A $20,000 Halo 2 challenge issued by streamer and YouTuber MoistCr1tikal has finally been completed, with streamer Jervalin claiming the bounty.
Earlier this summer, MoistCr1tikal offered $5,000 to anyone who could conquer what he called “the hardest challenge in all of gaming.” That challenge? Complete Halo 2 alone, on legendary difficulty, with all of the game’s difficulty-adding skulls turned on, without dying a single time. Though the feat surely has been accomplished by someone, somewhere, since the game’s 2004 launch, there is no video record of it having ever been done, which is why MoistCr1tikal’s challenge also stipulated the entire ordeal needed to be streamed live on YouTube or Twitch to qualify. When nobody stepped up to the plate for three weeks, MoistCr1tikal raised the bounty up to $20,000 for the first person to accomplish the deed.
Though it’s certainly up for debate whether or not a deathless Halo 2 “LASO” (legendary, all skulls on) run is the “hardest challenge in all of gaming,” it’s certainly up there. Halo 2 on legendary difficulty is already infamously difficult. There are more, high-rank enemies (and just more enemies in general), for starters. Enemies deal greatly increased damage, have better weapons, throw more grenades, and are far smarter. Melee attacks from Elites and certain Flood forms will kill in one hit. And that’s all without even mentioning the game’s notorious Jackal Snipers, which appear more often and are far more accurate and deadly on legendary difficulty.
All that’s before turning on the game’s difficulty modifying skulls. With various skulls turned on, Halo 2 on legendary becomes a whole different ballgame. The Assassins skull, for example, gives enemies permanent invisibility. Mythic gives enemies even more health and shields. Black Eye makes it so players’ shields don’t recharge automatically and can only be refilled by killing enemies with melee attacks. Famine makes it so all weapons dropped by enemies or allies have half ammo. Any mistake, no matter how small, almost certainly results in instant death. The only skull Jervalin didn’t have on was Envy, which gives the Master Chief the Arbiter’s active camo ability and actually makes the game easier, not harder.
It is, to put it lightly, absolutely brutal. Completing the challenge would have been hard enough even without the no-deaths stipulation. But Jervalin, who completed the run using an original Halo 2 disc and has made a name for himself accomplishing various Halo-related challenges over the years, took home the gold in style, completing his run in a little under six and a half hours. He wasn’t above using a few tricks to emerge victorious, either. For the game’s final boss fight against the Brute Chieftain Tartarus, Jervalin snuck a flying Banshee vehicle into the boss arena in order to make short work of the encounter. After his victory, his family ran in to give him a hug.
“You couldn’t script a more wholesome finale here,” MoistCr1tikal says in a video congratulating Jervalin. According to MoistCr1tikal, about 2,000 people actively tried to complete the challenge over the course of the last 40 days. Only 25 people ever made it past the first level, MoistCr1tikal says.
Jervalin himself said on stream that he once thought a deathless, Halo 2 LASO run was “impossible.” Now, he’s $20,000 richer, and his feat will go down in history.
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Sydney Roosters v Brisbane Broncos, 7.50pm Thursday, Sydney Cricket Ground Fascinating clash to kick off the round – the Roosters are looking good for the finals but are by no means home and hosed with a rough draw, while the Broncos’ top-four hopes needed that upset loss to the Tigers like a hole in the head .
