Your speedy update on all the day’s stories, Monday, June 2 2014
1. Reluctant Grannies.
A study has shown that women in their 50s are increasingly becoming what is termed ‘reluctant grandmothers’.
“Women see their friends lumbered with the daily care of grandchildren and fear that happening to them, too,” says Lynn Chesterman, chief executive of The Grandparents’ Association told The Sunday Mail.
“Admitting you don’t want grandchildren is the new taboo,” says Chesterman. “In the same way that it was once frowned upon if a woman didn’t want children, now that stigma has shifted to women who’d rather not be grandparents. There’s little possibility of speaking out without being branded as selfish by your peers – and your own children. “
According to a study 39 per cent of grandmothers would prefer a life free from too many family duties, with a majority expressing anxiety about caring for their grandchildren to the extent that the youngsters become a ‘burden’.
2. Co-Founder of Nike settles how the famous athletic brand is said.
Knight was sent a letter from English advertising students, Kendal Peters and Ben Martin, asking whether it is "Nike" or "Nike-y"
And Knight's response? Nike-y.
“We had this friendly bet between us for a while now and decided to write to Philip Knight to once and for all settle one of life’s biggest unanswered questions,” the pair told the Daily Mail.
“We included a stamped addressed envelope inside the letter so that he could simply circle the answer and send it back to enlighten us all. We didn’t actually think that he would do it. But all credit to him, a few weeks later the letter returned.”
3. A warm winter ahead.
Australia has had its warmest start to winter in a decade, with minimum temperatures expected to be warmer than usual nationwide for winter.
Sky News chief meteorologist Dick Whitaker told The Australian there was a 75 per cent chance of an El Niño developing over the next three months.
“That is associated with warmer than average conditions for southern mainland Australia so it is shaping up to be a very warm winter indeed.”
There is a greater than 60 per cent chance winter will be warmer than normal in the southeastern states, while in Tasmania, most of Victoria and southwestern Australia there is more than an 80 per cent likelihood of higher temperatures than usual.
4. To compete with Asia, boob jobs in Australia is getting cheaper.
As Australian plastic surgeons cut their breast enhancement prices to compete with the Asian medical tourism market, older women are lining up.
Deborah Scheithe is one such woman. At 50 she felt she had “lost a lot of fullness and wanted some of my womanhood back. My daughter had surgery done the year before and I was so impressed I had mine done." She says she was surprised at how cheap breast enhancement had become.
In recent years, many Australians have being flying to Thailand for the surgery which costs around $3,300 (plus flights and accommodation take it up to $5,000). Now, you can get the same surgery for $6,000 in Australia. While the main client groups for breast enhancement surgery is women in their early 20s and those between 30-45, according to Cosmetic Institute’s managing director David Segal, increasingly older women are going under the knife.
5. Conjoined twins Faith and Hope are laid to rest.
Today, family and friends of conjoined twins Faith Daisy and Hope Alice Howie have paid tribute during a memorial service.
The family of the conjoined twins, who died 19 days after they were born with an extremely rare condition known as disrosopus, wore pink at the Pinewood Memorial Park Uniting Church, Minchinbury.
The twins were buried in a pink coffin and attendees released dove and pink and white balloons.
Our thoughts are with the family.
6. A US woman attached her newborn daughter to the train of her wedding dress.
Shona Carter-Brooks from Tennessee has come under fire over her decision to attach her newborn daughter to the train of her wedding dress and drag her down the aisle. Carter-Brooks defended her decision claiming via her Facebook page that the 1 month old baby, Aubrey, was "awake and well secured on my train. Most important while yall got ya feelings in us we had our hearts in Christ which covers all!!".
One of Carter-Brooks reportedly wrote about the moment that brought tears to her eyes:
“Shona and Johnathan Brooks your wedding was super perfect from the groom and his men and you and your diva’s baby you rock the gown and the princess tagging behind you it brought tears to my eyes. Regardless of anybody else dream your’s came true. I loved it and thank you for inviting me,” wrote Pamela Stone.
However, there were many angry commenters that felt the incident should be brought to child protection services.
Here is the pic: