 14 times using basic maths.</p> <p>The Romanian-Australian mathematician, joined by a small team of investors, discovered a remarkably easy way to hack the system in the 1980s and 1990s.</p> <p>Mandel’s first two wins were secured in his home country of Romania, where he was saving up to escape the then-Soviet Union before he won another dozen times in Australia.</p> <p>Surprisingly, Mandel’s system was not only straightforward but relied on very little of his mathematical training.</p> <p>The odds of winning the jackpot in the Australian Powerball are about one in 76,767,600, according to lotto land. If you want to double your chances with two tickets, the odds are still a mere 2 in 76,767,600.</p> <p>Mandel observed that in certain lotteries, the jackpot prize was much higher than the cost of purchasing every possible combination of numbers. Given he buys every ticket, he was almost guaranteed a return on his investment – so long as the winnings were split between several golden ticket holders.</p> <p>So, Mandel did just that.</p> <p>While it’s not completely against the rules, snatching up every ticket doesn’t quite resonate with the spirit of the game, and his winnings were astronomical.</p> <p>Mandel, now 89, convinced a group of investors to buy into the scheme over several years.</p> <p>He created algorithms that were able to generate and print the millions of different ticket groups required, which some lotteries allowed people to do at the time.</p> <p>With his pile of tickets printed and ready to go, Mandel and his team waited for a hefty jackpot, where they would purchase those tickets in shops.</p> <p>Mandel secured 12 wins on smaller lotteries Down Under before he sought out jackpots in the US with a sum far larger than anything he had won so far.</p> <p>While he won millions of dollars with his scheme, aiming for massive lotteries in the US proved to be his downfall.</p> <p>Mandel specifically had his sights set on the Virginia lottery, which was new at the time and only used numbers 1-44 in its draws. That meant there were 7,059,052 possible combinations, much less than the 25 million or higher that his team was used to.</p> <p>When the jackpot was high enough, around US$15.5 million, Mandel ordered thousands of investors to buy out the tickets in bulk.</p> <p>To Mandel’s dismay, some investors pulled out. After two days of purchases, the group secured about 6.4 million of the possible 7 million combinations needed to guarantee them the jackpot. Fortunately, the odds remained in his favour as he won the Virginia Lottery too.</p> <p>The FBI and CIA launched an investigation into Mandel, but no wrongdoing was found. Virginia Lottery had no choice but to pay up.</p> <p>Mandel won millions of dollars in the Virginia Lottery, including bringing home most of the smaller prizes.</p> <p>He later disbanded his team and retired to a beach house in Vanuatu, where he still lives.</p> <p>While Mandel’s scheme was legal at the time, it resulted in new rules for the lottery. Many countries, including the US and Australia, have since passed laws that stopped punters from buying lottery tickets in bulk or printing them at home, in turn rendering his methods impossible.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Twitter / Youtube</em></p>

Money & Banking

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‘This case has made legal history’: young Australians just won a human rights case against an enormous coal mine

