Latest news with #Mauro
Daily Telegraph
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Telegraph
Cirque du Soleil Corteo brings death-defying acts to Sydney
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News. How do you beat all the camera-wielding tourists to the best view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge? Climb a ladder. That's what Russian circus performer Roman Munin did on his first visit to the Harbour City as he prepared for his part in Cirque du Soleil's new show, Corteo. The production, featuring angelic aerial acrobatics, musicians and contorting artists on ribbons in the air, tells the story of a clown named Mauro, imagining his funeral as a festive parade with angels watching over him. Acrobatic ladder performer Roman Munin performing a gravity-defying move.. Picture: Sam Ruttyn Cirque du Soleil is scheduled to perform at Qudos Bank Arena from September 4-14. Picture: Sam Ruttyn The new show, Corteao, tells the story of a man who uses a ladder to cross between Heaven and Earth. Picture: Sam Ruttyn Munin, who began training for the circus at the age of six, plays a blind character whose ladder acts as a bridge between heaven and Earth. He said his character's disability did not stop him being able to 'feel things and angels and interact with them'. 'Our team is amazing and the atmosphere is so great,' he said. 'I think the audience can see it on stage. I'm definitely passionate about it.' Corteo will be performed at Qudos Bank Arena from September 4-14.
Calgary Herald
25-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
2 new townhome collections launching in Cochrane
Builder and developer group Renova Homes and Renovations is hot on both the community of Cochrane and on creating innovative multi-family housing. In fact, over the past few years, the award-winning builder (it earned the title of Small Volume Multi-Family Builder of the Year for the third year in a row at the 2024 BILDCR Awards) has parlayed much of its energy into designing innovative multi-family offerings within the growing town. Article content Article content 'We've seen a lot more urban style development in the past 10 to 15 years in Cochrane, which in part has been spurred on by the town council. It wanted to see less sprawl and more sustainable communities, which means more multi-family, more duplexes and townhome-style housing, which is bringing an even better price point to the market,' says Justin Mauro, president of Renova Homes and Renovations. Article content Article content The builder, which has two award-winning multi-family projects on the go in Cochrane — Freestone Townhomes and River Pointe Villas, along with a collection of single-family projects in Greystone and Willows West, is launching two new innovative townhome collections come the fall of 2025: Pope Ave. Townhomes and Willows West Townhomes. Article content Located within the historic part of Cochrane, Pope Ave. Townhomes, a 21-unit development launching in September, will be within a short stroll of both the town's main street and will be priced starting in the low $500,000s. Article content Article content 'These will be very urban-style, true three-storey townhomes with an internal communal courtyard,' says Mauro, noting that this type of townhome style, although seen in cities like Calgary, will be the first of its kind in the Town of Cochrane. 'And the location is really second to none. People will be able to walk or ride their bikes everywhere.' Article content Each urban park home (think exteriors with plenty of HardiePlank siding, with aluminum and light charcoal wood grain features) will feature between 1,200 and 1,400 square feet of living space with a double-car attached garage at grade. The open-concept living spaces — kitchen, dining room, living room, powder room and laundry extend across the second floor, while three bedrooms including a large primary bedroom with ensuite and two secondary bedrooms with a secondary full bathroom are on the third floor. Article content A looped internal road allows for an innovative design that is similar to a garden suite-style home collection configured in a U shape. As such, the front door of each home is located on the opposite side of the garage and is accessed through a beautiful landscaped courtyard. Article content The collection at Willows West, launching in October, will be tucked in to the last portion of the south side community of Willows West, backing onto a natural wetland. Article content 'It's going to be very quiet, very cosy and very low traffic,' says Mauro, adding that the shape of the site is unique. The 63-unit Craftsman-styled collection — open gables, plenty of trim work and stone detailing — will offer two styles of townhomes. The first, a two-storey design, will feature more traditional styling with two exterior parking stalls, three-bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms and the option to develop the basement level, adding another 472 sq. ft. of living space to the 1,300-sq.-ft. two-storey plan. The second plan, located on the ridge, will incorporate drive-under two-car garages with a walk-out at grade. Large decks, main floor living spaces with state-of-the-art kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, powder rooms and laundry rooms on the main floor and a second-level with three bedrooms complete the plan. Article content Article content 'Starting at $400,000, the value really is very good,' he says. Article content The Pope Ave. and Willows West Townhome collections will add to Renova's award-winning repertoire within the town, including its Freestone Townhomes, a collection of 71 two-storey, three-bedroom townhomes featuring Modern Prairie architecture and the River Pointe Villas, a 33-unit community of bungalow-style villas and two-story luxury townhomes located on the banks of the Bow River, both of which are situated within the community of Riversong. The Freestone project won Best Townhome/Villa up to $450,999, while the two floor plans in the River Pointe Villas project earned finalist nods for their designs at the BILDCR Awards in April.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Lost and found: Peru unveils sacred city of Caral hidden for nearly 4,000 years
The site of Caral, one of Peru's most important archaeological areas, has a new jewel in its crown after eight years of excavations, intense research and conservation work. It is called Peñico, and experts consider it to be a "city of social integration" because of its strategic location, which connected the populations of the Supe and Huaura valleys, but also because of the large number of homes, public buildings and ceremonial spaces it housed. On Saturday 12 July, the Caral Archaeological Zone will organise the first Peñico Raymi, a replica of a traditional Andean festival, to inaugurate the new archaeological site. Although the Caral culture developed mainly between 3000 and 1800 BC (which, given its antiquity, places it in a society with a development and chronology comparable to Ancient Egypt), it's understood the city of Peñico began to develop a little later, around 1800 and 1500 BC. The Caral are considered the oldest of the pre-Hispanic civilisations in the Americans, which went into steep decline around 1800 BC. It is possible that the prestige achieved by Peñico society in the valley, coupled with its role as a hub in the exchange network, was linked to the extraction and circulation of hematite. This mineral, used to make a red pigment, had great symbolic importance within Andean cosmology. Among the 18 constructions discovered during the excavations and now on display to the public, a ceremonial hall stands out: "We don't know its exact limits," explained Mauro Ordóñez, head of the Penico archaeological site. "This building continues to extend from east to west. The most interesting thing is the composition of several antechambers: one of them stands out for having on its sides the representation, in friezes, of pututus". Pututus are objects also known as churus (the Quechua word for a mollusc, shell or snail). They are wind instruments originally made from a seashell that was large enough to emit a powerful sound. Ordóñez considers this to be evidence of close relations with other pre-Columbian groups in northern Peru. The sacred city of Caral-Supe, located less than 200 kilometres north of Lima, the Peruvian capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Peñico, in particular, was built 600 metres above sea level on a geological terrace parallel to the Supe River and surrounded by hills that reach a height of 1,000 metres. Its Caralan builders chose this strategic location for multiple purposes: to enhance the monumentality of their buildings, to protect themselves from floods or landslides and, as evidenced by findings such as the representation of musical instruments, and to promote interaction and exchange with other civilisations.
07-07-2025
- Business
Ontario architect's seal forged by remote worker believed to be North Korean fraudster
An imposter, believed to be North Korean, forged the official seal of an Ontario architect, an investigation by The Fifth Estate has found. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has in recent years engaged thousands of remote workers whose purpose is to generate revenue for the regime, according to an international advisory issued by the U.S. government (new window) . Their exploits have been detailed in indictments (new window) from the U.S. Department of Justice and reporting (new window) from around the world (new window) . While they are best-known for high-value cryptocurrency hacks (new window) , these workers will also take real jobs at real companies under false identities. According to an FBI bulletin (new window) from January, this employment sometimes ends with the worker stealing proprietary information or holding data and code hostage for ransom. "The threat posed by DPRK operatives is both real and immediate," U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said in an announcement (new window) on June 30. Thousands of North Korean cyber operatives have been trained and deployed by the regime to blend into the global digital workforce. They also masquerade as licensed professionals on freelance websites offering to do things like reviewing and approving engineering or architectural plans with forged stamps. According to the Association of Architects of Ontario (new window) , an architect's stamp — otherwise known as a seal — is a representation to the public that the professional is taking responsibility for the document and that it was prepared by them or under their supervision and direction. In Ontario, seals are issued by self-regulated bodies created and governed by specific legislation. For instance, Professional Engineers Ontario (new window) operates under the authority of the Professional Engineers Act (new window) . In mid-May, a pseudonymous online researcher known only as Cookie Connoisseur (new window) posted (new window) a series of professional stamps on X bearing the names of engineers across the United States. Cookie Connoisseur claimed they were being used by North Korean remote workers. Among them was the professional seal of Canadian architect Stephen Mauro, who is based in the Greater Toronto Area. His stamp appeared on a blueprint for a boutique studio designed by a company called Global Creative Consultant Engineers (GCCE). Speaking with The Fifth Estate , Mauro stated he had never heard of GCCE, had never seen the drawing before and did not stamp it. He also pointed out that the signature on the seal did not resemble his, and that the stamp itself contained minor differences from his official seal. The biggest thing is to find out where these are being submitted in Ontario, Mauro said, to notify the municipalities that it's not an actual architect submitting these. Remote freelance work Searching online, The Fifth Estate was able to locate a Facebook page for GCCE, which included an email address and phone number for a man named Faisal Hussain. When contacted by CBC, Hussain said he was based in Pakistan and confirmed the drawings were his. Début du widget Twitter. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Twitter. Retourner au début du widget ? When asked about his relationship with Mauro, Hussain initially stated he is working with me as teammate. In a subsequent video call, Hussain said he had hired Mauro via an online freelancing platform and had never seen his face or heard his voice. He's been working with me for two years and I didn't get any issue from the city, Hussain said. He did not respond to questions about which city he was referring to. Faisal Hussain's LinkedIn profile states he is a 'USA CITY PERMIT EXPERT,' but contains no mention of Global Creative Consultant Engineers. (Faisal Hussain / LinkedIn) Photo: (Faisal Hussain / LinkedIn) According to a 2022 U.S. government advisory on North Korean IT workers, they most commonly obtain freelance jobs through various online platforms. The sentiment is echoed by cybersecurity expert Michael Barnhart, who works for the risk management firm DTEX Systems. Whatever the popular thing in the host nation is what they're going for, Barnhart said, adding that he's seen logs of conversations where North Korean remote workers are asking an AI platform for lists of popular freelance websites in Canada and Japan. Are the documents real? In an attempt to highlight North Korean remote workers' activities, Cookie Connoisseur, as well as a number (new window) of other (new window) accounts, regularly post files — videos, photos, chat logs — that they claim originate from North Korean actors. Asked if they would be interviewed for this story, Cookie Connoisseur referred The Fifth Estate to Barnhart, the cybersecurity expert. He said he acts as the public face of this loose collective of online researchers. The U.S.-based Barnhart, who formerly led North Korea threat-hunting operations for a Google subsidiary called Mandiant, told The Fifth Estate that the members of the collective work regular jobs and do this research in their spare time. Barnhart would not disclose how the collective obtained the blueprint bearing the Ontario architect Mauro's seal. In an email to CBC, he said the information had been corroborated by multiple researchers in the industry who had been tracking this particular North Korean operator. He also noted that North Korean operatives read news articles about their work, and that as a result, providing too much information could divulge the researcher's methods. Alongside freelancing websites, North Korean remote workers also engage in what Barnhart called spray-and-pray job applications for positions at companies hiring remote workers. They apply for hundreds of jobs a day, and hope that with such a high volume, they will get at least some responses. If you're a Fortune 500 company, then I can easily say you've at least been targeted, Barnhart said. Whether you've hired them, that's a different story. Matthew Pierce (new window) · CBC News
The Age
16-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
‘Know your skills and value': How small businesses can face up to tax time with confidence
It's often said that no one becomes a small-business owner to actually run a business. It is, after all, a world that few enter into with a blueprint for success. Yet, some 2.6 million Australians have taken the leap into entrepreneurship, many of whom rely on advisers, loved ones, the internet and all manner of support systems to learn as they go. What can hold some back, however? It's the fear of asking 'silly questions' — a phrase most of us have uttered in some form or another throughout our lives. Kelsie Gaffey is one such entrepreneur in the early stages of building a business. The young South Australian opened Gracie's Wine Room, a buzzy hotspot in Melbourne's East, earlier this year. 'Entrepreneurship has always been something I've aspired to, but I've never really thought I had the time, experience or money,' she says. 'But I knew in my heart that I didn't have a passion for the nine-to-five grind, so about a year ago, I started taking steps to build something of my own, and that's how Gracie's came to be.' Gaffey is slowly but surely learning the ropes. And with tax time on the horizon — her first being self-employed — she's leaning into the idea that there's no such thing as a silly question in small business. Uncovering tax-time trepidation To spotlight some of the complexities of end of financial year (EOFY), Xero surveyed 1000 everyday Australians, including small-business owners. The research found that almost three-quarters of people (73 per cent) feel worried or stressed around June 30, and nearly a quarter (22 per cent) have avoided asking a tax-related question out of fear it might seem silly. Gaffey can relate to this. 'My skills are centred around marketing and creativity, but not so much the financial side of running a business,' she explains. 'So, honestly, I'm feeling a little nervous about EOFY.' Accountant Julian Mauro from Melbourne-based advisory firm Mauro sees this all too often. 'Our clients constantly say, 'Why wasn't this taught in school?' And it's true, especially for small-business owners. They simply don't know what they don't know,' he says. In particular, tax deductions leave one in two people (51 per cent) confused. 'We've pretty much had people ask us everything under the sun in terms of what they can claim on tax. But unless you're taught, you can't be expected to know,' Mauro says.
