Australia. Escapology is an amazing album. It's definitely in my desert island top 10.

Yeah, mate. When my ex left me, even my older brother asked me to not come to parties at his place because it made her uncomfortable.

She was there with my brothers' friend. She had been seeing him for a while and I was the last person to know. The whole time she had been telling anyone who found out about them that I was abusive and to keep it quiet for her protection (yet she was verbally and financially abusing me).

In the end I was shunned by almost everyone that I knew. I lost my home, my friends, most of my family and ended up in debt for years as a result.

Only my younger brother stood by me and stood up for me. Everyone else believed her. When I started dating my (now) wife, she was approached by several of my old "friends" and told that I was 'bad news' and to avoid me because I was abusive. My (now) wife told them she was "a grown woman and capable of making up her own mind, thank you very much!" We've been together 22 years, married for 17 years and have two amazing kids. In the end, though I suffered, I have come through way better off than I was then. The perspective that I have gained has made me much more aware of the value loyalty, friendship and love.

My ex married and had a kid with the brother's friend. They didn't last 5 years. She pulled the same shit with him, but nobody believed her this time. They had seen the same playbook when she cheated on me. He's still single, and she's with another ex-friend's brother, burning bridges as she goes...

Just take small steps, my friend. Start a journal. See a counselor. Get up every day and see what it brings. You never know what's around the corner. Eat right. Exercise. Just exist in the world without expectation and you'll find your place. May it be filled with joy.

When I worked for a scrap metal recycler someone dumped a load of electronics and didn't tell us there were EPIRBs in the mix. We found out when the cost guard, police, fire and ambulance turned up.

If it's legal, then you've either got to put your morality aside and accept it or remove yourself from the situation. You can't demand that others alter their behaviour to suit your moral code. There's a better-than-fair chance that it won't work out, anyway. She will want to do things that he's not capable of due to his age, and he will want to do things that she's not mature enough to process reasonably. If the relationship lasts, then good on them for finding happiness. From a personal point-of-view, I would be weirded out if my dad's girlfriend was younger than me, too.

You could try "I'm going to do this thing on this day. If you would like to join me, I'll be there at this time. Let me know if you're coming by (RSVP date) so that I can book you a spot/plate/room: it will be $this much." And then make your plans and do them anyway.

This way it's clear that you are doing the thing. If people say "can we do this or this instead?" you reply with "Hey, great idea! Maybe next time. I've already planned the other thing for this time."

Sometimes it will be on your own. Sometimes others will want to join you. Sometimes you can join others on their quests, too, but remember to not try and change their plans to suit yourself.

I worked with a guy that proudly proclaimed that he voted for the right because they looked after the rich.

He was not rich, but he purchased lottery tickets weekly and stated he'd rather get screwed while poor than pay more tax if he, some day, became rich.

And that was the day I realised that we're fucked.

Bill Cosby. I was raised on Bill Cosby albums and TV shows. I can't listen to him any more.

District 9

Brussels Sprouts.

When I was a kid my mother used to boil them. I would gag from the taste. Mushy vomit-balls of awful.

A few years ago I watched a Jamie Oliver video on how to cook them properly and now they're a staple with roasts and meat + 3 veg at our place. My wife, my oldest son and I fight over who gets the most.

It depends.

• If you are dining, then place it on the far side of your plate.
• If you are sitting at a table, but not dining, then place it approximately halfway between the dining position and the table edge.
• If you are standing by the table, then I'd go with about 4"-6" from the table edge.
• If you are standing by the table in a high traffic area, then I'd go with 6"-8".
• If you notice someone nearby who is particularly animated when speaking, then I'd aim for the centre of the table.

This answer assumes the table in question is a dining table. Coffee tables are a whole different kettle of fish; and don't even get me started on side tables, bureaus and credenzas!

Edit: formatting

This isn't an article. It's an ad.

Big W, take your books off the shelves if you feel that's the right thing to do, however, you have negotiated with terrorists. These fuckers now know that by abusing staff at Big W stores, they can get what they want. Well done!