July 2022 – Page 27 – Michmutters

Month: July 2022

Categories
Entertainment

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter makes big screen debut

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter makes big screen debut

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter made her on-screen debut.

Holmes, 43, stars in the newly released movie “Alone Together,” and her daughter Suri Cruise, 16, joined her on the big screen, Fox News Digital has reported.

“I always want the highest level of talent,” Holmes said in an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment. “So, I asked her. She’s very, very talented. She said she would do it, and she recorded it, and I let her do her thing about her. That’s the way I direct in general. It’s like, ‘This is what I think we all want – go do your thing.’”

In the movie, Suri sings a cover of “Blue Moon,” which plays during the opening credits of the film. Holmes told the outlet this will not be her daughter’s only on-screen singing gig.

“She actually did sing in ‘Rare Objects,’ which is the film we did last fall,” Holmes explained. “Other than that, she she’s a 16-year-old kid doing high school.”

Cruise and Holmes were married from 2006 to 2012. Suri is their only child together, and Suri’s parents opted to keep her out of the public eye for a majority of her childhood.

Holmes directed, wrote and stars in “Alone Together.” She stars alongside Jim Sturgess in the romantic comedy set during the coronavirus pandemic. The film follows a man and woman fleeing New York City during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020.

The pair end up booking the same Airbnb and ultimately decide to stay at the upstate property together.

Sturgess praised Holmes’ directing style and shared that she gives actors wide latitude when they are in front of the camera.

“She gives you this incredible space between action and cut,” Sturgess said of his co-star.

“She very rarely shouted, ‘Cut!’ actually. You’d think the scene had ended and she just kind of left it hanging. I love that she was always searching for those little nuggets of authenticity.”

The movie is in theaters and will move to video on demand on Friday.

This article originally appeared in Fox News Digital and was reproduced with permission.

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Categories
Sports

Chelsea Hodges’s bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham is the sweetest success after a difficult 12 months

swimmer chelsea hodges smiles while holding up her commonwealth games bronze medal

Sometimes it’s not about winning, it’s just about getting in the pool.

And Chelsea Hodges’s bronze medal in the women’s 50 meter breaststroke was proof of that.

“The last 12 months have been really hard,” she told ABC Sport.

“Just to come back to do that swim, no words for it. I’m just incredibly proud of myself.”

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Categories
Australia

After a night in a medical tent unable to stand, I felt a soft but unmistakable warmth – love | relationships

Yon February 1997, at midnight, I was riding my pushbike through a park on my way to Canberra’s city center when I somehow became sprawled on the ground, my palms bloodied and covered in gravel. Earlier I had been drinking with friends; now, so it seemed, a fence had come out of nowhere.

Every week that summer I had been going to Heaven, Canberra’s only gay nightclub. I had told no one about my nocturnal adventures. Nor had I met anyone. I had grown up listening to the Cure, not Madonna. Rather than go shopping, I could talk for hours about the Irish novelist Colm Tóibín. Sitting around a campfire was my thing, not pumping weights.

“Go home,” I told myself. “This is not for you. And you’re drunk.”

But, driven by a subterranean need, I picked myself up and kept going.

Half an hour later, a figure, slim and lithe, appeared on the dance floor. Doc Marten boots. Tight black jeans. A black, ribbed top, the sort Depeche Mode would have worn in their younger years. Bleached blonde hair. and he had moves. (I danced like a robot whose batteries were running out.)

Two weeks later, Tim moved into my flat.

Two months after that, we brought home a Dalmatian puppy.

During our third year together, we bought a car. Then a house.

By 2002, however, it became obvious that we were two very independent people. Claustrophobia had set in. The relationship ended.

Nigel Featherstone with Tim, around 1997
Nigel Featherstone with Tim in about 1997, when they first met. Photographer: Nigel Featherstone

Although I was now 32, I wanted to have another go at the gay scene. I did not want to meet anyone; I wanted to go home with guys and not exchange phone numbers, or even names. I lost weight. I wore nightclub clothes – tight white tops and flared denim jeans. I only listened to dance music.

I discovered ecstasy.

In 2003, two friends and I went to Sydney for Mardi Gras. Before the parade we drunk bottles of champagne; we took a pill each. In a car park, a joint. Just before we went through the party turnstiles, we took more pills.

Minutes later, my legs buckled.

As topless men danced around me, abs and pecs lit up by strobe lights, I exited the venue – in a wheelchair.

In the medical tent, a softly spoken doctor laid me down on a gurney.