<p>In a <a href="https://www.sclqld.org.au/caselaw/QLC/2022/21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">historic ruling</a>, a Queensland court has said the massive Clive Palmer-owned Galilee Basin coal project should not go ahead because of its contribution to climate change, its environmental impacts, and because it would erode human rights.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/these-young-queenslanders-are-taking-on-clive-palmers-coal-company-and-making-history-for-human-rights-138732" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The case</a> was mounted in 2020 by a First Nations-led group of young people aged 13 to 30 called Youth Verdict. It was the first time human rights arguments were used in a climate change case in Australia.</p> <p>The link between human rights and climate change is being increasingly recognised overseas. In September this year, for example, a United Nations <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-violated-the-rights-of-torres-strait-islanders-by-failing-to-act-on-climate-change-the-un-says-heres-what-that-means-191329" target="_blank" rel="noopener">committee decided</a> that by failing to adequately address the climate crisis, Australia’s Coalition government violated the human rights of Torres Strait Islanders.</p> <p>Youth Verdict’s success today builds on this momentum. It heralds a new era for climate change cases in Australia by youth activists, who have been frustrated with the absence of meaningful federal government policy.</p> <h2>1.58 billion tonnes of emissions</h2> <p>The Waratah Coal mine operation <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/the-first-nations-group-fighting-clive-palmers-mining-project/6xbg2e81w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposes to</a> extract up to 40 million tonnes of coal from the Galilee Basin each year, over the next 25 years. This would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/25/court-finds-clive-palmers-queensland-coalmine-will-harm-future-generations-in-landmark-climate-ruling?CMP=share_btn_tw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">produce</a> 1.58 billion tonnes of carbon emissions, and is <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-05/galilee-basin-farmers-object-to-palmer-mine/11764540" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four times more</a> coal extraction than Adani’s operation.</p> <p>While the project has already received approval at the federal government level, it also needs a state government mining lease and environmental authority to go ahead. Today, Queensland land court President Fleur Kingham has recommended to the state government that both entitlements be refused.</p> <p>In making this recommendation, Kingham reflected on how the global landscape has changed since the Paris Agreement in 2015, <a href="https://theconversation.com/carmichael-mine-jumps-another-legal-hurdle-but-litigants-are-making-headway-69423" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and since the last major challenge</a> to a mine in Queensland in 2016: Adani’s Carmichael mine.</p> <p>She drew a clear link between the mining of this coal, its ultimate burning by a third party overseas, and the project’s material contribution to global emissions. She concluded that the project poses “unacceptable” climate change risks to people and property in Queensland.</p> <p>The Queensland <a href="https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/asmade/act-2019-005" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Human Rights Act</a> requires a decision-maker to weigh up whether there is any justifiable reason for limiting a human right, which could incorporate a consideration of new jobs. Kingham decided the importance of preserving the human rights outweighed the potential A$2.5 billion of economic benefits of the proposed mine.</p> <p>From a legal perspective, I believe there are four reasons in particular this case is so significant.</p> <h2>1. Rejecting an entrenched assumption</h2> <p>A major barrier to climate change litigation in Queensland has been the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/landmark-rocky-hill-ruling-could-pave-the-way-for-more-courts-to-choose-climate-over-coal-111533" target="_blank" rel="noopener">market substitution assumption</a>”, also known as the “perfect substitution argument”. This is the assertion that a particular mine’s contribution to climate change is net zero, because if that mine doesn’t supply coal, then another will.</p> <p>Kingham rejected this argument. She noted that the economic benefits of the proposed project are uncertain with long-term <a href="https://www.iea.org/news/world-energy-outlook-2022-shows-the-global-energy-crisis-can-be-a-historic-turning-point-towards-a-cleaner-and-more-secure-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener">global demand</a> for thermal coal set to decline. She observed that there’s a real prospect the mine might not be viable for its projected life, rebutting the market substitution assumption.</p> <p>This is an enormous victory for environmental litigants as this was a previously entrenched argument in Australia’s legal system and policy debate.</p> <h2>2. Evidence from First Nations people</h2> <p><a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/on-country-evidence-in-landmark-case-against-clive-palmers-coal-project/6eiueghuy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It was also the first time</a> the court took on-Country evidence from First Nations people in accordance with their traditional protocols. Kingham and legal counsel travelled to Gimuy (around Cairns) and Traditional Owners showed how climate change has directly harmed their Country.</p> <p>As Youth Verdict co-director and First Nations lead Murrawah Johnson <a href="https://www.edo.org.au/2022/04/20/landmark-hearing-into-clive-palmers-galilee-coal-project-legal-challenge-begins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put it</a>:</p> <p><em>We are taking this case against Clive Palmer’s Waratah Coal mine because climate change threatens all of our futures. For First Nations peoples, climate change is taking away our connection to Country and robbing us of our cultures which are grounded in our relationship to our homelands.</em></p> <p><em>Climate change will prevent us from educating our young people in their responsibilities to protect Country and deny them their birth rights to their cultures, law, lands and waters.</em></p> <p>This decision reflects the court’s deep engagement with First Nations’ arguments, in considering the impacts of climate change on First Nations people.</p> <h2>3. The human rights implications</h2> <p>In yet another Australian first, the court heard submissions on the human rights implications of the mine.</p> <p>The Land Court of Queensland has a unique jurisdiction in these matters, because it makes a recommendation, rather than a final judgment. This recommendation must be taken into account by the final decision-makers – in this case, the Queensland resources minister, and the state Department of Environment and Science.</p> <p><a href="https://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2020/QLC20-033.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In an earlier proceeding</a>, Kingham found the land court itself is subject to obligations under Queensland’s Human Rights Act. This means she must properly consider whether a decision to approve the mine would limit human rights and if so, whether limits to those human rights can be demonstrably justified.</p> <p>Kingham found approving the mine would contribute to climate change impacts, which would limit:</p> <ul> <li>the right to life</li> <li>the cultural rights of First Nations peoples</li> <li>the rights of children</li> <li>the right to property and to privacy and home</li> <li>the right to enjoy human rights equally.</li> </ul> <p>Internationally, there are <a href="https://theconversation.com/mass-starvation-extinctions-disasters-the-new-ipcc-reports-grim-predictions-and-why-adaptation-efforts-are-falling-behind-176693" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clear links</a> made between climate change and human rights. For example, climate change is worsening heatwaves, risking a greater number of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-hot-is-too-hot-for-the-human-body-our-lab-found-heat-humidity-gets-dangerous-faster-than-many-people-realize-185593" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deaths</a>, thereby affecting the right to life.</p> <h2>4. A victory for a nature refuge</h2> <p>Kingham also considered the environmental impacts of the proposed mine on the <a href="https://bimblebox.org/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bimblebox Nature Refuge</a> – 8,000 hectares semi-arid woodland, home to a recorded 176 bird species, in the Galilee Basin.</p> <p>She deemed these impacts unacceptable, as “the ecological values of Bimblebox [could be] seriously and possibly irreversibly damaged”.</p> <p>She also observed that the costs of climate change to people in Queensland have not been fully accounted for, nor have the costs of mining on the Bimblebox Nature Refuge. Further, she found the mine would violate Bimblebox Alliance’s right to family and home.</p> <h2>Making history</h2> <p>This case has made legal history. It is the first time a Queensland court has recommended refusal of a coal mine on climate change grounds, and the first case linking human rights and climate change in Australia. As Kingham concluded:</p> <blockquote> <p>Approving the application would risk disproportionate burdens for future generations, which does not give effect to the goal of intergenerational equity.</p> </blockquote> <p>The future of the project remains unclear. But in a year marked by climate-related disasters, the land court’s decision offers a ray of hope that Queensland may start to leave coal in the ground.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-case-has-made-legal-history-young-australians-just-won-a-human-rights-case-against-an-enormous-coal-mine-195350" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: The Conversation</em></p>

Legal

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Juror reveals why Depp won

<p>A juror from the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial has spoken exclusively to Good Morning America about the trial verdict.</p> <p>The verdict ruled that Heard defamed Depp when she wrote a 2018 Washington Post op-ed alluding to her past claims of domestic violence.</p> <p>Heard is ordered to pay $US10.35 million (approx. $14.65 million) in damages to Depp.</p> <p>The juror, one of five men on the seven-person jury, shared that Heard's emotional testimony during the trial was not realistic.</p> <p>"The crying, the facial expressions that she had, the staring at the jury. All of us were very uncomfortable," the juror said. "She would answer one question and she would be crying, and two seconds later she would turn ice cold. Some of us used the expression 'crocodile tears.'"</p> <p>"A lot of the jury felt what [Depp] was saying, at the end of the day, was more believable," the juror added.</p> <p>"He just seemed a little more real in terms of how he was responding to questions. His emotional state was very stable throughout."</p> <p>Heard's team has claimed that social media and all of the vitriol against Heard on platforms such as TikTok swayed the jury in favor of Depp.</p> <p>As Heard said this week, "I think even the most well-intentioned juror... it would have been impossible to avoid this."</p> <p>The juror denied such accusations about social media, saying, "We followed the evidence... myself and other jurors don't use Twitter or Facebook. Others who had it, made a point not to talk about it."</p> <p>"What I think is truthful is that they were both abusive to each other," the juror concluded.</p> <p>"I don't think that makes either of them right or wrong... but to rise to the level of what she was claiming, there wasn't enough or any evidence that really supported what she was saying."</p> <p>The jury noted that one "fiasco" that hurt Heard during the trial was the reveal that she had not yet donated her $US7 million (approx. $9.9 million) divorce settlement to charity, despite claiming to do so.</p> <p>"She goes on a talk show in the U.K. and the video shows her sitting there, telling the host she gave all that money away," the juror said. "The terms she used in that video clip were, 'I gave it away, I donated it, it's gone.' But the fact is, she didn't give much of it away at all."</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Legal

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How a blank cheque offer won the battle for a luxurious apartment

<p dir="ltr">A Sydney home seller has pocketed a huge price for their luxurious property after a determined buyer showed their agent a signed blank cheque and invited them to fill in whatever price they wanted.</p> <p dir="ltr">The offer was made during an open inspection of the three-bedroom Barangaroo apartment, and proved to be too persuasive for the sellers to turn down. </p> <p dir="ltr">Despite being reluctant to sell their home, the owners signed the paperwork and accepted the cheque with their own asking value. </p> <p dir="ltr">Their price: $6.58 million. </p> <p dir="ltr">The eye-watering sum was $1.5 million above the price the sellers expected to make on the waterfront property, which was scheduled for auction just a few weeks later. </p> <p dir="ltr">It was not the only staggering offer the sellers received for the apartment on <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-apartment-nsw-barangaroo-138857119?rsf=syn:news:nca:news:spa">601/19 Barangaroo Avenue.</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Another buyer reportedly showed selling agent Peter Li a banking app on his phone and offered to transfer the money to Mr Li directly to lock in the sale.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The successful buyer was the guy who brought his cheque book, he lived in the building and wanted to upsize to a three-bedroom apartment … this was the last three-bedroom option available,” Mr Li said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Five million was our initial price guide, we sold this for $1.5m more than the initial price guide – about 30 per cent.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“The vendor was determined to go to auction, but changed her mind when she saw the price we had already achieved. The same apartment sold (at the) off the plan launch for $2.95m. Now it’s more than double.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite Sydney’s current housing crisis, Mr Li believes many wealthy buyers are heading to Barangaroo. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The results that we are seeing in Barangaroo are extraordinary. People are moving away from Point Piper to Barangaroo … they are finding it difficult too, as no one is currently selling there.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Apparently, Barangaroo is immune to the current market slow down.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: realestate.com.au</em></p>

Real Estate

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Stunning picture captures moment Joe Biden won US election

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>A fast-thinking member of the Biden household captured the moment Joe Biden learned he had won the 2020 election.</p> <p>Biden was with family members in his home in Delaware where he learned he would be the 46th President of the United States.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">11.07.20 <a href="https://t.co/HHVJMmIoAW">pic.twitter.com/HHVJMmIoAW</a></p> — Naomi Biden (@NaomiBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/NaomiBiden/status/1325190941058113536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>His grandchildren were the ones who broke the good news to Biden, as he was relaxing with his wife Jill on their veranda.</p> <p>“Pop, Pop! We won!” they told the now-president-elect, according to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/live-blog/2020-11-07-trump-biden-election-results-n1246882/ncrd1246979#liveBlogHeader" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink"><em>NBC News</em></a>.</p> <p>Despite Biden being in a "cautious mood" before his victory was announced, he's celebrating now and has pushed forward with his plans for office.</p> <p>In the first steps in his transition plans, there would be more COVID-19 testing and Americans would be asked to wear masks.</p> <p>He also announced that there will be a focus on the economy, with plans to tackle racism and climate change.</p> <p>In his first speech as president-elect on Saturday, Mr Biden said it was "time to heal" the US and vowed "not to divide but to unify" the country. Addressing Trump supporters directly, he said: "We have to stop treating our opponents as enemies."</p> <p>However, current US President Donald Trump is yet to concede, despite Biden congratulating him on a hard-fought campaign.</p> <p>Trump has vowed to contest the election results on several fronts, with a recount being held in Georgia and plans for the same outcome in Wisconsin.</p> <p>Trump has also vowed to take legal action to the Supreme Court, alleging voting fraud without evidence.</p> </div> </div> </div>

