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Technology

Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art review: Could this be the perfect mirrorless wide-angle prime?

Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art review: Could this be the perfect mirrorless wide-angle prime?

With Sigma introducing its widest DG DN Art lens to date, I was very excited to try out the 20mm f/1.4 Art lens. Throughout my tests, I was blown away with the optical quality of this lens, not to mention how fun it is to use.

This morning, the company introduced two additions, specifically at the wide side of things — the 20mm and 24mm Art lenses. These lenses replace the previous DSLR-oriented HSM versions that were adapted for L and E mounts.

Throughout my time with both lenses, I was impressed with what I was able to capture, and it further solidified my view of Sigma’s Art series as being one of the best for professionals out there.

With the 20mm f/1.4 Art lens, I found superior sharpness and beautiful depth of field. All in all, this is a lens that’s made to impress. Read on for my full thoughts.

pros

  • Stunning optical quality and sharpness (even in the corners)
  • Fast and accurate autofocus
  • Weather sealing
  • Little to no ghosting, flaring or chromatic aberration

Cons

Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens — Technical specifications

All technical specifications for the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens have been provided by Sigma:

  • Aperture range: f/1.4–f/16
  • Angle of view: 94.5°
  • Opening ring: Yes, with click and lock switch
  • Minimum focus distance: 23cm / 9.1in.
  • Maximum magnification ratio: 1:6.1
  • Optical design: 17 Elements in 15 Groups
  • Diaphragm blades: 11, rounded
  • Image stabilization: No
  • Filter size: 82mm (Front)
  • Rear filter holder: Yes
  • Dimensions: 87.8 x 111.2mm / 3.5 x 4.4 in.
  • Weight: 635g / 22.4oz.

Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens — Ergonomics and build quality

If you’ve ever used a Sigma Art lens, you’ll immediately feel right at home with the 20mim f/1.4 Art. It’s a similar size to the 35mm and 85mm Art lenses, and it features a clickable and lockable aperture ring.

The lens is equipped with a petal-shaped hood. The side of the lens includes an AFL button, a manual focus lock (MFL) switch and a focus mode switch. The rear of the lens is also compatible with rear filters, and Sigma includes a template right in the box.

The focus ring is large and smooth. Overall, the lens feels very nice in the hands, and was well-balanced on the Sigma fp L camera.

The 20mm f/1.4 Art is also dust and splash resistant, but it does not include image stabilization, instead relying on the camera body for stabilization.

Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens — In the field

Despite its larger size, the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art was a fantastic lens to use. With amazing subject definition, you’ll be hard to find a lens that produces more gorgeous results — especially on the wide end of things. I’d put it up against any wide-angle prime I’ve tried.

With no image stabilization, the lens relies on your camera’s in-body stabilization technologies. While that’s no problem for more modern cameras like the Sigma fp L, Sony a1 and a7 IV, and the Lumix S1 or S5, it’s something to consider … especially if you’re a Sony APS-C user with older stabilization (and less effective ) technology. Still, Sigma is going after the pro user base with this camera, and it’s easy to see why in the results I experienced.

Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens — Autofocus performance

Autofocus performed great with the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens — even with a grown man on a playground dinosaur unable to keep his balance. Autofocus was fast and accurate.

Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens — Image quality

If there’s one lens I’ve recently tried that blew me away, it’s this Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens. The image quality simply blew me away. The fact that there are really no flaws to speak about was a breath of fresh air, especially given what I’ve experienced with some other primes in the past. Sharpness, distortion control, lack of ghosting…these are all huge wins in my book.

Distortion control and vignetting

Distortion is well-controlled with the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art. You might see some slight distortion in the corners, but that’s to be expected given its wide field of view.

There’s some very minor vignetting in the corners, but again, it’s not a distractor, and it’s very controlled. All in all, this lens is truly a showcase of what Sigma can do.

Ghosting, flaring and chromatic aberrations

Unlike its 24mm counterpart, ghosting was very well-controlled with the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art, as was flaring. Chromatic aberration was also not an issue.

sharpness

Sharpness was wonderful with the 20mm, whether that be architectural details or portraits.

bokeh

The 20mm has a nice depth of field, making your subjects really pop. Bokeh certainly present, but given it’s a wide-angle lens, I doubt most photographers would buy this for its bokeh qualities.

color rendering

Colors were a tad on the warm side, but were very pleasing and looked natural to the eye. I used the Sigma fp L Camera Natural profile in the shots above.

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Sports

NRL 2022: Arthur’s classy response to fans who booed him

NRL 2022: Arthur's classy response to fans who booed him

Jake Arthur’s second half against the Sea Eagles last Friday shows just how fickle rugby league can be because the Parramatta fans who were booing him last month would’ve been cheering as he helped up set a famous win on the road.

Filling in for the injured Mitch Moses, Arthur produced his best 40 minutes in the NRL and set up two tries to keep the club’s top-four hopes alive ahead of a brutal run to the finals.

The fact Arthur was able to do that after a small section of fans at CommBank Stadium had booed him only a few weeks earlier because his dad is the coach speaks volumes about the 19-year-old.

“I haven’t really worried about it,” he said.

“I’ve just waited for my opportunity and I’ve just been trying to play my best footy in Cup.

“It was just good to be able to wear that No.7. That’s where I feel most comfortable trying to control the game and letting Dyl (five-eighth Dylan Brown) play off the back of it.”

