Michmutters – Page 918 – My WordPress Blog
Categories
Sports

Dons continue strong late-season form

If part of Essendon’s struggles this season can be attributed to the injury-affected absence of Jake Stringer, then Sunday was a reminder of what the Bombers can be with their game changer at his best.

In the first quarter alone, Stringer booted three goals from the midfield in a ballistic burst that set the tone in Essendon’s 48-point win over North Melbourne.

The 28-year-old bookended his day with two last-quarter goals to finish with five majors as the Bombers steadily built on their lead through the game to claim the 17.12 (114) to 9.12 (66) victory.

BOMBERS V KANGAROOS Full match details and stats

Stringer remains Essendon’s chief matchwinner and his performance also included 14 disposals and six tackles in a damaging display for the Bombers, who recorded their highest score of the year.

It was their fourth win from five games in a turn of form that has lifted them slightly up the ladder and also raised spirits about a season that had otherwise been an ugly backwards step.

Despite losing in-form midfielder Dylan Shiel to a hamstring injury pre-game, the Bombers got on top around the ball, with Zach Merrett excellent with 38 disposals, 10 tackles and a goal, defender Mason Redman collected 32 disposals off half-back. Dyson Heppell, too, was consistent, while James Stewart returned to the Bombers’ line-up with three goals.

Jy Simpkin tried valiantly in the midfield for the Roos with a career-best 41 disposals, while Cam Zurhaar was a threat throughout, finishing with four goals for the last-placed Kangaroos.

Stringer was sharp early. He kicked the first of the day from the goal line and had three by quarter-time, including a set shot and a clever snap.

Starting in the center and pushing forward, Stringer was back to some of his brilliant 2021 form when he kicked 41 goals from 19 games and won several matches off his own boot for his team.

The Bombers’ efficiency going forward made them dangerous in attack to hand them a 15-point lead at the first change.

North’s own raging bull Zurhaar was standing in the way of a heavy defeat. He booted a goal to start the second term, his second of the day, and caused some headaches within 50 for the Roos.

The Roos star kicked his third in the dying moments of the half to keep his side within reach of the Bombers, who had stretched their lead to 30 points just before the main break.

But Peter Wright got involved in the third quarter with two goals as the Bombers stretched their lead to 33 points at the final change, as Essendon ran away with its eighth straight win over North Melbourne dating back to 2016.

Categories
Australia

Perth weather: Perth is set to cop up to 75mm of rain and damaging winds over the next three days

Batten down the hatches.

Perth is set to cop up to 75mm of rain and damaging winds over the next three days.

The bureau is forecasting a very high chance of showers on Monday with the chance of a thunderstorm.

Damaging winds are also possible, the bureau has warned, with up to 25mm of rain predicted.

.

Categories
US

California wildfire 10 miles south of Oregon border deemed ‘very dangerous’ by officials

Wildfires in California near the Oregon border and in Montana exploded in size overnight amid windy, hot conditions and were quickly encroaching on neighborhoods, forcing evacuation orders for over 100 homes Saturday, while an Idaho blaze was spreading.

In California’s Klamath National Forest, the fast-moving McKinney fire, which started Friday, went from charring just over 1 square mile to scorching as much as 62 square miles by Saturday in a largely rural area near the Oregon state line, according to fire officials .

“It’s continuing to grow with erratic winds and thunderstorms in the area and we’re in triple digit temperatures,” said Caroline Quintanilla, a spokeswoman at Klamath National Forest.

Check out The Oregonian/OregonLive’s new wildfire smoke map below. (click here if you don’t see the map.)

Meanwhile in Montana, the Elmo wildfire nearly tripled in size to more than 11 square miles (about 28 square kilometers) within a few miles of the town of Elmo. Roughly 200 miles to the south, Idaho residents remained under evacuation orders as the Moose Fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest charred more than 67.5 square miles in timbered land near the town of Salmon. It was 17% contained.

A significant build-up of vegetation was fueling the McKinney fire, said Tom Stokesberry, a spokesman with the US Forest Service for the region.

“It’s a very dangerous fire — the geography there is steep and rugged, and this particular area hasn’t burned in a while,” he said.

A small fire was also burning nearby, outside the town of Seiad, Stokesberry said. With lightning predicted over the next few days, resources from all over California were being brought in to help fight the region’s fires, he said.

McKinney’s explosive growth forced crews to shift from trying to control the perimeter of the blaze to trying to protect homes and critical infrastructure like water tanks and power lines, and assist in evacuations in California’s northernmost county of Siskiyou. The fire is west of Interstate 5.

Deputies and law enforcement were knocking on doors in the county seat of Yreka and the town of Fort Jones to urge residents to get out and safely evacuate their livestock onto trailers. Automated calls were being sent to land phone lines as well because there were areas without cell phone service.

Over 100 homes were ordered evacuated and authorities were warning people to be on high alert. Smoke from the fire caused the closure of portions of Highway 96.

