#University of Queensland Press
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The Galactica AI model was trained on scientific knowledge – but it spat out alarmingly plausible nonsense
by Aaron J. Snoswell, Queensland University of Technology and Jean Burgess, Queensland University of Technology
Earlier this month, Meta announced new AI software called Galactica: “a large language model that can store, combine and reason about scientific knowledge”.
Launched with a public online demo, Galactica lasted only three days before going the way of other AI snafus like Microsoft’s infamous racist chatbot.
The online demo was disabled (though the code for the model is still available for anyone to use), and Meta’s outspoken chief AI scientist complained about the negative public response.
So what was Galactica all about, and what went wrong?
What’s special about Galactica?
Galactica is a language model, a type of AI trained to respond to natural language by repeatedly playing a fill-the-blank word-guessing game.
Most modern language models learn from text scraped from the internet. Galactica also used text from scientific papers uploaded to the (Meta-affiliated) website PapersWithCode. The designers highlighted specialised scientific information like citations, maths, code, chemical structures, and the working-out steps for solving scientific problems.
The preprint paper associated with the project (which is yet to undergo peer review) makes some impressive claims. Galactica apparently outperforms other models at problems like reciting famous equations (“Q: What is Albert Einstein’s famous mass-energy equivalence formula? A: E=mc²”), or predicting the products of chemical reactions (“Q: When sulfuric acid reacts with sodium chloride, what does it produce? A: NaHSO₄ + HCl”).
However, once Galactica was opened up for public experimentation, a deluge of criticism followed. Not only did Galactica reproduce many of the problems of bias and toxicity we have seen in other language models, it also specialised in producing authoritative-sounding scientific nonsense.
Authoritative, but subtly wrong bullshit generator
Galactica’s press release promoted its ability to explain technical scientific papers using general language. However, users quickly noticed that, while the explanations it generates sound authoritative, they are often subtly incorrect, biased, or just plain wrong.
We also asked Galactica to explain technical concepts from our own fields of research. We found it would use all the right buzzwords, but get the actual details wrong – for example, mixing up the details of related but different algorithms.
In practice, Galactica was enabling the generation of misinformation – and this is dangerous precisely because it deploys the tone and structure of authoritative scientific information. If a user already needs to be a subject matter expert in order to check the accuracy of Galactica’s “summaries”, then it has no use as an explanatory tool.
At best, it could provide a fancy autocomplete for people who are already fully competent in the area they’re writing about. At worst, it risks further eroding public trust in scientific research.
A galaxy of deep (science) fakes
Galactica could make it easier for bad actors to mass-produce fake, fraudulent or plagiarised scientific papers. This is to say nothing of exacerbating existing concerns about students using AI systems for plagiarism.
Fake scientific papers are nothing new. However, peer reviewers at academic journals and conferences are already time-poor, and this could make it harder than ever to weed out fake science.
Underlying bias and toxicity
Other critics reported that Galactica, like other language models trained on data from the internet, has a tendency to spit out toxic hate speech while unreflectively censoring politically inflected queries. This reflects the biases lurking in the model’s training data, and Meta’s apparent failure to apply appropriate checks around the responsible AI research.
The risks associated with large language models are well understood. Indeed, an influential paper highlighting these risks prompted Google to fire one of the paper’s authors in 2020, and eventually disband its AI ethics team altogether.
Machine-learning systems infamously exacerbate existing societal biases, and Galactica is no exception. For instance, Galactica can recommend possible citations for scientific concepts by mimicking existing citation patterns (“Q: Is there any research on the effect of climate change on the great barrier reef? A: Try the paper ‘Global warming transforms coral reef assemblages’ by Hughes, et al. in Nature 556 (2018)”).
For better or worse, citations are the currency of science – and by reproducing existing citation trends in its recommendations, Galactica risks reinforcing existing patterns of inequality and disadvantage. (Galactica’s developers acknowledge this risk in their paper.)
Citation bias is already a well-known issue in academic fields ranging from feminist scholarship to physics. However, tools like Galactica could make the problem worse unless they are used with careful guardrails in place.
A more subtle problem is that the scientific articles on which Galactica is trained are already biased towards certainty and positive results. (This leads to the so-called “replication crisis” and “p-hacking”, where scientists cherry-pick data and analysis techniques to make results appear significant.)
Galactica takes this bias towards certainty, combines it with wrong answers and delivers responses with supreme overconfidence: hardly a recipe for trustworthiness in a scientific information service.
These problems are dramatically heightened when Galactica tries to deal with contentious or harmful social issues, as the screenshot below shows. Galactica readily generates toxic and nonsensical content dressed up in the measured and authoritative language of science. Tristan Greene / Galactica
Here we go again
Calls for AI research organisations to take the ethical dimensions of their work more seriously are now coming from key research bodies such as the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Some AI research organisations, like OpenAI, are being more conscientious (though still imperfect).
Meta dissolved its Responsible Innovation team earlier this year. The team was tasked with addressing “potential harms to society” caused by the company’s products. They might have helped the company avoid this clumsy misstep.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
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happy birthday dad!
𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓮 - happy birthday dad!
𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 - dad x jared, an emotional reunion between father and daughter, happy tears
𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓻𝓲𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 - jared padalecki's eldest daughter, pressley padalecki had been away at university in australia for the last three years and only now, three years later, was able to come home due to covid restrictions. and it was also her dad's birthday so, there was no way she'd miss out on surprising her old man for his 40th birthday.
𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻'𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓮 - the one-shot will be written in lowercase and flashbacks, if any, will be written in italics.
masterlist
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𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 | 19th july 2022 | brisbane, queensland
pressley padalecki was tearful, in an emotion she wasn't sure was joy, relief or sadness. joy, because she was finally able to get on that goddamn three-hour delayed delta flight back home to her home state of austin, texas specifically, from brisbane, queensland australia after four whole years, two of them being stuck there due to coronavirus (in 2020 and 2021). relief, because she was able to spend her father's birthday with him at home during a brief break from filming for his cw show walker and sadness because she felt awful that she had become so close to her roommates back at the university of queensland that she felt sick to her stomach that she was one of the very few international university students who were able to travel back home after the whole coronavirus, lockdown situation that the world had been circumnavigating the last couple of years after they had all graduated. however, the moment she finally sat down, alongside her best friend, alania, a fellow international student of the university of queensland in their first-class seats as pressley wore her old oversized supernatural cast hoodie that was for sure first given to her when she was just a wee toddler paired with white flared jeans and fluffy slides. she sighed in relief, with a smidge of joy and a smidge of sadness as she rested her head against the side of the first class cabin she and alania purchased as both girls listened intently to the aeroplanes safety instructions even though they knew nothing bad was actually going to happen.
after all the safety instructions and usual announcements had been made, both girls settled back down in their seats, pressley reached for her wired earphones even though it wasn't totally illegal for her to use her airpods, and plugged them into her iphone and immediately went into her spotify premium. pressing shuffle on her playlist, carry on wayward son by kansas and then drowning by her uncle jensen's band radio company and other songs that reminded pressley of her family back home in texas played in her earphones. whilst those songs would always make her cry (and absolutely, positively did on this flight) it also made her smile and be extremely grateful that the flight, although it was delayed by three hours and was an entire twenty-four-hour flight, they were finally on the plane and on their way home on american soil in texas. the overly exhausted texan girl seemed to fall asleep within minutes and it seemed to stay that way for the entire flight. even her fellow uni best friend, alania callahan, didn't want to disturb her twenty-year-old best friend as it seemed obvious from the tear stains on the padalecki girl's face, the slightly distressed wrinkles and scrunched-up nose that she shared with her dad that it revealed to the flight attendants as well as alania that this sleep was extremely needed. especially because she'd be surprising not just her dad for his birthday but also everyone else so, no one disturbed her until alania had to when the plane landed back home in austin, texas.
pressley was in the deepest sleep, her earphones blasting jason manns, jensen ackles, rob benedict's version of the band's hit song wagon wheel when she felt herself being shaken awake. the girl jolted awake but softly fluttered her eyes open to see the prettiest female eyes, they were the blue eyes of her bestie, alania. rushing to take out her earphones, alania gestured for the girl to breathe and go slow as pressley listened and she took her time before alania spoke up. with the slightly exhausted smile from the blonde, alania took that cue to speak up so, she did.
