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Technology

Motorola Moto G82 5G review (Motorola XT2225-1) – Pickr

The best features don’t always have to cost top dollar, as Motorola proves in the Moto G82 5G, bringing 5G, water resistance, and a 120Hz AMOLED screen to $499.

Design

Motorola is no stranger to the mid-range, and it’s “G” series has practically been about that since its inception, but there’s one thing this mid-range model has never been all about, and that’s design.

The G series has long been somewhat generic, and the G82 5G keeps that feeling going, with very little playfulness or sleek efforts in how it looks.

In a word, it’s “ordinary”, with a simple design — plastic back, glass front — though in a nice twist, Motorola has brought back some of the water resistance it offered on the G3 many years ago, the only Moto G series model that provided a hint of water protection. Back in the G3, the IPX7 protection wasn’t much, while here in the G82 5G, you’ll get IP52, which is water-repellant and useful for the odd splash of water or other liquids, but please don’t go swimming with this phone, as it just won’t tolerate it. There’s not that much water resistance here.

Features

But you will find a reasonable amount of features, more than we’re used to seeing in the mid-range. Indeed, the G82 5G could be Moto’s way of saying “this is the new mid-range”, which it may well be. Kinda, sorta.

Kicking off that new mid-range is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chip, a model Qualcomm launched last year to get 5G into more hands, including the mid-range, which is where the G82 is aimed at, for sure.

It’s paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, the latter of which can be expanded using a microSD card slot, while Android 12 runs on the phone out of the box.

Connections are fairly normal for a mid-range phone these days, keeping the 3.5mm headset jack alongside a USB Type C port, but forgoing wireless charging, as it’s not a mid-range feature. You’ll find support for Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi 5, and Near Field Communication (NFC) for Google Pay, plus the “5G” that’s in the name, alongside support for older mobile connections if 5G isn’t available at the time.

And there are three cameras on the back, providing a 50 megapixel F1.8 main wide camera, alongside an 8 megapixel F2.2 ultra-wide and 2 megapixel F2.4 macro camera, too. That’s on the back, while the front sees a 16 megapixel F2.2 camera.

There are other features, such as Dolby Atmos support on two speakers, a fingerprint sensor built into the power button, and a 5000mAh battery, and it all sits under a 6.6 inch Full HD+ 2400×1800 AMOLED display sporting support for a 120Hz refresh rate , something of a premium feature in phones these days.

In use

Pick up the G82 and you’ll find a simple design that’s easy to hold, even if it’s nothing spelled in terms of aesthetics.

You won’t find an in-screen fingerprint sensor here, though like the Moto G 5G we saw last year, the G82 5G offers a fingerprint sensor built into the power button on the side, which is easy to grip and switch on, plus bring back from standby.

If anything, using the G82 5G reminds us very much of the Moto G 5G Plus, and we imagine given the similar price and feel that this new model is the spiritual successor to that first mid-range 5G G-series model.

Using Android 12 is also easy enough, and Moto’s changes mean you can opt for either the Google suggestion of gestures or the old on-screen virtual soft buttons, while some of the older Motorola additions are also along for the ride. That includes a favorite of this journalist, whereby you shake your wrist to fire up the camera from any screen. We wish more phone cameras triggered that way.

Performance

Using the G82 5G, you’ll find the animations are slick thanks to the support of a 120Hz screen, which tends to jump between 60Hz and 120Hz rather nicely, and doesn’t need you to use that higher refresh rate at all times, likely helping the battery. However, you can opt to leave it on permanently if you dive into the system settings.

More importantly than the screen’s performance is the system performance, which is mostly good, save for some obvious lag. You’ll notice it when it happens, and it seems the 6GB RAM isn’t quite enough to help Motorola balance it out in the G82 5G.

Even though the benchmarks show the G82 to be fairly formidable, especially against some other mid-range models, we saw hiccups here and there more often than we’d like.

Mobile performance is relatively consistent, though, and with support for 5G in the phone — it’s there not just in the name of the phone, but also the name of the chip! — you can expect solid mobile speeds, network dependent of course.

In our tests across Sydney, we found speeds ranging from 100 to 300Mbps, though depending on what your network is doing at the time, you may see much, much better.

Camera

Mobile and system performance are one part of the performance equation, but so too is camera performance, and that may give you pause.

While the G82 5G is a triple camera phone, this is not a formula that adds to great pictures at all, unless you’re only focused on snapping shots in daylight. And even then, well, there are hiccups.