“We’re asking residents all over the area to be ready,” Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Courtney Kreider said. “Last night we were pushing out evacuations about every hour, and there are large portions of the county that are in warning areas.”

Moments later, she said, “Oh — we just added another zone to the evacuation warning.”

The Pacific Coast Trail Association urged hikers to get to the nearest town while the US Forest Service closed a 110-mile (177-kilometer) section of the trail from the Etna Summit to the Mt. Ashland Campground in southern Oregon.

Oregon state Rep. Dacia Grayber, who is a firefighter, was camping with her husband, who is also in the fire service, near the California state line when gale-force winds awoke them just after midnight.

The sky was glowing with strikes of lightening in the clouds, while ash was blowing at them, though they were in Oregon, about 10 miles away. Intense heat from the fire had sent up a massive pyrocumulonimbus cloud, which can produce its own weather system including winds and thunderstorms, Grayber said.

“These were some of the worst winds I’ve ever been in and we’re used to big fires,” she said. “I thought it was going to rip the roof top tent off of our truck. We got the hell out of there.”

On their way out, they came across hikers on the Pacific Coast Trail fleeing to safety. They offered rides, but one hiker said he would just take a beer, which they gave him, she said.

“The terrifying part for us was the wind velocity,” she said. “It went from a fairly cool breezy night to hot, dry hurricane-force winds. Usually that happens with a fire during the day but not at night. I hope for everyone’s sake this dies down but it’s looking like it’s going to get worse.”

In western Montana, the wind-driven Elmo fire forced evacuations of homes and livestock as it raced across grass and timber, according to The National Interagency Fire Center, based in Idaho. The agency estimated it would take nearly a month to contain the blaze.

Smoke shut down a portion of Highway 28 between Hot Springs and Elmo because of the thick smoke, according to the Montana Department of Transportation.

Crews from several different agencies were fighting the fire on Saturday, including the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Fire Division. Six helicopters were making drops on the fire, aided by 22 engines on the ground.

In Idaho, more than 930 wildland firefighters and support staff were battling the Moose fire Saturday and protecting homes, energy infrastructure and the Highway 93 corridor, a major north-south route.

A red flag warning indicated that the weather could make things worse with the forecast calling for “dry thunderstorms,” with lightning, wind and no rain.

Meanwhile, crews made significant progress in battling another major blaze in California that forced evacuations of thousands of people near Yosemite National Park earlier this month. The Oak fire was 52% contained by Saturday, according to a Cal Fire incident update.

As fires raged across the West, the US House on Friday approved wide-ranging legislation aimed at helping communities in the region cope with increasingly severe wildfires and drought — fueled by climate change — that have caused billions of dollars in damage to homes and businesses in recent years.

The legislative measure approved by federal lawmakers Friday combines 49 separate bills and would increase firefighter pay and benefits; boost resilience and mitigation projects for communities affected by climate change; protect watersheds; and make it easier for wildfire victims to get federal assistance.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has sponsored a similar measure.

Categories
Business

Advocates say two-wheeled EVs a cheaper, greener option to de-carbonise transport

In the push to decarbonise Australia’s economy, much has been made of the need to transition to electric cars.

But advocates say there is a much cheaper and greener EV to consider — the electric bike.

While you will likely have to go on a 12-month waiting list and come up with at least $40,000 to buy a new electric car in Australia at the moment, you could get a two-wheeled vehicle with a battery that costs less than 10 cents to charge, remove easily.

Chris Jones, president of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association, says many of us have forgotten that bikes are a form of transport, and often see them as simply for fitness and recreation.

Dr Chris Jones, President, Australian Electric Vehicle Association
Chris Jones says EVs on two wheels seem forgotten by policy makers.(ABC Radio Perth: Emma Wynne)

“It’s a bit sad that this humble, very efficient, highly affordable electric vehicle is often overlooked,” Dr Jones said.

“I think a lot of people, especially in Perth, have always viewed bicycles as toys or recreation; they’re very rarely viewed as transport.”

But that is rapidly changing.

“[E-bikes] are the most abundant EV on the market right now. E-bikes are outselling electric cars 10 to one,” he said.

They range from about $1,200 to convert an existing bike to an electric motor and from $2,000 to $3,000 for a factory-built e-bike, and the running costs are “negligible”.

“The battery on my e-bike is about half a kilowatt hour. Based on Synergy [WA’s energy retailer] rates, that’s anywhere between 3.5 and 7 cents to fully charge the battery,” Dr Jones said.

‘You’re halfway there before you know it’

In the Perth hills, we met Andy, who had ridden his bike into the Kalamunda town center to do some shopping.

He bought his e-bike second-hand six months ago after his license was suspended and said it had been a practical replacement for the car, and one he planned to keep using even when he got back behind the wheel.

“It’s more fun riding to the shops and getting around than getting in the car and driving in traffic,” he said.

