Latest news with #Ms
Otago Daily Times
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Film focuses on joy, fears of motherhood in dream job
Inspired by the ups and downs of motherhood, an acclaimed Wānaka skier tells her story of being pregnant while working as a mountain guide. Dear Superhero, directed by Jase Hancox and Corinna Halloran, is one of the many films set to premiere in the upcoming New Zealand Mountain Film Festival in Wānaka. The 17-minute film follows the story of Janina Kuzma, a Wānaka skier and mountain guide who competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics and was later named Central Otago Sportswoman of the Year for her achievements. Ms Kuzma found out she was pregnant in April last year, something that brought her joy as she had looked forward to starting a family. This joy was soon followed by fear as she was faced with the reality of telling co-workers the life-changing news and juggling motherhood and her dream job. As a contract mountain guide, she worked on skifields across the Southern Lakes region and even some in North America. The job can be seen as physically dangerous, and Ms Kuzma was anxious her co-workers would not think she could work during her pregnancy. "It can be a very male-dominated field," she said. "So I just hid my pregnancy as long as I could, just because of the fear of feeling like they thought I shouldn't be in the mountains guiding." For six months, no-one at work knew Ms Kuzma was pregnant. When she finally told her team, she was met with a wave of support and everyone had been really happy for her. She admitted that her feelings had come from a fear of being perceived differently in a physically demanding job. It was this lingering concern that encouraged her to reach out to her sponsors at North Face and suggest the film idea even before she got pregnant. Wānaka director Jase Hancox jumped on board but found it difficult at at first to direct the film on his own. As a father of two, he said he was unable to relate to Ms Kuzma's story and found it helpful to bring on American director Corinna Halloran. Ms Kuzma worked with the film directors and was also able to invite Canadian snowboarder and mother Leanne Pelosi and Swedish skier and doula Evelina Nilsson to be part of the film. The storyline focuses on the experiences of women in the snow sport industry as they work through raising families and not giving up on their life-long passions. "It's an exploration of the power and the complexity of motherhood and just what it takes while chasing my dreams in the mountains," Ms Kuzma said. She hoped the film spoke to all women, not just athletes, who might feel the pressures of raising a family and following their ambitions. The film is set to premier on Saturday, June 21, during the 2025 New Zealand Mountain Film and Book Festival in Wānaka.
Extra.ie
8 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Peru Two's Michaella McCollum opens up on terrifying prison conditions
Michaella McCollum has spoken about her experience in a Peruvian prison, after two girls were arrested abroad for drug trafficking. Ms McCollum, from Dungannon in Co Tyrone, was arrested alongside Scotswoman Melissa Reid after the pair, who became known as 'The Peru Two,' were caught with 12kg of cocaine. They both served just over two years in prison, with Ms Reid being expelled to Scotland and Ms McCollum returning to Ireland two months later. Following the arrests of two girls abroad in unrelated cases for trying to smuggle cannabis and kush, a synthetic drug which can be more powerful than fentanyl, Ms McCollum has spoken about her experience in the Peru prison, including eating maggot-filled paella and the extreme conditions she faced. Michaella McCollum has spoken about her experience in a Peruvian prison, after two girls were arrested for drug trafficking. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/REX 'I remember how I'd lay all the rice out, to see which grains I could eat and which were maggots,' Ms McCollum told the Daily Mail. 'Back home, it was reported that I'd gone on hunger strike, but I hadn't.' She also spoke about how her mother would have to wait hours in the Peruvian heat with bags of food for her daughter, with her adding that she would have to flick cockroaches away while eating chicken — something that she grew accustomed to during her time behind bars, but is horrified by now. 'She'd bring a whole chicken, which I'd eat with my fingers, and there would be cockroaches climbing up onto the table and I'd just flick them away. I mean, they didn't even bother me, by then,' she said. 'You become so used to it. And I suppose there is a level of guilt and shame that you feel it's acceptable, even though it isn't.' Ms McCollum and Melissa Reid were arrested and served two years in Peruvian prison for smuggling 26kg of cocaine. Pic: REX Speaking on Charlotte Lee May, 21, who faces 20 years in Sri Lankan prison for smuggling 46kg of 'kush,' as well as Bella May Culley, 18, who ellegedly tried to smuggle 14kg of cannabis to Georgia, Ms McCollum saw the two girls as victims — particularly in Ms Culley's case after she told the court in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi that she was pregnant. 'The [Bella Culley] situation was almost exactly the same,' she said. 'Her mum had reported her missing, then it emerged that she'd been arrested. There were such parallels with my case – except it was just in a different country. I couldn't help but feel bad for them. Whatever they have done, it's so young to be caught up in something like this, and I know what they are going to go through. And their families. It's the worst thing anybody can have to face. 'As a mum, I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to give birth in that sort of place, and to potentially have the child taken from you and put into care,' she added about the case of Ms Culley. 'That adds a whole new, terrifying, dimension. It's just incredibly sad.' Ms McCollum and Ms Reid, who had never met prior to their arrest, say that they were coerced into smuggling the cocaine while working in Ibiza, but pleaded guilty to drug trafficking. They were sentenced to six years and eight months in prison but were both released after serving just shy of three years. Ms Culley and Ms Lee both face 20 years in prison for their alleged role in drug trafficking, with Ms McCollum adding that she believes they were also coerced into doing so. 'I don't know the circumstances in detail here, but I do know that of all the women I came across who had been involved in drug smuggling, only about 10% were doing it as a business, who knew the risks and accepted them,' she said. 'The vast majority were the victims of some sort of coercion, usually by men. Prisons all over the world are full of women who have been caught up in something like this. And the men at the top rarely get caught. The men who pulled all the strings in my case were never held to account.'