A quick recap, you’ll find a 50 megapixel F1.8 standard wide camera here, accompanied by an 8 megapixel ultra-wide also handling depth in portrait shots (the blurry background), plus a 2 megapixel F2.4 macro camera. That’s your assortment, and in theory, it sounds great. On paper, it seems like a great idea, but life isn’t on paper.

It’s more than 50 meh-gapixel camera, because while it captures totally fine photos in daylight, the speed of the camera can be frustrating at times. Unless the light is superbly bright, you may find the 50mp main camera captures blur from arms and faces, softening the image considerably.

When the scene loses some light and gets a touch darker — or even a lot darker — the 50 megapixel camera isn’t much help, either in or out of the night mode.

Images range from impossible to see to blotchy and useless, so make sure you have some light going for you, because the G82’s night capability isn’t going to help you here at all.

We captured a small plush of Winnie the Pooh without a lot of light, and regardless of whether night mode’s stacking is switched on or not, you’re not going to see Winnie in a good light, or any at all.

There’s also a macro camera, something we’ve seen on mid-range cameras for a while, but it’s not quite as advanced as what you can find in the iPhone 13 Pro, hardly a surprise given the cost. Rather, this is a 2 megapixel camera, letting you get close, but penalizing you with a very low resolution to work with, which doesn’t exactly highly the exciting details a macro looks to hone in on.

Overall, it’s a meh rear camera, and probably the part of the package that feels as underwhelming as could be, and the front camera isn’t much better.

While you can snap a decent selfie here and there, the 16 megapixel selfie camera on the G82 5G makes images feel soft regardless of the shot.

Images from the front-facing picture are nice, especially when you have an adorable baby, but they’re also quite soft, like the adorable baby.

Battery

But while the camera isn’t super impressive, the battery definitely is, boasting a good two days of life from regular use, while hefty users should easily see 24 hours.

Testing the Moto G82 5G for several days, we found Motorola didn’t need to warm up to our usage style, and used its 5000mAh battery to get an impressive two days of life. That’s two days of battery while we did the regular thing of calls, texts, web surfing, music listening, and even keeping a Bluetooth wearable linked the whole time, too.

Heavy users should handle 24 hours with no problems, and likely get a little more, but the Moto G82 5G could well be a two day phone for most others, needing a charge the second night, though you could probably wrench out a full 48 hours if you desperately had to.

In a world where 5G phones barely scrape the second day comfortably, Motorola’s G82 5G does exceedingly well.

Value

It’s a similar story for the value, which doesn’t surprise us given that it’s an area Motorola is well known for lately.

Our Pickr Best Pick for value phones in 2021 was the $499 Moto Edge 20 Fusion, and the Moto G82 5G continues that with more excellence for the price.

While the chip, screen size, and camera assortment are different between the 2021 Edge 20 Fusion and the 2022 G82 5G, they both nail value quite well, costing $499 and feeling like they’re both well worth it.

What needs work?

That’s not to say the G82 5G is perfect, because it’s not. There are things that remind you of that, yes, this is a mid-range phone, with the performance and cameras reminding you of that through out.

The performance isn’t terrible, but you might see slowdowns from time to time, even though the benchmark doesn’t scream problems.

Frankly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 is going to handle most of what you intend to throw its way, and the 6GB RAM isn’t a bad amount, either. But it’s just not that new or high-end, especially not when we’re beginning to see Snapdragon 7xx models in similarly priced gear, or Apple’s A15 chip straight from the iPhone 13 if you spend a little more on the 2022 iPhone SE.

We have more words for the camera, which feels like Motorola could have done a lot better.

In last year’s identically priced Moto Edge 20 Fusion, you could find a 108 megapixel F1.9 camera for wide and standard alongside an 8 megapixel ultra-wide and 2 megapixel depth camera. Here in the Moto G82 5G, it’s a 50 megapixel F1.8 alongside the same 8 megapixel ultra-wide and a 2 megapixel macro camera. Frankly, we think last year’s phone nailed phone camera value much more obviously than what’s in this phone, and that’s not the only problem.

The G82 5G camera also suffers from speed issues and is frankly too slow. You’ll fire either the on-screen shutter or even the volume button as a physical trigger, and it might wait a half second to fire. Sometimes it’s instant, but you could still see blur, and overall the camera feels slow. It’s just not a great experience with the camera in this phone.

Final thought (TLDR)

Outside of the camera, the Moto G82 5G is otherwise a decent phone, delivering some high-end features without a high-end price.

Water resistance is unusual in the mid-range, and so is a 120Hz AMOLED screen. Marry that with a great price, and you can see why the G82 5G reads like value. If you can skip needing a great camera, there’s value to be had here.

The Moto G82 5G isn’t a super pretty phone, and it’s not going to win design awards, but if you’re after a value that works, there’s something to consider in this phone.