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“It’s a nightmare”: How NSW woman took on Centrelink and won

<p><span>A NSW woman has revealed how she fought back a false $8,000 debt from Centrelink.</span></p> <p><span>Single mother Rebecca Wright said she received a notice claiming that she had debts dating back to 2016 and 2017, when she held part-time and casual jobs in hospitality and retail while receiving the Newstart allowance and the Family Tax Benefit.</span></p> <p><span>Wright said she spent “hours on end” over a two-week period examining past pay slips and cross-referencing a diary she had used to keep track of her work hours and earnings.</span></p> <p><span>After re-entering her work details online, it was discovered that “around 75 per cent” of Centrelink’s claims “didn’t marry up”. Wright’s debt was reduced from nearly $8,000 to about $1,600.</span></p> <p><span>She said the debt was probably still too high, but she decided to “wear it” due to the stress and anxiety from disputing the notice.</span></p> <p><span>“It put me through such depression and anxiety – I was so upset because it came out of nowhere, and I had always been really particular with my reporting,” she told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/costs/nsw-woman-reveals-her-stressful-robodebt-battle-and-how-she-took-on-centrelink-and-won/news-story/f08ac1d258248ac21643c7778cbf46e5" target="_blank"><em>news.com.au</em></a>.</span></p> <p><span>“I’m a single mum and I was living with this debt over my head which I didn’t expect – it just put me in such a position of stress.</span></p> <p><span>“I was crying and so stressed. I was panicking – I thought, ‘As a single mum, I can’t afford this’.”</span></p> <p><span>She said the situation was exacerbated by “rude and unhelpful” Centrelink staff and the department’s “mind-boggling” and “confusing” reporting system.</span></p> <p><span>Wright has since repaid her reduced debt. Today she works full-time and no longer receives the Newstart payment.</span></p> <p><span>She urged other Australians to be wary. </span></p> <p><span>“It’s just sad. It’s a nightmare for some people. People need to fact check, ask questions and fight back,” she said.</span></p> <p><span>“I’m just lucky I was able to figure it out, but other people don’t know what to do – they might not be aware or they might have disabilities which means they just wear it and start paying.”</span></p> <p><span>Centrelink’s controversial robodebt scheme has been criticised for issuing incorrect debt notices against Australians. According to <a href="https://www.nambuccaguardian.com.au/story/6513393/vulnerable-people-hit-with-154m-in-robodebts/?cs=9397">Services Australia</a>, the government has raised more than $15 million in debts against 9,149 people considered vulnerable over the three years the system has been in place. </span></p> <p><span>The number of complainants taking part in a <a href="https://gordonlegal.com.au/robodebt-class-action/">class action against the scheme</a> has reached 4,000 as of last week.  </span></p>

Money & Banking

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Guess which $6 ALDI wine just won big at the Melbourne International Wine Competition

<p>With over 1,000 submissions from more than 10 countries and with a large range of categories, the Melbourne International Wine Competition is the night of nights for wine lovers.</p> <p>However, it might surprise you to learn that ALDI has won big this year at the 2019 Competition.</p> <p>A $5.99 wine from Sicily won gold and a $6.99 pinot grigio won the coveted Pinot Grigio of the year award as well as a double gold medal.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7831070/aldi-wines.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/21203a139cff418eaaeb78aef89084e7" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>The award-winning $5.99 bottle of wine: Coraggioso Nero D’Avola 2018 Sicilia DOC</em></p> <p>A gold award means that the judges “love” the wine whereas a double gold is a “phenomenal product” and the decision made by the judges must be<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://melbourneinternationalwinecompetition.com/index.php/judging-process/" target="_blank">unanimous</a>.</p> <p><strong>ALDI wine individual awards</strong></p> <p>Pinot Grigio of the Year - The Pond Pinot Grigio 2019 - $6.99</p> <p>Margaret River Chardonnay of the Year - A.C. Byrne Chardonnay 2018 - $9.99</p> <p>Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon Winery of the Year - Blackstone Paddock - $17.99</p> <p><strong>ALDI Double Gold Medal winners</strong></p> <p>A.C. Byrne Margaret River Chardonnay 2018 - $9.99</p> <p>The Pond Pinot Grigio 2018 - $6.99</p> <p>Freya and Jules Watervale Riesling 2019 - $7.99</p> <p><strong>ALDI Gold winners</strong></p> <p>Blackstone Paddock Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2017</p> <p>Coraggioso Nero D’Avola 2018 Sicilia DOC - $5.99</p>

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Camilla's redemption: How she revamped her image and won the public's heart

