Close to half of Australian home owners are under mortgage stress, with data showing 45 per cent of households are spending more than they are earning.
The news comes as the Reserve Bank on Tuesday raised the national interest rate to 1.85 per cent.
The decision to lift the cash rate by 50 basis points was the fourth consecutive month of rate rises by the RBA and has millions of homeowners across Australia feeling the pressure as they brace for their own interest rates to continue to rise.
Close to half of Australian home owners are under mortgage stress, with data showing 45 per cent of households are spending more than they are earning. (Nine)
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“If households are under water, in other words, if they’re spending more than they’re earning, we categorize them in a stressed state,” said Martin North of Digital Finance Analytics.
North crunched the numbers for A Current Affair and showed the most mortgage stressed postcode in the country is Chipping Norton in New South Wales, with 12,713 households in a stressed state.
It’s followed by Tapping in Western Australia with 10,918 households deemed stressed, Narre Warren South in Victoria with 10,307, and in Queensland, Toowoomba tops the list with 10,040 households.
Paralowie in South Australia has 6870 households with mortgage stress, while Riverside in Tasmania has 5141.
Amaroo in the ACT has 3,998 households with mortgage stress, and Stuart in the Northern Territory has 2,167.
“If you go back a couple of decades, we had around 10 or 15 per cent of households in mortgage stress,” North said.
“Before the global financial crisis we got to about 32 per cent of households.
“But then it accelerated during COVID and now we’ve hit a really remarkable level.”
According to the data, Australia’s first home owners are the demographic most at risk.
“First home buyers are actually the highest proportion of households in mortgage stress at the moment,” North said.
“That’s because they’ve got the biggest mortgages and they’ve got the least buffers.
Tash Alabakov is excitedly awaiting the completion of her new build, but has already seen repayments rise before she even has the keys.
“I keep getting new mail saying your repayments are now this, your repayments are now this,” Alabakov told A Current Affair.
“I’m not at the stage where I have to do my full repayments yet, I’m paying just interest only while my build is being completed,” she said, noting that the rising cost of everyday items were also causing her financial strain .
Tash Alabakov is excitedly awaiting the completion of her new build, but has already seen repayments rise before she even has the keys. (Nine)
“A lot of my wage is going to go to repayments and that’s before any bills, water, rates, phone bill, food, petrol.
“There’s nothing I can do from an employment standpoint except to get a second job for weekends if I want to make a bit more money.”
For home owners feeling the pressure, experts say there are options to avoid defaulting on your loan.
“Breathe and do a simple budget to ensure you can allocate all your essential expenses,” said Shungu Patiska, a financial counselor with the National Debt Helpline.
“Once you’ve done that, speak to your creditors and ask for assistance such as repayment holidays.”
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Yot was bedlam. Unlike any moment the city had been seen in more than a decade. When Kevin Durant, then playing for the reigning champion Golden State Warriors, came out onto the hardwood at KeyArena in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle on 5 October 2018, you couldn’t hear yourself shout in ecstasy. You could only hear the roar of the whole crowd, which included many Seattle luminaries, from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to the rapper Macklemore, deafening and raucous all at eleven.
why? Because Durant came out ahead of that preseason NBA game wearing a forest-green Shawn KempsweaterNo 40. It was a reminder that the city has not had an NBA team since the SuperSonics left town for Oklahoma City (where they became the Thunder) in 2008.
“It was just a great moment,” northwest-native and longtime ESPN SportsCenter host Kenny Mayne, who was in attendance that night, tells the Guardian. “To give recognition to Seattle basketball, and the fact that so many of us had missed it.”
To date, the city of Seattle has not hosted an NBA game in 14 years – save the Durant/Shawn Kemp jersey night in 2018. That game pitted the Warriors and Durant, who was also the last Sonics’ first-round draft pick to ever play in the city, against the Sacramento Kings. It was a fitting contest given that the Kings were inches away from relocating to Seattle in the 2010s.
In truth, the 2018 preseason game was almost cruel for Seattle’s basketball fans. At least, it would have been had the city not been so joyous and enthusiastic, starved for NBA attention. “It’s a basketball city,” Durant said after that reply. But Durant’s statement may have taken some by surprise. To basketball city? Seattle?
To tech city, sure. Coffee and grunge music, yes. Sir Mix A Lot and the Space Needle, of course. But basketball? That’s the overview of New York City, right? Well, not entirely.