Nope Pat Carrigan for the Broncos ups Payne Haas’s workload, and I’m tipping Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Matt Lodge will go hunting for him given both already play right on the edge of the aggro line and can well win themselves an advantage in the middle. There’s top quality match-ups all over the shop in this one – Sam Walker v Adam Reynolds, Kotoni Staggs v Joey Manuel and four frequent flying wingers just to name a few. Roosters by 6. dan walsh
Melbourne Storm v Gold Coast Titans, 6pm Friday, AAMI Park The Storm are back home and looking to make a statement about their intentions for the finals when the bottom-placed Gold Coast Titans arrive at AAMI Park. Melbourne have much to work on after losing their four previous games before last round’s win in New Zealand and losing fullback Nick Meaney to injury has dealt their embattled outside backs yet another blow although loan signing David Nofoaluma is listed to make his Storm debut on the wing. The Titans have talent despite their lowly record led by forwards Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and david fifita. If they can earn field position then the Storm’s inexperienced backs can be beaten as Canberra showed in their recent win in Melbourne. The Storm are strong favorites but if they lose, it would likely be the result that costs them a top-four finish with Brisbane and Parramatta close behind them. Storm by 10. Roy Ward
Manly Sea Eagles v Parramatta Eels, 7.55pm Friday, 4 Pines Park Manly’s season goes on the line in this one, and they know it. Expect the Sea Eagles to bounce back at home, especially with some of the players who stood down over the rainbow jersey drama to provide a point. Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry Evans continue to be Manly’s best assets, and face an Eels side without their own chief playmaker Mitchell Moses. The Eels were excellent in the first half against Penrith, but Moses played a big role. Who knows, maybe their second-half fadeout against the Panthers had something to do with Moses’ broken finger? Manly by 8. Christian Nicolussi
South Sydney Rabbitohs v New Zealand Warriors, 3pm Saturday, Sunshine Coast Stadium Didn’t the Bunnies blow it against Cronulla? That loss to the Sharks, along with the Wests Tigers defeat earlier in the year, could have had the Bunnies pushing for a top-four berth. Latrell Mitchell is a good enough reason to back the Bunnies with confidence. He slots back to fullback with the more-than-capable Taane Milne moving into the centres. They lose kodi nikorima but gain Blake Taffe who will be keen to make a point off the bench. The dry Sunshine Coast track also works in the Bunnies’ favour. The loss of Chanel Harris Tavita and jazzan underrated workhorse, will do the Warriors no favours. Souths by 14. Christian Nicolussi
Payne Haas, David Nofoaluma, Blake Taaffe and Sean O’Sullivan.Credit:Getty
Canberra Raiders v Penrith Panthers, 5.30pm Saturday, GIO Stadium Wouldn’t the Raiders love to get one back over Penrith? As much as both sides will play down the mocking of the Viking Clap and Stephen Crichton getting in the face of jack wighton and last year Joe Tapine after a try, there’s a genuine dislike between these clubs. Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luay are huge outs, but Sean O’Sullivan will play behind a world-class pack that will give him plenty of time with the ball. Isaiah Yeo will also make sure he takes some of the pressure off O’Sullivan in attack. Canberra need this more than Penrith, which makes them dangerous. jordan rapana being back adds some attacking threat — and size — against the smaller Penrith backs. Panthers by 2. Christian Nicolussi
Cronulla Sharks v St George Illawarra Dragons, 7.35pm Saturday, PointsBet Stadium Last chance saloon for the Dragons, who need to beat their local rivals to have any chance of making the finals for the first time in four years. Even despite last week’s second-half capitulation against the Cowboys, coach Anthony Griffin has named the same 17 for the Red V. Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon you have opted for debutant Kade Dykesa third generation Shark, to make his NRL debut in the No.1 after Will Kennedy’s injury. The Sharks can take a giant leap to sewing up a top four spot in the derby – and even pressure the Cowboys for a second spot. They have won six of their last seven against the Dragons and haven’t lost at home against St George Illawarra since 2018. Sharks by 14. adam pengilly
Canterbury Bulldogs v North Queensland Cowboys, Salter Oval (Bundaberg), 2pm Sunday Believe it or not, two of the form teams in the competition with the Bulldogs winning four of their last six and suddenly one of the more entertaining teams going around. Can’t see them getting past the Cowboys – who every week look more and more like Penrith’s main title threat – but fans will get their money’s worth in Bundaberg. Briefly Forgotten Man Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow gets a starting crack out wide in place of kyle feldt (hamstring) ace Todd Payten juggles an embarrassment of attacking riches. Fingers crossed for a foot race with Josh Addo-Carr. North Queensland’s defense sharpened up against the Dragons after leaking 26 points for four weeks straight – can see Canterbury asking a few more questions. Cowboys by 12. dan walsh
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday suspended State Attorney Andrew Warren, the chief prosecutor for the 13th Judicial Circuit covering Hillsborough County, after calling him “woke” and accusing him of refusing to properly enforce certain laws.
The governor cited positions Warren has taken on abortion laws, transgender medical treatment and other issues.
Warren is a Democrat who has been out front on criminal justice reform issues. He chairs the Florida Democratic Party’s Safety & Justice Task Force.
Republicans have pushed back against these reforms, arguing they are leading to an increase in crime.
Who is Andrew Warren?:Hillsborough prosecutor ousted by Gov. Ron DeSantis
Much of the focus nationally has been on liberal cities such as San Francisco, where the district attorney was recently recalled. Now Tampa is squarely at the center of that debate.
