Latest news with #AliceinWonderland
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bold new national park plan to hunt invasive species: 'We need all hands on deck'
An Aussie politician is calling for shooters to be allowed into NSW national parks to kill feral animals like pigs and foxes. The proposal would be an extension of a bounty system floated by NSW Premier Chris Minns this week, which sparked a polarised response. Regional NSW MP Helen Dalton said farmers were struggling to combat invasive species that breed on public land and then wander into their properties, destroying land and attacking livestock. She's shared shocking footage showing a trap that filled with feral pigs after it was placed on a Riverina property near a national park. 'We're losing the battle… we need all hands on deck,' she told Yahoo News, before adding, 'I think it's time they allowed recreational shooters in national parks.' To avoid putting the lives of walkers and sightseers at risk, Dalton, who was formerly with the Shooters and Fishers Party, said the parks could be temporarily closed over a weekend to give hunters access. She doesn't imagine shooters would make a lot from bounties, but the extra cash would help cover the cost of their bullets and fuel. Under her plan, shooting invasive species would complement other control measures like trapping and poisoning. Recreational shooting in national parks was trialled by the Coalition in 2014, but it sparked a fierce backlash from conservationists, and no longer occurs. 'We used to shoot back in the day, we kept them under control. But the government has tightened the laws,' she said. In a statement, a spokesperson for the NSW government said it is 'open to considering all options' including bounties, but it confirmed there are no plans to lift restrictions on recreational shooting in national parks. 'We need to do more and we need all hands on deck for this problem. No one is saying that bounties are the sole solution here. They aren't a silver bullet. But what they are is another tool in the toolbox,' the spokesperson said. Related: 📸 Incredible before and after photos show major triumph in $100m invasive outback battle The Invasive Species Council, an independent group that provides specialist advice on the removal of feral animals, has dismissed the premier's bounty plan saying there's simply no evidence that they work. Its CEO Jack Gough said if the government was serious about combatting the problem it would follow the advice of its own Natural Resources Commission that delivered a report to the premier a fortnight ago. The report found invasive species already cost the state's economy $1.9 billion annually, but this could balloon to $29.7 billion in just five years if the problem isn't addressed. The report suggested an evidence-based approach to fighting the problem, a move away from 'short-term' strategies, and more coordination between landholders and government. 'The idea that bounties will have any impact on feral animals is Alice in Wonderland stuff,' he told Yahoo. 'There's not a single example that shows bounties actually reduce populations on a landscape scale.' Victoria has run a bounty system since 2011, and in that time Agriculture Victoria has collected over 1.1 million fox scalps. When the NSW Nationals proposed introducing a similar system in July last year, Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty dismissed the idea saying they have "consistently failed" since the 1800s. It remains unclear why the Minns Government has had a sudden change of heart. Plan to reintroduce wild animals into Australia's major cities Hunt for rare Aussie fish not seen since 1990s Creatures photographed coming to surface for 'super cool' battle Gough argued the new bounty plan is less about good policy and more about stitching up support from the Shooters and Fishers Party in the Upper House. 'They are deciding to go directly against expert advice… this is on the agenda purely because the Labor Party wants to do a dirty deal,' he said. The Premier's office did not respond to a question about this claim from Yahoo News. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Irish Independent
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Theatre school in Wexford hosts inclusive award ceremony where every student is recognised for their achievements
This event marked a significant milestone for the school's 130 students, with each student honoured for their dedication and achievements in the performing arts. Presentations were made by drama teacher and creative director Lily Henrich-Doyle, dance teacher and choreographer Madison Coleman, singing teacher and musical director Richard O'Toole as well as administrative director Susan Bell Flavin. Every student received an award of achievement, recognising their completion of one year's study in drama, dance, and singing. Additionally, each child was provided with detailed written feedback highlighting their progress and accomplishments in these areas. A cheque presentation was made by ITS student Louis O'Driscoll to Mairead Fanning, Chairperson of Hope Cancer Support Centre, Enniscorthy. The €250 donation was part of the proceeds from the sale of show programmes and raffle tickets from the schools performance of the musical Alice in Wonderland. The ceremony also featured several special awards to acknowledge exceptional talent and effort, including; outstanding students per class which recognised top students in each class for their exemplary performance and commitment. The winners of this award were; Columbine Class: Quinn Deveney and Robyn Langrell, Scapino Class; Gemma Halnon and Zoe Hobbs, Pierrot Class; Jay Swinburne and Rebecca Hughes, Harlequin Class; Bobby Halford and Erin O'Donohue, Domino Class; Eavann Bolger and Róisín Healy and Scaramouche Class; Lapo Olival, Lauren Croke and Jade (Dylan) Byrne. Students of the Year 2025 was awarded to the student who demonstrated exceptional talent, dedication, and growth across all areas of study. The winners of this award were Jay Swinburne and Keelin Kinsella. The Deirdre Shortt Memorial Award 2025; a prestigious award commemorating the late Deirdre Shortt, honoring a student who exemplifies her passion and spirit in the performing arts. Lauren Croke won this award. The PACE Award for Performance Arts Certificate of Excellence 2025: Celebrating outstanding achievement and excellence in performance arts. Winner: Sadie Nolan The EPIC Award for Extraordinary Performer of Imagination and Creativity 2025 was given to a student who shows remarkable creativity and imagination in their performances. The winner of this award was Danielle Mulhall. The Anne Shumate Aurora Award 2025 which recognised a student who radiates positivity and excellence was awarded to Roisín Healey. The Men in Black Award 2025, awarding excellent in creativity and dedication both behind and in front of the curtain. The winner of this award was Aleksandra Bujak.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Horror Twins Danny & Michael Philippou On The Evil That Lies Beneath In Their Latest ‘Bring Her Back'
What evil lies in down and under? Surely a place filled with kangaroos and Men at Work can't be all this sinister. And the most unsuspecting duo of the deepest abyss of horror are Sundance Film Festival wunderkinds-turned-genre meisters, twin brother filmmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou. They're so vivacious and jolly, you'd never think they could conjure the grossest and most look-away moments in recent horror cinema. These guys make Ari Aster's Midsommar look like a PG version of Alice in Wonderland. More from Deadline How Wes Anderson Devised 'The Phoenician Scheme' - Crew Call Podcast At Cannes David Mamet On Return To Cinema With Self-Distributed 'Henry Johnson', State Of The Industry & J.K. Rowling-Inspired Play He's Writing For Rebecca Pidgeon - Crew Call Podcast 'Bring Her Back' Review: Sally Hawkins Gaslights Kids & Channels Grief Into Terror In The Philippous' Trauma-Soaked Sophomore Feature A24 acquired the duo's possessed teens movie Talk to Me for high-seven figures out of a raucous midnight screening at Sundance in 2023, with that title going on to gross a great $48 million-plus stateside and nearly $92M worldwide. What's their secret? More than a child eating his own skin (which you'll see this Friday in their latest, Bring Her Back), it's the duo's talent for creating deep, sympathetic and resonant characters. Bring Her Back follows two foster siblings, a young girl Piper who is visually impaired (a sublime turn by newcomer Sora Wong) and her older brother Andy (Billy Barratt, also great). With their parents gone from this world, Andy wants oversee of Piper, but the system won't allow it. They're put into the care of an older single woman, Laura (two-time Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins), who already has supervision (should we even say that?) over a young boy, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). However, he's torturing himself severely, and well, there's a pool. What's wrong with this picture? What's wrong with this woman? Well, you've got to see the movie to find out what happens. Listen to our convo below with the Philippous and their inspirations, one of them being the 1967 Audrey Hepburn thriller Wait Until Dark in which the actress played a visually impaired woman terrorized by thugs in her apartment. There's a lotta horror in the marketplace, but when it's great, there's no cannibalization as we recently saw with both Sinners ($258.8M) and Final Destination Bloodlines ($94.1M and counting). Perhaps Bring Her Back will continue to bring horror cinephiles back to the multiplexes. Best of Deadline 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg Everything We Know About Amazon's 'Verity' Movie So Far Everything We Know About 'The Testaments,' Sequel Series To 'The Handmaid's Tale' So Far
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
The Last Of Us Easter Eggs Season 2 Finale
First, when Dina (Isabela Merced) is freaking out about the arrow in her leg, Jesse (Young Mazino) yells at her while trying to calm her down, and it doesn't work. This is a great juxtaposition to when Dina and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are trapped among the stalkers in Episode 5, and Ellie clearly speaks to Dina, who is getting nervous, instead of yelling at her. Also, when Jesse is prepping to push the arrow through Dina's leg, he puts his hand on her face to try and calm her. Ellie consistently does the same thing when Dina is stressed, except Dina leans into Ellie's hand. I also love how Jesse and Ellie put their hands on the opposite dies of Dina's face. Ellie pushing Dina's hair behind her ears and watching her sleep is another small moment that also happens in the game. However, in the game, it comes after Ellie returns from the aquarium. Dina noticing Ellie's bleeding through her shirt and asking her to take her shirt off so she can see is a scene directly from The Last of Us Part II. Dina carefully cleaning Ellie's scrapes on her back is also a moment directly from the game, and honestly, one of the