Monday, November 7, 2016
YOU
If you constantly find yourself saying, “That reminds me of something I’ve done”, then you’re probably lecturing not conversing. Try peppering your convo with a question or two and actually listening to the response — people will like you a lot more.
Salim Mehajer’s sister has the same name as his wife
Aisha Mehajer is Mr Mehajer’s sister, and despite her having the same name as his wife, she also kind of looks like her.
With their volumised hairstyles, heavy make-up and full lips, Ms Mehajer is sometimes hard to tell apart from her sister-in-law Aysha Mehajer.
Ms Mehajer has managed to lay low since her brother’s lavish wedding made headlines in August for causing traffic chaos but she is using social media to slowly rise to fame.
She has more than 9000 followers on Instagram and her regular selfies show her passion for beauty and fashion.
Ms Mehajer was recognised earlier this year after she won Miss Personality in the Miss Lebanon Australia Beauty Contest.
Social media shows a strong bond between Ms Mehajer and her sister-in-law, with them posing in a number of pictures together with the hashtag #sisterinlawlovin’.
Instagram also reveals Mr Mehajer, along with his sister and wife, is launching a new venture with details yet to be revealed.
Ms Mehajer has managed to stay out of the spotlight so far and keep a low profile as her brother constantly faces scrutiny.
Mr Mehajer, Auburn’s deputy mayor and property developer, first dominated headlines after his extravagant wedding, where Ms Mehajer was a bridesmaid.
He was later ordered to pay a $220 fine for the disruption he caused by shutting down a Sydney street.
At the time Ms Mehajer shot back at media reports that suggested neighbours were furious about the wedding.
“Neighbours were angry apparently. Meanwhile, the whole street was at the front of their homes cheering, dancing, clapping and filming with us,’ she wrote.
“To all the people making absurd assumptions; you just wish you were invited.”
It seems Ms Mehajer has a close relationship with her brother, she has posted happy snaps of the two of them and is also employed by his company, Sydney Project Group.
Mr Mehajer’s recent involvement with a number of court cases has prompted calls for him to resign from council.
In September, four of his fellow Auburn councillors arranged a meeting for the deputy mayor to step down.
So far all calls have been unsuccessful and fellow councillors gave him the nickname “Mr Teflon” because “nothing sticks”.
He ran into trouble with the law in 2012 after allegedly hitting two women with his $300,000 Ferrari, but successfully appealed his negligent driving conviction and was acquitted.
Are child-free weddings smart or selfish?
For every person who coos over adorable flowers girls and tiny men in tuxes, there’s another who becomes incensed at the thought of screaming and burping tots at a wedding ceremony.
I’ve spoken with mums and dads who could think of nothing better than a night of champagne and adult conversations, uninterrupted by diaper changes.
Then there are parents who feel outraged when they receive a pearly envelope in the mail with that dreaded phrase in cursive print: “CHILD-FREE WEDDING”.
Even if you’re set on having a child-free wedding, there are others who will question if it’s even your decision to make.
Here are a couple of points to consider when deciding what’s right, from a mother of a 6-year-old-girl and 4-year-old boy:
1. Kids are super cute (in photos only)
Case in point: This gorgeous little flower girl created the most beautiful, candid photo for us. When captured at the right moment, kids really do make for the most stunning wedding photos. But here’s what really happened: The girl’s mother had been chastising her in a hysterical whisper to sit in her seat for most of the service, but she wasn’t having a bar of it. Mum
missed the ceremony and now she feels terrible for interrupting a beautiful moment for the couple. Kids don’t understand what is going on in a wedding and certainly don’t want to be sitting still on a hard wooden pew, listening to some old guy in a cloak drone on and on.
They’re not interacting with family members and getting to know their relatives.
There is no reason for them to attend. If they would rather be running around outside, let them.
2. It’s OK to set an age limit
If they’re a newborn, still require breastfeeding and are small enough to spend the whole event swaddled up in a blanket, there’s no way that kid’s parents can attend without their baby. If the parents are important to you, you’ll want them there.
If you do allow tiny people at your wedding, you need to accommodate for this. Ensure the family is positioned at a table where a pram or capsule can be placed nearby, and cross your fingers that mum has enough sense to walk out if her bub starts making a noise during the speeches.
3. Kids are expensive
Not only are you going to be paying for their meals — which they probably won’t eat — you’ll have to provide a kids’ entertainer.
Having a clown or movie character entertain the children in a nearby room is essential if you have kids at your wedding — but these acts usually start at around the $350 mark.
4. The ability to be able to finish a senten ... ‘Shh darling, Mummy’s talking, please wait your turn’
Couples invite guests to a wedding because they enjoy their company and want to spend time with them. And sadly, weddings and funerals are one of the few times we get to catch up with old friends and extended family.