I have held my hand.

Three girls in their late teens appeared; apparently one of them was experiencing hot patches on her brain. Then a man in his early twenties: the medical team laid him on a gurney too. “He’s turning blue,” said one of the doctors. “Call an ambulance.” Twenty minutes later, I heard the same doctor say into his mobile phone from him. “We really need that ambulance.”

All the while, the kind doctor dropped by to hold my hand.

By dawn I could stand again.

“Take care,” said my doctor. “You were as pale as a ghost when you were brought in. We were very worried about you.”

I found my friends.

Down at Bondi, the sun a burning ball over the ocean, I texted Tim and told him what had happened. “I hope you’re OK now,” he replied.

On the train back to Canberra, I listened to Ministry of Sound’s Chillout Sessions Volume 3, bought on Tim’s recommendation. It included an acoustic version of Another Chance by Roger Sanchez, the lyrics little more than the title repeated over and over.

I looked out the window and, in that moment, felt a soft but unmistakable warmth. I knew then that with Tim, I had experienced love. It had been imperfect and, at times, bewildering, but it had also been real.

Three months later, Tim and I got back together. This time we promised each other to take things slow, to see each other every week, but also to respect – indeed encourage – independence.

Twenty years later, that is what we are still doing. We live in towns an hour’s drive apart, and see each other every week.

Our Saturday evenings these days are spent on the couch, a blanket over our legs and torsos, a whiskey glass in one hand and a piece of chocolate in the other, something streaming on the TV. As always, around 9pm, Tim will turn to me and say, “Is it time for bed now, pumpkin?”

Categories
US

Dozens rescued from Pacific Crest Trail as McKinney Fire threatens Yreka

Dozens rescued from Pacific Crest Trail as McKinney Fire threatens Yreka

Dozens of hikers on the famed Pacific Crest Trail have been located and evacuated as the McKinney Fire explodes along the California-Oregon border.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, at least 60 hikers were found on the trail in the Klamath National Forest and escorted to safety. A spokesperson from the sheriff’s office told NewsWatch 12 that although no hikers were in imminent danger, the remote nature of the trail and the quickly changing wildfire conditions made search-and-rescue the best option.

The Pacific Crest Trail is over 2,600 miles of varied, stunning hiking from the California-Mexico border up to the Washington-Canada border. It’s believed that hundreds of people attempt to complete the full hike each year, but it’s estimated that hundreds of thousands of people enjoy some section of the trail annually.

In response to the fire, the Forest Service has closed 110 miles of the PCT. The emergency closure order is in effect through August 30.

“The closure is from Etna Summit (mile 1600) in Northern California to Mt. Ashland Campground (~mile 1710) in Southern Oregon,” the PCT’s official website says. “If you are on the PCT in this area, please evacuate to the closest town.”

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The McKinney Fire broke out on Friday in the Klamath National Forest, about 15 miles south of the Oregon border, sending out a massive pyrocumulus cloud and triggering a flurry of evacuations in small forestland communities in the northern most part of the Golden State. The McKinney Fire was reported at 300 acres on Friday night with no containment, and exploded overnight, reaching 30,000 acres by Saturday evening, the US Forest Service said.

“Because of the erratic winds the fire is going all over the place,” Caroline Quintanilla, a public information officer with the US Forest Service, told SFGATE on Saturday afternoon.


For full updates on the McKinney Fire, click here.

SFGATE news editor Amy Graff contributed to this report.

Categories
Business

2022 Genesis GV80 Luxury review

2022 Genesis GV80 Luxury review

Hyundai is one of a horde of makers trying to ruffle the feathers of the German establishment by creating its own luxury brand.

We sample the top flight Genesis GV80 SUV that is packed with luxury features.

There’s a different level of customer service

Genesis is in its infancy as a brand. The luxury arm of Hyundai can’t match the badge appeal of a BMW, Audi or Mercedes-Benz, so it differentiates itself by offering more ownership perks.

The first five scheduled services are free and Genesis will pick up and drop off your car when a service is due, provided you live within 70km of a Genesis studio.

They’ll also leave you a courtesy vehicle while the service is completed.

A complimentary five-year roadside assistance program provides some icing on the cake.

The cabin feels plush

Our test vehicle had the optional six-seater luxury package, which costs an extra $13,000 over the GV80 starting price of $92,000 plus on-roads. More seats costs less – the seven-seat version’s luxury pack is only $10,000.

For the extra spend, there’s quality Nappa leather throughout, a big 12.3-inch digital display in front of the driver, suede finishes on the roof and pillars, heated and ventilated seats in the first and second rows and power adjustable seats and sunshades in the back.

The extra $3000 in the six-seat version buys individual, reclining second-row seats with airline-style winged headrests, a center console with a wireless charger and twin 9.2-inch rear entertainment screens.

It feels like business class.

Some of the tech feels like overkill

Genesis isn’t alone in having electric adjustment of all three rows of seats, but you’re left wondering if a simple manual lever to fold the seats would be a better solution.

It certainly would be quicker.

The automatic parking function is also something you tend to use only once to show off to the neighbours. The massaging seats switch on automatically after a certain time, which can be disconcerting if you’re not expecting it.

It’s a genuine luxury brand

The attention to detail and quality of materials in the cabin is up there with German rivals and there’s more bling for the buck in terms of gadgets and luxury items.

Highlights include the blind-spot alert that shows you a video feed of the road behind you when you flick the indicator. The ambient lighting adds an air of sophistication after dark, as do the puddle lamps that light the road when you open the door at night.

Genesis finished top of all the luxury brands in the respected JD Power quality and dependability survey.

The driving experience is a little off the pace, though

There are three engine choices for the GV80. It kicks off with a turbo four-cylinder putting out a healthy 224kW and 422Nm, then there’s a 3.0-liter diesel with 204kW and 588Nm and a 3.5-liter turbo V6 pumping out 279kW and 530Nm.

We had the diesel, which delivers an impressive blend of grunt and refinement. A silky 8-speed auto manages to pluck the right gear for maximum thrust and it’s reasonably efficient for its size.

The driving experience is let down, though, by suspension that struggles for composure on rougher roads. It tends to float a little over bigger bumps, while the big 22-inch wheels with low-profile rubber get fidgety on pockmarked bitumen.

The steering feels sharp but through corners you can feel the weight of the car as it pitches and leans. It’s fine for family freeway motoring, but lacks the poise of a BMW X5 or Audi Q8.

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Categories
Technology

We Road Tested A Stack Of Meditation Apps So You Don’t Have To

We Road Tested A Stack Of Meditation Apps So You Don't Have To

Sleep. It can be both an elusive beast, or an insistent guest, nudging at your eyelids at the most inconvenient times of the day. We’re all familiar with the sensation of dread that accompanies the alarm creeping its way into your morning slumber and the perplexity of waking up somehow more tired than when we fell into bed the night before.

While many factors contribute to poor sleep quality, including lifestyle, stress, diet and your environment, there’s one thing that has the potential to make a world of difference—and it can take as little as 5 minutes of your day. That thing is meditation.

Also known as mindfulness, this purposeful practice is considered to have a positive impact on sleep quality. According to Sleep Foundation, “at a biological level, meditation slows the heart rate and breathing and lowers levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.” It is also theorized that “mindfulness may improve sleep quality” and that practicing mindfulness and meditation equip you with the resources to “calm down the nervous system in preparation for sleep.”

So, in an effort to help you set up your mornings for success, we tried some of the most hyped meditation apps on the market. Read on to suss which app works for your own mindfulness vibe.

Smiling Mind

Price:Free

If a good benchmark for whether we vibe an app or not is diving back in after our research phase, then this app ticks the box. We’ve revisited Smiling Mind multiple times since we downloaded it, and can already attest to positive changes. It might look like it’s angeled toward a young adult audience, and it is, but it also has a wealth of content for adults too. Plus, it features homegrown Aussie voices, which is a treat amongst the US and UK leaders in the market.

We recommend the NAIDOC Week Meditation, led by the iconic activist, actor, author and Indigenous elder and 2022 recipient of the NAIDOC Male Elder of the Year, Uncle Jack Charles. If you’re looking to use your commute time to grab a little bit of mindfulness, dive into the Daily Commute series. We also have our eye on the 21 Night Sleep Program, a series specifically designed to use a variety of tools and techniques to help you build healthy habits for a healthy mind, and get a better night’s sleep.

Free, user-friendly and a great range of local talent—we highly recommend it.

calm

Price: 7-day free trial, $79.99 for 1 year, $549.99 for lifetime membership

If the idea of ​​having Simon, the Duke of Hastings trickling his smooth Bridgertonesk elocution into your ears is an ideal mindfulness moment, then Calm is definitely the app for you. Featuring sleep stories told by the likes of Regé-Jean Page, Jesse Mei Li, and Cillian Murphy, this app understands the snooze assignment. Don’t even get us started on the Bob Ross-led ASMR tracks for the soothing factor.

