Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event is finally over and we got two new foldable devices this time as a part of the company’s 2022 foldable lineup. We’re looking at the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4, both of which offer a lot of improvements over their predecessors while preserving a lot of the great features that made them famous in the first place. The Galaxy Z Flip 4, for instance, has a slightly different hinge design, and the device itself is both narrower and smaller when folded. Despite all the changes, the company has made the Galaxy Z Flip 4 water-resistant.
Like the Galaxy Flip 3, the new foldable clamshell also has an IPX8 rating, meaning it’s water-resistant for up to 30 minutes in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater. According to Samsung, you shouldn’t submerge the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in salt water as the salt may accumulate and block the primary microphone, earpiece, and more. It’s also worth noting that the phone isn’t equipped to handle dust or debris. In short, this new foldable can handle occasional sprays or shallow water, but it’s best to keep it away from salty water and even dust and other debris that may enter the hinge to cause permanent damage. If you take your phone with you inside the water, then you should let it dry for a few hours before using it. That way you avoid causing some permanent damage to the device.
The fact that Samsung’s new foldable devices have an IP rating is quite commendable. We say that because a lot of other foldable phones including the likes of the OPPO Find N and Moto Razr can only handle occasional sprays and have no official IP rating. That makes the Galaxy Z Flip 4 a lot more durable and gives you more confidence to use it as your primary phone.
Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 4, just like its predecessor, comes with an IPX8 rating. It’s good to handle shallow water, but it’ll not fair well dust and debris.
If you’re interested in buying this phone then be sure to hit the link in the box above to find the best price for it online. Alternatively, you can check out our collection of the best Galaxy Z Flip 4 deals to find the places to grab it from. We’ve also rounded up some of the best Galaxy Z Flip 4 cases for you to check out in case you want to add more protection to your phone.
The Southern Moreton Bay Islands sit in the middle of a picturesque marine park that’s home to turtles and dugong, protected from the open sea by North Stradbroke Island and just an hour from the Brisbane CBD.
But residents of the islands say behind the beauty, social and physical infrastructure has fallen drastically short of what is required in the face of a dramatic population boom.
The population of Karragarra, Lamb, Macleay and Russell islands grew by nearly 20 per cent, from 6,153 to 7,635 between 2016 and August last year, according to the 2021 census.
In addition, Redland City Council has approved almost 1,000 new builds since 2018, a boom that has added to the population growth as well as an influx of traditions to the area.
The population on the islands has grown in recent years.(ABC News: Julius Dennis)
And part of the reason why residents say the population growth feels a lot higher than the census figures show.
For locals, the car parks at either end of the ferry, where islanders return to and from the mainland, are the funnel point where transport pressures are felt the most.
Helen Thompson has lived on the islands for almost 20 years, commuting to Redland Bay by ferry before driving to work. She says parking in the area has “always been a nightmare”, but the population spike has made it increasingly difficult.
“There are more parking facilities now, but there are also more people,” she says.
Many people keep a car on the mainland in Redland Bay.(ABC News: Julius Dennis)
Redland City Council says about 2,000 parking spaces are available around the terminal, but Ms Thompson says on the weekend it is nearly impossible to find a park.
“I generally avoid coming to the mainland on the weekend because of parking. Once you move your car there’s very little chance of getting another park.”
Helen Thompson says she struggles to find a park on weekends.
(ABC News: Julius Dennis)
Lack of sewers ‘not feasible’
Another concerning infrastructure limitation for residents is the requirement for all homes to have their own septic system. There is no sewage on the islands.
Jasmine Person is a long-time local and former president of the Chamber of Commerce, she says the conveyancing work done by her firm has “tripled” in recent years.
“I don’t think the council envisaged this much growth in such a short amount of time,” she says.
Jasmine Person says her work on the islands has tripled.(ABC News: Julius Dennis)
She says of all the infrastructure problems facing the islands, the lack of sewage on the islands poses the biggest risk.
“That should have been done back in the 2000s when the water was put on — now it’s an expense to council that is not feasible for them,” she says.
“I don’t know how they’re going to find a solution. It’s their responsibility.
“You can’t keep on having this much growth and that wastewater leaking into the ground on the back of a marine park. It’s just not going to work long term.”
The Southern Moreton Bay Islands are a collection of four islands off the Redlands Coast east of Brisbane.
(ABC News: Julius Dennis)
For Clem Ebber — another two-decade veteran of island life — it’s another example of poor planning for one of Queensland’s most unique communities.
From his deck on Lamb Island he can see North Stradbroke, a tourism jewel of Queensland with a full-time population of just over 2,000.
“We cannot understand that we’ve got here on our Southern Moreton Bay Islands about 10,000 people with no sewerage and Stradbroke has got sewerage,” he says.
Redland City Council says the islands are not within their “declared service area for reticulated sewerage”, but they do “ensure on-site sewerage facilities are constructed in accordance with the relevant plumbing, health and environmental standards”.
There is also a large community push to seal the roads after some residents claimed they were suffering lung issues from the unfinished roads.
Council agreed to a green sealing program.
“Unfortunately, the council has scrapped this green sealing program for this financial year,” Mr Ebber says.
