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Sports

Manly pride jersey saga, players angry, text messages, emergency meeting, LGBTQIA jersey, news, highlights, Roosters clash, finals race

Fuming Sea Eagles players reportedly sent angry text messages to each other after the decision of seven teammates to stand down from the club’s crucial Roosters clash.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the players demanded to know why the seven players in question put the Sea Eagles’ final hopes in danger over the pride jersey saga.

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With their season in danger of imploding, the Manly playing group then organized an emergency meeting on Sunday hoping to smooth things over and mend relationships ahead of the last five rounds of the regular season.

Reports suggest the squad relieved tensions prior to the group’s return to training.

The emergency meeting was reportedly sparked by a breakfast between Josh Aloiai, one of the players who boycotted the match, Jake Trbojevic, Lachlan Croker and another team member.

Aloiai alongside Tolutau Koula, Haumole Olakau’atu, Jason Saab, Josh Schuster, Toafofoa Sipley and Christian Tuipulotu refused to play on religious grounds, angering teammates.

The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield provided details on the crisis meeting on Big Sports Breakfast.

“The club brought in a professional mediator to get the group of players to get together to try and get a sympathetic understanding from both sides,” Rothfield said.

“I don’t think they’re ever going to agree on the fact that the players did the right thing by withdrawing from the match last week but what they want is for the players who did play to get a better understanding of what and why they did it.

“That’s why everything was put on the table yesterday and there were discussions.

“I was told late last week the risk amongst the players in the team was basically it was not reversible it was quite deep and the boys who did play and played very bravely against the Roosters could not comprehend why their teammates took such drastic actions.

“I think after they got together yesterday there is an understanding, I still think there’s a very long way to go before it is completely sorted out to a satisfactory position where they’re prepared to like all NRL clubs to have full time camaraderie and strengths and spirit.

“I think you can call it an uneasy trick between the players.”

Wingers star in Bulldogs victory | 02:52

It comes amid fears within the playing group that the pride jersey saga could continue next season after players denied they would be willing to don the kit in 2023.

“I’m certainly aware the playing group is getting together,” Manly chairman Scott Penn said on Big Sports Breakfast last week.

“It’s really important everyone gets together and just talks it through. There needs to be a ‘clear-the-air’ session which is perfectly normal in these circumstances.”

“There’s not a deep divide which has been reported but I think there is some frustration in terms of the way all this played out.

“I met with six of the seven – Josh (Aloiai) was injured and wasn’t training but I spoke to him a little bit later. They are very determined and they were put in a difficult position but there are absolutely no hard feelings at all. As I discussed with them at the time, their focus now is on Parramatta.

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“The seven were very clear in their view and religious beliefs and we totally respected that. They have copped it from certain circles and that is unfortunate because we didn’t ever want to put them in that position.

“We will see a very cohesive team for the next five weeks. It was an emotional week and the circumstances put everyone in a difficult position.”

Reports suggest the meeting was not to try and change views, but to clear the air and find a common group as to why the group stood down.

As it stands, the Sea Eagles sit in 10th place, one win behind the Roosters and Raiders.

Des Hasler’s side will face the Eels, Titans, Sharks, Raiders and Bulldogs to close out the season, and every game is a must-win encounter.

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Categories
Australia

Teachers to get helping hand preparing for lessons

“It is important to try and reduce administrative load and lesson planning time. There is also evidence that student needs have become more complex,” Hunter said.

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Teachers often draw on their own resources, sharing with colleagues, using Google, Pinterest and online marketplaces to buy educational materials, which can cause huge variation between what is taught in schools.

“Provided the resources are easy for teachers to use and can be adapted in the classroom this is a big step forward,” Hunter said.

“The government shouldn’t underestimate the amount of support needed to roll this out. Even high-quality resources can be challenging for teachers to pick up and run with unless they have professional training and learn how to use it effectively.”

Pressure on teachers has grown in the past decade, she said, as more data was collected to track student progress and there was increased emphasis on student assessment.

While some teachers have argued standard curriculum resources encroach on professional freedom, experts say this view is generally held by a minority.

Mitchell said the resources were “not about taking the creativity out of teaching, that’s what our teachers do best”.

“It’s about providing teachers with a basic recipe for student success, while allowing them to contextualize how they use the ingredients to get the best outcomes for their students.”

A NSW Department of Education review of teacher workload of more than 4000 submissions found overwhelming support curriculum resources.

Hunter said there was “major room for improvement in terms of support for teachers to implement the curriculum in the classroom. In the US, UK and Singapore more support is provided.”

In 2014, a UK government working group found teachers were frequently preparing lessons from scratch and searching the internet to find lesson plans. A pilot program was subsequently set up where schools share high-quality curriculum resources with others in their networks.

“Teachers need to focus on the learning needs of the students. The rise of the internet has allowed for a lot more sharing of resources, many of which are of highly variable quality. Years ago there were more textbooks in classrooms and many commercial resources are of mixed quality,” Hunter said.

Draft new NSW syllabuses for years 3-10 English and mathematics were released earlier this year, with the English syllabus to put more focus on literacy skills amid concerns, while NSW primary schools will intensify their focus on literacy and numeracy, with the introduction of a new syllabus mandating the use of phonics.

Categories
US

Hollywood Farmer’s Market Sees Shots Fired – Deadline

UPDATE: Shortly before noon, police confirmed that the Hollywood Farmer’s Market suspected gunman was taken into custody.

LAPD confirmed that the man had been firing a gun Sunday morning. No injuries were reported.

EARLIER: Los Angeles television station KTLA reported a series of gunshots shut down the Hollywood Farmers’ Market Sunday morning around 7:30 AM.

Witnesses described an “active shooter” situation, but no reports of injuries or deaths were immediately available. Los Angeles police received reports of a man with a handgun who fired “multiple rounds” in the 1600 block of Cosmo Street.

Around 7:30 am, Los Angeles police received reports of a man with a handgun who had fired “multiple rounds” in the 1600 block of Cosmo Street.

The Hollywood Farmers’ Market was closed for the investigation. A police helicopter was seen overhead, and around 9:20 AM, LAPD said there was an active standoff with a suspect who was throwing rocks from a balcony. A SWAT team was on the scene.

Farmers’ Market organizers posted a statement on Facebook that said in part, “We’re glad our staff and vendors are OK.” Shoppers were also encouraged to visit the Farmers’ Market sister location at Atwater Village.697

Categories
Business

Rooftop solar panels, costing thousands of dollars, deemed fire hazard

Ricky Barone installed a solar system on his roof in 2014 to make the most of the North Queensland sun and save money on his electricity bills.

Since its installation, however, it has cost him thousands of dollars and years of sleepless nights.

It wasn’t until a so-called solar doctor inspected his rooftop panels this year that the Mackay man realized the potential hazard he was living under.

“I have [the solar inspector] basically said it’s badly installed and there’s a big chance it could catch fire,” Mr Barone said.

“I was so ticked off and I haven’t been sleeping well thinking about it.”

Mr Barone said it was a two-year wait to get a solar system installed by a local company, so he instead turned to a company based in Melbourne.

Ricky Barone and Son Solar
Ricky Barone and his son in Mackay.(ABC Tropical North: Hannah Walsh)

He said the problems started after about six months and then he had difficulty getting parts replaced, such as when the inverters failed after 18 months.

On one occasion a neighbor called Mr Barone to alert him to a fire.

“They blew up the meter box,” he said.

“It should have clicked from day one… we’ve had nothing but trouble with it.

“The system has never worked … we got it to try and save money to do some other renovations, but we haven’t been able to.”

Mr Barone said he wanted the company to uninstall it but the ABC understands the firm has not sold solar in a number of years.

“They just keep saying someone will get in contact, and they never do,” Mr Barone said.

“They’ve got a complaint site and there’s a lot of people in the same boat.”

The company has been contacted by the ABC for comment.

What is a solar doctor?

Jemal Solo started his own solar-inspection business in Mackay because he said no-one was advocating for home owners with solar installations.

A man sits in an office
Jemal Solo says most people do not consider getting their solar installations serviced.(ABC Tropical North: Hannah Walsh)

“We hold installers and manufacturers accountable for their products and workmanship,” Mr Solo said.

“We took this on because we saw nobody was addressing this … and when it comes to pensioners that’s when you get really upset because people buy this to save money.”

Mr Solo, who has installed solar panels and conducts inspections for the Clean Energy Regulator, said installers had a five-year defects liability period to fix their work.

“It’s your fault really if you find six years later that it hasn’t been installed properly,” he said.

“The problem is there’s no feedback loop … nobody is checking the installers’ work.

“The solar retailers don’t really care as long as they’re getting paid.”

Brian Richardson from the Queensland Electrical Safety Office said there had been instances in which interstate companies had come to Queensland without the appropriate licences.

Who can consumers turn to?

Australia does not have a national authority responsible for electrical safety.

Mr Barone said he had referred his case to the Queensland Office of Fair Trading as well as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Solar panels on a brick roof
A solar-inspection business in Mackay says no-one is advocating for home owners with solar installations.(Unsplash: ulleo: Public Domain)

He’s not alone.

The Office of Fair Trading deals with approximately 350 complaints a year involving solar products.

The Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland (EWOQ) deals with complaints about solar billing and metering.

Jane Pires of the EWOQ said in the 2021–22 financial year, it received 142 complaints about solar billing errors, an increase of 92 per cent from the previous year.

It passed 153 cases related to installation and 17 related to solar warranties to the Office of Fair Trading.

Delia Ricard, deputy chair of the ACCC, said her organization was also receiving a large volume of complaints concerning consumers’ experience with retail solar panels and installation.

“If it is a small local regulator, we are likely to refer it to Queensland Fair Trading,” she said.

“Where it’s a larger national or more systematic problem, we may take enforcement or regulatory action.

“The Clean Energy Council and new tech codes are designed to lift the standards in terms of manufacture and installation of solar systems.

“While they are voluntary codes, in most states where there are rebates, you can only get the rebate if the system was purchased from somebody who comes under the code.”

There are currently no state or territory requirements for electricians to hold extra qualifications for solar.

A scheme introduced 22 years ago by the federal government aimed to address this but it will be phased out by 2030.

The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme run by the Clean Energy Regulator provides households and businesses with financial incentives to install solar systems approved by the Clean Energy Council.

The scheme’s general manager, Matthew Power, said he had been consulting with states and territories to embed some of the scheme’s aspects into normal state and territorial electrical rules.

Man in high vis work gear closing his meter box.
It is recommended a solar installation be checked once a year.(ABC Tropical North: Hannah Walsh)

“The Commonwealth scheme is setting an obligation above and beyond the state and territory requirements that are already in place,” Mr Power said.

“The system needs to be installed by a Clean Energy Council-accredited installer who has done additional qualifications and training above their normal electrical licensing.”

‘Shoddy workmanship’ complaints

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Categories
Technology

New PSVR 2 features, Quest 2 price hike and AI prompts as a commodity

New PSVR 2 features, Quest 2 price hike and AI prompts as a commodity

Image: Sony / MIXED

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Our weekly recap: Meta raises the price of Quest 2, Sony talks about Playstation VR 2 for eleven, and a marketplace deals with DALL-E 2 and GPT-3 prompts.

Inflation, investments, and so on

The Quest 2 has been on the market for about two years now – and has just become more expensive by about $100 anyway. Meta explains this unusual maneuver with high investments in the market and increased production costs. VR and gaming guru John Carmack, who was the head of technology at Oculus for a long time, finds these arguments strange. Is perhaps the renewed attack of the US antitrust authority FTC behind it, which stands in the way of Meta’s VR fitness expansion?

Playstation VR 2 … wasn’t there something?

Oh, that’s right, there will be a new VR headset from Sony one day. We still don’t know when that day will be, but at least we know we’ll know soon. And Sony has shown us some new features of PSVR 2 like room scanning that make us want more.

Video: Sony

Creativity in the AI ​​age

The age of AI could transform human creativity because AI breaks the link between creative thinking and manual dexterity. With imaginative “prompts,” simple text commands, we can get machines to output images, text, or in the future even 3D scenes the way we imagine them. Perhaps in this way, we will learn more about the interplay between thinking and doing.

In any case, a new marketplace senses a business model and wants to sell proven prompts for small money. This can save (even more) time and money than DALL-E 2 and Co. already do. If you prefer to be creative yourself, see our prompt guide for DALL-E 2.

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Artful prompts are also needed for the DALL-E competitor Midjourney, which is now available in open beta.

At Midjourney, too, people have to develop the image idea themselves – and put it into a suitable prompt. Here, for example, a struggling Metaverse job market in cyberpunk style. | Image: Midjourney / MIXED

Fewer metaverse professionals wanted

Concerns about a weakening economy are leading to lower investment, especially in the technology sector. This is particularly evident in metaverse job postings. One survey shows that job postings in the US with “metaverse” in the title fell 81 percent between April and June. But this study only shows part of the story.

Malware films what you do in VR

A new malware can record the screen of a VR headset and send the footage back to the attacker. That’s according to New York-based cybersecurity firm Reasonlabs, which identified the threat. Potentially affected are Android headsets such as the Quest 2, Pico Neo 3 and Vive Focus 3. How does the malware work with “Big Brother”? And how can you protect yourself?


Categories
Sports

Georgia Godwin wins gymnastics gold for Australia

“It’s just there’s been a lot that I’ve had to get through,” she said. “I can’t put it into words. I came into this competition with no expectations. I just wanted to do my best.”