Motorola Moto G82 5G

the good

Nice AMOLED screen with 120Hz support

excellent battery

Slightly water repellant

great value

The not-so-good

Camera is slow and not thoroughly amazing

System performance can be slow and inconsistent

Categories
Entertainment

Mom renovating Marilyn Monroe’s final house with Joe DiMaggio makes shocking discovery in ceiling: ‘Truly remarkable’

A mom changing a lightbulb in her historic Hollywood home made a shocking find in her ceiling, and Marilyn Monroe fans are stunned.

Impersonator and TikTok star Jasmine Chiswell (@jasminechiswell) moved into the final home of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio in 2019. Since then, she and her husband have documented many odd occurrences in the LA mansion — but nothing quite as shocking as the artifacts they came across while renovating.

Now, much like the couple who made a chilling discovery in the attic of their 108-year-old home, Jasmine’s renovation discovery is going viral.

With Marilyn making headlines to this day — both for the new biopic “Blonde” starring Ana de Armas, and for the 60th anniversary of her tragic death — it’s no surprise that Jasmine’s findings are causing a stir on TikTok.

The house, built in 1938, was the final home of baseball star Joe DiMaggio and Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe.

According to Jasmine’s house tour vids, the house maintains many original features that Joe and Marilyn picked out — such as light fixtures, art, bathtubs, tiling and even towels.

As Jasmine documents in her videos, living in Marilyn Monroe’s former home is a surreal experience — and sometimes, a paranormal one as well.

In a now-viral video (featuring Jasmine’s little boy, Midnight), the family revealed to their TikTok followers that they believe their home is haunted by the spirit of Marilyn Monroe.

According to Mansion Global, 1954 was a “whirlwind” year for Marilyn — as was her relationship with former Yankees star Joe DiMaggio.

“In January [1954], she married DiMaggio; in September she began filming Billy Wilder’s ‘The Seven Year Itch,’ which includes the star-defining scene of her standing on a Manhattan subway grate as the steam blows up her billowy white dress; and in October, only nine months after they vowed never to separate, she filed for divorce from DiMaggio. Two years later, Monroe walked down the aisle with playwright Arthur Miller. When that relationship ended in 1961, she began seeing DiMaggio again.”

But potentially lingering spirits didn’t scare off Jasmine and her family. Instead, it seemed to endear them to the property even more.

According to the Zillow listing for the home, the couple purchased the 3,620-square-foot property for $2.7 million. Since then, the two have lovingly restored the home to its former Hollywood glory, right down to the original accents on the staircase.

But while renovating and settling into the home, Scotland-born Jasmine and her husband have made some shocking discoveries — findings which have taken TikTok by storm.

TikTokers were shocked by Jasmine’s discoveries in the home, detailed in her now-viral TikTok — and some credit her love for Marilyn Monroe for leading her to the items.

Photo courtesy of Jasmine Chiswell (@jasminechiswell)

“I honestly think she’s letting you find this stuff as a thank you for continuing to celebrate her legacy 😭🤩,” one user wrote in the comments.

“I love that you live in her home, there’s nobody better fit to take care of and watch over one of Marilyn’s home 🧞‍♀️💞,” another user commented.

“The magazines and signature are truly remarkable finds! 💞💕,” commented another user.

“Oh my gosh that must’ve been so exciting to find!!! I am so jealous😍,” one user wrote.

It seems that even beyond the serious, Marilyn and Joe are still making headlines and causing a stir — and hopefully, Jasmine will continue to keep TikTok posted on all their spooky Hollywood encounters.

In The Know is now available on Apple News — follow us here!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this mom who modeled her baby’s nursery after the 1960s hit show, “The Addams Family.”

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‘Did my 2-year-old just remember how he died in a former life?’: Toddler shocks mom with eerie details of being an adult

‘Princess Diana reincarnated?’: Toddler eerily speaks in full British accent despite being American

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Listen to the latest episode of our pop culture podcast, We Should Talk:

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Australia

Russian billionaire Alexander Abramov suing Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong over financial sanctions

A Russian billionaire suing Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister claims sanctions imposed over the invasion of the Ukraine have caused him severe reputational damage.

Steel mogul Alexander Abramov launched legal action against senator Penny Wong after the former government’s April sanctioning of 67 Russian elites and oligarchs over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

His lawyer Ron Merkel QC told the Federal Court on Friday the sanctions caused severe reputational harm and the legal consequences had led to continuing financial losses.

Mr Abramov, who co-founded Russia’s largest steel producer, Evraz, wants the sanctions removed, arguing they are unique to Australia because no other country has placed similar bans on him.