Having a child-free night means that you will be able to focus on the person you are actually talking to and chat about old memories away from interrupting children.
5. Parental date night
Finding the time (and energy) to schedule date night can be difficult. A wedding is the perfect date night — you’ve got plenty of notice in advance, unlimited booze and a dance floor with some of your best friends. Put yourself before your kids for once and make it happen.
Facebook group urges men to only wed a virgin
That’s the message ‘No Hymen, No Diamond’ is preaching on its Facebook page, which has copped criticism on its legitimacy, being labelled as a “troll” by some users after posting comments like the below:
But, one of the group administrators, who wanted to be known as “A” said the “satirical” page was legitimate and the group believed in its message.
“It’s legit — we aren’t trying to troll anyone. We firmly believe what we’re preaching on this page,” one administrator told news.com.au.
“Having a bunch of premarital sex and using Tinder to hook up with random strangers all the time is degenerate. I personally think its degenerate for both guys and girls, but to a greater extent I feel like women, especially, are making poor choices when it comes to their sexual endeavours.”
“A”, who admitted to not being a virgin, said that despite the hate they had received from most users, their page actually provided comfort to women, who were yet to lose their virginity.
“We actually have gotten a bunch of messages from women on the other side of the spectrum too. Women that haven’t lost their virginity yet but are shamed by society for still being virgins thank us for standing up for their side for once.”
The group was unable to provide proof of any praise they had received.
“The reason we made the page wasn’t because we hate women or want them miserable,” the administrator said.
In an attempt to defend the page, one of the administrators felt he was being pinned as the “bad guy” for trying to show women how “doing what feels good in the moment is not the best for people long term”.
“Exposing them to a different viewpoint, rather than the traditional cultural Marxist/leftist/feminist world view that they currently subscribe to would be beneficial. If some of the women that attack us constantly would actually look at statistics and studies we list occasionally, they would see that we have a lot of truth in what we say.”
Despite being evidently vocal about who other men should marry, just don’t ask the creators behind the controversial comments if they’d practise what they preach.
“With absolute certainty I can’t say for sure that I wouldn’t [marry a non-virgin]. But every girl is different. Would I do it if she was the only woman that was attracted to me in the entire world? Probably, because who else would I find?”
It seems that big engagement rings are out
The gorgeous .82-carat diamond that Jason Crystal gave her was flanked by six purple sapphires, symbolic of the couple’s alma mater, Northwestern, where they met as members of the marching band. Etched along the outside of the platinum band were tulips and daisies sketched by Crystal, a 31-year-old sound designer; on the inside was a cat’s face, a nod to their beloved pet, Caprica.
“I didn’t want an off-the-shelf engagement ring,” Marzewski says of her unusual bling, designed by Fitzgerald Jewelry in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
She’s not alone. Many others are steering clear of the diamond solitaire for which women have traditionally lusted.
Bloomberg reported last month that De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond producer, was forced to cut prices as much as 9 per cent amid a sharp decline in sales.
Anja Winikka, director of wedding site the Knot, says 2% fewer couples are opting for clear diamond solitaire rings in 2015 than in 2013. Even so, people are spending more — about $8,654 per ring, up from $7,494 two years ago. But the money’s not going on a fat piece of ice.
“Right now, what’s hot is coloured stones, filigree and a lot of interesting texture and detailing,” says Winikka, who herself wears a yellow-sapphire engagement ring. Today’s most popular gemstones include sapphires — blue, yellow and orange — and pink morganite.
Winikka says the celebrities driving the trend include Kate Middleton, who wears Princess Diana’s blue sapphire with diamond halo; Jennifer Aniston, who sports a gold-and-diamond band; and Scarlett Johansson, who has an antique Art Deco ring.
Diamond solitaires weren’t equated with everlasting love until De Beers’ starting advertising them as such in the 1930s. And internet-savvy millennials are catching on, says Ira Weissman, founder of website the Diamond Pro.
Instead of splurging on a big, multicarat rock, couples are opting for engravings and other accents to customise their rings.
“[Couples] really want to express their own tastes and their own styles,” says Wendy Brandes, who’s designed more than a hundred engagement rings from her Upper East Side apartment.
One of those rings — an 18-karat white-gold band topped with a .04-carat diamond encased in a white-sapphire dome — belongs to Lori Kadezabek, 37, of Hoboken, New Jersey, whose now-husband, Brian Riolo, helped design it.
“I’m so thankful that [Brian] put in the time to do something so awesome and special, and that he was down for the non-traditional,” Kadezabek says.
Not surprisingly, social media has a hand in things, too, with many women posting “ring selfies” on Instagram immediately following the proposal. Sites such as Pinterest can help brides-to-be research designs in advance — and send links to their boyfriends.
