Australians have always loved a good barbeque, but over the last two years, we’ve been getting particularly fancy about the types of things we’ve been throwing on the barbie, with restaurants shut and travel taken off the cards.

To sum it up, we’ve been eating at home more and better – especially when it comes to beef. Go down to your local butcher or even the supermarket and you’ll see how fancier cuts like tomahawk steaks or rump cap; expensive breeds like Wagyu or ‘new kid on the block’ Rubia Gallega, or things like dry-aged beef have become so much more common since COVID.

The other thing that’s happened over the last two years? Beef prices have dramatically increased. Since June 2020, Australian beef prices have been the highest in the world, according to Meat and Livestock Australia, the industry body.

A lot of that has to do with The Spicy Cough as well as economic and climatic factors, but the quality of Australian beef is also a major contributing factor to the market’s current punchiness, as MLA Managing Director Jason Strong explained to Good Food last year:

“What we have to understand is that here in Australia, we produce some of the best quality beef in the world, and that there is global demand for that beef… local steak lovers are competing with consumers in Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul and Los Angeles.”

Thankfully, a more affordable – and arguably more flavourful – alternative to dry-aged beef is starting to appear on more plates Down Under: dry-aged pork. It’s a great way to enjoy a steak without bankrupting yourself in the process.

Dry-aged pork is produced in much the same way dry-aged beef is: isolating the pork in a hygienic, dry, refrigerated environment with no other kinds of food present for days or weeks after butchering. Previously, dry-aged pork was solely the domain of high-end providores and restaurants, but it’s becoming increasingly common in Australian supermarkets and grocers.

Ben Williamson, co-owner and chef at Agnes in Brisbane, tells ABC News that dry-aged pork is “superior” to regular pork whilst also being just as easy to prepare and versatile as the normal stuff.

“That dry ageing process, just like beef; it just adds so much flavour and texture to the product… It’s not overly porky though; it’s a slightly nuttier [taste],” he explains.

In particular, Williamson says that dry-aged pork makes the best crackling, thanks to the reduced moisture content. We’re just imagining the crispiness now…

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The really interesting thing about dry-aged pork is that it doesn’t command as much of a prime premium compared to normal pork as dry-aged beef commands over regular beef. Dry-aged pork can be found in Aussie supermarkets for as little as $10/kilo, which is pretty comparable to normal pork.

Speaking of steak, watch top Australian chef Neil Perry share his tips on how to cook the perfect steak.

While Australians are only now waking up to the glory that is dry-aged pork, the meaty marvel has already begun to pick up steam in the United States.

RELATED: Not Even A Pandemic Can Stop Australians Eating This Luxury Food

“Pork is generally undervalued… It deserves to be on the menu at a steakhouse right next to that New York Strip or your Ribeye,” Brooklyn-based butcher Brent Young tells Eater, who call dry-aged pork “the future of steakhouses”.

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The post The Dry-Aged Beef Alternative That’s Taking Over Australian Plates appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Sydney man Ned Wieland swam 62 laps of Bondi Beach on Saturday to raise awareness for mental health. The 48km swim was the longest one he’d ever completed. The 20-year-old athlete and swim coach raised about $23,000 for mental health organisation R U OK? in the process, his R U OK? page shows.

He also invited along members of the public to join him on the swim (in limited numbers) for parts of the journey. Ned told DMARGE: “Swimming is really good for your mental health. Probably not good for your mental health when you’re going for bloody 20 hours [he joked], but if I can get people down there and get them swimming I thought that was kind of the best way – you see with the older generation as well as the little ones, the ocean is such therapy for people. You let your thoughts flow and lose yourself in there.”

Ned’s R U OK? page describes the challenge as such: “Every year I set the goal of a big swim challenge. Due to Covid and the recent lockdown, I have set this year’s challenge in my own ‘backyard’, Bondi Beach. The Ben Buckler to The Boot Enduro swim is my attempt to break the current record of 60 laps swimming of Bondi. Set up as an 800m line from North Bondi to South Bondi will count as one lap.”

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“My aim is 62 laps maybe more!! I have always used my big swims as Fundraisers for RUOK. Having the experience of losing one of my swimming mentors when I was young, drives me to swim as far and as long as I need and can. My swims are done to raise as much awareness in my community for suicide prevention, nothing hurts more than losing someone close to you. I have decided to fundraise for R U OK? to help spread their message and help prevent suicide.”

Ned successfully completed the 62 laps on Saturday.

This is not the first time Ned has broken records. In 2017, he became the youngest Australian male to swim the English Channel – a 33-kilometre feat. This year Ned prepared for the big Bondi swim for about seven weeks, swimming every morning and aiming to get through about 65 kilometres a week.

Ned told DMARGE: “Every year I try to do a challenge to raise awareness for mental health. In 2017 I did the English channel. I have also done Catalina (between Long Beach and California).”

RELATED: Three Words Every Australian In Lockdown Needs To Hear

Ned also spoke about his motivation for the swim: “Growing up I had a mentor who was at every ocean swim with me. When he wasn’t on that start line anymore and I found out he committed suicide, to not have him there, it was just a great shock I guess because you have them there, you’re speaking to them every day, and you don’t notice what they’re going through. People can appear ‘yeah sweet’ – but you just don’t know what they’re going through.”

Ned says this is part of what got him through the long day of swimming: “I got myself into the headspace [of] I’ve only got to be out there for a certain amount of hours on end,” he told DMARGE, but there are other people suffering all day, every day.

RELATED: ‘Could Save A Life’: The Simple Text All Australian Men Should Be Sending Their Mates

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The post Sydney Man, Ned Wieland Swims 62 laps Of Bondi Beach appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It’s been an open secret that Apple, the world’s largest technology company by revenue and the world’s most valuable brand, has been working on plans to build their own cars for years.

Apple has been reasonably tight-lipped about what they’re actually doing, however – but as Tesla CEO Elon Musk quipped during a BBC interview back in 2016, “it’s pretty hard to hide something if you hire over a thousand engineers to do it.”

We know that Apple wants the car to be autonomous (i.e. self-driving), as well as electric, but also that Apple’s struggled to find manufacturing partners to work with in order to bring their dreams to fruition. Over the years, Apple’s been in talks with Hyundai, Kia, Toyota and Volkswagen, but according to Techradar, it seems that the most likely outcome will be that Apple goes it alone with their car project, à la Tesla.

Techradar also points out that “while Apple does its best to keep plans a secret, regulatory filings and patent requests do provide some factual insight into its activities.” And it’s those patent requests that have allowed one firm to create a convincing look at what a future Apple car might look like.

Vanarama, a UK car leasing and insurance company, has sneakily spied on Apple’s patents to create a 3D render of an Apple car, its design cues informed by Apple’s current design language as well as by the technologies Apple is keen to protect. And you know what? It doesn’t look too outlandish.

While the frosted white paint job and grille design – inspired by the iPod and the MacBook Pro respectively – take a little bit of creative liberty, and the choice to render the car as both an EV and a SUV coupe is because it “aligns with automotive trends”, other design features of the Vanarama render directly reference genuine Apple patents.

For example, the doors: Apple has filed a patent for ‘adaptive doors’, with scooped windows that increase headroom when boarding and rear suicide doors for ease of access. The pillarless structure, which resembles the look of the Tesla Cybertruck, is also informed by Apple patents.

RELATED: Tesla Cybertruck Rival Threatens To Make Camping Actually Enjoyable

It’s interior tech where we have the best idea of what an Apple car will look like. We know Apple has plans for a customisable dashboard with a seamless, touchscreen display, and that they want to integrate their virtual assistant, Siri, into the car’s infotainment system.

In line with their self-driving aspirations, Apple also has plans to introduce a customisable, swivelling seat layout. Indeed, some of Apple’s previous designs have done away with a driver’s seat entirely, Car and Driver reports. That the car has windows at all is interesting, as a 2018 patent suggests that Apple have also previously toyed with the idea of going windowless and employing VR tech instead.