“Our real point here is the approach the minister has taken is misconceived,” Mr Merkel said.

“Australia’s sanctions have also impacted Mr Abramov’s dealings in New Zealand.”

He said the case was unusual as public announcements by former foreign minister Marise Payne explaining her decision would form part of the suit.

On April 7, Senator Payne announced the government had decided to impose “targeted financial sanctions and travel bans” on 67 individuals “for their role in Russia’s unprovoked, unjust and illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.

Play Video.  Duration: 1 minute 44 seconds

Former Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced sanctions on 67 Russian elites in April

Those sanctioned included Russian military, business and government officials.

Senator Wong is represented by barrister Brendan Lim.

The federal government was considering an application to prevent the public release of some information in the court documents, Mr Lim said.

The matter will return before Justice Susan Kenny on August 26.

AAP/ABC

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Categories
US

Trump ally Kari Lake wins GOP primary for Arizona governor

PHOENIX (AP) — Kari Lake, a former news anchor who walked away from her journalism career and was embraced by Donald Trump and his staunch supporters, won the Republican primary for Arizona governor on Thursday.

Lake’s victory was a blow to the GOP establishment that lined up behind lawyer and businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson in an attempt to push their party past the chaotic Trump era. Lake said she would not have certified President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and put false claims of election fraud at the center of his campaign.

“Arizonans who have been forgotten by the establishment just delivered a political earthquake,” Lake said in a statement after the race was called.

Republicans now enter the general election sprint with a slate of nominees closely allied with Trump who deny that Biden was legitimately elected president. Lake will face Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in the November election.

“This race for governor isn’t about Democrats or Republicans. It’s a choice between sanity and chaos,” Hobbs said Thursday night in a statement on Lake’s victory.

Early election results showing only mail ballots received before Election Day gave Robson a solid lead, but that was whittled down as votes from polling places were added to the tally. Lake’s victory became clear Thursday when Maricopa County released results from thousands of mail ballots dropped off at the polls on Tuesday.

“The voters of Arizona have spoken,” Robson said in a statement conceding to Lake late Thursday. “I accept the results, I trust the process and the people who administer it.”

In a midterm primary season with mixed results for Trump’s favored candidates, the former president came out on top in Arizona, a state that has been central to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and cast doubt on Biden’s victory. In addition to Lake, Trump’s picks for US Senate, secretary of stateattorney general, US House and the state Legislature all won their GOP primaries.

If they win in November, Trump allies will hold sway over the administration of elections in a crucial battleground state as he considers another bid for the White House in 2024. The results also show that Trump remains a powerful figure in the GOP as longtime party stalwarts get increasingly bold in their efforts to reassert control ahead of the next presidential campaign.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie all campaigned for Robson in the days before the election.

Robson, who is married to one of Arizona’s richest men, largely self-funded her campaign. She called the 2020 election “unfair” but stopped short of calling it fraudulent and pushed for the GOP to look toward the future.

Lake now faces the daunting task of uniting the Republican Party after a bruising primary. On Wednesday, as Lake declared victory prematurely, she attempted to reach out to Robson and others she fiercely criticized as RINOs, or Republicans in Name Only, who don’t align with Trump on key issues.

“Frankly, this party needs her to come together, and I welcome her,” Lake said of Robson. “And I hope that she will come over for this.”

Robson said she’s spent her life supporting Republicans, “and it is my hope that our Republican nominees are successful in November.”

Like Trump, Lake courts controversy and confrontation. She berates journalists and dodges questions. She burned masks during the COVID-19 surge in the summer of 2021 and attacked Republicans like Ducey who allowed restrictions on businesses, though as a news anchor she encouraged people to follow public health guidance.

Lake spent the days leading up to her own election claiming there were signs of fraud, but she refused to provide any evidence. Once her victory for her was assured, she said voters should trust her win for her is legitimate.

“We outvoted the fraud,” Lake said. She pointed to problems in Pinal County, which ran out of ballots in some precincts and had to print more, but she and her attorney, Tim La Sota, refused to provide evidence backing up her claims of fraud.

She said she has no plans to stop talking about election fraud even as she needs to broaden her appeal beyond the loyalists her powered her primary victory.

Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the 2020 election was tainted. Trump’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges he appointed. A hand recount led by Trump supporters in Maricopa County, Arizona’s largest, found no proof of a stolen election and concluded Biden’s margin of victory was larger than the official count.

Hobbs, Lake’s opponent in November, went after the candidate over her opposition to abortion rights and gun control and a proposal she floated to put cameras in every classroom to keep an eye on teachers.

