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Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Drones can be worker bees too
My Oxford Dictionary is way out of date because the subject I would have a look at this week is the modern drone so when I went to my dictionary for its definition it stated "male or non- worker bee", that's all. While I find the drone bee an interesting insect as they only make up about 1-2% of a hive of 50,000 female worker bees or more who collect the pollen and nectar, protect the hive and raise a new queen and when the time is right she flies out of the hive to mate with several drones. It seems to be their sole purpose in the hive's life cycle is its procreation. However, when I went to Google there was no mention of the bee and its definition of a drone is an "unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) can be controlled remotely or fly autonomously". Essentially, it is a flying robot capable of carrying a payload for various tasks. While the concept has been around for decades its only in the 10 years or so that they've come into prominence. The United States army's stealth drone was designed to evade detection and used for intelligence-gathering, reconnaissance and potentially combat operations. I think the modern drone has been given the wrong name because they are workers. The first one I was familiar with was a glorified toy and could be bought for a few dollars a but now they are capable of lifting over 1000kg. In the last few years different businesses, organisations and government departments are finding more and more uses, such as traffic monitoring, aerial photography, surveying and police crowd surveillance. But the drone is also revolutionising agriculture as Kiwi ingenuity makes them bigger and adapts them to perform tasks once restricted to helicopters or fixed winged planes. On the farm, Cameron engaged a company with drones to spray gorse in a couple of steep gullies. The drone carried 50 litres of chemical, calibrated to be of the strength and volume if it was sprayed by a helicopter, and was cheaper. Three months on, the gorse is not healthy, but 12 months on will tell the full story. Small ones can be used for stock handling. Will every farmer have one, if they prove to be cost-effective? They can perform tasks like spraying crops, spreading fertilisers and insecticides, sowing seeds on steep country, pest control and even firefighting. There are rules, regulations, training and costs regarding bigger drones that pilots must adhere to.
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Navigating the chessboard of courtesy
Our last article on the current state of courtesy and etiquette among the current generation elicited quite a few enthusiastic responses. These were divided into two clear camps. Camp 1 was those who say please and thank you even to AI in the hope of mercy from the overlords when the world turns over to technology in the hopefully very distant future. Camp 2 was people who spoke about how it is not a lack of courtesy, but that the current generation has overthrown the shackles of fear and restriction. The current generation is not afraid to speak their mind and therefore, comes across as discourteous. While we agree that today's children and young adults have the freedom to speak their minds and do put it to use, that is communication, not courtesy. Courtesy is not about age, and neither is etiquette. Courtesy and etiquette do not demand that you keep your thoughts to yourself or abide by someone else's rules. It is about holding your own space while also respecting that the other person or persons have a personal space of their own and honouring the basic rules of humanity. I resonate with Dorothy Parker's words, 'The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for discourtesy.' According to the now infrequently used Oxford Dictionary, the meaning of courtesy is polite and pleasant behaviour that shows respect for other people or a polite thing that you say or do when you meet people in formal situations. There is nothing here that indicates that freedom of speech is not allowed or that a younger person must blindly listen to elders. However, it does require that you treat the person in front of you as a member of the human race. This is not restricted to people who are older than you or above you in terms of designation. You can show courtesy even to those younger than you. It is a matter of respecting the value of the other person's time and effort. Sometimes, it may mean acknowledging the existence of a person. As Lewis Carroll himself said, 'Take more care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves.' The sense here is the respect for another person who is setting aside time for you or taking the effort to do something for you. It does not take too much effort to say a simple word like 'thank you,' 'sorry' or 'please.' But the benefits that it brings to you are multiple. However, like a lot of other things, this takes practice. If you do not practice courtesy on a regular basis, then it will not be what you do when you are in a situation of stress. That means it will not serve you when you need it the most. It is funny that in today's times pets are treated with more care and respect than people. People get offended when their pets