The first of those try assists against the Sea Eagles was a Harbor Bridge pass over the top of giant winger Jason Saab that some experienced halves wouldn’t have had the confidence to throw.

“I was a bit worried because I told myself all week that I wasn’t going to throw that pass because he’s that tall,” he said.

“But in the moment I saw the space and I had to back myself to throw it.”

Teammate Shaun Lane spoke glowingly of Arthur’s maturity and how he handled himself after a difficult couple of weeks.

“I always chat to the young kids to see where their headspace is at around certain things, but I think Jake is quite a naturally resilient kid,” said Lane, who is studying a graduate diploma in psychology and faced his own problems off the field earlier in his career.

“I think it helps that his old man has helped along the way to understand what he probably would have faced ever since he was a kid.

“Growing up with his old man as the coach of Parramatta coming through the grades, he probably understood that he’d be facing a lot of scrutiny were this to happen.

“He’s definitely approached this maturely and I probably wouldn’t have been the same when I was that young.

“He’s stayed off social media, he hasn’t read into any of the negatives, and he’s gone about doing his job. I can’t speak highly enough of how he’s handled himself.”

Arthur’s reward for playing so well against Manly was an appearance on Channel Nine’s post-game show where he got to pick the brain of childhood hero Johnathan Thurston.

The former Cowboys halfback gave him some sage advice and adds to the lessons Arthur has learned from Immortal Andrew Johns as well as Moses.

“I’ve always looked up to ‘JT’ and studied how he played,” the teenage half said.

“It was good to be able to get the chance to speak with him and even ask for a bit of advice.

“I just wanted to ask him to see what I could do better. He told me to run the footy a bit more late in halves and to dig deep in the line once I’ve set up the game with my kicking game.

“I’ve always looked at ways to try to get better. Joey really helped me with that. He’s always ringing me and helping me out, and Mitch has also been massive for me since he got injured. All year he’s been helping me, and now he’s really stepped up.”

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US

FBI Director Christopher Wray is guiding the agency the wrong way, fast

FBI Director Christopher Wray is guiding the agency the wrong way, fast

Christopher Wray’s disingenuous testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday, before he left early on the FBI’s private Gulfstream 550 jet, speaks volumes about the need to defund the FBI — or at least dump its unctuous director.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and his team of Republicans expected to have the chance to ask a second round of questions.

Grassley pleaded for just an extra 21 minutes.

But Wray took an early mark, dismissing the committee’s constitutional obligation to ensure he answers questions under oath to ensure the FBI complies with the law and is accountable to the American people.

What was so urgent that he had to leave after just three and a half hours?

Was he taking a long weekend in the Adirondacks where his family has a summer home?

It’s worth examining the exchange with Grassley in detail.

“We just heard a half hour ago about you having to leave at 1:30,” Grassley grizzled. “We were going to have seven minutes [each] for first round [questions and] three-minute second rounds. I’ve got seven people on my side of the aisle want their additional three minutes. Is there any reason we couldn’t accommodate them for 21 minutes?”

FBI Director Christopher Wray shakes hands with Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Sen. Chuck Grassley
Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Sen. Chuck Grassley Grassley pointed out that Wray has a private jet and can leave any time.
AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Wray replied smoothly: “Senator, I had a flight that I’m supposed to be high-tailing it to outta here, and I had understood that we were going to be done at 1:30, so that’s how we ended up where we are.”

Grassley pointed out that the FBI director has a private jet at his disposal and can leave any time he likes.

“If it’s your business trip you’ve got your own plane. Can’t it wait a while?” I have asked
Wray replied, “To be honest, I tried to make my break as fast I could to get right back out here.”

Grassley, “You took more than five minutes.”

Wray laughed and the silence that followed only emphasized the disrespect to all senators, but especially to Grassley, the president pro tempore emeritus of the Senate.

Democratic chairman Dick Durbin came to Wray’s rescue, expressing his appreciation that it was Wray’s “third appearance in two years before this committee.”

And every appearance a waste of time, that simply showcased that Wray is a master of evasion. On some of the most serious questions of national security and the politicization of the FBI, Wray had nothing to say. Like Mister Magoo, he sees nothing.

no answers

Unlike most things on Capitol Hill these days, the politicization and repeated failures of the FBI are a bipartisan concern.

Director Christopher Wray
Wray refused to classify the flood of illegal migration at the southern border as a “national security threat.”
Getty Images/Alex Wong

In the short time they had with Wray, senators from both sides had urgent questions. Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein and Republicans Marsha Blackburn and Grassley were concerned about the FBI’s botching of the Larry Nassar case. Why, when Nassar was convicted in 2016 of sexually abusing US gymnasts, did Wray wait until 2021 to fire one of the agents involved in slow-walking the case?

Grassley complained about a lack of transparency over why the Department of Justice had decided a jury wouldn’t convict FBI agents for their handling of the investigation.
Other Democrats were concerned about the FBI not investigating complaints about Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing.

Wray had no answer, nor to questions about Afghan evacuees considered significant security threats after being brought to the US in last year’s bungled withdrawal from Kabul.
“I can’t sit here right now and tell you we know where all of them are located at any given time,” he said.

Wray refused to classify the flood of illegal migration at the southern border as a “national security threat.”

When asked what the FBI was doing to track down 56 suspected terrorists that have crossed the border this year he waffled about “sharing watchlist information” and “investigating any number of individuals.”