On 3 October this year, the NBA will return to Seattle for another preseason game. It will feature the Los Angeles Clippers (owned by a former Seattleite, Microsoft billionaire Steve Balmer) and the Portland Trailblazers (the only current Pacific Northwest team), and will most likely sell out. Perhaps Portland star Damian Lillard will come out in a No 20 Gary Payton Sonics jersey! Either way, locals will be thrilled.
The game will take place in the newly renovated Climate Pledge Arena (formerly KeyArena), a 17,500-seat venue perfect for hoops. When the Sonics left for OKC, the argument was that the city’s facilities weren’t modern enough. Now, as Mayne puts it, “[the NBA] certainly can’t complain about the facilities at this point.”
Seattle, which is home to nearly 750,000 people (and 4 million in the surrounding area), is well-positioned to support professional sports. This year saw the NHL expand and bring in the Kraken. Though new to the league, the Kraken were No 14 (of 32) in attendance, averaging 17,151 fans per home game. In addition, ever since the Seahawks and the “Legion of Boom” won the Super Bowl in 2014, football has felt like a religion in town. The Sounders, Seattle’s MLS team, have won titles and set attendance records. And the Mariners, the local Major League Baseball team, recently enjoyed a 14-game winning streak. Indeed, Seattle is a sports city, too.
And as rumors continue to swirl about a possible NBA expansion, with Seattle and Las Vegas on the tips of insiders’ tongues (like that of NBA podcaster and author, Bill Simmons), it’s worth remembering just how much of a basketball city Seattle really is . While NBA commissioner Adam Silver has thrown cold water on those rumours, perhaps for simple negotiating purposes, they nonetheless persist. (Seattle has been involved in many bargaining rumors before.)
While today’s Seattle may not be an NBA city, it is a basketball city. That reality begins first and foremost with the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. The franchise, which didn’t leave with the Sonics for OKC thanks to its hometown owners, Force 10 Hoops, has won four WNBA titles (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020), with legend Sue Bird running point. The team boasts three of the league’s top-25 players, according to ESPN, from Bird to Jewell Loyd to former MVP Breanna Stewart. The squad is also one of – if not the most-socially conscious in professional sports. And though Bird recently announced her upcoming retirement from her, her presence from her will be felt both in Seattle and beyond for years.
Alongside Bird on the list of Seattle hoops emissaries is Jamal Crawford. Not only did Crawford have a distinguished NBA career (and now post-career), he is an ambassador for Seattle basketball. Crawford runs the annual local pro-am, The CrawsOver, which brings local talent together with local legends, and even Hall of Fame players such as the late Kobe Bryant, to play games in the summer for fans. Crawford, who took over the pro-am from another area standout, Doug Christie, helped guide the city’s best and brightest during his 20-year NBA career, which included three Sixth Man of the Year Awards. Local NBA stars (and CrawsOver alums) like Michael Porter Jr, Dejounte Murray, Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Roy and Nate Robinson owe a debt to Crawford’s stewardship.
“A lot of this is home-grown through people like Jamal throwing his pro-am,” says Mayne, who remembers going to Sonics games in the late 60s and seeing visitors like Wilt Chamberlain and later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. “Part of it, with the loss of the Sonics, I think everybody has assumed a little bit of responsibility to put your hand up and say, ‘Look at us, we play pretty good ball up here.’”
But Crawford owes a lot to the people who came before him, too, from Christie to 2011 NBA champion Jason Terry, to SuperSonics standouts like Kemp, Payton and Detlef Schrempf. And later, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and 2001 NBA Slam Dunk contest victor, Desmond Mason. Speaking of the Sonics, the squad has an illustrious hoops pedigree. The NBA team, which kicked off its first season 55 years ago in 1967, won the NBA title in 1979 and later played in the NBA finals against Michael Jordan in 1996, losing in six hard-fought games. Sadly, for locals, the team was sold in 2006, by then-owner and Starbucks co-founder Howard Schultz to Oklahoma-native Clay Bennett, who moved the team to OKC in 2008. Schultz later called it one of the biggest mistakes of his life of him
“The Sonics were my childhood,” hooper-turned-musician, Cedric Walker, tells the Guardian. “To watch your childhood get shipped off to another city, it sucked.”
For the Seattle born-and-raised Walker, 33, who was introduced to the game in elementary school by his mother Gaynell, a now-retired public-school educator, the Sonics were his inspiration. As a teen, I have starred at Summit High School. And Walker and his mother would go to Sonics games during the week, sometimes sitting in the nosebleeds, catching a glimpse of the Payton/Kemp-era squad. He remembers attending the playoffs against the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz, the “electric” crowds.
