July 2022 – Michmutters
Categories
US

Arizona House Speaker doubles back, says he’ll ‘never’ vote for Trump again

Arizona state House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R) on Sunday said he’ll never vote for former President Trump again, a reversal of earlier claims that he’d back Trump in a match-up against President Biden.

“I’ll never vote for him, but I won’t have to. Because I think America’s tired and there’s some absolutely forceful, qualified, morally defensible and upright people, and that’s what I want. That’s what I want in my party and that’s what I want to see,” Bowers told moderator Jonathan Karl during an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”

The Arizona lawmaker called Trump a “demagogue” who maintains hold on his base through “thuggery and intimidation.”

“I have thought, at times, someone born how he was, raised how he was — he has no idea what a hard life is. And what people have to go through in real—in the real world. He has no idea what courage is,” Bowers said.

Bowers’s comments were a reversal of his remarks in June, when he said he’d support the former president in a rematch of the 2020 election.

“If he is the nominee, if he was up against Biden, I’d vote for him again. Simply because what he did the first time, before COVID, was so good for the county. In my view it was,” Bowers told The Associated Press before testifying in June to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the US Capitol.

Testifying before the House panel, Bowers rejected the former president’s claims that the two men had discussed a rigged 2020 presidential election in Arizona.

Bowers said members of his party called him a “traitor” after his appearance before the committee. Trump lambasted the lawmaker as a “coward.”

Bowers on Sunday said he hoped Trump would never return to a position of power.

“I would certainly hope not. I certainly don’t trust that authority that he would exercise.”

Bowers is running for Arizona’s state Senate in this year’s midterms, and Trump has endorsed his challenger, David Farnsworth.

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Categories
Technology

Latest PlayStation 5 Accomplishment Reveals Another Reason Why Gamers Must Choose It Over Xbox Immediately

Sony is having a really good time at the moment as the PlayStation 5 is making the company proud, thanks to its growing popularity across the globe. The console has succeeded in selling very well, despite the ongoing chip shortage.

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Now a new report has revealed that the PlayStation 5 has achieved yet another sales milestone since it was first launched in November 2020. It looks like gaming enthusiasts want to have the latest and best available device at the moment to enjoy their favorite titles. And there seems to be no chance for any rival to come close.

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PlayStation 5 goes past 21.7 million sales since its original launch

As reported by PlayStation Lifestyle, Sony Interactive Entertainment just revealed that their next-gen device is performing better in 2022. By the end of June 31, the PlayStation 5 has sold over 21.7 million units worldwide.

A Sony PlayStation 5 home video game console, taken on October 29, 2020. (Photo by Olly Curtis/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

It simply means that the manufacturer managed to ship 2.4 million PS5 models in the last quarter. It’s a good increase, if not by a higher margin, when compared to the last year for a similar period. The main reason for this success can be due to the increased supply of the product over the past few months.

DIVE DEEPER

From Overwatch 2 to Call of Duty – These Are the Best PlayStation 5 Games Releasing in October 2022

about 1 month ago

Moreover, the boost in the sales for PlayStation 5 was accompanied by an increase in PS Plus subscribers as well. Coming as a piece of good news for Sony, the revamped service has added another one million new users this year.

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The PS Plus service gained an additional one million subscribers when compared to the same period in the last fiscal year. Talking about numbers, the service had 47.3 million members as of June 31. Last year, the figure stood at 46.3 million.

Meanwhile, the PlayStation 5 might reach a new sales milestone later this year when some really amazing titles come out. Without a doubt, God of War: Ragnarok is the most anticipated PS exclusive at the moment. Gaming fans are extremely hyped for its debut.

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Going by the momentum it’s having already, this game may result in more PS5 sales right ahead of its November release. It’s because those players who haven’t played the first entry so far but want to try out the sequel on a console will surely look forward to having a PS5 over any other device.

WATCH THIS STORY: Best Open-World Games on PlayStation, Xbox and PC

Categories
Sports

America mourns basketball legend and civil rights activist Bill Russell, who died aged 88

Bill Russell redefined how basketball is played, and then he changed the way sports are viewed in a racially divided country.

