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Simone Biles And Leon Marchand Headline Memorable Moments At The Halfway Point Of The Paris Olympics

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PARIS  — Biles, The midway mark of the Paris Olympics has introduced the world to “The Pommel Horse Guy,” a rugby player and social media celebrity who wants to appear on reality shows “Love Island” and “The Real John Wick” in the shape of a 51-year-old Turkish shooter.

Since the dazzling opening ceremony, the Olympics have been full of memorable moments: the Seine River was too dirty for the triathlon swim to take place as planned, a gender controversy erupted in women’s boxing, Léon Marchand led France with four gold medals in four swimming events, and, of course, Simone Biles has dazzled while winning two gold medals, with more still up for grabs.

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Biles | AP News Image

Simone Biles And Leon Marchand Headline Memorable Moments At The Halfway Point Of The Paris Olympics

Here are some of the most memorable moments from the 2024 Olympics thus far.

Simone Biles shone.
Biles dominated the first week of the Paris Games, winning gold medals in the women’s team final and all-around and attracting a star-studded crowd every time she participated. She now has nine Olympic medals, six of which are gold, more than any other American gymnast.

Biles still has three more events scheduled. The vault is on Saturday night, and she has the balancing beam and floor exercise on Monday.

Biles, who dropped out of most of her events at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago to address her mental health, has recovered to become only the third woman to win two all-around titles. She joined Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union in 1956 and 1960 and Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia in 1964 and 1968.

At 27, she is the oldest person to finish on the all-around podium since 30-year-old Maria Gorokhovskaya of the Soviet Union won the first-ever Olympic all-around in Helsinki in 1952.

Ilona Maher, Yusuf Dikec, and other stars appear.
Stephen Nedoroscik, sometimes known as “The Pommel Horse Guy,” made his Olympic debut by assisting the United States men’s gymnastics team in winning its first medal in 16 years.

The bespectacled 25-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, sat almost motionless during the men’s team final, waiting his turn to compete on the pommel horse, his sole event in Paris. When it was time to go, he provided 45 seconds of greatness.

The party started before his feet touched the mat on his dismount, and Nedoroscik became an instant internet sensation.

Ilona Maher, who rose to prominence in Tokyo for her behind-the-scenes social media reports, guided the United States to its first-ever rugby sevens podium finish.

Maher has used her platform to promote body positivity and document life at the athletes’ village, which she nicknamed “The Villa” in honor of her favorite reality show, “Love Island”.

Yusuf Dikec, however, has proven to be the most unlikely star.

The 51-year-old Turkish pistol shooter became popular on social media for his seemingly calm demeanor after winning a silver medal in a mixed 10-meter air pistol. Commenters dubbed him “The Real John Wick,” after the Keanu Reeves character from The Matrix series.

Dikec was shooting in a T-shirt, with one hand in his pocket, an ordinary set of spectacles, and an unimpressed expression. He’s been compared to a regular guy competing in the Olympics or even a hitman.

Gender-related questions
An Algerian boxer faces a gender backlash after her Italian opponent pulled out seconds into their fight.

Former US President Donald Trump and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni have slammed Imane Khelif publicly. Khelif was excluded from the 2023 world championships for violating vague and opaque eligibility requirements for women’s competition administered by the now-banned International Boxing Association.

Khelif was assigned female at birth, as evidenced by her passport, which meets the International Olympic Committee’s boxing qualifying criteria.

Léon Marchand and Katie Ledecky rule the pool.
Marchand has owned the pool. He electrified a home crowd Friday night with his fourth gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley, setting an Olympic record. He also won gold medals in the 400 individual medley, 200 butterfly, and 200 backstroke.

Ledecky will attempt to join Michael Phelps as the only swimmer to win four gold medals in the same event.

Ledecky is aiming for a fourth consecutive title in the women’s 800 freestyle, which she won in the 2012 London Olympics. Another victory would give her the ninth Olympic gold medal of her career, tying her for second in the most gold medals in the Olympics, Summer or Winter, in any sport.

Phelps won the 200 individual medley four times and took home 23 gold medals.

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Simone Biles And Leon Marchand Headline Memorable Moments At The Halfway Point Of The Paris Olympics

The opening ceremony dispute
The opening ceremony sparked uproar with a disputed scene involving drag queens and other artists.

Although creative director Thomas Jolly has frequently stated that he was not influenced by “The Last Supper,” critics viewed a portion of the production as a parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s artwork depicting Jesus Christ and his apostles.

Following Jolly’s accusation of death threats, Paris police have initiated a hate speech inquiry.

Despite health concerns regarding the water quality, organizers have maintained that the triathlon and marathon swimming events can be held safely in the Seine River.

After many delays due to excessive germ levels, the triathlon swimming took place, and the vistas on television were spectacular as racers cycled and ran past Paris’ most famous landmarks.

It was all part of an ambitious plan to clean up the heavily polluted Seine, which would cost 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in infrastructural improvements. Due to water quality concerns, a few swim practice sessions had to be canceled, and the men’s race was pushed back a day.

SOURCE | AP

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Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns

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Trudeau, Montreal

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.

Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”

The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.

On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”

Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.

Pro-Palestinian protests

Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.

Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.

Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.

On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.

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Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla

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Baby Gorilla, Calgary Zoo
The zookeeper's negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla

The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.

The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.

The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.

“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”

According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.

Calgary Zoo Questioned

It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.

An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.

Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.

“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.

The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.

“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.

“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.

While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”

Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.

The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.

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Canada’s Lotto Max Jackpot Climbs to $80M

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Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.

Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.

The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.

While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.

Lotto Max History

Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.

The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.

Let’s have a look at the rules:

  1. Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
  2. Numbers cannot be repeated
  3. Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
  4. Each play buys 3 lines
  5. Each play costs $5

Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)

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