Not just for those hoping to catch a few more z’s, Calm has an extensive range of meditation tracks, encompassing Beginners, Work, Anxiety, Self-Care and a Breaking Habits Series. If you’re interested in ongoing wellness and crafting new habits, this series covers a range of aspects including Thinking, Comparison & Busyness. If your frequency is a more calming guided meditation with ambient sound, we love the Sigur Rós Sound Bath Experience.

head space

Price: 7-day free trial, $12.99 per month or $69.99 per year

This app is beloved for a reason. With a stack of guided meditations ranging from Five Mindful Minutes, to the longer 10-20 minutes tracks, Headspace is extensive and has a sense of playfulness that keeps it fresh. Learn breathing techniques from the master of calm, Yoda himself. Or take a more serious approach and start right at the beginning with easy-to-follow stages, from basics to self-reflection and letting go of stress. Specific themes see a range of tracks focusing on issues like managing financial stress, dealing with the complexities of sexuality and dealing with external and internal pressure.

A great app for embarking on a mindfulness journey if you’re a beginner or if there are specific areas in your life you want to craft healthier habits.

Insight Timer

Price: Free content with an option for premium access, $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year

Smattered with recognizable voices, the likes of Goldie Hawn and meditation guru Lama Rod Owens, Insight Timer has an extensive range of guided meditations and tracks for a detailed range of topics. From interviews to relationship, sleep and performance-specific tracks, there’s something for everyone.

If you’re already a bit of a meditation buff, the namesake timer is great and allows you to craft your own guide, with interval bells and personalized sounds. It also provides a community aspect, with the option to engage with a public profile. If you just want to focus on your own thing, there’s a private option too.

Great for those who have a foothold in classic meditation and want a little help structuring their practice without necessarily being guided. We did find the app a touch clunky though.

SBS Great Minds Podcast

Price:Free

If you feel like you’ve tried all of the meditation apps under the sun, and nothing seems to be the right fit, this podcast might be for you. Hosted by Leah Vandenberg, the SBS Great Minds Podcast provides a doorway into a range of meditation practices from around the world. Learn about Filipino Hilot, Japanese forest bathing and Hawaiian ho’oponopono during the bite-sized, 15-minute episodes. Throughout the 18-episode series, you’ll travel the world with Vandenberg and a little closer to home with a wellness practice grounded in First Nations’ connection to Country called Wayapa Wuurrk developed by Gunai Kurnai man Jamie Marloo Thomas.

Great for delving deeper into the art of mindfulness and what that means around the globe, or reigniting your interest if you’re suffering a little meditation fatigue.

iBreathe

Price:Free

This app is astonishingly simple, and does what it says on the box. iBreathe is structured around simple breathing techniques, allowing you to delve into mindfulness from a physical place. There are four key breathing techniques the app follows, including 4-7-8, Ujjayi, Box and Custom. 4-7-8 and Ujjayi are methods of breathing based on the ancient practice of pranayama yoga that works to calm the mind and the body. Box breathing is a super simple and repetitive method that is a great technique to have in your pocket if you’re out and about and life catches you unaware with a cheeky bout of stress. Using simple 4-second cycles of inhale/exhale repetition, the app can help establish a technique you can replicate on demand.

It’s free which is amazing, but there are a few pesky ads that pop up between sessions, but they won’t interrupt your breathing time. You can also pay a small fee to upgrade the ad-free access.

It Doesn’t Have A Name, But It’s A Hot, Hot Tip

Price: Priceless

Controversial, but before you go downloading any of these apps that tickle your mindful fancy, we want to pop in a review of something that is kind of the opposite of an app, in a way. The good news is that it’s totally free, does still involve your phone and is something that we have been trialling for a week at the time of writing with great success.

That thing is turning off the notifications on our phones during work hours. Yep, Messenger, Instagram, Tiktok, you name it, we’ve silenced it (except for text messages because if we leave mum unanswered for too long, she’ll worry, you know).

Long review short, this change has made a huge impact on our focus and mindfulness throughout the day, without group chat notifications niggling at our curiosity and FOMO.

If an app for classic meditation isn’t for you, that doesn’t mean the end of the road for your mindfulness journey. There are heaps of ways to engage in mindfulness and support your body to encourage less stress and improved restful sleep. Active meditation and taking time to be in the moment with activities like cooking, walking in nature and going for a swim are also great ways to get back in touch with yourself and simple things like taking a daily multivitamin can have tangible results on your overall wellbeing .

