Monday, January 30, 2023

Does the Best Workout Exist? Exercise Scientists All Agree on One Thing



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Does the Best Workout Exist? Exercise Scientists All Agree on One Thing

Regular exercise is among the most important things a person can do to maintain good health and increase longevity. This is a real bummer for people like me, who are both innately unathletic and have sedentary jobs.

When you don’t include exercise as part of your routine, it’s hard to know how to start. Fortunately, researchers are increasingly understanding how exercise affects the body, and, in doing so, finding smarter ways for people to exercise smarter. Whether you’re trying to get back into a regular exercise habit after a pandemic lull or getting started for the first time...ever, here’s what experts say about the optimal ways to exercise.

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S13
Albanese promises National Aboriginal Art Gallery in Alice Springs and pivots towards the modern and mainstream in new cultural policy

The Albanese government’s cultural policy, released Monday, “puts First Nations first”, while also promising regulated Australian content on streaming services and a shift to greater support for the popular in the arts.

The policy reflects the government’s view that arts policy – especially the Australia Council’s priorities – has become too elitist, and should be tilted more towards mainstream and commercial culture.

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How to Discover Your Strengths to Perform at Your Highest Potential

When entrepreneurs seek self-knowledge, they get to redefine how high they can soar.

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How SECURE 2.0 Helps Small Businesses Boost Retirement Benefits

Nearly 75 percent small businesses don't offer retirement plans to their workforce. The SECURE 2.0 Act could change that.

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How Purpose Can Energize a High-Growth Venture

My lessons from a conversation with Mona Ataya, CEO of Mumzworld

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The female Abstract Expressionists of New York shook the world of art | Aeon Videos

Abstract Expressionism emerged in New York City in the 1940s in a world transformed by the Second World War. A successor to Surrealism, the movement is best known for its large-scale paintings and its artists’ interests in abstraction, the subconscious mind and the spontaneity of jazz music. Its arrival was a watershed moment in 20th-century art: New York usurped Paris as the capital of the contemporary art world, and exceptional female artists began to carve out names for themselves in a cultural landscape fraught with gender barriers. In this instalment of his YouTube series Great Art Explained, the UK curator, gallerist and video essayist James Payne explores Abstract Expressionism through the work of three New York-born female artists Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning and Helen Frankenthaler. Examining their lives, times and works in the context of art history, Payne highlights their significant contributions to the movement, and how, despite refusing to be defined by their gender, they opened doors for a new generation of female artists.

Fifty years ago, a train collided with Jack and Betty’s car. Here’s how they remember it

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The bosses who silently nudge out workers

When marketing manager Eliza returned from holiday, she received an email from her boss asking her to arrive at work early the next day. “I instantly feared the worst,” she explains. “I knew the job wasn’t the best fit. I’d had my probation previously extended; there was an expectation of weekend working and post-work drinking that didn’t suit me. I thought he’d used my time off as an opportunity to fire me.”

However, when Eliza arrived at her boss’s office, she wasn’t immediately let go. Instead, she was informed of a company restructure – her job description was being completely rewritten. Someone else would take over her tasks, and she would be expected to work remotely in a new admin role. 

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How Business Owners Can Overcome These 3 Challenges in 2023

With every new year comes new problems. Here is a strategy for each one.

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How Thrive Market Reached $400 Million in Sales While Making Online Grocery More Sustainable

Thrive co-founder Nick Green shares his approach to offering healthy food for cheap, in a way that helps the planet.

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How Venture Capitalists Make Decisions

For decades now, venture capitalists have played a crucial role in the economy by financing high-growth start-ups. While the companies they’ve backed—Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and more—are constantly in the headlines, very little is known about what VCs actually do and how they create value. To pull the curtain back, Paul Gompers of Harvard Business School, Will Gornall of the Sauder School of Business, Steven N. Kaplan of the Chicago Booth School of Business, and Ilya A. Strebulaev of Stanford Business School conducted what is perhaps the most comprehensive survey of VC firms to date. In this article, they share their findings, offering details on how VCs hunt for deals, assess and winnow down opportunities, add value to portfolio companies, structure agreements with founders, and operate their own firms. These insights into VC practices can be helpful to entrepreneurs trying to raise capital, corporate investment arms that want to emulate VCs’ success, and policy makers who seek to build entrepreneurial ecosystems in their communities.