Walker remembers the protests in town as word spread regarding the Sonics’ likely departure, fans hoping to keep their cherished home team. “Seattle is one of the best basketball towns in the country,” Walker says. “We just had the No 1 pick in the NBA draft [Paolo Banchero]. We have a rich basketball history, dating back to the 70s. Even though the team doesn’t exist anymore, I’m pretty sure we have more playoff appearances than some still in the league.”
Perhaps the biggest feather in Seattle’s basketball cap, however, is its association with the great Bill Russell, who died on Sunday. The centerpiece of the original Boston Celtic dynasty, Russell boasted more championship rings than fingers (11) and after his stint as a player/coach for the C’s in the late 1960s, Russell migrated to the Pacific Northwest to helm the young SuperSonics as the team’s Coach from 1973-1977. Russell, the namesake of the NBA Finals MVP trophy, lived in the area until his death.
But it’s not just the professionals. In Seattle, the roots of the game go deeper, from high school through college. Christie, Crawford and Murray are graduates of Rainier Beach High School, a perennial Washington state champion located in the south-end of the city. Smack-dab in the center of town, there’s Garfield High School, which graduated Roy. There’s O’Dea High School, which produced the No 1 pick in the 2022 draft, Banchero (now also a CrawsOver album).
Even prominent local musicians have gotten into the mix. Pearl Jam originally named itself Mookie Blaylock after the former New Jersey Nets All-Star point guard. In 2009, Seattle’s Grammy-nominated rock group, Band of Horses, released a popular song, Detlef Schrempf. Macklemore’s recent music video features Crawford and Thomas hooping. And the Grammy Award-winning rapper (and Garfield High School alum) Ishmael Butler was a Division-1 baller under accomplished coach John Calipari at UMass.
Perhaps, too, given Kevin Durant’s recent trade request to get out of his obligations with the Brooklyn Nets, the “Slim Reaper” will again become the face of the Seattle SuperSonics and fast-track expansion (maybe one day he’ll suit up against to LeBron James-led Vegas team). Now, that would really be cause for unabashed applause.
A group of campers have been left shocked after waking to find a giant crocodile outside their caravan in a popular Darwin camping spot.
Campers at the aptly named Dundee Beach Holiday Park were woken up by yelling after a 2.5 meter crocodile sauntered to the bottom of one family’s caravan steps.
“They didn’t know what was going on at first because they were asleep, they thought what was all this commotion outside and people talking right outside their van and they went to come outside and we yelled don’t come out there’s a croc, “Witness Nyomi Hogan said.
The crocodile was found near a carvan at Dundee Beach Holiday Park (9News)
Fishing guide Kurt Williamson managed to trap the beast before rangers were able to remove it.
It’s the first time a crocodile has been spotted at the campsite.
“First time for me and for the other guys on the croc team finding one in the middle of a caravan park,” ranger Jaylan Marshall said.
Some brave campers managed to trap the reptile. (9News)
“In the middle of the Dundee it’s pretty uncommon it’s never happened before that we know of.
“With the dogs and the food from the barbeques and everything like that, the smells would sort of entice him to come in as well.”
The crocodile measured up to 2.5 meters. (9News)
As dry season comes to an end, the rangers have warned tourists to stay “crocwise” and vigilant when visiting the Territory.
“Even if the water does look very tempting especially at this time of year you still have to be very vigilant with these guys hanging around,” Marshall said.
The humid weather in the Bay Area during the past few days may have felt like being transported to Hawaii.
A few factors are combining forces to bring muggy weather to California: monsoonal moisture, remnants of a weakening tropical storm and a low-pressure system over the Pacific Ocean.
“We’ve been getting a little bit over the Bay Area — nothing like they have over southeast California, where they’ve had a lot of flash flood warnings [and] road washouts,” said Brian Garcia, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Bay Area office.
California and the southwestern United States are in the midst of monsoon season. But the effects of monsoons can range from light drizzles to lightning-packed thunderstorms.
“A monsoon is a pattern of wind and rainfall that usually spans a very large part of a continent — or even an entire continent,” said William Boos, an atmospheric scientist at UC Berkeley.
Tropical moisture ahead of Frank (left) ⛈️ and monsoon moisture (right) ️⛈️ making rounds over the Golden State this afternoon.
Models trending towards more widespread showers for the Bay Area this week as Frank dies and its remnants drift northward. #CaWxpic.twitter.com/LJfZ4Sn0OX
This sticky summer weather is set to persist through the week.
