Month: August 2022

Categories
Business

Winning bets? Meme stock frenzy of 2021 makes a return | stock markets

Just like double denim, it seems some trends never really die. After flaming out in spectacular fashion last year, the meme stock frenzy of 2021 has made a return.

In recent weeks the share price of troubled retailers Bed Bath & Beyond and GameStop and the cinema chain AMC Entertainment have once again soared.

This may sound all too familiar. Last year all three companies were at the center of a meme-fueled “revolution” in investing as Gen Z and millennial investors piled into the stocks having apparently spotted something Wall Street had missed. GameStop shares rose from $3.25 in April 2020 to $347.50 in late January 2021 – a rise of 10,692%.

Many small investors then felt like they had hedge funds and big institutional investors on the run. Indeed, the frenzy came close to bankrupting a number of hedge funds. It didn’t last. By February the meme stock craze was unraveling and older heads were smugly smiling again.

Now the tide has turned again. Between late July and early last week, shares of Bed Bath & Beyond, a home goods store that has decidedly seen better days, had more than doubled. Movie-theater operator AMC Entertainment saw a similar bounce, while GameStop – the struggling US computer games retail company and perhaps the most baffling of that era’s stock darlings – bumped up close to 25%.

None of the three are considered winning bets in any conventional sense, and the rise in Bed Bath & Beyond came days before its stock was downgraded by the ratings agency Baird. “This frenzied move has been driven by non-fundamentally focused market participants,” Baird analyst Justin Kleber wrote in a note to clients.

This time, the battle may not be between younger day-traders flush with government stimulus checks and informed by online forums like Reddit’s WallStreetBets. Although social media chatter surrounding the stocks has increased, dueling hedge funds are also playing a part.

“Non-fundamentally focused market participants” is an apt way to describe traders at the height of the pandemic meme-stock frenzy. That time around the Reddit board was filled with memes about traders with “diamond hands” – unafraid to take bets against conventional wisdom.

This time too there are parts of Reddit’s investment community that are all in on the rally. Last week a user under the name of TheDude0007 explained on WallStreetBets that “this run is just beginning” and name-checked Ryan Cohen, founder of e-commerce company Chewy and chair of GameStop.

Cohen, known as a “meme-lord” for his influence over investors, was one of GameStop’s original boosters before taking on his chair. His meme-filled posts about him are scrutinized by his fans about him – even when they are almost impossible to decipher. In February last year, I tweeted a picture of a McDonald’s ice-cream cone alongside a frog emoji, sending traders on a search to decode its meaning. GameStop’s stock finished the trading day up 104%.

But according to an analysis by Bloomberg, the meme-stock return is evidence that they have unusually explosive properties. So many investors have bet that the shares in all these companies are worth zero, argues Jared Dillian, editor and publisher of the Daily Dirtnap. But the fact is that – as with any asset – they are worth what people will pay for them. As a result, stock prices of troubled companies can explode upwards at any moment if investors will pay more. “On Wall Street they call trying to profit despite this as ‘picking up nickels in front a steamroller’,” he writes.

According to Ihor Dusaniwsky, managing director at S3 Partners, the movement of the meme stocks is not coming from the Reddit board traders but from larger retail investors and the meme-traders are in a sense along for the ride.

“There isn’t a fundamental reason for a lot of these price moves,” Dusaniwsky told the Guardian. “A lot of it is fomo [fear of missing out] on the rally.”

One clue that this rally is different comes from the last is Robinhood. Once the favorite trading platform of meme traders, Robinhood is in trouble. As stock markets fell and Covid stimulus cash dried up, so did Robinhood’s business. Its number of active users has dropped from 22 million to 14 million, and its stock trades at around $10 after cresting at close to $60 a year ago after it went public.

Last week, Robinhood announced it would lay off 23% of its staff after it posted a 44% decline in revenues. CEO Vladimir Tenev said in a blogpost that the company had been hit by “deterioration of the macro environment, with inflation at 40-year highs accompanied by a broad crypto market crash”.

This time the meme-stock trading is spread across larger trading platforms, including Charles Schwab and E*Trade. That said, Robinhood – and Reddit – still offer clues to why these fundamentally troubled companies are hot again, Dusaniwsky said. “With Robinhood you get an idea of ​​what that cohort of traders are doing and that’s a good proxy for the rest of the market,” said Dusaniwsky.

“It’s really the same type of people – the same mentality. These guys are momentum traders, they’re not looking at the underlying fundamentals. They’re looking at riding the tide in and out, and it’s worked because the market is trending. The problem comes when the market doesn’t trend, and you get taken out to sea.”

Categories
Technology

How to watch live captions in your preferred language on Google Meet? Learn step by step

How to watch live captions in your preferred language on Google Meet? Learn step by step

Google Meet Live Captioning Feature: Google Meet is arguably one of the most popular video conferencing platforms in the world. Over the past few years, the company has worked to improve it further by adding new features to this platform. The company has added features ranging from background blur to breakout room. When it comes to ease of use, Google Meet has gone to great lengths to provide the best functionality possible. In this episode, Google Meet offers its users a live translated caption feature, using which users can read live translated captions in their own language. This feature is very useful for people for whom language becomes an obstacle.