Hunter Biden
Wray also refused to agree with one senator’s assertion that Hunter Biden’s laptop was not “Russian disinformation.”
The Washington Post via Getty Images

He refused to admit that the Russia collusion hoax — in which the FBI treated seriously palpably false allegations that then-candidate Donald Trump was a Russian agent — was in fact a “hoax”.

He refused to agree with Sen. Blackburn that Hunter Biden’s laptop was not “Russian disinformation,” and didn’t respond to whistleblower allegations of an FBI coverup of derogatory information related to the Bidens in October 2020.

He refused to explain to Sen. Ted Cruz why the FBI had blacklisted patriotic historical American symbols such as the Betsy Ross flag, the Gadsden Flag and the Gonzales battle flag as “militia violent extremism” in training documents.

When Sen. Josh Hawley asked why the FBI was “snooping around the concealed carry permit records” of Missourians, he had nothing.

When Sen. Tom Cotton asked why no FBI agent had thought to enforce the law broken by abortion activists parading outside the homes of Supreme Court justices, Wray was impatient: “Our agents are up to their necks enforcing all sorts of laws.”

Christopher Wray
Wray is required to reimburse the cost of a coach class airline fare for personal trips.
Getty Images/Alex Wong

When the hearing ended at 1:30, Wray ambled over to Grassley to shake his hand. The microphones picked up some of the exchange.

Grassley, a courtly row-crop farmer from Butler County, Iowa, who has a shrewd Columbo-esque tendency to ask “just one more thing,” leaned forward: “I assume you’ve got other business.”

“Yeah,” Wray said.

And off he sauntered, minions in tow.

Grassley’s staff did not know where Wray was going after the hearing and FBI public affairs did not respond to an email Sunday by press time.

But the luxury FBI Gulfstream Wray uses was recorded on Flightradar24 making the one hour and 12 minute flight later that afternoon to bucolic Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks, which happens to be a favorite summer destination since his childhood, when he used to hike the High Peaks and fish for trout, according to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

Wray, 55, who attended the Buckley School on the Upper East Side and the private Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., graduated from Yale University, the alma mater of his father, Cecil Wray, who was Adirondack Park Agency Commissioner for 14 years.

The FBI’s Gulfstream made another trip to Saranac Lake on Thursday, June 2, returning to Washington, DC on Sunday, June 5.

turbulence

While there has been controversy over the FBI director commandeering a plane originally intended for counterterrorism use, Wray’s predecessor James Comey used it as his private conveyance as well.

The director is required to reimburse the cost of a coach class airline fare for personal trips, a significant discount on the several thousand dollars an hour it costs to operate the Gulfstream, which is considerably more convenient than Delta.

Wray ensured his testimony was useless, but if he did cut short his testimony to go on vacation at a time when his agency is under fire from all sides, then that is an act of disrespect and insubordination which requires a firm rebuke, or what is the point of Senate oversight?

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Technology

How AI image generators like Craiyon see our world: It gets weird

How AI image generators like Craiyon see our world: It gets weird

You’ve likely seen them around social media — demented faces, fantastical landscapes and futuristic hellscapes produced by artificial intelligence-powered image generators like DALL-E 2 and Midjourney.

These platforms, which are slowly opening up to the public, all follow a similar model. A user enters a prompt, from a single word to a sentence, and the AI ​​spits out an image to represent it. And yes, it gets weird.

But while the images can be fascinating, and the process of creating them almost addictive, they also come with a host of questions about how these platforms may be used, and what they may be asked to create. The latter includes images that are lewd or potentially illegal, such as virtual child sexual abuse material.

“We are telling AI who we are, we’re feeding it data sets of who we are, and it’s just spitting it right back at us,” said Julie Carpenter, a research fellow in California Polytechnic State University’s Ethics and Emerging Sciences Group. “In some ways it’s a funhouse mirror, and sometimes, depending on the medium and what it spits back, it’s not very fun.”

Some AI image generators, like DALL-E 2 and WOMBO, are still in limited beta release — meaning that only allowing a certain amount of people are allowed to use them. Others, including Craiyon and Midjourney, are open to anyone who wants to take part. Midjourney allows 25 free queries before users have to pay for a license to do more, while Craiyon offers unlimited queries.

These systems are trained on millions of real images, which the AI ​​analyzes for patterns that it uses to respond to user queries.

A high-tech game of telephone

A visitor to the Midjourney Discord server, the forum where images are generated, will normally see thousands of images simultaneously sharpening into focus. During one recent visit by Grid, users’ prompts ranged from “clown with black eyes 8k ultra realistic bad weather in new york” to “volcano shooting out pies.” The output ranges from the cheerfully surreal to the downright sinister, as Grid staff found out when we fed a few of our headlines into Midjourney. (The results are embedded throughout this piece.)

Some AI-image sites, such as Craiyon and Midjourney, also have a social component that has helped lure early adopters. Midjourney’s Discord has channels where people show off the images they generated, give feedback to the developer team and each other, as well as show off their new pet lizard. While on Craiyon’s precursor, DALL-E mini, people could post their images, give likes and leave comments.

During a recent Midjourney “office hour” where founder David Holz fielded questions from users, one user said they had trouble with social media since the mid 2000s when Facebook was “the place to be.”

“But on Midjourney not so much,” said the user. “I picked it up immediately and on my second day I was like whoa, this is one of the most miraculous thing that’s ever happened to me.”