The most prolific winner in NBA history, Russell marched with Martin Luther King Jr, supported Muhammad Ali and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

The centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years, Russell earned his last two NBA titles as a player-coach — the first black coach in any major US sport.

Russell died on Sunday at the age of 88. His family posted the news on social media, saying his wife Jeannine was by his side. The statement did not give the cause of death, but Russell was not well enough to present the NBA Finals MVP trophy in June due to a long illness.

“Bill’s wife, Jeannine, and his many friends and family thank you for keeping Bill in your prayers. Perhaps you’ll relive one or two of the golden moments he gave us, or recall his trademark laugh as he delighted in explaining the real story behind how those moments unfolded,” the family statement said.

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“And we hope each of us can find a new way to act or speak up with Bill’s uncompromising, dignified and always constructive commitment to principle.

“That would be one last, and lasting, win for our beloved #6.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that Russell was “the greatest champion in all of team sports.”

“Bill stood for something much bigger than sports: the values ​​of equality, respect and inclusion that he stamped into the DNA of our league. At the height of his athletic career, Bill vigorously advocated for civil rights and social justice, a legacy he passed down to generations of NBA players who followed in his footsteps,” Silver said.

“Through the taunts, threats and unthinkable adversity, Bill rose above it all and remained true to his belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.”

A Hall of Famer, five-time Most Valuable Player and 12-time All-Star, Russell in 1980 was voted the greatest player in the NBA history by basketball writers.

He remains the sport’s most decorated champion — he also won two college titles and an Olympic gold medal — and an archetype of selflessness who won with defense and rebounding while others racked up gaudy scoring totals.

Often, that meant Wilt Chamberlain — the only worthy rival of Russell’s era and his prime competition for rebounds, MVP trophies and bar room arguments about who was better. Chamberlain, who died in 1999 at 63, had twice as many points, four MVP trophies of his own and is the only person in league history to grab more rebounds than Russell — 23,924 to 21,620.

But Russell dominated in the only stat he cared about: 11 championships to two.

The native of Louisiana also left a lasting mark as a black athlete in a city — and country — where race is often a flash point.

He was at the March on Washington in 1963, when King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, and he backed Muhammad Ali when the boxer was pilloried for refusing induction into the military draft.

bill russell
Bill Russell stands court side during a tribute in his honor during a game in 2013. (AP Photo: Michael Dwyer)

“To be the greatest champion in your sport, to revolutionize the way the game is played, and to be a societal leader all at once seems unthinkable, but that is who Bill Russell was,” the Boston Celtics said in a statement.

In 2011, Mr Obama awarded Russell the Medal of Freedom alongside Congressman John Lewis, billionaire investor Warren Buffett, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and baseball great Stan Musial.

“Bill Russell, the man, is someone who stood up for the rights and dignity of all men,” Obama said at the ceremony.

“He marched with King; he stood by Ali. When a restaurant refused to serve the Black Celtics, he refused to play in the scheduled game. He endured insults and vandalism, but he kept on focusing on making the teammates who he loved better players and made possible the success of so many who would follow.”

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Russell said that when he was growing up in the segregated south and later California his parents instilled in him the calm confidence that allowed him to brush off racist taunts.

“Years later, people asked me what I had to go through,” Russell said in 2008.

“Unfortunately, or fortunately, I’ve never been through anything. From my first moment of being alive was the notion that my mother and father loved me.”

It was Russell’s mother who would tell him to disregard comments from those who might see him playing in the yard.

“Whatever they say, good or bad, they don’t know you,” he recalled her saying.

“They’re wrestling with their own demons.”

But it was Jackie Robinson who gave Russell a road map for dealing with racism in his sport: “Jackie was a hero to us. He always conducted himself as a man. He showed me the way to be a man in professional sports.”

The feeling was mutual, Russell learned, when Robinson’s widow, Rachel, called and asked him to be a pallbearer at her husband’s funeral in 1972.

