Welcome folks, to the first hump day of 2023. If you’re somehow super productive this Wednesday, don’t despair; this year’s camel has another 51 humps in it. There’s still plenty of time to feel devastatingly crusty and ancient.
But enough hypothetical camel talk, here are today’s biggest headlines.
Who Is Kevin McCarthy, and Why Is He Sweating?
In America, the Speaker of the House maintains order, manages the proceedings, and does some admin for the House of Representatives. To receive this gig, you must receive a majority of votes from the folks who work in the House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House is an incredibly sought-after role.
The Republican Kevin McCarthy is hungry to become the Speaker of the House after long-time Speaker Nacy Pelosi announced her retirement last year. However, McCarthy doesn’t quite get on with the Trump-loving faction of the Republican party. This has led to McCarthy losing this vote three times, nobody getting a majority of votes, and the Republican party demonstrating how fractured it is.
Before these three rounds of voting took place, McCarthy said, “Instead of uniting to put the country first, we now have some members that want to put themselves first. You cannot reward bad behaviour.”
The Gold Coast Helicopter Crash Investigation Continues
On January 2, two Sea World Helicopters flew into each other on the Gold Coast. This event has raised a lot of questions over the past several days. Fortunately, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating this matter and has provided a comprehensive update.
“What we do know at this very early stage of the investigation is that one helicopter was taking off, that had seven people onboard, and another one coming into land, with six people onboard, collided,” said the ATSB’s Chief Commissioner, Angus Mitchell
“The one helicopter that was taking off appears its main rotors have collided with the landing helicopter, causing considerable damage to the front section of that helicopter. In the process of that collision, the main rotor blades and gearbox of the helicopter taking off have separated from the aircraft, causing it to tragically crash down onto a sandbar.”
This helicopter crash killed four people and critically injured three others.
Related: The Gold Coast Helicopter Crash — What We Know
Related: Who’s the Outback Wrangler? And Why Did the Police Want Him?
Designing Better Cricket Bats For Women
Currently, there’s a chasm between the number of cricket bats available for men and women. However, a Gippsland cricket bat maker named Clare Johnston is trying to change that.
“When you walk into a cricket shop, it’s all about men’s cricket, and often there may be just a couple of bats that are really for women’s cricket,” said Johnston.
“Women end up with a bat that is designed for teenage boys, so it’s not really the best. We can do better than that, in this day and age.”
Johnston makes these woman-based cricket bats from scratch. She’ll even personalise the design for her clients.
As Johnston said, “I’d like to work with women to really understand how we can improve bats and make bats that actually work for them. It might not be that much different to men’s bats, but I’m just taking the effort to find that out.”
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