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Toxic pollutants can build up inside our homes. Here are 8 ways to reduce the risks

We know everything in our homes gathers dust. What you probably don’t know is whether there are toxic contaminants in your house dust, and where these might come from.

Worryingly, we found some contaminants can accumulate at higher concentrations inside homes than outside. This happened in homes with certain characteristics: older properties, metal construction materials enriched in zinc, recent renovations and deteriorating paint.

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How science and innovation can strengthen global food systems

Food systems, from production to consumption, are complex in nature and require co-ordinated efforts at different levels. Food systems are the public policy decisions, the national and global supply chains and the public or private individuals and groups that influence what we eat.

Unfortunately, current global food systems are not sustainable. One in nine people are affected by hunger globally. This situation was worsened by the pandemic.

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10 Websites That Will Give You Superpowers

A fabulous Twitter thread highlights the best, most useful websites you've never heard of.

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The millennials in sexless marriages

As 2022 comes to a close, we're bringing back our favourite pieces of the year. See the rest of our Best of Worklife 2022 collection for more great reads.

“The first [several] years of our marriage we had an amazing sex life … and as he got older (he’s 30 now), he just doesn't seem interested in sex anymore.”

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S12
How widespread could the four-day workweek really be?

The idea of a four-day workweek used to be such a pipedream that it was barely on the radar for most workers and firms. But in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies around the world have given this this set-up a go – and gathered promising results.

In the US and Ireland, a six-month trial among 33 volunteer companies in 2022 showed a positive impact on company performance, productivity and employee wellbeing. Employees working the shortened week reported less stress and fatigue, plus improved work-life balance and satisfaction. The 27 companies that submitted a final survey rated the trial a nine out of 10.

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How 'The Last of Us' Episode 3 Foreshadows One Heartbreaking Future Twist

The third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us marks a major departure for the series. Not only does it largely focus on two characters who are neither Joel (Pedro Pascal) nor Ellie (Bella Ramsey), but it’s also the first episode of The Last of Us that truly deviates in several major ways from its source material.

After first introducing Bill (Nick Offerman) as the same hard-edged survivor that fans of the original Last of Us game know well, the HBO series quickly pivots into new territory. The show’s third episode, titled “Long Long Time,” spends the majority of its runtime exploring Bill’s surprisingly sweet, 20-year love story with his fellow human survivor, Frank (Murray Bartlett). In its final moments, the episode then makes the connection between Bill and Frank’s relationship and Joel and Ellie’s dynamic heartbreakingly clear.

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A study of close to half a million soccer fans shows how group identity shapes behaviour

On Dec. 18, Argentina defeated France after penalties in what some have called the greatest World Cup final ever. For one month the attention of soccer fans from Brazil to Morocco was devoted to their national teams as the Seleção Canarinho, Atlas Lions and 30 other teams battled through the tournament in Qatar.

Now fans’ focus is returning to Real Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan and other clubs, as the major domestic leagues resume matches. Argentina’s hero, Lionel Messi and France’s superstar Kylian Mbappé, rivals on the pitch in Qatar just a few weeks ago, are now back in their familiar roles as teammates at Paris Saint-Germain.

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'Discriminatory impact on First Nations people': coroner calls for urgent bail reform in Veronica Nelson inquest

Rick Sarre is affiliated with the Bragg Subbranch of the SA Labor Party. He is a South Australian patron of the Justice Reform Initiative (JRI) and a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology (ANZSOC).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and/or images of deceased people.

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'The Last of Us' Episode 3 Director Reveals the Secret Meaning Behind the Last Shot

Not only was it huge deviation from the previous episode’s commitment to adapting the video game source material, but it’s also the first time someone other than the showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann directed an episode. The honor fell to It’s a Sin and Umbrella Academy director Peter Hoar, who brought the standalone story of Bill and Frank’s love story to life with stars Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett.

Even in September 2021, when Episode 3 was filmed, British director Hoar knew the importance of the task ahead of him. “I was blessed to be able to do it, I couldn't believe it had come to me,” Hoar told Inverse Friday afternoon, minutes after The Last of Us was renewed for Season 2. “I just didn't want to let anybody down. And of course, there was a huge relationship between the two men.”