Bill Russell and Muhammad Ali
Bill Russell (left), with Muhammad Ali (centre) and college basketballer Lew Alcindor. The photo was taken during a meeting of a group of the nation’s top athletes to hear Ali’s views of him on rejecting Army induction. (Getty Images)

“She hung the phone up and I asked myself, ‘How do you get to be a hero to Jackie Robinson?'” Russell said. “I was so flattered.”

William Felton Russell was born on February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana.

He was a child when his family moved to the West Coast, and he went to high school in Oakland, California, and then the University of San Francisco. He led the Dons to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956 and won a gold medal in 1956 at the Melbourne Olympics.

Celtics coach and general manager Red Auerbach so coveted Russell that he worked out a trade with the St Louis Hawks for the second pick in the draft. He promised the Rochester Royals, who owned the number one pick, a lucrative visit by the Ice Capades, which were also run by Celtics owner Walter Brown.

Still, Russell arrived in Boston to complain that he wasn’t that good.

Bill Russell in Melbourne
Bill Russell, back left, joins his US teammates in posing for a photo with Soviet Union basketballers during the 1956 Melbourne Olympics at the Royal Exhibition Building.(Getty Images)

“People said it was a wasted draft choice, wasted money,” he recalled.

“They said, ‘He’s no good. All he can do is block shots and rebound.’ And Red said, ‘That’s enough.'”

The Celtics also picked up Tommy Heinsohn and KC Jones, Russell’s college teammate, in the same draft. Although Russell joined the team late because he was leading the US to the Olympic gold, Boston finished the regular season with the league’s best record.

The Celtics won the NBA championship — their first of 17 — in a double-overtime seventh game against Bob Pettit’s St Louis Hawks. Russell won his first MVP award the next season, but the Hawks won the title in a finals rematch. The Celtics won it all again in 1959, starting an unprecedented string of eight consecutive NBA crowns.

At 6-foot-10 centre, Russell never averaged more than 18.9 points during his 13 seasons, each year averaging more rebounds per game than points. For 10 seasons I have averaged more than 20 rebounds. He eleven had 51 rebounds in a game; Chamberlain holds the record with 55.

Auerbach retired after winning the 1966 title, and Russell became the player-coach — the first Black head coach in NBA history, and almost a decade before Frank Robinson took over baseball’s Cleveland Indians. Boston finished with the second-best regular-season record in the NBA, and its title streak ended with a loss to Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Division finals.

Russell led the Celtics back to titles in 1968 and ’69, each time winning a seven-game play-off series against Chamberlain. Russell retired after the ’69 finals, returning for a relatively successful — but unfulfilling — four-year stint as coach and GM of the Seattle SuperSonics and a less fruitful half season as coach of the Sacramento Kings.

Russell’s number six jersey was retired by the Celtics in 1972. He earned spots on the NBA’s 25th anniversary all-time team in 1970, 35th anniversary team in 1980 and 75th anniversary team. In 1996, he was hailed as one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players.

In 2009, the MVP trophy of the NBA Finals was named in his honor — even though Russell never won himself, because it wasn’t awarded for the first time until 1969. Russell, however, traditionally presented the trophy for many years, the last time in 2019 to Kawhi Leonard; Russell was not there in 2020 because of the NBA bubble nor in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns.

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Categories
Australia

Making plans for your own death is a kindness to those you leave behind

Artist, maker and designer Dom Foffani was 24 years old when he and his brother walked into the family kitchen to find their father dead on the floor.

As his family sat around the table in the hours of grief and planning that followed, Foffani’s mother and brothers realized they had no idea of ​​their father’s wishes for his death: did he want to be buried or cremated? What type of funeral did he want? Had he made a will?

They eventually decided against a “quiet and solemn and shy and sad” ceremony. “We wanted something that was fun and silly and stupid because that was him,” Foffani says.