"hey little miss sleepy, sorry to wake you up honey but the flight attendants were wanting me to let you know that we've finally arrived back home in austin..." alania smiled at her bestie as that seemed to make pressley teary-eyed and on the verge of tears
alania wasn't bothered by her bestie's emotional reaction since, it was quite normal for pressley to cry. and, it was also clear to alania that pressley had been waiting for the moment of hearing that she was finally home after being away from it for what had felt like an eternity, just like alania.
alania let her best friend compose herself before pressley spoke up, "...we're home, alania?" pressley whimpered out as alania sweetly smiled
"yeah, we're home press. we touched down around ten/fifteen minutes ago, we are currently the last ones from first class to deboard but the flight attendants are still waiting to deboard business and economy classes. so, the flight attendants said to me before waking you up that they aren't really in a rush to get us off but...wait, you never told me whos picking you up..." alania was knee deep in repeating what she was told to pressley when she remembered that she was never told who was picking pressley up as pressley smiled and giggled slightly through her tears
"...oh, yeah, sorry, i...um, i'm surprising my family, but my dad especially for his birthday. it's his 40th birthday today and walker is on a small break from filming before returning back for their newest season..." pressley giggled, smiling as she just imagined the reactions of her dad jared and her brothers and sister, tom, shep and odette along with the reactions from the rest of her walker family, colby, violet, keegan, kale, odette, jeff as well as her mom's reaction as well
seeing pressley's smile at what alania knew was her best friend's imaginings of how the padalecki girl's family would react to the surprise made alania smile even more. she had been friends with pressley and her family since they were basically in diapers after their parents met at an event for pressley's grandfather, gerald padalecki, who was the tax accountant at the same workplace as her grandfathe's at the time and since then, the padalecki's and callahan's had been the best of friends, that friendship continuing on in their children.
"...so, if you're surprising the whole family, who's picking you up then?" alania giggled as the two girls grabbed their carry-on luggage and awkwardly shimmied out of the plane so they could then leave and truly be back on solid ground, not a plane's ground after what felt like a whole year of being in one
"no one, alania, did you forget that we drove here and left my car in the parking garage the whole four years..." pressley trailed off as alania suddenly face palmed, remembering all of a sudden as the two girls giggled - glad that they had faith in the undercover parking at austin airport
"...how did i forget that? we came together cause i stayed at your house overnight--i'm a fucking idiot!" alania chuckled as pressley shook her head and giggled at her childhood best friend
"come on alania! let's go home, it's time for us to surprise our families!" pressley smiled, holding her hand out for her best friend to grab which she did as the fellow blonde girl nodded her head with a smile and took her best friends hand with hers
𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 | 19th july 2022 | dublin, ireland
pressley had just helped alania surprise her family and, it was the sweetest moment ever, especially when alania's parents gina and alexander basically pulled her into joining the family group hug and it only made her even more excited to surprise her own family, her dad most especially. with gina and alexander callahan's help and the help of alania, it was pressley's time to surprise her own family. and the first person to be surprised was genevieve, pressley's mum.
so, after a couple of moments of gina, alania's mum, convincing genevieve to come outside to the front of the house on her own, gen made her way outside. and the look on both gen and pressley's faces when they saw each other was the sweetest in the world.
alania filmed as pressley waited in anxious wait for her mum to come outside to the front of the house after gina sent what could be perceived as a suspicious text. pressley had just turned around to smile at alania and her phone when she heard her mum's voice...