On tap Wednesday and Thursday, the Bay Area and Central Coast could see more light rain showers and high humidity levels. Toward the end of the weekend, residents can expect clearer skies as the muggy weather pattern fades away.
Large, dark storm clouds linger over San Francisco as seen from the waterfront of the Emeryville Marina in Emeryville, Calif. Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.
Jessica Christian/The Chronicle
The humidity could return again, though, as monsoons can persist for months.
“Monsoons, in general, are created by intense sunlight supplying energy to land and the atmosphere during summer,” said Boos. “That creates these large continental-scale circulations.”
In North America, this atmospheric circulation can transport moist air over the Gulf of California inland to the Desert Southwest, including California.
In the Bay Area and Central Coast, the monsoon system has meant light showers and soupy feeling weather. From Sunday through Monday afternoon, rainfall totals ranged from a few hundredths to nearly a tenth of an inch from Santa Rosa to Santa Cruz.
the humidity woke me up at 5am. I thought I was in Florida at first.
But in Southern California and Nevada impacts have been severe. Torrential downpours and flash floods forced the closure of roads in and out of Death Valley National Park.
In this photo released by the National Park Service, is the damaged intersection of Kelbacker Road and Mojave Road in the Mojave National Preserve, Calif., Sunday, July 31, 2022. Roads in and out of Death Valley National Park were closed after lanes mud and debris inundated lanes during weekend flash floods in eastern California, western Nevada and northern Arizona. Storm cells dumped localized heavy rain across the region, prompting closures of highways and campgrounds. (National Park Service via AP)
Associated Press
On top of the monsoon system moving through California, the remnants of Tropical Storm Frank, moving off the Pacific coast of Mexico, are also providing additional moisture. A low-pressure system over the Pacific Ocean that is spinning counterclockwise is only adding moisture to the mix.
This low-pressure system is essentially funneling moisture from the tropical storm and monsoon northward, Garcia said.
One concern with the current weather system is the possibility of storms and—more worryingly—lightning. Lightning strikes could potentially ignite dry vegetation and kick off wildfires.
In far Northern California and Southern Oregon where the McKinney Fire is burning, the same monsoon system kicked off new fire starts over the weekend, with hundreds of lightning bolts touching down.
The Bay Area has fared better, unlike in August 2020, when the historic lightning complex fires broke out across the region.
“So far, we haven’t seen any significant lightning with the showers that have been going through,” Garcia said.
Jack Lee (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected]
Today is a big day for the folks at be quiet!, as the company is now officially celebrating their 20th anniversary. With that comes a new product launch – a new series of ‘FX’ RGB hardware, including a new case and two new CPU coolers.
Up first is the new Pure Base 500 FX, which prominently features in Leo’s be quiet! anniversary PC build, which you can see HERE. Highlights from the case include pre-installed Light Wings ARGB high airflow fans, an ARGB/fan hub capable of syncing up to six ARGB components and six PWM fans, room for up to 360mm liquid cooling radiators and an easy layout for putting your system together .
The be quiet! Pure Base 500 FX will be available starting this month for £119.90.
The Pure Loop 2 FX is a new version of the popular AIO liquid cooler, offering up to three Light Wings PWM fans, a doubly decoupled PWM pump to keep noise levels low, an easy-access refill port if you want to top up your coolant and a nickel-coated cold plate, making this AIO suitable for use with liquid metal thermal compound.
The Pure Loop 2 FX will also be available starting this month, priced at £99.90 for the 240mm version, £109.90 for the 280mm version and £124.90 for the 360mm version.
Finally, if liquid cooling isn’t your thing, then be quiet! has also announced the Pure Rock 2 FX Black CPU air cooler, combining vibrant RGB illumination with a stealthy black heatsink and high cooling efficiency. The cooler has a 150W TDP cooling efficiency and ships with a Light Wings 120mm PWM fan. The heatsink has four 6mm heat pipes with HDT technology and is constructed in a way to avoid blocking your memory slots.
The Pure Rock 2 FX will be available starting this month for £39.90.
You can find more details, including retail availability, HERE.
KitGuru Says: Are you currently planning your next PC build? Will you be considering to be quiet! cooler, case or power supply?
Hello everyone. Some news from the track to kick us off.
Athletics: Scotland’s Laura Muir, the Olympic 1500m silver medalist in Tokyo and a bronze medalist in the same event at the worlds in Eugene last month, has eased through into the final of the women’s 800m. Keely Hodgkinson, Olympic and world silver medalist in the 800m and favorite to pick up gold in Birmingham, also cruised through in the third and final heat.