“Over the last few years individual prosecutors take it upon themselves to determine which laws they like and will enforce, and which laws they don’t like and won’t enforce and the results of this in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco have been catastrophic,” DeSantis said.
While DeSantis framed the issue as upholding the rule of law, the suspension has partisan overtones, with a GOP governor removing a Democratic official who was twice elected by voters in his county.
Warren called the governor’s move a “political stunt” and “an illegal overreach that continues a dangerous pattern by Ron DeSantis of using his office to further his own political ambition.”
“It spits in the face of the voters of Hillsborough County who have twice elected me to serve themnot Ron DeSantis,” he added.
Warren first was elected to the position in November 2016 and then re-elected in November 2020 with 53% of the vote, but DeSantis said: “I don’t think the people of Hillsborough County want to have an agenda that is basically woke up. “
In case you missed it:DeSantis’ first TV campaign ad filled with letters of praise for Florida governor
Previously:Crist: DeSantis takes victory lap while property insurance crisis deepens
Fighting wokeness:What does it mean to be ‘woke,’ and why does Florida Governor Ron DeSantis want to stop it?
The Democrats vying to take on DeSantis in November both reacted to the governor’s move by calling him an aspiring “dictator.”
“DeSantis is a pathetic bully,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat running for governor.
US Rep. Charlie Crist, who is running against Fried in the Democratic primary for governor, said: “This action by Governor DeSantis is that of a wannabe dictator who puts partisan politics first.”
The governor said he conducted a statewide review of prosecutors and quickly zeroed in on Warren, saying he “put himself publicly above the law.”
“The response that we got was a lot of frustration on the part of law enforcement for criminals being let go and crimes not being prosecuted… I can tell you it’s been a very, very troubling record,” DeSantis said of Warren.
Asked if he spoke to Warren before suspending him, DeSantis said: “No, because I was looking at the actual facts that were provided to me… my office consulted with a lot of people.”
The governor criticized Warren for signing a letter in 2021 that states: “Bills that criminalize safe and crucial medical treatments or the mere public existence of trans people do not promote public safety, community trust, or fiscal responsibility. They serve no legitimate purpose. As such, we pledge to use our settled discretion and limited resources on enforcement of laws that will not erode the safety and well-being of our community.”
DeSantis also knocked Warren for instituting “policies of quote ‘presumptive nonenforcement'” regarding certain laws, and said Warren signed a letter “saying he would not enforce any laws relating to protecting the right to life in the state of Florida.”
“We don’t elect people in one part of the state to have veto power over what the entire state decides on these important issues,” the governor said.
Following the US Supreme Court’s decision in June to undo Roe v. Wade, Warren joined dozens of state prosecutors nationwide in saying they would not pursue criminal charges against women seeking abortions.
“Not all of us agree on a personal or moral level on the issue of abortion. But we stand together in our firm belief that prosecutors have a responsibility to refrain from using limited criminal legal system resources to criminalize personal medical decisions,” according to the June 24 letter.
State Sen. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, defended Warren’s position on abortion law.
“To suspend him because he won’t criminalize a women’s right to choose is unconscionable,” Cruz tweeted. “Shame on you Governor, may the women in this state speak out in November.”
Abortion opponents applauded DeSantis for ousting Warren.
“Governor DeSantis’ aggressive action sends the message to other rogue state attorneys throughout Florida that they are duty-bound to enforce all of Florida’s laws — and if they do not, they will find themselves out of a job just like Warren,” said Florida Voice for the Unborn Executive Director Andrew Shirvell.
DeSantis made the announcement Thursday at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, where he was joined by law enforcement officers, Attorney General Ashley Moody and elected officials who complained about Warren’s performance.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, a Republican, accused Warren of being “intently focused on empathy for criminals and less interested in pursuing justice for crime victims.”
“Over the last several years, State Attorney Warren has acted as … some type of supreme authority by reducing charges, dropping cases and single-handedly determining what crimes will be legal or illegal in our county,” Chronister added.
Ultimately, the Florida Senate has the exclusive responsibility to sit in judgment of the merits of a governor’s suspension, under the state constitution. Warren’s fate will ultimately be decided by senators, who can remove him or order his reinstatement of him, action not likely to occur until after the November elections.
In the recent past, Florida governors have taken action against top state prosecutors and law enforcement officials in specific cases.
In 2016, then Gov. Rick Scott took action against an elected state attorney when he removed a state prosecutor from capital cases because she vowed never to pursue the death penalty in criminal cases.
Aramis Ayala, who had just been elected the state attorney in the 9th Judicial Circuit for Orange and Osceola counties, said racial inequities in the criminal justice system were behind her decision.
She challenged Scott’s action, but the Florida Supreme Court sided with Scott.
Ayala, who is now running for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General, chose not to seek re-election to her state attorney post in 2020. She was Florida’s first African-American state attorney.
In 2019, DeSantis suspended Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for his department’s failings in the mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School a year earlier.
A special master appointed by the state Senate to investigate the action concluded that DeSantis failed to show enough evidence to require Israel’s removal for the failures of his deputies and urged that he be reinstated. But the Republican-controlled Senate went along and sided with the governor and removed Israel. DeSantis, while campaigning in 2018, had vowed to remove Israel from office, if elected.
Israel was the highest-profile official to be removed by the Senate since 2005, when senators tossed out Broward County Elections Supervisor Miriam Oliphant, suspended by then-Gov. Jeb Bush for a host of election problems.
DeSantis replaced Warren with Susan Lopez, a Hillsborough County judge who was appointed to the bench by DeSantis in 2021 and previously served as a prosecutor for 15 years in the 13th Judicial Circuit.
USA TODAY Network – Florida reporters John Kennedy and Kathryn Varn contributed to this report. Follow Herald-Tribune Political Editor Zac Anderson on Twitter at @zacjanderson. He can be reached at [email protected]
South Africa batter Mignon du Preez is returning to the WBBL after re-signing with Hobart Hurricanes.
She was the leading run-scorer for Hurricanes last season amassing 414 runs at 31.84, striking at 115 with four half-centuries. She is returning to Hurricanes alongside her close friend and former South Africa team-mate Lizelle Lee who has signed to play in Hobart after withdrawing last season. The pair had previously played together at Melbourne Stars.
Du Preez will also be reunited with Hurricanes’ new captain Elyse Villani, who is also a former Stars team-mate.
“I can’t wait to return to Australia,” du Preez said. “I love the Big Bash. It was a big decision for me to make the move to the Hurricanes last season, but I can honestly say I had such a great time both on and off the field. I got to know a lot of the girls really well, and as we got to know each other better as a team, our cricket really improved too.
“We have a lot of the same team we had last year heading into WBBL 08, plus some pretty great additions too, and knowing first-hand what players of the quality of Junior (Villani) and Lizelle (Lee) can bring to a T20 team, I think that puts us in a pretty good position.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro, two conservatives who have been extraordinarily critical of former President Donald Trump, were officially announced on Thursday as a permanent co-hosts of “The View.”
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg made the announcements during two live segments on the ABC daytime talk show.
Griffin said she was “honored” to become a co-host and Navarro described it as an “enormous, incomparable privilege.”
The appointment of Griffin and Navarro to permanent seats on the show is not entirely surprising. Both have regularly co-hosted the show and several news organizations reported recently that Griffin would soon be announced as an official co-host.
Griffin resigned in December 2020 from the Trump administration, in which she’d held several positions, including White House communications director. Griffin has since leveled searing criticism at her former boss and colleagues who have covered for him.
Navarro, a longtime Republican strategist and commentator who has been a contributor on “The View” since 2019, has for years spoken in no-holds-barred terms against Trump and his allies.
Both Griffin and Navarro are CNN political commentators. A CNN spokesperson said they will both continue in their role with the cable news network while also hosting “The View.”
“The View” has been in search of a conservative co-host since Meghan McCain left the program last summer.
“We promised to take a little time to fill the seat and we have found the right match and a welcome addition to the show with Alyssa,” executive producer Brian Teta said in a statement. “She is willing to share her unique political experience and brings a strong conservative perspective while holding her own de ella in tough debates with her co-hosts and guests on both sides of the aisle.”
“Ana has made an indelible impact on ‘The View’ since the first time she joined us at the table,” Teta added. “She is a strong independent thinker with savvy insight, not to mention that she is whip-smart and fiercely funny. We are very happy to officially welcome her as a co-host.”
Connected technology enables ambulances and other emergency vehicles to score an uninterrupted run through traffic.