are referred to in the neutral gender or as that dog/cat/animal they are bringing up. However, the same courtesy is not afforded to people. The descent of language into pure madness has also contributed to this situation. All right became fine, which became fn, which eventually descended into a single emoji. People now do not have time to type out complete words on their smartphones. These are the phones that can use smart AI to predict your words and your sentences on the basis of your usage. The phones can even translate your speech directly into text, and yet we would rather rely on single-letter abbreviations which can be so confusing to people from a different generation. Gifs and memes have become a part of formal conversations now. Communication is evolving, but sometimes the evolution feels like a curse rather than progress. And if you think courtesy is a restriction on expressing yourself freely, may we recommend that you watch how the Countess Violet Crawley from Downtown Abbey speaks? She is a masterclass in speaking your heart and yet confining to the, admittedly, very stringent restrictions of the Victorian period. Even the best of us could learn a lesson or two from her. If you have now understood the difference between courtesy and communication and would like to learn the basics or wish someone had a few tips for you, you know what to do! That is right – stay tuned for the next edition of this article. We hope to be back with some tips and tricks for you. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
IOL News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Free State Agriculture dismisses genocide claims against Afrikaner farmers
Picture taken when seven people were shot at a farm in the Free State. Image: Independent Newspapers Archives The Free State Agriculture (FSA), which represents farmers in the province, says there is no evidence of genocide aimed at wiping out Afrikaner farmers. On Friday, the organisation's crime analyst, Dr Jane Buys, said indiscriminate crime was a problem that affects farmers and their employees, irrespective of race. When asked if she had found genocide to be the motive behind farm attacks in her province, Buys said: 'No, I cannot respond to that one.' 'I don't think so, but there is a targeted approach against the farming community,' she said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The United Nations defines genocide as an act intended to 'destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group'. According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is 'the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group'. When asked again if there is evidence of genocide, she said: 'No, I don't think so.' In his invitation of Afrikaner farmers to immigrate to his country, United States President Donald Trump had repeatedly alleged that there was genocide taking place in South Africa. In a media conference held at the White House before a private engagement with his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump produced loads of newspaper articles with pictures, which he said were evidence that there was genocide in South Africa. However, it has since been revealed that at least one of the pictures had nothing to do with the Afrikaner farm killing, but was taken in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Buys said black farmers were also the target of criminals. 'People are targeting farms because they are very remote and not near towns, and criminals have time to commit crimes on the farms.' Buys said it also appeared that the farm attacks were merely robbery, which ended up with murders. 'If your motive is to rob, you just go and rob the farmer and you don't kill his wife and his children,' she said. She agreed that even in black communities, it happened that robbery victims end up being killed. She said in some cases, the murders were perpetrated by labour disputes, and farm attacks were an act of retaliation against eviction from the farms. She said there were also labour dispute-based attacks, although 'a study found that the labour dispute is not the primary motive'. 'Sometimes it is a revenge because farmers are being targeted by Basotho who are taking revenge on them because the farmers are sending them back to their country and impounding their cattle,' said Buys. She said workers were often killed during the farm attacks. 'The workers also kill the farmer, and therefore, in that area, you have some of the revenge attacks,' she said. When asked if black farmers were also the target, Buys said: 'Everyone is being targeted. 'I have done some analyses last year on the manifestation of farm attacks and murders in the Free State, and I say to you, 55% of the farm attacks are commercial farmers, and others are workers and people living on farms.' Those who used the word genocide in the South African context did so because of an alarming number of farm attacks. 'If you have 400 or 500 farm attacks, which is what happened in the Free State over 10 years. 'People are selling their farms because of the stress of farm attacks and because it is not safe to farm,' she said. She said between 2014 and 2024, there were 93 murders in 486 farm attacks at 77 farming communities. This included 46 farmers, 40 farm workers, such as foremen, security guards, murdered, and six people living on farms and/or smallholdings were murdered. She called on the government and the police to commit to their mandate to fight crime. Although Buys did not support the idea of Afrikaners immigrating to America, she understands those who are leaving. 'I can fully understand that certain people are feeling threatened in the country by criminality. 'Threatened by the fact that they have not been helped by the government law enforcement agents and criminal justice system because we are struggling with the criminal justice system,' she said. She said a survey conducted in June 2024 indicated that 96.6% of farmers in the Free State were using technology such as cameras and two-way radios to effectively combat crimes on their farms. '77.3% of farmers are using private security companies to address criminality. '30% of farmers mentioned that they each spent between R50,000 and R250,000 annually on technology to address criminality. '20.1% of farmers are each losing annually between R100,000 to R250,000 due to crime,' she said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Ultimate Guide to Teen Slang in 2025 — What It All Means
Ever found yourself squinting at your teen's text messages like you're deciphering ancient hieroglyphics? Same. One minute they're telling you something is 'mid,' the next they're 'aura farming,' and suddenly you're spiraling, wondering exactly when you became so … not with-it. Teen slang has always been its own wild little ecosystem, but today's Gen Z and Gen Alpha wordplay is evolving at warp speed, thanks to the internet's hyper-powered influence. If you need proof, look no further than this gem we dug up from the SheKnows archives — a roundup of teen slang from 2018 which, these days, practically reads like an ancient manuscript ('Whatever you do, don't go sliding into your teen's DM. Bible, that's a cringy AF way to try to figure out WTF your kid is talking about'). … LOL TikTok trends, meme culture, gaming lingo, and group chat inside jokes all collide to create a slang stew that's equal parts hilarious and head-scratching. And while it might feel like these kids are just inventing words to keep us on our toes (or out of the loop entirely), this language actually says a lot about how they connect, express themselves, and shape culture. This glossary isn't meant to make you cool (that ship sailed when you said 'cool' unironically). But it will help you decode your teen's cryptic comments, avoid embarrassing missteps (nobody says 'cringy' or 'sus' any more!), and maybe even share a chuckle with your kid instead of getting the dreaded side-eye. Bookmark it, revisit it, refresh it. Like teen slang itself, this list is a living, breathing thing that we'll be updating regularly — because we're here to keep you (okay, and ourselves) up to speed … or at least slightly less confused. More from SheKnows Teens Are Exploring Relationships & Sexting With AI Chatbots - & Restrictions Aren't Working Best of SheKnows Celebrity Moms Who Were Honest About Miscarriage & Pregnancy Loss — Because It Matters Every Single Time Shemar Moore Proved He's the Proudest First-Time Girl Dad The Best Places to Buy Furniture for Teens Online What does 'Kevin' mean? The use of 'Kevin' is attributed to TikToker @druskidrinker, in a video that gained more than 2 million views in the span of a week. Kevin basically means anything bad; as an example, the video's original creator said, 'Yo bro this food is Kevin asf.' What does 'buns' mean? 'Buns' is a slang term meaning something low quality or unimpressive — much like 'mid' or 'ass.' Alternately, we're also hearing 'cheeks' — as in, 'You missed that easy shot?! You're cheeks at basketball.' What does 'rizz' mean? Oxford Dictionary's 2023 Word of the Year is still going strong! It first appeared around 2021 and was popularized by YouTuber Kai Cenat. Rizz is said to come from the word 'charisma' and basically means exactly that: if someone has rizz, they're charming. To 'rizz someone up' means to flirt. What does 'slop' mean? You know how we use the word 'spam' to refer to low-quality or junk emails? Well, 'slop' is basically the same thing, only with a broader definition. If something is sloppily or hastily produced or has poor quality, it can be called slop — anything from AI generated content to fast fashion. What does 'cracked' mean? It might sound like something faulty — but if you're 'cracked,' it means to be really good at something. 'Bro, I'm cracked at Fortnite!' What does 'sweat' mean? Originating with the gaming world, a 'sweat' is a person who plays so well, so fiercely, and so competitively that they don't even have fun with the game any more; they're obsessed with winning, and that's it. What does 'lock in' mean? In today's slang, 'lock in', or to be locked in, means focusing intensely on something: 'I've got a big test coming up, so I better lock in and study.' What does 'gurt' mean? We have an in-depth explainer on this one: read it here! 'Gurt' or 'gurting' is arguably one of the most confusing slang terms used today (at least for us oldsters!), but in a nutshell, 'gurt' comes from the viral 'Gurt: Yo' meme — wherein someone says 'yogurt,' and a character named Gurt responds 'Yo' in greeting. It morphed into an entirely separate meaning thanks to an April 2025 TikTok video, in which creator @jdawg.157 defines gurt and gurting as 'When you do something that's very smart but also very dangerous.' What does six seven mean? Whether you spell it six seven or 6-7, you have to pronounce it 'six sevennnnn.' (See another in-depth explainer here!) Especially popular with the tween set, it originated with the song 'Doot Doot (6 7)' by Skrilla. To add to the allure, videos of NBA player LaMelo Ball set to 'Doot Doot' went viral because Ball is, you guessed it, 6'7″. It's one of those tween and teen slang phrases that really means nothing, but apparently sounds so cool it needs to be said on repeat. What does 'cooked' mean? If someone is in big trouble, they're 'cooked' — 'My parents are gonna kill me when they find out about this F. I'm so cooked.' BUT! This is not to be confused with cooking, which means someone is doing something very well. What does 'aura' mean? 'Aura' is basically a measure of how cool a person is. If they have a lot of aura, they're effortlessly cool — they don't have to try too hard, their aura level is just naturally high. What does 'what the helly' mean? Can't say 'what the hell' in school? Then just say 'what the helly' or 'what the hellyante!' It originated with Rob49's song 'WTHelly' but has woven its way into teen slang as an exclamation or interjection. What does 'Unc' mean? An oldie but goodie that's made a comeback in Gen Alpha and Gen Z slang, 'Unc' simply refers to a man who is seen as old, acting old, or out of touch with current trends. It is, of course, short for 'uncle.' What does 'steez' (or 'steeze') mean? Speaking of oldies-but-goodies, this one goes all the way back to the '80s – but has been polished up for use in tween and teen slang! Kind of like aura, 'steez' (which is said to come from a combination of the words 'style' and 'ease') indicates someone who is confident and effortlessly stylish. If you admire someone's style, you might refer to them as 'steezy.' What does 'big back' mean? 'Big back' is basically just a new way to call someone fat — but it's also sometimes used in a self-deprecating and jokey way, like 'I'm putting extra whipped cream on my pie 'cause I'm a big back.' What does 'chopped' mean? Nope — this one has nothing to do with cooking. In teenage slang, 'chopped' means ugly. As in, 'I don't know why anybody thinks he's cute … he's lowkey chopped, bro.' What does 'crash out' mean? If someone says they're going to 'crash out,' you should probably run for cover — because to crash out means to have an angry fit: 'Bro, if I get another detention I'm finna crash out.' What does 'huzz' mean? Back in the day, women were referred to in a derogatory manner as 'hoes.' These days, it's morphed into 'huzz' — which is used in a general sense to refer to a group of girls: 'Man, I tripped in the school parking lot right in front of the huzz.' What does 'glazing' mean? To 'glaze' someone basically means that you're excessively praising or overhyping them, usually to an annoying degree. What does 'SYBAU' mean? There's no nice way to say it … SYBAU is an acronym for 'shut your b**** a** up.' What does 'aura farming' mean? Now you know what 'aura' means, but what does it mean if you're 'aura farming?' You can see an in-depth explainer here — but basically, aura farming is doing things to gain more aura: i.e., trying to make yourself look cool. The point, though, is to look like you're not even trying. What does 'sigma' mean? Well technically, sigma is the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet. But in teen slang, it means something totally different: someone who is well-liked, independent, and successful. What does 'chuzz' mean? This one's a slang-word combo: 'chopped' and 'huzz' come together to create 'chuzz' … i.e., ugly hoes. And if you hear 'gruzz'? Well, that's old hoes. What does 'selling' mean? If you're 'selling' at something, it means you aren't doing a very good job. Often it's used in the context of someone who is playing poorly to the detriment of the team — perhaps even on purpose. What does 'packed' mean? For this one, we have to look at the YouTuber PACKGOD, who's known for his relentless roasting of other content creators. To get 'packed' is to be flooded with rapid-fire insults so quickly that you can't even get a word in edgewise. What does 'fine shyt' mean? If someone is considered exceptionally attractive, they're 'fine shyt.' It's pretty obvious what the last word is based on, but the amended spelling and pronunciation is twofold: one, so it won't get snagged by filters on TikTok and other social media platforms, and two, so kids don't get in trouble for saying it in school or other public locations. What does 'chat' mean? 'Chat' doesn't mean what it used to — it's no longer used to refer to a casual conversation. Rather, it's used to refer to a person or group of people. It started when gaming livestreamers would address the people who had tuned into their livestream — i.e., the chat. Now, it's basically the equivalent of 'you guys' … like someone is addressing a fake audience. But you can also call a single person chat: 'You've got a test coming up, so lock in, chat.' What does 'gyatt' mean? It seems fitting to end this teen slang gallery with a pertinent word — so bringing up the rear, we have 'gyatt' … which means a nice, shapely behind.