It must be stressed that this is simply a high-tech ‘artist’s rendition’ and not representative of what an Apple car will actually look like (if Apple actually ever bringing one to market and that this isn’t all just vaporware). That said, Vanarama have done a great job, and we reckon it’s a pretty realistic vision.

RELATED: Paul Smith’s ‘Designer MINI’ Reveals The Future Of Eco-Friendly Cars

Vanarama has also created artist’s renditions of what a Google or Samsung car might also look like, following a similar methodology where they’ve used patents filed by the tech giants to inform potential design choices.

Samsung (who have been making cars for years thanks to their joint venture with Renault) has filed patents which suggest plans to take the foldable screen technology they debuted with their Galaxy Fold smartphone and apply it to flexible car infotainment systems.

Google, who like Apple have long been nursing automotive aspirations and developing autonomous vehicle tech, would likely integrate cross-device communication that would allow their car to interact with Google Home, as well as with the rest of their expansive product universe, such as Google Maps, Vanarama speculates.

Speaking of futuristic cars, check out Porsche’s vision of of the future of motorsport – their insane Mission R concept car – below.

These electric dreams might be cool, but not everyone’s champing at the bit for an Apple car.

As one commenter on HYPEBEAST’s Instagram post about the Vanarama render sarcastically put it, “can’t wait to have a car that drives slower every update to ‘help save battery life’ and needs a dongle (sold separately) to charge.” Touché.

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The post What The Apple Car Design Will Look Like, According To A Patent Spy appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Genius travel hack for seeing Giza pyramids, according to travel blogger Kimmie Conner

We all know it’s bad to illegally climb Egypt’s pyramids. But what about eating KFC in eyeshot of them?

Speaking of such a spicy topic… travel blogger Kimmie Conner has gone viral over a tongue-in-chicken video taken in Giza.

The video? She recently shared a Giza travel hack on her TikTok account, which shows you how to see the ancient Pyramids in an uncrowded setting and with a good view. Oh and “just buying one burger is a lot cheaper than getting to some of the other views and is a lot cheaper than paying taxis or camels,” she says.

Calling it the “most ridiculous Giza pyramids hack you’ll ever hear,” Conner explains: “outside the exit there’s a pizza hut and a KFC with this view. Would you believe they actually have a view from the top… You go in and order some shitty food; walk up to the top.”

“Sure there’s other rooftops around but this one is completely empty and you have it all to yourself.”

She also claims it’s: “One of the most central restaurants in Giza,” recommending you “save expensive restaurants for sunset and [save some] fries for walking around.”

“You’re welcome.”

Conner is not the first person to notice KFC Giza’s epic view, with one Redditor posting in the r/pics forum three years ago, claiming to have had “the best KFC meal of my life,” accompanied by a photo of their meal in the foreground and the pyramids in the background. The post sparked a similar debate to the one started by Conner’s TikTok video.

Conner’s light-hearted video was taken seriously by some social media users, who were furious 4,540 years of history might be looked at with a zinger in one hand and fries in the other.

One “Daily Inspiration” TikTok account (@repurposeyou) said: “I’m sicked by the fact that they have KFC and a Pizza Hut, like there was not other food you could decide upon.” The same user then clarified: “It wasn’t against you! Lol I’m talking about why couldn’t the destination have better food.”

Conner responded to this by saying “I just picked a random comment to make the reply but there were tons of them [comments slamming her choice to eat KFC in Giza].”

Going through her original video, the polarising nature of eating KFC in Giza becomes clear. Some thought it was hilarious and said she should have spent more time on the fries (and less on “those triangles”) and others critiqued her choice, decrying how prolific KFC has become.

“So you’re telling me that you travel to Egypt to eat KFC? Why girl?” one TikTok user wrote.

Others were more complimentary. One wrote: “Top-level travel hack.” Another shared a travel hack of their own, saying that a KFC in Barcelona gives you a great view of the Sagrada Familia.

