Latest news with #Giant
The Advertiser
4 hours ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Giants want young gun to stay amid Victorian interest
GWS coach Adam Kingsley has made it clear he wants emerging star Leek Aleer to stay, but understands the decision is out of their hands. A sore Aleer is likely to make way for Sam Taylor in this week's Sydney derby as speculation grows around the young defender's playing future. Off-contract at season's end, Aleer has been heavily linked with a move to St Kilda. The 23-year-old has struggled to crack into a stacked Giants defence - boasting the likes of Lachie Whitfield, Lachie Ash and Jack Buckley - since being drafted with pick No.15 in 2021. He has only played 20 games so far. An injury to Taylor opened the door for Aleer to return to the side in round 11, and he has held onto his spot since. But with Taylor passed fit for Friday night and Aleer managing soreness, coach Kingsley admits the fourth-year Giant is unlikely to retain his spot. Aleer will be one of three changes, with star duo Josh Kelly and Jesse Hogan also available after being rested last week. "Leek didn't do much today (at training). He was a bit sore, so we'll assess that again with our medicos," Kingsley said on Wednesday. "He probably looks unlikely to play at this stage, I would think. "It's going to be a really difficult decision, and a difficult match committee that we're going to have. "Some unlucky guys are going to miss out." As contract negotiations continue, Kingsley could only praise the young star's attitude amid growing interest. "His decision will be his decision," Kingsley said. "We hope he stays. We know there's a lot of interest in him, and he's going to be a really good player, we know that. "He's handling it extremely well. I haven't noticed a change in behaviour at all. "He's head down, bum up, getting to work, making sure he prepares really well and then performing well. "Maybe in private time, it's different, but certainly when he presents at the club, that's what I see." GWS coach Adam Kingsley has made it clear he wants emerging star Leek Aleer to stay, but understands the decision is out of their hands. A sore Aleer is likely to make way for Sam Taylor in this week's Sydney derby as speculation grows around the young defender's playing future. Off-contract at season's end, Aleer has been heavily linked with a move to St Kilda. The 23-year-old has struggled to crack into a stacked Giants defence - boasting the likes of Lachie Whitfield, Lachie Ash and Jack Buckley - since being drafted with pick No.15 in 2021. He has only played 20 games so far. An injury to Taylor opened the door for Aleer to return to the side in round 11, and he has held onto his spot since. But with Taylor passed fit for Friday night and Aleer managing soreness, coach Kingsley admits the fourth-year Giant is unlikely to retain his spot. Aleer will be one of three changes, with star duo Josh Kelly and Jesse Hogan also available after being rested last week. "Leek didn't do much today (at training). He was a bit sore, so we'll assess that again with our medicos," Kingsley said on Wednesday. "He probably looks unlikely to play at this stage, I would think. "It's going to be a really difficult decision, and a difficult match committee that we're going to have. "Some unlucky guys are going to miss out." As contract negotiations continue, Kingsley could only praise the young star's attitude amid growing interest. "His decision will be his decision," Kingsley said. "We hope he stays. We know there's a lot of interest in him, and he's going to be a really good player, we know that. "He's handling it extremely well. I haven't noticed a change in behaviour at all. "He's head down, bum up, getting to work, making sure he prepares really well and then performing well. "Maybe in private time, it's different, but certainly when he presents at the club, that's what I see." GWS coach Adam Kingsley has made it clear he wants emerging star Leek Aleer to stay, but understands the decision is out of their hands. A sore Aleer is likely to make way for Sam Taylor in this week's Sydney derby as speculation grows around the young defender's playing future. Off-contract at season's end, Aleer has been heavily linked with a move to St Kilda. The 23-year-old has struggled to crack into a stacked Giants defence - boasting the likes of Lachie Whitfield, Lachie Ash and Jack Buckley - since being drafted with pick No.15 in 2021. He has only played 20 games so far. An injury to Taylor opened the door for Aleer to return to the side in round 11, and he has held onto his spot since. But with Taylor passed fit for Friday night and Aleer managing soreness, coach Kingsley admits the fourth-year Giant is unlikely to retain his spot. Aleer will be one of three changes, with star duo Josh Kelly and Jesse Hogan also available after being rested last week. "Leek didn't do much today (at training). He was a bit sore, so we'll assess that again with our medicos," Kingsley said on Wednesday. "He probably looks unlikely to play at this stage, I would think. "It's going to be a really difficult decision, and a difficult match committee that we're going to have. "Some unlucky guys are going to miss out." As contract negotiations continue, Kingsley could only praise the young star's attitude amid growing interest. "His decision will be his decision," Kingsley said. "We hope he stays. We know there's a lot of interest in him, and he's going to be a really good player, we know that. "He's handling it extremely well. I haven't noticed a change in behaviour at all. "He's head down, bum up, getting to work, making sure he prepares really well and then performing well. "Maybe in private time, it's different, but certainly when he presents at the club, that's what I see."
