Latest news with #M2
The Age
a day ago
- Business
- The Age
A new Metro and a huge bus route overhaul start today. Here's what you need to know
The most significant shake-up of the city's bus network in years takes effect from Monday, with more than 150 routes changing and a new Metro route starting. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has described the latest update to the $1.5 billion Brisbane Metro and the new routes as the biggest improvement to Brisbane's bus services in decades. Inspired by world-class networks, the new system will add 160,000 services per year, with Brisbane City Council hoping faster and more reliable trips will support the city's increasing population. Growing pains are already being felt, with many commuters angry at the changes. Some were shocked to discover they would have to change buses midway through their journey. Others may lose their service entirely. One example was the 175 service, which no longer stops at the Mater Hill station on the South East Busway. Corrine McMillan, the state Labor MP for Mansfield, said scrapping routes left her community without alternatives as they were far from train lines. LNP councillor Ryan Murphy, formerly the council's transport chair, has conceded about 15 per cent of bus trips will take longer than they previously did. The changes As of Monday, the Brisbane Metro will run between Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street. Following the introduction of the M2 earlier this year, the council said total Metro capacity would be nearly 20 million trips per year.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
A new Metro and a huge bus route overhaul start today. Here's what you need to know
The most significant shake-up of the city's bus network in years takes effect from Monday, with more than 150 routes changing and a new Metro route starting. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has described the latest update to the $1.5 billion Brisbane Metro and the new routes as the biggest improvement to Brisbane's bus services in decades. Inspired by world-class networks, the new system will add 160,000 services per year, with Brisbane City Council hoping faster and more reliable trips will support the city's increasing population. Growing pains are already being felt, with many commuters angry at the changes. Some were shocked to discover they would have to change buses midway through their journey. Others may lose their service entirely. One example was the 175 service, which no longer stops at the Mater Hill station on the South East Busway. Corrine McMillan, the state Labor MP for Mansfield, said scrapping routes left her community without alternatives as they were far from train lines. LNP councillor Ryan Murphy, formerly the council's transport chair, has conceded about 15 per cent of bus trips will take longer than they previously did. The changes As of Monday, the Brisbane Metro will run between Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street. Following the introduction of the M2 earlier this year, the council said total Metro capacity would be nearly 20 million trips per year.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
We're a real gypsy family of 29 people – traditions people don't know including why we jump over brooms & burn caravans
A FAMILY of Romani Gypsies have lifted the lid on their 'proud' traditions, busting myths peddled by TV shows and revealing how life revolves around food, family - and bleach. The family of 15 adults and 14 children, who have established a permanent camp at the disused Wigmore Coach Park off the M2 in Kent, said misconceptions thanks to shows like My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding often paint them in an unfavourable light. 17 17 17 Oldy Herring - who is now the elder of the family unit at 67 but was once the youngest - and his wife Tina say 'nonsense' fake traditions such as 'grabbing' at Gypsy weddings are made up and offensive. Oldy insists that, in reality, if a young Gypsy tried to grab a young woman at a wedding he'd get little more than a black eye from her family for his lack of respect. Instead, the couple explained that Romani Gypsy culture revolves around family, respect for elders, religion, storytelling, animals, cleanliness, charity and community. The family - who live with a whole host of animals - recently won the right to permanently stay at the former park and ride after winning a landmark case against Medway Council - which spent as much as £100,000 in taxpayer money fighting the case. But they say the only reason people don't want to live alongside them is that they know so little about them and their rich culture. However, due to reports of 'Gypsies' causing trouble across the country, the families say they're often 'tarred with the same brush'. "I have kept my family together all of my life," Oldy, who has 18 great-grandchildren and around the same number of grandchildren, adding: "There's a birthday every week! "We've got feelings and we've got respect for ourselves and decency for other people. We have been like that all our lives. "But people look down on us like we have just come from Mars. "We are rough and ready, but any one of you can have bread and cheese with us - we are human. Gypsy Rose Blanchard reveals reason behind 25lb weight loss as she flaunts slim waist after giving birth "People who put their noses up at us, all I say is: come and find out who we are. We just try and keep ourselves to ourselves. "They give us a bad name until they get to know us, then they realise we are not like they think we are. "People are frightened by the myth. We've just got a bad name." Despite settling down at the Kent site, Oldy - who admits never having been to school in his life - says the family will continue their Romani Gypsy traditions that have been around for centuries. 