most beloved Ellie and Dina moments. And, Ellie telling Dina that she made Nora (Tati Gabrielle) talk is also a line directly from The Last of Us Part II, but the conversation continuing as Ellie goes into more detail is new to the series. In the game, we never explicitly hear Ellie tell Dina about the Firefly base in Salt Lake City, the potential for a cure, or Abby's (Kaitlyn Dever) dad. Dina giving Ellie her bracelet before she and Jesse leave to go search for Tommy (Gabriel Luna) is scene directly from the video game. Also, in the game, Dina stays behind in the theater a bunch because she's not feeling well due to her pregnancy, so it happens in the show, but this time the reasoning is because of her getting shot in the leg. Similar to their conversation in the show, in the game, Ellie is also the one to confirm to Jesse that Dina is pregnant. In the game, Jesse suspects she's pregnant after Dina is extremely sick one night, while in the show Jesse suspects after Dina tells him she "can't die" and refuses his whiskey. When Jesse and Dina are walking through the streets of Seattle, you can spot a building where it looks like a crane rig has fallen into another building. It looks similar to a location that'll likely be featured in Season 3, aka Abby's story. I won't do the comparisson photo so that TV-only viewers aren't super spoiled, but if you played the game, you probably know what I'm talking about. In the show, Jesse and Ellie go to the bookstore because that's where Tommy was supposed to meet Jesse. However, in the game, it's simply a store Jesse and Ellie pass through while trying to get to the aquarium and find Tommy and Abby. Just like in the game, the mural in the kid's books section is also Alice in Wonderland. When Jesse and Ellie hear over the radio that the W.L.F. has encountered a sniper at the marina. In the game, Tommy is referred to as the sniper while Ellie tracks him through Seattle, and Jesse and Ellie also hear the W.L.F. talking about a sniper in the marina, too. Also, the marina is an important location in Abby's part of the game. I'll stay pretty vague for the TV-only viewers, but "sniper" and "marina" in the same sentence made me gasp. HERE WE GO. When Jesse and Ellie are up in the office building, where Ellie spots the ferris wheel and the aquarium, it looks identical to where Jesse and Ellie end up in the game during this moment, too. Jesse and Ellie parting ways because she wants to go after Abby, while Jesse wants to keep pursuing Tommy, is a scene pulled directly from The Last of Us Part II. The only thing the show adds is Ellie yelling at Jesse about how he's a hypocrite and how she watched her community get beaten to death. In the game, Ellie also steals a boat from the W.L.F. and uses it to try and get to the aquarium in order to confront Abby. Also in the game, Ellie does encounter rough seas because of the storm and ends up falling overboard while in her boat. However, in the game, you swim to the boardwalk near the ferris wheel/aquarium, while in the show, Ellie washes up on the shore of where the Serpahites live and is taken by them. While Ellie getting away from the Seraphites is new for the show, the moment hints at a larger scene from Abby's part of the game, especially when Ellie sees the explosions on the island. Just like in the game, when Ellie sneaks her way through the aquarium, she stumbles upon a bunch of medical equipment and bloody rags. You learn more about what happened here during Abby's portion of The Last of Us Part II. Ellie confronting Mel (Ariela Barer) and Owen (Spencer Lord) inside the aquarium happens exactly like it goes in the game, with Ellie wanting Mel to point at the map and show where Abby is, and then Owen confirms it. Also, the map trick is something Ellie learned from Joel (Pedro Pascal), with Joel notably using this technique in Season 1, Episode 8 when he's trying to find out where Ellie is after she's taken by David. In the game, Ellie shoots Owen after he rushes at her, and then she kills Mel after Mel attacks her with a knife. Wheras in the show, Ellie shoots after Owen reaches for a gun. While Ellie kills Mel while she's pregnant, both in the game and the show, Mel asking Ellie to save her baby is new for the show. Also in the game, players already know Mel is pregnant because Owen tells Abby while they are in Jackson. Tommy and Jesse finding Ellie after she's killed Owen and Mel is a moment directly from the game, too. In the game, Ellie actually hears Joel's voice, but it's actually Tommy. Jesse's shocking death is exactly what happens in The Last of Us Part II, with him being shot right in front of Ellie by Abby as he runs out of the auditorium. Abby and Ellie's confrontation in the theater, where Ellie tells Abby she knows why she killed Joel, is almost word-for-word the scene from the video game. Abby living at a W.L.F. outpost in a stadium is exactly what happens in the game as well, and players get to see just how big the W.L.F.'s operation out of the stadium truly is. Also, Manny waking up Abby while she's reading is also a moment right from the game. And finally, the show going back in time to Seattle Day One, but from Abby's perspective, is exactly what happens in the game as well. In The Last of Us Part II, players now play through the three days in Seattle but from Abby's perspective, which is likely how Season 3 will be structured. Alright, that's it for this season. Thanks for reading these each week. Now, we wait for Season 3... Did you catch any other Easter eggs or cool details? Tell us everything in the comments below!