“And I haven’t had to worry about fuel, so that’s been good, especially with the price of fuel now. You get the pick of the parking spots.”

Andy in Kalamunda with e-bike
Andy got his e-bike six months ago, and says it is more convenient for short trips than driving.(ABC Radio Perth: Emma Wynne)

He has used push-bikes and motorbikes before, but the thing that surprised him most about the e-bike was just how easy it was to get around.

“It’s easier than walking out to the car and jumping in and all that turning it on and getting on the road,” he said.

“You’re halfway here before you know it.”

But it has highlighted for him the gaps in cycling infrastructure in his neighbourhood.

“The paths could be better, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t have picked up on that before.”

Removing barriers to riding

While there is nothing that an e-bike can do differently to a pedal-powered one, the powered motor removes barriers to cycling for trips where people would otherwise use their cars.

Road with bike sign going uphill
An electric motor takes away a lot of the difficulty in riding up hills.(ABC Radio Perth: Emma Wynne)

It is also attractive to people who want to ride but don’t have the fitness or desire to work up a sweat, but want to keep riding, according to Henry Shiel, who works at Fremantle e-bike shop Solarbike.

“We see people who, for example, want to commute a relatively short distance, but don’t feel that they want to work up too much of a sweat,” Mr Sheil said.

“The electric bike is like having a little helping hand pushing you along, you still make some effort, but you don’t work up the same sweat otherwise.

“In addition to that, quite a few parents drop their kids off to school with the bikes.

“We also have people who are older, or people who have lost perhaps a sense of balance, maybe after a little medical episode.”

Henry Shiel repairs an e-bike wheel
.Henry Shiel repairs an e-bike wheel. (ABC Radio Perth: Emma Wynne)

He said the shop recently sold an electric tricycle to a young man with a disability.

“He can go out with his family and keep up with them, and his father has told me that it has really been a huge benefit to the young man in terms of his independence.

“And there’s definitely a portion of people who have decided to eliminate the car, for the cost and the environmental impact.”

Two cyclists on a shared path at Claisebrook train station, above the Graham Farmer freeway in East Perth
Planners says encouraging people to ride rather than drive will be crucial.(ABC: Emma Wynne)

While most e-bikers choose to pedal while assisted by the motor, they do often come across the attitude that having a motor to assist is somehow cheating or failing to give them the full exercise benefit from cycling.

“I absolutely reject that,” Mr Sheil said.

“I found that [having the motor] meant that I used the bike on days that I otherwise might have gone: ‘Oh, it’s too windy, it’s too rainy, it’s too hot’ and taken the bus, or driven or something else.

“Whereas with the e-bike, I found that I actually use the bike a lot more, and therefore my aerobic fitness, felt the benefit of that.”

Reducing car use crucial to emission reduction

Removing that temptation to just jump in the car is vital if Australia is to achieve a net zero emission target, according to Courtney Babb, senior lecturer in urban and regional planning at Perth’s Curtin University.

“As part of the move towards net zero, we need to move people out of cars and to reduce car use,” Dr Babb said.

“There’s a focus on electric vehicles as doing that, and reducing our emissions that way, but that’s not going to be enough, we actually have to reduce car use.”

He says there is good evidence that e-bikes did that.

“Research shows e-bikes replace 20-80 per cent of trips in different cities around the world, with the cycling-friendly cities having the higher rates,” he said.

An aerial photo of a suburban street
A bicycle boulevard in a “safe active street” in Perth’s northern suburbs.(ABC News: Gian De Poloni)

He noted since the start of the COVID pandemic, there had been a growth in sales of both bikes and e-bikes, but there were still barriers, and one of the key ones was cycling infrastructure.

“One of the main drivers for people to cycle is having safe cycling environments,” Dr Babb said.

“We have a very good primary cycling network [in Perth]although it could also be better.

“But what’s missing is a lot of the secondary links… cycling on local streets and roads in general is considered unsafe.

“The United Nations recommends that about 20 per cent of transport budgets are dedicated to active transport, and I think about 2 per cent of ours is.”

Extending EV subsidies to mooted bikes

A number of Australian states and territories now offer subsidies and rebates to buy electric cars.

Dr Babb suggested governments could look at extending that financial support to e-bikes as well.

“I think if the government was serious about de-carbonising transportation, but also addressing some of the issues associated with a very car-focused, car-dependent transport system, we need to think about solutions other than just electric cars and providing subsidies for people for e-bikes might be one way of doing that,” he said.

“Even with a subsidy or a rebate for an electric vehicle, they’re focused on people who are on the wealthier end of the spectrum.

“With e-bikes, you can maybe address people who don’t have that much money to spend on an electric car and also substitute a lot of those trips within that 15-kilometre catchment where they live.”

A bike lane.
There are calls to extend subsidies and rebates to e-bikes.(ABC News: Gian De Poloni)

Chris Jones agrees.