Head over here for Reason Season’s second Morning module on crafting a morning routine you can actually stick to.

To receive all of the upcoming weekly modules for Reason Season straight to your inbox sign up over here, plus go into the draw to win a $4,000 wellness getaway for two.

Image credit: Urban List

Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Swiss and proudly endorsed by Urban List. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make Urban List possible. Click here for more information on our editorial policy.

Categories
Sports

Commonwealth Games 2022: cycling crash mars day three action – live | Commonwealth Games 2022

Key events

Men’s bowls: England 13-11 Jersey after end 16. It’s sooooooo close! Who will win?

Australia’s Georgia Baker wins Women’s Points gold

Cycling: The Australian dominated the race and takes first place with points. Scotland’s Neah Evans takes silver and Wales’ Eluned King picks up bronze.

Georgia Baker wins gold for Australia!
Georgia Baker wins gold for Australia! Photograph: Ian Walton/AP

gymnastics: Jea Maracha’s wonderful floor display gets her up to seventh.

gymnastics: Emma Spence has moved ahead of Alice Kinsella in the all-round final.

Men’s bowls: It’s 10-9 to England against Jersey after end 13 in the quarter final. It’s pretty intense stuff on the greens.

Cycling: Laura Kenny is action very soon. She is taking part in the 25km points race. That is just 100 laps of the track.

Cycling: Chris Hoy on the crash: “There are quite often crashes but they are rarely very serious. This one is the direct result of not having a barrier at the top of the fencing. Personally, I think it is preventable if they put a perspex screen to protect the crowd. I have seen a shot of it and it was horrendous to see. Something has to be done before something genuinely serious happens.”

England win mixed triathlon gold

Alex Yee got the team off to a great start, which was followed up by Sophie Coldwell, Sam Dickinson and Georgia Taylor-Brown putting in fine displays to complete the job. Taylor-Brown crosses the line with flag in hand. It is a second gold for Yee in the games. Wales take silver and Australia bronze.

England win gold in the mixed triathlon!
England win gold in the mixed triathlon! Photograph: David Davies/PA

Men’s hockey: England defeat Wales 4-2. The Welsh put in a fine defensive display but were made to pay for leaving indiscipline.

Mixed triathlon: Wales, New Zealand and Australia are working together in the chasing pack on the bikes in the vague hope they can catch Taylor-Brown in front. That is unlikely but it should be a fun battle for silver and bronze.

Mixed triathlon: Taylor-Brown opts to swim without a wetsuit and still adds to the 16-second lead she had when she entered the water. She jumps on the bike 20 seconds ahead of her competitors.

Men’s hockey: Five minutes to go between England and Wales. The score is currently 3-2 to England after a whirlwind few minutes.

England's Samuel Ward in action with Wales' Hywel Jones.
England’s Samuel Ward in action with Wales’ Hywel Jones. Photograph: Stoyan Nenov/Reuters

Mixed triathlon: Sam Dickinson completes his run in plenty of discomfort. He is giving it everything to send Taylor-Brown off in the lead for the final leg.

Men’s hockey: England have a 2-1 lead over Wales with less than 10 minutes to go.

gymnastics: Alice Kinsella puts in an impressive display on the uneven bars. An incredible dismount completes the job. Top top stuff.

Mixed triathlon: Huge fan of the commentators celebrating a quick shoe change. You have to admire that.

Mixed triathlon: England’s Alex Yee had a storming leg to hand over to Sophie Coldwell in a commanding lead. Coldwell is putting in a fine performance so far to maintain the lead at the front. She is currently on the bike.

Alex Yee dominates his leg to give England a big lead in the Mixed triathlon.
Alex Yee dominates his leg to give England a big lead in the Mixed triathlon. Photograph: David Ramos/Getty Images

gymnastics: There is nothing like gymnastics to make you feel old. Wales’ Jea Maracha has just put in an incredible display on the uneven bars. She is only 16.

Men’s hockey: England and Wales are all level at 1-1 after two quarters. Ward gave England the lead but Prosser equalised.

Phillip Roper and Wales' Dale Hutchinson battle for the ball in the men's hockey.
Phillip Roper and Wales’ Dale Hutchinson battle for the ball in the men’s hockey. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

gymnastics: The competitors in the Women’s All Around final have been introduced to the crowd.