That’s how Brooklyn’s Stephanie Fields, a social-media strategist, found Williamsburg-based jewellery designer Caitlin Mociun.
“I knew I had to have her style,” says the 30-year-old, who pinned a link to Mociun’s asymmetric rings. Fields’ now-husband, Nick, 29, popped the question with a ring boasting a cluster of small, colourful gems featuring a pear-shaped 1.26-carat champagne diamond, all flanked by champagne pavĂ© diamonds.
Meanwhile, Marzewski is thinking of the purple sapphires in her engagement ring as she looks for a dress at Kleinfeld’s Bridal for her May 28 wedding. She says she’s considering the colour lilac or even a floral pattern, but not everyone’s on board:
“When I told my mum I was thinking about not having a white wedding dress, she nearly cried.”
Couple’s battle with drought inspires others to donate
It was not something she expected to be doing while
planning to tie the knot with her long-term partner Ross, 30, who she wed at
her family’s property in Blackall in Queensland’s
west.
Ingrid, 26, returned home a month before her
wedding on September 5, where she made the decision with her mother Roslyn and
her two sisters to de-stock their farm entirely.
Ingrid’s family originally had 10,000 sheep that
had been sold months ago due to the drought, before they made the final call to
sell off their remaining 400 head of cattle.
“My dad passed away nearly six years ago in an
accident on the property, and mum has been running the property by herself,”
Ingrid told News Corp Australia.
“It was an emotional time and we are in the middle
of a raging drought, so there were many different emotions on the day and
leading up to it as well.
“We discussed our options to keep feeding our
cattle and we decided we couldn’t financially afford to keep going. Seeing all
the stock leave the place and not knowing when you’re going to get stock back
again was very hard.”
Her family’s battle with drought was witnessed by
their wedding photographer, Edwina Robertson, who was so moved by their
strength, that she started a Facebook campaign to help those in rural Australia
in need.
Robertson posted photos on Facebook that she took
from Ingrid and Ross’s wedding day, and said she would donate $3 for every time
her post was shared to the Tie
Up the Black Dog Committee, a support group for those suffering depression
and mental health issues in rural areas.
Just 24 hours later, Robertson’s post was shared
4974 times, leading her to pledge $15,000 to the Committee, run by three women
who volunteer to help others with no overheads and no extra staff.
Her donation has inspired other Facebook users to
donate to the cause, after Robertson set up an Oz Crowd fundraising page for others to donate.
With a fundraising target of $50,000, it has raised
more than $17,000 so far and counting.
“I travelled
nine hours to get to Blackall for their wedding day and when I got there I had
never seen anything like it in my time as a wedding photographer in the Australia’s
Outback. I was dumbfounded by just how dry it is. I couldn’t believe it,”
Robertson told News Corp Australia.
Robertson said she wanted to make sure their
wedding day was captured as the “beautiful”, “joyous” day it was, but she also
wanted to show the reality of the drought.
“I wanted to work with the scenery and the
landscape, and use the harsh reality of the drought to create those images. The
picture of the bouquet lying among the bones ... that was the reality. That was
what was actually going on,” she said.
Despite the struggles her family face, Ingrid said
she wouldn’t have changed a thing. She helped make every decoration at their
wedding, and their bar was even made from an old door at her husband’s farm
where they now live in Condamine, north west
of Brisbane.
“It meant a lot to go home and get married there,”
she said.
“We were conscious of our finances and we wanted to
use as much local produce and local resources we could to help give back to the
community.
“We used old pallets, we made signs from old
timber, we used drums and tables that have been on our property ‘Koondoo’ in
Blackall for 80 years.
“We had some flowers sent from Toowoomba like the
King protea in my bouquet but we used local natives from friends and family
too.
“Although it
was a really hard time it was still a really nice, exciting time in our lives.”
Now working as a nurse, Ingrid said she was
“speechless” after seeing what Robertson did on Facebook, saying it will help
those she sees through her work.
“I’m just speechless for what Eddie has done, I
think her generosity has been incredible, it’s such a worthy cause and it will
really help people doing it tough,” she said.
“Mental health isn’t spoken about enough and as a
nurse I see it in the frontline.
“If we can keep people who are doing it tough, it’s
an amazing cause.
“She was
able to capture our wedding with so much joy and capture the hardship people
here are going through.
She’s done so much for the rural community, and
people are still talking about the day after seeing her photos.
“Every photo is natural and she’s brought so much
joy to the town.”
Can your relationship pass the IKEA test?
Tape measure in one hand, pram in the other and three light globes propped under my chin. I was covered in my baby’s once-digested breakfast. We had to make a decision and we had to make it fast.
“How do we get out of here?”