“I think the fact that really efficient two-wheeled electric transport has been completely overlooked by the various schemes that are in existence is quite disappointing,” he said.

“I think governments often forget just how cheap e-bikes are as a transport option.”

.

Categories
Technology

We Road Tested A Stack Of Meditation Apps So You Don’t Have To

Sleep. It can be both an elusive beast, or an insistent guest, nudging at your eyelids at the most inconvenient times of the day. We’re all familiar with the sensation of dread that accompanies the alarm creeping its way into your morning slumber and the perplexity of waking up somehow more tired than when we fell into bed the night before.

While many factors contribute to poor sleep quality, including lifestyle, stress, diet and your environment, there’s one thing that has the potential to make a world of difference—and it can take as little as 5 minutes of your day. That thing is meditation.

Also known as mindfulness, this purposeful practice is considered to have a positive impact on sleep quality. According to Sleep Foundation, “at a biological level, meditation slows the heart rate and breathing and lowers levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.” It is also theorized that “mindfulness may improve sleep quality” and that practicing mindfulness and meditation equip you with the resources to “calm down the nervous system in preparation for sleep.”

So, in an effort to help you set up your mornings for success, we tried some of the most hyped meditation apps on the market. Read on to suss which app works for your own mindfulness vibe.

Smiling Mind

Price:Free

If a good benchmark for whether we vibe an app or not is diving back in after our research phase, then this app ticks the box. We’ve revisited Smiling Mind multiple times since we downloaded it, and can already attest to positive changes. It might look like it’s angeled toward a young adult audience, and it is, but it also has a wealth of content for adults too. Plus, it features homegrown Aussie voices, which is a treat amongst the US and UK leaders in the market.

We recommend the NAIDOC Week Meditation, led by the iconic activist, actor, author and Indigenous elder and 2022 recipient of the NAIDOC Male Elder of the Year, Uncle Jack Charles. If you’re looking to use your commute time to grab a little bit of mindfulness, dive into the Daily Commute series. We also have our eye on the 21 Night Sleep Program, a series specifically designed to use a variety of tools and techniques to help you build healthy habits for a healthy mind, and get a better night’s sleep.

Free, user-friendly and a great range of local talent—we highly recommend it.

calm

Price: 7-day free trial, $79.99 for 1 year, $549.99 for lifetime membership

If the idea of ​​having Simon, the Duke of Hastings trickling his smooth Bridgertonesk elocution into your ears is an ideal mindfulness moment, then Calm is definitely the app for you. Featuring sleep stories told by the likes of Regé-Jean Page, Jesse Mei Li, and Cillian Murphy, this app understands the snooze assignment. Don’t even get us started on the Bob Ross-led ASMR tracks for the soothing factor.

Not just for those hoping to catch a few more z’s, Calm has an extensive range of meditation tracks, encompassing Beginners, Work, Anxiety, Self-Care and a Breaking Habits Series. If you’re interested in ongoing wellness and crafting new habits, this series covers a range of aspects including Thinking, Comparison & Busyness. If your frequency is a more calming guided meditation with ambient sound, we love the Sigur Rós Sound Bath Experience.

head space

Price: 7-day free trial, $12.99 per month or $69.99 per year

This app is beloved for a reason. With a stack of guided meditations ranging from Five Mindful Minutes, to the longer 10-20 minutes tracks, Headspace is extensive and has a sense of playfulness that keeps it fresh. Learn breathing techniques from the master of calm, Yoda himself. Or take a more serious approach and start right at the beginning with easy-to-follow stages, from basics to self-reflection and letting go of stress. Specific themes see a range of tracks focusing on issues like managing financial stress, dealing with the complexities of sexuality and dealing with external and internal pressure.

A great app for embarking on a mindfulness journey if you’re a beginner or if there are specific areas in your life you want to craft healthier habits.

Insight Timer

Price: Free content with an option for premium access, $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year

Smattered with recognizable voices, the likes of Goldie Hawn and meditation guru Lama Rod Owens, Insight Timer has an extensive range of guided meditations and tracks for a detailed range of topics. From interviews to relationship, sleep and performance-specific tracks, there’s something for everyone.

If you’re already a bit of a meditation buff, the namesake timer is great and allows you to craft your own guide, with interval bells and personalized sounds. It also provides a community aspect, with the option to engage with a public profile. If you just want to focus on your own thing, there’s a private option too.

Great for those who have a foothold in classic meditation and want a little help structuring their practice without necessarily being guided. We did find the app a touch clunky though.

SBS Great Minds Podcast

Price:Free

If you feel like you’ve tried all of the meditation apps under the sun, and nothing seems to be the right fit, this podcast might be for you. Hosted by Leah Vandenberg, the SBS Great Minds Podcast provides a doorway into a range of meditation practices from around the world. Learn about Filipino Hilot, Japanese forest bathing and Hawaiian ho’oponopono during the bite-sized, 15-minute episodes. Throughout the 18-episode series, you’ll travel the world with Vandenberg and a little closer to home with a wellness practice grounded in First Nations’ connection to Country called Wayapa Wuurrk developed by Gunai Kurnai man Jamie Marloo Thomas.

