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The Spinoff
3 days ago
- General
- The Spinoff
Read the winning essay in the 2025 Landfall Young Writers' Essay Competition
Ava Reid's essay titled 'Two and a half mealworms'. Upstairs, past the naked lady poster, I became aware of their traces. A tiger stared at me from a decorative fan pinned to the wall. An e-scooter helmet sat next to a broken clothes rack. There were eight oil column heaters, four stained couches, two worse armchairs, and one blue cock ring hanging neatly on the window latch. This was my first impression of my new flat. I never met the previous tenants, and we threw out most of their things, but I still think of them sometimes. I can picture them drinking on the deck, throwing food at the walls, doing what proper breathers do. I know that they slept here, and had sex here. I'm sure they were cold. The term 'material culture' is frequently used in archaeology to refer to artefacts made before the Industrial Revolution, but it can also describe the objects in our lives today. The things we leave behind carry meaning, and we are drawn to explain them. I started thinking about the traces while I was at work. People leave a lot of rubbish in cafés, between their coffee cups and crumpled serviettes, like tātarakihi shedding their skins. Commonly, there are receipts, plastic bottles, maps, sunglasses. I come across them when clearing tables and try to remember who they belonged to. Or I make it up. A hastily scribbled note reading 'Bargain Chemist nasal spray, Bora Bora' can feel like a love letter when I stuff it in my pocket. I make lists. Group items. Spend my shift trying to figure out who forgot $91.97 of vitamin C and Voltaren purchased from Chemist Warehouse. Maybe an old man off a cruise ship — Ovation of the Seas or Celebrity Edge. He would have had little square glasses, a fleece vest and a limp. I worry about his joints. Sometimes I find strange things. I'm not sure the customers realise my mind can extend beyond hospitality. Two and a half mealworms are left on a highchair, nestled between chewed bits of curly fries. I feel obliged to ignore them. But instead, I take photos and show all my coworkers, then research whether babies can eat bugs. It's socially acceptable to clear the table, but thinking beyond that gets weird. I cross into an unrecognised grey area, the interstice between normal and invasive, public and private — if you have ever looked in a stranger's trolley at the supermarket, you know what I mean. Once, a nameless diary was left in the bathroom, and while trying to find a phone number to return it, I saw a scheduled abortion. It didn't matter that it was an accident. Not everything can be looked at and thought about. Where is the line? The beach by my old house was once a settler rubbish dump. Amongst the driftwood and seaweed are bricks, shards of patterned chinaware and glass bottles. I used to trudge down to the water in my gumboots. When I wanted a change from looking for crabs, I'd dig through the mud and rinse things clean in the sea. Everything was special. I never felt like I was prying. Middens across Aotearoa help us to understand the past. They guide the construction of narratives about our ancestors' lifestyles. Te Pokohiwi-o-Kupe is one of the earliest Māori archaeological sites in Aotearoa, with exceptionally varied midden pits. The material culture includes shellfish, bird and dog bones, and fragments of moa eggs. Things left at this site reveal lavish resource-rich lives and extensive communication networks. A tool made from the spiralling shell of an exotic sea snail was discovered here, linking the narrative back to our tūpuna in Hawaiki. Storytelling is integral to knowing who we are. Middens are like burst black rubbish bags, pecked open by tarāpunga on the side of the road. Weaving between sun-baked Indomie packets, avocado seeds and rotting meat, I look at the houses behind the debris. I am a timeblind archaeologist stuck in the moment. I want to put a face to it. I am nosy. Do archaeologists worry about the future when the dynamic has flipped and someone is meticulously cleaning dirt off their rubbish with a tiny brush? 'No wonder the female from burial #3 had a protein-deficient diet. Her associated midden was weakkk.' What about when the proof of their existence is numbered and photographed, with a ruler for scale? I think they would be more upset if I rummaged through their recycling bin. Time has socially cleansed the archaeological traces of our ancestors. You can look at ancient rubbish for as long as you want! Theorise it to death. You're not being rude, but inquisitive; a good student. What traces will remain of us, and what stories will they inspire? Yesterday, I walked past a gender reveal in the Botanic Gardens. It was proper, like you have seen a hundred times on Instagram, with a 'BABY' sign, balloon pop and lots of teary cheering. Perhaps our descendants will discover a stratum of pink confetti, optimistic microplastics characteristic of the 21st century. They will dissect our rituals and overemphasise the mundane. We won't be able to do anything about it. Three cat-shaped bottles of 'Katy Perry Meow!' eau de parfum watch over the bathroom in my flat now, with glistening lilac diamante eyes. Somebody living on Hyde Street in 2024 liked this enough to buy it three times before abandoning it in the gutter. I think that says a lot about them, but maybe I shouldn't be so judgemental. After all, I picked up the cats and brought them home. Material culture rains off us like dandruff. Detritus forms small, unknown intimacies — from the people who leave things behind to those who find them. I should leave the perfume bottles for the next tenants so they can wonder about the lingering aroma of 'soft sexuality' and 'sensual spirit'. We glimpse another life and can't help but inflate it, dream it up: the boys, the bugs, the cats.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Celebrity Cruises can't force arbitration of worker's sexual assault case, judge says