The person said they’d generated more than 6,000 images in less than a month.

“I mean, it’s fun,” said Carpenter. “You could go back to really arcade games or other games. Social media reminds me of a lot of childhood games, like the game of telephone.”

Just as with telephone — where one child whispers a message to another, repeating the process down a line of participants — it’s often unclear what will come out the other side for users of AI image generators. And some experts see profound implications as machines inch closer to demonstrating one of the qualities that define humanity.

“People are seeing ways in which this is calling into question or at least asking us to be a little more precise in the way that we define human creativity,” said David Gunkel, a professor of media studies at Northern Illinois University who specializes in ethics of emerging technologies. “Because if the machines now can start pumping out images that are photorealistic and that are this entertaining, then it’s called into question the whole idea of ​​the uniqueness of human creativity.”

4 eerie AI designed images of faces covered in mysterious masks

An AI interpretation of Grid’s story, “Americans hate masks, but there’s no safely ending the pandemic without them.” (midjourney)

Questions about moderation

The images people try to generate with these platforms aren’t always fun. Some are potentially illegal.

For example, when a Grid reporter was in Midjourney’s Discord forum, one user asked the system to generate child sexual abuse imagery. The request was explicit. While Midjourney did not produce exactly what the user requested, it did generate a general image of a small child. The incident illustrates the extent to which bad actors will try to use such platforms for their own ends.

When Grid shared the user’s name with Midjourney, Holz said that “it looks like they had already been detected, banned and wiped from our system.”

“We have filters that try to prevent many forms of inappropriate content. If someone tries to bypass them, the moderators will either warn or ban the user (depending on the type of content), and then the team will update the filters,” Holz said.

Other requests for things like “photorealistic elves in bikinis” and “kathryn winnick, insanely realistic, hyber detailed, hot, body shot,” were generated, to varying degrees of success.

Craiyon, for its part, has a section in its frequently asked questions list about the potential for limitations and bias in its AI model.

“While the capabilities of image generation models are impressive, they may also reinforce or exacerbate societal biases,” reads the section. “Because the model was trained on unfiltered data from the Internet, it may generate images that contain harmful stereotypes. The extent and nature of the biases of the DALL E mini model have yet to be fully documented.”

4 AI artistic renditions of Putin looking unwell

Experts told Grid recently that it’s not clear whether Vladimir Putin is sick, but this is what it might look like, according to Midjourney. (midjourney)

Both Gunkel and Carpenter said they are concerned about whether there will be enough content moderation in place as these systems become more popular. While filters and other measures built into these systems can provide some degree of moderation, Carpenter said having humans review images is important for understanding them in context. That’s important to catch bad actors trying new strategies to get around existing safeguards. But just how it will work, given how quickly image generators can spit out new images, is unclear.

Gunkel is also worried about the photorealistic images and how those may be misused or manipulated. Midjourney, for its part, does not create photorealistic images for this very reason.

“I think the real concern here, and those things I think we’ve got to really keep our eye on, is the extent to which these image generation systems are able to be employed to create deepfakes because of the photorealism,” said Gunkel. That has implications not just for AI-generated images’ use in politics, but also as tools of defamation or libel if users create deepfakes to harm others, he said.

“As users, we can feel like the content moderation that’s being done by some social media or all social media sites is not enough,” said Carpenter. “There’s even less it with these emerging technologies around creating images.”

Thanks to Lillian Barkley for copy editing this article.

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Categories
Entertainment

Jackie ‘O’ Henderson on Nigella Lawson’s ‘diva moment’ claiming she ‘stormed out’ over Woolies cake

Jackie 'O' Henderson on Nigella Lawson's 'diva moment' claiming she 'stormed out' over Woolies cake

Jackie ‘O’ Henderson has taken a dig at Nigella Lawson just days after the British cook failed to appear on her radio show.

Nigella, 62, reportedly refused to appear on the Kyle And Jackie O show on Friday, leaving her fellow My Kitchen Rules judge Manu Fieldel to face the radio duo alone.

Discussing Nigella’s no-show during Monday’s broadcast, Jackie told her co-host Kyle Sandilands: ‘I think she can be quite precious is what I’ve heard.’

Shock-jock Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, 47, (left) took a dig at Nigella Lawson, 62, (right) during Monday’s broadcast, days after the British cook failed to appear on her radio show

Jackie, 47, went on to speculate that Nigella may dislike their radio show due to an incident that occurred while they were working for Southern Cross Austereo back in the early 2010s.

‘I remember when we had an interview with her at 2Day FM… we were really excited about her coming in,’ she said.

Jackie claimed producers asked Nigella to participate in a ‘cake challenge’ where she would have to guess which cake was bought from Woolworths and which was bought from a patisserie.

Jackie speculated Nigella may dislike their radio show due to an incident that occurred while they were working for Southern Cross Austereo back in the early 2010s

Jackie speculated Nigella may dislike their radio show due to an incident that occurred while they were working for Southern Cross Austereo back in the early 2010s

Jackie claimed that producers asked Nigella to participate in a 'cake challenge' where she would have to guess which cake was bought from Woolworths and which was bought from a patisserie

Jackie claimed that producers asked Nigella to participate in a ‘cake challenge’ where she would have to guess which cake was bought from Woolworths and which was bought from a patisserie

‘That doesn’t seem like a hard challenge. That’s easy!’ Kyle interjected.