Great for delving deeper into the art of mindfulness and what that means around the globe, or reigniting your interest if you’re suffering a little meditation fatigue.

iBreathe

Price:Free

This app is astonishingly simple, and does what it says on the box. iBreathe is structured around simple breathing techniques, allowing you to delve into mindfulness from a physical place. There are four key breathing techniques the app follows, including 4-7-8, Ujjayi, Box and Custom. 4-7-8 and Ujjayi are methods of breathing based on the ancient practice of pranayama yoga that works to calm the mind and the body. Box breathing is a super simple and repetitive method that is a great technique to have in your pocket if you’re out and about and life catches you unaware with a cheeky bout of stress. Using simple 4-second cycles of inhale/exhale repetition, the app can help establish a technique you can replicate on demand.

It’s free which is amazing, but there are a few pesky ads that pop up between sessions, but they won’t interrupt your breathing time. You can also pay a small fee to upgrade the ad-free access.

It Doesn’t Have A Name, But It’s A Hot, Hot Tip

Price: Priceless

Controversial, but before you go downloading any of these apps that tickle your mindful fancy, we want to pop in a review of something that is kind of the opposite of an app, in a way. The good news is that it’s totally free, does still involve your phone and is something that we have been trialling for a week at the time of writing with great success.

That thing is turning off the notifications on our phones during work hours. Yep, Messenger, Instagram, Tiktok, you name it, we’ve silenced it (except for text messages because if we leave mum unanswered for too long, she’ll worry, you know).

Long review short, this change has made a huge impact on our focus and mindfulness throughout the day, without group chat notifications niggling at our curiosity and FOMO.

If an app for classic meditation isn’t for you, that doesn’t mean the end of the road for your mindfulness journey. There are heaps of ways to engage in mindfulness and support your body to encourage less stress and improved restful sleep. Active meditation and taking time to be in the moment with activities like cooking, walking in nature and going for a swim are also great ways to get back in touch with yourself and simple things like taking a daily multivitamin can have tangible results on your overall wellbeing .

Head over here for Reason Season’s second Morning module on crafting a morning routine you can actually stick to.

To receive all of the upcoming weekly modules for Reason Season straight to your inbox sign up over here, plus go into the draw to win a $4,000 wellness getaway for two.

Image credit: Urban List

Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Swiss and proudly endorsed by Urban List. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make Urban List possible. Click here for more information on our editorial policy.

Categories
Entertainment

Colin Farrell had ‘terrifying’ panic attacks filming Thirteen Lives

Colin Farrell didn’t have a great time filming Thirteen Lives.

“Terrifying, in a word. Terrifying,” the Irish actor told Entertainment Tonight at the film’s premiere Thursday night while describing the experience, reported Page Six.

The Ron Howard-directed movie recounts the real-life 2018 rescue of a dozen young boys and their football coach who were trapped in the flooded Tham Luang cave in Thailand.

Farrell, 46, confessed to feeling particularly frightened filming extreme underwater scenes.

“It was scary. I’m not a great swimmer anyway, not that we were swimming, not that we were treading water — we had to stay on the surface — but they built a really impressive network of caves,” the In Bruges star shared.

“It was about four or five different caves that were based on the topography of the caves, the Tham Luang caves in Thailand, and they filled them full of water, and we’d go down and there was no up.”

Farrell, who plays rescue diver John Volanthen, added that not being able to see the water’s surface was horrifying and “just wreaks havoc on [the] mind.” He even shared that he experienced panic attacks underwater, which he called a “new experience.”

However, the True Detective alum explained that all the underwater scenes did not improve his aquatic abilities, adding that being a rescue diver is “a very particular skill set.”

Farrell was not the only star on set who struggled with the intense scenes.

His co-star Viggo Mortensen, who plays real-life hero Richard Stanton, shared that he, too, panicked at one point while filming.

“All of a sudden I couldn’t breathe,” the Green Book star, 63, told People. “It seemed like a long time, but it was only a matter of seconds. I panicked.”

Although he managed to remember his training and switch the mouthpiece to the oxygen tank, Mortensen acknowledged that “it’s not that complicated, but at the moment, it’s hard to think clearly.”

The movie also stars Joel Edgerton, Tom Bateman and Paul Gleeson.

Thirteen Lives is on Amazon Prime Video from Friday, August 5.

This article originally appeared on Page Six and was reproduced here with permission

.