Preparing for a good death: Dom Foffani

Preparing for a good death: Dom FoffaniCredit:Pexels/Dom Foffani

“We found out that our dad wanted to be buried, but we decided he would be cremated, and we only found that when his will came to the surface, which none of us had read.”

Foffani, from Sydney, resolved to not die the same way, and the now-29-year-old began preparing for his own death – not as morbid as it might sound. He started talking with his family about his funeral, organ donation and more. He wrote it all down and put it in his backpack before he went overseas.

A ‘good death’ is when you have considered end-of-life planning.

Cherelle Martin

“The idea of ​​what happens when something goes wrong overseas, and no one knows who I am or what my wishes are or who to contact… That was quite a practical decision I made, to write out what my wishes are,” he says.

After years of a pandemic-induced focus on death, and voluntary assisted dying now legal in all states (it is not legal in the ACT or Northern Territory), Australians are being urged to talk about plans for the inevitable.

Having the first conversation about death can be the difference between leaving your family and friends drowning in paperwork and having real space to grieve, says Cherelle Martin, a campaigner for the August 8 Dying to Know Day, a day encouraging Australians to become “death literate” ”.

Categories
US

Indiana police officer shot and killed during traffic stop in ‘senseless act of violence’

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A 24-year-old police officer was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Madison County, Indiana, around 2 am on Sunday, according to law enforcement.

Noah Shahnavaz, a US Army veteran who had been a member of the Elwood Police Department for 11 months, was taken to an Indianapolis-area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The suspect, 42-year-old Carl Roy Webb Boards II, allegedly got out of a 2012 Buick LaCrosse after being pulled over and fired at Shahnavaz multiple times, striking him at least once, according to the Indiana State Police.

Boards then allegedly fled the scene in his car before Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies located him around 2:30 am

Police deployed a tire deflation device and performed two PIT maneuvers, sending the Buick into a median. Boards was taken into custody without further incident.

He will be charged on Monday with murder, possession of a firearm by a violent felon, resisting law enforcement, as well as two enhancements for use of a firearm and being a habitual offender, according to Madison County chief deputy prosecutor Andrew Hannah.

TWO LOS ANGELES-AREA POLICE OFFICERS DIE AFTER SHOOTOUT WITH SUSPECT

“Noah proudly wore the Elwood Police Department uniform, serving the citizens of Elwood, he was part of our city family. A senseless act of violence robbed this man of the life and career that he had ahead of him,” Elwood Mayor Todd Jones said at a press conference on Sunday afternoon.

“On behalf of myself, my family and a most grateful city, I’m asking you to keep Noah’s family, friends, the Elwood Police Department and our city in your thoughts and prayers as we attempt to navigate through this tragic time.”

Carl Roy Webb Boards II, 42, allegedly shot and killed a police officer on Sunday morning in Madison County, Indiana.

Carl Roy Webb Boards II, 42, allegedly shot and killed a police officer on Sunday morning in Madison County, Indiana.
(Hamilton County Jail)

Boards is currently being held in the Hamilton County Jail.

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Shahnavaz, who served in the US Army for five years and graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in April, leaves behind his mother, father and siblings.

“When’s it going to stop? I wish I had the answer. This young man served this country for five years and chose to come back and serve a local community,” Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said Sunday.

Categories
Business

Jetstar Welcomes First Airbus A321LR

This morning, the first Airbus A321LR to operate in the Australia and Pacific region rolled into Jetstar’s Hangar 41 at Melbourne Airport, precisely on time at 09:30. Resplendent in its new Jetstar livery, the airplane had stopovers in Mumbai and Perth on its flight from Germany’s Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport.

The A321LR drew a big crowd to hangar 41

Jetstar CEO Gareth Evans and Airbus’ Head of Sales Pacific Marie-Frédérique Romain greeted the new Airbus A321LR. Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying

On hand to greet it were Jetstar CEO Gareth Evans, Airbus Head of Sales Pacific Marie-Frédérique Romain, Simple Flying and a crowd of very enthusiastic Jetstar staff with their families. After the aircraft was towed into the hangar and secured, the two senior Jetstar captains, David McCutcheon and Greg Eastaway emerged to a pop-star welcome. The long-range Airbus A321neo only needed two stopovers between Hamburg and Melbourne, the first in Mumbai (BOM), India and the second in Perth on the west coast of Australia.

