Feeling pressured to buy Christmas presents? Read this (and think twice before buying candles)
ByGary Mortimer and Jana Bowden via The Conversation - December 24, 2020 - 12:13 PM
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Christmas marks a peak in consumerism across the West. Despite the COVID downturn, this Christmas the spending frenzy is unlikely to be dampened.
One consumer sentiment survey showed about 12% of people expect to spend more this Christmas than in previous years. About one-third expected to spend less – a similar result to previous years. And retailers are also feeling optimistic: more than one in three expect Christmas sales to exceed 2019 by more than 5%.
All this festive spending creates significant waste, particularly in the form of unwanted gifts.
Japan s rising COVID crisis means Mayu will miss Mum for Christmas
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Japan s rising COVID crisis means Mayu will miss Mum for Christmas
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Brisbane communications student Mayu Kumagai had planned to travel home to see her mother and grandparents in the Japanese town of Aomori in the north of Japan s largest island of Honshu.
But Japan s emerging third-wave COVID-19 crisis threw her Christmas-New Year plans into turmoil and her family urged her to remain in Australia.
Exchange student Mayu Kumagai will not return home to Japan for Christmas and New Year because COVID-19 infections are worsening in Japan.
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Emerald Year 12 student Ben Heinemann was shocked when the web page loaded on Saturday, revealing the result of his efforts over the past two years of school.
âI refreshed the page a few times just to make sure it was right,â he said.
The former Marist College student received an ATAR score of 99.6, just .35 below the highest possible score.
âI didnât really believe it at first but then it sunk in and I was relieved.â
It was certainly a weekend to celebrate after finding out he had also been named the 2020 school dux the day before.
Former Rebels boss Nick Martin was shot dead by a sniper on December 12
An intimate slideshow at the funeral showed his softer side when he was a kid
He was laid to rest in a coffin covered in $100 Australian notes on Wednesday
A Confederate Flag was flown on his coffin, which is part of the Rebels insignia
Hundreds of bikies from Rebels and other clubs followed in a lengthy procession
A police escort of cars and motorcycles ensured the procession went smoothly
Crime by Daryna Zadvirna and Phil Hickey 23rd Dec 2020 9:08 AM
Premium Content  Hundreds of mourners will turn out for the biggest bikie funeral in a generation today - and among them could be those responsible for Nick Martin s murder. Police will not only monitor the huge funeral procession for the slain Rebels boss to maintain public safety as the funeral ride roars from a North Perth funeral home to Pinnaroo Cemetery, but also to gather intelligence in a bid to help crack the case of his assassination Hundreds of Rebels bikies are expected to accompany his casket, with more than 200 police to escort them along their route via Scarborough Beach Road and West Coast Highway.