Toronto Star
22-05-2025
- Toronto Star
Hockey Canada trial pores over NHLer's ‘lack of memory' about night of alleged sex assaults
The Oxford Dictionary defines feigning as 'the act of pretending or faking, especially with the intent to deceive.' A nicer way of saying liar-liar-pants-on-fire. It took nearly a full day of voir dire in a London, Ont., Courtroom — legal arguments betwixt the prosecution and the defence, plumbing case law and pondering as they retreated to their own corners of the ring — before Justice Maria Carroccia ruled that there was no feigning in the testimony (thus far) of a former junior hockey player called as a witness by the Crown in the trial of five former junior hockey players charged with a range of sexual assaults. And then they knocked off early. Because, you know, they have to give the next step in this interminable proceeding a good think. Basically, Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham had been vexed by the testimony of Brett Howden, a member of the 2018 world championship squad and now with the Las Vegas Golden Knights. She had sought leave under a section of the Canada Evidence Act to cross-examine Howden — her own witness. That is an infrequent but not necessarily rare strategy. Cross-examination is typically more confrontational and the domain of the defence. Howden's recollections of what happened in Room 209 in the early morning hours of June 19, 2018, were patchy in some areas and, said Cunningham, contradicted what he'd said in previous statements to investigators. 'Mr. Howden's memory loss is a feigned memory loss,' Cunningham told Carroccia in what is now a judge-alone trial, following a mistrial and a dismissed jury in the last few weeks. 'This is not a complete memory loss. He remembers some details but doesn't remember the details that are particularly damning to his friends and teammates.' Not that Howden got a complete pass from the defence, either. Itching to get their hands on him, I'd say. Megan Savard, lawyer for Carter Hart, described the witness as unsophisticated — goodness, he testified via video link from Vegas wearing a hoodie! — inarticulate and sloppy with language. But had Howden been deliberately feigning, then surely he would have tried being more efficacious towards the accused, said Savard. 'I would say, if anything, we may all say at the end of the day this witness is generally useless, but certainly not helpful to the defence.' Savard argued that, for the judge to accept that Howden is feigning memory loss would be to accept that the witness had deliberately decided to 'come to court and perjure himself for a group of men he hasn't really talked to in seven years. That's a pretty tall order.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Lisa Carnelos, representing Dillon Dubé, pointed out that the Crown had met with Howden in Calgary in preparation for trial. 'They know he has legitimate memory issues.' Carroccia: 'As opposed to feigning.' Hart, Dubé, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton and Cal Foote have all pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a then-20-year-old woman in the hotel room after meeting at a bar. Their accuser spent nine days on the witness stand — actually from another location in the courthouse — most of it under gruelling interrogation by the top-drawer D-corps. News 'My truth': What we heard from the Hockey Canada sex assault complainant in nine days of testimony The jury has heard — in graphic detail — her allegations about what took place inside a London, Ont., hotel room in 2018. News 'My truth': What we heard from the Hockey Canada sex assault complainant in nine days of testimony The jury has heard — in graphic detail — her allegations about what took place inside a London, Ont., hotel room in 2018. The complainant, known only as E.M. — her identity protected by a standard publication ban —remained adamant throughout that she'd willingly had sex only with McLeod (the first time; there was allegedly a second episode in the bathroom later) and was shocked when he surreptitiously invited teammates to the room for a 'three-way'. The experience was so devastating that E.M. detached mind from body as a coping mechanism. She conceded, however, that she'd never said 'no', never tried to leave, and made sexually enticing comments to the young