17 17 MARRIAGE TRADITIONS He explained that marriages and funerals are the big calendar occasions, as well as Christmas. The jumping of the broomstick, where newly married couples go hand-in-hand over a brush, is a wedding tradition that lives on. And despite mostly keeping it in the Romani Gypsy community, there's no rules against marrying outsiders. "We try to marry in the Roma community, but you don't have to," Oldy said. "Once [outsiders] are in, they often don't want to leave. "Once you are married, you are married for life. And the girls go and live with their husbands and their families." "Girls have got to be kept pure until they are married," Oldy's wife, Tina, added. "Everyone travels to be together for weddings and funerals. Everyone will come from miles around." 17 TV BACKLASH However, Oldy says shows such as My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding have peddled offensive falsities about some supposed traditions. The controversial act of 'grabbing' seen on the show, where young men throw women over their shoulders to force a kiss, is one myth Oldy wanted to bust. "We don't believe in that; that's just something the young boys started doing," he said. "That Big Gypsy Weddings show… It's a load of nonsense. That brought on the misconceptions - it's all put on. 17 17 "If you tried to grab a Gypsy girl at a wedding, you would get a punch: that's disrespecting that woman." "Lots of things were wrong on that show," Tina agreed. "Religion is a big part of our culture. Everybody believes in the Lord and bringing kids up with Christian values." Tina added that charity was also a big part of the culture. "Because we know what it's like to not have any bread in you, or not to have a roof over your head," Oldy rejoined. "If we see someone who needs help, we help them. We can't understand why people don't do the same for us." KEEPING CLEAN Keeping a clean home is also essential to their way of life, with Tina crediting it for helping to stop the spread of diseases in their community. "We like a bottle of bleach and always have done," she said. "A lot of people only use bleach in their toilets, but we use it everywhere. "We've got funny beliefs and strict rules." Another of these beliefs, Tina explained, is that toilets and showers inside their caravans are never used, saying: "Never in a million years do you use the toilet or shower in your caravan. "It's too close to your sink." 17 Instead they use publicly available shower blocks and toilets, or facilities in gyms and pubs. Oldy adds that he would pray their next site would be clean when he was a young boy, as it was always his job to clear it. "And people have the cheek to say, 'Dirty, stinking gypsies'," he said. Tina also revealed a lesser-known tradition after the passing of loved ones in the Romani Gypsy community, saying: "When you die, if there's no one to live in your caravan, the caravan gets burned." Animals and storytelling also play big roles in Romani Gypsy life. "Because we couldn't read or write, we told stories," Oldy said. "Animals are a big part of our lives; the country is our lives, and we love the country." 17 DISHING UP Food, as in most cultures, also plays a huge part in bringing together the family for evening meals. 'Old-fashioned' dishes, like meat puddings and rice puddings, are cooked in centuries-old cast-iron pots that have cooked thousands of meals over the years. The ancient pots hang in an open shed on the family's site, under which a young Jack Russell puppy barks below a framed photo of the Kray twins, who were of Romani descent. Tina explained that the pots - always heated over dead wood, which 'doesn't smoke' - lock the taste and smell of the food cooked in them. 17 "Meat's a big part of our diet," Tina said. "I have never met a vegetarian gypsy in my life." Despite a reputation for violence and bare-knuckle boxing, Oldy claims that the majority of the time, disputes are settled with words rather than fists. Their Christian values also encourage them to help out others in need, such as motorists who've broken down near their site. Tina also recalled stepping in during the beating of a young girl, who she took in and cleaned up after intervening. This is the first time the family have been granted permission to stay permanently at a site, meaning their children can continue studying at local schools. 17 "All we want is somewhere to stop," Oldy continued. "We keep it clean and tidy and nobody has complained about us. "We went to the courts and won our case. We are a quiet family and we are willing to pay our way. We pay to stay here, for the bins and the toilets. "Our children love the school here. I have never been to school in my life. It's not because we're stupid, it's because we've not had a place to call home. "The kids ask with their homework, 'Is this right?' and I say, 'You tell me!'