Dirt roads on the islands have long been a contentious topic. (ABC News: Julius Dennis)
The council said it had identified 61 kilometers of island roads that may be suitable for green sealing, “pending future budget considerations and funding assistance from the state and federal governments.”
Boom fueled by cheap land
On the islands the signs of growth are everywhere.
“For sale” signs slapped with red “sold” stickers line the streets.
Vehicle barges laden with traditions come across every day, filling the air with the sound of power tools and filling cafes, fish and chip shops and pubs with their business.
Vehicle bars bookings fill up quickly. (ABC News: Julius Dennis)
One of the main drivers of the boom is property prices. An hour away in Brisbane, house prices have surged over $1 million, but on Russell Island an empty block can still be purchased for $40,000.
Angela Collins is the manager of Southern Moreton Bay Islands Community Services Incorporated (BICSI) — the longest tenured service provider on the islands with more than 100 volunteers and workers running op-shops, a Centrelink, plant nurseries and emergency relief.
Over the 28 years of operation Ms Collins says BICSI has, “basically been the first port of call for anything that goes on on the islands.”
Angela Collins is the manager of Southern Moreton Bay Islands Community Services Incorporated.(ABC News: Alexander Lewis)
She says the population spike in the past few years has resulted in a rent bubble that is putting strain on the locals.
Rent has jumped up to $80 a week in two years, from $270 to $350 on average for three-bedroom homes.
“What we’re finding is a lot of phone calls coming in saying, ‘Can you help me? I’m about to be evicted from my house I’ve rented for 20 years because the lease has expired’,” Ms Collins says .
“That’s very, very difficult for the unemployed and the pensioners and that’s why we’re seeing a change in our demographic.”
Rent on the islands has risen dramatically in recent years.(ABC News: Julius Dennis)
Hilton Travis is the president of SMBI Listeners, an organization which aims to link people and services on the island.
He says higher rents are not in the budgets of many islanders, many of whom are pensioners or survive off a low income base.
“Our average rent is about $80 or $90 cheaper than the average Australian rent, [but] the average income of people over here is a couple hundred bucks a week less than the average income,” he says.
“It means we’ve got a large percentage of people who have a lower income who spend a large percentage of that lower income on their rent.”
Hilton Travis is the president of SMBI Listeners.(ABC News: Alexander Lewis)
‘We don’t get a fair deal’
Both Mr Travis and Ms Collins say the boom is also putting pressure on service providers with many organizations physically based in Redlands and not on the islands.
“Services that are available on the mainland are not the same services that are available over here. Not only in number but also in their ability to actually deliver,” Mr Travis says.
“We don’t get a fair deal on that. There’s still a number of services who will only serve Redlands because they see the time taken to get here and it’s a fair issue — if it’s going to take you an hour over on a barge and an hour back on a barge.
A vehicle barge travels between the islands and the mainland. (ABC News: Julius Dennis)
“Services will start ringing us up saying, ‘We’re funded, we’re coming over to the islands, can we come and see you?'” Ms Collins says.
“They have no idea of the logistical complexity with the water barrier that we have, which means that they’ve got funding for the islands, but it’s four islands.”
Service providers on the islands have long called for more “place-based” organizations with a full-time presence.
“People who live on the islands understand the logistical issues that we have here, while mainland people really don’t,” Ms Collins says.
“If the funding was presented to organizations on the islands or people who are qualified to even work for those organisations, but live on the islands, I think it would be massive.”
People catch ferries from Redland Bay to the islands. (ABC News: Julius Dennis)
Nowhere to go in a crisis
Julie “Chook” Larson manages Running Wild, a service founded in 2013 on Macleay Island, which is being forced to downsize despite the increasing demand.
Ms Larson is a trained support worker and says Running Wild has been fueled by grants for specific programs like training and employment or conservation projects but are involved in a wide range of other community services.
“We’re not a specific youth service. We’re not a specific DV service. We’re not a specific mental health service, but we’re here in the community,” she says.
Julie “Chook” Larson says there is not enough services on the islands for those in crisis. (ABC News: Alexander Lewis)
“We are the only organization on the islands that is based here and able to, through relevant qualifications and trauma informed training, be able to provide a response to a crisis,” Ms Larson says.
“On paper it would look like these islands are all being serviced by professional support workers, but they’re actually not — they’re mainland based. They’re not here, they come on an outreach basis.”
Ms Collins agrees.
She says once the last ferry has left at night there is nowhere for people in need to turn.
“I’ve turned up at work and found a family with children sitting outside in their car saying that they’ve just gone through domestic violence and they’ve been sleeping in the car overnight,” she says.
“They’ve got no money, they can’t get off the island.”
But the stream of grants Running Wild has relied on has dried up and the organization is being forced out of their location on Macleay Island.
Mr Travis says this will “leave a hole in local access, particularly after hours”.
“If anything happens and people need support [at night] you’ve just got to get it from the people on your island,” he says.
“There’s really nowhere that you can have that separation over here. Nobody’s got a safe place they can go to.”
Only one ambulance boat services the islands.(ABC News: Julius Dennis)
As well as being “just one grant away from closing”, Ms Larson says Running Wild is having difficulty finding a suitable home.