Another said they used to go to local restaurants for breakfast or lunch but “ugh I would waste so much time.”

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The post Traveller’s ‘Sickening’ Giza Travel Hack Leaves The Internet Divided appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Can you fall in love in three days? Though Quora is usually full of lovesick travellers asking whether it’s possible to be struck by Cupid’s spell in record time, this last couple of years have been a quiet time when it comes to Travellers Falling In Love.

To that end, the default way of describing the years 2020 and 2021 has been: they sucked. But dismissing them as write-offs would be to miss some light.

Enter: the following video by traveller, photographer and content creator @sightsofsara. After sharing a video on social media talking about how she and a friend were sort of held hostage by their guest house host in Iceland, Sara recently shared with her followers one of the more positive developments in her travel adventures.

She claims to have met a guy in Iceland and then flown across the world to see him again.

“When you met a boy in Iceland last month and now you’re travelling 6,641 miles to visit him in his country.”

She then posted another video featuring a bunch of clips of them together, with the caption: “From Iceland to hopefully the whole world with you.”

This appears to have inspired a lot of her followers.

One, called Logan, wrote: “This gives me all the hope in the world for love.”

Another follower called Jessi wrote: “The wildest part about this is neither of you are from Iceland but you happened to both be there at the exact right moment.”

“This is literally the cutest thing ever,” said another.

“This makes me feel better because you don’t realise how many fish there are in the sea until you start swimming,” another TikTok user chimed in.

Another said: “AYO Universe!! THIS IS WHAT I WANT!!”

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A post shared by Sara | Travel + Adventure (@sightsofsara)

Finding love abroad is a bit of a polarising topic, with some romanticising it as the coolest “how did you meet?” story ever and other more cynical souls warning it rarely works out. 

In 2018, The Telegraph wrote an article talking about the science of why it’s easier to fall in love while you’re on holiday.

The Telegraph cited Dr Arthur Aron, research professor at New York’s Stony Brook University. The Doctor likened falling in love on holiday to meeting someone on a suspension bridge: “Many years ago, we did a study that showed if you were to meet someone on a scary suspension bridge, you were more likely to have an attraction to that person than if you were to meet that same person on a safer, less scarier bridge.”

It appears many are willing to take the risk. Culture Trip and Quora are full of stories of couples who met while travelling (and either stayed together or don’t regret the experience even if they are no longer together).

Culture Trip reports on the story of Lola Méndez of Miss Filatelista: “I met my guy in Madrid last March, but left for Italy a mere three months later in May. Neither of us ever intended (or wanted) to be in a long-distance relationship, but travel kept us together. In May, we spent a romantic weekend in Bologna, eating everything in sight. In July, we went to Venice and strolled along the canals under the moonlight. He met me in Fez, Morocco in October to celebrate my birthday and I went back to Madrid for two weeks in December for the holidays.”

“Despite the distance we’ve managed to fall in love through traveling together and exploring new cities. Our mutual curiosity and appreciation for other cultures has helped forge a deep bond between us. I am volunteering in India for six months and he plans to come visit for the Holi festival in March. It’ll be a year since we’ve met and our third continent we’ve visited together.”

The same Culture Trip article also included a story from Ben Shacham, the company’ Director of Operations: “I was on holiday with a friend of mine in Cape Town in August, and we took a drive down to Cape Point for the day to see the amazing views—looking out south, there’s literally nothing between there and Antarctica. There’s a really special spot there called Dias Beach about 10 minutes’ walk down the cliffs. The waves were enormous, and there were a few crazy people trying to surf them (bear in mind, it was the middle of winter!). The beach was empty except for a few people, one of whom was this beautiful blonde girl, and we got talking.”

“I thought she was amazing. Time was short and we had to leave, so we said goodbye and went our separate ways. It’s safe to say I was a little disappointed. On the way back, my friend suggested we stop a few miles down the road at a spot famous for wild penguins and half an hour later, by chance, she appeared once more with her friends. I wasn’t going to let her disappear again, so I ran over and got her number. We went for a date that night in Cape Town and the rest—as they say—is history! Our second date was actually in Munich, and our third in Barcelona.”