Republicans, moving toward November as a divided party in Arizona, need to make an appeal to the independent voters who decide to close races, said Chuck Coughlin, a longtime Republican strategist who left the party during the Trump era.

“I see it as a challenge the Republicans are going to have: How do they narrate to unaffiliated voters?” Coughlin said.

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Categories
Entertainment

RNB Fridays are back with a brand new name and an epic line-up including Macklemore, Shaggy and TLC

Perth’s drought of being cut off from international music acts during the pandemic is well and truly over with the announcement that 10 massive hip hop and RNB stars are set to hit the city for a one-night-only gig.

After a two-year hiatus RNB Friday’s are back with a brand new name, Fridayz Live, and will be touring around the country later this year.

Macklemore.
Camera IconMacklemore. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

But even more epic is the news of the event’s bumper line-up, which includes Macklemore, TLC, Akon, Craig David, Ashanti, Shaggy, Jay Sean, Dru Hill, Lumidee, Havana Brown and Resident DJ Yo! Mafia, who are all set to light up HBF Park on Saturday November 5.

Get ready to jump back in time and dance along to party hits from way back in the 90s to now, as everyone’s favorite Gemini Abbie Chatfield teams up with Fatman Scoop to host.

Fridayz Live organizers have promised to “continue our legacy for presenting the sleekest production, insatiable visual candy, and pyro for days”.

So whatever your Flava, don’t be Foolish and be the one left saying It Wasn’t Me when your friends ask why you all missed out on tickets because you forgot to book.

Pre-sale begins on Monday morning, before general public tickets go on sale next Friday, August 12. Tickets will be available from frontiertouring.com/fridayzlive

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Categories
Sports

Team selection: Round 21

Essendon will welcome back two massive inclusions for Saturday afternoon’s clash with the Giants.

midfielder Darcy Parish and defend Andrew McGrath will both make their respective returns from a calf injury and health and safety protocols.

Parish has missed the previous three weeks, while McGrath has only missed one match.

The return of two of the Bombers’ best players has resulted in some unlucky omissions, with Massimo D’Ambrosio and debutante Jye Menzie making way from the side.

As confirmed in Essendon FC’s Liberty Financial Performance Update, Jye Caldwell has been ruled out of this week’s fixture with a low end calf injury.

Essendon’s round 21 side

backs: Jordan Ridley, Jayden Laverde, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher
half backs: Mason Redman, Jake Kelly, Nick Hind
Centerline: Sam Durham, Kyle Langford, Dyson Heppell
half-forwards: Matt Guelfi, Nic Martin, Ben Hobbs
forwards: Peter Wright, Jake Stringer, James Stewart
followers: Sam Draper, Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish
extended-bench: Andrew McGrath, Archie Perkins, Will Snelling, Harrison Jones

emergencies: Massimo D’Ambrosio, Jye Menzie, Nick Bryan, Tom Cutler

In: Parish, McGrath

Out: D’Ambrosio (omitted), Menzie (medi sub), Caldwell (injured)

Last week’s medical sub: Menzie (used)

Categories
Australia

Federal Minister Linda Burney says National Center of Indigenous Excellence must stay open

The Minister for Indigenous Australians has told the decision-makers who are closing an Indigenous hub in inner Sydney they have “a week to get their acts together” to keep its doors open.

Linda Burney addressed hundreds of community members at the National Center of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) in Redfern on Friday after learning it would close within a week.

The social enterprise, which provides community services and programs, is set to be shut down on Monday following failed negotiations between its new and old owners.

“To the people making decisions about this place, you’ve got a week to sort it out,” she said.

“I am convinced we can find a resolution to this, we have to, get your acts together and sort this out, I believe it can be sorted out.”

Ms Burney said she “expressed very clearly and very forthrightly” to the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ISLC) that the site must stay open, that people keep their jobs and tenants are given permanency.

Negotiations broke down between the ILSC and new owners the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) who failed to reach agreement over the centre’s financial future.

Up to 50 staff, mostly young Indigenous people, are set to lose their jobs.

a number of young students sitting on the floor holding signs
The social enterprise is due to be shut down on Monday.(ABC News: Nakari Thorpe)

Ms Burney — who attended with the Member for Sydney Tanya Plibersek and Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore — said future negotiations about the center needed to “have local people sitting at the table”, saying it wasn’t appropriate discussions only involved the two parties.

“Because this joint is important … and what I’d like to see going forward is to hear directly from you,” she told locals.

“Voices need to be heard and that fact you have so many people here is a very loud voice.”

Co-founder and CEO of non-for-profit Redfern Youth Connect Margaret Haumono, who runs a high-school program at the centre, said Ms Burney’s support was “reassuring” but requested something in writing.