SIMPLEFLYING VIDEO OF THE DAY

When Jetstar placed the A321neo order in 2011, no one had heard of a coronavirus pandemic or expected aviation would be grounded. Speaking to Simple Flying, Evans said the decision made over a decade ago has turned out to be “absolutely the right decision.”

“It was a long time ago and it was absolutely the right decision, and if we had known then what we know now today we wouldn’t have changed a thing, these are the right aircraft for us, arriving for us at absolutely the right I think the important thing is the relationship we have with Airbus, the flexibility they have shown us as we try to manage our whole business, as Airbus has had to manage their whole business, through this roller-coaster of things over that period. of time, but particularly the last two to three years as we’ve gone through COVID.”

The Jetstar Airbus A321LR is the first of 18 to be delivered, with 20 A321XLRs to follow. Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying

The range of the Airbus A321LR puts east coast cities like Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane within reach of popular Asian destinations, including Bali, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Tokyo. It can reach as far afield from Perth as Shanghai, Hanoi, Colombo, the Maldives and the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. The aircraft will enter service in a few weeks between Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Cairns Airport (CNS), the gateway to the tropical mecca of the Great Barrier Reef. Evans said the A321neo’s arrival is a symbol “of the re-emergence of the airline as it comes out of COVID.”


“This is the first in a pipeline of NEO aircraft for the Qantas Group; we will be taking 18 of the long-range [LR] aircraft over the next two years and a further 20 of the extra long range [XLR], providing even longer range narrowbody flying. The aircraft will also lift the bar for us in terms of comfort for our customers, flying long distances, enabling us to fly to destinations that our existing A320 fleet can’t, and importantly will deliver a much more fuel-efficient way to fly. All of which will help make travel more affordable in Australia.”

Sustainability has not been forgotten with the LEAP engines and new paint system

The CFM LEAP-1A engines and the new paint system drive the sustainability credentials of the Jetstar A321LR. Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying

On sustainability, the new paint system, lightweight galley carts and freight containers reduce the weight of the Jetstar A321LR by more than 170 kilograms on each flight. Evans said this “translates to a saving of 1.2 million kilograms of fuel annually, a reduction of more than 4,000 tonnes of emissions, the equivalent of removing 1500 cars from roads annually.” The CFM LEAP 1A engines on the A321LR also add to emissions reduction, using 15% less fuel and being 50% quieter than the current A320ceo fleet.

The cabin will be a whole new experience for low-airfare passengers. In a first for low-fare carriers in Australia, Jetstar will introduce digital streaming later this year so customers can access the inflight entertainment on their own devices. Evans said:

“We’ve fine-tuned the cabin to create the best inflight experience for low fares travel, the aircraft has the widest cabin for a single-aisle aircraft, and we’ve used that space innovatively with wider seats, extra large overhead bins and in-seat USB chargers for personal devices.”

The A321LRs bring flexibility and capacity to Jetstar

The Jetstar A321LR got a warmer reception inside the hangar than the cold dreary Melbourne day. Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying

The A321LRs are destined primarily for domestic routes, where the extra capacity will be used to meet higher demand. Longer term Evans sees a future where they will support the current Boeing B787 international fleet in a mix of domestic and international flying. The next eight A321LRs will arrive between August 2022 and May 2023, with all 18 delivered by mid-2024. The A321XLRs will be delivered between 2024 and 2029.

The freshness and smell of a new airplane are a little surreal, so if you have been on one, please tell us about your experience.

Categories
Technology

New GTA 6 Report Confirms Leak From 2018

A new report associated with GTA 6 seems to have just confirmed a leak associated with the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game that came about all the way back in 2018. Even though Rockstar Games only just confirmed earlier this year that it is in the process of making Grand Theft Auto VI, the game itself has been in the works in some capacity for a prolonged period of time. And with that in mind, it sounds like the core of GTA 6 was first being developed as far back as four years ago.