Another great story comes from Essence, which tells the story of Port Arthur, Texas, native Jessica Crook, 37, who met her now husband, Oscar Mosquera, also 37, through Tinder while she was working as a science teacher in Santiago de Cali, Colombia.

“When we went out, he’d bring me back home to make sure I was safe, even though he knew he wasn’t coming in,” Crook told Essence. “I’d never been treated like that by anybody else.”

According to Essence, “Shortly after they began dating exclusively [and] in April 2017, Oscar, a personal trainer, proposed. With the full blessing of their parents, Jessica and Oscar were married in December 2017 in Colombia before a crowd made up of two joyful families that didn’t speak each other’s language.”

• You legit love each other
• You already feel like you’ve known each other forever
• Your future plans align
• Your friends get along
• Saying goodbye was totally heartbreaking
• You met by chance
• You’ve taken things slow
• You expect to meet again

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The post Wildly Romantic Story Gives Travellers Hope For 2022 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

If you don’t know Kid Cudi, there’s a good chance you’ll know of some of the artists he’s inspired: Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Travis Scott… The 37-year-old rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor is one of the most enigmatic and influential musicians in modern music, famous for his emotional, introspective vocals and iconic ‘Cudi hum’.

He’s also been one of the most consistently innovative celebrities on the planet when it comes to fashion. Cudi’s always been a trailblazer, especially when it comes to blurring the lines between men’s and women’s fashion – and especially in 2021.

Cudi (real name Scott Mescudi) made headlines earlier this year in September when he wore two very out-there outfits at two back-to-back style events: pairing a Nirvana t-shirt and a floor-length black skirt at New York Fashion Week, and then green hair, dark eye makeup and another floor-length skirt to the Met Gala.

His latest outfit, however, is his most eye-catching. Cudi attended the CFDA Fashion Awards last week in what can only be described as a cross between a bride and a groom’s outfit: an ankle-length wedding dress paired with a white blazer; lace gloves, tights and a veil; Louis Vuitton sneakers and dark eye makeup – which contrasted with Cudi’s hair, which he’d dyed bright red for the occasion.

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It was easily the most talked-about outfit from the night – no mean feat, considering how fashionable and star-studded the event was – and suggests that 2021 might just be the death knell for gendered fashion.

Cudi’s dress was designed by Eli Russell Linnetz, a Californian designer best known for designing the iconic floating stage Kanye West used on his The Life of Pablo tour, as well as his collaborations with artists like Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber. (Cudi and Kanye are close collaborators and friends, and form the supergroup KIDS SEE GHOSTS).

It’s a provocative outfit, for sure, but it demonstrates stronger than perhaps any other gender-bending outfit we’ve seen this year is that wearing women’s clothes doesn’t have to come at the cost of your masculinity (something many men still struggle to conceive). Cudi looks staunch as hell – we pity the fool who’d try and tell Cudder he’s some sort of sissy in this fit.

Cudi’s not the only traditionally masculine male celeb who’s been wearing skirts and dresses recently. Stars as diverse as Dan Levy, Harry Styles, Lewis Hamilton, Lil Nas X, Pete Davidson and Russell Westbrook have all got in on the womenswear action in 2021.

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Admittedly, it’s not for everyone, but this trend; this breaking down the barriers of gendered fashion, definitely seems here to stay. Earlier this year, DMARGE spoke to Byron Bay-based men’s stylist and fashion expert Jeff Lack, who despite having his doubts about the commercial viability of genderless fashion, does admit that it’s a “cool talking point”.

“There’s just not that much of a market for it. Men aren’t ready yet… That said, there’s definitely a double standard. Some of the female celebrities this year who’ve worn men’s suits and trousers have looked absolutely fantastic.”

Cudi’s no stranger to criticism when it comes to his fashion choices, but history has borne out that his sartorial instincts have always been bang-on.

