Do Australian banks withhold tax on interest?

 If your bank doesn't have your tax file number (TFN), it will withhold tax from your interest at the highest marginal tax rate. You can claim a credit for the amount of tax withheld when you lodge your tax return. You don't need to provide your TFN if: you're under 16 years of age.23 June 2025

https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/investing-in-bank-accounts-and-income-bonds#:~:text=If%20your%20bank%20doesn't,under%2016%20years%20of%20age

do you need a special soccer boots for synthetic soccer field (Yes, for frequent play)

 Yes, you need a special type of soccer boots for synthetic fields, typically called Artificial Grass (AG) or Turf (TF) boots, because they feature a higher number of shorter, cylindrical studs designed to provide grip on synthetic surfaces and better distribute impact. Traditional firm ground (FG) boots with long, sharp studs are not recommended for artificial turf as they can cause excessive traction, leading to increased risk of ankle and knee injuries.  

Why different boots are needed:

Harder Surface:

Synthetic pitches are built on a hard base, which results in a more prominent force on the player's legs. AG/TF boots have more, shorter studs to spread this force, providing a more cushioned feel and reducing the risk of injury. 

Grip and Traction:

Artificial turf can sometimes be a more abrasive surface, requiring different stud designs for optimal grip. AG/TF boots are designed to work with the extra abrasion. 

Injury Prevention:

The shorter, often conical studs on AG boots release better during rotation, unlike the longer, sharper studs on FG boots that can get caught in the synthetic material and increase the risk of twists and sprains. 

Types of boots for synthetic surfaces:

Artificial Grass (AG):

These boots have a specific stud pattern of many shorter, typically cylindrical, studs. They are a safe and comfortable option for synthetic pitches. 

Turf (TF):

These boots are designed for playing on hard artificial surfaces with short-bladed synthetic grass. They feature small rubber lugs for traction and offer good shock absorption. 

Firm Ground (FG) / Soft Ground (SG):

While FG boots can be used on synthetic turf in a pinch, it's not recommended for frequent play due to the risk of injury. SG boots are for wet, natural grass and are entirely unsuitable for synthetic surfaces. 

Key features to look for in boots for artificial turf:

More Studs: A higher number of studs helps spread the load from the harder surface. 

Shorter, Cylindrical Studs: These types of studs offer better rotational release, which helps prevent injuries on synthetic grass. 

More Studs Focused Under the Forefoot: This configuration improves responsiveness during quick movements and shifts in direction. 

Are synthetic soccer fields better than natural fields?

Neither synthetic nor natural fields are definitively better, but synthetic fields offer higher durability, year-round playability, and lower maintenance, while natural fields are often preferred by players for ball performance and can be safer by allowing for natural foot biomechanics. The choice depends on factors like budget, climate, intended use, and player preference, with hybrid fields offering a combination of both benefits.

Do English Premier League and world cup play on natural grass?

Yes, for the FIFA World Cup, the competition mandates that all matches are played on natural grass.

Yes, the English Premier League plays primarily on natural grass, with a strong preference for hybrid pitches. These hybrid systems combine natural grass with a network of synthetic fibers woven into the soil for enhanced stability and durability, ensuring consistent playability year-round. Fully artificial turf is not permitted in the Premier League, as the league rules mandate that playing surfaces be predominantly natural grass.  

Vocabs.

in a pinch

idiom US (UK at a pinch)

Add to word list 

Something that you can do in a pinch can be done if it is really necessary, but it will be difficult, not perfect, or not what you would really like:

I need $20,000 to set up the business, but I suppose $15,000 would do in a pinch.

How to Take the Power Back from Intrusive Thought OCD

 Step 1: See Through OCD’s Scare Tactics

OCD is the fear network of the brain sending a signal that something is wrong and needs to be done about it IMMEDIATELY. OCD only reports on feared consequences that are important to a person. For example, if somebody does not fear spilling water on the floor, OCD will not send the intrusive thought, “Oh no you spilled water. You must clean it up IMMEDIATELY”. On the other hand if someone does care about the safety of her family, OCD might say, “Oh no you left the stove on. You must go back and check IMMEDIATELY or the most important people in your life will die and it will be all your fault.” Similarly, if you care deeply about your family's well-being or your students safety, OCD may inject itself into your awareness with the thought “Oh no. What if I lose control and harm my children or students.”

My clients always ask me what it means about them that they could have such “horrible thoughts”. What I tell them is that somewhere within an obsession is the flip side of a core value. If OCD taunts you with images and thoughts about offending god, then religion must be important to you. If OCD reviews all the ways your family could be hurt, then your family is clearly one of your top priorities.

There is checklist of common intrusive thoughts that I find helpful to share with my patients. There are numerous thoughts on this list regarding losing control and acting out violently or sexually. Several research studies found that when this list is shown to a non-clinical sample of people, approximately 90 percent of those surveyed will agree to having experienced some of the intrusive thoughts.

When the non-clinical sample is asked how bothered they are by experiencing these intrusive thoughts, they are most often only mildly bothered by them. In contrast, when this same list is shown to individuals diagnosed with OCD, a similar percentage of the sample will agree to having experienced these intrusive thoughts but the big difference is how much distress these thoughts evoke for the OCD sample. For those meeting criteria for OCD, there will be a much higher level of emotional distress when these same intrusive thoughts surface.