Previously, a council-owned 10-acre block was earmarked for Running Wild but after a council meeting in July Ms Larson says she was told there was no land available.
Ms Larson says the lack of facilities made it “even more difficult in a competitive grant environment”.
Redland City Council says if land or a facility became available Running Wild could put forward an expression of interest.
Ms Larson says she will continue her work as a volunteer, but will have to find another job.
“Shift the resources here. We know what works here, we’ve been here, we live here, we know what works for our community – give us the resources to do something.”
Twitter announced in a Thursday blog post that it is taking steps to combat misinformation ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
The social media giant said it would activate enforcement of the Civic Integrity Policy.
The policy covers harmful misleading information about elections and civic events, including false information about the election’s outcome.
Tweets may be linked with credible information or helpful content, and users could see a prompt prior to liking or sharing labeled tweets.
FORMER TWITTER EMPLOYEE CONVICTED OF ACCEPTING BRIBES FROM SAUDI ARABIA, SHARING PRIVATE USER INFORMATION
The company noted that decreases in engagement with labeled tweets were noted.
In this photo illustration, the logo of Twitter can be seen on a smartphone on March 10, 2022, in Berlin, Germany. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In cases where there is potential for harm, the tweet may not be liked or shared.
Twitter said it would remain vigilant, looking for fake accounts.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
A Twitter logo is seen outside the company’s headquarters in San Francisco, California, April 25, 2022. (Reuters/Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Other initiatives include “prebunks” that will “get ahead of misleading narratives,” state-specific event hubs that are rolled out nationwide, a dedicated explore tab with national and local news as well as voter education public service announcements, candidate account labels on candidate tweets and profile pages, and improved recommendations.
“Earlier this year, in the US and Brazil, we tested ways to prevent misleading Tweets from being recommended through notifications. Early results show that impressions on misleading information dropped by 1.6 million per month, as a direct result of the experiment,” Twitter wrote .
The logo for Twitter is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, June 1, 2022. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
The tech company said it would apply additional proactive safeguards for the accounts of government officials, candidates and journalists, including increased login defenses, expedited account recovery support, and more “sophisticated” detections and alerts.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
As election day nears, Twitter wrote that it would continue to share real-time information about its strategy.
“Twitter plays a critical role in empowering democratic conversations, facilitating meaningful political debate, and providing information on civic participation – not only in the US, but around the world. People deserve to trust the election conversations and content they encounter on Twitter,” it concluded.
When it comes to negotiating inflation pay rises, for a long time there’s been a simple rule: don’t mention inflation.
Key points:
With rising costs and a labor shortage, workers are looking for pay increases
A raise of 4.6 – 5.2 per cent is a “good starting point”, labor experts say
Asking for more money because everything is more expensive can sometimes work, but proceed carefully
The reasoning has been that, basically, bosses don’t care how you’re doing financially, and whether or not you can make ends meet.
Pay rise negotiations should be about what you bring to the organization, and why they need you, rather than what you need.
But with inflation now at its highest rate since 1990, and most Australians worse off, some experts are tweaking their advice.
Many workers are sharing stories of asking their boss for a pay rise.
Emma, 29, a property manager in Melbourne, recently tried her luck.
“I told them that with the cost of everything going up, my salary wasn’t viable anymore,” she told hacker.
“I didn’t want to leave, but I was willing to go somewhere closer to home that offered a bit more.”
And it worked, after a few days her employer agreed to a 7 per cent pay rise.
Amy, 24, a designer in regional NSW, had a very different experience. She also brought up inflation with her boss from her — and got knocked back.
“They said they couldn’t justify paying me more,” she said.
So, how can you go about having the chat?
How much do you ask for?
The annual inflation rate in Australia is currently 6.1 per cent, meaning prices have risen this much over the last 12 months.
If your wage hasn’t been bumped up in that time, you’re effectively earning less than you were 12 months ago.
So if you’ve made $50,000 in the past year, you’re $3,000 worse off.
Most Australians have seen their wages go up a bit — annual wage growth was 2.4 per cent in May — but that increase hasn’t been enough to cover inflation.
If you were on $50,000 one year ago and you wage has gone up 2.4 per cent, you’re still down $1,850.
John Buchanan, a labor market expert from the University of Sydney’s Health and Work Research Network, recommends asking for a pay increase of between 4.6 per cent and 5.2 per cent.
These are the amounts the Fair Work Commission (FWC) increased minimum and award wages this year.
The FWC, which is an independent tribunal, arrived at these figures after extensive analysis and consultation, so they’re a good starting point, Professor Buchanan said.
“Their decision is on the website. Take it into the negotiation,” he said.
“If any worker can achieve that increase in the current situation that is a good result.”
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Why is everything so expensive?
Check your contract
The kind of work contract you’ve signed with your employer affects your ability to negotiate a pay rise.
Enterprise agreements are generally collectively negotiated by an organisation’s workforce, typically represented by a union, while employment contracts are negotiated by individual employees.
If you’re a casual worker, you’re probably on an award rate, which is the minimum amount you have to be paid.