Righto, my watch is over; here’s John Ashdown to ease you into your afternoon.
Athletics: With the men’s 100m heats done, now under way we have the heats of the women’s 800m and the long jump of the women’s heptathlon.
Cricket: England lose another wicket, a mix-up leading to the run out of Maia Bouchier! It’s now 94-5 off 13, and from a position of apparent impregnability, we have ourselves a ball-game!
Cricket: England are now 93-3 off 12.4; Alice Capsey has reached her half-century, but Nat Sciver is out… and now so is Capsey, flogging Malaba a return catch! Mlaba is delighted!
Maya Lylor of Canada takes gold in the women’s 76kg weightlifting!
Taiwo Liadi of Nigeria nabs second, Maximina Nuepa of Nauru bronze – and Deborah Alwode of DEngland is just out of the mdeals in fourth.
Athletics: More sprinting joy for Kenya: Samuel Imeta wins heat nine, Rohan Browning of South Africa taking second.
table tennis: In the men’s team bronze-medal match, England have taken the lead against Nigeria thanks to a doubles win.
Cricket: England are going nicely, 78-2 off 9.4; Alice Capsey is 39 not out and Nat Sciver 11 not out.
Athletics: Conroy James of Jamaica wins heat eight of the men’s 100, Adam Thomas of Scotland following him home.
Weightlifting: Deborah Alawode of England takes out 119kg – that puts her second overall – then Taiwo Liadi of Nigeria gets up 120kg.
Athletics: Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati streaks away with heat seven of the men’s 100m. Three more to go, and I don’t think we’re any the wiser as regards who might win.
Weightlifting: It’s getting tense in the women’s final 76kg. We’re into the clean-and-jerk portion – mmmm, jerk – and Maximina Uepa of Nauru has just nailed 117kg.
Cricket: i should remind you, England beat Sri Lanka in their first match, while South Africa – who are missing the excellent Marizanne Kapp, home for personal reasons – lost to NZ.
Cricket: England are playing South Africa and, having been inserted, have just lost Danni Wyatt. They’re 43-2 off 5.1.
Swimming: Kylie Masse, who’s already won silvers in the 100 and 200m back just won her 50m heat.
Athletics: Yupun Abeykoon powers home to win heat six; Oghenebrume comes second. Well done him.
Athletics: Ach, Godson Oghenebrume seems to overbalance on the falling blocks, and will he be disqualified for that? The runners are called back, but he stays. Good. Can he keep the heid?
Athletics: Omanyala’s time of 10.07 is, we’re told, perhaps the fastest recorded at this stage of the Games. He tells BBC he’s hoping to put Kenyan sprinting on the map.
Athletics: Omanyala of Kenya and Esseme of Cameron streak away in heat five of the men’s 100.
Swimming: Ben Proud of England, the world and Commonwealth 50m free champ, has eased through to the semis.
Athletics: Raymond Ekevwo of Nigeria wins the heat in 10.14, a hundredth in front of Kemar Bailey-Cole of Jamaica, who turns to stare as they cross line – essentially saying he could’ve won that race he had chosen to. And it’s a great picture because Ekwevwo is about 5 ”7 and Bailey-Cole 6” 3, so he it’s like a Dad and lad.
Athletics: Raphael Ngaguele Mberlina false starts in heat four of the men’s 100m, and really that is a nonsense rule. As far as I recall, it’s to ensure that races fit into prescribed TV schedules, and it makes no sense to punish a slight infraction so severely.
Swimming: England’s Holly Hibbert is into the women’s 200m butterfly final, but Australia’s Elizabeth Dekkers is a strong favorite for gold; she was the fastest qualifier, and followed home by her teammate, Abbey Connor.
Athletics: Ojie Edoburun of England wins heat three of the men’s 100m, while Denise Lewis reflects on Johnson-Thompson’s performance. She says the speed between hurdles is n’t there, but she did n’t hit any and it’s not her best discipline. The long jump is next, starting in 15 or so minutes.
Athletics: Johnson-Thompson gets away well, but Taneille Crace of Australia powers through to win, Holly Mills of England behind her; Johnson-Thompson finishes fifth, and didn’t look great in so doing.
Athletics: Ah, the 100m hurdles in the women’s heptathlon have, I think, already been, but we’ve not been shown them until now. So let’s go with them, while also doing the heats of the men’s 100m; Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the defending champion, is taking her mark from her.