It’s a question many couples ask themselves as they’re traipsing through the Swedish furniture giant. And rightly so. Because it’s now been all but proven that relationships are well and truly tested within the mind-collapsing rooms of IKEA.
Dan Ariel, a professor of psychology and behavioural economics at Duke University, told The Atlantic if a person wants to know if their relationship is going to work out, they should take their partner on a canoe ride — “an experience packed with factors out of your control — weather, currents, sharks”.
The unknown. The experience “will offer telling insights about how people [your partner] react to pressure”.
The canoe ride isn’t unlike a trip to IKEA.
Beds. Couches. Hot dogs. Baby rooms. Toys. Christmas decorations.
Before one has even bought anything, this joint is a minefield of heavy conversation starters.
“This is a nice bed. When are we going to move in together?”
“You really don’t need another hot dog.”
“I love the (unavoidable) kid section. We should have a baby.”
“Ooh! Decorations! Where are we celebrating Christmas this year?’
But before long, the conversation grenades are petering out and you’re at the check-out. And you only need to have visited Ikea once to know that you’ll never leave with exactly what you go in for.
Buying a table? You’ll leave with a table, some white cardboard storage boxes, a pair of outdoor cushions and a black and white canvas of New York City.
Buying a set of drawers? You’ll leave with a set of drawers, plastic picnic cups, a hat stand and 5000 tea light candles.
But the agony of IKEA isn’t always felt within the actual store. The true test lies at home — between the three of you.
You.
Your partner.
And the flatpack.
Don Ferguson, author of Reptiles in Love: Ending Destructive Fights and Evolving Toward More Loving Relationshipstold The Atlantic, “Little things like putting a set of shelves together will bring up some ancient history with the partners … Do you trust me? Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think I have no skills? Do you wish your old boyfriend was here doing this?”
And the answer is almost always …
Yes.
Because the grass is always greener at IKEA. You and your loved one have just taken a journey through home-heaven. It is everything your house is not. The IKEA showroom is designed to make you feel like you need more. Your house is inadequate. Your rooms could be packed more cleverly, styled more simply, renovated more cheaply and feel more homely. You’re not fun enough, not classy enough, not trendy enough, not innovative enough. “You could be so much more”, cheer the furniture as if it’s in that ‘Spoonful of Sugar’ scene from Mary Poppins. But you can’t be.
Why?
Because you and your (now, pathetic) partner can’t even put together a set of drawers on a Saturday afternoon.
The panic sets in. Missing screws, too many screws, a leftover panel, a nonsensical diagram, a tired head from shopping in a windowless department store, all make for acute stress.
“The higher brain shuts down. The primitive brain takes over. And there’s no organisation or reason there,” Ferguson said.
That’s why couples “start arguing about a set of shelves and by the end of the fight they’re talking about each other’s parents and themselves and their kids.”
That’s exactly what I was talking about when I left IKEA. Vomit. Our kids. I have little doubt it spiralled into a heated discussion about cooking/holidays/whose turn it was to fill up the car with petrol.
You see, I can’t remember. This was many years ago. I’ve travelled the DIY designer showrooms of IKEA with my husband once. Once only. We both left uninspired, tired, poorer and a little delirious.
Ultimately, only the mentally strong will succeed at IKEA. A shopper must be braced for all scenarios — bargains, throw-cushions, cheap kids cutlery, fake indoor plants, candles. Millions of candles. And, last but certainly not least — the unknown. The shopper must be prepared to tackle on variants like other pushy bargain-hunters, last-minute ‘out of stock’ stickers, no staff, self-check-out queues and in my case, baby vomit.
Because before you’ve even stepped foot inside this store, your relationship is flat-packed.
10 secrets to a loving, lasting relationship
THESE days the idea of doing anything ‘forever’ seems frightening.
In a time when the honeymoon period is defined as something transient and ‘till death do us part’ seems more like a suggestion than a binding contract there are some couples who’ve lasted beyond the dreaded seven-year itch and are still desperately in love.
So what’s the secret to their long-term success? I went searching of these couples and gave them a questionnaire to find out if there are any common traits to loving, lasting relationships. Turns out there is …
They all knew they’d met ‘the one’ early on
Ever met someone who’s been with their partner for years and still isn’t sure if they’re the one? Better tell them to pack their bags. All the couples said they knew within the first few weeks or months, with some admitting they knew from the first date.
“[The first night we met] we stayed up talking all night and in the morning we drove our cars side by side all the way home, stealing glances, grinning at each other, pulling faces. I knew that day this was something different because I’d never felt that way before.” – Niska*
It was easy
No matter how many times we hear the words “when you meet the right person everything is easy” we still let difficult relationships go on for too long hoping they’re the exception. Easy doesn’t mean never having a fight or never going through a rough patch but it does mean when you hit those rough patches you come together and sort it out as a team.