Men’s squash: Good news for England’s Adrian Waller who is into the last eight thanks to a comfortable win over Christopher Binnie.

Another 3-0 win for Adrian sends him into the quarters! 👏

🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴 @Adiewaller bt Christopher Binnie 🇯🇲

3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 pic.twitter.com/O6FIRyOZnn

— 🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. July 31, 2022

Cycling: A further updates from Team England on Matt Walls: “Matt is alert and talking (as he has been throughout) and is being given medical attention in hospital.”

India defeat Pakistan by eight wickets

It was an absolute breeze for the Indians in the end, reaching their 100 target with more than six overs to spare, aided by an unbeaten half century from Smriti.

India have too much for Pakistan as they defeat their neighbors by eight wickets.
India have too much for Pakistan as they defeat their neighbors by eight wickets. Photograph: Aijaz Rahi/AP

Here is what happened earlier in Lee Valley.

Cycling: Fixing the track at the velodrome looks like a tricky job.

A member of staff at Lee Valley gets to work on the damaged track.
A member of staff at Lee Valley gets to work on the damaged track. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

Why are the BBC claiming the cricket on BBC One right now is live when it is quite considerably delayed? Am I missing something?

Men’s hockey: England v Wales is about to start. Both sides won their opening fixtures so will be aiming to maintain a perfect record. Wales are wearing an intimidating all black kit, while England look angelic in all white.

Cricket: India are 63-1 and are cruising to victory with 37 required from 69 balls.

Cruising.
Cruising. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters

Matt Walls taken to hospital

Cycling: A positive update from Team England.

Following a crash in the cycling men’s scratch race, Matt Walls has been taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

We send our best wishes to the riders and spectators involved in the incident, and will provide a further update when we can.

— Team England (@TeamEngland) July 31, 2022

Cycling: Matt Walls is on his way to hospital and has been described as “all right”, according to the BBC, which is a relief.

rugby sevens: A very dramatic ending to New Zealand v Fiji. The Kiwis ended the match with five players after two late yellow cards with the score at 14-14. They managed to hold on to get a golden point but Fiji took advantage of the extra players to score early on.

Cycling: Matt Walls has been taken out of the stands on a stretcher.

rugby sevens: New Zealand are leading Fiji 14-7 at the break, aided by the Fijians playing most of the game thus far a man light. New Zealand gifted a try in the final seconds of the half after being utterly dominant.

Leroy Carter of New Zealand is tackled by Jeremaia Matana of Fiji.
Leroy Carter of New Zealand is tackled by Jeremaia Matana of Fiji. Photograph: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Cycling: British Cycling confirmed Walls and Bostock are still being treated and will be taken to hospital.

Following a crash in the men’s scratch, Matt Walls & Matt Bostock are being treated by medics before being taken to hospital for further treatment.

We send our best wishes to the riders and spectators involved in the incident, and will provide a further update when we can.

— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) July 31, 2022

Cycling: Spectators have been asked to leave the velodrome while treatment continues in the stands and the authorities have ended the stream from the venue.

Cricket: India have bowled out Pakistan with the final ball of their 18 allotted overs, reduced due to rain. India have been set a target of 100 to win.

Pakistan are all-out for 99.
Pakistan are all-out for 99. Photograph: Aijaz Rahi/AP

Cycling: The remainder of the session has been abandoned following the crash that resulted in Matt Walls going into the crowd. They have been treating the cyclist in the stands and are preparing to take him to an ambulance and onto hospital.

Good afternoon! We are about to get some gymnastics after a lengthy explanation of what we can all expect.

I am now going to turn my attention to the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes but never fear – Will Unwin is here to guide you through day three of the Commonwealth Games. Goodbye for now.

Trackcycling: It was a qualifying round, heat two of the scratch race in which the crash occurred. Matt Walls of England is the rider who is currently being treated having apparently left the track and ended up in the crowd. Matt Bostock, also of England, has apparently been taken to hospital. The BBC have replayed the first stage of the multi-rider crash – it appears that Walls was forced to take evasive action in trying to avoid a crash on the track in front of him. Let’s all hope that Walls, and everyone else, is going to be OK.

Trackcycling: There are a lot of concerned faces in the track center in the aftermath of that accident. Details are sketchy, but Simon Brotherton, on commentary, is sure that one rider somehow ended up going over the barriers and into the crowd. He says that England team staff members are in that area of ​​the venue. The rider is also being attended to by medics.

The two Canadian riders are being disqualified, although Chris Boardman thinks that it is for riding off the track, rather than causing the crash.

Thoughts are with all the riders involved in the crash in the velodrome.

🙏

— Team England (@TeamEngland) July 31, 2022

Categories
Australia

Melbourne’s Fitzroy hides a past as a hub for the Aboriginal civil rights movement

Melbourne's Fitzroy hides a past as a hub for the Aboriginal civil rights movement

When Aunty Denise McGuinness looks up and down Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, she sees her community’s history everywhere.

“Fitzroy’s so significant to Aboriginal people … if you come from Perth, anywhere, you come straight to Fitzroy,” she says.

The inner-Melbourne suburb is now dominated by expensive houses, trendy bars and designer homewares, in recent years garnering a reputation as a hipster haven.

But it’s still home to the large public flats where Ms McGuinness lived as a girl.

Shop fronts line Gertrude Street, viewed under cloudy gray skies.
Fitzroy’s recent gentrification has transformed Gertrude Street, but a new project is bringing its history back into focus.(ABC News: Joseph Dunstan)

Through the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Fitzroy and the surrounding suburbs were a meeting place for Aboriginal people who’d left behind restrictive lives on missions or emerged from state institutions, searching for family links the government had tried so hard to severe.

“We were discriminated against, there was only one pub that would let us drink, and that was the Builders Arms,” ​​Ms McGuinness recalls.

The Builders Arms Hotel, photographed under gray skies from across the road.
Several stories shared in the project involve life-changing meetings at the Builders Arms Hotel.(ABC News: Joseph Dunstan)

Now, the stories of laughter, tears and powerful civil rights victories born on this part of Wurundjeri land are free for all to hear, through a truth-telling phone app.

Named Yalinguth, after the Woi Wurrung word for “yesterday”, the app follows your GPS location, producing rich audio stories that reveal the recent history of the land you’re walking on.

An artistic display of a street map, with a white drop indicating the user's location and large bubbles to mark story zones.
A map marked by bubbles invites the user to step into the stories of elders.(Supplied)

Wander past the Builders Arms Hotel, and Uncle Jack Charles comes through the headphones, telling you how he discovered Melbourne’s Indigenous community inside as a teenager.

Stroll down to Atherton Gardens, and the late Uncle Archie Roach’s haunting lyrics and story invites you to reflect on the cruel cost of the Stolen Generations.

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US

Manchin to Sinema: Believe in this bill

Manchin to Sinema: Believe in this bill

He also made sure to credit Sinema with cajoling Democrats into that tax-skeptic position after many in her party weighed surtaxes on high earners and pushed for rate increases. Though Sinema’s stayed quiet since Manchin and Schumer announced the deal on Wednesday, Manchin said that he “would like to think she’d be favorable to it.”

“Kyrsten Sinema is a friend of mine, and we work very close together. She has a tremendous, tremendous input in this legislation,” Manchin said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “She basically insisted [on] no tax increases, [we’ve] do that. And she was very, very adamant about that, I agree with her. She was also very instrumental” on prescription drug reform.

Manchin and Sinema were aligned for months last year on pushing back against Democrats’ plans to spend as much as $3.5 trillion. Sinema worked on the prescription drug piece and helped shape the revenue package significantly late last year before Manchin rejected what was once called Build Back Better.

Now they are in different places. Manchin negotiated the deal one-on-one with Majority Leader Schumer while Sinema was caught completely off guard by its announcement, particularly the inclusion of a provision narrowing the so-called carried interest loophole, which brings in $14 billion of the bill’s $739 billion in new revenues.

Manchin said he didn’t brief Sinema or anyone else in the Democratic Caucus on his negotiations because of the very real possibility they would fall apart. He said on CNN that when Sinema “looks at the bill and sees the whole spectrum of what we’re doing and all of the energy we’re bringing in, all of the reduction of prices and fighting inflation by bringing prices down, by having more energy, hopefully, she will be positive about it.”

Sinema had no new public comments on Sunday as she studies the bill and waits for the Senate parliamentarian to rule on whether it meets the conditions to evade a GOP filibuster. Sinema’s always been cooler on changing the tax code than Manchin, citing concerns over changing tax policies that might restrict economic growth or competitiveness.

The legislation plows $369 billion into energy production and fighting climate change, $300 billion into deficit reduction, lowers some prescription drug prices and extends Affordable Care Act subsidies through 2024. It claws back revenue by increasing IRS enforcement, narrows the so-called carried interest loophole on investment gains and imposes a 15 percent corporate minimum tax on corporations worth $1 billion or more.