Athletics: Akani Simbine of South Africa doesn’t get a great start, but eases through the field to win heat two of the men’s 10m by a street, in 10.10.
Wales win gold in the men’s pairs bowls!
They beat England 19-18; Jarrod Breen and Daniel Salmon go absolutely wild. And rightly so – they almost chucked it away, but responded really well to pressure and potential devastation. Jamie Walker and Sam Tolchard almost pulled off a comeback for the ages, but will have to make do with silver.
Men’s bowls: STRAIN! Wales are in front in the final end. England have one effort to try and steal…
Athletics: Favor Ashe of Nigeria storms out of the blocks and leads England’s Mitchell Blake home, easing up.
Swimming Brodie Williams, silver medalist in the 100m back, has won his head in the 200m version. He’ll fancy himself to podium again, yes I just used podium as a verb.
Athletics: In the women’s T37/38 100m qualifying, Sophie Hahn streaked clear to win in 12.80, her best time of the season.
Athletics: The first round of the men’s 100m is soon to get going; there are 10 [ten] heats.
Men’s bowls: But a terrific saving bowl from Jarrad Breen knocks one of England’s out of the way, taking the end with a oner. Wales now lead 19-17 after 17!
Men’s bowls: England reduces the deficit to 18-17 at 16, and are looking strong through 17, a potential two there for them. The Wales lads look nervous, I must say.
Women’s hockey: Australias have beaten NZ 1-0. But both will likely make the last four, and could easily meet again in the gold-medal match.
Men’s bowls: Wales responded! They lead 18-16 after 15 ends, which makes some sense: England were so far behind, and though momentum was with them, it’s almost impossible to pile up points with no reply.
Athletics: Sreeshankar of India is first through in the men’s long jump, recording 8.05m – the mark is 8.00m. He’s got a chance of a medal, reckons Rob Walker.
Athletics: We’re away in the stadium, the men’s long-jump heats in progress. The heptathlon will also soon get going; the 100m hurdles is first up.
Men’s bowls: Have a look! Two for England, and the scores are level at 16-16! Wales had the gold in their fingertips, but now have to seize it all over again, in the knowledge that if they cannot, they’ll be haunted by the last four ends until they day they die.
Women’s hockey: Just at the end of the Q3, Australia hit the post, but with 13 minutes left they still lead NZ 1-0 – and are a player down.
Men’s bowls: They cannot! Wales hit all the balls, alter nowt, and after 13 ends, it’s 16-14; not that long ago, it was 15-6, but two fours in three ends and it’s up for grabs now!
Men’s bowls: England are closing! 16-10 behind after 12 ends, a delicious delivery from Sam Tolchard gives them four, and you could cut the atmosphere with an atmosphere cutter. Can Wales find something to disrupt the momentum?
Athletics: We’re just 15 minutes way from the start of the competition. oooh yeah!
Women’s hockey: With three minutes left in Q3, it’s still Australia 1-0 NZ.
This is an important piece by Kieran Pender.
Men’s bowls: A colossal end for England sees them claw back four points, but with seven ends to play, they still trail Wales 15-10.
Women’s weightlifting: The end of the 76kg is away.
Men’s bowls: Wales are storming away from England now, 15-6 in front of 10 ends – but England are well placed in the 11th, with two on top of the of the jack.
Women’s hockey: It’s still Australia 1-0 NZ at half-time. So far in the competition, Australia have beaten Kenya 8-0 and South Africa 5-0; NZ have beaten Kenya 16-0 and Scotland 1-0.
Women’s hockey: It’s a tight one in Pool B, where Australia lead New Zealand 1-0 with 90 seconds left in Q2.
Bowls: I’m watching the finals of the men’s pairs; Wales lead England 11-6, while Scotland lead Northern Ireland 17-4 in the bronze-medal match.
Preamble
Morning all, and welcome to day five of the Commonwealth Games! With the track cycling finished, now is the perfect time for track and field to spring into action … and it does, the centerpiece Joshua Cheptegei’s attempt to add another gold to augment the 10,000m gold he won a fortnight ago in the world championships. But we’ve also got Holly Bradshaw and Hannah Cockroft in action, all of which makes for a terrific evening session.
Otherwise, there are absolutely loads of goings-on in the pool – can Adam Peaty rebound from his shock defeat in the 100m breast with gold in the 50m? – in the 3×3 basketball, which has both men’s and women’s finals – and the end of the gymnastics. Jake Jarman, who has three golds already, is after another in the vault, while Joe Fraser, with two, chases a third in the parallel bars.
As the United States enters a recession following two quarters of negative growth, Sen. Joe Manchin is disputing data that shows his bill would raise taxes on the middle class during such the tough economy.
“We have to agree to disagree, a difference of opinion,” Manchin, DW.Va., said when asked by Fox News Digital about an analysis from the nonpartisan Joint Committee on taxation showing his bill would hike middle class taxes.
The committee’s analysis said Manchin’s bill, officially titled the “Inflation Reduction Act,” would raise 2023 taxes on six of eight income categories lower than $200,000.
Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., disputes data from the Joint Committee on Taxation that his reconciliation bill would raise taxes on the middle class during a recession. (The Associated Press)
SINEMA STILL UNDECIDED ON MANCHIN SOCIAL SPENDING BILL, WILL MAKE DETERMINATION AFTER PARLIAMENTARIAN REVIEW
Manchin quickly pivoted away from Fox News Digital’s question to discuss parts of the bill he says should be bipartisan.
“My Republican colleagues are my friends and I’ve worked with them tremendously. And I will continue to work with them any way, shape or form,” Manchin said. “But these are things that we’ve all talked about in bipartisan groups. How can we start paying down our debt and… take our finances seriously, our financial house in order? These are things every time we get together as a group, bipartisan support, this is what we talk about. How can we get more production?”
Nevertheless, Republicans say Manchin’s legislation, which he announced with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., last week, makes no sense during a technical recession after two quarters of the economy shrinking.
WHAT’S IN THE MANCHIN-SCHUMER TAX HIKE AND CLIMATE CHANGE BILL?
“The median household income in West Virginia is $48,037. This bill will raise taxes of Americans making well below those levels in order to help families making more than five times those levels purchase electric cars,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, tweeted this weekend.
Cornyn was citing a provision in the bill that would provide up to a $7,500 tax credit for families making up to $300,000 to buy certain electric vehicles.
Manchin also pushed back on the idea that his bill will raise taxes on the middle class in separate comments.
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“There’s not one penny of change in taxes, I have no idea where they’re coming down,” Manchin said. “The only thing that was done… if you are a company of a billion dollars or more… you should pay at least a minimum of 15%.”
Manchin further said that, “I can’t believe that they would say” the bill would affect average Americans’ taxes.
“It’s not going to affect… not at all,” he said.
Tyler Olson covers politics for Fox News Digital. You can contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @TylerOlson1791.
VMLY&R Australia and New Zealand, Squeak E. Clean Studios Recruit For Aussie Navy
Global audio company Squeak E. Clean Studios and agencies VMLY&R Australia and New Zealand created a challenge which serves as a sophisticated recruitment effort for the Australian Navy.
Squeak E. Clean Studios’ head of sound in Melbourne, Paul Le Couteur, converted an image into sound and then embedded that into an audio message complete with voice and sound effects which challenged prospective Navy recruits to find the hidden visual message. The coded message appealed to these would-be intelligence professionals who had to recognize the puzzle and then find the tools required to solve it.
To reveal the hidden missive, the audio, discovered by only the most clever, had to be processed in a spectrogram, which is often used in sound production to repair background noise, crackles, hums and glitches or to isolate elements within a sound file. This is the same technology used by the Australian Navy to intercept, analyze and identify threats at sea. The message connected a tech audience to Navy intelligence roles and targeted the narrow field of intelligence professionals suited to work in the Navy.
This behind-the-scenes film explains “The Audio Ad You Can See.”
Credits
customer Australian Navy Agency VMLY&R Australia and New Zealand Paul Nagy, chief creative officer; Jake Barrow, executive creative director; James Wills, Robyn Bergmann, creative directors; Simon Grey, Mr. designer; Fiona Newman, Annie Thiele, producers; Leigh Cooke, editor. Music/Sound/Audio Post Squeak E. Clean Studios, Sydney, Melbourne, NY, LA Paul Le Couteur, head of sound, mixer; Ceri Davies, exec producer.
We have just witnessed one of the most insane days to ever unfold in Aussie cycling with Matthew Glaetzer winning gold in the men’s 1000m time trial.
The Aussie team was expected to be wiped out from the medals when they were inadvertently sabotaged by their own team in another farcical equipment blunder unfolding just hours before the event.
AusCycling officials announced its handlebars for the event were not safe at the eleventh hour—forcing the Aussie riders to use inferior, bulkier, slower bars at the Lee Valley VeloPark.
Aussie cycling legend Katey Bates said the decision to use heavier, less aerodynamic handlebars could cost the riders up to 1.5 seconds in the event that takes 60 seconds to complete.