“After major arguments you might storm out of the house with an “I’ve had enough” kind of attitude. It takes about two seconds of rational headspace to realise how stupid and selfish that kind of thinking is” — Chad
Their friends love their partner
How many of us have broken up with someone and heard a collective sigh of relief from our closest friends? Your mates have a knack for recognising when someone is wrong for you way before you do. If they don’t seem to be gelling it might be time to assess the situation without the rose coloured glasses on.
“I think my friends probably like her more than me which is fine because she’s awesome” — Seb*
They weren’t desperately looking for love
Turns out the saying “love comes along when you least expect it” is true so start focusing on yourself and let love arrive when it’s ready.
“[When we met] I was probably the strongest I’d ever been as I knew what I would and wouldn’t accept in the next relationship” — Jo
“[When we met] I was happy within myself. I could have been completely fine living the next 50 years without a partner because my life was rich BUT it’s made me happier beyond my imagination.” Niska*
They have separate interests
We’ve all met people in relationships who can’t do a single thing apart. At first it seems sweet until you realise they’re either co-dependent or don’t trust each other. Each couple said while they loved every minute with their partner they also knew how important it was to grow individually.
“We go on holidays separately with friends but we also give each other as much freedom to adventure off and do things individually.” – Jo
They make each other laugh
It’s a long life without anyone cracking a gag.
They admire each other
They could all list a lot of things they loved about their partner.
“She’s smarter than I am, she’s funnier than I am. She’s beautiful (radiant), generous and she teaches me things about life and she’s unaware of it. I’m in awe of her.” – Seb*
“I think she is stunningly beautiful, she makes me happy and makes me laugh. I look with admiration at how hard she works, her passion (and exceptional talent) for being creative and how much she loves our boys” — Chad
They’re not jealous
Nothing kills romance like insecure paranoia. Jealousy never does anyone any favours and it turns out not having it in your relationship is a sure fire way to have a successful one. So do yourself a favour and get the green-eyed monster in check.
“I can honestly say I’ve never felt jealous of his friendship or behaviour with anyone.” – Jo
They’d all discussed getting engaged before it happened
Ever heard someone say they’re with ‘the one’ but they’re not sure whether the other person feels the same? Turns out the first conversation you have about being together forever shouldn’t be when one of you gets down on one knee.
“We both knew it was going to happen but he always said it would be when I least expected it. So when I was cleaning the bath I used to yell out “Now would be a really good time, I’m totally not expecting it.” - Christie
They work on their marriage
Whether it’s therapy to deal with personal issues that affect the relationship, maintaining open and honest communication or by consciously doing things to brighten each other’s day, happy couples work hard to make sure their relationship continues to grow.
Harold Henthorn found guilty of murdering wife by pushing her off cliff on wedding anniversary
It took the jury about 10 hours to find Harold Henthorn, 59, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his second wife, a wealthy Mississippi native. She died after plummeting about 40 metres (130 feet) off a cliff in a remote, rocky area where the couple had been hiking on September 29, 2012, to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary.
The jury rejected Henthorn’s claim that her fall was a tragic accident.
Henthorn told investigators that his wife paused to take photos of the view and fell face-first over the ledge. His lawyer, Craig Truman, said prosecutors failed to prove he killed her.
But prosecutors argued during a two-week trial that Henthorn carefully staged Toni Henthorn’s death to look like an accident because he stood to benefit from her $4.7 million in life insurance policies, which she didn’t know existed. They seized on Harold Henthorn’s inconsistent accounts of the fatal fall and said the evidence did not match his shifting stories.
Harold Henthorn allegedly scouted the remote area of the popular park 120 kilometres north of Denver nine times before bringing his wife with him. He was searching for the “perfect place to murder someone,” where there would be no witnesses and no chance of her surviving, prosecutor Suneeta Hazra said.
Toni Henthorn, 50, wasn’t an avid hiker, so it didn’t make sense that she would have gone willingly into such dangerous terrain, investigators testified. A coroner said he could not determine whether she fell or was pushed, but he said he found no evidence that Harold Henthorn actually performed CPR on his wife, despite what he told dispatchers.
And park rangers said Henthorn could not explain why he had a park map with an “X” drawn at the spot where his wife fell.
Prosecutors argued the fatal fall was reminiscent of the death of Henthorn’s first wife, Sandra Lynn Henthorn, who was crushed when a car slipped off a jack while they were changing a flat tire in 1995 — several months after their 12th wedding anniversary. Henthorn has not been charged in that case, but police reopened the investigation after Toni Henthorn’s death.
Details of the earlier case dominated the trial. A paramedic who responded to the 1995 accident testified that Henthorn didn’t seem upset by what had happened, and an investigator said a shoe print found on the vehicle suggested it might have been pushed.
Though the investigation into Sandra Lynn Henthorn’s death was initially closed after a week, Truman argued that the probe had been thorough and the case only received new scrutiny after Henthorn was charged with murder. The first wife’s death was an accident, he said, as was a 2011 incident in which a six metre beam fell on Toni Henthorn while the couple was working at their mountain cabin. It hit her in the head and fractured her vertebra.
Toni Henthorn was a successful ophthalmologist from Mississippi who also earned money from her family’s thriving oil business.
Harold Henthorn told her he was an entrepreneur and persuaded her to move with him to the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch. They had a daughter, now 9.
Prosecutors said Harold Henthorn made phony business cards to make it seem like he was a hardworking fundraiser for churches and nonprofits, but investigators found no evidence that he had any income from regular employment.
Turkish cop kept from own wedding because of terrorist threat
Ahmet Karavelioglu, 25, had received the green light from his paramilitary police unit to attend the celebration in southern Osmaniye province on September 18, Dogan news agency reported.
But on the big day, his sobbing 21-year-old bride Fatma was left to welcome guests at her parents-in-laws’ alone, after Karavelioglu’s superiors decided the road from his station on the border with Iraq was unsafe for him to travel.
Video footage released by Cihan news agency showed the betrothed, in full white wedding regalia with a garland of flowers in her hair, standing weeping in the midst of dancing revellers.
Nearly 150 soldiers and police have been killed in a string of bomb and shooting attacks since July blamed on the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The attacks, which have been concentrated in the majority Kurdish southeast, are seen as revenge for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s launch of a major “anti-terrorist” offensive against the rebels that shattered a two-year ceasefire.
On Monday, Turkish war planes pounded militant positions in the southeast during a raid, killing five suspected PKK members, the army said.
F-16 fighter jets destroyed fuel and ammunition depots in the remote Hakkari province, on the border with Iraq, the general staff said in a statement on its website.
“Five terrorists have been neutralised,” the army added.
The sortie was the second in under a week, coming five days after the air force strafed PKK targets across the border in the mountains of northern Iraq, in an operation that killed at least 55 militants, according to the military.
Atura Hotel pronouncing couples husband and wife for under $3000 in pop-up weddings
The Runaway Bride pop-up wedding package is offered by Atura Hotel at Prospect.
The package is one of only two wedding registries outside of Sydney’s CBD.
General manager Joel Gordon said the $2500 pop-up wedding included a poolside ceremony, a celebrant, cupcakes, canapés, a photographer and a champagne toast.
“It’s giving people that flexibility,” he said.
“We know many western Sydney couples would be more inclined to spend money on a deposit for a home or a honeymoon.
“They are able to tie the knot legally, quickly and for a fraction of the price.”
Couples would be married in front of 20 of their nearest and dearest.
An average Australian wedding can set lovebirds back $36,200.
The 2013 MoneySmart survey revealed 20 per cent of newlyweds put their social life on hold while 10 per cent sold their car to finance their nuptials.
A total of 82 per cent of couples depleted their savings for their wedding, while 60 per cent got a loan.
Parents weren’t spared in the wedding extravagance with 56 per cent of couples relying on contributions from mum and dad.
THE GARTER BEING PULLED OFF
This barbaric tradition started in the 14th centaury where wedding guests considered it lucky to get a piece of the bride’s clothing. Again like the bouquet, to preserve her dress, the bride started throwing the garter at the male guests. As the male guests became rowdier, they tried to tear the garter off of the bride’s leg themselves. In an attempt to preserve his new wife’s dignity, the groom started to remove the garter himself and toss it to the single men. How full on!
We can all sit back and easily choose to not take these things too seriously, but if you think that a man ripping a garter off a woman’s leg and throwing it to his mates for someone to “score” isn’t contributing to a bigger issue then you’re foolish.
It’s important moving forward that we look at what these traditions mean to us and start creating things that are right for our relationship; as individuals and as couples. No two love stories are the same and nor should we want them to be.
Personally, I’m not too worried about what Queen buggerlugs from the 14th century was doing nor does my Dad have any camels to swap me for should it all go to s**t! So as you can see, some of these ideas don’t really work for me.
BOUQUET THROWING
The tossing of the bridal bouquet is an English custom and was believed to be a way for the bride to pass along her good fortune to others. Bridal guests would try and tear away pieces of the bride’s clothing and flowers in order to obtain this fortune. And when they say fortune, they mean husband.
To stop ruining poor bride’s pricey gown, the tradition was changed to her tossing the bouquet into the crowd for a special lady to catch in hope that the good fortune (husband) would be transferred and boom! She will be the next in line to marry. Because that’s all there is to life, right? Marriage.
BRIDESMAIDS WEARING THE SAME DRESS
In the time of the Romans, law dictated there be ten witnesses at a wedding. Each witness was to dress as similar as possible to the bride and groom in hopes of confusing the evil spirits and scaring them away.
But why, in this day and age, do we expect the precious women in our lives to all fit into the same gown? Hello curves, boobs and skin tone! It is almost impossible for everyone to feel comfortable and attractive in the same gown as the bride’s cousin Glenda from Townsville. (No offence to Glenda, she just has her own style).
WEARING WHITE
A lass by the name of Queen Victoria was said to be one of the main reasons the white wedding dress sparked popularity more than tradition. She wore it because, well, she liked white. The connotations of virginity we all understand around the colour white popped up later in the picture, where Victorians began to idolise innocent brides.
“It is an emblem of the purity and innocence of girlhood, and the unsullied heart she now yields to the chosen one,” said the Godey’s Lady’s Book years later. (Vomit). I like white. I like Brides in white. But this makes me a little uncomfy.
THE FATHER GIVING HIS DAUGHTER AWAY
The actual word wedding refers to a “wager”. This tradition was formed so the bride’s father would setup a type of contract with the groom that he would barter for land or social status in exchange for his girl. Therefore transferring “ownership” from father to groom on her wedding day was an actual legality. ZOMG. I feel like a leg of lamb. I mean I would be lamb, not ham … more expensive. But I AM NOT AN ANIMAL OR A PRODUCT FOR PURCHASE.
‘The most expensive divorce in history’ as Russian billionaire strikes deal with ex-wife
He is a Russian billionaire worth $11.8 billion, and she is the thorn in his side expected to take half of his money in a drawn-out divorce labelled the “costliest breakup of all time”.
Dmitry and Elena Rybolovleva were college sweethearts. They met on their first day of university in the Russian city of Perm. His stock rose quickly. Very quickly.
Before long, he was one of Russia’s — and the world’s — richest men, a wealth acquired via the doctor-turned-entrepreneur’s booming fertiliser business.
She was there for the good times and there for the bad times, including the 11 months her husband was in jail. He was accused of murder but the charges were later dropped.
The love story included two children, mansions around the world, Central Park apartments and Swiss ski chalets. It was the best that money and love could buy, but it all began to unravel in the mid-2000s.
On New Year’s Eve in 2008, Elena filed for divorce. Forbes said she was tired of her husband’s infidelities. Court documents suggested the billionaire often threw lavish yacht parties where he “shared young conquests with his friends, and other oligarchs.”
It was always going to be messy, but nobody could’ve predicted just how messy it would become.
In May, 2014, a Swiss court awarded Elena over four billion Swiss francs ($5.7 billion) — the equivalent of around half her ex-husband’s entire fortune — as part of their split.
Mr Rybolovlev, the 49-year-old owner of French football club AS Monaco, is said to be the 154th richest man in the world. He first made his fortune selling fertiliser.
The pair said in a joint statement this week they had “reached an agreement on the terms of the divorce” in a move they said “puts an end to all legal procedures launched in different jurisdictions.”.
The statement did not specify the amount agreed upon.
The agreement came after a Geneva appeals court in June overturned the 2014 ruling, downgrading the payment required from Mr Rybolovlev to 564 million Swiss francs ($802 million), along with two real estate holdings.
One of the contentious points was Mr Rybolovlev’s worth, as he had transferred shares in 2005 to a trust and then sold them three years later at a huge profit.
His ex-wife’s lawyers argued that the appeals court calculated his net worth on the basis of the 2005 figures and not the 2008 ones.
They appealed the June ruling to the country’s highest court, but following the agreement announced Tuesday, the court will no longer be called upon to rule in the case.
The couple married in Cyprus and were together for 23 years, but have been battling over the terms of their divorce since 2008.
Dmitry Rybolovlev has recently made headlines over his conflict with a Swiss art dealer, Yves Bouvier.
The Russian tycoon, a big collector of art, has accused Bouvier of selling him works by the likes of Picasso, Modigliani, Degas and Gauguin at hugely inflated prices.
Meet Canada’s Sophie Trudeau, the hottest first lady in the world
Sophie, 40, and Justin, 43, both of them bilingual in English and French, have known each other since they were children because she was classmates and friends with his little brother Michel, who later perished in a 1998 avalanche. She recalled in an interview that when she was 12 and he was 16 and both were growing up in Montreal, it was like they were “worlds apart.” She struggled with bulimia in high school, went on to study at McGill University and the UniversitĂ© de Montreal, then landed a job as a TV newscaster covering celebrities. She is active in charities such as BACA, which works to educate about eating disorders, and says, “I don’t weigh myself. I don’t have a scale in the house.”
Despite having a knockout wife, Trudeau has been dogged by rumours of infidelity, which he denied last year in an interview with the Canadian news service CBC in which he added, “Our marriage isn’t perfect, and we have had difficult ups and downs, yet Sophie remains my best friend, my partner, my love. We are honest with each other, even when it hurts.” In the same interview, Trudeau said sometimes Sophie hates his job, and hates him for loving it.
Sophie’s take on the question about infidelity was this: “Ask if whatever happened in our lives — I’m not saying it did or didn’t — as if we would answer that,” she told Global News. “I can tell you right away that no marriage is easy,” she added. “I’m almost kind of proud of the fact that we’ve had hardship, yes, because we want authenticity. We want truth. We want to grow closer as individuals through our lifetime and we’re both dreamers and we want to be together for as long as we can. I’m happy that we had to go through that.”
Even in placid Canada, being a celebrity couple can be a freak magnet. Last year, Sophie and her children were sleeping in their Ottawa home (Trudeau was away) when a drunken 19-year-old man broke into their house and left a letter deemed “threatening.” In magnanimous Canadian style, the man wasn’t charged, explaining that he thought he had entered a friend’s home, and that he wished to write an apology to the Trudeaus.
Still, Sophie, who is a certified yoga instructor and also composes music in her spare time, is as upbeat as can be in interviews. She said that 10 years ago, she made a list of what she wanted out of life, and everything had already come true. And that was before she became Canada’s first lady-elect. “I still have dreams, but instead of having them written on a little piece of paper, I live a little bit of them every day,” she told Diamond. “I used to stress out if I wasn’t attaining my goals by their due date, but not anymore.”
Jilted bride’s family holds $48,000 wedding reception for the homeless
The Duanes were devastated, but instead of cancelling the reception at the luxurious Citizen Hotel in Sacramento, California, they invited the city’s homeless to enjoy the feast.
“When I found out on Monday that the wedding would not be taking place, it just seemed like, of course, this would be something that we would do to give back,” Kari Duane told KCRA.
“I feel a lot of heartache and heartbreak for her, but I will take away something good from this, I will.”
There was plenty to go around at the hotel’s four-star restaurant, The Grange, which had catered for 120 people.
Guests feasted on cauliflower, gnocchi, salmon and salads in addition to tasty appetisers.
Rashad Abdullah dined with his wife, Erika Craycraft, and their five children. He said they often struggled to eat three meals a day.
“When you’re going through a hard time and a struggle for you to get out to do something different and with your family, it was really a blessing,” he said.
Ms Craycaft said she was grateful to the Duanes for their kindness.
“To lose out on something so important to yourself and then give it to someone else is really giving, really kind,” she said.
Why you should give your partner a ‘performance review’
I had no idea how much of a negative effect I had on her. I just assumed that because I had gotten used to my personality during my first 29 years, she would easily get used to it as well. But she was getting hurt — a lot of times by careless communication — and I was missing it, even when she would try to let me know. As I processed the interview with friends and mentors, the experience served as a valuable lesson.
As couples grow more and more familiar with each other, we start giving unfiltered and uninvited feedback. If we’re on the receiving end of it, we resist, dismiss, defend, and explain — which is our way of effectively ignoring the concerns of our spouse. But the problem with ignoring our partner’s feedback is that eventually, he or she will start to feel disrespected and invalidated, which can harden into toxic contempt.
We could grow so much in our marriages if we didn’t have a panic attack every time our husband or wife takes us to task. I know that’s much easier said than done — especially when our spouse is only 86 per cent correct in their criticism and we focus on the 14 per cent that’s wrong. But as Sarah Groves says in her song, “Loving a Person,” “Love and pride can’t occupy the same spaces, baby, and only one makes us free.”
Why not consider doing a little interview with your spouse? Remember, all you’ve got to do is take notes and ask questions. You’re relieved of your duties as your personal defence lawyer. Ask these questions and let the self-discovery begin.
1. What’s it like to be on the other end of my personality?
2. What are some ways I’m doing a good job as a partner?
3. What are some ways I could be a better partner?
4. Do you feel like I understand your frustrations?
5. What do you see in my life that’s off-putting?
6. What do you see in my life that you admire?
7. Where do you see my life headed in five to ten years?
8. What do other people think of me but don’t have the courage to say?
9. Go ahead and share the 10 per cent you may be holding back.
When I suggest this exercise to others, they invariably say, “Oh, I already know what the answers to these questions are. I don’t have to ask.”
Not so fast.
You may have an idea what your partner might say, but there’s nothing like allowing your spouse to speak for him or herself. So go ahead — try it, and when you do, let the experience to be humbling instead of humiliating. In that place of humility, you can learn about your imperfections from the person who knows them best. And you might just have the courage to change for love’s sake.
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