What keeps OCD alive and well is not the experience of intrusive thoughts but actually one’s reaction to them. The more one dislikes experiencing intrusive thoughts and then tries to repress or fight with these thoughts, the greater the frequency of intrusive thoughts one will experience. The very act of trying to “not have” a bothersome thought guarantees its resurfacing. The only way to know if you are having or not having a thought is to think “Am I think about X” or “I better not think about X” which of course causes one to think about X.

So back to the question of why do those meeting criteria for OCD have such disturbing thoughts? Because they are human and to be human means one will experience freaky, odd thoughts. The human mind is constantly spinning around trying to find interesting problems to solve, in order to keep us alive. We don’t have the speed of the jaguar or the strength of a bear but we do have an all too powerful mind that is very good at planning for future challenges but also for tying itself into a knot. Freedom from OCD is not about stopping the mind from offering up strange and occasionally disturbing thoughts but learning how to recognize spam vs. urgent mail.

I must give a disclaimer here that OCD loves taking anything that is reassuring and turning it into a compulsion. So, if you are reading this blog for the hundredth time and desperately trying to figure out if this sounds like you and if your “awful thoughts” are OCD or if in fact you are an awful person, then STOP reading this blog. As I am sure your experience has shown you obtaining short-term anxiety relief through a compulsion comes at a cost in the form of greater overall anxiety. Instead, strive for long-term freedom from OCD by teaching your mind to not take itself so seriously.

Step 2: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

There is no way past OCD except through it. As described in step one, the more one avoids an intrusive thought, the more one will experience the feared, bothersome, super annoying thought. Therefore, we need to flip the equation on its head and practice bringing on the thought while disengaging from any compulsions that have been utilized to obtain short-term anxiety relief. Common compulsions engaged in, when struggling with intrusive thought OCD are reassurance seeking, information seeking/googling to determine if there is something wrong with self, mental reviewing and avoidance. The best way to organize exposure tasks is by creating an exposure hierarchy that outlines baby steps that you can take to slowly but surely prove to OCD who is in charge (hint…YOU).

Step 3: Get Support

“Support” may sound superfluous but without it your Intrusive Thought OCD fighting plan will most likely be a bust. It is near impossible to do this work alone. It is not that you are not smart enough or determined enough or brave enough to beat OCD. The reason you need external support is because there is nothing more powerful in taking the wind out of OCD’s sails than voicing intrusive thoughts out loud, to a compassionate, informed coach. The same intrusive thoughts that feel so real, all powerful and self-defining when swirling around in your head will disintegrate when said out loud. When your intrusive thoughts are released into the world and your supportive coach looks back at you, and still sees the YOU they believe in and hears your intrusive thought as “blah blah blah” and possibly laughable, your brain will be one step closer to understanding that these thoughts are spam mail and nothing more.

In terms of finding a supportive OCD coach, you can contact a therapist that is well trained in CBT for OCD but if this is price prohibitive or if there is not access in your local community to OCD experts, there are other options. You can purchase a CBT for OCD workbook and go chapter by chapter through it with any licensed therapist in your community. You can schedule an appointment with one of ADAA’s OCD specialists who offer tele-mental health services. And it is perfectly acceptable to purchase a CBT for OCD workbook and go through the material together with a friend or family member.

So you now know the three basic steps necessary to kick intrusive thought OCD to the curb. And remember, we are all so much more than our thoughts. Our lives are defined by the actions that we choose to take, not by the electrical storm of thoughts that flicker through our minds.

Dr. Kissen and Dr. Ashley D. Kendall, PhD presented a live webinar on this topic on March 12, 2018 at 1:00 pm ET. 

This webinar shares tips and tools to:

Identify if you may be dealing with harm OCD

Make sense of why harm OCD picks such painful themes and content 

Take the power away from harm OCD 

Re-engage in your life now that you are giving less of your attention and energy to harm OCD

Watch here. 

Watch here. 

https://adaa.org/webinar/consumer/pedophiles-rapists-and-murderersoh-my-how-disengage-harm-ocd-re-engage-your-life

OCD causes distress and slows you down because the intense, time-consuming obsessions (unwanted thoughts) and compulsions (ritualistic behaviors) are driven by anxiety, creating a cycle of temporary relief that reinforces the disorder. Key reasons include:

• Intense Obsessions and Compulsions:

  The core of OCD involves distressing obsessions and the compulsive rituals performed to alleviate them, taking up significant time and interfering with daily life.
• Illusion of Relief:

  Compulsions provide only temporary, "illusory" relief from anxiety, making the obsessions seem more real and reinforcing the need to perform the rituals.
• Anxiety and Fear:

  OCD is sustained by fears and doubts, such as worrying about harm or disasters, which can be so intense they become disabling. 
• Stress and Life Changes:

  Stressful life events, hormonal changes, and lack of sleep can trigger or worsen OCD symptoms, leading to more severe obsessions and compulsions.
• Thinking Patterns:

  Certain thinking patterns, like perfectionism, inflated responsibility (feeling responsible for bad things happening), and intolerance of uncertainty, exacerbate OCD.
• Social and Emotional Impact:

  The shame and guilt associated with OCD symptoms can lead to social withdrawal and make people embarrassed to seek help.
  
  What you can do

• Seek Professional Help:

  If you believe you have OCD, consult a therapist who specializes in OCD for treatment options like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy and medication.
  
  Self-Care Strategies:
• Regular exercise, sufficient sleep, and managing stress can help control symptoms. 
• Support and Self-Compassion:

  Connect with people who understand your condition and practice self-compassion to combat the guilt and shame associated with OCD.