Nobody could have predicted what came next.
Despite the last-minute equipment sabotage, Glaetzer produced one of the great rides to take gold in the final ride of the event, knocking Aussie teammate Tom Cornish to silver.
A fifth Commonwealth Games gold medal taken Glaetzer equal with Aussie cycling icon Anna Meares for career gold medals won.
Aussie Matthew Richardson, who won gold in the men’s sprint on Monday, was relegated to fourth spot after Nicholas Paul took bronze for Trinidad and Tobago.
Richardson would almost certainly have won the bronze if able to use the handlebars he was expecting to.
It’s why Bates was absolutely stunned when Glaetzer powered to the gold medal.
“I cannot believe my eyes. I cannot believe what I’m seeing here,” she said.
“That was absolutely staggering. This is becoming the velodrome where records are broken and dreams are made.”
Earlier, an AusCycling review into the handlebars was only completed at the last minute. The review found the bars could not handle the force that the riders put through them, particularly when exploding off the start line.
Aussie legend Scott McGrory said the decision was a “devastating blow” to the Aussie trio.
“It’s a major hindrance,” he told Channel 7.
“The aerodynamic bars are so much faster.
“It’s a devastating blow for the Australians.”
AusCycling executive general manager of performance Jesse Korf spoke to Channel 7 before the event and defended the late decision. He said the review was started earlier this year, but could not have been completed earlier because of testing issues with its suppliers and other officials.
Korf said in a statement released by AusCycling the decision was made after testing revealed the riders would generate significantly more power than the bars could handle.
“We acknowledge that this decision has created a degree of disappointment, but the riders and the broader team understand that safety is our top priority,” Korf said.
“We have made significant changes to procedures, team structure and process since the Tokyo Olympics and this decision is reflective of a new and thorough approach to long-term engineering excellence, competitive success, and athlete welfare.”
Bates said the decision would be a hammer blow to the Aussies, who have dedicated their lives for moments like this one.
“We’re talking 1 second to 1.5 seconds, it won’t just cost a gold medal, it will cost a medal,” she said.
“That’s devastating. When you look back on your career, these are the moments that define it, for good or for bad. I really feel for the athletes, to be honest.”
McGrory suggested there were other options that the Aussies could have used, including equipment readily available at the track, rather than going with such heavy handlebars.
Richardson was the first Aussie to hit the track and he left McGrory and Bates stunned when he shot straight to the top spot on the time sheets with a 1:00.152.
Tom Cornish then pushed into first place with a 1:00.036.
Glaetzer then took the gold when he smashed to 59,505.
Glaetzer was on Monday robbed of a bronze medal after being relegated in the third race of the bronze medal event following marginal contact with his opponent in the men’s sprint race.
The handlebar disaster in Birmingham comes after the Aussie equipment failed at the Tokyo Olympics.
Richardson was seen looking distressed after his ride and collapsed to the floor while appearing to suffer from cramping and other issues. Bates suggested he was about to vomit from the exhaustion and build up of lactic acid.
It was truly an unforgettable day in Australian cycling.
He had suffered a laceration to the skull, bruising of the face and abrasions across his body, Hollingworth said on Tuesday, but authorities were unable to determine a cause of death because Mammone had ice and cannabis in his system and had prior heart problems.
The woman went to police about a month later and was later jailed for armed robbery. McEachran was initially charged with murder, but this year pleaded guilty to manslaughter and armed robbery.
Hollingworth jailed him for nine years and nine months. With two years served since his arrest, the 44-year-old will be in prison for another five years before he is eligible for parole.
Police investigate outside Rangebank Primary School in June 2020.Credit:Joe Armao
The judge said: “Mr Mammone was lured to a remote location in the middle of the night by someone he knew and trusted. Having been tricked into getting out of his car, he was confronted by two offenders who were attempting on taking his car from him.
“He was unarmed and did nothing to start the violence that you [McEachran] influenced on him. Despite Mr Mammone’s resistance, you overpowered him and knocked him to the ground.”
Mammone was a grandfather and a father of three daughters, the court heard. Hollingworth said his family of him “are heartbroken that they will not be able to share the rest of their lives with him”.
McEachran had a disadvantaged childhood, with a violent father, used drugs and alcohol from his teens, left school early and had no work history, the court heard.
He has previous jail time for violent assaults, and Hollingworth said his rehabilitative prospects were poor because he had no family support other than contact with his teenage daughter and former partner.
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