In 2009, Cudi was vilified for wearing skinny jeans at a time when no other rapper would dare wear something so ’emo’ – but these days, skinny jeans are all the rage. In 2010, he wore a kilt to a New Year’s Eve party and got ridiculed for it. Now kilts are cool. In 2014, he performed in a crop top. Since then, all sorts of men from Troye Sivan to Zac Efron has been spotted wearing them. You get the picture.

RELATED: Lil Nas X Gets Scotland Hot Under The Collar With Jimmy Fallon Appearance

The post Kid Cudi Proves Gendered Fashion Doesn’t Exist In 2021 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Anyone who steps foot in a gym will be there with a specific goal in mind. Most commonly, these goals will be to either build muscle or lose fat. In the gym world, these are known as bulking and shredding, respectively. The general consensus is that you can’t do both at the same time, but you could, for example, bulk and build muscle and then shred, to help give you greater muscle definition thanks to a lack of body fat.

In order to bulk, you need to consume more calories than you burn through working out, also known as a calorie surplus. To shred, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn, otherwise known as a calorie deficit.

RELATED: ‘I Ate Like Chris Hemsworth For 4 Months. It Nearly Broke Me’

Although, these basic facts don’t necessarily paint the full picture – and indeed, bulking isn’t always as simple as just stuffing yourself silly with whatever foods you want. It can be possible to build muscle, whilst also burning fat, with diets such as the ketogenic diet proving particularly effective. With the ketogenic diet, you deprive your body of foods high in carbohydrates, but continue to eat foods high in protein. And, because your body isn’t getting energy from carb-rich foods, it believes itself to be starving, so goes after the fat stores instead.

However, because you’re also still consuming protein-rich foods, and getting a healthy amount of calories in the process, you’re still able to build up your muscle.

The Liver King – the incredibly jacked American bodybuilder who lives like an ancestral lifestyle, dining on liver and bone marrow for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a side of raw testicles – recently explained his methods for bulking and shredding in incredibly simple terms. Taking to TikTok (see the video at the top of this article), he runs his followers through his dinner for that night – consisting of liver, bone marrow, beef patties and avocado – he adds: “I don’t count macros, and I don’t count calories.”

“If I want I want to get more ripped, I just do more work and cut the carbs. If I wanna add some bulk and some strength, I add in the carbs.”

It’s certainly food for thought and certainly gives rise to the argument that we shouldn’t necessarily have to worry about weighing out the foods we consume to the gram, to make sure we hit our macro targets. Although, the Liver King’s method of simply cutting out, or adding in, carb-rich foods, may only be applicable to those who are well-versed in calorie counting.

RELATED: I Succumbed To The Internet’s Favourite Fitness Hack In Pursuit Of Greater Gains

His teachings certainly have truth to them, but whether or not you can abide by them may also depend on your body type. Ectomorphs, for example, have a tough time putting on weight of any kind, be it fat or muscle. If someone with this body type wanted to bulk they would need to consume a far greater amount of carb-rich foods compared to an endomorph. Endomorphs, according to Healthline, have slower metabolisms, so if they were to put themselves into a calorie surplus, they may not burn the excess calories, so the calories would then be converted to fat.

RELATED: Lewis Hamilton Shares Muscle Building Advice Every Ectomorph Needs To Hear

Healthline adds, “Some believe you’re also less tolerable to carbohydrates, so the best diet for your body type may be one with a higher fat and protein intake and a lower carbohydrate intake, such as the paleo diet.”

You could also get really technical and make sure you consume the right type of carbohydrates, such as complex carbs compared to simple carbs.

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The post Liver King Perfectly Explains The Difference Between Bulking & Shredding appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The Surfrider Foundation Australia is calling on Australians to protest ‘PEP-11’ – a licence to drill for oil and gas just off the coast from Manly to Newcastle in New South Wales, which the government is burying its head in the sand about.

The licence (Petroleum Exploration Permit 11, aka PEP-11), is an offshore oil and gas exploration permit currently held by Advent Energy and Bounty Oil and Gas. The company plans to build oil rigs and drill off the NSW coast. However, its license expired in February 2021.

While it has applied to renew its application, many residents from the NSW community have sprung into action against it, with some environmentalists saying it could lead to leaks, destroy marine life and affect our climate. It’s also, The Surfrider Foundation, argues, antithetical to Destination NSW’s ‘Love NSW’ tourism campaign.

Surfrider Foundation explains: “PEP-11 stands for Petroleum Exploration Permit 11, a licence to drill for oil and gas just off the coast from Manly to Newcastle in New South Wales, a total of 4576 km, the equivalent to 83 Sydney Harbours. In some parts, PEP-11 comes within 6 kilometers of the shoreline.”

This stretch includes some of Australia’s most iconic beaches.

The Surfrider Foundation’s concern is that: “If fossil fuel companies are allowed to drill the ocean bed, this may lead to oil spill, gas leaks and could severely damage NSW’s coastline, affecting the livelihoods and lifestyles of over 6 million Australians, and disrupting one of the world’s largest whale migration routes.”

The Surfrider Foundation adds: “This also runs counterproductive to what Destination NSW’s ‘Love NSW’ campaign seeks to achieve, potentially driving away visitors from the previously pristine coastline and hampering the NSW 1 Government’s goal of tripling expenditure within the State’s visitor economy by 2030.”

Member of Parliament, Zali Steggall introduced the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Stopping PEP-11) Bill 2021 on 18 October 2021, which proposed a law to ban offshore oil and gas drilling between the coastline of Manly all the way up to Newcastle. Surfrider Foundation Australia also called on the government to stop PEP-11, to protect New South Wales from being impacted.

Underpinning Surfrider Australia’s campaign was a market research study of 1,000 Australians revealing that 86% of respondents were not aware of what PEP-11 was. When told about the specifics, 75% did not want it to go ahead. 89% of Australians believe the federal government should prioritise protecting the economic and environmental well-being of communities in the impacted PEP-11 region.

Despite previous support from Liberal MPs along the NSW coast and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the government blocked the motion to debate and vote on the bill.

The Daily Mail reports that Ms Steggall said of this: “Communities up and down the coast are united in opposition to this project. It must be stopped. Despite all the assurances of backbench MPs and even Scott Morrison, the licence remains active. It’s clear that they are not prepared to vote for their community.”

Patagonia Surf Activist and Co-Founder of Surfer For Climate Belinda Baggs told The Daily Mail: “It makes you think are they just telling us what we want to hear? Or are they going to put their money where their mouth is? Because we need action and we need this off the cards.”

Science communicator and model Laura Wells told DMARGE it’s not just surfers and ocean lovers who have a role to play in protesting PEP-11.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Laura Wells (@iamlaurawells)

“Everyone, not just Surfers or people who use and love the ocean have a role in spreading awareness about PEP-11. Drilling for oil and gas off the NSW coast affects everyone, no matter where you live.”

“The consequences of climate change from emissions and fugitive emissions from potential drilling have no boundaries. We need to harness the voices of all Australians to Stop PEP-11, and create a greener, healthier future.”

Wells told DMARGE: “Upon learning about this exploration license and the ability for it to be extended I was shocked. The thought of having potential oil and gas rigs off our beautiful coastline is ludicrous for a multitude of reasons. Economically, it’s detrimental to tourism, environmentally it will likely be devastating to ecosystems and many species, including our beautiful humpback whales and little penguins.”

“Looking at human health, the effects of emissions and the impacts this will have on climate change becomes detrimental to our futures. We need healthy oceans for a healthy life, and the science tells us we need to be achieving net zero emissions before 2050. Drilling for new oil and gas off the the NSW coast, or anywhere in Australia is not the answer.”

DMARGE also asked Wells what she would say to those that have criticised surfers in the past for using equipment that takes lots of oil to produce and yet protesting when the oil is drilled in their backyard. She said: “These people need to get educated and stop listening to the negative rhetoric of fossil-fuel funded politicians. We can not keep blaming the people and expect individuals to bear the brunt of climate change and reduce their personal footprints. This is a governmental and industrial issue!”

“Pressure to approve major fossil fuel projects and inadequate resourcing of our regulatory bodies, as well as uneducated politicians and politicians with economic interests often leads to the bullying, harassment and childlike undermining of those working to create a better future for all. It’s rather sad when schoolyard tactics are employed by our countries’ leaders to argue against the science and commonsense.”

Wells also said that the connection many coastal residents feel for their environment could be a good place to start when it comes to connecting with one another, and convincing politicians to change tack.

“Anyone who spends time outside, in and amongst nature usually harbours great respect for their surroundings. Just being in nature, sitting, reading, walking or using it for hobbies like surfing or SCUBA grows an appreciation for the elements, witnesses ecosystem interactions and usually has a wild story of connection between themselves and another creature.”

“We can tap into this connection and help people grow it by encouraging people to get outside and when we do that we grow the army of people wanting to protect its beauty. Not many people are aware of PEP-11, but thanks to the hard work of Surfrider Australia and surfers for climate, more and more surfers and ocean lovers know about it and want to stop it in its tracks. Now we need to grow our fellow climate champions and spread awareness far and wide to stop this from moving forward and create that ‘better future’ for everyone.”

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The post Iconic Australian Beaches Threatened By Controversial Oil Drilling Licence appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

When it comes to buying a new car, there’s often a huge gulf between the recommended drive-away price and what you actually end up shelling out, with many car brands making a sport out of nickel-and-diming you for ‘optional extras’. But there are some optional extras that really aren’t optional.

Floor mats? That’s pretty essential. A reversing camera? Some people need it more than others, but we can understand stumping up for one. Okay, what about an in-car espresso machine? (That’s not a joke by the way: both Audi and Fiat have experimented with these over the years.) Maybe if you really love coffee…

The penny pinching is often particularly outrageous with luxury car brands, where some extras or options packages can set you back hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Ferrari will charge you over $8,000 for Apple CarPlay in some of their models, for example – you could buy another car for that! Needless to say, the temptation to skimp on some options is understandable.

But if you’re going to all the effort to buy a luxury car, there’s one extra you really can’t skip: getting rid of that ‘peasant trim’. Indeed, we’d argue it’s even more essential than a spare tyre.

What do we mean by ‘peasant trim’? Well, most luxury/performance cars have steel or chrome trim highlights as standard (well, it’s usually just plastic, but you get the picture). Most manufacturers will also let you black those trims out (at an extra cost), or even colour-match the trim with the rest of the car. Leave it as bare steel? That’s peasant trim.

RELATED: Stunning Porsche 911 Targa Leaves Australian Car Lovers Green With Envy

So what’s the big deal? Well, leaving that peasant trim intact makes your car look worse. It seems trivial, but it makes a huge difference to the way your car looks, especially on cars with a prominent glass canopy, as the trim’s really noticeable around windows. Just look at the difference it makes on a Jaguar F-Type above.

More to the point, it’s a sure-fire way to spot that someone’s trying to live the luxury car lifestyle on the cheap. Balling on a budget is fine as long as you don’t actually look like you’re balling on a budget. It’s like, why spend all that money on a high-end automobile if you’re not going to do it properly? It’s a glaring omission that suggests a lack of taste.

Speaking of doing it properly, check out the most luxurious car from the king of optional extras, Rolls–Royce – a bespoke, collaborative Phantom with a Hermès interior.

Is this DMARGE finally hitting peak petty? Perhaps. At the same time, you’d have to agree that blacked-out trim looks really amazing on luxury cars, particularly sporty ones. It even solves BMW’s big grille problem.

On a more practical level, it’s the sort of optional extra that buyers really look for, and will help you do better in the resale/depreciation stakes.

RELATED: Car Brands Australians Should Buy If They Want To Minimise Depreciation, According To Auto Experts

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The post ‘Peasant Trim’: The Telltale Sign You Skimped Optioning Your Luxury Car appeared first on DMARGE Australia.