This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Celebrity Cruises, Inc. cannot compel arbitration in a former employee's sexual assault case, a federal judge ordered Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Jane Doe (J.K.) v. Celebrity Cruises, Inc.). The plaintiff, who was working as a sommelier aboard the Celebrity Edge in October 2023, alleged that she joined co-workers at the staff bar after work, had two drinks and later woke up in the middle of being raped in a crewmember's cabin, according to court documents. After the worker filed a lawsuit, Celebrity moved to compel arbitration, pointing to arbitration provisions included in the worker's employment agreement. However, the plaintiff said that motion should be denied due to the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, per the order. Celebrity did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dive Insight: The Federal Arbitration Act confers the right to include mandatory arbitration agreements in contracts. However, President Joe Biden signed the EFAA into law in March 2022; the law prohibits employers from forcing arbitration for sexual assault and sexual harassment, allowing those who make such allegations to file lawsuits and talk publicly about their experiences. Celebrity argued that the court shouldn't be able to decide if the case can be arbitrated under the EFAA because the employment agreement gives the initial question of arbitrability to an arbitrator. But the EFAA explicitly states that the applicability of the law to an agreement 'shall be determined by a court, rather than an arbitrator … irrespective of whether the agreement purports to delegate such determinations to an arbitrator,' Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II wrote in the order. Celebrity also argued that the plaintiff's claims didn't fall under the EFAA because they hadn't 'triggered the statute's scope' by alleging violation of a specific state, federal or tribal law that prohibits sexual assault. The court rejected that interpretation 'because it reaches beyond the statute's plain meaning and hinges on interpretations of EFAA provisions that are inapplicable to this case.' 'Congress wrote the EFAA to apply when a plaintiff alleges a sexual assault dispute, not, as Defendant submits, when a plaintiff pleads a specific sexual assault claim, let alone a violation of a law explicitly prohibiting sexual assault,' Ruiz II wrote. 'Congress specifically chose to refer to disputes rather than claims in the EFAA, and there is no indication that Congress limited the applicability of the EFAA to claims brought under 'qualifying statutes' that use magic words to summon the EFAA's applicability.' The judge highlighted another recent case against Celebrity, Bulic v. Celebrity Cruises, Inc., in which a cruise ship employee alleged she was sexually assaulted by the ship's restaurant manager. In that case, which Ruiz characterized as 'a case presenting almost identical facts as this action,' Celebrity also tried to compel arbitration, but the court denied the motion. Recommended Reading Class-action suit claims Nike failed to provide pumping breaks, lactation room
The Age
24-06-2025
- The Age
When our trip threatened to turn sour, this cheery nation surprised us
Somehow, we've managed to lose a $10 note between the ATM and the day spa we are visiting in Suva, Fiji, leaving us with exactly $FJ10 to get back to the port to reboard our cruise on Celebrity Edge. It cost us $9.90 to get here; and now, stuck in traffic in torrential rain, we fear our taxi fare will exceed our meagre allocation. 'We only have $10 left, do you think we'll make it?' I ask the driver as I watch the numbers on the screen steadily tick over. Making eye contact through the mirror, he flicks off the meter with a grin. 'You'll make it. Bula!' Is everyone in Fiji this friendly? From our brief experience, the answer is a resounding yes. In Lautoka the following day, we chat to a young man as we walk along a backstreet, exchanging information about our respective lives. 'Does Australia smell?' Richard asks innocently. 'My aunty lives in Brisbane, she says it smells.' 'What do you think about all these people coming off the cruise ship,' I then ask him. 'Does it drive you crazy when a ship's in port?' 'Honestly, no,' Richard replies. 'In Fiji, we don't want to rip you off. We just want to see everyone happy, having a good time while they are here. We want to see you smile, like Fijians smile.' In Fiji, the ubiquitous 'Bula!' is a greeting with many meanings. It means hello and welcome; it can also be used as a cheers when drinking. The literal translation, however, is 'life' – when Fijians say it, they are wishing you good health and happiness. And that happiness, it seems, is contagious. According to a recent study by Tourism Fiji in partnership with neuroscientist Dr Lila Landowski, the key elements that contribute to an overall feeling of happiness – including social interactions, a sense of community, gratitude and being connected to nature – are found in abundance in Fiji. Furthermore, by being immersed into the Fijian way of life, participants involved in the study discovered that happiness comes naturally when you're in Fiji. 'I've noticed that in Fiji, everyone acknowledges one another and says bula (hello). And we know that when you're saying hello to people, you feel more connected to community, and connection leads to increased feelings of belonging and happiness,' Dr Landowski reported.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
When our trip threatened to turn sour, this cheery nation surprised us
