Latest news with #Pia
Roya News
12 hours ago
- Business
- Roya News
Jordan Pavilion ranks first in visitor satisfaction at Expo 2025 Osaka
The Jordanian pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, has achieved a remarkable milestone by topping the visitor satisfaction rankings, according to a survey conducted by Japanese market research firm Pia. Despite strong competition and large crowds at pavilions from major countries such as the United States and Italy, the Jordan Pavilion stood out for its engaging content and visitor experience, earning it the highest satisfaction score among attendees. Expo 2025 runs from April 13 to October 13, 2025, and hosts over 150 countries and international organizations. The global event focuses on tackling future challenges in health, environment, technology, and innovation, while promoting smart solutions to improve quality of life. Jordan's participation features a rich and diverse display showcasing the country's culture, innovation, tourism, and hospitality. The pavilion has attracted thousands of visitors, significantly enhancing Jordan's image on the international stage.
ABC News
a day ago
- Health
- ABC News
Talking about death could completely change our relationship with it, and remove some of the fear
When Megan Maurice was diagnosed with breast cancer at 36, her daughter Pia was only seven. And while Megan's prognosis was good, the thought of how she would broach the topic of death with her daughter was definitely something that weighed on her mind. "If things took a turn for the worse, if it had spread further than we thought, how would I talk about that with her?" she tells ABC Radio National's Life Matters. "It was something that I always knew I wanted to be really up front with. "As soon as I got the diagnosis, I knew that I wanted to talk to her about it and let her know what was happening." Megan felt firmly that she wouldn't cover anything up with metaphors or language like "passing away" or "passing on". "I don't like to use that language that makes things less clear. If you're too vague, there's always the chance that they don't quite understand what's happened, and I wouldn't want her thinking that I'd died but I might come back," she says. In the face of death, the choice to speak openly — with family or anyone else — is not always the first one people reach for. How could we make it easier to have frank conversations about death? And, in having them, what do we stand to gain? Up until roughly the 1930s, conversations about death were part of the fabric of life, Melbourne GP and author Leah Kaminsky says. More homes were intergenerational so more people were likely to have encountered someone sick or dying, and the ancient religious practice "momento mori" (literally, "remember you must die") encouraged reflection on death. "[Then] death got outsourced, it went off-stage into the hospitals. You were dying, in the wings, often lonely deaths," says the author, whose latest book is called We're All Going To Die. Death began moving away from an accepted part of life and became thought of by the medical profession as "the doctor's enemy". "We [doctors] used to sit the vigil and hold a patient's hand, and [be with] the whole family," Leah says. "Nowadays there's a militarisation even in the language of death: we battle cancer, we fight disease. "So I think there's been this huge psychosocial shift that's made death something that's foreign to us. It's not part of the fabric of life. We don't see it, we don't experience it." Chris Cheers, a Melbourne psychologist and author of The New Rule Book, says the more we avoid death, the more anxiety-provoking it becomes. "Especially in a white Australian culture, I think we've created the ability to really avoid talking about death, avoid experiencing grief … and as soon as you avoid something, it means you can't process it [or] make sense of it," he says. Life Matters listener Bobby says she grew up with an open acknowledgement of death as part of her Māori culture. "Death was still accepted … It was just part of a natural process," she says. She's concerned about people's connection to death being increasingly eroded, and she's cynical about industries that, she argues, capitalise on people's fear of death. "It suits insurance companies and the billion-dollar funeral industry to take the ownership away from the families. To say, 'I'm here to undertake all of that for you, because it's too difficult. It's too hard'," she says. "That is a huge frustration [of mine]. We need to come back to our life, our ownership, and not fall into the fear [and accept] somebody else saying this is too hard for you to handle." Megan, who has written about her experience in her book Life Goes On, has always had a "little fear of death". "It's never been something I've been very comfortable with. And then when you have a diagnosis like [cancer] and, suddenly, it's something you can't quite get away from," she says. But having cancer changed her relationship with death. "It did reframe it for me a little bit ... [I realised] that a fear of death was actually a really good thing, because it really showed how much I wanted to live," she says. "It helped me to understand how I could balance that fear a little bit better, and let it take up less space in my life." Chris says accepting you're going to die at some point means you're more likely to consider exactly what you want to do with your life — and get moving on it. There's a technique he's borrowed from the school of existential psychiatry, which he uses a lot in his work, that rams this point home. "You put your hand on your heart and you notice your heartbeat, and you consider that heartbeat, one day, will end," he says. "So what are you going to do with each beat?" Rituals are another way of becoming more familiar and comfortable with the idea of death, Leah says. "There is a separation for a lot of people from religion and spirituality … and I think in some ways that means we've lost ways to understand [and] to talk about death [and] to grieve," she says. "But just because you're not spiritual or religious, it doesn't mean you can't have ritual. It doesn't mean you can't create spaces, whether it's a death cafe, or just sitting down at the dinner table and saying, 'let's talk about death'." Leah says another way to feel empowered about death is by making an advanced care directive. That's a written document outlining what you would like to happen when you die or if you get sick. It includes how much resuscitation you'd like or what sort of treatments you want to receive. The plan is "you calling the shots" about your treatment and death, she says. (Make sure you tell someone where the document is so it can be found at short notice.) "Everyone has a different approach. But the most important thing is to find some outlet, somewhere you can discuss it, read about it, talk about it, think about it. "Because too often, in my profession, sadly, we have people that think about it too late. And it turns into the messy thing that we actually do fear. "Whereas if you've thought ahead, I think it's a far better experience, not just for you, but for your family and your loved ones."
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Forgotten soap star shows off huge £27million LA mansion after quitting fame and marrying a multimillionaire
Her husband is a talent agent to the stars brand new home Forgotten soap star shows off huge £27million LA mansion after quitting fame and marrying a multimillionaire Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FORGOTTEN Home and Away star has shown off her plush £27million mansion seven years on from leaving the soap. Pia Whitesell appeared in the programme as Kat Chapman between 2015 and 2018 but she is now living a life that is worlds away from the Aussie soap opera. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Forgotten soap star Pia Whitesell has shown off her glam LA home Credit: Seven Network/ Channel 5 5 The actress showed off her stunning pool area in Los Angeles Credit: instagram/@pia 5 Pia is married to Hollywood super agent Patrick Whitesell Credit: instagram/@pia The 41-year-old actress is now living it up in a stunning £27million Bel Air mansion with her husband, Hollywood super agent, Patrick Whitesell. She took to Instagram this week to share a glimpse of the luxury swimming pool at the abode. The huge pool is surrounded by half a dozen sun loungers complete with parasols. The glam actress revelled in her luxurious surroundings as she captioned the snap with "How's the serenity?," in reference to the 1997 movie. Read more on Soaps HOME & LA Home & Away star unrecognisable with new life and career 13 years after quitting The Hollywood super-rich couple's home even includes its own maids quarters and boasts over 19,000 sq ft. As they renovated the home, the couple stayed in their oceanfront Malibu mansion. Pia and Patrick tied the knot in 2021 after he popped the question in late 2020. Her engagement ring is believed to be worth between $1.1m and $1.9mAUD. She was previously married to AFL footballer Brad Miller. Patrick is the boss of Hollywood media empire Endeavor, former known as WME. It is the talent agency to the stars representing a whole host of the world's A-list talent. It has earned him an estimated net worth of £303million. The agency had dedicated teams looking after talent such as Jude Law, Hugh Jackman, Ben Affleck and the Kardashian family. LIFE BEFORE HOLLYWOOD Before striking it lucky in Los Angeles, Pia began her career as a model aged 14 in Australia. After three years as a fledling teen model, she took part in reality TV show Make Me A Supermodel in 2001 which landed her a contract with L'Oreal. She transitioned into acting and TV hosting in 2011 before landing her part in Home and Away in 2015. Her last acting role was in 2019 when she appeared in a live-action Dora The Explorer movie. She soon retired from acting shortly after and upon meeting Patrick. 5 Pia started out as a model before turning to acting Credit: Handout
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Forgotten soap star shows off huge £27million LA mansion after quitting fame and marrying a multimillionaire
A FORGOTTEN Home and Away star has shown off her plush £27million mansion seven years on from leaving the soap. Pia Whitesell appeared in the programme as Kat Chapman between 2015 and 2018 but she is now living a life that is worlds away from the Aussie soap opera . Advertisement 5 Forgotten soap star Pia Whitesell has shown off her glam LA home Credit: Seven Network/ Channel 5 5 The actress showed off her stunning pool area in Los Angeles Credit: instagram/@pia 5 Pia is married to Hollywood super agent Patrick Whitesell Credit: instagram/@pia The 41-year-old actress is now living it up in a stunning £27million Bel Air mansion with her husband, Hollywood super agent, Patrick Whitesell. She took to Instagram this week to share a glimpse of the luxury swimming pool at the abode. The huge pool is surrounded by half a dozen sun loungers complete with parasols. The glam actress revelled in her luxurious surroundings as she captioned the snap with "How's the serenity?," in reference to the 1997 movie. Advertisement Read more on Soaps The Hollywood super-rich couple's home even includes its own maids quarters and boasts over 19,000 sq ft. As they renovated the home, the couple stayed in their oceanfront Malibu mansion. Pia and Patrick tied the knot in 2021 after he popped the question in late 2020. Her engagement ring is believed to be worth between $1.1m and $1.9mAUD. Advertisement Most read in Soaps Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler She was previously married to AFL footballer Brad Miller. Patrick is the boss of Hollywood media empire Endeavor, former known as WME. It is the talent agency to the stars representing a whole host of the world's A-list talent. It has earned him an estimated net worth of £303million. Advertisement The agency had dedicated teams looking after talent such as Jude Law, LIFE BEFORE HOLLYWOOD Before striking it lucky in Los Angeles, Pia began her career as a model aged 14 in Australia. After three years as a fledling teen model, she took part in reality TV show Make Me A Supermodel in 2001 which landed her a contract with L'Oreal. She transitioned into acting and TV hosting in 2011 before landing her part in Home and Away in 2015. Advertisement Her last acting role was in 2019 when she appeared in a live-action Dora The Explorer movie. She soon retired from acting shortly after and upon meeting Patrick. 5 Pia started out as a model before turning to acting Credit: Handout 5 She lives in a Bel Air home with her husband Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Advertisement
Daily Mirror
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I got the surprise of my life after throwing empty bottle into sea decades ago'
When Alaina Beresford was 12, she committed her message to the sea in an empty bottle of Moray Cup fizzy pop and now decades later she has received the surprise of her life When Alaina Beresford chucked a message in a bottle into the sea aged just 12, she though little of it. But she was staggered this week - 31 years on - to received a postcard explaining her old message had been found. It washed up nearly 725 miles away on a beach in Norway and was eventually discovered this week by Pia Brodtmann, who was volunteering with a charity on the sand. The 27-year-old woman replied, sending a postcard alongside a montage of fascinating photographs. These include pictures of the message in a bottle, the boat Pia is living on (called the Nemo), and the area she's working in. Amazed to see her note had been discovered and was still legible, Alaina, 43, said: "When I went and checked my mail and thought 'what's this, a postcard?' - not something you see a lot - and when I turned it over it had my name on it. "The message from Pia said she'd found my message in a bottle near on a tiny island called Lisshelløya near Vega in Norway. She's there working as a volunteer doing beach cleaning with a charity called In the Same Boat for four months. The postcard was a wonderful, a montage of photos showing my message in a bottle, the boat she's on, the Nemo, and the area she's working in." Alaina, from from Portknockie, Moray, now intends to keep in touch with Pia on Facebook. She continued: "I was just so shocked that somebody had found the message I sent all those years ago. It was amazing that my note was still perfectly legible - even the old Moray Cup bottle was in good shape! "As far as I can remember we were doing a project on water with our P7 teacher Ann Bruce and part of that was doing a message in a bottle. I think her husband was a fisherman and he threw the bottle into the sea when he was out with the boat." Alaina added that she would love to get in touch with her former teacher but does not have an address or contact details. READ MORE: Prestwick Beach horror find as leg still wearing shoe and sock washes ashore For Pia herself, finding the bottle on Lisshelløya was something of a prophecy. She explained: "The day I found the bottle we cleaned two small exposed islands, Lisshelløya and Storhelløya, although we didn't finish Storhelløya. "I found the message between some rocks on Lisshelløya. I had already noticed before I picking it up, that the bottle wasn't broken or full of water like so many other bottles I had found that day. "It looked a bit different, probably because of the paper inside. When I picked it up and saw the folded paper with the little text 'To the finder" inside, I knew this one would be special. "It's kind of funny, though, because I said at the start of the clean up something like 'If we don't find a message in a bottle on this island, then I don't know where else we would'. "I said that because in just the first few minutes we had been finding almost only bottles and some fishing gear. I read the message during our lunch break with my crewmembers. "I wasn't too surprised that it had come all the way from Scotland because I have already found some stuff from Scotland before, but I felt really happy about the little message, especially because the address was still readable. I was just curious when it had been written. Writing a reply was never in doubt for Pia. She continued: "I thought Alaina would be really happy to know that her bottle had been found. She wrote in her note that she wanted to know who found it and where exactly it was found. "I wanted to give her this information and make her day special, like she made my day special. Also I just like the idea of people randomly getting in touch this way. And maybe I was hoping for a pen pal across borders, because I enjoy the old ways of communicating like postcards and letters. "Everyone is happy if there is something unexpectedly nice in the mail, while getting something digital via WhatsApp is less special and it can stress you out. "When Alaina told me how old the message was, I almost freaked out. The idea that this bottle had been out there, either in the ocean or lying on the island, for over 30 years is just really crazy. "It looked like it had been thrown in the sea something between some months and five years ago. The first thing I said after reading Alaina's replay was something like 'Wow, what were the chances that she still lives in that house?!', but after she sent me some pictures from the coastline literally right in front of her home, I could totally understand why she is still living there. It's just beautiful." Pia has been with the Norwegian In the Same Boat project since April this year and will remain with them until the end of July. Having recently finished her bachelor's degree she wanted to travel around Europe and improve her English. A love of the rugged Scandinavian landscape and a drive to do something to help the planet drew her to the project, which aims to fight marine pollution - especially plastic - along the Norwegian coastline. Pia added: "The main method In the Same Boat uses to fight marine litter, besides raising awareness, is beach cleaning, but 'beach' in Norway isn't really the right word. "Norway's coastline is mostly rocky, wild and remote, not a sandy beach. So we hike, climb and sometimes even crawl over and under rocks to collect the plastic before it becomes microplastic. "Then we carry all the heavy bags of trash to the next spot, where the workboat can come and pick it up. The organisation is made up of employed skippers and volunteers. "We all live together on sailboats, which allows us to move directly into the polluted areas. That saves time, emissions and costs. Lisshelløya, the tiny island where I found the message in a bottle - is so tiny that you can probably walk around in just five minutes. we picked and removed 1020kg of marine litter. Even though the island probably hadn't been cleaned before, this amount of trash is just insane."
