Latest news with #MichaelWaters
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Yahoo
The Limits of the Family Vacation
The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning. A family vacation can seem like the solution to all of life's tensions: You'll spend time together, bond, and experience a new place. But travel isn't a panacea. As Kim Brooks wrote last year about her own halting attempts at taking a successful trip with her kids: 'Gradually, lounging among my own dashed hopes, I began to understand that no family vacation was going to change who I was.' Today's newsletter explores how family trips have changed, and how to make the most of your time with loved ones without expecting too much. On Family Vacations On Failing the Family Vacation By Kim Brooks How I got dumped, went on a cruise, and embraced radical self-acceptance Read the article. The New Family Vacation By Michael Waters More and more Americans are traveling with multiple generations—and, perhaps, learning who their relatives really are. Read the article. Plan Ahead. Don't Post. By Arthur C. Brooks And seven other rules for a happy vacation Read the article. Still Curious? Summer vacation is moving indoors: Extreme heat is changing summer for kids as we know it. The rise and fall of the family-vacation road trip: The golden age of family road-tripping was a distinctly American phenomenon. Other Diversions How to be more charismatic, but not too much more What becoming a parent really does to your happiness Weird, wonderful photos from the archives P.S. I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Ellen Walker, 69, shared this photo taken on Loch Linnhe in western Scotland in 2019. 'We were visiting friends who live south of Glasgow and with whom we take annual biking trips,' Ellen writes. 'It had rained much of the time we were exploring the west coast (as it will do in Scotland!) but I began to see the infinite varieties of grey as spectacularly beautiful. When the sun tried to peek through the clouds I snapped this photo and was so pleased to be able to capture the richness of the scene. It no longer seemed gloomy. I was in awe.' I'll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks. — Isabel Article originally published at The Atlantic Solve the daily Crossword
Atlantic
19-07-2025
- Atlantic
The Limits of the Family Vacation
This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning. A family vacation can seem like the solution to all of life's tensions: You'll spend time together, bond, and experience a new place. But travel isn't a panacea. As Kim Brooks wrote last year about her own halting attempts at taking a successful trip with her kids: 'Gradually, lounging among my own dashed hopes, I began to understand that no family vacation was going to change who I was.' Today's newsletter explores how family trips have changed, and how to make the most of your time with loved ones without expecting too much. On Family Vacations On Failing the Family Vacation By Kim Brooks How I got dumped, went on a cruise, and embraced radical self-acceptance Read the article. The New Family Vacation By Michael Waters More and more Americans are traveling with multiple generations—and, perhaps, learning who their relatives really are. Read the article. Plan Ahead. Don't Post. By Arthur C. Brooks And seven other rules for a happy vacation Read the article. Still Curious? Summer vacation is moving indoors: Extreme heat is changing summer for kids as we know it. The rise and fall of the family-vacation road trip: The golden age of family road-tripping was a distinctly American phenomenon. Other Diversions P.S. I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Ellen Walker, 69, shared this photo taken on Loch Linnhe in western Scotland in 2019. 'We were visiting friends who live south of Glasgow and with whom we take annual biking trips,' Ellen writes. 'It had rained much of the time we were exploring the west coast (as it will do in Scotland!) but I began to see the infinite varieties of grey as spectacularly beautiful. When the sun tried to peek through the clouds I snapped this photo and was so pleased to be able to capture the richness of the scene. It no longer seemed gloomy. I was in awe.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Feathered family stuck on a rooftop gets a fairytale ending
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. A family of seven recently overstayed their welcome at a swanky, boutique hotel in Atlanta's trendy Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. They didn't have a reservation — but that wasn't the problem. This was a gaggle of Canada geese, nesting on the hotel's rooftop garden patio. Mom and dad had been on the rooftop for awhile, but their five goslings — who were too young to fly — had no way to follow their parents down to a nearby pond, four stories below. Michael Waters, a longtime volunteer with AWARE Wildlife Center, came to the rescue. Even as an experienced wildlife rescuer, Waters said saving the geese was tricky due to their behavior and strong gusts of wind. 'There were five little goslings, and they were all running in a fright,' Waters said. 'The mother and father goose were both present and they both were sort of in their guardian mode and were being very protective.' The goal of the rescue, Waters said, was to collect the entire family to keep them together and relocate them to a pond below. 'The first thing I thought was to collect the little ones because I was just so concerned about them at the precarity of the ledge,' he said. After Waters collected the goslings in a box, he tried to capture the father goose. 'He fought me off of his wing and flew off the building,' Waters said. 'He flew all the way down to the ground and was just honking like a little horror at the base of the building.' Next, Waters tried to save the mother goose, but he realized she was also trying to escape. To prevent her from leaving, Waters released all the goslings, and she came after him trying to protect her babies. 'I was able to secure her in her enclosure, then I was able to collect all the babies again,' Waters said. With the goslings and the mother goose captured, Waters took them outside to release them in the pond. 'Who was waiting there at the pond but the father goose!' Waters said. 'So, it was just perfect.' While the rooftop goslings had never been on the ground or in water before, Waters said they adjusted quickly. 'It was so lovely to see their little instincts step forward,' he said. 'They immediately became amphibious and just waddled out and went out with mom and dad, and they all went to go live their wild lives.' But how did the geese get themselves into this situation? Why would they want to nest on a hotel rooftop? Kara Nitschke, migratory and game bird biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said Canada geese are very adaptable and easily assimilate. 'In urban and suburban areas, we keep our grass short like golf courses, parks, neighborhoods,' Nitschke said. 'Geese like that because they can walk through that easily.' And she said it's a 'bonus' for the geese if these green spaces have a nearby pond. 'They can run to the water and hop in (if they feel threatened), and they feel perfectly safe and comfy,' she said. The state of Georgia is home to about 250,000 Canada geese, according to Nitschke. Being a migratory species, the birds would make their yearly trip south from Canada. But in the 1970s and '80s when migration slowed, Nitschke said the state stocked the environment with around 8,000 geese — and since then, the population has boomed. Canada geese are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. That means if someone comes across an injured or orphaned goose or wants to relocate a goose, that person would need a permit to handle it, Nitschke said. If anyone finds a goose or any wildlife that might need help, Nitschke and Waters recommend they call their state wildlife department or a local wildlife rehabilitation center, like Atlanta's AWARE, before interacting with the animal. For Waters, who regularly works with and rescues animals, idealism keeps him motivated to continue his work. 'In any way that we can ameliorate or make better the effects that have consequences for these other beings,' Waters said, 'I want to be someone who gives at least the effort for things to be made better.'
News.com.au
24-04-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Bottle shops to be shut across NSW on Anzac Day under new rule
New trading restrictions will be enforced across New South Wales this Anzac Day (Friday), forcing most bottle shops to be closed. The legislation passed in NSW last year, and means retailers including supermarkets, bottle shops and alcohol retailers will be shut on April 25. In previous years trading was allowed after 1pm on Anzac Day. The Endeavour Group, that operate bottle shops including Dan Murphy's, BWS and Coles alcohol outlets, have confirmed most stores in NSW will be closed. Select Dan Murphy's and BWS stores attached to Australian Leisure and Hospitality group (ALH) hotels will be open. National industry body Retail Drinks Australia has slammed the new rules, labelling them 'unfair and anticompetitive.' 'As a key sector within the broader liquor industry, our members have retailed responsibly and respectfully on this day for decades, servicing their local communities – they respect the significance and importance of Anzac Day,' chief executive Michael Waters told 9NEWS. He said retailers should be able to open from 1pm, as they have done in the past. 'People taking part in Anzac Day should be able to commemorate however they choose, whether attending community ceremonies, joining family and friends at a BBQ, or having a quiet drink remembering old mates,' Mr Waters said. The NSW government backed the move, saying it better represents the importance of Anzac Day. Western Australia also has restrictions all day on April 25. Anzac Day trading hours NSW: All bottle shops, supermarkets closed, unless exempt. Exemptions include shops attached to ALH hotels, and takeaway sales from pubs. ACT: No restrictions. NT: No restrictions. TAS: Retailers, bottle shops open from 12.30pm. SA: Retailers, bottle shops remain open between 12 and 5pm in Adelaide CBD only. WA: All bottle shops, supermarkets closed, unless exempt.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Bottle shops react to Aussie state's 'unfair' trading ban on Anzac Day
Australia's national drinks body has slammed a 'discriminatory' mandate that means bottle shops in NSW will be closed on Anzac Day for the first time. Updated laws from the state government will not allow retailers to open on April 25, with trading set to resume on Saturday morning. Retail Drinks Australia criticised the change of legislation as 'unfair, discriminatory, and anti-competitive laws' in a statement this week. The body said the move will impact up to 2,400 liquor retailers across the state, the majority of which are small, family-owned businesses. 'Our members have retailed responsibly and respectfully on this day for decades, servicing their local communities,' CEO Michael Waters said. 'They respect the significance and importance of Anzac Day. 'People taking part in Anzac Day should be able to commemorate however they choose, whether [that is] attending community ceremonies, joining family and friends at a BBQ, or having a quiet drink remembering old mates.' Mr Waters wants bottle shops to open from 1pm, as they have previously done, to ensure consistency, maintain employee protections and support small businesses. Retail Drinks Australia said more than 100 exemption applications lodged with NSW Fair Trading have been rejected. Applicants have reportedly been told they do not meet 'exceptional circumstance' or 'public interest' thresholds. 'We've appealed to the Premier for fairness. We've called on the Minister for Industrial Relations for common sense,' Mr Waters said. 'We're asking the Government to let people live their lives and to be fair and balanced when making laws. The current situation discriminates against bottle shops and makes life unnecessarily harder for people in this state with no clear benefit.' The NSW Government introduced the law in July last year, hoping it would inspire more people to use the day to honour the memory of those who died in service. Premier Chris Minns has previously justified the decision, saying 'no occasion could be more solemn or significant than Anzac Day'. 'It might be inconvenient for a few hours, but closing our biggest corporate shops for a single day is a small price to pay for living in a free and open democracy,' he said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the NSW Government for further comment. The change was made after a public consultation, which ran from September to October 2023, garnered strong support from veterans, veterans' organisations and the public. The legislation change will also affect other retailers which were previously allowed to open from 1pm, including department stores and supermarkets. Exemptions are in place for other venues including markets, small retailers, bars, cafes, chemists, newsagents and takeaway restaurants. Dan Murphy's and BWS stores attached to ALH Hotels across NSW will also be exempt and will trade in line with the hotel's licence. NSW isn't alone in enforcing full Anzac Day closures. Queensland supermarkets will be shut all day, except for Brisbane Airport's Woolworths, which opens at 1pm. Most Dan Murphy's and BWS stores in other states will trade from 1pm on Anzac Day, except those attached to ALH Hotels, which will trade in line with the hotel's licence.