Somehow, we've managed to lose a $10 note between the ATM and the day spa we are visiting in Suva, Fiji, leaving us with exactly $FJ10 to get back to the port to reboard our cruise on Celebrity Edge. It cost us $9.90 to get here; and now, stuck in traffic in torrential rain, we fear our taxi fare will exceed our meagre allocation. 'We only have $10 left, do you think we'll make it?' I ask the driver as I watch the numbers on the screen steadily tick over. Making eye contact through the mirror, he flicks off the meter with a grin. 'You'll make it. Bula!' Is everyone in Fiji this friendly? From our brief experience, the answer is a resounding yes. In Lautoka the following day, we chat to a young man as we walk along a backstreet, exchanging information about our respective lives. 'Does Australia smell?' Richard asks innocently. 'My aunty lives in Brisbane, she says it smells.' 'What do you think about all these people coming off the cruise ship,' I then ask him. 'Does it drive you crazy when a ship's in port?' 'Honestly, no,' Richard replies. 'In Fiji, we don't want to rip you off. We just want to see everyone happy, having a good time while they are here. We want to see you smile, like Fijians smile.' In Fiji, the ubiquitous 'Bula!' is a greeting with many meanings. It means hello and welcome; it can also be used as a cheers when drinking. The literal translation, however, is 'life' – when Fijians say it, they are wishing you good health and happiness. And that happiness, it seems, is contagious. According to a recent study by Tourism Fiji in partnership with neuroscientist Dr Lila Landowski, the key elements that contribute to an overall feeling of happiness – including social interactions, a sense of community, gratitude and being connected to nature – are found in abundance in Fiji. Furthermore, by being immersed into the Fijian way of life, participants involved in the study discovered that happiness comes naturally when you're in Fiji. 'I've noticed that in Fiji, everyone acknowledges one another and says bula (hello). And we know that when you're saying hello to people, you feel more connected to community, and connection leads to increased feelings of belonging and happiness,' Dr Landowski reported.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Video: Celebrity Cruises ship nearly collides with Carnival ship
Video: Celebrity Cruises ship nearly collides with Carnival ship originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. In recent weeks, several cruise ships have been caught off guard by unexpected high winds while docked in ports around the world. Although cruise ships have advanced propulsion systems and stabilizers designed to withstand rough seas and intense weather, they aren't completely protected from Mother Nature's multiple recent incidents, extreme winds have caused cruise ship's mooring lines to break — even ripping the heavy bollards holding ship's mooring lines right off the pier in some cases. In one such accident that was widely covered in the news, Norwegian Epic suddenly drifted from the dock in Catania, Italy on May 30, causing one passenger to fall into the water from the ship's gangway as a result. But Norwegian Epic isn't the only ship that's struggled to stay docked as winds have recently whipped through cruise ports. That same weekend, MSC Seascape broke its moorings in The Bahamas, and Holland America Westerdam's lines snapped while docked in Ketchikan, Alaska. In every case, capable cruise ship captains and crew members quickly sprang into action when their ships broke free from their moorings, keeping their passengers safe and preventing more serious accidents. As the latest weather-related cruise port incident unfolded during a sudden, unusual storm in Juneau, Alaska's Gastineau Channel on June 16, a witness caught a video of the moment Celebrity Edge went adrift, nearly colliding with another ship in the crowded Celebrity Edge began to rapidly drift from the dock, witnesses reported that its gangway fell into the water as its mooring lines snapped. The ship began to drift quickly toward Carnival Luminosa, which was anchored nearby in the channel. The captains of both ships reacted quickly, but narrowly avoided a collision. Carnival Luminosa swiftly backed up to make space for Celebrity Edge in the channel as it powered up, stabilized, and dropped anchor. Thankfully, no injuries were reported as a result of the video shows that the storm swept through the channel suddenly and dramatically, with the wind picking up first before heavy rain set in. A rare severe thunderstorm warning with wind gusts up to 60 mph and penny-sized hail was issued for the Juneau area by the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms very rarely occur in Juneau and southeast Alaska during the summer season — on average, only once every two years — making the severe weather incident even more Alaska cruises now through mid-September, Celebrity Edge is currently sailing a seven-night Alaska Dawes Glacier cruise from Seattle visiting Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, and Skagway in Alaska as well as Victoria, British Columbia. Hailed as the most immersive ship in Alaska, Celebrity Edge features a unique outward-facing design that's ideal for glacier viewing. Celebrity Edge Series ships are specifically designed to create a closer connection between passengers and their Edge is one of three Celebrity Cruises ships sailing in Alaska this summer. The ship is joined in the region by Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Summit, which sail from Vancouver and Seward, Alaska. Carnival Luminosa is cruising alongside Celebrity Edge through the Last Frontier this summer, sailing similar Alaska Inside Passage & Glacier itineraries from Seattle. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