Categories
Sports

Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 Men’s Rugby (Sevens) 7s Results, Final Day 3 Semi-Final Schedule, Dates, Time, Draw, Venue, Tickets, Scores, Pools, Points Table, Live Stream Australia, UK

2022 Commonwealth Games Men’s Rugby 7s (sevens) event kicked-off on 29th July 2022 and is down to the last day of event, we take a look at the quarterfinal results, last day final and semi-final schedule, venue, results, pools , fixtures along with Australia streaming details

The rugby sevens competition at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which takes place from July 29 to July 31, is featuring a men’s event. The top two teams from each pool by rule, advanced to the quarterfinals.

Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 Men’s Rugby (Sevens) 7s Results, Final Day 3 Semi-Final Schedule, Dates, Time, Draw, Venue, Tickets, Scores, Pools, Points Table, Live Stream Australia And UK

2022 Commonwealth Games – Men’s Rugby Sevens Teams, Groups, Quarterfinal Results, Final Day Schedule, Date, Time, And Venue

A brave effort from Australia allowed them to hold on and defeat Samoa 7-0 in the quarterfinal of men’s rugby sevens at 2022 Commonwealth Games. Defense controlled the game, and Matt Gonzalez’s performance in the second half was sufficient to secure the victory. Before a superb cover challenge caused the error in the fifth minute, Nathan Lawson appeared certain to score. After Corey Toole set up Gonzalez, they were then down to six men, but they managed to hold off a determined Samoa to advance to the final four.

Elsewhere, South Africa defeated Canada 33-0 to get to the semi-finals and will now play against Australia. The full schedule of 2022 Commonwealth Games Men’s Rugby Sevens event matches can be found here.

2022 Commonwealth Games – Men’s Rugby Sevens Latest Point Table And Standings

Pool A Point Table

Rank Team matches wins loss points
1 new zealand 3 3 0 9
two Samoa 3 two 1 7
3 England 3 1 two 5
4 Sri Lanka 3 0 3 3

Pool B Point Table

Rank Team matches wins loss points
1 south africa 3 3 0 9
two Scotland 3 two 1 7
3 Tonga 3 1 two 5
4 Malaysian 3 0 3 3

Pool C Point Table

Rank Team matches wins loss points
1 fiji 3 3 0 9
two Canada 3 two 1 7
3 wales 3 1 two 5
4 Zambia 3 0 3 3

Pool D Point Table

Rank Team matches wins loss points
1 Australia 3 two 0 8
two Kenyan 3 two 1 7
3 Uganda 3 1 1 6
4 Jamaica 3 0 3 3

Latest Results and Upcoming Schedule (All Times in GMT)

Pool A Results

29 July 2022
9 o’clock
New Zealand 63-5 Sri Lanka
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
9 o’clock
England 0-34 Samoa
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
17:30
England 47-19 Sri Lanka
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
17:30
New Zealand 19-17 Samoa
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

30 July 2022
9 o’clock
Samoa 44-0 Sri Lanka
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

30 July 2022
9 o’clock
New Zealand 20-0 England
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

Pool B Results

29 July 2022
9 o’clock
South Africa 46-0 Malaysia
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
9 o’clock
Scotland 41-0 Tonga
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
17:30
Scotland 50-12 Malaysia
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
17:30
South Africa 36-5 Tonga
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

30 July 2022
9 o’clock
Tonga 31-7 Malaysia
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

30 July 2022
9 o’clock
South Africa 34-0 Scotland
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

Pool C Results

29 July 2022
9 o’clock
Canada 31-0 Wales
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
9 o’clock
Fiji 52-0 Zambia
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
17:30
Wales 38-5 Zambia
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
17:30
Fiji 19-12 Canada
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

30 July 2022
9 o’clock
Canada 24-12 Zambia
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

30 July 2022
9 o’clock
Fiji 38-24 Wales
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

Pool D Results

29 July 2022
9 o’clock
Australia 62-0 Jamaica
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
9 o’clock
Kenya 27-14 Uganda
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
17:30
Kenya 45-0 Jamaica
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

29 July 2022
17:30
Australia 12-12 Uganda
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

30 July 2022
9 o’clock
Uganda 40-0 Jamaica
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

30 July 2022
9 o’clock
Australia 7-5 Kenya
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

Quarterfinals Results (30 July 2022, 17:30)

Fiji 34-5 Scotland

South Africa 33-0 Canada

New Zealand 31-0 Kenya

Australia 7-0 Samoa

Semi Final Schedule (31 July 2022, 10:30)

New Zealand v Fiji

Australia v South Africa

bronze medal match

31 July 2022
18:00
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

gold medal match

31 July 2022
18:00
Coventry Stadium, Coventry

2022 Commonwealth Games Where to Watch: Live Stream & TV Telecast?

The Sony TEN 1, Sony TEN 2, Sony TEN 3, Sony SIX, and Sony TEN 4 networks will all stream all of the men’s rugby sevens matches live from Birmingham to India on Sunday including the final. Indian fans can easily follow the action as it unfolds thanks to the Sony LIV app and website, which will stream the games live.