Even if you’re on the award rate, you can still negotiate to be paid more.
Should I mention inflation?
Mentioning inflation in her negotiation worked well for Emma from Melbourne, but expert opinion here is divided.
“Don’t mention inflation,” said Karen Gately, a human resources specialist.
“Employers are thinking about their own books and the growing costs of their business.”
That is, if you go to your boss saying you need more money because of inflation, they may say the company’s costs have gone up too, and it can’t afford a pay rise.
Emily Barnes, a professional mediator, agreed that “traditionally” an employee’s financial pressures haven’t been “the company’s problem.”
But there are some exceptions to that, she added.
Workers in sectors with a labor shortage are in a stronger position to negotiate a pay rise, in which case referring to inflation can be helpful.
For one, it can help make the conversation less awkward.
“The benefit of an inflation conversation in that negotiation is it depersonalises it,” she said.
“And women in particular, who have traditionally struggled with asking for pay rises on their own behalf, that probably makes them feel more comfortable.”
Professor Buchanan said workers should “absolutely” mention inflation.
“Wages should always reflect inflation and aggregate productivity,” he said.
But proceed carefully, I have added.
“Employers get pretty testy when workers start talking about pay.”
Workers in hospitality will see a 4.6 per cent increase in the award wage from October.(Unsplash: Mitchell Hollander)
Do your preparation
Whether it’s printing out the FWC’s recent pay rise decision, researching the average pay range for a similar role, or making a list of reasons why you’re good at your job, it pays to be prepared.
“Preparation is key,” said Ms Barnes, the mediation expert.
She recommends writing out what you want to say. Even if you don’t use this in the conversation, the process will help.
What do you want to achieve? What are you willing to accept? What are you willing to do if your pay rise request is refused?
Are you willing to quit, even if you otherwise like your job?
“Unless you have a really clear idea around those three things, then you have a bit too much of a scattergun approach in terms of the negotiations.“
Karen Gateley, the HR specialist, also recommended preparation.
“Always think about the value you’re adding to the business,” she said.
This applies to any kind of job, even waiting tables.
“You can talk about building strong relationships with regular customers.”
Is this a good time to ask for a pay rise?
Mostly yes.
Australia is in the middle of one of its largest ever labor shortages, with the unemployment rate at its lowest in 48 years.
Workers in most sectors were in a stronger-than-usual position to negotiate pay rises, Ms Barnes said.
That includes hospitality, retail or caring jobs (these are sometimes called low-skilled workers), she added.
“It’s really hard to replace workers, she said.
“I would probably argue that low-skilled workers have an improved negotiation position than previous periods.“
The national minimum wage increased 5.2 per cent from July 2022.(Getty Images/Andreas Rentz)
Professor Buchanan agreed, but pointed out wage growth remained low.
One reason for this was employers remained “often very reluctant” to pay an employee more, as other employees would demand the same, amplifying the cost for the whole business.
The one exception to this was new workers, who could start at higher pay without rocking the boat.
“Within a workplace there is such a thing as wage relativity—if you move the wage of one person then you have to move wages of others.
“Most workers are getting a wage increase through changing jobs.”
He predicted only about 1-2 per cent of the labor market would manage to negotiate a pay increase to match inflation, despite the labor shortage.
Emma from Melbourne, who scored a 7 per cent pay rise without having to leave her job, appears to be among these lucky couple per cent.
She said she framed the pay conversation around what was “viable.” She did not want to leave, but she was prepared to do so.
“I said, ‘I just need to look at what’s viable for me.'”
In the end, her boss was willing to pay an existing employee more than go to the trouble, and take the risk, of hiring a new one.
“Investing in new talent and the possibility of changing the dynamic in the office is not always worth it, when someone is only asking for another $5,000,” Emma said.
Amy’s story also ends happily. After her pay request from her was knocked back, she found another job — one with almost double the salary.
“It’s ignorant of businesses to say we don’t care about your finances,” she said.
“If you can’t afford to pay employees a living wage, you can also do some inflation and raise your own prices.”
It’s time to leave behind Inazuma in Genshin Impact 2.8 and jump to the big 3.0. HoYoverse has pulled out all the stops in its drip marketing tactic, hyping its playerbase for Sumeru with teaser content galore. Now, with the Genshin Impact 3.0 livestream coming up, it’s time for players to get the full explanation of the new region, the Dendro element, and the already leaked characters. We might not see as many dark-skinned characters as expected, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see any other wild updates that’ll keep the game worth playing.
Here’s how to watch the Genshin Impact 3.0 livestream and what to expect from it.
when is the Genshin Impact 3.0 livestream start time?
the Genshin Impact 3.0 livestream airs on August 13, 2022, at 8 am Eastern on Twitch. If it’s anything like past livestreams, then it should be rerun on YouTube four hours later at 12 pm
Where can I watch the Genshin Impact 3.0 live stream?
You can watch the Genshin Impact 3.0 livestream on Twitch, YouTube, or even Bilibili with subtitles. Just show up at the scheduled time. Don’t worry if it takes a bit to start up!
Does Genshin Impact 3.0 have a trailer?
