Latest news with #Wilding
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Could this be the new world's best business class? A resounding yes
The seat Standing ovation, gold medal, this cloud-like flat bed with quilted topper and fluffy 400-thread-count duvet is a sky cocoon. There are 45 Aria Suites in a 1-2-1, herringbone pattern divided between a forward and rear cabin and three dedicated bathrooms. The seats themselves are 21 inches (53.3 centimetres) wide, with a pitch of 43 inches (109.2 centimetres), and 75 inches (190.5 centimetres) long when flat. Every whisker of space is working hard; an armrest flattens, widening the bed at the shoulder, the foot well accommodates knees-bent side sleepers, and a shoulder-high sliding door provides privacy. Leather-clad headrests and oyster hues add to the premium hotel feel. Entertainment + tech Woah, now that's a screen, 24 inches (60.96 centimetres) of 4K ultra-high-definition awesomeness. There's even a dedicated 4K movie category and I go into a short-list frenzy, covering all bases with the realistic bloodbath of Gladiator II and more sedate Wilding with phenomenal macro nature images. There's Bluetooth for personal earphones, an in-table phone charger (the USB-A and USB-C charging ports are faster) and I develop a design crush on the innovative inbuilt control panel and screen app for checking lavatory status. Micro details like the light diffuser (but why no spot lamp for reading?) and the cubby's non-slip pad for potentially sliding items whisper quiet luxury. Service A passing staff member responds to a seat belt adjustment request with 'I'll be right back!' and disappears into the void. I press the call button to un-Japanese the TV language and end up waving at a crew member like I'm hailing a taxi. In the witching hours, I do a second call button test (for a hot chocolate) and a crew member appears within milliseconds – a more accurate depiction of the engaging and professional crew's famous standards. The full cabin of first-time Aria guests unfamiliar with the suites (it's also most of the crew's first Aria flight, one confides, making me immediately empathetic), means initially the five crew are simply run off their feet with questions. Cathay Pacific, do your exceptional staff a favour and add a sixth member until Aria-frenzy settles. Food Food is a highlight – a prawn amuse bouche is followed by a silky zucchini soup with deliciously crunchy croutons and tender braised chicken with mushrooms and bamboo shoots in oyster sauce. Sustainability Cathay Pacific aims for zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has been a pioneer of sustainable aviation fuel, co-initiating the Hong Kong Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition. One more thing The business class galley features artwork, a mindscape by Hong Kong artist Victor Wong (of the Gallery in the Skies program), an unexpected cultural nod. The price Loading Return business class tickets (all business cabins are priced the same, including those with Aria Suites) from London to Sydney via Hong Kong are from $9700 The verdict Could this be the best business class in the skies? A resounding yes. Famed for its design savvy legacy, Cathay has knocked the ball out of the stratosphere with thoughtful technology and style, deservedly the winner of best new business class at TheDesignAir Awards. The last airline to sport such innovation was the Finnair business seat, but the bonuses of privacy doors and exemplary staff in the air and in the stellar lounges make Cathay Pacific the one to beat.
The Age
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Could this be the new world's best business class? A resounding yes
The seat Standing ovation, gold medal, this cloud-like flat bed with quilted topper and fluffy 400-thread-count duvet is a sky cocoon. There are 45 Aria Suites in a 1-2-1, herringbone pattern divided between a forward and rear cabin and three dedicated bathrooms. The seats themselves are 21 inches (53.3 centimetres) wide, with a pitch of 43 inches (109.2 centimetres), and 75 inches (190.5 centimetres) long when flat. Every whisker of space is working hard; an armrest flattens, widening the bed at the shoulder, the foot well accommodates knees-bent side sleepers, and a shoulder-high sliding door provides privacy. Leather-clad headrests and oyster hues add to the premium hotel feel. Entertainment + tech Woah, now that's a screen, 24 inches (60.96 centimetres) of 4K ultra-high-definition awesomeness. There's even a dedicated 4K movie category and I go into a short-list frenzy, covering all bases with the realistic bloodbath of Gladiator II and more sedate Wilding with phenomenal macro nature images. There's Bluetooth for personal earphones, an in-table phone charger (the USB-A and USB-C charging ports are faster) and I develop a design crush on the innovative inbuilt control panel and screen app for checking lavatory status. Micro details like the light diffuser (but why no spot lamp for reading?) and the cubby's non-slip pad for potentially sliding items whisper quiet luxury. Service A passing staff member responds to a seat belt adjustment request with 'I'll be right back!' and disappears into the void. I press the call button to un-Japanese the TV language and end up waving at a crew member like I'm hailing a taxi. In the witching hours, I do a second call button test (for a hot chocolate) and a crew member appears within milliseconds – a more accurate depiction of the engaging and professional crew's famous standards. The full cabin of first-time Aria guests unfamiliar with the suites (it's also most of the crew's first Aria flight, one confides, making me immediately empathetic), means initially the five crew are simply run off their feet with questions. Cathay Pacific, do your exceptional staff a favour and add a sixth member until Aria-frenzy settles. Food Food is a highlight – a prawn amuse bouche is followed by a silky zucchini soup with deliciously crunchy croutons and tender braised chicken with mushrooms and bamboo shoots in oyster sauce. Sustainability Cathay Pacific aims for zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has been a pioneer of sustainable aviation fuel, co-initiating the Hong Kong Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition. One more thing The business class galley features artwork, a mindscape by Hong Kong artist Victor Wong (of the Gallery in the Skies program), an unexpected cultural nod. The price Loading Return business class tickets (all business cabins are priced the same, including those with Aria Suites) from London to Sydney via Hong Kong are from $9700 The verdict Could this be the best business class in the skies? A resounding yes. Famed for its design savvy legacy, Cathay has knocked the ball out of the stratosphere with thoughtful technology and style, deservedly the winner of best new business class at TheDesignAir Awards. The last airline to sport such innovation was the Finnair business seat, but the bonuses of privacy doors and exemplary staff in the air and in the stellar lounges make Cathay Pacific the one to beat.
Business Insider
27-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
You need a 'resentment audit' to help set healthy boundaries at work, says this executive coach
If you want to improve your ability to set boundaries at work, you should try a "resentment audit." Melody Wilding, an executive coach and author of "Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge, told Business Insider that feeling resentment in the workplace is a "good emotional signal that you've let something go on for too long." A resentment audit is figuring out what areas you feel you're carrying all the burden, Wilding said. Your emotions can be a good indicator in these situations, she said. "It's like being the consummate gold-star student in the group project in school who's the only one carrying everybody else's weight," she said. "That is a good sign that you need to reset some of those dynamics." Starting is the hardest part Setting that first boundary, though, can be tricky, especially in a time of layoffs and restructurings. Wilding has had clients who told her they thought they were doing the right thing by working overtime and handling dozens of projects outside their job requirements — only to be told at their performance review they were struggling to balance all their commitments. One client described themselves as "the spray foam" filling in "all the cracks for everyone else" around them. "We may think we're doing the right thing, but in actuality it can create this perception that we don't know how to manage our time, that we are not leadership material," Wilding said. "And that's the ultimate punch in the gut." Rather than moving up, people get stuck because so many others in the company are overly dependent on them, she said. "Of course it leads to more resentment, it leads to burnout, exhaustion, and it becomes this vicious cycle." Do it for your future self The feeling of someone pushing back on our boundaries also runs along the same pathways in the brain as physical pain, Wilding said. "If you are someone who has been overly accommodating for a long time, it's going to feel really uncomfortable to put up boundaries. You're going to feel guilty, you're going to feel as if I'm doing something bad." That's just your brain tricking you, in Wilding's view. When sitting in this discomfort, she recommends asking yourself what your future self will thank you for. "Three months from now, I'm going to be really happy I didn't commit to this three-day retreat with my team, even if I feel a bit bad in the moment," she said. Boundaries lie on a spectrum. Some are rigid, like a fence or a wall with no holes in it — "nothing can get in, but nothing can get out either," Wilding said. On the opposite end are very porous boundaries that have huge gaps allowing anything to get in and out. "Healthy boundaries are right in the middle where we have certain non-negotiables or limits that we want to stand firm on," Wilding said. "But you're willing to be responsive to the moment, to the person, to the situation, and the circumstances of that request." You're not being too accommodating or too uncompromising, and "striking that sort of Goldilocks right in the middle," she said. Boundaries can boost productivity A good first boundary to put in place can be to protect your focus time, Wilding said, "instead of just yet another meeting or yet another check-in." "You can be more specific with your status updates on Slack or Teams to give people an expectation of what you're doing and when you'll be back," she said. "Say, 'I'm heads down in the budget until 2 p.m. and will respond to messages after that'." Frame it in terms of what's in it for them, Wilding added, rather than asking permission. "Going forward, I will be blocking out two hours each week on Friday in order to work on this project that I know is important to our Q3 goals," Wilding suggested. "Set them in the affirmative, so basically say what you can do, versus what you won't do." There's a good business case for a culture where boundaries are celebrated, because when people are focused on the right things, that leads to higher quality output, Wilding said. People aren't burning out or going on medical leave so much. "You're going to get higher productivity out of them, and they're more likely to stay longer, they're more likely to talk positively about the company," Wilding said. "It creates this virtuous cycle rather than a vicious cycle."
ITV News
07-05-2025
- ITV News
Barrister says crimes of previous Asian grooming gangs not relevant to trial of seven men
The crimes of 'Asian grooming gangs' in Rochdale was not relevant to the cases of seven men on trial accused of historical child sexual exploitation in the town, jurors have been told. The defendants deny various alleged sexual offences said to have been committed against two teenage girls between 2001 and 2006. On Wednesday 7 May, Lisa Wilding KC, representing Mohammed Zahid – one of those accused – told the jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that they must approach the case 'with a surgeon's precision' and solely on the evidence heard in the courtroom. In her closing speech, she said: 'You have been told by the prosecution of the unhappy fate of Rochdale and that its name is now not synonymous with the great achievements of the Industrial Revolution but with the widespread publicity that has arisen from the prosecution of men, of what has become known as Asian grooming gangs. 'It is a fact that others have been convicted of criminal activity, more widely arising from criminal activity in Rochdale.' Other men had also been convicted of crimes against one of the two complainants, Girl A, she said. Ms Wilding said: 'But it's very important you must approach this case with a surgeon's precision. The fact that other men have committed crimes is not relevant to your determination as to whether these men have committed crimes. 'You must decide this case against each defendant on the evidence you have heard in this courtroom – not on anything outside, not on anything that has gone on before.' The barrister said to jurors they 'may easily conclude' Girl A and Girl B were 'vulnerable young girls' who had told them from the witness box they had been abused by others, 'many others' in the case of Girl A and earlier when she was 'really young' in the case of Girl B. Ms Wilding said: 'It is not enough that (Girl A) and (Girl B) were vulnerable young women. That alone does not make any defendant guilty.' Former market trader Zahid, 64, of Station Road, Crumpsall, Manchester, is alleged to have raped both girls. Ms Wilding said he denied any sexual activity with either of the complainants. He denied ever meeting Girl B, or knowingly doing so, and denied everything she alleged whether it was sex in the basement of a clothing shop, in a flat, in a house or elsewhere. Ms Wilding said Zahid accepted he knew Girl A, but said sexual activity did not take place between them. The other defendants on trial are Naheem Akram, 48, of Manley, Road, Rochdale; Mohammed Shahzad, 44,of Beswicke Royds Street, Rochdale; Nisar Hussain, 41, of Newfield Close, Rochdale; Roheez Khan, 39, of Athole Street, Rochdale; Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, of Corona Avenue, Oldham; and Kasir Bashir, 50, of Napier Street East, Oldham. Earlier, prosecutor Rossano Scamardella KC told the jury the testimony of the complainants was 'compelling'. He said: 'They are telling the truth and in telling the truth they had to have courage to come to court and give evidence, which they did for days on end. 'Their bravery shown giving evidence puts their abusers to shame.'Both had their lives destroyed by these men and others like them. They both endured years of misery being sexually abused by almost every man with which they came into contact. "Despite that they both gave evidence with dignity.'It was ruthless abuse of imbalance of power for instant sexual gratification. Each of these men only thought of themselves. "They cared not for their victims. They discarded them like rubbish once they had what they wanted.' He added the abuse had taken place 'under the noses of social workers and others who should have done far more to protect them'.
ITV News
04-05-2025
- General
- ITV News
Second World War veterans to join the King for VE Day tea party
Second World War veterans, aged from 98 to 104 years old, are to meet the King at a Buckingham Palace tea party in a special event to help mark VE Day, the Royal British Legion has said. A 98-year-old former prisoner of war, a 99-year-old who served in the Desert Rats and took part in the D-Day landings and a 100-year-old woman who worked in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), known as Churchill's Secret Army, are among 30 veteran guests of honour, according to the Royal British Legion (RBL), who helped organise the event. They will have prime spots to watch the military parade and flypast in central London as the nation's VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations begin on Monday. RBL director general Mark Atkinson said the charity was 'proud' to be taking a place 'at the heart of these national celebrations and commemorations as this really will be one of our last opportunities as a nation to pay tribute to those veterans still with us today'. British and Commonwealth armed forces veterans from the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force, plus Wrens, Special Operations Executives, D-Day veterans and Desert Rats are among those who are attending the tea party with Charles and other members of the royal family. They will be joined by veterans who were still in active conflict in other parts of the world after VE Day and people who contributed to the war effort on the home front, plus their families and carers. Evacuees are also among some of the other 20 Second World War generation guests who are set to attend. It will be a return to Buckingham Palace for Joyce Wilding, 100, and Ruth Bourne, 98, who was a Wren at Bletchley Park where Nazi messages were intercepted. They were both in the huge crowds outside Buckingham Palace 80 years ago that celebrated VE Day in 1945. Ms Wilding enlisted at the age of 18 in to the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), worked in the SOE, transported forged documents and helped agents behind enemy lines. Ms Wilding, who recalls VE Day as being filled with joy and celebration, said: 'We went to Piccadilly where there was a stream of people singing and dancing. We joined a crocodile and did the Palais Glide down Piccadilly. 'There were soldiers up lampposts, it was extraordinary. We were outside Buckingham Palace and you could hardly move there were so many people cheering and singing.' Olga Hopkins, 99, is also among the 10 female veterans who served as codebreakers, drivers and mechanics that are looking forward to the tea party. She remembers hearing about VE Day as she was lying in bed in a Nissen Hut and listening to the American Forces Network radio. Ms Hopkins, who was a wireless mechanic in the WAAF, said: 'Suddenly the programme was interrupted by a tannoy announcement saying, 'The war is over. The war is over. It's been signed'. 'We all jumped out of bed and put our battledress on over our pyjamas. 'We went to the sergeant's mess where there was a party going on, so we joined in. 'I remember me and some other girls singing the Cole Porter song Don't Fence Me In, and I had a whale of a time.' Gilbert Clarke, 98, who was in Jamaica in 1943 when he lied about his age to respond to a call to join the RAF, is also among the guests. Within days Mr Clarke was kitted out, receiving basic training and being sent on a troop-carrying ship to Britain via the United States, the RBL said. He eventually arrived in Britain in 1944, despite German U-boat-launched torpedo attacks which hit several ships that were travelling alongside his on the route. D-Day veteran Bernard Morgan, 101, is also looking forward to the tea party. He was a codebreaker during the war using equipment that was so sensitive he could not risk it being captured by the enemy. Two days before VE Day, he received a telex to say 'German war now over, surrender effective sometime tomorrow' but kept it secret. Another veteran guest is Norman Trickett, 98, who joined the Army aged 18, was captured by Germans at the beginning of May 1945 leading an advance scouting patrol, and ended the war as a prisoner in Bremerhaven. He was also part of the D-Day landings and served at Arnhem, helping airborne troops beat back German counter-attacks. Alan Kennett, 100, who was in the RAF with the Mustang Squadron and was in Celle near Belsen on VE Day, said he was 'honoured' to be the procession torch bearer on Monday. Mr Atkinson added: 'To think that in 1945, after six years of devastating war, they were rejoicing that VE Day had finally come – and here they are now, 80 years later, proudly meeting our patron the King and Queen on this very special day. 'We owe them, and the entire Second World War generation, our eternal thanks and gratitude.'