<div> <div class="replay"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>She was once labelled “Britain’s most hated woman,” however the Duchess of Cornwall seems to have come very far since then. At 71 years old, with over 90 charities under her belt and having completed 219 engagements in 2018 alone, it is safe to say she might have done just that.</p> <p>Blamed for being the person to “drive apart” Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Duchess Camilla has not had it easy from the public or the media in the slightest.</p> <p>However, she has not let that deter her and has been on a mission to change the public's view of her. According to royal expert Phil Dampier, Camilla has become “now quite popular.”</p> <p>“I think most people will accept her as Queen when the time comes,” he explained to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6898105/How-Camilla-revamped-public-image-according-royal-insiders.html" target="_blank"><em>Daily Mail.</em></a></p> <p>The Duchess met 70-year-old Prince Charles in the summer of 1971 and was instantly taken to her because she was “not in any way overawed by him, not fawning or sycophantic,” according to royal biographer Penny Juror.</p> <p>But despite the undeniable chemistry that swirled around the couple, they were prevented from marrying back then, as the Duchess of Cornwall was deemed “unsuitable” with little aristocratic background despite her grandfather being a baron.</p> <p>She went on to marry Andrew Parker Bowles, with whom she shares two children, before they divorced in 1995 after 22 years of marriage.</p> <p>In April of 2005, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall wed in a ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.</p> <p>With years of effort, Camilla has quietly refurbished her public image and given a new joy to the family.</p> <p>Frequently seen in the public eye with her husband, the two are often dissolving into giggles and smiles.</p> <p>She has even been described by a long-time friend as “witty,” and “100 per cent sure of who she is".</p> <p>“She has no side, no complexity,” they said.</p> <p>“She is warm, witty, endlessly cheerful and has the ability to laugh at everything and tease Charles out of his Eeyore grumpiness.”</p> <p>Not only has she been seen as an injection of playfulness into the royal family, she has also proven herself to be a tireless member with over 90 charities under her belt and having completed 219 engagements in 2018 alone.</p> <p><strong>Her sensitive approach to the Princess of Wales</strong></p> <p>While the public has largely pinned the Duchess as “the other woman” and the wedge that drove both Prince Charles and Princess Diana apart – even long after the late Princess of Wales’ death, Duchess Camilla has taken a sensitive approach.</p> <p>Although Camilla is technically the Princess of Wales, the royal chooses to not use the title due to its close association with Princess Di.</p> <p>Choosing to to known as the Duchess of Cornwall, her full official title is Her Royal Highness The Princess Charles Philip Arthur George, Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Chester, Countess of Carrick, Baroness of Renfrew, Lady of the Isles, Princess of Scotland, Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. </p> <p><strong>She has the Queen’s approval</strong></p> <p>As a wedding gift when the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall wed, the Queen bestowed a particularly special title as Princess Consort.</p> <p>In 2016, Her Majesty went a step further by making the Duchess a member of the Privy Council – her most senior advisory body.</p> <p>To royal insiders and fans alike, the clear regard for her daughter-in-law shows that when Prince Charles is pronounced king, his wife will be able to be “in the room".</p> <p>Although not all royal fans are convinced of Duchess Camilla, many have a newfound respect for the hardworking royal.</p> <p>Are you a fan of the Duchess of Cornwall? Let us know in the comments below.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div><span>Scroll through the gallery above to see the Duchess of Cornwall through the ages.</span></div>

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How this Aussie tennis star has won the nation's heart

<p>Australia’s new favourite tennis star Alex de Minaur wants to be known as a relentless fighter that goes “til the end” at the Australian Open.</p> <p>At just 19, we have watched his career being taken to extreme heights – and in just a few short months he’s won the nation’s heart.</p> <p>He rose to prominence during the Australian summer of 2018 and ended the year as the top-ranked men’s player.</p> <p>With a brilliant start to 2019 on Wednesday night, he beat Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen in his 7th consecutive win.</p> <p>Soon he will come head to head for the third time with 17-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.</p> <p>de Minaur’s new-found fame has come as a surprise to him too, saying nothing has really changed for him.</p> <p>“It’s a different position for me, a position I’m not really used to,” he said. “It’s sort of come out of nowhere. It’s been an unbelievable year. I’m enjoying every second of it.”</p> <p>While everything is changing in his sporting career, de Minaur insists he’s still the same kid as he was before.</p> <p>“Look honestly I just do the same old things; the same things that I did three years ago, four years ago,” he told reporters.</p> <p>“I still go have an acai bowl in the morning. I do the same things a 19-year-old kid would do.”</p> <p>The Aussie teen will face Nadal again, knowing all too well what he is up against. This time, he says he hopes to avenge his 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 loss on centre court at the All England Court.</p> <p>“I feel like I learnt a lot from that experience. I’m really looking forward to just having fun, going out there and just competing,” he said.</p> <p>“Hopefully this time around I can go a bit more relaxed, just focus on myself, try to play some good tennis.”</p> <p>However, for Alex he is just excited to be playing the game.</p> <p>“I’m very fortunate to be in the position that I am, to be able to play the sport that I love every single day. I’m never taking that for granted. I’m just enjoying every single day.”</p> <p>Will you be watching Alex de Minaur compete in the Australian Open? Tell us in the comments below. </p> <p> </p>

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Wife’s battle over bungled $200K life insurance: “I won, my husband lost”

<p>Cheryl Sayers was caught in an unimaginable battle when AMP incorrectly cancelled her husband Lee’s life insurance just months before he died of a terminal illness.</p> <p>The couple’s final months together were tainted by AMP’s unforgiveable failure and so Cheryl fought to hold the insurance giant accountable.</p> <p>“I didn't honestly believe that anyone could beat an insurance company,” Cheryl told <em>A Current Affair</em>.</p> <p>The Sydney mother-of-three forfeited a $78,000 non-disclosure payout to share her story, in the hope of helping other Australians who have been wronged in the same way.</p> <p>“I was not going to let them shut me up,” she said.</p> <p>“There are a lot more people out there that this has happened to."</p> <p>In 2011, AMP cancelled Lee’s life insurance policy without warning, falsely claiming he had insufficient funds to pay for it.</p> <p>According to Cheryl, her late husband had “never missed a payment” and had paid close to $80,000 in premiums.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="497" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7818791/2_497x280.jpg" alt="2 (84)"/></p> <p>If the policy had been in place, the couple would have received the $200,000 payout when Lee was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, eight months before he passed away.</p> <p>The couple had dreamed of using the money to go on a Europe river cruise but were forced to work right up until Lee’s death, while also trying to fight AMP’s incorrect policy cancellation.</p> <p>“That policy would have allowed Lee to retire, to spend quality time with his children and myself,” Cheryl said.</p> <p>“You’re at a loss. You've lost your husband and you look like you're going to lose your home and you're at a loss what to do.”</p> <p>But Cheryl chose to represent herself and fought AMP and their high-paid lawyers.</p> <p>In 2014, her persistence paid off when the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal ruled in her favour.</p> <p>“I had won, but my husband had lost,” Cheryl said. </p> <p>AMP agreed to pay Cheryl the $200,000 payout. She estimates that she was also owed around $80,000 in interest and costs but AMP said they would only pay the funds if she signed a non-disclosure agreement. </p>