This feature translates phrases from one language to another in Google Meet in real time. Google says, “Google Meet’s Live Translated Captions feature helps make video calls on our platform more inclusive and collaborative by ‘breaking down language barriers’. It helps equalize information sharing, learning, and collaboration. This ensures that the meeting is effective for everyone.”

Google claims that this feature is very useful for organizing meetings or training meetings with teams around the world. Google also said the feature helps teachers better connect and interact with students. tell me, This feature can translate English meetings into French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.

How do I enable Google Meet’s live translated captions feature on the web?

  • Open Google Meet on the web.
  • Go to the Settings option and then tap on the Caption option.
  • Now tap on the Translate Caption option.

How do I enable Google Meet’s live translated captions feature on mobile?

  • Open Google Meet on your smartphone.
  • Go to the Settings option and tap on Caption.
  • Now go to Live Caption option and tap on Translation Language option.

VLC Media Player: why Indian government banned VLC Media Player? know the reason

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Categories
Sports

Paul Green was lost without the game he loved

Paul Green was lost without the game he loved

And all of a sudden he was dealing with two difficult coaching exits. Difficult for anyone. Impossible for someone not accustomed to failure.

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Green was moved on from the Cowboys in 2020 and then Queensland last year after a 2-1 series loss. Then, to make matters worse, Queensland won this year and the NRL team he helped turn into a force was back on top.

Green had read an article six weeks ago saying that he had been in the running for the Titans job, but due to the manner in which he left his past two positions, he was not considered. He was hurt by that, and started to wonder aloud if he needed to put himself in the public eye to change perceptions of him. I have considered going on a charm offensive in the media.

Wayne Bennett knew what Green had to offer, however. Bennett finalized a deal with Green to join the Dolphins during two meetings in the past 10 days. His only brief from him to Green was “to make me look good”, and he was told if he got a head coaching role he was free to leave. Bennett is known for his ability to read people. He saw nothing in Green to suggest what was to eat.

Nor did Mat Rogers, who lost his father, Steve, at the age of 51 following a long mental health struggle.
“This hurts so much for lots of reasons, but also because I’ve been through this,” Rogers said. “I played golf with him [Green] last Friday … he was talking about the boat he bought for the family and was asking me about the Titans and coaching.”

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His agent, George Mimis, spoke to Green at his son’s birthday on Wednesday about his Dolphins deal and Green said he would call him back the next day.

Raiders boss Don Furner spent a considerable part of Sunday and Monday talking about his concerns for the welfare of coaches without knowing how prophetic his words would be by Thursday morning. Furner wasn’t to know what would happen. Furner was talking about his own coach, Ricky Stuart, and the pressure he was under following his explosive comments about Panthers player Jaeman Salmon.

Stuart won’t like me writing this, but on Sunday morning he was in tears as he spoke to me about his attack on Salmon. He snapped after his club’s season was effectively ended by the Panthers and his tears from him were for his family from him and the pressure he put on them. He was not feeling sorry for himself, but he knew what he said reopened an old wound. He lost it momentarily in public when his personal life overtook his professional one.

Furner offered his best mate a week off. Stuart said no. Furner felt his mate needed it and feels the game is not doing enough for coaches. He thinks the mental strain they are under is too great.

Family members say Green would have tough and challenging days, but no more than other people. Or so it appeared.

Now his friends are rallying around his wife, Amanda, who has shown remarkable strength in horrible circumstances, and his children. They may never fully understand why their father has died. Nor may we.

Lifeline 131 114

Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

Chappelli signs off, calling it as he sees it right to the end

After calling his first game of cricket in 1977, Ian Chappell has broadcast his last. Chappell was the last working link to the halcyon days of Channel Nine’s legendary commentary team, and he had been employed by ABC radio. Those days are over.

“I remember the day when I knew I’d had enough of playing cricket,” he said. “I looked at the clock and it was five past 11 on a day of play and I thought, ‘Shit, if you’re clock-watching at that time, I have to go’.

Ian Chappell has retired from cricket commentary with ABC radio, ending a career that started in 1977.

Ian Chappell has retired from cricket commentary with ABC radio, ending a career that started in 1977.

“So when it comes to commentary, I’ve been thinking about it. I had a minor stroke a few years back and I got off lucky. But it just makes everything harder. And I just thought with all the travel and, you know, walking upstairs and things like that, it’s all just going to get harder.

“Then I read what Rabbits [legendary rugby league commentator Ray Warren] said with retirement and it really struck home when I read the bit where he said, ‘you’re always one sentence closer to making a mistake’.“

I sat down with “Chappelli” to reflect on a remarkable career.

Danny Weidler: You loved working for Kerry Packer, but it would have been a challenge.

Ian Chappell: Kerry wanted to sack me a couple of times. He used to get the shits about one-day cricket, because that was his baby. And I might have said something about one-day cricket. With Kerry it was just like a storm – you’d let it blow over til the next one came.

DW: Was Richie Benaud the greatest commentator you worked with?

IC: Well, everybody had their own strengths. But I learned more from Richie about life because, for some reason or other, Rich was very good to me. He always was, right from the start of my career.

DW: What did he teach you?

IC: He didn’t tell you things – you had to ask him. He’d suddenly say something and I’d think, ‘where’s that come from?’ Richie had that mind – he came from left field. Mainly what I learned from Richie about life was just watching him. But he was very, very strong on the business of, if you haven’t got anything to add to the commentary, you don’t say anything. So I just listened to him. I watched him. A lot of people thought that I copied Richie. Well, that was bollocks because I didn’t, but I learned from Richie and I learned a lot of good things from Richie.

DW: If I asked you to write one paragraph about Steve Waugh what would it be?

IC: Not very complimentary. I’d probably prefer not to.

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DW: What about Ian Botham?

IC: Well, I won’t speak to him, so why would I write anything about him?

DW: Have you ever had anyone confront you about something you’ve said in commentary?

IC: I think the only bloke who ever spoke to me was Kerry O’Keeffe, when we’re in England in ’77. I said something along the lines of that he was not in the class of Ashley Mallett. Kerry came up to me and said something and I said to him, ‘If you don’t like what I say, there’s a switch on the television, it starts with a “v”. I’d turn it down if I was you. And if that doesn’t work for you, turn the whole thing off’. That was my approach. If a guy didn’t like it, and he came to me with some suggestion, I’d listened to it. But if they were just bitching… I’d stand my ground. Kerry couldn’t blow wind up Ashley’s ass. He was a magnificent spin bowler; Kerry was a journeyman in Test cricket.

DW: Of the current Australian players, is there an all-time great?

IC: I’m not big on the ‘all-time great’ tag – certainly not about a current player, because I always think you’ve got to see their whole career. I’d say this about Pat Cummins. Firstly, anybody who thought that he wasn’t going to be a good captain is a dill. Because if you go back to Imran Khan, Imran Khan said that to be a good captain, you’ve got to understand bowling. Well, guess what? Cummins is going to understand bowling because he is a bowler. And, secondly, he’s far and away the most inspirational player in the team. So that’s a good combination to start. He seems to get a wicket for you when you need it. Just like Dennis Lillee.

DW: What do you want to be remembered for?

IC: It’s up to other people to decide what they think of me and some will think I’ve been all right. Some will think I’ve been a prick. That doesn’t bother me one bit.

Stream the NRL Premiership 2022 live and free on 9Now.

Categories
Business

Mercedes Formula E Team e-bike review

Mercedes Formula E Team e-bike review

Mercedes has jumped into the electric bike scene with its recent releases of multiple luxury e-bikes. And with the popularity of personal electric vehicles, ie electric scooters, bikes and Segways, the luxurious new product could be the route for those who are seeking to ditch petrol with style.

Interestingly, when it comes to e-bikes and especially e-scooters, I see a lot of people assuming that it’s a lazy mode of transport. And originally, in my mind, buying an e-bike just seemed like a stepped-down, less impressive, motorbike.

However, e-bikes aren’t that comparable to a motorbike and they’re not as lazy as you might think. In fact, with all Australian e-bikes you’re required to pedal while accelerating. And so it turns out an e-bike is more like a regular bike, with some exercise still involved, but you get that extra bit of oomph to take you further and up the hills you’d usually avoid.

With the Mercedes Formula E Team e-bike, in collaboration with N+ Bikes, it seems the up-market car company hopes to bring the luxury of its brand to the e-bike experience. Mercedes says it offers “style and quality with European engineering”. And at first glance I was certainly impressed with the silhouette of the bike.

It has an alluring, slim profile, even though the battery is completely hidden inside the frame, unlike other e-bikes which have an obvious chonk strapped to the side or squeezed under the seat.

It’s only when you look at the chain-ring and the bike’s cassette (ie. the pedally bits) that you notice some extra thickness, which visually gives away that this isn’t a regular bike.

In fact there’s a fully integrated drive train (the chain part of the bike) and being a carbon belt drive, it offers constant variable transmission, which is pretty fancy for a bike. This means that in comparison to a regular bike chain there aren’t any clunky gear changes, especially as you pump the acceleration.

Additionally, the bike has puncture resistant tires and hydraulic brakes, so you’re getting some fairly premium features here.

The bike is made of Aluminum 6061, weighs in at 20kg, and looks sleek in its single matt black colourway. Its top speed is 25km and its range is 70km on a charge. It takes three-and-a-half hours to charge up to 100 per cent. You’ll see a lot of this info on the LCD display while you’re riding, as it’s integrated into the center of the handlebars and is also pin-code protected (on start-up) for security.

Although still a little heavy, the bike itself is surprisingly manoeuvrable while riding and definitely has the smooth gear change as expected, along with a decent kick speed when required.

It oozes quality manufacturing, however, the one accessory it’s surprisingly missing are headlights and tail lights, and coming from a car brand I feel like this is a funny oversight.

But that’s a simple fix and I’ve seen other user reviews mentioning that “although it was strange they didn’t include lights”, the bike still exceeded their expectations.

Although I can admire the design, this e-bike has definitely been created with blokes in mind who have some cash to splash. The seat is classically tiny, hard and skinny which you see on bikes marketed to men. So as it stands, with my preference of a wider, cushioned seat, I can’t see myself taking it out on super long rides.

I suppose it’s race-car style though, which goes along with the theme, and it was an awesome bike to try out nonetheless. Aside from that, my test model was a little tall for my short stature. However, there are three different frame sizes which allow people from around 5ft 4” all the way up to 6ft 6” to ride. Though apparently this bike is specifically “optimized for riders over 165cm” (5ft 4”).

At the end of the day e-bikes are great at getting people of any fitness level out and about and you’ll find yourself becoming a little more adventurous, riding new places that maybe you would’ve avoided before. And because you can’t just accelerate mindlessly, you still burn some calories even if you’re cruising along.

A Mercedes e-bike will set you back double the cost of a regular e-bike at $4928. But if you want the best in class and have the cash then the Mercedes bike is certainly worth a look.

Elly Awesome is an Aussie tech and lifestyle vlogger | @ellyawesometech | Youtube

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Categories
Entertainment

The 5 most viral recipes on TikTok.

The 5 most viral recipes on TikTok.

My doom scrolls have inspired a lot of viral content on my TikTok, and several recipes have gone viral. My favorite – and most popular – recipe of all time has amassed over 5 million views.

And the views and comments don’t lie; These recipes have gained a loyal following from the TikTok community.

Rosé pasta with pancetta and mushrooms

Difficulty level: Easy

Serves: 3-4

@intothesauce Reply to @annaellies My most viral recipe also happens to be my favorite! ❤️‍🔥 #foodtok #pasta ♬ original sound – <3

With over 5 million views on TikTok, this is my number one recipe on both TikTok and Instagram. I get it. It’s my favorite too. I make it all the time and it’s really my idea of ​​the perfect pasta. Creamy tomato sauce, broccolini (healthy?), buttery mushrooms, salty pancetta and a punch of chilli.

Like I said, perfect.

Ingredients:

  • 100g unsmoked pancetta (or bacon), thinly sliced ​​into 1.5cm pieces
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 2 shallots, finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced, chopped or grated
  • 200g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
  • 80g double concentrated tomato paste
  • ¾ cup cream
  • 300g short pasta, such as fusilli, orechiette or rigatoni
  • 1 bunch broccolini, sliced ​​in 2cm pieces
  • 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
  • Parmesan, to serve

Method:

  1. Prepare a pot of salted, boiling water for your pasta.

  2. Heat a large fry pan over medium heat for the sauce.

  3. Fry pancetta (or bacon) in the pan until golden and crispy, then use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove into a bowl (leave the rendered pancetta fat in the pan).

  4. Add olive oil and unsalted butter to pan.

  5. Once butter has melted, add chilli flakes, shallots and garlic (with a big pinch of salt) and sauté until translucent.

  6. Add mushrooms and sauté until brown and softened.

  7. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until color has deepened (about 2 mins).

  8. Add cream and stir until combined.

  9. Add pancetta and chives to sauce, and continue to simmer on very low.

  10. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. In the last two minutes of cooking, add broccolini. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

  11. Strain pasta and broccolini, add to the sauce and stir to combine.

  12. Loosen the sauce up with some reserved pasta water.

  13. Taste and season.

  14. Serve with Parmesan and go to heaven.

Pumpkin, burnt butter and sage lasagna

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Serves: 4-6

@intothesauce Burnt butter, sage and pumpkin lasagne is autumn in a dish 🍂 #foodtok #pasta #vegetarian ♬ Viral Transition.Oh My Slow Jamz JPONTHABEAT – JP

This is autumn and winter in a dish. With the nutty addition of burnt butter, this vegetarian lasagne is the ultimate warming food. Just last night I saw a story tag about this with the caption ‘death row meal’ which speaks for itself!

Ingredients:

  • 1.5g kent pumpkin
  • 100g butter
  • 1 bunch sage, leaves picked (20 leaves)
  • 500g ricotta
  • 200ml creme fraiche
  • 200g parmesan, grated (Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano)
  • 120g baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 30g olive oil
  • 3 shallots, finely diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped, sliced ​​or grated
  • 6 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 375g pack instant lasagne sheets
  • 400g fresh mozzarella, sliced

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

  2. Slice the pumpkin into large wedges and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

  3. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then bake for 30-45 minutes, until golden and tender.

  4. Cook butter and sage over medium heat for a few minutes, until the butter is foamy and milk solids have browned.

  5. Transfer to a large bowl, and stir through ricotta, creme fraiche, 150g parmesan and baby spinach. Season to taste and set aside.

  6. In your burnt butter pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute shallots, garlic and thyme until softened.

  7. In a large bowl, mash the cooked pumpkin flesh (scoop out of its skin) until smooth, but still with a little texture remaining, then stir through ¼ cup of water, shallot mix and apple cider vinegar and season to taste.

  8. Rub oil on the base of a large oven dish (approx 25x40cm).

  9. Assemble your lasagne in the following order of layers: pasta sheets, pumpkin mix, ricotta mix. Repeat until all the sauce and filling has been used. I did 5 layers of pasta, meaning ¼ of the pumpkin and ricotta mix used on each layer. Make sure it fully submerged the pasta sheets in sauce or they won’t cook properly.

  10. Top the final layer of pasta sheets with sliced ​​mozzarella followed by remaining 50g Parmesan.

  11. Cover with foil and bake at 180°C for 50 minutes, until pasta is cooked through and lasagne is bubbling at the sides. If the baking dish is quite full and you think it might bubble over, put a foil lined tray underneath it in the oven to catch any drippings.

  12. To finish, remove the foil and change the oven to the grill setting on high heat.

  13. Grill for 5-10 minutes, until the top is your perfect level of golden brown. Make sure you don’t walk away from the grill (or if you do set timers for 30 seconds-1 minute) as it can burn quickly.

  14. Remove from oven and let it settle for at least 10 mins (20 minutes is ideal), then serve!

Chilli prawn rosé pasta

Difficulty level: Easy

Serves: 3-4

@intothesauce Attention rose pasta lovers: this is the chilli prawn edition ❤️‍🔥 #foodtok #pasta ♬ original sound – Michal

We know everyone loves a rosé pasta sauce. Make it really simple to cook and throw some king prawns into the equation and it’s bound to be a favourite. I make this all the time for my husband and friends and it never, ever fails.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 large shallots, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 red chilli, seeds removed, halved lengthways and sliced ​​(I go for bird’s-eye cos I like it hot)
  • 350ml tomato paste
  • 150ml creme fraiche
  • 300g pasta (I recommend fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti or spirals)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 200g peeled and deveined King prawn meat, cut into 2cm pieces
  • 2 tbsp minced parsley

Method:

  1. Prepare a pot of salted, boiling water for your pasta.

  2. Melt butter over medium heat and sauté shallots, garlic and chilli until shallots are softened and translucent.

  3. Add tomato passata and simmer on low until half the liquid remains (5-10 minutes).

  4. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente, reserving one cup of pasta water.

  5. In another fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add prawns and sizzle until just cooked (1-2 minutes).

  6. Add prawns and creme fraiche to tomato sauce, stir until combined, taste and season.

  7. Drain pasta directly into the sauce, adding reserved pasta water, bit by bit, to loosen the sauce until it’s silky and smooth.

  8. Toss through parsley and serve topped with more fresh parsley.

buttery tomato paste

Difficulty level: Easy

Serves: 3-4

@intothesauce Less a recipe than a life hack 🍝❤️‍🔥 #foodtok #sauce ♬ Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear

I think the reason this buttery tomato pasta has been so popular is that it includes shallots and garlic but neither requires chopping (the most hated part of cooking). They go in whole or halved, simmer in the sauce, and then the sauce is blended until it’s silky smooth. It’s a very beautiful pasta inspired by the famous Marcella Hazan recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
  • 100g butter
  • 1 parmesan rind
  • 2 shallots, peeled and halved
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 sprig basil, leaves picked
  • 350g dried paste
  • 2 x 125g balls of fresh mozzarella, to serve

Method:

  1. For the tomato sauce, add tomatoes, butter, parmesan rind, shallots, and garlic to a saucepan.

  2. Simmer on very low with the lid slightly ajar for 45 mins – 1 hour, until sauce has thickened slightly and is glossy and flavourful.

  3. Remove parmesan rind and use an immersion blender to blend until very smooth. Taste and season.

  4. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente in plenty of salted boiling water.

  5. Add pasta and basil leaves to sauce, stir to incorporate.

  6. Serve topped with fresh mozzarella or parmesan.

Caramelised white chocolate, oat and spelled shortbread cookies

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Serves: 4-6 (or 1 if you are me)

@intothesauce Reply to @kateistheantspants ♬ original sound – thekardashiansdaily

These biscuits are absolutely stunning. I don’t know if I’ll ever write another cookie recipe because I don’t think any could top them. The spell makes them nutty, the white chocolate caramelises in the oven, and the best part about them is you can make a double batch and keep half in the freezer to bake in the oven on a rainy day, or just before you have guests coming over.

Ingredients:

  • 250g salted butter, softened (or 250g unsalted butter + ½ tsp kosher salt)
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 50g light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 120g plain flour
  • 120g spelled or rye flour
  • 110g rolled oats
  • 120g roughly chopped white chocolate

Method:

  1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or using an electric hand beater), cream butter, sugars and vanilla extract until very pale and fluffy.

  2. Add flours and beat on low until just combined.

  3. Add rolled oats and white chocolate and beat on low until just combined.

  4. Remove bowl and fold through any remaining dry bits using a large spatula.

  5. Cut two large pieces of gladwrap (or baking paper).

  6. Divide dough in half and place each half on individual gladwrap pieces.

  7. With your hands, gently shape dough into a log, wash your hands, then fold over plastic.

  8. Use your hands to roll out the dough inside the plastic wrap until it becomes a cylinder log. Press in the top and bottom to flatten the ends.

  9. Freeze or refrigerate for at least 45 minutes until firm.

  10. Using a sharp knife, slice logs into 1cm pieces and place on a lined baking tray, 3cm apart. If the rounds fall apart while slicing, just gently press the pieces back together – they will come out fine.

  11. To bake, preheat oven to 150°c.

  12. Bake for 10-15 minutes (mine typically take 13) until golden brown around the edges.

Feature Image: Instagram @intothesauce.

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Categories
Sports

Manchester United thrashed by Brentford, bottom of the ladder for first time in 30 years, crisis

Manchester United thrashed by Brentford, bottom of the ladder for first time in 30 years, crisis

Erik ten Hag’s bad start as Manchester United manager descended into an embarrassment as a 4-0 thrashing by Brentford on Saturday left the Red Devils bottom of the Premier League.

The former Ajax boss’ reign began with Brighton’s first ever win at Old Trafford last weekend, but much worse was to come as the Bees punished a series of errors to score four times in the first 35 minutes.

Josh Dasilva’s strike slipped through David de Gea’s grasp to open the floodgates before Mathias Jensen pounced on United’s attempt to play out from the back to make it 2-0 inside 18 minutes.

Ben Mee then exposed the visitors’ frailty from set-pieces for his first Brentford goal and Bryan Mbuemo rounded off a stunning counter-attack 10 minutes before halftime to sink United to the bottom of the table for the first time in 30 years.

The jubilant home support taunted Ten Hag with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning.”

But the Dutch coach has inherited a rabble rather than being the root cause as United lost a seventh consecutive away league match for the first time since 1936.

“We all have seen the game. I think Brentford were more hungry and we conceded goals to individual mistakes,” Ten Hag said.

“You can have a good plan but that puts the plan in the bin.”

United have now conceded four goals or more seven times in the Premier League since the start of last season.

The arrival of £57 million ($A97 million) centre-back Lisandro Martinez from Ajax has done little to shore up United’s leaky defense and questions will be asked of why Ten Hag has left Raphael Varane on the bench in favor of the Argentine and the out-of-sorts Harry Maguire.

Ten Hag did recall Cristiano Ronaldo to the starting line-up, but the wantaway five-time Ballon d’Or winner played a part in the opening goal.

Ronaldo went to ground too easily seeking a foul as he was surrounded by Brentford bodies. Dasilva’s shot should still have been a comfortable save for De Gea, but the ball squirmed underneath the Spaniard.

“It was a horrible day,” De Gea said. “I feel like I cost the team.”

De Gea compounded that mistake eight minutes later with an attempted pass to Christian Eriksen, who was outmuscled by his former teammate Jensen, and the Dane coolly slotted home to double Brentford’s lead.

Martinez’s 1.8m frame was raised as a red flag for his ability to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League.

And the Argentine was beaten at the back post by Mee for the third goal after Ivan Toney headed a corner across goal.

Credit to Brentford in just their second season in the English top-flight for 75 years may get swept away in the waves of criticism coming United’s way.

But Thomas Frank’s men produced a stunning move to tear United open again for their fourth goal.

Toney was released down the left wing and picked out Mbuemo with a precise first-time pass for the Frenchman to race in behind Luke Shaw and finish low past De Gea.

“These players keep giving me and the fans memories for life,” Frank said. Ten Hag made his feelings clear at the break with a triple substitution with Shaw, Martinez and Fred the scapegoats.

United did at least stop the bleeding after the break and should have had at least one consolation as Ronaldo looped a header over before Eriksen’s effort lacked the power to beat David Raya.

The damage, though, was long since done for Ten Hag and worse could still be to come.

United host Liverpool, who beat their historic rivals 5-0 and 4-0 last season, in their next game on August 22.

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Business

Cost of living: Product ‘shrinkflation’ tipped to continue as shoppers warned to ‘get used to’ higher costs

Cost of living: Product 'shrinkflation' tipped to continue as shoppers warned to 'get used to' higher costs

We’ve all been hearing a lot about inflation but it’s shrinkflation that shoppers really need to worry about.

Shrinkflation is where manufacturers charge the same or even more for smaller servings, betting on most consumers not noticing the difference.

And with rate rises and cost-of-living pressures hitting many hard households, these reductions are offering less and less value for money

Consumer group Choice has been getting tip-offs from peeved Aussies about products that have been downsizing, recently verifying Smith’s crinkle cut potato chips had been trimmed by 5g — or about three chips — to 170g per pack.

Shrinkflation is where manufacturers charge the same or even more for smaller servings, betting on most consumers not noticing the difference.
Camera IconShrinkflation is where manufacturers charge the same or even more for smaller servings, betting on most consumers not noticing the difference. Credit: The West Australian

There has also been a 20g drop in large packs of Red Rock Deli potato chips to 165g and boxes of Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes have shed 30g.

And sweet-toothed shoppers have been left with a sour taste with Cadbury family-sized chocolate blocks going from the once-standard 250g to 180g.

The latest to drop weight is Maltesers, with a spokeswoman for manufacturer Mars Wrigley saying it was “facing unprecedented cost pressures” like many Australian businesses.

“From time to time, external factors make it necessary for product changes so that we can continue to ensure the availability of our products to all Australians,” she said.

Choice spokesman Liam Kennedy said shrinkflation was a global trend that was expected to continue.

“Most of the examples that we see, a lot of the tips we receive, are in that snack area, cereals,” Mr Kennedy told The West Australian.

But it has hit pet food too, with bags of Purina One cat food contracting by 100g to 1.4kg but costing more.

Choice says 'shrinkflation' is a global trend expected to continue.
Camera IconChoice says ‘shrinkflation’ is a global trend expected to continue. Credit: Rebecca Le May/The West Australian

Owner Nestle blamed that on recipe changes and higher costs for raw materials, packaging and transport, Mr Kennedy said.

“A lot of business are feeling that right now,” he added.

Elizabeth Jackson, a food supply chain systems expert at Curtin University, warned shoppers to expect ongoing pain at the checkout, mainly due to high transport costs, saying the current inflation spike was reminiscent of that seen in the oil crisis of 1973.

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Technology

Looking for a wireless gaming mouse? This offer is for you

Looking for a wireless gaming mouse? This offer is for you

The EVGA X20 is one of those gaming accessories that will make us enjoy our games more from the first moment. Not only because of its attractive and different design, but also because of the quality it offers when playing. If you don’t know it, keep reading, it will surely interest you.

Games to another level with this wireless mouse

We are talking about a wireless mouse especially suitable for gaming. is able to offer personalization, precision and accuracy since it has a triple sensor. We are able to achieve faster reading speeds by using its dual LOD sensors, combined with a Pixart 3335 optical sensor and the most advanced 3D matrix technology and get the best performance.

The mouse has RGB lights that we will be able to customize in all directions. We can also load up to five custom profiles to make configurations on the fly. Its quick-response mechanism uses mechanical torque and 10 grams of preloaded weight, allowing both left and right clicks to be more responsive.

It has a high-precision sensor that reaches 16000dpi with a personalized fit and a highly ergonomic design. Dispose of 3 connection modes so that we can use it properly in any situation. Whether it’s with its 2.4 GHz wireless connection with a speed of 1 ms, Bluetooth or USB connection, we can use it to get the most out of it. In addition, it has 10 configurable buttons with a life cycle of 60 million clicks. And its battery can reach 60 hours of use.

EVGA X20

Its measures are 122.7 x 70.3 x 44.5mm (length, width, height) for a total weight of 123 grams, so it is ideal if we like large and heavy mice. In addition, on both sides it has a rubberized grip area so that sweat does not slip when playing.

Take the EVGA X20 with a huge discount

As we have been able to verify, the EVGA X20 is a wireless mouse that has everything necessary to ensure that we enjoy all our games. And best of all is at the price that we will be able to buy it for a limited time on Amazon. And it is that although this amounts to €97, now we are going to be able to get it for only €29, which means a discount of more than 67%, a real bargain!

This wireless mouse for gamers is sold and shipped directly by Amazon, so we will enjoy free shipping and the guarantee of the e-commerce giant worldwide in case of any problem.

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Entertainment

Kate Middleton has worn $83,000 worth of clothes in 100 days

Kate Middleton has worn $83,000 worth of clothes in 100 days

There are always defining moments in every Queen’s career, say when Elizabeth I stood before her troops at Tilbury in 1588 and gave one of British history’s most famously rousing speeches or in 1947 when the future Elizabeth II delivered her famous radio address from South Africa promising to dedicate her life to her job.

But for Kate, currently the Duchess of Cambridge and the future Queen Catherine, one of the most defining moments came on April 30 2011, the day after her wedding to Prince William, and her first full days as a bona fide member of the royal family.

Crossing the lawn at Buckingham Palace as the newlyweds made their way to a helicopter to whisk them off to start married, just what did Kate choose to wear? An $85 Zara dress.

The symbolism was clear: Kate might have snagged the prince, gotten herself a title and was now calling a palace home but she was the same woman as she had been 48 hours earlier. With one outfit she was making it clear to the world that she would do things her way of her and that despite her elevation to royal ranks, she remained firmly tethered to normal life.

It was a powerful and very canny move and a style strategy we have seen her wheel out again and again in the year since then.

So, what in the name of her extensive collection of tepid coat dresses has been going on of late?

According to my calculations, in the last 100 days Kate has worn more than $83,851 worth of readily identifiable clothes, shoes and jewellery, not including the number of bespoke designer pieces she has showcased, items that I could not find prices for or the value of. the royal jewelery she has worn. (If we added that all in we would easily be well into the six-figures, I reckon. Keep in mind too that members of the royal family cannot accept freebies either.)

What is clear if you pore over photos and details of the last three and a bit months is that over the course of the last 100 days there has been a very discernible shift in her wardrobe towards the much more costly.

Gone, by and large, are her high-street favourites, affordable pieces from mainstream British chains and in their place is an ever-growing roster of four-figure frocks and diamond earrings.

No look came with a higher price tag in this time period than her very chic, pared back ensemble for the Top Gun premiere with Kate opting for a $5,115 Roland Mouret dress, Prada heels, a $4,418 Alexander McQueen clutch and new $18,133 diamond earrings from Robinson Pelham.

While Kate did re-wear a number of pieces, most notably the white Alexander McQueen suit she first debuted during her and husband Prince William, Duke of Cambridge’s disastrous Caribbean tour and a striking Catherine Walker coat she first donned last year, these are all pieces that cost into the thousands. (There are no prices listed on the Catherine Walker website and you know what they say about having to ask how much something is…)

This is a sartorial tendency that extends to her in her off-duty hours too. Back in 2019 Kate was last photographed at the polo wearing a $740 LK Bennett dress. In July, the 40-year-old was back at watching her husband de ella working up a sweat playing a few chukkas but this time she chose a ladylike Emilia Wickstead number from the designer’s 2019 collection. Currently, a white sleeveless dress that is similar is selling for just under $2000.

Since early May, Kate has worn Alessandra Rich on multiple occasions (whose dresses start at about $2,511 and go up to more than $4,000), plenty of Emilia Wickstead, again costing in the thousands, and a variety of pairs of Emmy heels ($690 to pop) or Gianvitto Rossi pumps which come in at $1022 a pair.

The genius of Kate’s style for so long was her ability to seamlessly pair bargain items, such as the $3.95 earrings she chose for her first official event this year, with high end pieces, a perfect blend of the accessible and the aspirational.

What was so delightful about this was not just the demonstration of her fashion nous but the implication it carried; just because ella she could afford all the designer loot she could cart home from Bond Street did not mean ella she wanted to.

It all felt refreshing and just real and over the years the duchess’ regular choice of budget looks interspersed with the luxe carried with it the message that royal life had not fundamentally changed her as a person.

Which is why this emergence of this recent Kate who seems increasingly wedded to top tier labels only is a bit disquieting. To some degree I feel a certain sense of disappointment that one of the most meaningful ways she has, for more than a decade, set herself apart from the royal status quo seems to have disappeared.

(The only notable exception to this trend came on June 3 during a St Paul’s service during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations when she accessorized her bespoke Emilia Wickstead yellow stunner, which would have set Kate back thousands, and her $2000-plus Philip Treacey hat with … at $34 clutch from homegrown Australian brand Forever New.)

Maybe what I really liked about the Zara-era Kate was that every time she got out of her official car for an engagement clad in a $27 dress it carried with it a certain wonderful sense of defiance and refusal to suddenly change who she was. The takeaway: she She might have a title but she was still Kate.

One way to explain the change in her wardrobe direction might be that it reflects the repositioning we have seen of William and Kate’s image in the last year, from plucky young ‘uns to future king and queen. The runway from where they are now, as working foot soldiers of the royal family, to their coronation inside Westminster Abbey is being very clearly laid out by the Palace, driving home a message of monarchical continuity as the Queen looks shakier and shakier.

Perhaps the argument has been made that it’s fine for a workday duchess to slip into a few pounds worth of polyester but not for a queen-in-waiting. Or perhaps Kate has just grown up a bit and like women the world over is now focusing more on better quality pieces she can wear more often.

But to some degree the ‘why’ does not matter here; what does is what flow-on effect this shift might have.

On a purely functional level, Kate’s deployment of modest clothes over the years went a very long way to making her seem uniquely relatable in a way no royal WAG has before. Now, the more she chooses out-for-reach for everyone but the super-rich labels, the more she risks eroding those gains and making herself into more of a remote figure.

For William and Kate to truly ensure that the royal family remains a thriving concern, they need to seem approachable.

The danger there is obvious – central to the brand the Cambridges’ have assiduously been trying to build is that they are the congenial, normal royals, the hardworking duo happily transforming The Firm from fusty, frosty and all-too grand into a powerhouse of do -goodery.

At a time when the UK is in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis, seeing the woman who has been sold as the refreshingly normal duchess-next-door gadding about the better part of a $100,000 worth of designer duds is a potentially dangerous and certainly ill-conceived move.

Closes might maketh the man but Zara could help maketh a queen.

Daniela Elser is a royal expert and a writer with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles.

Read related topics:Kate Middleton

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Australia

Nearly 25 years ago, the NT almost became a state. Now many believe it won’t happen in our lifetime

Nearly 25 years ago, the NT almost became a state. Now many believe it won't happen in our lifetime

Nearly 25 years ago, the Northern Territory narrowly missed out on its “ultimate constitutional objective” of becoming Australia’s seventh state.

A poster with 'VOTE NO' as the largest words, surrounded by text laying out the referendum question.
A 1998 advert urging people to vote against statehood.(Supplied: Library & Archives NT)

The 1998 statehood referendum was the culmination of years upon years of workshopping and parliamentary reports, and only failed by 4,000 votes.

But ask any Territorian today and they’ll tell you it’s an issue well down their list of priorities.

So how did this happen? And was it ever feasible for a vast landmass so sparsely populated to be able to govern as a state?

With the Territory Rights Bill passing the lower house earlier this month, a former politician bizarrely calling for it to return to South Australia, and concerns about a lack of representation in federal parliament, we answer your questions about whether the Northern Territory could ever become a state, and what it would change if it did.

How did the statehood movement start?

From Federation until 1911, the Northern Territory was part of South Australia.

After that, it became a territory, controlled directly by the federal government.

However, the statehood movement only really got going after the NT was granted self-government on July 1, 1978.

The Northern Territory Parliament's first ministry of the Everingham Government, the first Governmen
After the NT was granted self-government in 1978, statehood was quickly embraced by the Everingham government (above).(NT Archives Service)

By 1986, the territory’s third chief minister Stephen Hatton was describing statehood as the “ultimate constitutional objective”.

“The Territory has long been preparing to take its place as an equal partner in the Australian Federation; the time has now arrived for it to do so,” Mr Hatton told parliament.

Mr Hatton argued that statehood would give the territory “the same degree of self-determination” as everyone else.

What makes a territory different from a state?

Unlike states, federal parliament can override laws in both territories.

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