“There is no announcement but at least someone is hearing us … at least the dialogue has opened,” she said.

“For too long we’ve sat here and not been included, this belongs to the community and this is how it’s staying.”

On Wednesday, the ILSC said it was working with NSWALC to ensure the community “will still have access to the facility for community purposes and programs under the ownership of NSWALC.”

three women sitting on chairs at a public meeting
Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, left, joined Linda Burney, centre, and the Member for Sydney Tanya Plibersek at the community meeting.(ABC News: Nakari Thorpe)

It acknowledged its announcement to shut down the center was “particularly distressing for staff” and is offering separation payments.

It also confirmed tenancies will continue under the new ownership.

Ms Plibersek told the community: “It can’t be beyond us to get it sorted.”

“This place has to stay here for the community … jobs need to stay, programs need to stay, community access needs to stay,” she said.

The center opened in 2006 and offers sports, fitness, conferences and community classes including tutoring and educational support.

Locals have been gathering at the center each day to protest its closure.

Ms Burney said she would be meeting with the ILSC and NSWALC later today.

a group of people sitting on chairs at a community meeting
Hundreds of community members attended the meeting ahead of the centre’s closure.(ABC News: Nakari Thorpe)

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Categories
US

Laurel, Nebraska: Foul play suspected after 4 people found dead in fires at 2 homes in a small farming town

Just after 3 am, Cedar County 911 received a phone call about an explosion at a home, Nebraska State Patrol’s John Bolduc said during a news conference. When fire crews arrived, they discovered a body inside.

While investigators were on the scene, a second fire was reported a few blocks away, where authorities found “three individuals deceased inside of that residence,” Bolduc said.

“Fire crews have worked diligently to put out the fire but also to preserve evidence that may be located inside the home,” Bolduc said. “Our investigators are processing that second scene at this time.”

The deaths were suspicious, according to Bolduc.

“Shortly after the second fire was reported, law enforcement received a report that a silver sedan had been seen leaving the town of Laurel,” he said. “This vehicle was reported westbound on Highway 20,” said Bolduc. It was reportedly driven by a male. The report also said the vehicle may have picked up a passenger before leaving town.

Fire investigators believe accelerants may have been used in both fires, and anyone who was inside the home may have been burned.

“Therefore, it is possible that our suspect or suspects received burn injuries during these incidents,” Bolduc said.

Authorities are asking anyone with information or video to contact them.

No cause or reason has been established at this time, Bolduc said. No information was provided about the victims.

James Roberts, who has owned Laurel’s Hometown Market for more than a year, said that news of the deaths had shocked the small town.

“Stuff like this doesn’t happen in this town,” Roberts said. “Everybody here knows everybody.”

He said the grocery store has delivered food to the state troopers and firefighters who responded to the scene and are stationed at a nearby church. Staff packed up hamburgers and sandwiches including sloppy joes in addition to some water to show their support.

Roberts predicted the town would recover from the tragedy. “It’s a tight-knit town. Everybody here is family.”

Laurel has a population of around 1,000 people and is located in Cedar County in the northeast of the state.

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Categories
Entertainment

Sir Cameron Mackintosh, billionaire impressario, on how he turned Mary Poppins and Phantom of the Opera into megahits

As one West End producer summed up: “In the world of musical theatre, Cameron Mackintosh is god.”

It’s time to order and we both choose scallops with Aleppo pepper and a main course of roasted fish (bass groper for him, John Dory for me), with seasonal vegetables.

The sommelier takes us around the country in search of an unwooded chardonnay. We somehow settle on the Adelaide Hills, via another Mackintosh story (about “Janet” [Holmes a Court], owner of the Vasse Felix winery and one-time owner of a bunch of London theaters that, in the dark days after her husband’s unexpected death in the early ’90s, kept the bankers at bay thanks to Mackintosh’s successful musicals). I’m struggling to keep up.

version of Phantom about to open in Sydney is quite different to the one that has been wowing audiences for years, and I’m keen to know why Mackintosh chose to change a winning formula.

“Actually, with every single one of my shows, and I think I’m the only producer in history that’s ever done this, I’ve redone them after 25 years,” he says. “The only show of mine that sort of hasn’t been redone is cats“That could be on the agenda, though.

Mackintosh says that as they get older, all shows need to be refreshed to stay relevant. But many originators can’t bring themselves to do it. He is, it seems, more hard-headed when it comes to getting bums on seats.

Mackintosh says that from the time he saw his first musical – Salad Days – at age 8, he wanted to be a producer. “I like to know how things work,” he says. “It was the gift God gave me.”