Jackie continued: ‘I know! Anyway, she walked out. And when I say ella ‘ella walked out’ I mean ella stormed out and said she would never, ever speak to the show again.’

Suddenly losing his temper, Kyle shouted: ‘She can shove it in her a** then!’

'[Nigella] walked out. And when I say 'walked out' I mean she stormed out and said she would never, ever speak to the show again, 'Jackie said

‘[Nigella] walked out. And when I say ‘walked out’ I mean she stormed out and said she would never, ever speak to the show again, ‘Jackie said

Jackie said she believes the cake saga is why Nigella hasn’t visited them for an interview about My Kitchen Rules.

‘I think that’s where it comes from, but I also think that’s being very precious. I mean, why would you get upset about that? It’s not like we’re trying to catch her out, it’s not like it’s [Nigella’s] own cake! It’s just two store bought cakes for a bit of fun,’ she insisted.

Kyle’s rage only grew, as he declared: ‘Who cares what she thinks? [She is] barely relevant anyway!’

Suddenly losing his temper, Kyle shouted: 'She can shove it in her a** then!'

Suddenly losing his temper, Kyle shouted: ‘She can shove it in her a** then!’

‘Who cares what you think, cooking your pasta. Nothing a bit of KanTong can’t replicate. It’s the same thing,’ he added, referring to the budget Asian-style sauce brand.

It comes after Kyle slammed Manu on his radio show after the pair had a tense chat live on-air.

During the show, French chef Manu, 48, awkwardly said goodbye to Kyle after being grilled about his new co-host Nigella Lawson and why she didn’t want to do the interview with him.

After Jackie mentioned how uncomfortable the interview was, Kyle blasted the culinary star, saying: ‘Who gives as**t what he’s sick and tired of talking about!’

Kyle then ranted about Manu promising that ‘no topic was off limits’ on their KIIS FM show.

‘I’m not here to facilitate other people’s s**t. I like Manu, he can come on and I like the show [MKR]but I’m very shocked about the Nigella [Lawson] thing.’

It comes after Kyle slammed My Kitchen Rules judge Manu on Friday after the pair had a tense chat live on-air

It comes after Kyle slammed My Kitchen Rules judge Manu on Friday after the pair had a tense chat live on-air

‘The end was very awkward, I wasn’t sure what was going on there guys? But whatever,’ Jackie O said.

‘What do you mean? I think he felt embarrassed by his co-host (Nigella) let him down, ‘Kyle shot back.

‘Or he’s sick of talking about it,’ Jackie said.

After Jackie mentioned how uncomfortable the interview was, Kyle blasted the culinary star, saying: 'Who gives as**t what he's sick and tired of talking about!'

After Jackie mentioned how uncomfortable the interview was, Kyle blasted the culinary star, saying: ‘Who gives as**t what he’s sick and tired of talking about!’

During the chat, Kyle wouldn’t stop probing Manu about why Nigella was a no-show.

‘What’s her problem, apparently I hear, correct me if I’m wrong producers, the network is upset because Nigella’s team said “no way, you’re not going on that filthy show.” Our show, how does that happen?’ Kyle asked.

‘I have no idea, that’s news to me buddy! I will make sure she talks to you next time,’ Manu said with a laugh.

During the chat, Kyle wouldn't stop probing Manu about why Nigella was a no-show

During the chat, Kyle wouldn’t stop probing Manu about why Nigella was a no-show

‘I think you’re just being upset for no reason, Kyle,’ Manu added, keen to get off the subject.

Kyle said he thought Nigella was a ‘sweetie’ but isn’t a fan of her management team.

‘Can you sort her team out…’ Kyle asked Manu towards the end of the chat, which was greeted with awkward silence.

Nigella is joining Manu on the My Kitchen Rules reboot this year, replaced disgraced chef Pete Evans.

My Kitchen Rules returns to Seven on Sunday at 7pm.

'What's her problem, apparently I hear, correct me if I'm wrong producers, the network is upset because Nigella's team said "no way, you're not going on that filthy show." Our show, how does that happen?' Kyle asked

‘What’s her problem, apparently I hear, correct me if I’m wrong producers, the network is upset because Nigella’s team said “no way, you’re not going on that filthy show.” Our show, how does that happen?’ Kyle asked

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Categories
Sports

Gold tussles in badminton, table tennis and hockey

Gold tussles in badminton, table tennis and hockey

4:30PM ET

  • ESPN staff

It’s the final day of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and India can win as many as five gold medals to wrap up the campaign.

On Monday, there will be three finals in badminton, a gold and bronze medal match in table tennis and the grand finale will be the men’s hockey team’s gold medal match. PV Sindhu can win her first CWG gold medal. Sharath Kamal can add to his already illustrious medal tally and the day can end with India breaking Australia’s hegemony in men’s hockey.

Catch all the LIVE updates from CWG Day 11 here

With eighteen gold, fifteen silver and twenty-two bronze medals earned so far, India can extend their overall tally to an impressive sixty-one medal haul in CWG 2022, despite the absence of disciplines such as shooting and archery.