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Five Ways to Make Your One-On-One Meetings More Effective

In the rush of day-to-day responsibilities and deadlines, pausing for a regular one-on-one meeting can feel like a waste of time. And for many, it not only feels unnecessary but also painful and stilted. According to research conducted at Humu, these feelings are so common that 1 in 4 people don’t have regular one-on-one meetings with their managers or direct reports at all.

Unfortunately, things can go wrong without these regular touch points. People who don’t have one-on-ones with their managers are more likely to leave their organizations. And although skipping these meetings might give some time back to managers, they are more likely to miss out on opportunities to build trust and alignment within their teams. So, what can managers do to make regular check-ins more effective?

In this article, I’ll share five science-backed steps that can help managers structure their one-on-ones with reports and team members so that people will feel energized rather than drained by these meetings in the year ahead.

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S34
Australia is to have a poet laureate - how will the first appointment define us as a nation?

Poetry has often been a matter of nation building, including in Australia. Who hasn’t learnt by heart at school some verses from My Country (1908) by Dorothea Mackellar?

I love a sunburnt country,A land of sweeping plains Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains.I love her far horizons,I love her jewel-sea,Her beauty and her terror –The wide brown land for me!

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Research: Few Corporate Spinoffs Deliver Value

Large companies routinely spin off existing units to become public companies of their own, in an attempt to focus management attention and capture larger multiples in equity markets. An analysis of 350 large spinoffs from 2000 to 2020 reveals the average one creates negligible value. A study of the best-performing separations concludes that to succeed, leaders must create a compelling separation thesis, one that consists of four parts: an equity story, target financials, an asset perimeter, and program design.

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Passengers need more than apologies from airlines after holiday chaos

Teaching Faculty, Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University

A snowball effect initiated in Vancouver created an avalanche of travel chaos over the holidays at a time when many had overcome their fear of travelling following the COVID-19 pandemic and thought it was worth travelling again.

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My kid is biting, hitting and kicking. I'm at my wit's end, what can I do?

John McAloon is a clinical child psychologist who runs a clinic for parents who are experiencing difficulty parenting young children at a University in Sydney.

Everyone with young children experiences parenting challenges. And these are often exacerbated by parental exhaustion, financial or relationship difficulties, and work stress.

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The Rift Valley tells the entire human story from the start | Aeon Essays

Splitting the African continent, it is the only place where our human story can be read continuously from the very start

is a writer and foreign correspondent, who studied anthropology before becoming a journalist. His essays and reporting have appeared in National Geographic, The New Yorker, Emergence Magazine, GQ and the London Review of Books, among others. After working in different parts of Africa for nearly 20 years, he now lives in Woodbridge, in the UK.

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'Nostalgic' classics, or edgy contemporary texts? What books are kids reading in Australian schools -

Alex Bacalja is affiliated with the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English, and is Victoria's delegate to the Australian Association for the Teaching of English.

Debates about what books students should be reading in high school reach a crescendo at the start of each school year.

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'Arts are meant to be at the heart of our life': what the new national cultural policy could mean for Australia - if it all comes together

It’s finally been launched. A new cultural policy for Australia. After years (actually decades) of neglect, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today launched a new national cultural policy, Revive. In his speech he said:

It’s important that our prime minister says this and owns the centrality of culture in our lives. The last prime minister who acknowledged the importance of the arts in Australian life was Paul Keating 30 years ago.

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The Ambidextrous Organization

This mental balancing act is one of the toughest of all managerial challenges—it requires executives to explore new opportunities even as they work diligently to exploit existing capabilities—and it’s no surprise that few companies do it well. But as every businessperson knows, there are companies that do. What’s their secret?

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Streaming platforms will soon be required to invest more in Australian TV and films, which could be good news for our screen sector

Streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ will soon face regulations to invest in Australian content, as Australian regulations catch up to other world players.

Nearly eight years since the launch of Netflix in Australia in 2015, redressing the “regulatory gap” between unregulated streaming platforms and regulated traditional television is front-of-mind for Arts Minister Tony Burke.