Just a few days back, a high-profile report from Bloomberg detailed new information associated with GTA 6. Namely, the game is said to center around two protagonists, one of which will be a female. In addition to this, the setting of GTA 6 is set against the backdrop of a fictional version of Miami. Previously, though, the scope of the game was planned to be much larger and would have allowed players to travel between different cities in both North America and South America. This ended up changing though as Rockstar Games seemingly decided that this would be far too large of an undertaking.

So how does this tie in with what we heard in the past? Well, back in 2018, Inside Gaming leaked some first details about what GTA 6 might contain. At the time, it was said that Miami (or potentially Vice City) would be the setting for the title and also suggested that locations in South America would be traversable as well. At the moment, fans didn’t know whether or not this leak was accurate, but this week’s new report seems to have corroborated that this was all very much true. As such, Rockstar Games has been working on GTA 6 in some manner dating all the way back to 2018.

All of this just goes to show that even though we often hear a lot of rumors related to Grand Theft Auto, sometimes, those leaks end up being spot-on. It remains to be seen if any other rumors or reports tied to Grand Theft Auto VI will end up ringing true in the long run, but it’s fascinating to look back on this information in retrospect.

GTA 6 still doesn’t have a release window of any sort, but the game is said to likely not be releasing until 2024 at the earliest. Whenever we get new information on the project, we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop here on ComicBook.com.

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Categories
Sports

Manly pride jersey saga, players angry, text messages, emergency meeting, LGBTQIA jersey, news, highlights, Roosters clash, finals race

Fuming Sea Eagles players reportedly sent angry text messages to each other after the decision of seven teammates to stand down from the club’s crucial Roosters clash.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the players demanded to know why the seven players in question put the Sea Eagles’ final hopes in danger over the pride jersey saga.

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With their season in danger of imploding, the Manly playing group then organized an emergency meeting on Sunday hoping to smooth things over and mend relationships ahead of the last five rounds of the regular season.

Reports suggest the squad relieved tensions prior to the group’s return to training.

The emergency meeting was reportedly sparked by a breakfast between Josh Aloiai, one of the players who boycotted the match, Jake Trbojevic, Lachlan Croker and another team member.

Aloiai alongside Tolutau Koula, Haumole Olakau’atu, Jason Saab, Josh Schuster, Toafofoa Sipley and Christian Tuipulotu refused to play on religious grounds, angering teammates.

The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield provided details on the crisis meeting on Big Sports Breakfast.

“The club brought in a professional mediator to get the group of players to get together to try and get a sympathetic understanding from both sides,” Rothfield said.

“I don’t think they’re ever going to agree on the fact that the players did the right thing by withdrawing from the match last week but what they want is for the players who did play to get a better understanding of what and why they did it.

“That’s why everything was put on the table yesterday and there were discussions.

“I was told late last week the risk amongst the players in the team was basically it was not reversible it was quite deep and the boys who did play and played very bravely against the Roosters could not comprehend why their teammates took such drastic actions.

“I think after they got together yesterday there is an understanding, I still think there’s a very long way to go before it is completely sorted out to a satisfactory position where they’re prepared to like all NRL clubs to have full time camaraderie and strengths and spirit.

“I think you can call it an uneasy trick between the players.”

Wingers star in Bulldogs victory | 02:52

It comes amid fears within the playing group that the pride jersey saga could continue next season after players denied they would be willing to don the kit in 2023.

“I’m certainly aware the playing group is getting together,” Manly chairman Scott Penn said on Big Sports Breakfast last week.

“It’s really important everyone gets together and just talks it through. There needs to be a ‘clear-the-air’ session which is perfectly normal in these circumstances.”

“There’s not a deep divide which has been reported but I think there is some frustration in terms of the way all this played out.

“I met with six of the seven – Josh (Aloiai) was injured and wasn’t training but I spoke to him a little bit later. They are very determined and they were put in a difficult position but there are absolutely no hard feelings at all. As I discussed with them at the time, their focus now is on Parramatta.