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Ford is trialling a system that enables emergency vehicles to communicate with traffic signals, to provide a clearer path along busy streets during critical situations.
The technology can stop cross traffic and force a series of green lights along the ambulance or fire engine’s route, expediting the time to reach a patient and reducing the risk of collisions when driving against the traffic flow.
The technology can be further extended to support the smooth flow of traffic under regular conditions.
For the trial in Düsseldorf, Germany, Ford used a sequence of eight traffic lights and a further two stretches of road with three sets of lights. A Ford Escape PHEV equipped with the necessary communication hardware was able to trigger the lights to change to green, then return to a normal sequence once it had passed.
To simulate intelligent traffic control, the Escape was able to receive a signal from the traffic lights and adjust its speed so as to naturally manage a clean sequence of green lights.
The system which Ford refers to as C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle to Everything) is similar to the Car2X technology used by Mercedes-Benz and Tesla that are already on the market. These are limited to alerts based on physical road or weather conditions and do not yet offer two-way communication.
James has been part of the digital publishing landscape in Australia since 2002 and has worked within the automotive industry since 2007. He joined CarAdvice in 2013, left in 2017 to work with BMW and then returned at the end of 2019 to spearhead the content direction of Drive.
Brad Close says he’s just happy being a regular on the side ahead of his 50th game this weekend, despite emerging as a key cog in the Cats September charge this season.
It’s symbolic of a side that despite playing for their 11th win in a row this weekend against St. Kilda, Close and the Cats are still hungry to find ways to get better each week.
The former Rookie’s forward half pressure and chase-down tackles are a highlight of any Cats game, but they’re just one of a host of reasons Close is so important to Geelong this season, despite his humility.
“I’m happy being a regular in the side,” he told media during the week.
“I’m more than happy playing a role and I know that each week if I can do the little things that I do to help the side, things like bringing the pressure and hopefully finish with a goal or two at the end of the game , it’s great fun being out there.”
Close said that continuous improvement is a key focus of the group each week, and the ability to absorb the opposition’s best, and still get the win, is helping them build confidence.
“There are a few parts of our game that we need to knuckle down in the next few weeks,” Close said.
“Obviously, we keep trying to improve each week so we know where we let it slip a couple of times and it’s a good positive sign to know we can lock it down later in the game and get it back the way we want it.”
Close made his name playing for North Gambier in the Western Border league in his late teens, winning two premierships before shifting to Glenelg in the SANFL where he was a part of the Bays 2019 drought-breaking premiership team.
It wasn’t long after that the Cats came calling, but it’s the first two flags that really made an impact at home where his Dad, Andrew, was a 382 game Western Border league legend.
Close said he’s got a way to go to catch up to the old man’s tally but he’ll be there on Saturday to see him run through the banner.
“In terms of country footy I’m well behind him but he loves getting around the footy so he’ll be over, I’m sure.”
“The View” has filled its conservative seat, up for grabs after Meghan McCain’s August 2021 exit. And made one familiar face a permanent host, although she will not always be present at the table.
The ABC daytime panel talk show announced Thursday that Alyssa Farah Griffin, former White House director of strategic communications and assistant to former president Donald Trump, has a seat at the table when the show returns for its 26th season in September.
And Ana Navarro, a commentator and political strategist, will also become another co-host, joking the show was “finally putting a ring on it” after her roles as guest co-host and contributor.
Farah Griffin, 33, and Navarro, 50, will join moderator Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines and Sunny Hostin. Friday marks the show’s season finale, followed by a late-summer break.
Farah Griffin appeared on Thursday’s show, telling her co-hosts that “The last couple of years have been a bit turbulent for me. I worked for an administration that I ended up speaking out against fervently and continue to daily. That changes a lot in your life. I lost a lot of friends. I’m estranged from family members. But I have to say this: I am so proud to have found my voice. I was a president’s spokesperson, I was a vice president’s spokesperson, I was way too many Republican men’s of Congress spokesperson. But now it is my voice, and I’m here to just join this table (and) hopefully bring a different perspective.”
Navarro, who began appearing as a contributor in 2015, said the show was “finally putting a ring on it.” The CNN commentator and Republican strategist joined the cast in 2018 as a guest co-host to fill in for Goldberg on Fridays. She continued to act as Goldberg’s replacement in 2019 while the longtime moderator recovered from pneumonia, and continued to serve as a contributor.