And it is, Genshin Impact 3.0 has multiple trailers. There are three preview teasers that feature translated input from the devs, and a promotional video of the Sumeru gang in action.
We suggest watching all of them as an appetizer to the main course coming up:
Also, HoYoverse’s latest promotional video isn’t a preview teaser but a high-quality animation with a preview of the Traveler and new companions in Sumeru. The developer first dabbled in promotional animation for Inazuma, now it’s doing the same for Sumeru and it’s improved. Definitely heartbeat worthy!
What will be revealed during the Genshin Impact 3.0 live stream?
These little fun guys are apparently everywhere in Sumeru.hoyoverse
Sumeru and its characters will probably be the hot topic of the Genshin Impact 3.0 live stream. HoYoverse has spent the past few weeks releasing story trailers about the new region and introducing players to new characters including Tighnari, Collei, and Dori. It’s a full cast ready to meet Genshin players when they travel to the Traveler’s latest destination.
What are the Genshin Impact 3.0 banner?
New Genshin Impact banners are usually confirmed on the day of the stream. However, the Genshin Impact community has scarily reliable leakers, who have “confirmed” the upcoming banners.
SaveYourCousinsa Genshin Impact information sharer, pooled information from popular leakers like Uncle Chasm, Ubatcha, and Lumie to deduct the following banners:
Genshin Impact 3.0 first half: Tighnaria 5-star bow user, will be the first Dendro 5-star featured on a banner. Zhongli will rerun alongside him. Players will receive Colley, a forest ranger trainee, as a free 4-star unit. She’ll also be available to pull from Tighnari’s banner with boosted rates.
Genshin Impact 3.0 second half: So far, Tighnari is the only 5-star Dendro we should expect. The second half of the Genshin Impact 3.0 update features Ganyu and kokomi rerun banners with dorianother 4-star Sumeru character.
Leakers estimate that Genshin Impact 3.0 will start on August 24, 2022. The second half will likely begin on September 28, 2022, based on past schedules.
Genshin Impact is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android. It’s still in development for Nintendo Switch.
Midwest police are calling for calm after multiple alleged attacks on officers in the past week.
Key points:
A hotel owner says violence affects all businesses, not just the venue in question
Several people have been charged over alleged offenses against police
Police say the behavior is all too common
Geraldton Officer in Charge Senior Sergeant Chris Martin said he was alarmed by the incidents.
“It really concerns me that my officers are going to jobs in Geraldton and people are [allegedly] actively looking to assault them — that’s very concerning,” he said.
“We have seen a steady increase in assaults over police in the last 12 to 24 months.”
The WA Police Union says assaults on Midwest-Gascoyne officers have risen more than 55 per cent in the last year.
Police say more than 100 people were gathered in groups in the hotel car park.(Supplied)
Late night pub brawl
A 24-year-old woman appeared in the Geraldton Magistrates court on Wednesday charged with two counts of assaulting a public officer and one count of obstructing public officers.
The charges followed a ticketed event at the Wintersun Hotel on Friday night, which about 250 people attended.
Senior Sergeant Martin said when the event finished a crowd spilled into the car park and police received a disturbance call.
“When we attended there was about 100 people present, fighting in all kinds of different groups and police were required to take some evasive action,” he said.
“Some of our officers were kicked, punched, pushed, spat on.
“That behavior is not uncommon, unfortunately, in Geraldton.”
Senior Sergeant Martin said one police officer was struck to the neck with a bottle.
The officers were taken to Geraldton Health Campus for a medical assessment.
He said three other people had been charged over the brawl.
‘pretty dislike’
On a separate occasion this week Geraldton police were called to an alleged domestic violence incident in Karloo.
Senior Sergeant Martin said an attending officer was allegedly spat on.
“Being spat on is pretty disgusting,” he said.
There was also an incident in Rangeway, where a person allegedly bit an officer on the finger.
“We deal with a lot of violent people, we deal with a lot of dynamic situations,” Senior Sergeant Martin said.
“I’ll be the first to say we don’t always get it right, but police officers come to work to do their jobs and keep the community safe.”
Police were called to the Freemasons Hotel after an alleged fight on the patio pub.(Midwest & Wheatbelt: Rachael Clifford)
‘Ruining a lot of businesses’
Freemasons Hotel co-owner Kristina Drage said she had noticed an increase in tension in the community after a fight unfolded out the front of her pub while a guest speaker was entertaining an audience inside.
“Unfortunately, some people who had been evicted from the premise earlier in the evening decided they wanted to have a fight with some people enjoying themselves in the alfresco area,” she said.
“When people come and behave like that it is really embarrassing for the town, the people, or the talent who are visiting.”
Ms Drage said a lot of money and effort went into hosting events, which other businesses also benefited from.
But ongoing behavior is acting as a deterrent for event organizers.
“By people carrying on like this are ruining a lot of businesses, not just ours,” she said.
“If we had a better infrastructure of public transport and taxis, it certainly would solve a lot of after-hours problems when establishments close.”
A juvenile has been arrested and charged with murder in the deaths of a Northfield woman and her two sons. The juvenile has been charged in the juvenile system with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of falsifying physical evidence in connection with the Aug 3 shooting deaths of Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her sons Benjamin Sweeney, 4, and Mason Sweeney, 1, in Northfield.The suspect’s identity has not been released because the suspect is a juvenile.Investigators said the bodies of Kassandra, Benjamin and Mason Sweeney was found in their home at 56 Wethersfield Drive on Aug. 3 by police responding to a 911 call. Autopsies determined that each died of a single gunshot wound. There was no word of a possible motive. Officials said that because the suspect is a juvenile, the law prevents them from releasing any other details.
NORTHFIELD, NH—
A juvenile has been arrested and charged with murder in the deaths of a Northfield woman and her two sons.
The juvenile has been charged in the juvenile system with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of falsifying physical evidence in connection with the Aug. 3 shooting deaths of Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her sons Benjamin Sweeney, 4, and Mason Sweeney , 1, in Northfield.
The suspect’s identity has not been released because the suspect is a juvenile.
Investigators said the bodies of Kassandra, Benjamin and Mason Sweeney were found in their home at 56 Wethersfield Drive on Aug. 3 by police responding to a 911 call. Autopsies determined that each died of a single gunshot wound.
There was no word of a possible reason. Officials said that because the suspect is a juvenile, the law prevents them from releasing any other details.
Interested in learning what’s next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. Register today.
TerraGenesis developer Alexander Winn has just launched the sequel to the popular mobile title. Called Operation Landfall, the new game takes the terraforming concept of its predecessor and puts players a lot closer to it. GamesBeat spoke with Winn about working on his sequel and how player requests led to its creation.
The original TerraGenesis: Space Settlers launched in 2016 with Winn’s company, Edgeworks Entertainment. Winn began working with Tilting Point in 2017 to launch the title on Android, and Tilting Point acquired the game in 2020. TerraGenesis has over 22 million downloads at last report.
Winn announced the successor, called TerraGenesis Landfall, earlier this year. While the original game allowed players to terraform entire planets, it did so from a gods-eye perspective. Landfall, on the other hand, brings players right down to the planet’s surface and immerses them in the nitty-gritty of setting up a settlement on the planet. It’s inspired by and rooted in real science from NASA.
GamesBeat spoke with Winn about his new project and what he brought it about. We also discussed how different the development process was between the two sims. Here’s an edited transcript of our interview:
GamesBeat: So I understand you’re working on a new project?
alexander winn: Yes, indeed! TerraGenesis: Operation Landfall — which, by the way, you may hear me refer to as TerraGenesis Landfall because that was the title until quite recently. Operation Landfall is a new game on iOS and Android, coming out soon. It’s a survival city builder that allows you to build outposts on Mars, the Moon, Venus and more worlds to come.
TerraGenesis is the brainchild of developer Alexander Winn.
GB: What happened after TerraGenesis’ launch that led you to this point?
win: TerraGenesis was a wild ride. I made it by myself in my spare time, and it was actually the 25th app that I ever made. Then I released it, and I moved on to the 26th. And then all of a sudden, that blew up. We got over a million downloads in our first year. At this point, it’s been six years, and we’ve passed 28 million, I think. It’s been absolutely insane. The first few years were bug fixes and adding features and trying to ride the wave of, ‘Whoa, we actually have a hit on our hands.’ But eventually, it became, ‘What’s next?’ We kicked around a bunch of different ideas.
Ultimately, what we settled on was really driven by player requests. TerraGenesis is a game where you control an entire planet over the course of thousands of years. And you can build cities, but you can’t see them. They’re just city lights on the surface of your planet.
For six years, players have been saying, “When are you going to let us see our cities? We want to see our cities.” I didn’t know how to do that. I made it by myself. I’m not a 3D modeler or anything like that. That was so far out of my experience. But I’ve learned a lot these last six years. So when we were trying to decide what the next game should be, sort of the obvious answer was one of we made a TerraGenesis game where you could see your cities. That became Landfall, the game we have now. I often refer to it as the prequel to TerraGenesis, because TerraGenesis, again, takes place over the course of thousands of years. This game takes place over the course of weeks or months. More accurately, it’s like you took the first 30 seconds of a game of TerraGenesis and made a whole game about that first act of building your first city. That’s the game.
GB: Other than the perspective shift, what’s different about Landfall?
win: One of the ways I described the two games is like we made Civilization, and then we followed it up with SimCity. They’re both strategy games, they’re both about building community and civilization, but the new game is much more intimate in scope. You’re not dealing with the fate of the planet. You’re dealing with running out of oxygen. It’s much more on the ground level dealing with individual people on your planet. You’re bringing them in on rockets five or ten at a time.
Each person is a very valuable resource. We have different types of settlers. You can bring in scientists and engineers and workers, and you’re balancing the makeup of your city. Where do you put your resources? Your people need more food, that’s definitely a priority. But what is the priority between more entertainment and more industrial output? Things like that.
TerraGenesis: Operation Landfall lets users get up-close with their extraterrestrial civilizations.
The other thing that this more intimate scope allows us to do is it allows us to really make you confront how hard space is. TerraGenesis was about transforming an entire planet. If you landed on a planet like Venus, which is way too hot and the atmosphere is way too think, that’s something to be fixed in TerraGenesis. In Landfall, you don’t have that ability. You have to deal with this hellish landscape and live in it. That allows us to bring out the flavor of each of these worlds.