A Joint Committee on Taxation summary found that the bill would slightly increase tax rates on some people earning under $400,000, leading Sen. mike krapo (R-Idaho) to say that the legislation “will do nothing to bring the economy out of stagnation and recession, but it will raise billions of dollars in taxes on Americans making less than $400,000.”

But Ashley Schapitl, a spokesperson for Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said those families “will not pay one penny in additional taxes under this bill” and said the JCT analysis is not complete because “it doesn’t include the benefits to middle-class families of making health insurance premiums and prescription drugs more affordable. The same goes for clean energy incentives for families.”

Manchin put it even more plainly on “Meet the Press.”

“I agree with my Republican friends that we should not increase taxes. And we did not increase taxes,” he said. “This is an all-American bill.”

The West Virginia Democrat also answered several questions about the second part of a deal: an agreement with Biden, Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi to increase energy production by implementing federal permitting reform. That piece was excluded from the party-line bill because it is likely to run afoul of the strict budget rules on reconciliation bills.

Asked how he can be so sure that will pass later, Manchin offered a warning on Fox News if it doesn’t happen: “There will be consequences.”

Manchin’s urgent push comes ahead of a critical week for the Democratic Party. With Covid infections still infiltrating their 50-seat majority, Democrats are trying to stick to a tricky landing ahead of the August recess. Democrats probably need all their members in town to pass the Manchin deal and still need to get the legislation cleared by the Senate parliamentarian.

On the attendance side, Sen. patrick leahy (D-Vt.) announced he would be available for votes this week, a critical boost for Democrats. Provided all Democrats show up this week, they can pass the Manchin-Schumer legislation with Vice President Kamala Harris’s tiebreaking vote, though first they’ll have to all stick together during an unlimited “vote-a-rama” to keep Republicans from gutting the carefully negotiated bill.

Categories
Business

Forget ‘Where’s Wally’, this weekend let’s play ‘Where’s Raptor’

Forget 'Where's Wally', this weekend let's play 'Where's Raptor'

There are a dozen brand-new examples of the Ford Ranger Raptor clocking-up highway kilometers in NSW, Victoria and South Australia this weekend. The Facebook feeds of Ford fans are about to glow orange.

Joshua Dowling
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A fleet of 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor media evaluation vehicles – the first shipment of customer-ready versions of the high-performance pick-up to arrive in Australia – will be on the road this weekend clocking up highway kilometers ahead of press test-drives in the coming weeks.

Given the high level of interest in the 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor, eagle-eyed enthusiasts have documented every step of the vehicle’s arrival and posted images on social media.

Indeed, last week, the first truckload of the new-generation Ford Ranger Raptor utes was caught on camera between the shipping dock and Ford Australia’s engineering center north of Melbourne, where the vehicles were due to get a routine check ahead of their running-in phase.

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This weekend, a dozen Ford Ranger Raptors – each in Code Orange paintwork, some with Raptor graphics and beadlock-capable wheels – are being driven by Ford employees with one instruction: put at least 1000km on the odometer.

Drive understands while all 12 vehicles were deployed from Ford’s engineering center in Melbourne, they are due to be driven to a mix of destinations, including north to NSW, west to South Australia, or around regional Victoria.

The example in these photos was caught on camera at Adelaide airport. The photos were posted by a member of the Ford Ranger Next Gen Owners Australia group on Facebook.

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Apparently this particular vehicle is on the way to this weekend’s round of the V8 Supercars series at The Bend race track.

Given there are a dozen examples of the 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor being driven this weekend, there is every chance photos will begin appearing in significant numbers on social media.

The 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor was unveiled earlier this year, so its appearance is no secret. The images do not amount to ‘spy photos’.

The main reason for the photobombing appears to be excitement among Ford fans who are yet to see a new Ranger Raptor in the metal.

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As previously reported, the first showroom examples of the new Ford Ranger Raptor are due in late August or early September, a delay of a few weeks caused by shipping bottlenecks.

However, vehicles ordered today may not be delivered until later this year or early next.

Delivery times vary depending on colour, options and how many vehicles a particular dealer is allocated.

Buyers keen to jump the queue have hit the phone and cast their net wide, in an attempt to secure an unsold vehicle at a regional or interstate dealer.

Meantime, if you’re on one of the many the Facebook forums dedicated to the new Ford Ranger or Ford Ranger Raptor, expect to see a lot of orange on your news feed or in your next scroll in the coming days.

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. I have joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and have been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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