Here’s a detailed schedule of all the Indian athletes involved on Day 11 of CWG 2022:

1:20 p.m. IST – BADMINTON (MEDAL EVENT): PV Sindhu vs Michelle Li in women’s singles final

2.10 PM IST – BADMINTON (MEDAL EVENT): Lakshya Sen vs Ng Tze Yong in men’s singles final

3:00 p.m. IST – BADMINTON (MEDAL EVENT): Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty vs Sean Vendy and Ben Lane in men’s doubles final

3.35 PM IST – TABLE TENNIS (MEDAL EVENT): G Sathiyan vs Paul Drinkhall in men’s singles bronze medal match

4.25 PM IST – TABLE TENNIS (MEDAL EVENT): Sharath Kamal vs. Liam Pitchford in men’s singles gold medal match

5:00 p.m. IST – MEN’S HOCKEY (MEDAL EVENT): India vs Australia in gold medal match

12:30 AM -CLOSING CEREMONY

Subject to changes based on the organizers and qualification of athletes.

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Categories
US

CPAC proves Trump will lead conservative movement until he ‘takes his last breath,’ Matt Schlapp says

CPAC attendees reveal whether they want Trump or DeSantis as the 2024 GOP nominee

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

DALLAS — Former President Trump’s place atop the conservative movement was reiterated over the weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, and the event’s organizers believe it will stay that way until he “takes his last breath.”

Trump convincingly won the 2024 GOP presidential nomination straw poll taken at CPAC, and the former president also prevailed when Fox News Digital asked attendees in the hallways of the event. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second on the 2024 presidential nomination question, at 24%, and is widely considered the clear next-in-line among many die-hard Trump supporters. Others simply prefer DeSantis these days.

American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp, who didn’t want to “vote in a primary” so far away from the 2024 election when asked who he prefers, believes many conservatives treat Trump like an incumbent president and his popularity is unrivaled.

“He comes into this race as the incumbent, so in most situations when you’re the incumbent you’re going to have the lion’s share of support from everyone,” Schlapp told Fox News Digital backstage at CPAC Texas.

2024 WATCH: CPAC ATTENDEES CHOOSE FAVORITE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AS TRUMP, DESANTIS REMAIN POPULAR

Matt Schlapp reveals CPAC straw poll at the 2022 CPAC in Dallas, Texas.

Matt Schlapp reveals CPAC straw poll at the 2022 CPAC in Dallas, Texas.
(Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)

“There is this other piece which Donald Trump shares uniquely in American politics on the conservative side, and that is because he was so authentic about what he said he would do and then what he did do… this bond formed between the conservative movement and Donald Trump where he didn’t just say he was going to move the embassy, ​​he moved it,” Schlapp continued. “He didn’t just say he was going to pick the next generation of Clarence Thomas, he picked three of them. He just went right down the line and did what he said he was going to do.”

TRUMP EASILY WINS TEXAS CPAC 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION STRAW POLL; DESANTIS SECOND

Many CPAC attendees wore Trump merchandise, and the event’s vendors offered just about anything a MAGA enthusiast could ever hope for. There were occasional “Make America Florida” hats and shirts in honor of DeSantis, but it was a far cry from the years-ago CPAC events when attendees wore gear to support their favorite Republican with a large variety of choices. These days it’s almost all about Trump.

Schlapp cited the border, willingness to “take on” China and the economy as other key conservative reasons still largely adore Trump. In addition, Schlapp also believes that minority voters will support Trump if he decides to run again because their bank accounts are suffering under President Biden.

“He rekindled this idea that the Republican Party is the place of opportunity for people of color, and because of that it’s an unshakable bond,” he said. “How many CPACs in a row where straw polls that we had demonstrate that? But, yet… it’s almost like people are confused. They ask the question, ‘Is he the leader in support from these folks?’ It’s like, yes! And I think he will be until he takes his last breath because of everything he did.”

Trump, who’s repeatedly teased making another presidential run in 2024 to try and return to the White House, captured 69% of ballots cast in the anonymous online straw poll, according to results announced by CPAC on Saturday. Mercedes Schlapp, Matt’s wife who plays a key role at CPAC and served as White House senior communications director, added that she believes most Republican presidential hopefuls are waiting to see what Trump decides.

“Even DeSantis, they’re watching to see what Donald Trump is going to do, I think that’s a very important factor to consider,” she said.

Donald Trump speaks to CPAC crowd, Aug. 6, 2022, in Dallas, Texas.

Donald Trump speaks to CPAC crowd, Aug. 6, 2022, in Dallas, Texas.
(Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)

TRUMP SAYS CNN HAS ‘GOTTEN WORSE’ UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP: ‘THEY LOST TREMENDOUS CREDIBILITY’

While the Schlapps clearly believe Trump is the leader of the modern conservative movement, they don’t think the bar is particularly high when it comes to what it would take to defeat President Biden in a general election.

“It was the media that told us Joe Biden was up to the job, they were clearly covering for him. He doesn’t really do the job, and now the assumption he’s going to be the nominee. I think the chances of Joe Biden being alive, or really even being able to do anything to kind of act like he’s the president are almost zero,” Matt Schlapp said, noting that the Democratic Party doesn’t exactly have a deep bench.

“Then their real question is, do they pick Kamala Harris who has poll numbers more toxic than cancer, or do they get Nancy Pelosi, which I don’t think is going to work out so well,” he continued. “They are vacant of a lot of talent, so excuse me, I’ll probably be a little optimistic on our chances in 2024.”

‘THE VIEW’: CPAC ATTENDEES SLAM ABC NEWS FOR NAMING ANTI-TRUMP PUNDITS AS ‘CONSERVATIVE’ CO-HOSTS

Mercedes and Matt Schlapp listen to Donald Trump's remarks at the 2022 CPAC conference in Dallas, Texas.