New Paper
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New Paper
Cai fan merch label PointyRice calls out Uniqlo keychain's 'uncanny' likeness
Another small local brand is speaking up about Uniqlo Singapore's local food campaign. The Japanese retailer's UTme! Local Delights Collection, which consists of T-shirts featuring iconic Singaporean dishes, sparked buzz online recently for its resemblance to small local clothing brand Musoka Club's designs. The incident generated conversation about who owns the copyright to local food culture. Meanwhile, another player has entered the picture. Ms Caitanya "Cait" Tan is the founder and chief executive of local merchandise brand PointyRice. She has been fielding messages from followers about the similarities between her product and Uniqlo's gift-with-purchase, which she describes to The Straits Times as "too uncanny". As part of Uniqlo's Thank You Festival celebrations, which ran till May 29, customers who spent $100 and above in-store at Orchard Central and Jewel Changi Airport received a customisable Mixed Rice Keychain. And they could pick little acrylic "dishes" to fit inside a plate-shaped keychain. Uniqlo's customisable Mixed Rice Keychain, a gift-with-purchase as part of its Thank You Festival. PHOTOS: UNIQLO PointyRice ( currently retails stickers of mixed rice dishes that customers purchase individually to layer and customise onto a plate sticker. Dishes start at $2.50 a sticker, while a plate and rice are both priced at $2.50. When Uniqlo teased its Mixed Rice Keychain in May, followers asked Ms Tan if she was working with the Japanese retailer. She took to Instagram (@caitofalltraits) on May 19 to clear the air. It is the first retail brand started by the 38-year-old, whose many hats include being an actress, voiceover artist, host and director of boutique agency AllTraits, under which PointyRice operates. PointyRice founder Caitanya Tan at her pop-up cai fan stall in April. PHOTO: POINTYRICE She created PointyRice as a "lifelong Singaporean identity-building project" for locals to "celebrate hawker dishes we grew up with that don't get enough recognition". After conceptualising the brand in November 2024, she launched PointyRice on April 5 with a pop-up at Lyf Farrer Park. The set-up featured a table with trays of stickers portraying different types of cai fan dishes, which customers could choose to customise their "plates". Ms Tan and her team of three played hawkers serving their customers. She hired her cousin, a fellow actress, to act as a grumpy cai fan auntie - "to put the 'fun' in cai fan". A six-minute video she posted of the event garnered more than 200,000 views on Instagram and TikTok combined. She believes Uniqlo Singapore would have seen the video. "I cannot say they copied me, but the internet got mad for me. I've done a lot of research - I started with cai fan because no one had done the concept in this way, and I understand why now. It's not an easy project. It's extremely difficult to design each digital asset, then produce it as a physical product that people can customise themselves; and the ability to layer." Screenshots of comments on Uniqlo Singapore's Instagram account. PHOTOS: UNIQLOSG/INSTAGRAM She says she had reached out to Uniqlo Singapore a month before to collaborate, but did not hear back. She has worked with the brand on past campaigns in the capacity of a content creator. Within 40 minutes of her posting her May 19 video on Instagram, a representative from the brand reached out. Uniqlo denied taking inspiration from PointyRice or mimicking her designs. The brand also invited her to its Thank You Festival media event, and raised the possibility of a future collaboration. But it was "too coincidental", says Ms Tan. "I just wanted them to acknowledge it." She believes the biggest similarity was the store concept and layout. "It's not just cai fan, it's bringing cai fan to a physical experience. Effort went into the detailed designs, sourcing multiple failed samples and hand-cutting 28,000 stickers just to set up an experience that is now going to be considered by the masses as an imitation of Uniqlo's campaign. PointyRice's pop-up cai fan stall in April. PHOTO: POINTYRICE "A creative's currency is her creativity and ideas. It's not the keychain I'm sad about. It's the concept of the pop-up that I'd put research and finances into that hurt me the most." In response to queries from ST, a Uniqlo spokesperson says: "Uniqlo is aware of an ongoing conversation and values all perspectives shared. "As is our standard practice, Uniqlo commenced planning for its customisable mixed rice keychain several months prior to its launch through our Thank You Festival. This item is part of a global trend of customisable accessories and follows other customisable gift items created by Uniqlo in Singapore in previous years." The spokesperson adds that Uniqlo did not receive any collaboration proposals from local artists or illustrators related to the cai fan customisation. PointyRice's long-term plan is to produce merchandise, says Ms Tan, who is working on expanding her products to nasi padang and nasi kandar. Her ultimate vision is to have a physical space recreating a hawker centre, with stalls selling various delicacies in sticker form. She says: "People are going to say, 'How to IP cai fan? It's for everybody.' But a little credit wouldn't hurt anyone. We're all Singaporean."
The Advertiser
20 hours ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Parents spending thousands to choose baby's sex
Stacey Hughes always knew she wanted to have a little girl, but her pathway to getting there was a little different. Already a mum to three boys, in 2019 she travelled with her family to undergo IVF in the United States, where the team implanted a female embryo. Ms Hughes is one of hundreds of Australian parents who choose to travel overseas for sex selection, a practice that is not permitted in Australia other than for medical reasons. "I didn't want a fourth child, I wanted a girl," Ms Hughes told AAP. "My mum passed away in 2009 so I didn't have that mother-daughter relationship anymore and I just also wanted to have a girl in our family." Experts say Ms Hughes is not alone, with parents wanting to select a boy or a girl for family balancing reasons. Australia previously allowed sex selection for non-medical reasons, however in the early 2000s the guidelines changed, Connect IVF scientific director Lauren Hiser said. As a result, people are choosing to travel to nations that allow it, including parts of Southeast Asia, Europe and the US. "The concern in allowing Australians to go offshore is that we can't control the quality of service they are going to get overseas," Ms Hiser said. "The Australian IVF industry is highly regulated and allowing sex selection would make it safer for people to access." Ms Hiser stressed the process was not akin to "playing God" as the embryos were made during a regular IVF process and tested for a range of genetic abnormalities which also determined their sex. The number of people wanting to select a particular sex was in the hundreds, so allowing it in Australia would not expand boy or girl ratios in a particular direction, she added. "The reality is that sex selection is happening in Australia already, just not in the IVF industry," she said. "Then there's the risk of people going through a termination of pregnancy with all the physical and emotional impacts that come with that." Gender Selection Australia (GSA) is a service that helps families navigate overseas IVF processes. The sex selection process often came with a lot of misinformation, GSA general manager Nikki Mason said. "The majority of people want to balance out their family, it's not about preferring one sex over another," she said. "Sex selection is not manufacturing a result, it's just revealing what (embryos) families have after a normal IVF process and then they can choose which to implant." The IVF process is already stressful and the additional overseas travel costs make it unattainable for many. It cost Ms Hughes and her family about $30,000, including medications, accommodation, flights and medical appointments. While family and friends supported her decision, she faced trolling online after she previously spoke to the media about her experience. "I don't understand (the trolling) because it doesn't really affect anyone that I've had a baby girl," she said. "I think there's a lack of understanding of the process and people thinking that you are intervening." Stacey Hughes always knew she wanted to have a little girl, but her pathway to getting there was a little different. Already a mum to three boys, in 2019 she travelled with her family to undergo IVF in the United States, where the team implanted a female embryo. Ms Hughes is one of hundreds of Australian parents who choose to travel overseas for sex selection, a practice that is not permitted in Australia other than for medical reasons. "I didn't want a fourth child, I wanted a girl," Ms Hughes told AAP. "My mum passed away in 2009 so I didn't have that mother-daughter relationship anymore and I just also wanted to have a girl in our family." Experts say Ms Hughes is not alone, with parents wanting to select a boy or a girl for family balancing reasons. Australia previously allowed sex selection for non-medical reasons, however in the early 2000s the guidelines changed, Connect IVF scientific director Lauren Hiser said. As a result, people are choosing to travel to nations that allow it, including parts of Southeast Asia, Europe and the US. "The concern in allowing Australians to go offshore is that we can't control the quality of service they are going to get overseas," Ms Hiser said. "The Australian IVF industry is highly regulated and allowing sex selection would make it safer for people to access." Ms Hiser stressed the process was not akin to "playing God" as the embryos were made during a regular IVF process and tested for a range of genetic abnormalities which also determined their sex. The number of people wanting to select a particular sex was in the hundreds, so allowing it in Australia would not expand boy or girl ratios in a particular direction, she added. "The reality is that sex selection is happening in Australia already, just not in the IVF industry," she said. "Then there's the risk of people going through a termination of pregnancy with all the physical and emotional impacts that come with that." Gender Selection Australia (GSA) is a service that helps families navigate overseas IVF processes. The sex selection process often came with a lot of misinformation, GSA general manager Nikki Mason said. "The majority of people want to balance out their family, it's not about preferring one sex over another," she said. "Sex selection is not manufacturing a result, it's just revealing what (embryos) families have after a normal IVF process and then they can choose which to implant." The IVF process is already stressful and the additional overseas travel costs make it unattainable for many. It cost Ms Hughes and her family about $30,000, including medications, accommodation, flights and medical appointments. While family and friends supported her decision, she faced trolling online after she previously spoke to the media about her experience. "I don't understand (the trolling) because it doesn't really affect anyone that I've had a baby girl," she said. "I think there's a lack of understanding of the process and people thinking that you are intervening." Stacey Hughes always knew she wanted to have a little girl, but her pathway to getting there was a little different. Already a mum to three boys, in 2019 she travelled with her family to undergo IVF in the United States, where the team implanted a female embryo. Ms Hughes is one of hundreds of Australian parents who choose to travel overseas for sex selection, a practice that is not permitted in Australia other than for medical reasons. "I didn't want a fourth child, I wanted a girl," Ms Hughes told AAP. "My mum passed away in 2009 so I didn't have that mother-daughter relationship anymore and I just also wanted to have a girl in our family." Experts say Ms Hughes is not alone, with parents wanting to select a boy or a girl for family balancing reasons. Australia previously allowed sex selection for non-medical reasons, however in the early 2000s the guidelines changed, Connect IVF scientific director Lauren Hiser said. As a result, people are choosing to travel to nations that allow it, including parts of Southeast Asia, Europe and the US. "The concern in allowing Australians to go offshore is that we can't control the quality of service they are going to get overseas," Ms Hiser said. "The Australian IVF industry is highly regulated and allowing sex selection would make it safer for people to access." Ms Hiser stressed the process was not akin to "playing God" as the embryos were made during a regular IVF process and tested for a range of genetic abnormalities which also determined their sex. The number of people wanting to select a particular sex was in the hundreds, so allowing it in Australia would not expand boy or girl ratios in a particular direction, she added. "The reality is that sex selection is happening in Australia already, just not in the IVF industry," she said. "Then there's the risk of people going through a termination of pregnancy with all the physical and emotional impacts that come with that." Gender Selection Australia (GSA) is a service that helps families navigate overseas IVF processes. The sex selection process often came with a lot of misinformation, GSA general manager Nikki Mason said. "The majority of people want to balance out their family, it's not about preferring one sex over another," she said. "Sex selection is not manufacturing a result, it's just revealing what (embryos) families have after a normal IVF process and then they can choose which to implant." The IVF process is already stressful and the additional overseas travel costs make it unattainable for many. It cost Ms Hughes and her family about $30,000, including medications, accommodation, flights and medical appointments. While family and friends supported her decision, she faced trolling online after she previously spoke to the media about her experience. "I don't understand (the trolling) because it doesn't really affect anyone that I've had a baby girl," she said. "I think there's a lack of understanding of the process and people thinking that you are intervening." Stacey Hughes always knew she wanted to have a little girl, but her pathway to getting there was a little different. Already a mum to three boys, in 2019 she travelled with her family to undergo IVF in the United States, where the team implanted a female embryo. Ms Hughes is one of hundreds of Australian parents who choose to travel overseas for sex selection, a practice that is not permitted in Australia other than for medical reasons. "I didn't want a fourth child, I wanted a girl," Ms Hughes told AAP. "My mum passed away in 2009 so I didn't have that mother-daughter relationship anymore and I just also wanted to have a girl in our family." Experts say Ms Hughes is not alone, with parents wanting to select a boy or a girl for family balancing reasons. Australia previously allowed sex selection for non-medical reasons, however in the early 2000s the guidelines changed, Connect IVF scientific director Lauren Hiser said. As a result, people are choosing to travel to nations that allow it, including parts of Southeast Asia, Europe and the US. "The concern in allowing Australians to go offshore is that we can't control the quality of service they are going to get overseas," Ms Hiser said. "The Australian IVF industry is highly regulated and allowing sex selection would make it safer for people to access." Ms Hiser stressed the process was not akin to "playing God" as the embryos were made during a regular IVF process and tested for a range of genetic abnormalities which also determined their sex. The number of people wanting to select a particular sex was in the hundreds, so allowing it in Australia would not expand boy or girl ratios in a particular direction, she added. "The reality is that sex selection is happening in Australia already, just not in the IVF industry," she said. "Then there's the risk of people going through a termination of pregnancy with all the physical and emotional impacts that come with that." Gender Selection Australia (GSA) is a service that helps families navigate overseas IVF processes. The sex selection process often came with a lot of misinformation, GSA general manager Nikki Mason said. "The majority of people want to balance out their family, it's not about preferring one sex over another," she said. "Sex selection is not manufacturing a result, it's just revealing what (embryos) families have after a normal IVF process and then they can choose which to implant." The IVF process is already stressful and the additional overseas travel costs make it unattainable for many. It cost Ms Hughes and her family about $30,000, including medications, accommodation, flights and medical appointments. While family and friends supported her decision, she faced trolling online after she previously spoke to the media about her experience. "I don't understand (the trolling) because it doesn't really affect anyone that I've had a baby girl," she said. "I think there's a lack of understanding of the process and people thinking that you are intervening."
Perth Now
a day ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Parents spending thousands to choose baby's sex
Stacey Hughes always knew she wanted to have a little girl, but her pathway to getting there was a little different. Already a mum to three boys, in 2019 she travelled with her family to undergo IVF in the United States, where the team implanted a female embryo. Ms Hughes is one of hundreds of Australian parents who choose to travel overseas for sex selection, a practice that is not permitted in Australia other than for medical reasons. "I didn't want a fourth child, I wanted a girl," Ms Hughes told AAP. "My mum passed away in 2009 so I didn't have that mother-daughter relationship anymore and I just also wanted to have a girl in our family." Experts say Ms Hughes is not alone, with parents wanting to select a boy or a girl for family balancing reasons. Australia previously allowed sex selection for non-medical reasons, however in the early 2000s the guidelines changed, Connect IVF scientific director Lauren Hiser said. As a result, people are choosing to travel to nations that allow it, including parts of Southeast Asia, Europe and the US. "The concern in allowing Australians to go offshore is that we can't control the quality of service they are going to get overseas," Ms Hiser said. "The Australian IVF industry is highly regulated and allowing sex selection would make it safer for people to access." Ms Hiser stressed the process was not akin to "playing God" as the embryos were made during a regular IVF process and tested for a range of genetic abnormalities which also determined their sex. The number of people wanting to select a particular sex was in the hundreds, so allowing it in Australia would not expand boy or girl ratios in a particular direction, she added. "The reality is that sex selection is happening in Australia already, just not in the IVF industry," she said. "We have non-invasive pre-natal testing at around 10 weeks, so some people are getting pregnant, determining the sex and then choosing to continue with that pregnancy or not. "Then there's the risk of people going through a termination of pregnancy with all the physical and emotional impacts that come with that." Gender Selection Australia (GSA) is a service that helps families navigate overseas IVF processes. The sex selection process often came with a lot of misinformation, GSA general manager Nikki Mason said. "The majority of people want to balance out their family, it's not about preferring one sex over another," she said. "Sex selection is not manufacturing a result, it's just revealing what (embryos) families have after a normal IVF process and then they can choose which to implant." The IVF process is already stressful and the additional overseas travel costs make it unattainable for many. It cost Ms Hughes and her family about $30,000, including medications, accommodation, flights and medical appointments. While family and friends supported her decision, she faced trolling online after she previously spoke to the media about her experience. "I don't understand (the trolling) because it doesn't really affect anyone that I've had a baby girl," she said. "I think there's a lack of understanding of the process and people thinking that you are intervening."