Retirement Income

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Manu speaks out after removing Sonya and Hadil from the show: "They could've won the competition!"

<p><em>My Kitchen Rules</em> judge Manu Feildel has spoken out about controversial contestants Sonya and Hadil, after asking them to leave the dinner table for inappropriate behaviour.</p> <p>"I think they were strong competitors, yes indeed," Manu told <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/reality-tv/my-kitchen-rules/manu-speaks-out-after-kicking-sonya-and-hadil-off-mkr-46575" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>TV WEEK</strong></span></a>.</p> <p class="content-bodyparagraph">"They knew how to cook very, very well. I wish they would have just zipped it and got on with the cooking.</p> <p class="content-bodyparagraph">"They didn't have to go that far to win the competition."</p> <p>The best friends from NSW were excused from the table after an intense dinner party where they insulted sisters Emma and Jess.</p> <p>"It was just poking the bear, basically, and it just wasn't nice," Manu explained.</p> <p>The departure of Sonya and Hadil is the first time in <em>MKR</em> history that Manu and co-judge Pete Evans have sent off a team because of their behaviour.</p> <p>Manu explained that they’ve never even come close to a situation like this in the past.</p> <p class="content-bodyparagraph">"It's a show I've been working on for nine years now and it's a great show to work on.</p> <p class="content-bodyparagraph">"We've always had a good time, a good laugh. A couple of fights here and there, but it's never been taken that far."</p> <p>Manu said that he’s had no contact with either Sonya or Hadil since the end of the show.</p> <p class="content-bodyparagraph">"Just purely because I don't want to be involved in their story," he said.</p> <p class="content-bodyparagraph">"It's not what my purpose is on the show. I'm just there to judge the food and score the dishes and get someone to work hard until they win the prize."</p> <p>Manu said he has no regrets about his decision to remove the girls.</p> <p>"The only regret is I wish everyone would have acted like adults, responsible adults, and just got on with the competition. That's the only regret."</p>

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“I have never won anything!" South Australian mother wins $20 million in lotto

<p>A hard-working mother has won a “life-changing” $20 million in the lotto only weeks after she started playing.</p> <p>The South Australian mother from the Orroroo region, who cried tears of joy upon hearing she was one of only two division one winters in the Oz Lotto draw on Tuesday, says she wants to help as many of her family member as she can.</p> <p>“Oh my God!” the ecstatic woman told <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.theflindersnews.com.au/story/5058682/orroroo-mum-wins-20-million-in-oz-lotto/" target="_blank">The Flinders News.</a> </strong></span></p> <p>“This is absolutely life changing for so many people in our lives.  This is insane!</p> <p>“My brain is not going to rest today.  This is crazy.</p> <p>“I’d heard there was a winning ticket in the region but didn’t think it was me.</p> <p>“But I thought I’d just scan my ticket with the Lott app and I’m like ‘oh my God, I think I’m the winner!’.</p> <p>“Fair dinkum.  I can’t believe this.</p> <p>“You have no idea!  It has come at the most appropriate time!  It’s huge!</p> <p>“I’m from a long line of hard workers.  Every time I stop and think about it, I think ‘how many people can I help with this?’.</p> <p>“You have just made my family so happy for the rest of our lives! It’s amazing!”</p> <p>The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, admitted that she’d only started playing Oz Lotto, inspired by a family tradition.</p> <p>“I have never won anything before. I’ve just started,” she laughed.</p> <p>“I decided to do the same as my mum – she’s been playing the same numbers each week.  Every time she wins she puts it in a container and lets it add up.</p> <p>“So I thought ‘bugger it, let’s do it’.  We sat down one night and worked out the numbers that had something to do with the family.”</p> <p> </p>

Money & Banking

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The day I faced my fear of heights – and won

<p><em><strong>Maggie Wildblood, 75, has been writing for years and has just completed a memoir. Here, she remembers the time she faced her fear of heights – and took a leap of faith.</strong></em> </p> <p>Here am I, more than a little over fifty, overweight, hungover. Not an auspicious beginning for the adventure of my life.</p> <p>This is the final residential of a course at University of Western Sydney, Richmond, and again we students have been encouraged to attempt something new, challenging. I’ve tried many things, from performance poetry to Greek dancing, but nothing really physical. </p> <p>Some of the more adventurous have gone abseiling. They’ve come back full of adrenalin and achievement. I’d like to feel that too, but given my recently acquired fear of heights, abseiling would be unwise. Wouldn’t it?</p> <p>While I’ve been telling myself to do something like playback theatre or even bushwalking, an irritating internal voice has been urging me to face my fear of heights. Abseiling, it says, would be perfect. This is my last chance: if I don’t do it now, I never will. Abseiling will join a growing collection of things I’ll wish I’d done. </p> <p>Last night Carol, another “mature” student, and I sat in the bar with the rest of the abseilers.  Most were male, all were much younger than us. Downing white wine freely, we ignored the hands of the clock edging towards midnight, closing time. We decided Carol should doss down on the spare bed in my motel room, borrow some of my clothes for our adventure. We slept fitfully, a combination of alcohol and apprehension.  When the alarm squealed at half past three we woke unwillingly, sat on the edges of our beds groaning with regret.</p> <p>We dress after a quick shower, gulp one quick coffee: no lavatories on the mountain.</p> <p>Now we’re huddled in the car park with the rest of the group, shivering, all of us bundled up in every piece of clothing we could find. Noses peep redly from scarves, eyes peer blearily from under beanies, gloved hands nestle in armpits. Richmond is cold in July. <em>Very</em> cold at 4 am.</p> <p>We pile into a couple of cars and we’re away. Too late to back out now. </p> <p>It’s black, that deep blackness that settles just before dawn. Headlights illuminate two figures standing by a beat-up ute on the roadside: Jack, our instructor and his sidekick, Bill. Clambering into the ute, they take off up the highway, make a swift left onto a dirt track almost invisible in the night. We follow, bouncing behind their vehicle along a rutted trail, headlights bouncing too against tree trunks bearing the scars of recent bushfires. We smell those fires now, months after they roared through the National Park.</p> <p>In that intense darkness conversation becomes more and more desultory, stops.</p> <p>Parking in a clearing, we tumble out of the cars. Our breath puffs into the cold. Jack rolls the tarp back from the ute and produces ropes and more ropes, metal rings, hard hats, a billy, water, mugs, a box of bread. He distributes them among us. Arms full, we follow the light of his torch, stumbling over roots and pebbles to a large flat rock. Around us birds begin to stir. Small cheepings, chirpings, warblings. </p> <p>“Don’t go near the edge,” Jack warns. “It’s a long way down.”</p> <p>The sky lightens slowly. Distant treetops appear almost hesitantly against a pale sky that is suddenly pink, suddenly red. The sky burns without flame. A kookaburra pierces the morning with its song, is answered by another.</p> <p>We collect sticks, light a fire on the rock, our faces strained in the flames flickering. The scent of eucalyptus smoke swirls in the stillness. Jack makes tea; we burn bread for toast, butter it, eat it. No one speaks. By the time it’s fully light we’ve finished. The remaining tea is poured over the fire, then every ember, every spark, dies under Bill’s heavy boots.</p> <p>After Jack’s meditation exercise the air of apprehension lessens. Bill disappears.</p> <p>“Now you should all have a pee,” says Jack. “Once in your harnesses it’ll be too late.” </p> <p>The men stand together, backs to the clearing, trousers sagging around their bums, just like the backs of elephants. They chat companionably. We women squat separately, silently, the scallops of our buttocks white against the low shrubs. There’s the hiss, the acrid smell of urine. </p> <p>As instructed, we wrap ourselves in metres of webbing: around our shoulders, our torsos, between our legs, attach metal clips. Jack inspects us, one at a time, pulling and tugging at webbing, checking clips, making small adjustments. No room for error. No way to pee now either. We’re all wrapped up, a muddle of bulky packages.</p> <p>I’ve avoided looking over the edge of that big, flat rock. I’ve admired the sunrise, watched the eucalypts on the other side of the valley fringe with gold the moment the sunlight hit them.  Looking down is not for me just yet.</p> <p>I’ve heard of previous abseilers who’ve scraped hands, knees, elbows; who’ve swung upside down until they managed to turn themselves around; who’ve slipped coming back up the cliff. Now I’m about to jump backward over a cliff, in a hard hat and a tracksuit, hoping to land on a ledge where Bill is supposed to be waiting.</p> <p>Sometimes in a lift my stomach plunges. I have that feeling now. I watch as one by one people hitch up, walk backward, disappear over the cliff face, accompanied by cheers. I see their faces glowing on their return. Being older than all of them doesn’t mean I can’t do it, I tell myself firmly, unconvincingly. Anyway, Carol’s going first, we agreed on that.</p> <p>Her turn comes. She balks. </p> <p>“You go first, Maggie. I’m only here because you persuaded me.”</p> <p>Expectant faces turn toward me.</p> <p>“Come on Maggie, come on, you can do it!”</p> <p>I hook myself onto the descent ropes, their rough fibres somehow comforting, settle my hard hat firmly on my head, back to the edge of the rock, sneak a look. The valley floor is hundreds of metres below. Treetops peer above the morning mist, sway gently as the cold air rises. Those trees might look soft, velvety even, but they won’t cushion me if I fall. That mist, fluffy, featherlike, I’d slide through that like a beer down a thirsty bloke’s throat.</p> <p>I teeter on the edge, clutching the rope. I have to lean out at right angles to the cliff face, legs and back straight. When I edge myself over the rim, I’m persuaded to let the rope go and stand, arms outstretched, held only by the webbing and the clip, posing for a photograph. Madness! I don’t look down for the ledge I’m to land on about twenty metres below, the ledge from which all the others have returned.</p> <p>I walk my way down the cliff, concentrate on keeping my back straight, watch my feet, watch the rope snake through my hands, seeing only the spot where next I’ll put my foot. Suddenly, there‘s a large black hole. The cliff face has disappeared into a cave! What should I do?</p> <p><img width="370" height="250" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/23543/maggie-abseiling_370x250.jpg" alt="Maggie Abseiling" style="float: left;"/></p> <p>Without thinking I leap out and back, ropes flying. I land about three metres further down the rock face, below the cave. Cheering erupts above me, faces grin over the cliff top. I wave at them, overwhelmed. My impulsive leap was the right thing to do.</p> <p>“Look, look, Maggie’s been rappelling,” someone calls. If that’s what a terrified leap into the air is called, well, I’ve certainly done that. It’s easy now to continue down the cliff into the waiting arms of Bill.</p> <p>Unhooked from the descent ropes, I’m hooked now into a new set of ropes for the upward climb. I thought the descent was hard. This is much, much harder. I have to clamber, unaided, up the rough sandstone, finding finger and foot holes. Small rocks tumble from beneath my feet. Small branches bend under my anxious fingers. I clutch at tree roots, place my feet on stones, trusting they’re integral parts of the cliff itself. Pebbles slide, the soil is sandy, nothing appears solid. There’s no one cheering me on, giving me support now.</p> <p>The exhilaration I felt as I leapt out from the rock, the triumph of landing, all have vanished. I can think only of “down there”. My fear of high places returns. My arms tremble, my hands hurt, my feet slip, muscles in my legs ache. Never have I been so frightened.</p> <p>At the top, I’m panting with fear, not exertion, not exhilaration.  I crouch on my hands and knees until my trembling eases, grateful no one is looking. In a pocket I find a handkerchief, scrub my unexpected tears. </p> <p>I stand and quite suddenly I experience my own sunrise. My achievement was not going down the rock face with the encouragement of the group, nor leaping backwards to avoid the cave. It was that dogged fight to get back up to the top, unaided, alone. Overcoming my fear: that’s my victory.</p> <p>I rejoin the others, cheering on the last few, loud as the loudest.</p> <p><em><strong>If you have a story to share please get in touch at <a href="mailto:melody@oversixty.com.au">melody@oversixty.com.au</a></strong></em></p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/health/mind/2016/06/5-steps-to-help-you-speak-your-mind/">5 steps to help you speak your mind</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/health/mind/2016/05/how-to-beat-self-doubt/">How self-doubt holds you back</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/health/mind/2016/06/expert-tips-to-be-happier/">6 expert tips to be happier</a></strong></em></span></p>

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8 incredible actors who haven’t won an Oscar

<p>The world was thrilled when Leonardo DiCaprio finally broke his Oscars drought and won the Best Actor gong at this year’s Academy Awards. However, it got us thinking – which other incredible actors have been overlooked by the Academy? We were shocked at what we found!</p> <p><strong>Glenn Close</strong></p> <p>We were surprised to discover 69-year-old Close never received an Oscar, especially given her illustrious career, which spans four decades. She has been nominated six times before, first in 1982 and most recently in 2011 for <em>Albert Nobbs</em>.</p> <p><strong>Johnny Depp</strong></p> <p>It’s hard to believe that one of the quirkiest actors around has never earned an Academy Award, despite receiving three nominations. In 2012 the 53-year-old held the Guinness World Record for the highest paid actor, but unfortunately money doesn’t equal acclaim!</p> <p><strong>Liam Neeson</strong></p> <p>One of our favourites, 64-year-old Liam Neeson received a Best Actor nomination for his performance in Spielberg’s <em>Schindler’s List</em> but lost out to Tom Hanks. The movie went on to win the Best Picture gong that year.</p> <p><strong>Bill Murray</strong></p> <p>Though he’s known for his comedic roles, Bill Murray, 65, has diversified quite a bit in recent years, starring in critically acclaimed dramas like <em>Lost in Translation</em>, for which he was nominated for Best Actor, but lost to Sean Penn.</p> <p><strong>Sigourney Weaver</strong></p> <p>The 66-year-old has been prolific in sci-fi icons like the <em>Alien</em> franchise, the first instalment of which earned her a Best Actress nomination. She was also nominated for <em>Gorillas in the Mist</em> and <em>Working Girl</em>, but was unable to beat Jodie Foster and Geena Davis respectively.</p> <p><strong>Albert Finney</strong></p> <p>80-year-old Finney’s acting career began almost 60 years ago and he has been nominated for Best Actor an impressive four times (including for <em>Murder on the Orient Express</em>) and once for Best Supporting Actor but sadly has never won.</p> <p><strong>Harrison Ford</strong></p> <p>He’s played some of the most iconic roles in cinema, from Indiana Jones to Han Solo, but Ford, 73, has yet to win an Oscar. He was nominated for Best Actor back in 1985 for his role in <em>Witness</em>, but was beaten by William Hurt for <em>Kiss of the Spider Woman</em>.</p> <p><strong>Ralph Fiennes</strong></p> <p>The incredibly versatile 53-year-old actor has starred in many well-received films, including <em>Schindler’s List</em> and The <em>English Patient</em>, for which he received a Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor nomination respectively.</p> <p>Which actors do you think should have received an Oscar for their performance? Let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/movies/2016/05/8-classic-films-getting-remakes/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>8 classic films getting remakes</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/movies/2016/04/successful-over-60s-action-stars/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 over-60s action stars who still have it</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/movies/2016/03/harrison-ford-new-indiana-jones-movie/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Harrison Ford set to return for fifth Indiana Jones movie</strong></em></span></a></p>

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