men, assuming a 'porn star identity' to make it through the ordeal. But, apart from the initial episode with McLeod, it was not consensual. That's at the heart of the case. Howden, who began testifying on Tuesday, is one of four ex-teammates thus far who've been called by the Crown. In the voir dire, Cunningham has raised 18 areas where Howden's testimony was markedly different from what he'd said in 2018, 2022 and 2023 in statements to London police, investigators hired by Hockey Canada — which launched its own internal probe in 2018 — and in text messages. E.M. testified that she became obviously upset when Dubé allegedly slapped her on her naked buttocks without her consent. Howden — who was in the room but didn't participate in the alleged events — told court on Tuesday that he'd heard a slap but hadn't actually seen it. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Cunningham countered by reading a text message from Howden to teammate Taylor Raddysh in 2018, in which he wrote: 'Dude, I'm so happy I left when all the s—- went down. Haha. Man, when I was leaving, Duber was smacking this girl's ass so hard. Like, it looks like it hurt so bad.' There are, apparently, two other statements in which Howden claims to have seen the slap. But at trial, he testified he has no present memory of the smack. Cunningham also raised Howden's testimony about a phone call he'd had with Dubé in 2018, in which Dubé asked him to leave his name out when Howden was about to be questioned by Hockey Canada's investigator. Continuing, Cunningham put it to Howden that Dubé said he was 'not happy that I did that'. 'I don't remember the conversation (with Dubé),' said Howden, who couldn't even recall who'd called whom. 'I just remember being asked to leave his name out of things.' The prosecutor noted contradictions in Howden's evidence of an interaction he'd had with Formenton in the hotel room. Court has heard that E.M. had led Formenton into the bathroom to have sex more privately and Formenton said to Howden: 'Should I do this?' But Cunningham pointed to a 2018 Howden statement in which he quoted Formenton as saying: 'Will I get into trouble for this? Am I OK to do this? Am I allowed to do this?' Cunningham: 'There is a material difference between 'should I do this' versus 'will I get into trouble if I do this'. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW In 2022, Howden told Danielle Robitaille, the lawyer hired by Hockey Canada to investigate, 'I do remember seeing the smack. That was drawing a line for me to leave because I had felt uncomfortable to that point. Once I had seen that, I just wanted to be out of there.' Cunningham: 'He's clearly connecting the slap to his decision to leave.' Further, Howden testified that E.M. had been flirtatious, egging on the players to have sex with her, presenting the complainant as the instigator. Yet he didn't remember other significant details, such as E.M. allegedly weeping and others in the room saying: 'Baby, don't leave.' When court resumed Wednesday following the late lunch break, Carroccia delivered her ruling specifically on the 'feigning' submission. 'In my view, at this stage, I cannot find that Mr. Howden is feigning lack of memory or is being insincere about whether he has a recollection of his earlier statements or particulars of the events that he's being asked to describe. On more than one occasion, when given an opportunity to refresh his memory, Mr. Howden has testified that he has no present recollection but was telling the truth when he answered questions previously. He was effectively adopting his earlier statements. 'He was not apparently trying to distance himself from his earlier statements. In fact, it is apparent he had a lack of memory in relation to some areas, even in 2022 and 2023. On the totality of the evidence, I incur there is no basis that Mr. Howden is being untruthful about his lack of memory in certain details about which he has been asked and I will not make such a finding.' The matter is far from settled, though. On Thursday, Carroccia will rule on the specifics of four instances where she found inconsistencies in Howden's testimony, from the perspective of memory loss over time and discrepancies in statements. Carroccia has yet to rule on the core issue of whether Howden can be cross-examined by the Crown.