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'House of the Dragon' Concept Art Book Plunges Into the Making of the Fantasy Hit

Insight Editions hatches a deluxe coffee-table volume detailing the genesis of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel.

HBO’s House of the Dragon was a soaring hit when it aired its debut season this past summer/fall and we’re still swooning over the remarkably detailed realm of deceit that became one of the cable network’s most watched shows, with 10 million viewers tuning in for the spectacle.

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3 in 4 people experience abuse on dating apps. How do we balance prevention with policing?

PhD Candidate, ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), Australian National University

A 2022 survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology found three in four app users surveyed had experienced online abuse or harassment when using dating apps. This included image-based abuse and abusive and threatening messages. A further third experienced in-person or off-app abuse from people they met on apps.

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What makes archaeology useful as well as exciting? It offers lessons from the past

Archaeology is fun. It’s so much fun that sometimes people do not treat it with the seriousness it deserves. Studying the past, through what people leave behind, can offer insights into some of the world’s challenges – like hunger, health, and protecting the environment.

Some of the most impressive archaeological sites in the world include Great Zimbabwe, the Egyptian Pyramids and the Great Wall of China. Side by side with these very old and massive structures are sediments, old bones, seeds, pottery, glass, metals and human skeletons. All yield clues about ancient environments, societies and economies.

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It's hot, and your local river looks enticing. But is too germy for swimming?

Swimming in rivers, creeks and lakes can be a fun way to cool off in summer. But contamination in natural waterways can pose a risk to human health.

Waterborne pathogens can cause acute gastrointestinal illnesses such as diarrhea and vomiting. Other common illnesses include skin rashes, respiratory problems, and eye and ear infections.

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Children and teens aren't doing enough physical activity - new study sounds a health warning

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children and adolescents (5-17 years old) get an average of at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. This should incorporate vigorous aerobic activities, as well as those that strengthen muscle and bone, at least three days a week. It’s also recommended that children spend no more than two hours a day on recreational screen time. These recommendations aim to improve children’s physical and mental health, as well as cognitive outcomes.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity among children and adolescents was already below the recommended levels. In 2016, 81% of adolescents around the world aged 11-17 were considered physically inactive. Girls were less active than boys.

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9 Strategies to Improve Business Team Collaboration and Relationships

There are many ways that workplace collaboration can go sideways, and only a few keys to making it work.

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After years of austerity, Revive writes the next chapter in Australian literary culture

The Albanese government’s Revive is Australia’s first national cultural policy in ten years. The last was the Gillard government’s Creative Australia in 2013.

Revive promises to “empower our talented artists and arts organisations”, reaching new audiences “and telling stories in compelling new ways”.

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Strategy for Start-ups

In their haste to get to market first, write Joshua Gans, Erin L. Scott, and Scott Stern, entrepreneurs often run with the first plausible strategy they identify. They can improve their chances of picking the right path by investigating four generic go-to-market strategies and choosing a version that aligns most closely with their founding values and motivations. The authors provide a framework, which they call the entrepreneurial strategy compass, for doing so.

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S35
Earwigs are the hero single mothers of the insect world - and good for your garden too

You lift a stone and staring up at you is a little insect with its tail curled and pincers ready to inflict who knows what. Then you see its attendants – tiny white insects, huddled underneath. Should you drop the stone and quash them, or leave them be?

What you have discovered is a family of one of Britain’s least loved, but one of the most caring insects – an earwig.

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S39
Primates colonised the Arctic during a period of ancient global warming -- their fate offers a lesson as climate change speeds up

Two new species of prehistoric primate were recently identified by scientists studying fossils from Canada’s Ellesmere Island in the high Arctic. The primates are closely related and likely originated from a single colonisation event, following which they split into two species: Ignacius dawsonae and Ignacius mckennai.

The primates colonised the high latitudes during a period of historic global warming called the early Eocene climatic optimum (EECO). During this period, the high Arctic, now cold and inhospitable, had a climate similar to the cypress swamps of the southeastern USA. The primates shared the landscape with species that are today associated with warmer climates, including crocodilians and tapirs.

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S17
Migrants don't cause crime rates to increase --

Immigration is a critical topic in contemporary political and academic debates. Politicians and the general population alike in countries around the world have often shown hostility towards immigrants.

