This comes after the world went nuts over this image of deconstructed coffee served in a Melbourne café, saying that the ‘hipsterism’ of coffee has gone too far.
Rainbow lattes were said to be originally created by Las Vegas barista Mason Sailsbury, who puts coloured food dye in steamed milk when pouring out the drinks. These are his creations below.
Pic: @ibrewcoffee
So, what do you think of these rainbow lattes? Would you give it a go?
VIDEO: See barista Mason Salisbury create this mesmerising rainbow latte
Affordable and available childcare is absolutely critical for most families with young children, whether they are two-parent families needing more than one income just to get by, single-parents who are their family’s only breadwinner, or mothers simply wanting to get back to their jobs and careers.
So there are a lot of potential votes to be lost this election if one of the main political parties gets their childcare policy wrong.
Both the Coalition Government and the Labor Opposition are trying to woo working parents with promises of changes to the existing system, which are mostly focused on helping parents with the cost of childcare.
The Government announced its changes back in May when it delivered the federal budget.
It promised to simplify the childcare support system by combining two types of payments into one, and then meeting up to 85 per cent of childcare fees with no overall cap for families earning less than $65,000 a year. There will however be a cap on the hourly rate, meaning the 85 per cent rebate will be paid only on fees up to $11.55 an hour.
Families earning more than $170,000 would receive 50 per cent of their fees, but only up to a total of $10,000 for each child each year. Very high income families would get even less.
The other big change promised by the Government is the introduction of a work test, which requires the recipient of the child care fee assistance to be doing at least eight hours of work, training or study a fortnight.
The catch is the Government claims it can’t afford to start this new scheme until mid-2018, because the Opposition won’t support other cuts to family payments that would “pay” for the childcare support increase.
Labor has seized on this delay, promising voters last week that its improvements to the childcare system will start in January next year – a full 18 months earlier.
The Opposition’s childcare assistance package includes keeping the two-payment system, increasing the childcare benefit for low and middle-income families by 15 per cent, or around $30 a week for each child, and increasing the cap from $7500 to $10,000.
These payments will be available for all working families, whether they have low incomes or not.
Both childcare packages will cost the taxpayer around about the same amount overall, but Labor has not yet explained whether it will make cuts to other government spending to pay for the childcare handouts.
The Government says its new childcare scheme is fully paid for, but by cuts to family tax benefits, which Labor has sworn to oppose.
Both parties will also scrap the baby bonus.
The child care sector has welcomed the two parties’ funding proposals, noting the Government plans to simplify the system as well as increase support, while Labor has left the system as it is, preferring to increase child care payments and introduce the increase earlier.
What child care providers are not saying is whether they will increase fees once working parents have more government money at their disposal.
The Government claims its cap on subsidies for hourly rates will help keep fees down. Labor thinks publishing fees on a website will have a similar effect.
Only time will tell whether the Coalition, Labor or the childcare providers can be trusted to keep their word.
My kids walked in on my husband and I having sex a few weeks ago. I tried not to panic. I mean, kids walk in on their parents having sex all the time, right?
I’m sure we’ll all look back on this moment and laugh. The tale will come out at boozy Christmas lunches when they have grown, and brought their partners to meet the family. Oh, the guffaws that will ensue!
Eventually.
What were they doing out of bed anyway? It was 10pm on a Saturday night, for crying out loud. Apparently they heard a scary noise (er, that would be their very happy mother).
When it first happened, I was trying to work out how much they had seen, and how much therapy would be required. I’m figuring I have the seasons on my side – I’m lucky it’s winter. The trauma level could have been much higher in the throes of a blanket-free summer.
But as the dust has settled, I’ve come up with a plan of how to deal with this incredibly awkward situation.
Go light on the details.
Obviously this will depend on the age of your kids, but if they’re old enough to know exactly what you’re doing, they will be too busy gouging out their own eyes to be asking you for details.
The two kids that walked into my room that night are younger and – you’ve gotta love them – incredibly curious. But this is not an opportunity to go into the gory details of procreation, and especially not the nuances of recreational love making.
Talk to the kids about it.
So many stories I’ve heard about this type of event involve parents making up some crazy story on the spot. Recent examples include, “Mummy and Daddy were playing horsey” (which of course incited the children to launch themselves onto the bed and insist on playing too) and “Mummy and Daddy were doing their taxes” which would stink even to a three year old who still believes in unicorns.
On the flipside you could never speak of it again. As much as I’d like to grab onto this strategy with both hands, I think this approach makes the whole thing scary for the kids, and a taboo that should never be mentioned.
I brought it up the next day while making breakfast. I asked them why they got out of bed, and told them that their father and I were having some special Mum and Dad time. They asked me if they could have jam on their toast.
Be cool in the face of questions.
This can last a few days, or even a few weeks. Something occurred to my five-year-old son two weeks after the incident in question, and he piped up at dinner with, “But why were you jumping on Daddy?”
I told him we were playing an adult game. Which is sort of true. I have been very open and honest with our older, pubescent daughter about sex, so I’m not going to skirt the issue forever, but I do think five and three is a bit young to be worrying about this. And I also think the dinner table should be reserved for more pedestrian conversation like what we might do on the weekend, or how our day was.
Especially when your in-laws are over for a Sunday roast.
Install a lock on the door.
The horse may have already bolted at my house, but I’m optimistic that some day I may live to ride again. And when that happens, I’ll be prepared with a secure perimeter.
This maths question was given to 10-year-old Year 5 students at a primary school in Derbyshire, UK, but it’s even stumped adults.
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One dad – who got A-levels in maths and economics, mind you – was completely thrown by his son’s homework.
He posted this pic on Facebook seeking for help with the answer, but everybody was just as bemused as he was!
The question asks to calculate the perimeter of two shapes.
The dad wrote: “My son’s grandma had spent a while helping him with his homework and most of it was straightforward but this one question left her stumped.”
“I then spent an hour or so trying to work it out but found it impossible.
The father continued: “I even sent it to a friend who got a 1st class degree in economics and they were baffled by it as well.
“A couple of friends are maths teachers too so I’ve sent it to them but so far I’ve heard nothing back.
“I really do think it is impossible and it is certainly not something a ten-year-old can answer.
It’s the third leading cause of death in Australia – but how much do you know about this silent killer?
In Australia, dementia is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancers. Typically, people with dementia deteriorate gradually and eventually die from complications such as respiratory failure – from pneumonia for instance – or other infections. Dementia will in these cases be registered as the underlying cause of death.
Dementia is a general term for severe disorders with mental decline. Subtypes include Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia (with cerebrovascular disease) and fronto-temporal dementia. Of these types, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common diagnosis of dementia, accounting for 50-75% of all cases. As such, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are often used interchangeably.
As the population ages, the number of people with dementia is expected to rise, as is the number of deaths caused by the disease.
History of Alzheimer’s dementia
Alzheimer’s disease was first reported by German psychiatrist Alöis Alzheimer in 1906. After comparing autopsy reports of some of his patients, he described the presence of two abnormal brain structures made up of accumulated clusters of sticky proteins between nerve cells.
These abnormally accumulated proteins are considered the classic pathological hallmarks of the disease.
About 5% of dementia cases show early onset or familial inheritance, where dementia develops before the age of 65, sometimes in adults as young as 35. However, the disease most commonly presents as the age-related dementia with which we are familiar.
The frequency of the disease is markedly increased in adults over 65. After this age, it doubles every six-and-a-half years. It ultimately affects one-third of those older than 85.
Dementia signs and symptoms
Dementia can take several years to develop. It is often categorised as mild (early stage), moderate (mid stage) and advanced (late stage). Symptoms include:
Cognitive impairment: problems with memory, communication, comprehension and ability to recognise familiar objects and people
Psychiatric or behavioural symptoms: severe depression, delusions and hallucinations (visual and auditory), and increased aimless wandering, agitation and confusion
Dysfunction in daily living activities: in the earlier stages of dementia, the ability to perform routine tasks such as shopping may be disrupted. Dementia in the later stages can affect the ability to perform more basic tasks such as dressing, showering and eating.
People living with dementia may have different symptoms at various times, depending on the person and the parts of the brain affected.
There is no single established screening test to accurately diagnose dementia. Neurologists use reports from physical examinations, memory or cognitive tests, caregiver interviews, questionnaires, medical histories, genetic tests and brain scans.
Risks of dementia include having a family history of the disorder, a history of repeated head trauma and lifestyle factors, such as hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes, high cholesterol, poor cardiovascular fitness and atherosclerosis. Moderate exercise and controlled weight can reduce the risks of cognitive impairment and dementia.
Studies have also shown being female can put you at higher risk of cognitive decline. The exact reasons for this are somewhat controversial. It could be because risk increases with age and women tend to outlive men.
But some evidence shows that the risk increases parallel to a reduction in female hormone production after menopause, so the incidence is slightly higher in women after the age of 75. Female hormones are known to play a protective role in cardiovascular function, cognition and memory.
Disease burden
It is estimated that, in 2015, 47 million people had dementia globally. These numbers are projected to double every two decades and reach 131.5 million by 2050.
In the United States, dementia was the second leading cause of death after heart disease in 2014. While the number of deaths from dementia increased by 119% from the year 2000, rates of deaths from heart disease dropped by 24% over the same period.
The number of Australians living with dementia is more than 353,800 (around 1.5% of the total population). This is projected to increase to 553,000 by 2030. The projections may be conservative as the current number is actually higher than the number (329,243) projected in 2011.
The total direct cost of dementia to the Australian health and aged care system was estimated to be more than $4.9 billion in the 2009-10 financial year. Nearly 59% of residential aged care expenditure was spent on dementia patients in June 2009.
A firm diagnosis usually occurs three years after noticeable symptoms are manifested and noticed by family members. This is often at the early to mid-stage of the disease. From this stage, the only management available is the possible alleviation of symptoms with prescription drugs – although depending on the person and disease severity, these might help little.
It is critical we identify those at risk so that timely medical interventions can be provided before dementia onset, with the possibility of delaying the onset. This would considerably reduce the time people live with dementia and the overall associated disease burden. It’s estimated a delay of dementia onset by five years would reduce the number of cases by a third.
The best current approach to the dementia epidemic is to promote a healthy lifestyle from an early age as poor cardiovascular fitness in teenage years is predicted to increase dementia risk.
This article was written by Siva Purushothuman, NHMRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Neuroscience Research Australia, and was originally published on The Conversation.
Beautiful golden retriever Bretagne was one of the first responders at Ground Zero.
However, the 16-year-old hero was sadly put to sleep at a Texas veterinary hospital on Monday with her loving owner and handler Denise Corliss by her side.
But before that, she was given a guard of honour by a row of fire-fighters who stood to attention while she walked into the building.
“She was really anxious last night and she just wanted to be with me,” Denise told TODAY.
“So I laid down with her, right next to her. When she could feel me, she could settle down and go to sleep. I slept with her like that all night.”
Bretagne’s body was draped in the American flag and now, veterinary experts at Texas A&M University will study her body to see what effects Ground Zero had on her internal organs.
Not only did she help at Ground Zero but also during rescue efforts for hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Rite.
It feels great to slip into a size 10 when you know you’re really a 14 – but is vanity sizing doing you more harm than good?
Every woman in Australia has experienced that heady change room thrill when you slip on something in your usual size, only to find it’s far too big.
You ask for the next size down – sometimes even two sizes – and all of a sudden, your size 14 figure is zipped into a size 10 dress and you’re feeling fantastic as you skip to the register, credit card in hand.
Have you lost weight? Probably not. This is the world of vanity sizing, a practice adopted by hundreds of retailers to give people a buzz when they try on a garment, knowing that buzz often translates to a sale.
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A size 12 in different stores can vary by up to 10cm, making shopping – especially online shopping – more difficult but an article on Refinery29 today says the practice has far wider-ranging consequences than mere annoyance.
“Vanity sizing is a psychological attack that can hurt your mind, confidence, and wallet,” the piece says. “Though seemingly inconsequential, vanity sizing affects all of us in a negative way. Even if an individual doesn’t notice the problematic practice, vanity sizing adds fuel to fire in terms of misinformation about weight.
“We aren’t going to change the fabric of our skinny-obsessed culture overnight, but instead piece by piece. We need to look at all the factors that contribute to our skewed perception of size, and neutralise them.
“A piece of fabric with a number on it does not define us, which is why we need to standardise sizes. Clothing sizes are a utility — a measurement of cloth, not the measure of who you are.”
A woman is accused of killing her identical twin sister who was the passenger in her car by driving off a cliff and leaving her to die.
Alexandria Duval has been charged with murder of her sister Anastasia, both 37, when they were travelling on Hana Highway in Maui on May 29. Their car then plunged 200ft off a cliff and crashed into a rock wall.
Anastasia died at the scene and Alexandria was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. She then tried to flee the state last week, but was arrested.
Alexandria Duval in court
Hawaii News Now reports that witnesses at the scene of the crash claim the two sisters were arguing before the car fell off the cliff, with one person saying they saw the passenger pulling the driver’s hair.
“There were hands pulling her head down like this, and her head was jerking,” the witness said.
The crash site
Both women are yoga instructors and live in Florida, US. They were both arrested last year on Christmas Eve for disorderly conduct, reports KHON2.
Trending video: Carrie Bickmore addressed pregnancy rumours on The Project last night
Despite what you might have heard lately, Carrie Bickmore wants you to know that she is NOT pregnant.
After a report from a local magazine claimed that the TV host was indeed pregnant with her third child, the hosts of the much-loved program decided to play a little prank.
As Kool & The Gang’s Celebration began playing mockingly in the background, host Peter Helliar kicked off the prank.
“Big announcement. Big congratulations are in order. Carrie Bickmore, baby number three on its way!” He said while handing the star a large bouquet of flowers.
Watch the hilarious moment for yourself in the video player below! Post continues…
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“We also wanted to – we thought this would be great. I hope you don’t mind us giving away it’s a boy. They are sensational!” Gold Logie award-winner Waleed quipped, presenting the blonde beauty with little blue booties and a teeny tiny onesie.
“Industry sources are suggesting that on Logies night you opted for water,” he said to which Carrie quipped, “Vodka does look like water so I could understand that.”
“I had a big focaccia for lunch!” Said the host through laughter.
But all jokes aside, Carrie wanted to clear the air. Speaking directly to her fans and family, she put the rumours to bed.
“If you’re watching at home, mum, no, OK. I just started sleeping! God, that would be a nightmare!”
However the stunt caused an influx of congratulatory tweets, with many viewers tuning in half-way through, missing the set-up and believing that Carrie was indeed pregnant.
This latest stitch-up comes just days after Carrie felt the need to sarcastically apologise for wearing the same outfit twice.
Taking to Instagram, the 35-year-old shared a lengthy statement addressing two separate articles that had called out her outfit repetitions.
For now, Carrie is loving life with son Oliver, eight, and Evie, one.
“Huge apologies. I must have missed the memo (blaming my mum who won’t throw out beautiful dresses she used to wear in the 80’s and can still wear now I might add) I had no idea you are NOT allowed to wear the same dress twice.”
“Here’s the scoop – sometimes I loan outfits to wear on the show that are not even in store yet (Ohhh La la)..sometimes I get gifted outfits to keep (yay), sometimes I wear gowns designed specifically for me (lucky girl)…and sometimes… we run down the street, grab something off the shelf, we buy it and I wear it a few times because I love it.”
“I will continue to operate in this reckless fashion,” penned the Gold Logie winner.
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