“I’ve thought about it long and hard,” Navarro said of her decision. “I, and we at this table have spent a lot of time talking about representation. And that means that when a little Latina immigrant girl born in Chinandega, Nicaragua, who came to this country at the age of 8 as a political refugee and found her home here, gets the opportunity and the chance to have a platform, you grab it with both hands and you run with it.”
Navarro’s appearances will be similar to Season 25, while Farah Griffin will appear on the daily program.
Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck debate God’s position on abortion on ‘The View’
‘The View’ co-host Sunny Hostin doesn’t ‘believe in abortion,’ disagrees with Roe ruling
Since “The View” debuted in 1997, the series has had 22 permanent hosts, with turnover quickening around 2013. With short stints by Nicolle Wallace, Candace Cameron Bure, Jedediah Bila and Abby Huntsman, the show struggled to find an enduring conservative voice.
The show’s choice of Farah Griffin is not free from controversy. Earlier reports of herhiring inspired some Twitter users to adopt #BoycottTheView in response due to her actions as part of the Trump administration, from which she resigned in December 2020. She explained in a January 2021 interview with Politico that she decided to leave because she couldn’t back Trump’s proclamation of a stolen election.
“I wasn’t comfortable being apart of sharing this message to the public that the election results might go a different way,” she said. “I didn’t see that to be where the facts lay.”
Farah Griffin also testified before the Jan. 6 congressional hearings in June, and put former aid Cassidy Hutchinson in touch with Rep. Liz Cheney, according to Farah Griffin.
On January 6, 2021, she encouraged Trump to condemn the insurrection at the Capitol in a tweettelling the president: “You are the only one they will listen to. For our country!”
Farah Griffin, 33, explained her political beliefs to Politico. “I identify as a constitutional conservative; somebody who believes in limited government, free markets, a strong national defense budget and ultimately that we should adhere to the Constitution,” she said. “But what is dangerous is when you have heightened rhetoric that is so divisive and that makes people feel that it’s us versus them at all times rather than we’re one America; we’re a unified nation.”
Original ‘The View’ co-host Debbie Matenopoulos says show ‘wasn’t supposed to be political’
Brett Favre’s daughter Brittany sacked on ‘Claim to Fame’: His advice, her biggest regret
McCain, 37, reflected on the factors that played into her decision to exit “The View” after four seasons in an interview with USA TODAY last October.
McCain butted heads with his liberal counterparts, especially Goldberg and Behar. On her second day back from maternity leave (after her welcoming her daughter Liberty in September 2020), Behar memorably told McCain: “I did not miss you. Zero.”
“I was just deeply humiliated and heartbroken, and I felt really worthless,” McCain said. “I felt like I was like not being a great mom, and I was also not being great at my job. And then countered with what I was going through with postpartum anxiety, I had a panic attack in my office, and I threw up , and I couldn’t stop crying, and it just was the catalyst for the end for me.
A ‘deeply humiliated and heartbroken’ Meghan McCain decided to leave ‘The View’ after this on-air spat
Tourists coming to Australia are often baffled by many of our place names and commonly mangle the pronunciation of some of the country’s most popular destinations, new research has found.
Sydney’s Bondi may be Australia’s most famous and busiest beach – with 1.7 million international visitors a year in 2018 according to Destination New South Wales – but a huge proportion of them are saying it wrong.
To Aussies it is of course pronounced “Bon-die” but many tourists, unfamiliar with the area, pronounce it phonetically as “Bon-dee”.
The pronunciation of Bondi is an example of a type of shibboleth, a word that can instantly distinguish whether someone is part of one group or another. In this case, saying “Bon-dee” would show the person wasn’t local or even resided in Australia.
The research was compiled by Preply, an online language learning platform that connects links up tutors with students.
The firm came to its conclusions by picking 68 major destinations where it’s known visitors can sometimes struggle over the correct pronunciation. It then analyzed Google search data to see how many instances there were of people inquiring about how to correctly say the places’ names and ranked them by the volume of searches.
In Australia, Brisbane and Melbourne were two other places where tourists found their tongues in a twist.
Melbourne sees three million international visitors a year. But you won’t make friends in Australia’s second biggest metropolis if you say “Mel-BOURNE” rather than “Mel-buhne”. Equally, it’s “BRIS-buhne” and definitely not “Bris-BAYNE” as some tourists will insist on saying.