A typical argument made by those who oppose immigration is that it increases crime. If people believe immigrants cause crime rates to climb, it’s not hard to understand a backlash. But what if immigration doesn’t actually increase crime, but affects perceptions about crime anyway?

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S63
How to Develop Atomic Habits

Have you heard the phrase "process determines progress?" What it boils down to is that focusing on small, incremental changes is what matters most to achieving big results. That goes for habits, as well, says James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. Tiny changes to your daily routines can lead to significant improvements in your life.

Here are some of the key concepts from that book that you can put into practice to help achieve your goals.

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S47
'Genshin Impact' version 3.5 is nearly here -- everything you need to know

Even Genshin Impact celebrates the spring. The upcoming Genshin Impact 3.5 update features the long-awaited Sumeru mercenary, Dehya, and the Knights of Favonius surveyor, Mika, as its guests of honor. It also brings back the Windblume Festival, a romantically toned festival where your flower choice could make a difference in your springtime adventure. And that’s just the start of it. Here’s everything we know about the Genshin Impact 3.5 update.

Genshin Impact 3.5 is expected to launch on February 28, 2023. Other reports guess March 1, 2023 based on the six-week schedule, but that’s based on the UTC+8 release time. If it’s anything like past updates, it will actually come out the day before on February 28 at around 9 p.m. Eastern.

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S53
People who are a little lazy swear by these clever products that make life easier

While I'm often up for a challenge, I also like to keep my day-to-day as hassle-free as possible, so I'm always looking for simple products that make life easier. Luckily, there are tons of helpful products on Amazon with glowing reviews from other like-minded, lazy people, and I've gathered some of the most popular options right here.

Whether you're looking for cleaning and organization hacks to keep you home in top shape, or just want to maximize your comfort while lounging, there's sure to be something on this list for you. For instance, you can make washing the dishes feel more effortless by using scrub gloves with built-in bristles or a sponge caddy that doubles as a soap dispenser when you press down on it. Or, you can make cooking less demanding with a hard-boiled egg peeler, an electric can opener, and a chopper that cuts vegetables and fruit with ease. And for those moments when you want to just just kick back and relax, I’ve included a phone holder that hangs around your neck for hands-free viewing

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'The Last of Us' Episode 3 ending explained: The tragic short lives of [SPOILERS]

The Last of Us Episode 3 was a complete departure from the story of Joel and Ellie, finally setting out on their own after Tess’ noble sacrifice at the end of Episode 2. We see the two as they set out to do exactly what Tess told them to do — get to Bill. Fifteen minutes into their journey, the episode turns into an epic flashback detailing Bill’s journey from outbreak day until just a few days before Joel and Ellie arrive.

Warning! Spoilers for The Last of Us Episode 3 ahead. (Seriously, go watch the episode it’s worth it.)

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A tiny radioactive capsule is lost on a highway in Western Australia. Here's what you need to know

On January 12 a truck pulled out of Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and drove 1,400km south to Perth, arriving on January 16.

Nine days later, on January 25, it was discovered the truck had lost a rather special piece of cargo somewhere along the way: a tiny capsule containing a highly radioactive substance, used in a radiation gauge on the mine site.

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A message to anxious parents as 320,000 Australian children start school

Culturally we place so much importance on this time. Everyone from the lovely cashier at the supermarket, to family, friends and neighbours have been eagerly asking my child, “are you excited about starting school?”

While people have good intentions, the question comes with the clear expectation that “starting big school” is a really big deal. And this puts a lot of pressure on the transition.

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Young people are drinking less - here's an alternative to try on your next night out

A new leisure trend is providing an alternative to pubs and bars for young people whose alcohol consumption has been declining for years.

Competitive socialising takes the centuries-old idea of mixing food with games (think medieval banquets) and amplifies it. Options range from reinvented versions of bowling, board games, darts, ping pong, shuffleboard, table football, mini golf, cricket, to axe-throwing, escape rooms and virtual reality bars. The common denominator is fun, immersive social experiences served with high quality food and drinks in eye-catching, Instagrammable interiors.

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New Zealand's tax system is under the spotlight (again). What needs to change to make it fair?

Aotearoa New Zealand’s new Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, has said we should look at ways to make the tax system fairer. Finance associate minister David Parker made a similar point almost a year ago, though there was little real action after his comments.

Generally, people don’t object to fairness. The problem is that we don’t all agree on what fairness looks like – especially when it comes to tax.

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You need to play the most hardcore sci-fi platformer ASAP

Few people understood how the video game industry itself would change with the shift from 16-bit side-scrollers to 32-bit 3D open worlds better than Shigeru Miyamoto. Nintendo’s master ushered in masterpieces in both formats, of course, with games like Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 64. The new world brought new opportunities, of course, but also new challenges. One of the big ones was jumping.

“Implementing jumping in 3D is really difficult,” Miyamoto admitted in a 1996 interview. “In earlier Mario games, we were able to measure the number of pixels Mario could jump and know exactly what was possible,” which had to be altered for the new world, much to the frustration of the development team, which booed the decision to make jumps “close enough.”

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S52
Studying ancient human DNA has unlocked our origins -- but the ethics are hazy

Who gives consent for study participants long gone — and who should speak for them today?

The 2022 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine has brought fresh attention to paleogenomics, the sequencing of DNA of ancient specimens. Swedish geneticist Svante Pääbo won the coveted prize “for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.” In addition to sequencing the Neanderthal genome and identifying a previously unknown early human called Denisova, Pääbo also found that the genetic material of these now-extinct hominins had mixed with those of our own Homo sapiens after our ancestor migrated from Africa some 70,000 years ago.

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S45
You need to watch the most underrated time-loop thriller on HBO Max ASAP

Countless sci-fi movies and books have offered their takes on the time loop concept that was widely popularized by 1993’s Groundhog Day. Some, like Edge of Tomorrow, brought a straightforward action approach to the concept, while others, like Palm Springs, presented a more subversive, comedic take on the subgenre.

Those two films also found unique ways to let their time travel structures breathe new life into otherwise familiar plots, and the same is true for 2011’s Source Code. The Ben Ripley-penned film served as director Duncan Jones’ mainstream follow-up to his indie sci-fi hit, Moon. While Source Code isn’t as complex or thematically engaging as that 2009 film, its time travel twist on its Quantum Leap-esque body-swapping story still feels unique.

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As students return to school, small-group tutoring can help those who are falling behind

More than four million students around Australia are heading back to school. While this will be a year of achievement and learning growth for many students, others will struggle to keep up.

A major Productivity Commission report earlier this month found too many Australian school students are behind in reading and maths. Each year tens of thousands of students fail to meet minimum literacy and numeracy standards, as measured in NAPLAN assessments.

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Nope, coffee won't give you extra energy. It'll just borrow a bit that you'll pay for later

Many of us want (or should I say need?) our morning coffee to give us our “get up and go”. Altogether, the people of the world drink more than two billion cups of coffee each day.

You might think coffee gives you the energy to get through the morning or the day – but coffee might not be giving you as much as you think.

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S28
What's driving the potato chip shortage and when will it pass?

Potatoes are among Australia’s favourite vegetables. However, we are facing a shortage of processed potatoes, especially of frozen chips. Coles introduced a two-item limit for shoppers seeking frozen potato products. Fish and chip businesses are under pressure and some are outraged McDonald’s is launching a new potato product in the middle of a crisis.

As with so many staples and fresh produce items in the past two years – lettuce, milk and eggs to name a few – the problem is a temporary imbalance between supply and demand.

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S23
Why has the West given billions in military aid to Ukraine, but virtually ignored Myanmar?

Two years after Myanmar’s coup on February 1 2021, the country’s large and growing resistance forces receive almost no attention outside the country.

The democratic opposition, fronted by the National Unity Government (NUG), but comprising many different groups, armies, militias and individuals, has also struggled to gain awareness, even for its substantial battlefield successes.

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S48
Why bad moods may not be so bad -- they could be an advantage

Research — and life experience — suggest that when we are in a bad mood, we tend to indulge ourselves with a treat. It feels justified on the face of it. Why not do something nice for yourself — skip the life admin to relax with a coffee, for example — to combat a lame day?

The reverse is also true: We’re more likely to deal with our least-favorite tasks when we’re in a good mood. Necessary but burdensome activities like taxes seem more palatable when you’re already feeling sunny.

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S51
Bacteria could help form building materials on Mars

Since the 1990s, several architectures have been drafted for crewed missions to Mars, all of which have emphasized the need for keeping launch mass low.

NASA and the China National Space Agency (CNSA) plan to mount the first crewed missions to Mars in the next decade. These will commence with a crew launching in 2033, with follow-up missions launching every 26 months to coincide with Mars and Earth being at the closest point in their orbits. These missions will culminate with the creation of outposts that future astronauts will use, possibly leading to permanent habitats. In recent decades, NASA has conducted design studies and competitions (like the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge) to investigate possible designs and construction methods.

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S38
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Treasurer Jim Chalmers answers critics of his 'values-based capitalism'

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has rejected as “laughable” criticism he has turned his back on the Hawke-Keating reform era in his blueprint for “values-based capitalism”.

In this podcast Chalmers also reveals he spoke with Paul Keating while writing of the essay, published in The Monthly.

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S49
How can I protect my pet from coyotes? Experts explain the best defense

If you’re a pet owner and live in an area with coyotes, you need to be prepared for the possibility that you’ll encounter coyotes, especially as coyotes are moving further into urban landscapes across the U.S.

Most of these interactions won’t be an issue, but in rare cases, coyote attacks on pets do occur.

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S44
Clean energy farms may endanger birds and bats -- the remains can reveal a solution

“This is one of the least smelly carcasses,” said Todd Katzner, peering over his lab manager’s shoulder as she sliced a bit of flesh from a dead pigeon lying on a steel lab table. The specimens that arrive at this facility in Boise, Idaho, are often long dead, and the bodies smell, he said, like “nothing that you can easily describe, other than yuck.”

A wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, a government agency dedicated to environmental science, Katzner watched as his lab manager rooted around for the pigeon’s liver and then placed a glossy maroon piece of it in a small plastic bag labeled with a biohazard symbol.

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S42
It might be scary but making phone calls can be good for young people's wellbeing

Some people might remember the days of coming back from school eager to call a friend, sometimes sitting for hours talking about anything and everything. However, today most young people rarely call each other. The very idea of calling someone or receiving a call seems to cause anxiety in many.

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876 it’s doubtful that he imagined how its usage would change over time. What started out as a wired medium for a voice conversation is now wireless and mobile, used to transmit written messages, photographs and access the internet.

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S1
How to Discover Your Strengths to Perform at Your Highest Potential

When entrepreneurs seek self-knowledge, they get to redefine how high they can soar.Continued here




S54
Final 'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 trailer adds two surprising characters

The nostalgic reunion of The Next Generation has a few party crashers. Although Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard will feature the return of all seven main cast members from TNG and reunite the bridge crew of Enterprise-D, the final trailer for the show reveals two new faces. Here’s what these surprising character additions might mean, plus what to expect from Season 3 of Picard, dropping on February 16, 2023, on Paramount+. No spoilers ahead.

For all its ups and downs, Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard resolved most of its plot threads, leaving the further adventures of Jean-Luc Picard open to all sorts of possibilities. We last saw him, relatively happy, at his vineyard in France, embarking on a new romance with Laris (Orla Brady), who has been confirmed to return in Season 3. Raffi (Michelle Hurd) is also back for Season 3, along with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) reprising her role from the previous seasons of Picard, and of course, Star Trek: Voyager.

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S43
A George Santos Guide to Lying

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S46
Does the Doomsday Clock actually mean anything? Experts weigh in

The Cold War relic has a strange history and so-so effectiveness — but it may not be the point.

On January 24, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds to midnight, reflecting their experts’ opinion about how much closer humankind has slid toward potential global ruin.

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S41
Power Slap League: a brutal 'sport' that may leave contestants with brain damage

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White has created a new brutal sport: Power Slap League. In this “sport”, contestants (men and women) slap each other as hard as they can in the head. A winner is decided by judges after three rounds.

This latest violent sport, licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, focuses on slapping the head, with defence expressly forbidden. Competitors are not allowed to move in ways that might blunt the force of the oncoming slap, such as by raising their shoulder, tucking their chin or rolling with the slap. They have to have their hands behind their back while being slapped.

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