Kanpur: District Youth Welfare and Provincial Rakshak Dal officer Aarti Jaiswal announced a one-day district-level youth festival scheduled for November 26. The event, organized jointly by the Youth Welfare Provincial Defence Corps department, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan , and the National Service Scheme , will be held at BNSD Shiksha Niketan, Benajhabar Road, Kanpur Nagar, encompassing cultural and life skills activities. The youth festival's thematic component includes a science fair where participants will present projects on "Innovation in science and technology". The competition will feature both individual and group categories. The programme includes cultural performances such as group folk dance, group folk song, solo folk dance and solo folk songs. The life skills segment will feature competitions in story writing, poetry, declamation, painting, and photography. Additionally, three youth creation competitions--handicraft, textile and agro products-- will progress from district to state level, in association with the District Industries Centre. According to the govt of India's guidelines for Youth Festival 2024 , eligible participants must be aged between 15 years and 29 years as on September 30, 2024. District-level winners will advance to divisional competitions, followed by state-level participation for divisional winners. Registration is open until November 24 at the District Youth Welfare and Provincial Rakshak Dal Officer's office, Kanpur Nagar, Room No. 4, Vikas Bhawan, Second Floor, or at the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan office. Participants can register in person, via email at dywokanpurnagar@gmail.com, or through regional youth welfare officers in all development blocks.Harris Dickinson toys with ambiguity in ‘Babygirl,’ and keeps a secret from Nicole KidmanAjoka Theatre’s ‘Bala King’ captivates audience at Faisalabad Literary Festival
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Dana Hull | (TNS) Bloomberg News Jared Birchall, Elon Musk’s money manager and the head of his family office, is listed as the chief executive officer. Jehn Balajadia, a longtime Musk aide who has worked at SpaceX and the Boring Co., is named as an official contact. Related Articles National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing ‘hurried’ House action National Politics | A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can’t take it back on his own National Politics | President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America’s tallest peak But they’re not connected to Musk’s new technology venture, or the political operation that’s endeared him to Donald Trump. Instead, they’re tied to the billionaire’s new Montessori school outside Bastrop, Texas, called Ad Astra, according to documents filed with state authorities and obtained via a Texas Public Information Act request. The world’s richest person oversees an overlapping empire of six companies — or seven, if you include his political action committee. Alongside rockets, electric cars, brain implants, social media and the next Trump administration, he is increasingly focused on education, spanning preschool to college. One part of his endeavor was revealed last year, when Bloomberg News reported that his foundation had set aside roughly $100 million to create a technology-focused primary and secondary school in Austin, with eventual plans for a university. An additional $137 million in cash and stock was allotted last year, according to the most recent tax filing for the Musk Foundation. Ad Astra is closer to fruition. The state documents show Texas authorities issued an initial permit last month, clearing the way for the center to operate with as many as 21 pupils. Ad Astra’s website says it’s “currently open to all children ages 3 to 9.” The school’s account on X includes job postings for an assistant teacher for preschool and kindergarten and an assistant teacher for students ages 6 to 9. To run the school, Ad Astra is partnering with a company that has experience with billionaires: Xplor Education, which developed Hala Kahiki Montessori school in Lanai, Hawaii, the island 98% owned by Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison. Ad Astra sits on a highway outside Bastrop, a bedroom community about 30 miles from Austin and part of a region that’s home to several of Musk’s businesses. On a visit during a recent weekday morning, there was a single Toyota Prius in the parking lot and no one answered the door at the white building with a gray metal roof. The school’s main entrance was blocked by a gate, and there was no sign of any children on the grounds. But what information there is about Ad Astra makes it sound like a fairly typical, if high-end, Montessori preschool. The proposed schedule includes “thematic, STEM-based activities and projects” as well as outdoor play and nap time. A sample snack calendar features carrots and hummus. While Birchall’s and Balajadia’s names appear in the application, it isn’t clear that they’ll have substantive roles at the school once it’s operational. Musk, Birchall and Balajadia didn’t respond to emailed questions. A phone call and email to the school went unanswered. Access to high quality, affordable childcare is a huge issue for working parents across the country, and tends to be an especially vexing problem in rural areas like Bastrop. Many families live in “childcare