“There’s nothing more embarrassing than arriving at a new holiday destination and mispronouncing its name in front of a local — especially if you butcher the regional accent,” said Preply learning success manager Amy Pritchett.
“When you learn to say these place names correctly, you’ll sound like a native — or at least a savvy tourist.”
Top five mangled global destinations
However, Australian place names were far down the global list of mispronounced metropolises, museums and other destinations.
It seems visitors find saying French place names are particularly mouthful with three of the five most butchered names in the land of the Gauls.
Topping the rankings was the beachside city of Cannes. And – just like most other visitors -Australians commonly get the pronunciation of this stylish French resort wrong.
It is definitely not pronounced “Carn” or “Cans” or “Cann-ess”. Rather, you drop the “es” at the end and simply say “Kan”. Short and sweet is a perfectly acceptable way to go. But if you want to sound really French you can do a distinctive semi linger at the end of the word by adding an “uh,” so “Kan-uh”.
One most Australians probably do better on, as so many have been to London, is the name of the river that runs through it.
Americans commonly think the Thames is pronounced as it looks and verbalizes a “Th” sound to produce the very oddly sounding River “Thaymez”. “Temz” is the way to go and will keep you in the good books of Londoners.
Third on the list is California’s Yosemite National Park. It’s not “Yoh-se-might” but “Yoh-seh-muh-tee” or “Yoh-she-muh-dee”.
The Louvre museum in Paris is definitely not the “Loop” or “Loo-ver” but “Loo-vruh” with a bit of a roll of the tongue on the second syllable.
Rounding out the top five of cringeworthy pronunciations is another French hotspot – the Place of Versailles where the French royals lived in pre-Revolution times.
2. McKeon v gold-winning Commonwealth Games athletes
McKeon holds her own not only against other swimmers, but also against athletes competing in all other sports at the Games.
McKeon has won five more gold medals than the next most successful gold medalists in other disciplines on the list.
They include Canadian diver Alexandre Despatie, who won nine, as well as India’s Jaspal Rana (shooting) and England’s Bill Hoskyns (fencing). You can see the full list below.
3. McKeon v total medal hauls at Commonwealth Games
McKeon doesn’t only have a haul of gold medals, although they make up the majority of her total.
The chart below tracks the total number of medals won at the Commonwealth Games since 1994 across different sports. McKeon has raked in a grand total of 20 medals, two more than the next three most highly decorated athletes.
She dominates in the gold, but sits around the average mark in bronze, with South Africa’s Chad le Clos winning seven across his four Games. Australian shooter Phillip Adams overtakes McKeon in the silver by eight.
4. McKeon v swimmers at other major championships
By now, you may be wondering what happened to Phelps, the American swimmer who took the world by storm when he won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Isn’t he swimming’s GOAT?
Quick answer: yes, he is. Phelps remains an icon of the pool, but how does McKeon track besides him and other swimmers beyond the Commonwealth Games?
It is hard to beat someone like Phelps, who has raked in nearly 100 medals in total over his swimming career. But McKeon holds her own despite the strength of the competition, winning an impressive total of 70 medals, not including her Commonwealth Games haul.
Phelps hung up his goggles soon after the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, whereas McKeon likely has a few more years of competition left.
The Australian may still have time to catch up to the mega fish – or at least American Ryan Lochte, who is only seven medals ahead – something that is especially likely if McKeon continues hauling in the medals at the rate she has been in the past year .
5. McKeon v. other record-breakers in the pool
It’s hopefully becoming clear how the “Wollongong wonder” rose to swimming supremacy. But McKeon doesn’t only win medals, she breaks records.
Although McKeon did not swim any record-breaking laps in Birmingham, she has smashed through 12 world records elsewhere, including three FINA long- and short-course titles, six Commonwealth Games records and three Olympic records.
Compared to other athletes in the water, McKeon tracks nicely, equaling Thorpe, doubling O’Neill and quadrupling Jones.
As for international comparisons, butterfly and backstroke powerhouse Lochte exceeds McKeon by seven records, mainly down to the fact that the majority of his FINA records were broken in the short-course competitions. Beyond Lochte, McKeon powers ahead of every other swimmer – even the illustrious Phelps.
What makes her such a wonder in the water is the number of different events she swims in. Rather than having one or two pet events (as is the case for many swimmers), McKeon has won gold in 11 different events. This includes relays, but she is still more than any other swimmer listed and thus emblematic of how accomplished she is across the board.
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