Brain fade gives Niche a golden moment | 00:51

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“The seven were very clear in their view and religious beliefs and we totally respected that. They have copped it from certain circles and that is unfortunate because we didn’t ever want to put them in that position.

“We will see a very cohesive team for the next five weeks. It was an emotional week and the circumstances put everyone in a difficult position.”

Reports suggest the meeting was not to try and change views, but to clear the air and find a common group as to why the group stood down.

As it stands, the Sea Eagles sit in 10th place, one win behind the Roosters and Raiders.

Des Hasler’s side will face the Eels, Titans, Sharks, Raiders and Bulldogs to close out the season, and every game is a must-win encounter.

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Categories
Australia

Teachers to get helping hand preparing for lessons

“It is important to try and reduce administrative load and lesson planning time. There is also evidence that student needs have become more complex,” Hunter said.

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Teachers often draw on their own resources, sharing with colleagues, using Google, Pinterest and online marketplaces to buy educational materials, which can cause huge variation between what is taught in schools.

“Provided the resources are easy for teachers to use and can be adapted in the classroom this is a big step forward,” Hunter said.

“The government shouldn’t underestimate the amount of support needed to roll this out. Even high-quality resources can be challenging for teachers to pick up and run with unless they have professional training and learn how to use it effectively.”

Pressure on teachers has grown in the past decade, she said, as more data was collected to track student progress and there was increased emphasis on student assessment.

While some teachers have argued standard curriculum resources encroach on professional freedom, experts say this view is generally held by a minority.

Mitchell said the resources were “not about taking the creativity out of teaching, that’s what our teachers do best”.

“It’s about providing teachers with a basic recipe for student success, while allowing them to contextualize how they use the ingredients to get the best outcomes for their students.”

A NSW Department of Education review of teacher workload of more than 4000 submissions found overwhelming support curriculum resources.

Hunter said there was “major room for improvement in terms of support for teachers to implement the curriculum in the classroom. In the US, UK and Singapore more support is provided.”

In 2014, a UK government working group found teachers were frequently preparing lessons from scratch and searching the internet to find lesson plans. A pilot program was subsequently set up where schools share high-quality curriculum resources with others in their networks.

“Teachers need to focus on the learning needs of the students. The rise of the internet has allowed for a lot more sharing of resources, many of which are of highly variable quality. Years ago there were more textbooks in classrooms and many commercial resources are of mixed quality,” Hunter said.

Draft new NSW syllabuses for years 3-10 English and mathematics were released earlier this year, with the English syllabus to put more focus on literacy skills amid concerns, while NSW primary schools will intensify their focus on literacy and numeracy, with the introduction of a new syllabus mandating the use of phonics.

Categories
US

Hollywood Farmer’s Market Sees Shots Fired – Deadline

UPDATE: Shortly before noon, police confirmed that the Hollywood Farmer’s Market suspected gunman was taken into custody.

LAPD confirmed that the man had been firing a gun Sunday morning. No injuries were reported.

EARLIER: Los Angeles television station KTLA reported a series of gunshots shut down the Hollywood Farmers’ Market Sunday morning around 7:30 AM.

Witnesses described an “active shooter” situation, but no reports of injuries or deaths were immediately available. Los Angeles police received reports of a man with a handgun who fired “multiple rounds” in the 1600 block of Cosmo Street.

Around 7:30 am, Los Angeles police received reports of a man with a handgun who had fired “multiple rounds” in the 1600 block of Cosmo Street.

The Hollywood Farmers’ Market was closed for the investigation. A police helicopter was seen overhead, and around 9:20 AM, LAPD said there was an active standoff with a suspect who was throwing rocks from a balcony. A SWAT team was on the scene.

Farmers’ Market organizers posted a statement on Facebook that said in part, “We’re glad our staff and vendors are OK.” Shoppers were also encouraged to visit the Farmers’ Market sister location at Atwater Village.697