Country Rights-holders
Australia Seven Network
Canada CBC
India Sony Pictures Sports Network
new zealand Sky NZ
United Kingdom BBC

Also Read: Men’s FIH Pro Hockey League 2022, Schedule, Date, Time, Teams, Format, Fixtures, Points Table, Results, Live Stream

Recommended: The Sports Fan App

Categories
Australia

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s COVID-19 response criticised, urged to mandate mask wearing

Former Australian Medical Association president Dr Kerryn Phelps has called on Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to enforce a mask mandate.

It comes as the state recorded 4,655 new infections on Sunday, with 762 people in hospitals – 28 of those are in ICU.

Queensland has a massive 53,100 active infections.

The one-time independent MP for the Sydney seat of Wentworth replied to a tweet from Ms Palaszczuk who urged anyone over the age of 30 to book in for their fourth COVID-19 vaccination.

Stream more on politics with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends October 31, 2022.

“If you have downtime this weekend, book that booster shot,” the Premier wrote.

“Everyone over the age of 30 is eligible for a fourth vaccination. Getting a booster is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19.”

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) updated its recommendation for people aged 50 to 64 years to get a fourth COVID-19 vaccine, while people aged 30 to 49 years may choose to have a fourth shot if they wish to.

ATAGI reiterated that people who had already been eligible for the fourth dose, including those aged 65 years and over, remain at “high risk of severe disease and death” from COVID-19.

But Dr Phelps warned that vaccination alone is not enough to control the pandemic.

“Whatever advice you are receiving @AnnastaciaMP, vaccination alone will not control this #covid19 pandemic,” she wrote on Sunday.

“People will continue to get reinfected without other measures.

“The healthcare system around the country is struggling: hospital staff, paramedics, GPs.

“Please mandate masks.”

It’s not the first time Dr Phelps has weighed in on the need for stronger rules.

Earlier this month she called out Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for not wearing an N95 face mask when receiving his fourth jab.

It is not against the rules to enter a New South Wales pharmacy without a mask.

“Where are the N95 masks @AlboMP?” she tweeted.

Dr Chris Moy, Vice President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) said the Prime Minister should stop with the “contradictory messaging” and start to be more transparent about the emerging COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly launched an impassioned plea for Australians to “take action” and wear face masks amid a surge in COVID-19 cases this winter – but stopped short of advising the Albanese Government to mandate the measure.

Dr Kelly appeared on Sky News Australia where he warned COVID-19 cases are expected to peak in August as the country endures a third Omicron wave.

“In terms of a mandate, that’s really a decision for government and that’s something they need to consider,” he said on July 20.

.

Categories
US

Georgia authorities release body camera footage after woman dies following fall from patrol car



CNN

Georgia authorities released body camera footage Friday of an incident from earlier this month where a mother experiencing what her family called a mental health crisis died due to a fatal injury while in police custody.

Brianna Grier, 28, was experiencing a mental health episode on July 15 when her mother called police to assist with the matter, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said at a news conference Friday.

Crump, who is representing the Grier family, said Grier had a history of mental health crises and the family had called police several times in the past.

“When they used to come out to the house they’d call an ambulance service,” Grier’s father Marvin Grier said. “The ambulance service would come out and they would take her to the hospital to get some help.”

“But this time they only called the police, and the police didn’t bring the ambulance with them, even though, Ms. Mary (Brianna’s mom) clearly stated she was having an episode,” Crump explained.

Crump said Hancock County Sheriff’s deputies came into the home, handcuffed Grier and placed her in the back of a patrol car to take her into custody for allegedly resisting arrest.

In body camera video released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Grier asks deputies to give her a breathalyzer test and repeatedly tells officers she is not drunk. According to a time stamp on the video, Grier was placed in the patrol car shortly before 1 am on July 15.

Grier then yells to officers saying she’s going to hang herself if she is placed in the car. They proceed to place her in handcuffs and attempt to place her in a squad car but when she resists further, an officer is seen unholstering his taser from her.

When Grier sees this, she yells at officers saying they can rate her, and that she doesn’t care. The officer replies, saying he’s not going to rate her.

The video shows the officer putting the Taser away and then walking away from the rear driver’s side door. When the officer returns, he is seen lifting Grier off the ground and putting her in the back seat of the patrol car.

The body camera video fails to show if officers opened, closed or had any interaction with the rear passenger side door, but an officer is heard asking another officer if the door is closed.

GBI investigators concluded Wednesday that “the rear passenger side door of the patrol car, near where Grier was sitting, was never closed,” according to a news release.

Less than a minute later, after the officers drive away from the Grier family home, the video shows an officer suddenly stop his vehicle and get out.

Once out of the car, the officer locates Grier laying on the side of the road, face down. Grier does n’t respond to the officer, who is tapping her side of her and saying her name of her. The officer then radios to an oncoming patrol car that is behind him that they’re going to need an ambulance.