Cats opened at the Theater Royal in Sydney in 1985. Mackintosh’s shows ran consecutively in the theater for more than a decade in the 1980s and ’90s. Bruce Milton Miller

“I get involved in absolutely every element of the theatre, from the writing to the composing, to the orchestrating, to the lighting,” he says, before acknowledging his details guy reputation by adding “to how you’re going to lay out the copy for this piece …

“You know, it’s not that I come up with the new idea of ​​the next show or anything like that. But I’m very good at spotting something that’s special, and then seeing if I’m the one who’s best for actually nurturing it and making it as good as it can be. and that [approach] covers everything I do.”

But, I ask, how do you get the balance right between being across all the detail and being an actual control freak and a nightmare to work for? Mackintosh seems surprised by the question.

“I don’t really know,” he begins, before considering it more carefully. “I just want to get the show right. So, my greatest pleasure is finding something that I think sounds original and then working with others to develop it.” (Later he will speak at length on how all his successes de él have been original ideas based on excellent writing, and why he is always wary of the formulaic.) He backs up the claim with the story of his decade-long effort to bring Mary Poppins to the stage, which involved persuading the two rights holders – author Pamela Travers for the story and Disney for the songs – to get over their many differences.

“Look, I’m sure it can be very irritating that I never stop. But the fact is most of the key people in the theater have continued to work with me over the years.” He says his staff know what he wants and typically do n’t call him in until a production is on his feet and at the fine-tuning stage.

“I couldn’t possibly run my huge empire and keep it personal if I didn’t have 95 per cent of the work done by other people.”

The Australian season of Mary Poppins is a case in point. When Cassel’s casting team made Stefanie Jones her first choice for her to play Mary, Mackintosh could n’t make it to Sydney and was n’t prepared to see the final audition of such a key character over Zoom. Instead, he flew her from her and Jack Chambers, who plays Bert, to London for her final approval. That is, I suppose, staying across the detail.

Stefanie Jones as Mary Poppins in this year’s Australian production. Kate Geraghty

We tuck into the scallops and the Aleppo pepper makes an impact. When the waiter clears the plates Mackintosh politely offers some feedback. “I would just say to the chef that it could do with a little less of the chilli because the poor scallop is fighting for its identity.” I imagine that’s the sort of feedback he’d offer when the lighting or staging or choreography isn’t quite right. Polite, but insistent.

Mackintosh professes three times over lunch that he doesn’t care about money. “To be honest, I never did anything for the money even when I had none,” he says. I have no reason to disbelieve him, but it does get us onto the subject of his businesses from him.

Since the early ’90s, Mackintosh has diversified across the three main lines of musical theatre. After helping create the shows, he can stage them in the eight theaters he owns in London’s West End. “As well as buying them I’ve spent a quarter of a billion pounds doing them up, so they’ll be there for another 100 years,” he says, illustrated with colorful anecdotes about the recently rebuilt Sondheim Theatre. Architecture, he says, is one of his two passions outside theatre, alongside cooking – both pursuits well suited to his eye for detail.

“If you have good ingredients you can always knock something up. I mean, I don’t let any leftovers leave the fridge unless they do so on their own accord. I like to reuse everything.”

The third act in Mackintosh’s empire is Musical Theater International, the world’s largest licensor of musicals. Been to a school musical recently? Chances are the scripts, scores, programs, logos, staging guide, sound effects, right down to recordings of the individual instruments missing from your school orchestra have been licensed from MTI.

Mackintosh says he’s “not really” in the game of creating new shows any more, but he is able to nurture young talent by supporting them through MTI. “We go to all the workshops and treat the newcomer who’s written a new show with the same passion as we do Stephen Sondheim. We want them to feel that MTI is their hope.”

Each part of the business is equally important, he says, and revenue-wise they are worth about a third each. And unlike most other entertainment companies, he has no investors.

“They are wholly owned, I own everything. So when the shit hits the fan, there’s a lot of shit, and it’s all on me.”

Our fish mains come and go, and the restaurant is clearing out. As we opt for double espressos over more wine, Mackintosh turns to the fallout from the pandemic.

Phantom of the Opera is finally coming to the Sydney Opera House. Opera Australia

While the initial rush back to live shows in theaters has settled, the reluctance to commit has not.

“There is no doubt that people are now looking for shows much later,” Mackintosh says. “They don’t book until two to three weeks out. There’s a sense of ‘All right, that show’s on. I feel like doing something so let’s do it.’ But they won’t book four or five months out like before.”

He says the prolonged pandemic theater shutdown and the corresponding boom in streamed television prompted a lot of theater professionals to leave the industry, something that is showing no sign of being resolved.