. "I am trying to bring my children up the best way I can. "There's a lot of people who think travelling is a good way of life. "You've got to be born with this and it goes through generations. "I am so proud of being a gypsy. There's good and bad, but they all paint us with the same brush." 17 17 LONG-TERM HOME Having spent their lives up until now constantly on the move, only looking for a new site 'once we got bored', the family is now content to stay at the Wigmore Coach Park site, saying it's become more and more difficult to keep moving. Oldy said the kids are 'over the moon' at being able to have birthday parties, which they were reluctant to have whilst moving around for fear of being moved on - with Tina saying they were once moved on three times one Christmas Eve. The family recalls horrific instances of racism against their people in decades gone by, with Oldy claiming a police officer once told him: "Hitler had the right idea with you; they should've shot you all." 17 Other horror stories include burning tyres being rolled under caravans in which children slept and having pesticide purposefully sprayed on them and their belongings. Tina also recounts children's nursery rhymes warning against 'playing with Gypsies', saying this added fuel to the fire of people's perception of them. Cllr Satinder Shokar, of Medway Council, who has supported the families at the Wigmore Coach Park site 'from day one', says he's personally seen evidence of racism against the families from the authorities. "What I realised as a councillor was that the racism within organisations is institutionalised racism," he said. "There's not anywhere we didn't encounter it. We felt it important that their voices were heard. "[Being granted permanent residence at the Wigmore site] is another key victory for these families, offering further hope after years of repeated planning refusals. 17 "With over 90 per cent of applications refused nationwide, until these figures change, the long-term trend of cultural apartheid against the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community will persist." It was revealed recently that cash-strapped Medway Council spent as much as £100,000 in taxpayer money on court fees fighting against the family's right to remain at the site. Oldy says he doesn't blame outsiders for their misinformed, stereotypical perception of his people. A closer look at gypsy traditions HERE we take a look at some of the traditions many gypsies follow... Family-Centric Living: The family is the cornerstone of Romani life, with extended families often living close to one another. Elders are highly respected and play a crucial role in decision-making and maintaining cultural traditions. Nomadic Heritage: Many Gypsy communities maintain a semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving seasonally to find work or attend cultural gatherings. This tradition is deeply rooted in their history and identity. Distinctive Décor: Romani homes, whether they are caravans or fixed abodes, are often brightly decorated with vibrant colours and intricate patterns. These decorations reflect their rich cultural heritage and love for beauty. Communal Gatherings: Social gatherings are a significant part of Gypsy life. Celebrations, such as weddings and religious festivals, are grand affairs involving music, dance, and feasting, often stretching over several days. Spiritual Practices: Many Gypsy families incorporate a blend of Christian beliefs and traditional spiritual practices. Homes may feature religious icons and amulets believed to offer protection and bring good fortune. Craftsmanship and Artistry: Romani people are renowned for their craftsmanship, particularly in metalwork, woodwork, and textiles. These skills are often passed down through generations and are a source of both pride and livelihood. Hospitality: Hospitality is a valued tradition. Guests are treated with great respect and generosity, often being offered the best food and drink available as a sign of honour and goodwill. Sharing Stories: Storytelling is a vital part of Romani culture, preserving history, morals, and lessons through generations. Elders often share tales that are both entertaining and educational. He says those who give his people a bad name, leaving trails of rubbish behind them after festivals and gatherings, often aren't even Gypsies but just 'like the way of life' and are 'lost'. Oldy said the same could also be said of many of those outside the Gypsy community, saying: "There's no respect. "I think they've just lost their way, but there's nothing wrong with them. "Respect for the elders is a big thing for us: respect your parents and grandparents. "We don't believe in letting our children go. That's our job, from the moment I got my eldest son. "Our way of life is coming to an end. But we don't want our tradition and culture to end. "We are holding our hands up and saying, 'We want to stay here'. "This is paradise for us. Just stopping here... It's like winning the lottery. "They are realising we are human beings."
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
11-inch iPad Air (M2) with 512GB storage gets hefty limited-time discount
11-inch iPad Air M2, 512GB, Wi-Fi: Save $200! $200 off (22%) Looking for a powerful iPad Air with 512GB of storage? The M2-powered iPad Air fits the bill—and right now, you can get one for $200 off on Amazon. Don't miss out! Buy at Amazon 11-inch iPad Air M2, 512GB, cellular: $300 off $300 off (29%) The iPad Air M2 with cellular connectivity is also on sale. The model in Space Gray with 512GB of storage is available for $300 off on Amazon. So, if you want an LTE-powered slate, act fast and get one with this deal now! Buy at Amazon However, if you want your tablet to have LTE connectivity, feel free to go for the cellular model, as it's also heavily discounted right now. You can grab one for $300 less, meaning it will set you back about $750, which is a bargain price for all the value it offers. Apple's M2 SoC still delivers insanely fast performance, allowing you to run demanding apps and play games without issues. This also makes it a top choice for work or school. Of course, its 11-inch LCD display with a 2360 x 1640 resolution makes it a great pick for watching your favorite Apple TV+ series, as it offers a pleasant viewing experience—even though it lacks the deep blacks of OLED displays. Receive the latest mobile news By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy However, if you want your tablet to have LTE connectivity, feel free to go for the cellular model, as it's also heavily discounted right now. You can grab one for $300 less, meaning it will set you back about $750, which is a bargain price for all the value it M2 SoC still delivers insanely fast performance, allowing you to run demanding apps and play games without issues. This also makes it a top choice for work or school. Of course, its 11-inch LCD display with a 2360 x 1640 resolution makes it a great pick for watching your favorite Apple TV+ series, as it offers a pleasant viewing experience—even though it lacks the deep blacks of OLED only gripe with the screen is that it's capped at a 60Hz refresh rate. However, it's something you get used to. Plus, when you factor in all the goodies this tablet offers—including Apple Pencil Pro support—we think it's a no-brainer, especially at its current price on Amazon. So, don't miss out! Grab Surfshark VPN now at more than 50% off and with 3 extra months for free! Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer The iPad Air is the best choice for Apple users who want a powerful tablet but don't want to overspend on the Pro models. Furthermore, these slates usually receive heftier discounts, making them an even bigger bargain than fact, you can currently snag a brand-new iPad Air at a cheaper price even now! A third-party seller on Amazon is offering a sweet $200 discount on the 512GB Wi-Fi variant of the 11-inch iPad Air with M2 chip, allowing you to snag one for just under $700. Just be sure to act fast, as only a few units are left and the deal could expire soon.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
‘I sleep easier here': The makeshift homeless community under the M50
At one of the busiest traffic intersections in the State, where Dublin's Finglas Road meets the M2 and intersects with the M50 , up to a dozen people are living in makeshift camps. Some have been here for years, having laid gravel paths and lengths of carpet between makeshift shelters, chairs and locked food-storage containers, while others are in dank, filthy underpasses strewn with rubbish, needles and human excrement. All say they would like something better but seem hopeless about any improvement. By a patch of ground reached by scrambling up a steep, stony path from three lanes of motorway traffic are four wheelie bins, provided, say those living here, by Dublin City Council . READ MORE Beyond a waist-high fence is a path bordered with small kindling-logs leading into a small clearing, with tarpaulin-topped shelters. Michael, in his 30s, has lived here for two years. Reticent at first to talk, he explains this is his 'space' and 'too many people come to use drugs and then f**k off'. They don't 'respect my home'. By his shelter is a chiminea stove. There are chairs, a table, a firepit and an area to hang clothes. Over the course of about five minutes, four large rats run through the area, which is surrounded by bushes and is subject to the constant sound of traffic. 'It's kind of well-organised,' says Michael. 'Four of us live here.' Putting his dog on a lead, he says the animal 'keeps the rats away'. Though the bins were provided by the council he says they do not collect them, so he and others burn rubbish. 'I found this place. I put my tent here a few years ago and that was it. It's not much to look at but it's a home. It's not too bad today, but in the winter it's bad.' Also living here is a younger man, also called Michael. Aged 27, he has reddish-blonde hair and a dark, circular smoking stain on his front teeth. He is begging from cars at traffic lights in nearby Charlestown. 'I am in that camp a few years,' he says. 'I am used to it by now. The rats are desperate though. They are coming more and more and they are coming closer and closer.' He is from Meath and a trained mechanic, he says. He smokes 'gear' (heroin). He would 'love' to get off drugs and into accommodation. 'The [Dublin] Simon [rough-sleeper outreach team] come out to us, talk to us. They are trying to help us. They said they'd get somewhere but they were trying to split us all up and we don't want that.' Local independent councillor Gavin Pepper, who came to public prominence for his anti-immigration positions and was elected to Dublin City Council last year, has known Michael for several years, from meeting him at traffic lights begging. 'He is such a lovely young fella, in such a sad situation, that really as a society we should be able to get on top of.' Across four lanes of traffic from the first camp a grassy, rocky area is reached by clambering over thigh-high fencing. Beneath roads carrying thousands of cars daily, in long, dark tunnels, are more people's homes. Philip, who has been long-term homeless, pictured with his belongings and tent in a tunnel beneath the N2/M50 interchange. Photograph: Dan Dennison Philip (56), from Co Wexford, returned from hospital a few weeks ago to find his tent and belongings 'all burned'. His new tent, for which he paid €30, is pitched at one tunnel's end. Walking to it entails stepping over wet, dirty ground strewn with discarded needles, dirty food containers, discarded clothes, drinks cans and human excrement. A foul odour is overpowering at times. 'I am trying to clean it and have it the way I want it,' says Philip. 'I am in here on my own.' He had been homeless 'a while' during which he has had some 'bad hidings'. Looking a lot older than his age he has fresh wounds on his head head and is missing several teeth. 'I feel safe here. I have sleeping bags and little solar lights I charge up during the day.' Apologising for the rubbish, he says he has 'just moved in' and 'will clean all this'. He will not take a place in a hostel. 'No, no, no – too dangerous. I have been in a few hostels. It's not the hostels. There are lovely people working there but there are dangerous people. I have been held up at knifepoint, at needlepoint. It's just too dangerous for someone like me. I sleep easier here.' Most of his clothes were in the tent that was set alight while he was in hospital. 'I bought myself a top there in the village earlier on. Talk about value for money,' he says putting on a black and white sweater. 'It is proper North Face – just €10. To me that is great ... I only buy what I need because if I have too much it gets robbed.' Asked how he spends his day, he says: 'I get up in the morning, go to McDonald's there and wash my hands. Whatever, get a bit of breakfast, get out and about. I walk everywhere.' A former construction worker, he says he was 'hit by a truck three or four years ago' and 'my leg was shattered'. 'I would 100 per cent like to get out of this. I have had a lot of struggle. I had nervous breakdowns, blackouts. 'I would need a bit of help but if I had that, no problem. I'd need a bit of a start. I do get depressed. I know I am depressed but I don't want just anything, just any medication. If I was on a proper antidepressant I would probably take it. But I haven't had it for a few years.' A tunnel underneath the N2 road where a homeless camp is nestled between flyovers on the Finglas/N2 road near the M50. The interchange area has become a homeless camp with widespread drug use. Photograph: Dan Dennison Tents are visible in other tunnels, one of which is occupied by two people who do not wish to talk. Cllr Pepper says their plight 'breaks [his] heart'. Some of those living here would be ideal candidates for the stalled Housing First programme, he says, where entrenched rough-sleepers are provided with own-door housing along with wraparound supports to help sustain their tenancy. Though almost 300 such tenancies were to be created between this and next year just 10 have been so far, due to problems with the procurement process. Separately, a specialist addiction service for homeless drug-users, operated by Dublin Simon , has been able to operate just 49 of its 100 beds due to a funding shortfall. Though the Health Service Executive has committed to fund 12 more beds by next month, the charity 'remains focused on securing funding, as per the Government's commitment, for 100 beds'. 'Vulnerable people deserve so much better than this,' says Cllr Pepper. 'They deserve [drug addiction] treatment, they deserve safe homes. In a country that is awash with money, how can this be allowed to happen?' Dublin Simon, which also operates the rough-sleeper outreach service, is 'aware of the people rough sleeping at Charlestown'. It 'is collaborating with the local authority to best support these clients. Our care- and case-management teams are actively supporting those located there and are prioritising harm reduction for these clients. 'We are regularly engaging with and supporting the clients based here, despite access to the area being challenging.' Dublin City Council said the outreach team at Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) was 'aware of these locations' and was 'meeting with the people rough sleeping and encouraging them to take up accommodation options'. 'Access to the M50 locations is quite challenging, Dublin Simon Outreach and the DRHE are in touch with the relevant sections in Fingal County Council to gain safer access,' said the council. The HSE and the Department of Health were also contacted for comment.