deserts” where there is either not a facility or there isn’t an available slot. Opening Ad Astra gives Musk a chance to showcase his vision for education, and his support for the hands-on learning and problem solving that are a hallmark of his industrial companies. His public comments about learning frequently overlap with cultural concerns popular among conservatives and the Make America Great Again crowd, often focusing on what he sees as young minds being indoctrinated by teachers spewing left-wing propaganda. He has railed against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and in August posted that “a lot of schools are teaching white boys to hate themselves.” Musk’s educational interests dovetail with his new role as Trump’s “first buddy.” The billionaire has pitched a role for himself that he — and now the incoming Trump administration — call “DOGE,” or the Department of Government Efficiency. Though it’s not an actual department, DOGE now posts on X, the social media platform that Musk owns. “The Department of Education spent over $1 billion promoting DEI in America’s schools,” the account posted Dec. 12. Back in Texas, Bastrop is quickly becoming a key Musk point of interest. The Boring Co., his tunneling venture, is based in an unincorporated area there. Across the road, SpaceX produces Starlink satellites at a 500,000-square-foot (46,000-square-meter) facility. Nearby, X is constructing a building for trust and safety workers. Musk employees, as well as the general public, can grab snacks at the Boring Bodega, a convenience store housed within Musk’s Hyperloop Plaza, which also contains a bar, candy shop and hair salon. Ad Astra is just a five-minute drive away. It seems to have been designed with the children of Musk’s employees — if not Musk’s own offspring — in mind. Musk has fathered at least 12 children, six of them in the last five years. “Ad Astra’s mission is to foster curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in the next generation of problem solvers and builders,” reads the school’s website. A job posting on the website of the Montessori Institute of North Texas says “While their parents support the breakthroughs that expand the realm of human possibility, their children will grow into the next generation of innovators in a way that only authentic Montessori can provide.” The school has hired an executive director, according to documents Bloomberg obtained from Texas Health and Human Services. Ad Astra is located on 40 acres of land, according to the documents, which said a 4,000-square-foot house would be remodeled for the preschool. It isn’t uncommon for entrepreneurs to take an interest in education, according to Bill Gormley, a professor emeritus at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University who studies early childhood education. Charles Butt, the chairman of the Texas-based H-E-B grocery chain, has made public education a focus of his philanthropy. Along with other business and community leaders, Butt founded “Raise Your Hand Texas,” which advocates on school funding, teacher workforce and retention issues and fully funding pre-kindergarten. “Musk is not the only entrepreneur to recognize the value of preschool for Texas workers,” Gormley said. “A lot of politicians and business people get enthusiastic about education in general — and preschool in particular — because they salivate at the prospect of a better workforce.” Political Moves Musk spent much of October actively campaigning for Trump’s presidential effort, becoming the most prolific donor of the election cycle. He poured at least $274 million into political groups in 2024, including $238 million to America PAC, the political action committee he founded. While the vast majority of money raised by America PAC came from Musk himself, it also had support from other donors. Betsy DeVos, who served as education secretary in Trump’s first term, donated $250,000, federal filings show. The Department of Education is already in the new administration’s cross hairs. Trump campaigned on the idea of disbanding the department and dismantling diversity initiatives, and he has also taken aim at transgender rights. “Rather than indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material, which is what we’re doing now, our schools must be totally refocused to prepare our children to succeed in the world of work,” Trump wrote in Agenda 47, his campaign platform. Musk has three children with the musician Grimes and three with Shivon Zilis, who in the past was actively involved at Neuralink, his brain machine interface company. All are under the age of five. Musk took X, his son with Grimes, with him on a recent trip to Capitol Hill. After his visit, he shared a graphic that showed the growth of administrators in America’s public schools since 2000. Tuition Costs Musk is a fan of hands-on education. During a Tesla earnings call in 2018, he talked about the need for more electricians as the electric-car maker scaled up the energy side of its business. On the Joe Rogan podcast in 2020, Musk said that “too many smart people go into finance and law.” “I have a lot of respect for people who work with their hands and we need electricians and plumbers and carpenters,” Musk said while campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania in October. “That’s a lot more important than having incremental political science majors.” Ad Astra’s website says the cost of tuition will be initially subsidized, but in future years “tuition will be in line with local private schools that include an extended day program.” “I do think we need significant reform in education,” Musk said at a separate Trump campaign event. “The priority should be to teach kids skills that they will find useful later in life, and to leave any sort of social propaganda out of the classroom.” With assistance from Sophie Alexander and Kara Carlson. ©2024 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