Something that was very important to me with both TerraGenesis and Landfall is that they’re both very grounded in realistic science. When you land on Kasei Valles in Landfall and you start building your city, the map that surrounds your city is an actual map of Kasei Valles on Mars. You’re sending rovers out to explore actual craters and actual mountains as they exist on Mars on the Moon or on Venus. We get to bring out the character of these worlds. These are just a generic red rock that so many sci-fi games use. This is March. And Mars has very specific conditions that you have to deal with.
Then you go to Venus, which is hot enough to melt lead, and the air is thicker than seawater. That is a whole different set of problems you have to face. Then you go to Mercury, where it’s over 600 degrees F degrees in the day and -300 degrees F at night. These things are real, and now you live there. So that’s the challenge.
GB: What’s it like working with that kind of data? Does that change anything? You’re not working with a fantasy setting. This is an actual place where we could go.
win: I’m a huge advocate for working with real science and real history in games and entertainment. It’s what we’ve built our company, Edgeworks Entertainment, around. It has a dual effect. The first is that it makes things a lot easier. When I was making TerraGenesis and the region maps in Landfall I didn’t have to hire a map designer. I just went to nasa.gov and downloaded a map of Mars. Donate. Level design becomes incredibly easy, because you just use what’s there. A lot of the assets and challenges are presented to you almost on a silver platter. You just have to integrate the fact. That makes the game design process really easy.
But at the same time it makes it hard because these are not the kind of places where a sane person would want to live. You as the game designer have to put on your NASA hat and say, “Okay, so how would we live on Venus? Would it take to live on Venus? You have to design fictionalized-but-grounded and realistic takes on how we would solve that problem. It’s been a lot of fun to have that scientific focus, because it offers a guiding direction.
Games fundamentally are about restriction. That is what an interactive experience. We could just let you kill the bad guy, but we’re not going to. We’re gonna put little bad guys in front of him. And we’re gonna make the map really hard. And we’re gonna add puzzles and all this stuff. The whole process of game design is about challenge, and space is so full of challenges. It’s like you’re being handed a lot of the game design. Now you just have to make it fun. That is a really fun challenge on our side as well as on the player side.
TerraGenesis: Operation Landfall uses real maps of other planets in the solar system.
GamesBeat: What has the reception to TerraGenesis been like, overall? Both the original and Landfall?
win: It’s been amazing. We’ve soft-launched [Landfall] in a couple of countries to test for bugs and all that, and the response has been really great. We’ve announced the game and shown off some screenshots and a trailers to the TerraGenesis audience and they are going nuts. I’m super-excited with how they’ve been responding. As for the response to the original TerraGenesis, it was like being struck by lighting. I did not expect that game to blow up the way it did. I was so excited and also terrified. It really felt like five or six years of laying the tracks down in front of the train. This huge audience were so excited for what we had done and they wanted more, so it was adding more playable worlds and more scenarios and more mechanics. It was an incredible ride. And I’m really excited to reconnect with that audience with Landfall.
GamesBeat: Out of everything that’s in Landfall, what are you most excited to give the fans? What feature are you most excited to see them get hold of?
win: The obvious answer is the game itself. They’ve been clamoring for six years that they want a TerraGenesis game where they can see their cities and place their buildings, and that’s this game. The number one thing that I’m excited about is the fulfillment of this dream that the players have been having for so many years. But in terms of specific mechanics within Landfall, I think it’s going to be the environments. The team has done such a good job of coming up with random events that can happen on other planets and resources that you can find on other planets. Space is incredibly exciting on the one hand, but on the other hand… it’s a dead rock. You land on the moon, and it’s like, “Okay, cool, but there’s not actually that much to do other than what you came to do.” On Earth, there’s weather, there’s life, there’s all sorts of stuff. That just doesn’t exist in space. There was a period where we were struggling to figure out what exactly you’re going to find on the surface of Venus (other than just more rock samples). The team has done a great job of coming up with cool ideas.
One of my favorites is from the surface of Venus. Venus is a very Earth-like planet, but it’s incredibly hot. It’s hot enough to melt lead on the surface. The clouds are made of sulfuric acid. Lighting strikes constantly. It’s a nightmare. We were kicking around ideas, and I think the original idea was from my wife and co-founder, Lacey Hannan. She came up with this idea that, when lightning strikes sand, even here on Earth, it can form glass, and that lightning glass can be a prized commodity. She said, “Wouldn’t it be interesting if Venusian glass became a resource that people wanted? This golden sand from Venus created by the constant lightning strikes that you can actually go out and gather on the surface, and it will become a luxury item throughout the solar system?” I said, “Yes, that’s amazing!” So now we have a Venusian glass mechanic on Venus. Things like that bring to life not only the world as it exists right now, but the world as it exists right now, but the world as it could exist when people get there. That is the most exciting part of space exploration for me: What is it going to be like when we get there? I think this game does a really good job of bringing that flavor out.
GamesBeat’s creed when covering the game industry is “where passion meets business.” What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you — not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Learn more about membership.
Leaders of Ballarat’s Chinese community say they will continue to fight to protect a house significant to Chinese and Ballarat history after a council vote opened the path for its demolition.
Key points:
Landowners have applied to demolish the home and outbuildings
The family of a Chinese mine manager lived in the house for more than 100 years
City of Ballarat’s heritage consultant Robyn Ballinger has determined the house to be of local significance
Chinese Australian Cultural Society Ballarat president Charles Zhang says he will seek an interim protection order from Heritage Victoria for the site known as Victory House in the suburb of Canadian.
“We won’t let this go. This is very important to us,” he said.
“We will find a solution to save this house.”
Victory House, named after the 1902 Melbourne Cup winner The Victory, was built in 1906 near goldmines and was home to a family of Chinese goldmine manager James Wong Chung.
The Chung family lived in the Geelong Road home until 2008, when it was sold.
The Chung family. (Supplied)
The home was widely known as a welcoming place that hosted large gatherings of Chinese people to celebrate culture and heritage.
It is recognized for its strong links to Ballarat’s goldrush history and Chinese history in Ballarat.
But four Ballarat councilors believe it is not significant enough to warrant protection in a city where countless old homes could be argued to have historical and social significance.
James Wong Chung was the manager of Chinese mine You Sing. (Supplied)
Their vote, four against three, at a planning meeting on Wednesday night, defeated a council officer’s recommendation to seek interim and permanent heritage protection for the site.
Landowners want to demolish Victory House and other outbuildings sites to construct four new dwellings.
Not worth protecting
Councilor Mark Harris led the vote against protection, and told the ABC council must draw a line on interference with privately owned property and this house did not make the cut to be saved.
Four Ballarat councilors have voted against protecting the house.(ABC News: Lexie Jeuniewic)
“It is not a good example of that turn of the century federation house. And, in and of itself, I didn’t think it had the merit to preserve it,” he said.
“At some stage, you ask the question, how much do the owners have rights on it?
“Can any house fall victim to the fact council may decide it to be preserved for historical values they might not have known about?”
The City of Ballarat received a request to demolish the home and outbuildings on July 7 this year.
The land is currently not subject to precinct or heritage controls under the planning scheme.
Heritage consultant Robyn Ballinger prepared a report on the history of the site upon council request.
Dr Ballinger determined it was of local significance.
‘Very bad decision for Ballarat’
Ballarat historian Anne Beggs-Sunter said it was a “bad look” and “very concerning” for councilors to vote against the advice of heritage and planning experts.
“If the council is not seeking heritage protection, there is nothing to stop the demolition of the buildings on the site,” she said.
“It is a very bad decision for Ballarat, particularly with this heritage push to get world listing for the Goldfields.
“Here is a site that is so rich in its association with the very early goldrush in the Canadian area, and the association with the Chinese is so important.”
Victory House in Ballarat is considered a significant part of Chinese history in Ballarat. (Supplied)
City of Ballarat’s heritage advisor told the statutory planning department they would not support the demolition of the home.
The council’s Development and Growth director Natalie Robertson has already written to the Planning Minister Lizzie Blandthorn advising of plans to seek interim heritage protection.
Heritage Victoria can put an interim protection order on a place that is under threat if it is likely to be of state heritage significance and there is an immediate threat to it.
Beto O’Rourke is defending the F-bomb he dropped Wednesday night while confronting a heckler who he said was laughing during his remarks about the Uvalde mass shooting that killed 19 elementary school students and two teachers.
The incident occurred during a rally in Mineral Wells as O’Rourke began talking about the need to curb mass shootings like the one that happened May 24 at Robb Elementary School. A man in the crowd could be seen and heard laughing as O’Rourke talked about Uvalde, prompting the Democratic nominee for governor to respond with an expletive.
“It may be funny to you, motherf—er, but it’s not funny to me,” O’Rourke said to the heckler.
The moment caused a stir on social media, and the Democrat’s campaign addressed it.
“There’s nothing funny about 19 kids being shot to death in their classrooms, and there’s nothing okay about refusing to act so it doesn’t happen again,” said Chris Evans, O’Rourke’s chief spokesman.
“Nothing more serious to me than getting justice for the families in Uvalde and stopping this from ever happening again,” he tweeted.
Though O’Rourke was criticized for using expletives on the campaign trail during his race against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, the Mineral Wells crowd applauded wildly after the moment Wednesday night.
It wasn’t the first time he had an exchange with a heckler over Uvalde, either. He addressed someone laughing at an event in Snyder last month when Uvalde came up.
FWIW, yesterday wasn’t first time @BetoORourke addressed someone laughing in the crowd while he talked about gun violence. “Might be funny to you. It isn’t to me,” he said last month in Snyder (16:31): https://t.co/mpUTGZamA9
O’Rourke, a former El Paso congressman, is running for governor against incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The Uvalde massacre has been a flashpoint in the campaign, with high emotions over mass shootings in El Paso and elsewhere in Texas. During a news conference after the shooting, O’Rourke confronted Abbott and was escorted out of the room.
The full video of the town hall in this tweet includes the explicit language that may offend some.