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It was a brilliant performance on the beam, where Godwin put in a competition-high score of 13,750 as English stars Alice Kinsella and Ondine Achampong faltered, which set up her memorable victory.

She sealed the deal with a score of 12,900 on the floor. Godwin’s score of 53,550 secured her de ella first Commonwealth Games gold – an upgrade on her all-around silver on the Gold Coast – ahead of Achampong (53,000) and Canada’s Emma Spence (52,350)

And she did it all on adrenaline, admitting she barely slept the night before after the teams event. Even still, she stuck to her disciplined competition routines of rehabilitation and nutrition.

“I feel like I was just lying with my eyes closed for half the night. I honestly don’t know how much sleep I got, but you gotta get up, you gotta get to the gym, you got to do the best you can,” she said.

Georgia Godwin of Australia performs on the uneven bars during the women's all-around finals.

Georgia Godwin of Australia performs on the uneven bars during the women’s all-around finals.Credit:AP

After a late finish the night before, it was a tuna and cheese sandwich for dinner before bed, followed by a bowl of muesli and yoghurt for breakfast with a cup of tea. A banana was all she needed for lunch before she went out to strut her stuff.

“I try to keep it quite healthy and fresh, with what I need. Like some days, I will have a sandwich before, but today, I didn’t quite need it because of the late dinner last night,” she said.

The grueling routine – four consecutive days of competition – is a first for the Queenslander. Ella she’s not sold that’s it’s sustainable, but she is not one to complain.

“You can’t change the schedule,” she said. “You just have to get up and do the best you can.”

Godwin was the third-highest qualifier after Kinsella and Achampong, who were coming off helping England claim team gold ahead of Australia. The Australian was fifth after scoring 13,300 on the vault, but an outstanding uneven bars routine with a perfect landing delivered a score of 13,550 and lifted the Australian into third, 0,700 off leader Kinsella.

Then the competition opened up when leader Kinsella fell off the beam, failed to complete her routine and went over time. Godwin capitalized, completing a brilliant routine by dismounting with a double somersault in the pike position to earn a score of 13,750 and leap to the top of the leaderboard, ahead of Canada’s Emma Spence. Achampong then also fell off and recorded a score of 12,500, further opening the door for Godwin to triumph.

At 24, an athlete’s career is more often than not just beginning, but Godwin conceded this may be the peak. While she remains focused on the three individual events ahead – vault, uneven bars and beam – she is eyeing a break before she contemplates whether to go on to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“I need to put my body and mental health as a priority,” she said.

“I’ll be taking a break, and then reassessing. I’d love to make Paris, but at the moment, it’s a day-by-day proposition by competition.”

Before that, a teary phone call with her parents, Gene and Mari, at home in Southport was the priority.

“They might be in bed, I’m not quite sure it is late in Australia,” she said. “But I’m sure the waterworks will start again after that.”

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Categories
Australia

Liberals deputy leader Stuart Ayres defends actions over US trade appointment

NSW deputy Liberals leader Stuart Ayres has defended his actions over the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a lucrative trade role in New York.

Mr Ayres has been under increasing pressure after documents released publicly to the parliament called into question his involvement in the recruitment process and whether he misled parliament.

The Premier is standing by Mr Ayres, who accompanied him on an overseas trade trip in his role as Trade Minister.

Mr Ayres maintains the recruitment process was conducted at arm’s length from government, and released a lengthy statement backing his actions on his Facebook page late yesterday.

He said he and Mr Barilaro were not close friends and he described his actions as being driven by his desire to “put the people of NSW first”.

“While I respected Mr Barilaro in his role as deputy premier, leader of the National Party and his passionate (and at times excessive) advocacy of regional NSW, I don’t think we ever called each other close friends,” he said.

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro
John Barilaro will appear before the inquiry into his appointment next week. (AAP: Joel Carrett)

“In fact, I can’t think of one time in the 11 years we were both in parliament together that we shared a meal or a beer together outside of a work function.

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Categories
US

Kentucky floods kill at least 28 – ‘Everything is gone’

July 31 (Reuters) – Floods unleashed by torrential rains in eastern Kentucky have killed at least 28 people, including four children, Governor Andy Beshear said on Sunday as authorities worked to provide food and shelter for thousands of displaced residents.

Some homes in the hardest hit areas were swept away after days of heavy rainfall that Beshear has described as some of the worst in the US state’s history. Rescue teams guided motor boats through residential and commercial areas searching for victims.