NEW YORK — I’ll get you, my pretty! And your little pygmy hippo, too! Forgive us the shameless attempt to link the fantasy hit “Wicked” to the delightful Moo Deng . But, hear us out — there’s something the two have in common as the year draws to a close. Escapism. Whether we found it on the yellow brick road, or in videos from a Thailand zoo, or perhaps in unlikely Olympic heroes , we gravitated toward fantasy and feel-good pop culture moments this year. There were new trends, as always. “Brat summer” became a thing, as did “demure, mindful.” And for some inexplicable reason, we became obsessed with celebrity lookalike contests. There were breakups — Bennifer is, again, a thing of the past — and reunions: Oasis, please try to stay together for the tour. Yet some things stayed, remarkably, the same: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé kept on breaking records and making history. So, after a year where much changed but some things held steady, here’s our annual, very selective trip down pop culture memory lane: Lily Gladstone poses in the press room Jan. 7 with the award for best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama for "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 81st Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. January It starts as a cheery tweet from a beloved “Sesame Street” figure: “ ELMO is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The answers hint at something deeper and more worrisome. “Not great, Elmo. Not great,” says one milder reply. Doing much better is the viral phenomenon called “BARBENHEIMER,” which makes its awards season debut at the GOLDEN GLOBES . But perhaps the most poignant moment comes from neither film: LILY GLADSTONE , first Indigenous winner of best actress in a drama for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” begins her remarks in the language of her tribe, Blackfeet Nation. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) kisses Taylor Swift on Feb. 11 after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game in Las Vegas. February Valentine’s Day — a perfect time to settle into a sweet love saga via TikTok. Only that’s not quite what we get with “Who TF Did I Marry?,” REESA TEESA ’s depressing, fascinating, 50-part account of her disastrous marriage with a man who lied about absolutely everything. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a single week that encapsulates peak SWIFT cultural dominance , try this: she begins with the Grammys in Los Angeles (becoming the first artist to win album of the year four times AND announcing a new album), then heads to Tokyo for four tour dates, then jets back just in time for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas — where she shares a passionate smooch with boyfriend TRAVIS KELCE on the field of victory. Ryan Gosling performs the song "I'm Just Ken" from the movie "Barbie" on March 10 during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. March “What was I made for?” BILLIE EILISH sings at the OSCARS, channeling BARBIE . And what was KEN made for? Not entirely clear — but it's clear RYAN GOSLING was made to play him. His singalong version of “I’m Just Ken” is one of the most entertaining Oscar musical moments in years. Still, Christopher Nolan's “OPPENHEIMER” prevails, a rare case of the top prize going to a blockbuster studio film. Will it happen again in 2025? CYNTHIA ERIVO and ARIANA GRANDE sure hope so; as presenters, they make a sly reference to their upcoming juggernaut, “WICKED.” Speaking of marketing, people are obsessed with that bizarre “DUNE” popcorn bucket. Beyonce And BEYONCÉ carves her space in country music with “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” which will make her the first Black woman to top the Billboard country chart. Taylor Swift performs June 21 at Wembley Stadium in London as part of her Eras Tour. April Tennis, anyone? The game’s been around for centuries, but it’s having a cultural moment right now, helped mightily by “CHALLENGERS,” the sweaty romance triangle starring ZENDAYA, MIKE FAIST and JOSH O'CONNOR (40-love? More like 40-sex.) Elsewhere, a new era dawns: At midnight, SWIFT drops “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT," then drops another 15 songs two hours later. The fascinating and disturbing “BABY REINDEER,” the story of a struggling comedian’s extended encounter with a stalker, debuts on Netflix. Ben Affleck, left, and Jennifer Lopez arrive Feb. 13 at the premiere of "This Is Me ... Now: A Love Story" at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. May It’s MET GALA time — or as it's known in 2024, another early marketing moment for “WICKED.” ERIVO and GRANDE make fashion waves on the carpet and then musical ones at dinner, with a soulful performance of “When You Believe.” If the “Wicked” tour is in full force, another one stops in its tracks: JENNIFER LOPEZ cancels her summer tour amid reports of both poor ticket sales and trouble in her marriage to BEN AFFLECK . It’s been an eventful year for J.Lo, who's released an album and movie called “THIS IS ME ... NOW" — both reflections on her renewed love with Affleck. June Welcome to BRAT SUMMER ! CHARLI XCX releases her hit “Brat” album , with its lime green cover, and launches a thousand memes. Collins Dictionary defines “brat,” its word of the year, as “characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.” At the celeb-heavy SWIFT shows in London, we see PRINCE WILLIAM shaking it off, which is either charming or cringe, you decide. Even better: KELCE dons a top hat and tux and performs for one night. At another stadium across the pond, METS infielder JOSE IGLESIAS delights the crowd with his cheery number “OMG.” Stephen Nedoroscik is introduced June 29 at the United States Gymnastics Olympic Trials in Minneapolis. July Bonjour, it’s OLYMPICS time! In Paris! An audacious opening ceremony along the Seine is punctuated by a fabulous CELINE DION , perched on the EIFFEL TOWER , singing her heart out — in the rain, too. Controversy swirls over a scene critics feel mocks Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (organizers say it does not). Olympic stars are born — including French swimming superstar LEON MARCHAND , rugby player ILONA MAHER , and bespectacled “Pommel Horse Guy” gymnast STEPHEN NEDOROSCIK , who nets two bronze medals and comparisons to Clark Kent. Baby pigmy hippo Moo Deng plays with a zookeeper Sept. 19 in the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand. Also capturing hearts: yep, MOO DENG , born this month. Her name means “bouncy pork.” Australia's Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, competes Aug. 9 during the Round Robin Battle at the breaking competition at La Concorde Urban Park at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. August This is them ... now: BENNIFER is no more. After two decades, two engagements and two weddings, J.Lo files for divorce. One union dissolves, another returns: OASIS announces a reunion tour. Everyone seems to want to get in on TikToker JOOLS LEBRON 's “ DEMURE, MINDFUL ” act — even the WHITE HOUSE press team. Back at the Olympics, in the new sport of breaking, we meet Australia’s RAYGUN , arguably neither demure nor mindful with her “kangaroo” move. Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani brings his dog Decoy to the mound Aug. 28 before Decoy delivered the ceremonial first pitch prior to a baseball game between the Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles in Los Angeles. Cute animal alert: SHOHEI OHTANI ’s perky pooch DECOY does a great “first pitch” in his Major League Baseball debut. Chappell Roan performs "Good Luck, Babe" on Sept. 11 during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. September One of the year’s biggest breakout artists, CHAPPELL ROAN , withdraws from a music festival after speaking out about frightening fan interactions. And more on the price of fame: In an excruciating moment, “Bachelorette” JENN TRAN , the franchise’s first Asian American lead, is forced to sit through a painful viewing of her proposal to her chosen suitor, after tearfully explaining how he’d later dumped her over the phone. Tran is keeping busy though — she’s announced as part of the new “Dancing with the Stars” lineup. Also on the list: rugby player Maher, and Pommel Horse Guy! Also, ANNA SOROKIN , dancing with an ankle monitor. Online fandom, meanwhile, is shaken when X is temporarily suspended in Brazil and celebrity stan accounts post tearful farewells, revealing to many across the globe that their favorite accounts are run by Brazilians. Miles Mitchell, 21, wins of the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest Oct. 27 near Washington Square Park in New York. October “Dune” Chalamets! “Wonka” Chalamets! Thousands gather in Manhattan for a TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET lookalike contest, and things really get interesting when Chalamet himself shows up. He doesn’t enter the contest, though, and with his mustache, he may not even have won. The trend continues with contests for JEREMY ALLEN WHITE, ZAYN MALIK and — in a very Washington version — Kennedy scion JACK SCHLOSSBERG , who's been gathering a following with some interesting social media posts. New York Liberty Kennedy Burke dances with the mascot, Ellie the Elephant, during an Oct. 24 ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York. Turning to basketball, who’s that dancing with USHER ? Why it’s ELLIE THE ELEPHANT , the now-viral NEW YORK LIBERTY mascot. Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, appears Nov. 2 with Maya Rudolph on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in New York. November MAYA RUDOLPH does a pretty good KAMALA HARRIS laugh on “Saturday Night Live,” but you know who does it better? HARRIS herself. The Democratic candidate makes a surprise cameo three days before the U.S. presidential election, following in the footsteps of HILLARY CLINTON , SARAH PALIN and others. Elsewhere in television, Bravo announces that “VANDERPUMP RULES,” the Emmy-nominated reality show that has lived through countless scandals, is entirely recasting its 12th season — apart from namesake LISA VANDERPUMP . As for MOO DENG , she doesn't have her own TV series yet, but our favorite pygmy hippo is generating plenty of merch . And THAT brings us back to ... Ariana Grande, left, and Cynthia Erivo pose for photographers Nov. 11 prior to the premiere of "Wicked" at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. December “WICKED” ! Director JON M. CHU ’s emerald-hued fantasy remains very very popular, to quote one of its buzzy show tunes, dancing through life and defying gravity at the multiplex. Moviegoers also come for “GLADIATOR II” and, in a veritable tidal wave, Disney's “MOANA 2,” which beckons us back to the seas of Oceania. Once again, 2024 seems to be telling us: Give people some whimsy, a place to escape, maybe some catchy tunes — and no one knows how far they’ll go. The stories and images that defined 2024. Searching for something? From queries about U.S. politics to cricket in India, Wikipedia has become a source of information for millions of people across the globe. From the Paris Olympics to the Super Bowl. From Simone Biles to Shohei Ohtani. And, of course, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. These are the sp... AP photographers assembled a visual catalog of our civilization as life in 2024 hurtled directly at us at every speed and in every imaginable ... In 2024, photographers captured glimpses of humanity, ranging from a deeply divisive presidential election, to hurricanes and fires that ravag... Associated Press photographers captured voters with raw emotions of joy, excitement, contemplation or sorrow. See entertainment's biggest moments in 2024, through the lens of Associated Press photographers. It beat five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore. News anchors, politicians and other public figures in the U.S. struggled with these words the most this year. Is it any surprise Merriam-Webster's word of the year is "polarization"? Here are the other words that rounded out the top 10 for 2024. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!They're a fact of life in most Australian gardens, especially if you have a lemon tree. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue Stinky as all get-out, you can spray them, physically remove them or just leave them be as they suck the sap out of your citrus and fill the air with their distinctive smell. Or, you could eat them. I'm not joking. When we moved to a house with an established garden and several citrus trees, the first thing I set out to do was address the large numbers of green, orange and bronze-coloured stink bugs on the mature and thriving lemon tree by the back deck. As I wielded a spray bottle of soapy water, my partner was horrified. A lemon tree and, inset, fried stinkbugs. Pictures supplied "No way," he said. "Don't kill them - all my friends are coming over to eat them." True to his word, he and the buddies have had regular bug-ins since we've moved in. They come over just to harvest the little buggers off the trees, and either take them home or fry them up on the spot. Sometimes they cook them and turn them into a jeow , or dipping paste, to eat with rice. Having lived in Laos, where he and his mates are from, none of this surprises me. And, if you look deep within yourself, it shouldn't surprise you either. The idea of eating insects has been talked about for years now. To eat or not to eat? Australia has approved three insects for eating: super mealworms, house crickets and mealworm beetles, and the CSIRO has maintained for the past several years that we're particularly well-placed to be "a player in the edible insect market worldwide". Fried stinkbugs ready for oil and chilli and, right, a mature stinkbug. Pictures supplied We're used to agricultural innovation, we have a massive diversity of insects, they're way more sustainable as a food source, and Indigenous Australians already eat at least 60 different native insect species. It's only cultural barriers standing in the way, or, as the CSIRO puts it, we need to "improve Western perceptions of insect consumption". What's stopping us, exactly, apart from the scratchy legs and gross smell and general insect-ness of species like stink bugs? The stinkiness shouldn't be the problem, not really. Many foods stink, subjectively, to someone or other. Some people can't handle coriander, others hate mangoes. Avocadoes can be repulsive, or vegemite, or carraway seeds. And as for the insect-ness, well, prawns and lobsters are the bugs of the sea, with scratchy legs. There are also snails and the French - do they count? In Cambodia, they eat tarantulas. Bridge too far? Only for some (me). I'm trying to make the point that the way we should consume animal-based food - both the living being and the manner of preparation - is a matter of perception. Stink-bugs collected in water, ready to be washed, cooked and eaten. Meat life lessons My whole world changed, in this sense, on a balmy evening back in 2006, at a riverside restaurant in the countryside outside the capital, Vientiane. We were eating a beef-based dish, while a gentle cow, tethered nearby, serenely chewed the grass. But then, while we were eating, a couple of strapping youths emerged. Just metres away from us, they slit the cow's throat, drained the blood, and dragged it off for dismembering. No one else batted an eyelid. If that's not a life lesson in logic and reality, I don't know what is. I think of it every time I buy meat at the supermarket. I bring it up each time someone voices the completely illogical and emotionally driven speech