Mercedes and Matt Schlapp listen to Donald Trump’s remarks at the 2022 CPAC conference in Dallas, Texas.
(Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)

Mercedes joked that her husband isn’t always an optimistic guy but “the mere fact that the Democrats don’t have a deep bench” offers a clear reason to be hopeful as many prominent Democrats haven’t committed to supporting Biden in 2024.

“I think it shows a massive divide within the Democratic Party,” Mercedes said. “I think the Republican Party is probably even more united right now than it’s ever been because the goal is to defeat Joe Biden, defeat Nancy Pelosi, knowing that there is an urgency right now to save this country.”

Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

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Brian Flood is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @briansflood.

Categories
Entertainment

The Block 2022 recap episode 2: One team walks off and never returns and the judges choose the winner of the House Decider challenge

It’s only day two of The Block and the biggest ever season of the show is already making history.

For the first time a team quits leaving the remaining contestants and host Scott Cam shocked and confused.

Stream the latest episodes of The Block for free on 9Now.

Before we meet the replacement couple we head to Block HQ to find out what judges Shaynna Blaze, Neale Whittaker and Darren Palmer think of the House Decider challenge rooms.

And the teams choose the historic homes they’ll be renovating this year.

The Block 2022
Scotty drops a bombshell on the contestants. (Nine)

But first let’s unpack that shock exit.

Scott Cam assembles all the teams for an impromptu meeting. But there’s one notable absence – influencer couple Joel and Elle.

“I’ve just found out that Joel and Elle are on their way to the airport,” he reveals to the remaining teams.

“They have left the show.”

After only just finding out the news himself, Scotty explains that Joel and Elle left the show without saying goodbye.

The Block 2022
Scotty is still processing Joel and Elle’s exit. (Nine)

Sharon speculates that Joel and Elle’s exit could’ve had something to do with a family situation.

“But we knew that had happened before they got onto The Block because he [Joel] had told us that unfortunately his mum had a fall, but she was okay and they’d seen her the week before,” Sharon explains.

The Block 2022
Ankur and Sharon are shocked. (Nine)

RECAP: Five new teams arrive in the country and realize their tree change will be tougher than they thought

The remaining teams want to know if everything is okay. Scotty assures them that all is well and that The Block simply “is not on brand” for Joel and Elle.

“And they also said the toilet paper was too scratchy,” Scotty jokes.

While everyone else is still in total shock from the bombshell Scotty’s just dropped, Sarah-Jane says she “saw it coming.”

“I had a huge ‘I told you so’ moment. I could see it coming from a mile away,” she says.

“They didn’t make any effort to get to know us. They looked miserable the whole time,” Sarah Jane adds.

The Block 2022
Sarah-Jane says she saw Joel and Elle’s exit coming. (Nine)

Joel and Elle’s exit comes after the judges are left confused by their coastal style room in the House Decider challenge.

Before the pair decides to call it quits Joel and Elle gather at Block HQ with the other teams to find out what the judges thought of the challenge rooms and who would get first pick of the houses.

New nine.com.au homepage
(Nine)

For the challenge Joel and Elle present a room that fits more in Bondi than in Gisborne, Victoria.

“They have smashed the life out of this home and that breaks my heart,” Shaynna says.

Neale advises Joel and Elle to “amp up the heritage in the old part of the house.”

Their room earns them a score of 21.5 out of 30 – placing them fourth. At the time, Joel and Elle seem to take the criticism in their stride and say they were willing to learn from it. Maybe, not.

In Pictures

The Block - Week 0 - Joel and Elle

Joel and Elle’s House Decider Challenge Bedroom

The judges were not happy with the “modern” vibe.

ViewGallery

The judges are “very impressed” by Tom and Sarah-Jane’s guest bedroom. They love their copper and olive color palette and Shaynna says it feels like a boutique hotel. The judges score them 23.5 out of 30.

In Pictures

Tom and Sarah-Jane The Block 2022

Tom and Sarah-Jane’s House Decider Challenge Bedroom

Judges wowed by couple’s color palette and style.

ViewGallery

Dylan and Jenny are up next. The fact that they’re both trades is obvious in their near-perfect execution. The judges adore the VJ paneling in their room but think that their styling is a bit of a “mish mash”.

In Pictures

The Block 2022 House Decider challenge E02 Dylan and Jenny

Dylan and Jenny’s House Decider Challenge Bedroom

The judges had mixed feelings on the space.

ViewGallery

“They’ve made individually good choices, but all those individual choices don’t work together,” Darren says. Overall, it’s still a great effort that earns them a score of 22.5 out of 30.

The Block 2022, Dylan and Jenny
Dylan and Jenny’s guest bedroom. (Nine)

Ankur and Sharon are nervous ahead of their room reveal and aren’t sure how the judges will feel about their very rustic approach to the country aesthetic. Sharon says she “just doesn’t want to come last.”

“It does feel country, but I’m not sure which continent that country is on,” Darren says. He warns that their very rustic approach will be “divisive in the market.”

The Block 2022, Ankur and Sharon
Ankur and Sharon’s ultra rustic guest bedroom. (Nine)

But overall the judges agree that the room works and score them 22 out of 30 . “They’ve done what they’ve done very well.”

In Pictures

The Block 2022 - Week 0 - Sharon and Ankur

Ankur and Sharon’s House Decider Challenge Bedroom

The judges have mixed emotions on the space.

ViewGallery

Best friends Omar and Oz are last to be judged. The judges are happy to see that the boys preserved the original paneling but feel that’s where things stopped. Neale wants to see a room that is less generic and has more personality.

“Your room today is not luxe enough boys, but it’s not too far off,” Scotty reassures Omar and Oz before revealing their score of 21 out of 30.

In Pictures

The Block 2022 - Week 0 - Omar and Oz

Omar and Oz’s House Decider Challenge Bedroom

One judge labels room feature a “big mistake”.

ViewGallery

With the scores in, that means Tom and Sarah-Jane take out the first challenge win of the season and get to pick the house they will renew for the rest of the season.

Despite raving about House 4, Tom and Sarah-Jane decide to stay put in House 1.

Runners-up, Dylan and Jenny choose the highly sought after House 4.

Ankur and Sharon pick House 3 – the biggest house on The Block. Joel and Elle choose House 2 which leaves Omar and Oz with House 5.

Of course, with Joel and Elle gone you might be wondering who will renovate House 2?

Enter Rachel and Ryan – a brand new couple that will pick up right where Joel and Elle left off.

They arrive on site with just a day’s notice and are greeted by Scotty. He brings Rachel and Ryan up to speed and they head straight to House 2 to get started.

READMORE: Meet the contestants taking on the Tree Change challenge of The Block 2022

With the houses divided up and the teams finally settled, the competition is now in full swing. And this week the teams must deliver their main bathroom.

In Pictures

Inside Scott Cam's Block house renovation 2022.

Scotty’s house renovation so far

Sneak peek at the first three rooms.

ViewGallery

The Block airs Sunday at 7.00pm and Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm on Nine. Catch up on all the latest episodes on 9Now.

Categories
Sports

Isaiah Papali’i backflip on Wests Tigers contract, Parramatta Eels, Michael Maguire sacked

Isaiah Papali'i backflip on Wests Tigers contract, Parramatta Eels, Michael Maguire sacked

Isaiah Papali’i has confirmed he is yet to make a decision on whether he will honor the contract he’s signed with the Tigers or backflip on it to remain at the Eels.

Papali’i told 9 News that he’ll make a call “in the off-season” and also revealed the moment he began mulling over his future.

The 23-year-old signed a big-money three-year contract last November with the Tigers beginning next season.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

However just under a month ago reports emerged that Papali’i had a change of heart and was considering backflipping on the contract.

Speaking to 9 News on Monday, Papali’i was still unsure about what he was going to do.

“Obviously people ask me about it, just even on the street or family and friends are hitting me up but that’s kind of for my manager look after and even if I don’t stay here or I do go next year, I want to make sure that this year has no regrets,” he said.

“I reckon somewhere in the off-season because this is distracting me at the moment,” he added when asked when he wants to make a decision by.

“We have a massive opportunity and I don’t want to leave any stone unturned this year and look back on it and think ‘I shouldn’t have left that stuff get in the way’.”

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Papali’i also revealed that it was the sacking of Michael Maguire in June that “rattled the cage” for him.

“I think it was the coaching axing that went on,” the Kiwi international said.

“When I did sign it was talking to Madge — he’s an awesome coach. That rattled the cage a bit and I guess you have to have those conversations and I guess that was a massive factor for me.”

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Categories
US

GOP Cites Shaky Senate Procedure Argument for Killing $35 Insulin Cap

GOP Cites Shaky Senate Procedure Argument for Killing $35 Insulin Cap

  • The GOP removed a $35 monthly cap on insulin prices from a landmark bill that passed the Senate.
  • Senate Republicans who did so cited procedural arguments about how the measure was proposed.
  • That masked the fact that Republicans could have got round that problem if they wanted.

GOP senators sought to blame Senate procedure for their move to kill a proposed monthly cap of $35 for insulin.

The response came after 43 Republicans voted against the measure, causing it to drop out of the huge spending bill that passed the chamber on Sunday.

Few of the 43 Republicans commented on why they removed the measure.

Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin was one — writing that he objected to the measure as a “gotcha” vote, instigated by Democrats to trap Republicans in a politically unpopular vote.

“Lying Dems and their friends in corporate media are at it again, distorting a Democrat “gotcha” vote,” he tweeted.

“In reality, the Dems wanted to break Senate rules to pass insulin pricing cap instead of going through regular order. They put this in a bill it wasn’t allowed in, all for show.”

Instead he suggested an alternative Republican price-capping measure that Democrats had rejected as too modest.

Similarly, Senate Minority Whip John Thune told reporters ahead of the vote that Democrats “wanted to tempt us to, I guess, vote against it.”

The rule Johnson referred to was a decision by the Senate parliamentarian that the insulin cap, proposed by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, was not eligible to be considered under the same rules as the rest of the package.

The procedure in question is known as budget reconciliation, and allows certain financial measures to pass with 50 votes instead of 60. In this case most of the Democratic proposals bar the insulin one were allowed to proceed like that.

While they were correct that the measure was deemed ineligible under the 50-vote rules, neither Johnson nor Thune acknowledge that the measure could have been kept anyway had 10 Republicans wanted to support it.

Warnock preemptively laid the blame for the measure not passing with Republicans.

“The only way it doesn’t pass is if folks on the other side of the aisle decide to block it,” Warnock told The Washington Post.

Democrats had rejected an alternative price-capping measure proposed by Republicans as too modest.