“Everything is gone. Like, everything is gone. The whole office is gone,” one of the flood’s victims, Rachel Patton, told WCHS TV. Around her, houses were half-submerged in water.

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“We had to swim out, and it was cold. It was over my head, so yeah. It was scary.”

Officials warn the death toll may continue to rise with more expected rainfall potentially hampering rescue efforts. The National Weather Service forecasts several rounds of showers and storms through Tuesday, with a flood watch in effect through Monday morning in southern and eastern Kentucky.

“We are still focused on meeting the immediate needs of providing food, water and shelter for thousands of our fellow Kentuckians who have been displaced by this catastrophic flood,” Beshear said in a statement.

Beshear, who declared a state emergency over the floods, earlier told NBC that authorities will “be finding bodies for weeks” as rescuers fan out to more remote areas.

The floods were the second major national disaster to strike Kentucky in seven months, following a swarm of tornadoes that claimed nearly 80 lives in the western part of the state in December. read more

President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Kentucky on Friday, allowing federal funding to be allocated to the state. Beshear’s office said that affected residents could begin applying for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Power lines were widely damaged, with over 14,000 reports of outages on Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US.

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Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Rami Ayyub in Washington; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Lisa Shumaker and Sandra Maler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Categories
Business

Tins of SPAM are being locked up in some stores: ‘I’ve never seen this before’

A New York resident has shared a surprise discovery at a local store.

Willy Staley says he’s noticed tins of processed meats such as SPAM are being locked up to prevent theft.

He made the discovery at a Duane Reade store inside the Port Authority bus depot in Midtown Manhattan.

Celebrity ham has also been locked away.

READMORE: The Duchess of Cambridge helps Team GB claim victory in Commonwealth sailing race

“I’ve never seen this before,” one of his followers commented.

Although others say they have seen SPAM locked up in stores in Hawaii.

“They have been locking up SPAM for years IN Hawaii,” added another.

Another said: “I visited family in Hawaii last year and was shocked to see this at their local Walmart. I never expected to see something at the level of Spam to be a focus of loss prevention. And I’m someone who actually likes the stuff!”

“SPAM gangs,” added another.

Others have reported that tins of SPAM aren’t even placed on shelves at their local stores for this reason, and are kept behind the counter.

SPAM not being kept on shelves at stores
One customer said SPAM isn’t being kept on the shelf of their premises. (twitter)

To this one person says: “Is retail theft that bad in Seattle? I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. Only stuff behind locks/counters I’ve ever seen is electronics and pricy makeup.”

“Is SPAM such a high theft item,” added another.

One person said: “Never expected to see a photo like this. My ex-husband would call Spam, ‘meat of questionable origin’. To see a can of Spam in a theft deterrent container is an unexpected Surprise.”

“I nominated this for Tweet of the Year,” added another.

SPAM locked up in New York store
SPAM is seemingly a prized possession and currently retails for $6.30 in Australia. (twitter)

It has been reported theft in midtown Manhattan has increased by 40 per cent, leading to measures such as this.

Some are blaming the increasing cost of food. Another’s point to the pandemic which has led to more homelessness.

In Australia tins of SPAM cost $6.30.

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Categories
Technology

Overwatch 2 skins could be as pricey as $45 USD

Get real.

Overwatch 2 skins could set you back as much as $45 USD, a new report suggests.

Twitter’s Porterguage has shared a survey that a friend received—so perhaps take this with a grain of salt—that queries users as to how much they’d be prepared to spend on the free-to-play sequel.

One question in particular asked, “How likely would you be to purchase a Mythic Skin at a price of $44.99?”

Other price-related questions involved weapon charms priced at $9.99 USD or a Legendary Skin set at $24.99 USD. Bundles with three sprays were potentially set at $4.99 USD, while a pack with a Legendary Skin, weapon charm, player icon, victory post, voice line, name card and spray could potentially set you back $29.99 USD.

This notion of free-to-play titles with big microtransactions certainly isn’t new; Devil Immortal has been raked through the coals over the notion that a single character requires $150,000 AUD of real-world money to be maxed out. Another new free-to-play game, MultiVersusoffers up a single Batman skin for a whopping $30 AUD.

Needless to say, fans over on Reddit weren’t thrilled.

“[Not goint to lie,] I was ready to comment, ‘oh $30 for the highest tier skins is normal in the industry,’ but goddamn they just kinda blew past that, huh,” wrote one user.

Overwatch 2 goes free-to-play on Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5 and Switch on 5 October 2022 here in Australia. We went in depth on what to expect from it here.

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