UPI
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Callum McGowan: 'Librarians' hero Vikram has 'White Rabbit' energy
1 of 2 | Callum McGowan's "The Librarians: The Next Chapter" premiered Sunday, with a new episode set to air Monday. Photo courtesy of TNT NEW YORK, May 25 (UPI) -- Callum McGowan compares Vikram, the brilliant adventurer he plays in the history-themed, fantasy series, The Librarians: The Next Chapter, to the White Rabbit in the classic fairy-tale, Alice in Wonderland. "Vikram is, for any actor, an embarrassment of riches," McGowan told UPI in a Zoom interview Friday. "As an actor, he's kind of a dream," he added. "Anything is valid with Vikram. In my imagination, his energy is like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. He Is behind time, never on time and always lost, always in a rush." McGowan went on to say Vikram's charisma and confidence hide a deeper sadness for a man eager to return to his own time. "I kind of really love that about the character that Dean [Devlin] created," McGowan said. "He wears many masks, but he is very rarely honest, and I found that really fascinating as a challenge." The Next Chapter premiered Sunday on TNT and new episodes will air Mondays. It follows Vikram and his team of librarians -- YouTuber Connor (Bluey Robinson), scientist Lysa (Olivia Morris) and guardian Charlie (Jessica Green) -- as they protect magical artifacts from villains in various time periods. The show is the latest installment in a franchise that started with 2004's The Librarian: Quest for the Spear and continued with two TV movie sequels and the spin-off series, The LIbrarians, which ran 2014-18. Robinson said Connor is a modern man who loves social media as much as he does history. "He's always diving into books, learning about the past and comes across these discoveries that he can't really explain with logic and that was very exciting to play," Robinson noted. "He's an adventurer. He likes to break into places and tries to prove his theories by doing all these crazy antics. He's very athletic. He does Parkour," he added. "I'm not a specialist, but I like to move and dance and play around." Despite their differences in life experiences and personalities, Vikram and Connor become fast friends by the end of Episode 1. "We saw Connor falling in love with Vikram very quickly," McGowan said. Robinson agreed with a laugh. "Connor's a historian. He's an archivist, so he can't believe that he's meeting someone from the 1800s, who's a real-life person in his face and he just wants to know more about him, wants him to like him, wants to kind of go along with him on his journey," Robinson said. "At first, he's very much. optimistic and, then, eventually, like Callum mentioned, some of the layers come off and you start to see how that evolves and develops their dynamic and relationship." The show emphasizes the importance of knowledge achieved through hard work and study, as opposed to simply looking something up via search engine or Wikipedia. "Vikram is a hero, not because he was born an alien and he's got two heartbeats, or he has any extra ability," McCallum said. "He is who he is because he reads books -- that knowledge, that thirst for knowledge is what drives him and, therefore, that is available to everybody in the world and I think that's a beautiful, special kind of message that Dean puts forward." Robinson added: "It opens up the idea that anybody could be a librarian. You could be a librarian if you're inquisitive enough, if you read a lot. "If you're knowledgeable and interested in learning about things that maybe a lot of people might just 'poo poo,' as they say, or dismiss, and you're open-minded and caring and loving, maybe the library would choose you. Who knows?"
