TV series Depp vs Heard charts the social media frenzy surrounding the divorce of actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The suit, in which Depp was awarded $50m, saw insults, video diaries, text messages and social media posts enter the courtroom as evidence. It was, the series concludes, played out "in the limelight of social media and broadcast television".
Kiwi comedian Guy Montgomery has won Best of the Fest at the Sydney Comedy Festival Awards for his show My Brain Is Blowing Me Crazy. Montgomery was also recognised for his appearances on Have You Been Paying Attention? and for hosting New Zealand panel show Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee and the podcast The Worst Idea of All Time. Other awardees from the festival include Chinese-born Sydney comedian He Huang, who won Best Newcomer, and sketch duo Hot Department, who were awarded Director's Choice for their show Wet Heat. All three awardees received AUD $1,500.
Sleep problems are on the rise, with 30% of British adults experiencing sleep problems, up from 23% in 2012, and one in 10 suffering from chronic insomnia, according to a report from The Guardian. Research indicates women tend to sleep less well than men, and older people less well than younger ones. A recent Cambridge University study based on hundreds of health studies recommends people sleep seven to nine hours a night with each REM cycle lasting approximately 90 minutes.
Writing in The Guardian, a sleep scientist and a clinical director of the Sleep School offer the following tips to sleep better: Ensure there is natural light in your environment when you wake up to trigger the brain to stop producing sleep hormone melatonin and activate the cortisol awakening response; exercise earlier in the day, avoid vigorous exercise within three hours of bedtime; wake up at the same time every morning as consistency in the pattern will strengthen the link between the bed and sleep; do not linger in bed as this compromises sleep quality, only get into bed when sleepy; eat at least three hours before bed and avoid stimulants, like caffeine and alcohol, which impact sleep. Try progressive muscle relaxation or mindfulness techniques if stressed.
A campaign to overturn a decline in condom sales and use in India's northern states was developed by an advertising team called Condom Bindass Bol, which included comical scenarios to encourage men to say the word condom without embarrassment in public. The family planning campaign became among a series promoting contraception and birth control. India set up a department devoted to family planning in the 1950s and aggressively promoted the use of contraception and sterilisation to respond to rapid population growth. The campaigns have helped create a new vocabulary for sensitive topics and helped change social norms, although the push has largely focused on women, who have borne the burden of choice. Critics maintain the programmes have been ineffective because they focused on women and kept men on the margins. However, campaigners say that some programmes sparked awareness which led to attitudinal change. Campaigners say behaviour modification often involves "sparking a conversation".
TV series Depp vs Heard charts the social media frenzy surrounding the divorce of actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The suit, in which Depp was awarded $50m, saw insults, video diaries, text messages and social media posts enter the courtroom as evidence. It was, the series concludes, played out "in the limelight of social media and broadcast television".
A physiotherapist has shared her weekly spending in Hobart, Tasmania, as part of the Refinery29 Money Diary series. The physio, who has a monthly net worth of $178,450 and earns $92,600, tracks her expenses to inform her savings strategy. She splits her bills 50/50 with her partner, and they have a shared account for groceries, while their finances for everything else are separate. Her only debts are a mortgage worth $529,000 and a HELP student debt of $22,000. Although the physio is a good saver, she occasionally stresses about spending money on self-care items.
She became financially independent at age 21 while at university and tries to save 40% of each pay cheque, putting around $900 into her various savings accounts, which include a Mojo account with at least $5,000 for unexpected expenses, a main savings account and an offset account shared with her partner. She also saves up to $50 per fortnight in a “me” account for rainy days. The physiotherapist has regular gym membership and Pilates expenses of $260 and $180 per month respectively, as well as $120 per month to cover beauty treatments.
Though she is not worried about money now, she gets anxious about spending money on things like activewear and self-care, and she occasionally buys her lunch out. She credits her parents with having brought her up with a relaxed attitude to money and being able to manage finances on a tight budget.
The French Tennis Federation has teamed up with artificial intelligence software provider Bodyguard.ai to filter and block comments on social media deemed toxic or harassing. Players and officials can opt-in to the programme prior to the French Open, which begins later this month, with access staying live for a week afterwards. The software is trained to block derogatory comments on six social media platforms including Twitter and TikTok.
Microsoft Co-founder, Bill Gates, was reportedly blackmailed and threatened with the publication of a supposed affair with a Russian bridge player by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein demanded Mr Gates reimburse him for tuition costs Epstein had initially covered for the woman to attend a software coding school. The WSJ claimed that Epstein blackmailed Mr Gates in the form of an email in 2017 after he failed to convince the philanthropist to join a multibillion-dollar charity fund that he tried to set up with JPMorgan Chase. The claim backs up existing rumours that Epstein was extorting his network. Mr Gates reportedly met Mila Antonova around 2010 when she was attempting to secure funds for an online bridge tutorial that Epstein did not invest in. A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation said, “having failed repeatedly to draw Mr Gates beyond these matters, Epstein tried unsuccessfully to leverage a past relationship to threaten Mr Gates”.
New York's Genesis House has opened a Korean tea pavilion, where six guests can receive tea ceremonies and learn etiquette of 'darye'. The serene, South Korean-inspired extravaganza includes green, black, white, red, herbal and blue teas, available for purchasing and sampling. The pavilion, open every weekend, is located in the flagship building of the country's namesake auto manufacturer, which also houses a Korean restaurant. Additional culinary offerings include a lavender mille crepe cake from Lady M, an Upper West Side salad, sandwich and soup market by Rick Mast, and a dark and brackish Dashi RDX umami syrup from Noma Projects.
The battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, which lasted for over 220 days and is possibly the longest in the war, was finally won by Russian forces but left behind nine million bottles of champagne made by Artwinery, one of eastern Europe’s major suppliers of sparkling wine. While the winery evacuated one million bottles, the rest remain in cellars 236 feet underground in gypsum mines from which the company sourced the materials it uses. The fate of the remaining stock remains uncertain, as celebrations are uneasily held due to the town’s protracted combat and ongoing conflict.
Bakhmut, an eastern Ukraine town with a population of 70,000 is now almost completely empty and Ukrainian authorities are divided over its significance. For many, the protracted and expensive defence of Bakhmut was crucial to setting up an eventual counter-offensive elsewhere. The Russian commanders see the prolonged defence as having held up the Ukrainian forces and depleted Ukrainian Western equipment.
Despite the capture of Bakhmut, the town remains a potent symbol for boosting Ukrainian morale and sending a message to the Russian military that if more fortified towns such as Slovyansk and Kramatorsk were attacked, then the Russian army would need to expend both men and materials. The Ukrainian military has claimed that the Russian forces in Bakhmut are “semi-encircled”, but this is not supported on war theatre maps.