about how they can't eat the poor little lambs (chooks are usually, apparently, fair game). But back in Laos, by the time I was introduced to crickets as a good beer snack, especially when they're fried up with garlic and chilli, I was all in. Meanwhile, the Australian native stink bugs - Musgraveia sulciventris , to be precise - aren't that far removed from the beer-shop crickets, and the Lao folk reckon they taste like wasabi. I'm game and rational about most things, so you'd better believe I've given them a red hot go, but I actually don't like wasabi - it's one of the few taste sensations I really can't stand - so these bugs are out for me. I feel a bit disappointed in myself, as they've been so plentiful this year, clustering together on the branches in the heat, maturing from green to orange to bronze, and mating like crazy. Musgraveia sulciventris, otherwise known as the Australian native stink-bug, picturesque in its own way. The Lao crew do really love them; it feels like something of a rare gift. Should we all be eating them, if only as a way of keeping the garden population under control? Cook before you eat Michael Elias, an affiliate at CSIRO's Australian National Insect Collection, has been studying these bugs for years and while he hasn't yet heard of anyone eating them, he can't see why you wouldn't. "I don't think the taste would appeal to a lot of people, but I mean, obviously some people like it," he says. "One thing I would say is don't eat them raw, make sure you cook them, because the volatiles they produce are actually quite poisonous." Australian stink-bugs gathering to suck the sap and degrade the citrus. Don't fret, Dr Elias! The folk on my back deck wash them thoroughly first - they know their insects! And they, like most Australians, know that nature is far from benign (I'm looking at you, death cap mushrooms). Dr Elias says the populations have been spiralling this year due to the rain and high temperatures, and the clustering on the branches is just a sensible survival mechanism. "If they're clustering towards the tips, because they're sap suckers, and they prefer to eat from the new shoots of the citrus tree or the fruits," he says. "Even though they're native, they're a big pest - they're just going for the best part of the tree to eat, and because there's so many of them on the tree, then you're seeing these large groups." The volatiles - the stinky oil the beetles emit when stressed - will actually stain your hands a vivid vermillion if you're not careful, so best to remove the bugs from the tree wearing thick gloves, or, my partner's method, a little pair of tongs. Safety goggles are also advisable; the bugs sometimes spray out the stink. Message forums, including the Canberra Noticeboard on Facebook, have been alight this season with gardeners in despair at the sheer volume of bugs this season. All give or receive a variation of this kind of advice, but none have yet suggested simply eating them. Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Copy Sally Pryor Features Editor As features editor at The Canberra Times, I love telling people things they didn't know - or even things they've always known - about the city we live in. As features editor at The Canberra Times, I love telling people things they didn't know - or even things they've always known - about the city we live in. 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NoneTioga-Sequoia Brewing Company Instagram photo Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden was already one of Fresno’s most well-known locations. Now, with the popular beer garden being included in the official Fresno edition of Monopoly, even more people will become exposed to Tioga-Sequoia. On Nov. 22, Tioga-Sequoia celebrated its participation in the famous board game with a launch party. Tioga-Sequoia’s president Michael Cruz said that they were the first business featured in Fresno Monopoly to sell physical copies of the game and sold over 40 boards during the launch party. Cruz had been anticipating being selected for Monopoly for months, and they were still excited when they found out they had been chosen. Visit Fresno County, the county’s visitor’s bureau, recommended Tioga-Sequoia. “[Monopoly] was referred to us by the visitor’s bureau,” Cruz said. “They worked with local entities to kind of see who the icons in the valley are within different segments that they can appeal to and interview for the board, and I believe that’s how we got on their radar.” Cruz touched on what being a part of the game meant for him and the company. “They only do one [Fresno Monopoly version], so to be on something, one version of the first and only version of something that memorializes our place in the city. It’s more than just the immediate press that you get off of it,” Cruz said. “It’s something that’s going to be ingrained in a board game that people are familiar with, and they’ll be even more familiar with this local version that appeals to them and brings back memories and experiences.” One of the biggest storylines heading into 2025 for Fresno Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden was already one of Fresno’s most well-known The Madera County Department of Public Health announced Monday that Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire, dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural
White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign