It’s not coming home: Croatia stun England to advance to the World Cup Final

Christian Woods
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It’s not coming home: Croatia stun England to advance to the World Cup Final

A fast-starting England were run down by Croatia 2-1 in extra time last night. The Croatian team will advance to the World Cup Final, where they face France, while England will have to play off against Belgium for third.

England scored in just the fifth minute through a free kick to Kieran Tripper and dominated the first half. In the second, however, momentum began to shift as Croatia’s attack began to find its rhythm. Ivan Perisic took advantage of the swing to equalise in the 68th minute.

After regulation time scores were level so Croatia, who like to do things the hard way, were forced into their third consecutive extra time period. In the 109th minute of play Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic, virtually playing on one leg after a knee injury, scored the decider. This was the first elimination match of the tournament where Croatia has not been forced into a penalty shoot-out.

Croatia have been the surprise packet of the tournament, with their 3-0 rout of big players Argentina in the pool stages giving their profile a huge boost. They were the underdogs against England, who were better rested and had bigger names on their roster, but overcame this through sheer resilience.

France will be their World Cup Final opponent, after beating Belgium 1-0 on Tuesday night. The French team came into the tournament as one of the favourites to lift the trophy, and they have survived the carnage that saw other favourites fall to less favoured teams (like Brazil losing to Belgium, Germany’s loss to Mexico and Argentina falling to Croatia).

France are heavily favoured to win their second World Cup Final, and they will be much better rested than Croatia, having not been pushed into extra time in any of their matches. Since the end of the pool matches Croatia have played the equivalent of an extra game more than France, with the extra time added up.

France should win the World Cup Final quite comfortably, but Croatia cannot be written off – they have had their backs to the wall for a long time now, and they have so far managed to keep winning.

Emanuel Exports wants to ship stranded sheep through subsidiary

Christian Woods
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Emanuel Exports wants to ship stranded sheep through subsidiary

The livestock exporter that was at the centre of the live exports scandal is now trying to resume their exporting via a subsidiary company.

In a scandal sparked by footage that showed more than 2000 sheep die from heat stress, Emanuel Exports had its licence temporarily suspended last month. It followed a major national debate about the ethics of live exports and the current way in which the industry was operating, with Labor at one point calling for a complete ban on the practise.

Now it seems that a company known as EMS exports, functionally owned and operated by Emmanuel Exports, is trying to apply for a live export permit from the Department of Agriculture.  If successful, the sheep stranded in Australia under Emmanuel Exports can be shipped to the Middle East.

This would mean that the animals would be transported to their destination in the hottest part of summer, leading to fears that a large portion of the livestock will suffer and die on the journey.

The Al Shuwaikh, a livestock transport ship, have been anchored off the coastline for at least a week waiting for the ok to being exporting large amount of Australian sheep. The ship is now docked at Fremantle Port where materials are being taken aboard.

Graham Daws, a controversial live export leader, has also left Emmanuel Exports’ board of directors. However, Mr Daws remains a shareholder in the company.

The company is now headed by his son, Nicholas Daws, who has so far declined to comment on the development.

It is speculated that at around 45,000 of 60,000 sheep that were set to leave the port of Fremantle would be transported to Qatar if EMS exports is granted a permit by the Department of Agriculture.

The remainder of the sheep would follow on a second shipment.

The reduction in numbers transported reflects the recommendations of the veterinarian who audited the live export industry. The review recommended that there was increased space for sheep and that there should be a reduction in transported numbers during the hottest parts of summer.

The Department of Agriculture confirmed that it was aware of the exporter’s intention to continue exporting livestock to the Middle East. It said that the application would be assessed on how well the exporter was following the new industry guidelines.

A good look at the many applications for artist canvas

Ken Isangar
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A good look at the many applications for artist canvas

Most people do not realise it, but there are different kinds of canvases that you can use for your art. Not every canvas is the same, and few artists and designers can ascertain the various quality of the material and how they react to certain types of paint. Some of them may absorb colour more readily while others do not. In any case, you would want to start out with the right material from the beginning as it no doubt helps with the result.

So how do you determine what type of canvas to use?

When it comes to canvas, there are three things that you would generally want to consider:

  • type of fabric used
  • the weight of the fabric
  • weave

Choosing the right fabric for your canvas

Linen and cotton are two of the most popular type of fabric used. Which material you choose ultimately depends on your requirements and are well worth considering.

Linen has a more lustrous finish thanks to its fine threads held together by shorter weaves. Hence canvas made from linen is suitable for paintings with intricate details that can otherwise be disrupted by rough textures. Cotton, on the other hand, is more affordable and comes in several grades. Budget canvas which is popular among art students often have lighter and thicker threads and protected by only a few coats of primer.

The weight of the canvas – why it matters?

Before you buy artists canvas, it is essential to consider its’ weight for one reason. The heavier the material, the sturdier it is, and while paintings are not usually subjected to abuse during creation and while on display, the edges surrounding the material are always under tension. This is an essential factor to consider especially if you are doing a large painting which means there can be a lot of pressure acting on every fibre of the material. Thus you would want to consider getting a stronger canvas for added durability.

Another factor to consider when working with stretched canvas is that there are variations on the dimensions of the stretcher bars that the material is affixed to as well as how the material wraps around the bars. If you have no plans to frame your work, then you can get one with broader edges which can make your work more appealing as well as set up dimensions that are more substantial. Still, these all boil down to personal preferences.

The weave of the fabric

Less expensive varieties of canvas often have narrow stretchers and coarser weaves.  If you must go with the latter, make sure that the canvas has been stretched correctly and that the threads are parallel with no apparent distortions. Also, check that the cloth is correctly folded around the edges and firmly attached. You would not want them falling off especially when you are in the middle of creating your masterpiece.

Check that the primer is appropriately and equally applied throughout the sheet and that you do not see any raw fibres exposed. Keep in mind that absorbency of the material depends on how well it is primed and not so much the type of material. Untreated canvas is the most absorbent and suitable when working with acrylics. Alternatively, you can also use a cloth treated with absorbent grounds that protects the material while pulling paint from the surface. Regular primers, on the other hand, protects the surface of the canvas and enables pigments to stick instead of getting soaked into the fibres.

Conclusion

So there you have it — a few important things to consider when deciding on the right type of canvas to use. You can start out with something cheap as long as it is neatly made. You can then branch out to thicker varieties and finer weaves if only to experiment with the differences in texture and aesthetics.

Finding the right artist canvas to use is a balance between expense and the quality of the material which is often a matter of personal preference. Most artists start with cotton canvas with a relatively firm weave but also take the time to experiment with other varieties especially when you can get them for a bargain.

5 steps to write effective academic essays

Mike Smith
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5 steps to write effective academic essays

Essay writing is an academic skill that most students have had to encounter at one point or another. Whether you were first introduced in primary school or high school, you have no doubt dreaded being assigned a lengthy essay to write.

Fortunately, essay writing doesn’t need to be difficult as long as you break it down into a simple, step-by-step process. You’ll be surprised at just how easy it can be to structure and write an essay when you follow this basic formula.

The following tips will give you a great starting point from which you will be able to write highly persuasive academic essays.

Step 1: What is the essay asking you to do?

The first step in writing an effective essay is figuring out what exactly the task is asking of you. An essay is essentially a highly structured argument that attempts to persuade the reader to a certain point of view.

So, your task in the majority of essay questions is to convince the reader of a particular position. For example, if a question asks you ‘what is this extent that A has influenced B’ then your argument needs to lay out what the influence of A on B was and how it occurred.

Step 2: Prepare your evidence

Young woman and man studying for a test/ an exam. Tutor books with friends. Young students campus helps friend catching up and learning. People learning education and school concept
Photo: Snowing, Bigstock

The next step is to take the assertion of your essay and find evidence to support it. For preparing all evidences this is recommended webpage. All of your arguments should have evidence to support them and be self-contained in their own paragraphs.

You should bookend your essay with your best arguments so that the reader starts and finishes reading with your best points fresh in their mind. Be prepared to cut weaker arguments to make room for your strongest ones.

You essay should be concise and your arguments obviously shouldn’t contradict each other. You need to be clear that each piece of evidence supports the same conclusion.

Step 3: Write your arguments

Now it’s time to write the main body of your essay where you will lay out the evidence for your argument and explain its significance. This is where you need to be highly persuasive and convince the reader of your argument.

A good format to follow for structuring your main body paragraphs is the S.E.X structure:

Statement – The argument the paragraph is making.

Evidence – The proof that supports your argument.

Xplanation – The explanation of how your evidence proves the argument.

Use this structure for each of your supporting arguments and make sure that they all connect to your original assertion.

Step 4: Write your introduction

While it may sound counter-intuitive, it’s actually a good idea to write your introduction after your main body. Why? Because your introduction needs to give a brief summary of the arguments that the essay is going to put forward.

It might be a good idea to start your essay with a quote or anecdote; something powerful that engages the reader and teases their interest in the subject matter. Don’t spend too much time here, however, as you don’t want to bore the reader with non-relevant babble.

Your introduction needs to state the essay question clearly and then present your argument. You should then give a brief overview of the kind of evidence you will present and why you think it supports the assertion of your essay.

This video does a great job of explaining how to write your introduction:

Step 5: Write your conclusion

Your conclusion is arguably the most important part of an effective essay as this is where you hammer home the argument in the mind of the reader. This is where all of your most persuasive language should be used and where your most profound insights should be put on display.

Start of by reasserting the essay question, and then recap on all of the arguments that you made. You should briefly reiterate the conclusion of each argument and why they all support you original assertion.

You should then end the essay with a strong, authoritative statement about your findings. This last statement should encapsulate your argument and burn it into the mind of the reader so that they walk away still thinking about it.

Ultimately, essay writing is only as hard as the argument is to prove. This is why, as a student, you should always take advantage of tasks where you are invited to construct your own essay question as you can make it easier for yourself by choosing something that you are confident you can argue effectively.

NSW seek State of Origin whitewash

Christian Woods
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NSW seek State of Origin whitewash

After victories in games 1 and 2, NSW will go into tonight’s Suncorp clash full of confidence that they can achieve a 3-0 State of Origin whitewash. Queensland, on the other hand, appear to be a team in turmoil with a new halves combination coming in and Billy Slater captaining his state for the first time, in his final game.

The Blues have jumped on the opportunity afforded to them through the retirements of Jonathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith to blood new talent (12 so far this series, with Tariq Sims set be lucky number 13 tonight) and seize the shield for 2018. The last time NSW were on the winning end of a State of Origin whitewash was in 2000, when current coach Brad Fittler was the Blues captain.

Queensland will be desperate to preserve their pride at home and send out Billy Slater on a win. Their backs are against the wall and all the odds are stacked against them, but in front of a home crowd and with the motivation of trying to send out a legend with a win they have a chance.

Queensland have made three changes for this game, with Corey Oates coming on to the wing to push Dane Gagai into the centres, replacing the injured Greg Inglis, while Tim Glasby replaces Dylan Napa. Kalyn Ponga is also injured and Ben Hunt is moving from halfback to cover his bench utility spot, with Daly Cherry-Evans returning to the side in the halves.

NSW will make only the one change, with Tariq Sims replacing Matt Prior in the team and Paul Vaughan moving into the run on side. Tonight should see Nathan Cleary taking more control of the match, rather than NSW being the James Maloney show, but the master will be there in support if needed.

Tonight looks set to be a great game, and with the series already decided hopefully both teams will be more willing to take risks and play a more open game. There is only one question left: can NSW achieve their first State of Origin whitewash in 18 years?

Pauline Hanson eager to draft Mark Latham as he considers a return to politics

Zac Fyffe
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Pauline Hanson eager to draft Mark Latham as he considers a return to politics

Mark Latham is considering a return to politics saying that the public is ‘urging’ him to and Pauline Hanson is keen for him to join One Nation.

Former Opposition leader Mark Latham is currently weighing up a return to politics but is unsure which party he wants to represent.

Latham was exiled from the Labor party after quitting following the party’s unsuccessful election campaign against John Howard in 2004.

He was joined on Sky News by Pauline Hanson on Monday night and discussed a potential return to politics but was unsure which party would be the best fit, despite Hanson’s best efforts.

“I’ve not made a decision…I get people urging me” said Latham, citing that people believe that Australia has gone crazy and regularly question what has happened to the nation asking him to “get in and do something”.

Pauline Hanson was eager to put in her persuasive words saying “that I’d be quite happy to have him on board”.

Latham voiced a pre-recorded message for the One Nation party in preparation for the by-election in Longman, Queensland. In the message, Mr. Latham warns against trusting the Labor party, something that Senator for the Liberal Democrats David Leyonhjelm said came as a surprise.

Mr. Leyonhjelm also said that he had been in contact with Mr. Latham over a return to politics but noted that it is not just Mr. Latham’s choice as he also has a wife and children to worry about.

In light of Mr. Latham’s potential return to politics, Labor has spoken out and made clear that they are unwilling to take their former leader back. Current Labor leader Bill Shorten said that the voice over for One Nation was simply a sideshow and that Mr. Latham would go down as “one of the greater Labor rats of history.

One potential option that Mark Latham proposed was combining a few minor parties together and joining them in an attempt to strengthen democracy. He stated that these minor parties are currently “not doing the job.”

Mr. Latham cited that he believed that the minor parties do receive substantial support and that “people are crying out to make Australian politics more competitive.”

Many of Australia’s current politicians have come out and said that this idea from Latham would be a challenging one as many of the minority parties in Australia support significantly different views.

13 of the best article submission websites for SEO

Mike Smith
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13 of the best article submission websites for SEO

Content is the heart of marketing today. Without a strong quality content, it is next to impossible to draw people’s attention no matter what your product is or the SEO efforts you put in. ideally, SEO is supposed to complement your ideas and content so that SEO tools like the SERPbook will evaluate your content and improve the keyword and website ranking results on search engines.

The only sure way to get more traffic is by enhancing your blog quality, basically the content you share, and then optimizing it to befit your target group before promoting it on different platforms.

Article submission, the most effective off-page SEO techniques, plays a very important role to improve your website ranking and increase your traffic day by day. Read on for the best article submission websites for SEO:

EzineArticles.com

This website is a free-to-use comprehensive source of articles available for audiences that have a liking for reading online. This site gives you the ability to add two text links per as well as give you a substantial audience for your content for the high PageRank among article submission websites, making the website popular for content publishing and marketing activities.

Its searchable database of hundreds of thousands of quality original articles, posted by Expert Authors & Writers, allows email newsletter publishers who are hungry for fresh content to find articles to include in their next newsletter. Be sure to follow the provided guidelines as this site tends to be very strict on content types being published.

iSnare.com

It is a free articles and press release distribution portal. The iSnare.com is not entirely free, and at a small fee, you get to publish your content in more than 2000 web pages. Although publishing your content here might take long, the more credits you buy, the cheaper this article submission service becomes.

ArticlesBase.com

This website has a PageRank of 6, assuring you of a good articles base allowing you to freely upload your content, working in the same way as ezineArticles.com.

Goarticles.info

This is a premium article submission website with instant approval. The site allows you to publish your content online to multiple sites and harbors a well-maintained list of articles with many categories which makes this site very interesting to use.

Sites.google.com

This site is one of the best mediums of link building that is offered by Google. It serves a page creation tool that lets you add content and substance to your blog, without paying any fee.

The great thing about this site is that it is ranked highest and is affiliated to Google, which maximizes your chances of ranking top in Google search engine. Even though Google will index and include your articles in searches within a few days, your content must be strategically aligned with the appropriate keyword reach for the right searchers to find you.

HubPages.com

This website lets you create a hub for your niche while uploading articles for free. Hubs are basically themes or topics based on what you upload, as regards your content, from time to time.

eHow.com

This is another free-to-use website that uniquely requires you to provide content in the form of how-to articles, which can be a restriction if your articles are not angles in that sense. Even so, remember that the website already has over a million articles online, which really is a good audience-base for your content.

Myarticle.com

This website houses a number of topics and this means that your content will have greater room for acceptance, and better still, allows you to upload your content online for free.

Articlebiz.com

This is one of the most celebrated free sites among authors and readers alike and is similar to myarticle.com.

SearchWarp.com

This site has a high PageRank with an added advantage that allows the adding of up to 3 text links for each page you upload to the directory. This makes it one of the top article submission websites you can use, conveniently so, for free.

ArticleRich.com

If you have a budget for article submission marketing, this website is what you need. The site provides you with a significant amount of exposure for your articles, along with a range of features related to article marketing.

Storify.com

This site allows you to comfortably combine articles, make a point or focus on one topic, for users and readers alike. Additionally, storify.com gives you the tools to create the best evergreen and live blog stories, uniting traditional storytelling with engaged audiences.

BestInAu.com.au

This website is focused on bringing news about a variety of topical subjects related to business, technology, home and improvement, and others. It is a certified Google News blog. Articles published on this website are indexed within a few seconds by Google. The traffic from BestInAu is higher than from an ordinary blog. Publishing an article require to strictly follow the guidance. Each article is carefully checked for the quality and reliability.  

Unquestionably, article submission is an excellent marketing tool for your website’s content. If your articles are enough good and being chosen by website owners to post in their blogs, this automatically creates a viral effect for your article content improving your online visibility. Now that you have amazing go-to sites for uploading your articles to complement your digital marketing plan, submit article links to as many websites as possible.

Fears for security as Huawei wins $136m Perth trains telco contract

Christian Woods
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Fears for security as Huawei wins $136m Perth trains telco contract

Huawei, a controversial Chinese organisation, has been given a $136 million telco contract by the Western Australian government raising security concerns.

The company is currently in a joint operation with UGL to construct a 4G communication system for voice and digital services on trains in Perth, including as part of the still-under-construction Forrestfield Airport Link.

Mike Nahan, the WA Opposition leader, said that the deal raised “serious strategic issues”.

Dr Nahan said that the primary security concern was the fact that the project would be integrated alongside data from emergency services in a facility under the operation of Huawei.

Australian intelligence agencies and some in politics have historically demonstrated concern about Huawei technology being used to access infrastructure in Australia.

Some in the intelligence community have said that Huawei is a cyber espionage risk and that is why the company will be barred from contributing to the construction of the 5G network. A decision regarding the banning of certain companies from participating in the 5G network is expected soon.

Dr Nahan went on to say that the contract should have been given to local providers and that he believes Huawei wont the contract simply because they were the cheapest, regardless of security concerns.

Huawei issued a statement reminding Australians that it had provided communications technology safely for our emergency services for “over a decade”.

The company also said that more than 50 WA people would be employed over the course of the contract’s design and building periods.

Mack McGowan, WA Premier, said that he did not foresee any security issues with the deal and accused the Opposition of politicising the issue.  He said that the security advice, from Federal agencies, was presented to the State Opposition so that they had no excuse as to why they were making it an issue now.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull later confirmed that Mr McGowan’s government had sought advice from the Department of Home Affairs.

4 Thai boys rescued following weather delays

Daniel Baguley
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4 Thai boys rescued following weather delays

A soccer team in Thailand has become trapped in the Luang Cave in Thailand. Reports indicate that the team entered the cave as a rite of passage for the team to mark their names in the cave. Extreme rainfall along with the change in weather forced the team deeper into the cave where they have remained trapped.

On Sunday 4 boys have been rescued from the cave and were taken to the hospital. They are all safe according to former governor, Narongsak Osottanakorn, who led the rescue operation from the beginning.

The families of the boys trapped gave the green light on the rescue operation knowing full and well the possible outcome that could emerge. Helicopters and ambulances waited by the cave to take the survivors to the hospital. The cave is dark, cold and due to rising water levels the team faces being drowned. Trained divers were given the job of transporting oxygen tanks.

A Thai Navy Seal diver passed away trying to transport oxygen to those who were trapped. Petty Officer Saman, 38, lost consciousness on his way back from transporting the oxygen tanks. His diving partner performed CPR on him but was unable to revive his partner.

With extreme weather warnings and heavy rainfall coming in the rescue operation was postponed until the conditions cleared up and no other divers would be put in such a risky situation. However as of now the operation has continued as the weather has cleared up. The trained NAVY seal divers are working in pairs to extract each child to ensure that the procedure is carried out in the safest way possible.

As of right now there are still 8 more boys and their coach awaiting to be rescued.

Unlock your taste buds with basil pesto gnocchi

Mike Smith
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Unlock your taste buds with basil pesto gnocchi

Growing up in an Italian household I have been infatuated with all things pasta. The stand out dish that is my always go to meal at restaurants would have to be gnocchi. While seen as a delicacy, it can be made at home and with some practice can taste even better. Gnocchi can be served with many different sauces but it is mostly served in Italy with a vegetarian pesto base.

According to Hello Fresh, vegetarianism has a long history as seen with the Hello Fresh timeline. It eventually found its way into Australia during the early naughties. So I thought I’d keep it traditional by making my own vegetarian gnocchi. To start with you will want to start on the gnocchi as it can take some time to cook. Start by peeling 4 potatoes and boiling them to make mashed potato.

While they are boiling you can start on the pesto sauce. A food processor will be your friend here, otherwise a mortar and pestle will also get the job one. Start it of by crushing/processing 2 cups of fresh basil leaves. Add once done add in a quarter cup of pine nuts. Once those two ingredients are processed add in half cup of parmesan, half of olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic. This will be the sauce for your gnocchi so place it to the side until the gnocchi is complete.

By this time the potatoes should have cooked. Drain the excess water and mash them into a separate bowl. You want to add one egg along with flour in increments starting with 1 cup, then half a cup and then half a cup again. Carefully mixing the ingredients together as the potatoes will still be hot. My recommendation would be to use a wooden spoon. Add a handful of parmesan cheese along with some salt and pepper to complete the dough process.

Cut the dough into four pieces and kneed them individually. After a considerable amount roll it into a long snake like shape and use a fork to cut it into smaller cube like pieces. This part will be the most time consuming so it is recommended having some music on to help the time fly past. Once you have cut the smaller pieces off the long “snake” use a fork to groove the gnocchi and give it a better shape. After you have cut and forked every individual piece you want to bring some more water to boil.

Place the gnocchi pieces in the water to make sure that they aren’t touching to avoid overcrowding and the gnocchi from clumping together. You will more than likely have to do more than one set of cooking them. Place the cooked gnocchi on a plate covered with alfoil to keep them warm.

Once all of pieces are cooked, place the gnocchi and the pesto into a serving dish and serve with parmesan cheese and garnish with salt and pepper. Perfecting the method does take time but don’t be afraid to try it out with different sauces and experience the joy of Italian food yourself!

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