The footage does not show the moment Grier falls out of the vehicle but does show her laying face first on the ground and the rear passenger car door open.

The second officer says that Grier is still breathing. Grier never responds to the officers calling her name de ella after falling out of the patrol vehicle. The video ends with Grier on the ground while police wait for paramedics.

Attorney Ben Crump speaks at a news conference Friday regarding the death of Brianna Grier.

Crump alleges that police didn’t secure Grier in a seatbelt while she was handcuffed in the back of the police car and as a result, when the vehicle started moving, she somehow fell out of the car, landed on her head, cracked her skull and then went into a coma for six days before dying because of her injuries.

Investigators reviewed multiple body camera videos, conducted numerous interviews and conducted “mechanical tests on the patrol car” to determine “if there were possible mechanical malfunctions” to the vehicle, the GBI statement reads.

The GBI news release notes that two deputies were trying to get her into the back of the patrol car after she was arrested and put in handcuffs.

Grier told the deputies she was going to hurt herself and was on the ground refusing to get into the patrol car, according to the release.

The GBI statement said the two deputies and Grier, who was on the ground, “were at the rear driver’s side door of the patrol car” when “one of the deputies walked around and opened the rear passenger side door.” The same deputy quickly returned to the rear driver’s side door, the GBI statement says, and both deputies put Grier into the back of the patrol car.

Deputies closed the rear driver’s side door and, according to the GBI statement, “The investigation shows that the deputy thought he closed the rear passenger side door.”

In the video, an officer can be seen picking Grier up and placing her in the car through the driver’s side rear door.

Off camera, one of the officers is heard asking if the door on the other side is closed, to which the other officer replies yes.

Deputies left the scene of the incident and drove a short distance before Grier fell out of the moving car, according to the statement.

CNN has reached out to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department for comment but did not immediately hear back.

“I just don’t understand why they couldn’t put her in a seat belt why they violated so many policies to prevent anything like this from happening,” Crump said.

“We loved her regardless, unconditionally. Now we got to raise these kids and tell them a story, and I’m not planning on telling no lie,” Marvin Greer told reporters Friday. “I want to tell the truth, so it won’t happen to anyone else.”

.

Categories
Business

This Paper Battery Is as Powerful as a AA, And Is Activated by Water

A newly developed, water-activated disposable paper battery promises to make a big impact on single-use electronics – those temporary gadgets used in medical and industrial fields where electronic waste can quickly start piling up.

The battery that has been demonstrated by researchers is biodegradable, made from sustainable materials, and cheap to put together. What’s more, it can be produced in a variety of shapes and sizes as needed.

To give an idea of ​​the power, a two-cell battery made using the technology was enough to power an LCD alarm clock. While it won’t be charging up your laptop anytime soon, there’s lots of potential for low-powered sensors and trackers.

“We present a printed paper battery developed to power single-use disposable electronics and to minimize their environmental impact,” write the researchers in their published paper.

“The battery is based on a metal-air electrochemical cell that uses zinc as a biodegradable metal in the anode, graphite in the cathode, paper as a separator between the electrodes, and a water-based electrolyte.”

The battery, made from sodium chloride salt-diffused paper, can measure as little as one square centimeter (0.15 square inches), and is based on printed inks: one ink contains graphite flakes and acts as the cathode (positive end), while another on the other side of the paper contains zinc powder and acts as the anode (negative end).

A third ink, composed of graphite flakes and carbon black, is printed on both sides, on top of the other two inks, connecting the positive and negative ends to two wires. These are attached to one end of the paper, dipped in wax.

All that’s needed, then, is a small amount of water, as little as two drops. This dissolves the salts within the paper, releasing charged ions that then activate the battery as they travel. The circuit is closed by attaching the wires to the electrical device, meaning that electrons can be transferred from the negative to the positive ends.

With a stable voltage of 1.2 volts, the paper battery is close to the level of a standard AA alkaline battery at 1.5 volts. The battery starts producing power around 20 seconds after water is added, as per the experiments carried out by the team.

“This demonstration shows that despite its limited power density when compared to standard technologies, our battery is still relevant for a wide range of low-power electronics and the Internet of Things ecosystem,” write the researchers.

Although the performance decreases over time as the paper dries out, it can be topped up to some extent with more water. With extra water, the battery can still be producing 0.5 volts two hours after first being activated.

This is very much a proof-of-principle study for the time being, but the battery described in the paper isn’t overly complicated to produce. The researchers say they want to improve the efficiency of the battery in the future, and get it working for longer.

“With a rising awareness of the e-waste problem and the emergence of single-use electronics for applications like environmental sensing and food monitoring, there is a growing need for low environmental impact batteries,” write the researchers.

“This shift from traditional performance-oriented figures of merit creates new opportunities for unconventional materials and designs that can provide a balance between performance and environmental impact.”

The research has been published in Scientific Reports.

.