New York Post
4 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Colts make clear this isn't make-or-break season for Anthony Richardson
Colts management does not think this season will be the one that makes or breaks Anthony Richardson. Richardson is heading into his third season in the NFL, and during his first two, he's had plenty of ups and downs, inconsistencies and injuries, playing 15 games out of a possible 34 games. Even with this tumultuous beginning of Richardson's career, Colts general manager Chris Ballard said his young signal-caller doesn't necessarily have to have a breakout season. Advertisement 4 Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson. AP 'Sometimes you got to have a little patience with a guy and let him grow through things.' Ballard told reporters Tuesday. 'If you think, 'Hey he's on the right trajectory,' why are you gonna flush him, just because people outside think you should flush him, I don't agree with that.' Though Ballard has backed his quarterback, the Colts brought in former Giant Daniel Jones this offseason to provide competition for the starting spot. Advertisement But the Indianapolis GM cited examples of teams giving up on their quarterbacks as a cautionary tale for what could happen if they punt on Richardson too quickly. 'Do you think people regret Baker Mayfield's timeline? Sam Darnold's timeline?' Ballard said. In the case of the two quarterbacks Ballard mentioned, both flourished outside of the teams that drafted them. Advertisement 4 Colts GM Chris Ballard talked about Anthony Richardson on Tuesday. AP The Browns moved on from Mayfield after four up-and-down seasons, and he's now become a solid leader on the Buccaneers. Darnold took multiple teams to find his mojo after getting drafted in 2018 by the Jets. Last year on the Vikings, his fourth NFL team, he led the team to the playoffs and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl for the first time, and he is now the starting quarterback for the Seahawks. 4 Anthony Richardson last season against the Jets. Bill Kostroun/New York Post Advertisement The comments come soon after owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said Richardson still has time to become a franchise QB. 'Where he is in his career and in his deal as a rookie, we still have time,' Irsay-Gordon told Monday. 4 Daniel Jones with the Colts during minicamp. AP 'He still has time to prove it. … Bring a sense of urgency. And nothing brings a sense of urgency more than competition.'
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Giants want young gun to stay amid Victorian interest
GWS coach Adam Kingsley has made it clear he wants emerging star Leek Aleer to stay, but understands the decision is out of their hands. A sore Aleer is likely to make way for Sam Taylor in this week's Sydney derby as speculation grows around the young defender's playing future. Off-contract at season's end, Aleer has been heavily linked with a move to St Kilda. The 23-year-old has struggled to crack into a stacked Giants defence - boasting the likes of Lachie Whitfield, Lachie Ash and Jack Buckley - since being drafted with pick No.15 in 2021. He has only played 20 games so far. An injury to Taylor opened the door for Aleer to return to the side in round 11, and he has held onto his spot since. But with Taylor passed fit for Friday night and Aleer managing soreness, coach Kingsley admits the fourth-year Giant is unlikely to retain his spot. Aleer will be one of three changes, with star duo Josh Kelly and Jesse Hogan also available after being rested last week. "Leek didn't do much today (at training). He was a bit sore, so we'll assess that again with our medicos," Kingsley said on Wednesday. "He probably looks unlikely to play at this stage, I would think. "It's going to be a really difficult decision, and a difficult match committee that we're going to have. "Some unlucky guys are going to miss out." As contract negotiations continue, Kingsley could only praise the young star's attitude amid growing interest. "His decision will be his decision," Kingsley said. "We hope he stays. We know there's a lot of interest in him, and he's going to be a really good player, we know that. "He's handling it extremely well. I haven't noticed a change in behaviour at all. "He's head down, bum up, getting to work, making sure he prepares really well and then performing well. "Maybe in private time, it's different, but certainly when he presents at the club, that's what I see."
Canada News.Net
14 hours ago
- Health
- Canada News.Net
Yellowknife's Giant Mine: Canada downplayed arsenic exposure as an Indigenous community was poisoned
Share article Print article Decades of gold mining at Giant Mine in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, has left a toxic legacy: 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide dust stored in underground chambers. As a multi-billion government remediation effort to clean up the mine site and secure the underground arsenic ramps up, the Canadian government is promising to deal with the mine's disastrous consequences for local Indigenous communities. In March, the minister for Crown-Indigenous relations appointed a ministerial special representative, Murray Rankin, to investigate how historic mining affected the treaty rights of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. We document this history in our forthcoming book, The Price of Gold: Mining, Pollution, and Resistance in Yellowknife, exposing how colonialism, corporate greed and lax regulation led to widespread air and water pollution, particularly affecting Tatst'ne (Yellowknives Dene) communities. We also highlight the struggle for pollution controls and public health led by Tatst'ne and their allies, including mine workers. The story begins when prospectors discovered a rich gold ore body at Giant Mine in the 1930s. While mining started at the nearby Con Mine in the late 1930s, Giant's development was interrupted by the Second World War. Only with new investment and the lifting of wartime labour restrictions in 1948 did Giant Mine start production. Mining at Giant was a challenge. Much of the gold was locked within arsenopyrite formations, and to get at it, workers needed to crush, then roast the gold ore at very high temperatures. This burned off the arsenic in the ore before using cyanide treatment to extract gold. One byproduct of this process was thousands of tonnes per day of arsenic trioxide, sent up a smokestack into the local environment. In addition to being acutely toxic, arsenic trioxide is also linked to lung and skin cancers, though scientific understanding of environmental exposures was inconclusive at the time. Archival records show that federal public health officials recommended the roaster be shut down until arsenic emissions could be controlled. But the company and federal mining regulators dragged their feet, fearing the economic impact. The result, in 1951, was the poisoning death of at least one Dene child on Latham Island (now Ndil), near the mine; his family was compensated a paltry $750. Many Dene in Ndil relied on snow melt for drinking water, and there were reports of widespread sickness in the community. Local animals, including dairy cattle and sled dogs, also became sick and died. Only after this tragedy did the federal government force the company to implement pollution controls. The control system was not terribly effective at first, though as it improved, arsenic emissions dropped dramatically from nearly 12,000 pounds per day to around 115 pounds per day in 1959. Thousands of tonnes of arsenic captured through this process was collected and stored in mined-out chambers underground. Throughout the 1960s, public health officials continually downplayed concerns about arsenic exposure in Yellowknife, whether via drinking water or on local vegetables. By the 1970s, however, latent public health concerns over arsenic exposure in Yellowknife became a major national media story. It began with a CBC Radio As it Happens episode in 1975 that unearthed an unreleased government report documenting widespread, chronic arsenic exposure in the city. Facing accusations of a cover-up, the federal government dismissed health concerns even as it set up a local study group to investigate them. Suspicious of government studies and disregard for local health risks, Indigenous communities and workers took matters into their own hands. A remarkable alliance emerged between the Indian Brotherhood of the Northwest Territories and the United Steelworkers of America (the union representing Giant Mine workers) to undertake their own investigations. They conducted hair samplings of Dene children and mine workers - the population most exposed to arsenic in the community - and submitted them for laboratory analysis. The resulting report accused the federal government of suppressing health information and suggested children and workers were being poisoned. The controversy made national headlines yet again, prompting an independent inquiry by the Canadian Public Health Association. The association's 1978 report somewhat quelled public concern. But environmental and public health advocates in Yellowknife continued their fight for pollution reduction through the 1980s. As Giant Mine entered the turbulent final decade of its life, including a violent lockout in 1992, public concern mounted over the growing environmental liabilities. Most urgently, people living in and near Yellowknife began to realize that enough arsenic trioxide had been stored underground over the years to poison every human on the planet four times over. Without constant pumping of groundwater out of the mine, the highly soluble arsenic could seep into local waterways, including Yellowknife Bay. When the company that owned the mine, Royal Oak Mines, went bankrupt in 1999, it left no clear plan for the remediation of this toxic material, and very little money to deal with it. The federal government assumed primary responsibility for the abandoned mine and, in the quarter century since, developed plans to clean up the site and stabilize the arsenic underground by freezing it - an approach that will cost more than $4 billion. Public concern and activism by Yellowknives Dene First Nation and other Yellowknifers prompted a highly contested environmental assessment and the creation of an independent oversight body, the Giant Mine Oversight Board in 2015. Under the current remediation strategy, the toxic waste at Giant Mine will require perpetual care, imposing a financial and environmental burden on future generations. The long history of historical injustice resulting from mineral development and pollution around Yellowknife remains unaddressed. In support of calls for an apology and compensation, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation recently published reports that include oral testimony and other evidence of impacts on their health and land in their traditional territory. Hopefully, the Canadian government's appointment of the special representative means the colonial legacy of the mine will finally be addressed. Giant Mine serves as a warning about the current push from governments and industry to ram through development projects without environmental assessments or Indigenous consultations.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Urgent warning issued over fears 'invasive plant' can cause severe burns and blindness
The plant was previously labeled UK's most dangerous plant. As temperatures continue to warm-up across Britain, more and more people are spending the majority of their time outdoors. However, according to experts, we should all be avoiding contact with this "dangerous" plant. Invasive weed specialists are now warning that even the slightest contact with giant hogweed can cause severe burns that reappear for years and can even lead to blindness. This highly invasive plant, with its toxic sap that causes photosensitivity, poses a severe risk to unsuspecting humans and pets. Jennifer Holmes from Environment Controls said: 'This dramatic looking plant, found along many a river path, or woodland walk, must be treated with extreme caution. As mentioned above its toxic sap contains furocoumarin, which makes skin extremely sensitive to sunlight and is a danger to humans and pets. "Its distinctive flower heads emerge in June - and can be easily mistaken for other plants such as Cow parsley (non-toxic), Hemlock or Hemlock water dropwort (both highly toxic). 'If you touch Giant hogweed you may not notice anything immediately as the effects may take up to 24 hours to emerge, but soon large blisters will form on skin and will recur when exposed to sunlight. "As well as its harmful properties, as it colonises river banks this can make it difficult to eradicate - do not try to remove it yourself, always consult an expert.' Side effects of touching Giant hogweed Recurring Blisters Unlike typical burns, areas affected by Giant hogweed can re-blister each time they are exposed to sunlight, even years after the initial contact. Eye Damage & Blindness Direct contact with the sap in the eyes can cause severe irritation, temporary vision loss, and in extreme cases, permanent blindness. This poses a significant risk to curious children and pets. Delayed Reaction Symptoms may not appear for up to two days, giving unsuspecting individuals more time in the sun, exacerbating the damage. Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is a non-native invasive species listed on The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019. It is an offence to plant or allow it to spread into the wild, as it aggressively takes over habitats. Landowners have a responsibility to prevent its spread, with potential legal consequences, including encroachment fines, if it affects neighbouring properties by allowing it to spread onto their land. How to spot Giant hogweed? Height A very tall biennial or perennial herbaceous plant, capable of growing over 10 feet. Flowers Large, white, umbrella-shaped flower heads (up to 50cm wide) that resemble an oversized Cow parsley. Stem Thick, hollow, ridged stems that are green with distinctive purple blotches and stiff, white hairs. Leaves Large, deeply lobed, and sharply toothed leaves, often reaching over a metre in width. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Jennifer added: "If you or your pet come into contact with Giant hogweed sap, immediately wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and cold water. "Crucially, keep the affected skin out of direct sunlight for at least 48 hours. Seek immediate medical attention if blisters develop, and particularly if sap gets into the eyes. "Due to the persistent nature of its seeds and the highly toxic sap, professional removal is essential. "Environment Controls offers expert identification, safe removal, and disposal services, typically using specialist excavation methods to ensure the plant is completely eradicated and doesn't pose a recurring threat."