But Mackintosh thinks there are bigger, more serious problems that will take longer to sort out.

“I think people are losing sight of the benefits of work, and of going to work.” He says that will hurt companies of all descriptions because the “magic spark that makes a particular company have its outlook happens out of that conversation” you have at work.

“All these people who are thinking ‘I’ve got the best of both worlds. I can live at home and only have to go to work two or three days a week’, what are you going to do with the rest of that time? If half the world is not actually working properly, you can’t get up to the cafe, you can’t go to your Italian favorite because they can’t afford to open.

“In most restaurants, you’re lucky if you get the things you ordered [for dinner] before breakfast the next day. I’m in one of Sydney’s top hotels and I can’t get a f—ing drink after 9.30 unless I sit in my room.”

Eventually, he says, cafes, bars and restaurants will get sick of waiting for staff to show up and turn to robots and AI to do the work.

“I think over the next three to four years all of that is going to come home to roost as the economic pincer does its work.”

When I ask how he manages his money, Mackintosh genuinely seems not to know. “I’m not the right person to ask,” he says, before explaining that he does not like debt so he always has a large amount of money available in the bank. “When I say I’m not interested, I just, I’ve never been driven by money. I just want good people to look after it and do something sensible. But I certainly don’t have a lot of money in the stock market. On the whole I’m fairly risk averse when it comes to investment.”

“I take a salary out every five years, to live through the next five years. I take a lump sum. I put some into my foundation. And all the rest of my money I loan back to my company. So I keep it in there and just draw it down, pay the tax.

“Because also, it’s my wish – I don’t have any children – but I will leave everything I’ve got to my foundation, so I’m going to be worth a lot more dead than alive.”

Not that he’s expecting to shuffle off any time soon. He shows me a picture of his 104-year-old mother, a snappily dressed woman with a sparkle in her eye who looks like she could easily pass as a spritely 80-year-old.

He intends to keep on bringing shows to Australia, but those hoping for another run of Les Miserables will have to wait “til after my 80th birthday”. He is, however, expecting to bring the concert version “home to Sydney”, where it debuted in The Domain during the Bicentennial celebrations of 1988. “That would be special.”

Mackintosh and his partner of 40 years, Australian theater photographer Michael Le Poer Trench, spend most of their time on their working dairy farm in Somerset. He also has an apartment in New York, a house in Malta, where his mother is from and where he keeps his 67-year-old Benetti motor yacht, and an estate in Scotland he inherited from his aunt. All have been painfully restored.

“Now most of the key people in my life are in their mid-30s to mid-40s,” he says, describing it as a conscious effort. “So I’ve recalibrated, and that should see me out. And they’ll think ‘well, I think Cameron would have done this’ when I’m no longer here to do it.”

However long he lives, it looks like Cameron Mackintosh will be across the detail to the end – and beyond.

Rockpool Bar and Grill
66 Hunter St, Sydney
2 sparkling water $18
2 scallops with Aleppo pepper and orange $68
1 roast John Dory $52
1 roasted Bass Groper with Corn, Chorizo ​​and Oregano $49
1 wintergreen $16
1 baby carrot $18
1 Shaw & Smith Lenswood Vineyard $220
3 espressos $15
Total $456

Categories
Sports

Fringe Blues midfielder “needs a role if he’s going to survive”

Brownlow Medalist Gerard Healy has designated a role for fringe Carlton midfielder Paddy Dow.

Dow was one of six inclusions for the Blues’ crucial clash against Brisbane at the Gabba on Sunday.

The 22-year-old was named on an extended bench alongside Tom De Koning, Corey Durdin, Lachie Fogarty, Brodie Kemp, Jack Martin, Jack Newnes and Will Setterfield.

The Blues will be without Matthew Kennedy (concussion/jaw) and Nic Newman (knee), while Lachie Plowman was omitted.

If selected for Carlton’s upcoming meeting with the Lions, Healy would like to see Dow play a negating role on Brownlow Medalist Lachie Neale.

The Swans Hall of Famer thinks Dow needs a role to “survive” in the AFL.

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“Dow comes straight in to tag Lachie Neale,” Healy told sports day.

“Can I do that role? They need someone to do that role.”

sport day co-host McClure replied: “He hasn’t tagged before.”

Healy said further: “I know that – give him a role.

“He definitely needs a role if he’s going to survive in footy.”

Dow, who is contracted for 2023, hasn’t played at senior level since Carlton’s Round 11 loss to Collingwood.

The former No.3 pick has been prolific at VFL level averaging 27 disposals per game.





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