"...pressley? what...what are you doing home?" genevieve's voice was shaky and tearful as pressley turned around and only just opened her arms for a hug when gen rushed over to pull her eldest daughter in for a hug
"surprise mom!" pressley whispered as she started to giggle as she felt herself breathing properly again as she smiled into her mum's shoulder
genevieve held her heart tightly as she moved out of the hug, one of her hands still holding pressley's, "you didn't tell us you'd be home for your dad's birthday!" she whispered, having an inkling as to that being the entire reason why pressley was surprising her whole family rather than just jared
"because i wanted to surprise all of you, not just dad. he isn't that subtle when asking for birthday wishes mom," pressley giggles as does genevieve, alania, alexander and gina who are all filming from different angles because, you know, angles
"of course he isn't, he's never been subtle. oh, i'm so glad you're home, press! it's been way too long!" genevieve whispered, hugging her eldest child again
"it really has! i'm just glad that alania and i had the opportunity to come home because so many other international, especially american, students at the uni are still stuck back in brisbane!" pressley explained as genevieve looked shocked as alania nodded her head in agreement, the girl stopped filming a moments earlier
.·:¨༺ ༻¨:·..·:¨༺ ༻¨:·.
a few minutes went by when, with the help of genevieve, alania, gina and alexander, pressley surprised her brothers, tom and shep at their soccer game that weirdly enough, their dad, who was sport crazy, wasn't attending because he was celebrating his birthday with his walker and supernatural family.
thankfully, the soccer coaches for tom and shep, another set of good friends of the padaecki family, recognised the surprise and that pressley had returned home and gave subtle head nods, letting the older sister know that she could surprise tom and shep. however, it seemed as if tom, the older of the two brothers, had noticed pressley just a minute or two quicker.
"...pressley!" tom squeaked out, jumping from the wired fence he was sitting atop and rushing over to the other side of the soccer pitch to his older sister who stood smiling
her speed picked up as she noticed the look on her brother's face, he was seconds from crying and as though his feet couldn't run fast enough to reach her so, she started to run towards him as well. finally, after what felt like the brother and sister had been running forever, they finally reached each other and tom and pressley padalecki collided with each other.
jumping into his sister's arms, even though he was coming up to the age of being a teenager, at ten, he didn't care as it had been at least four or so years since he had last seen her that wasn't over the phone on facetime.
"what are you doing home?" he sniffled with a small giggle as pressley smiled, pulling away and giving her brother a sweet kiss on the head
"me and alania got lucky as two of very few international students who were able to come home and also, i couldn't resist surprising dad for his birthday, of course!" pressley giggled at the end, making tom giggle too, even with the tears dripping down his cheeks
"do you need to go back to graduate?" tom then questioned as the laughter from the soccer team started occurring out of the blue - shep had finally realised where his older brother was and that his older sister was home
and, that was when another screech of pressley's name was heard, "pressley!" her heart almost exploded at how her younger brothers always got so excited and emotional when she came home as she turned around, waiting for her brother to run over to her
similar to tom, shep started getting teary eyed as he ran because he felt like he couldn't run quick enough so, like she did with tom, pressley started to run over to shep. thankfully though, pressley and shep didn't stray too far from tom who seemed like he was still in shock from this whole reunion thing. after shep and pressley hugged, they immediately pulled tom in as they had a group hug.
"what are you doing here? i thought you couldn't get home because of covid?" shep chuckled, wiping off a tear from his cheek as pressley smiled, shaking her head
"no, i was lucky, as was alania--"
"--alania's home as well?!" shep squealed in even more excitement as pressley and tom giggled, pressley nodding her head
"yes, she is! she's actually filming this whole thing!" pressley giggled as alania rushed over from a little bush that she had been filming behind, the brothers smiling as they rushed to give the girl a hug
after the twins reunited with alania, they then chatted with their older sister a little bit more, wondering if odette, their younger sister and their dad knew only to find out pressley was surprising the whole family.
.·:¨༺ ༻¨:·..·:¨༺ ༻¨:·.
now that mom, tom and shep were surprised, the only two people that needed to be surprised were little sister odette and their dad jared. however, usually, dad would be the person to pick odette up after dancing, however, genevieve managed to convince her husband that she was going to pick up odette when really, it was actually going to be pressley and alania that were going to be picking odette up. thankfully, the dance studio that five-year-old gia danced at was the very same one that pressley and alania danced at so, they would be allowed to pick up odette instead of jared or genevieve since the two girls were very well known at the dance studio.
and once again, alania was filming as the girls walked into the dance studio to pick up odette, who was around three when pressley first left for uni and was now five years old, nearly six. you would think that a young girl of odette's age, who hadn't seen their older sister since they were three, wouldn't remember them but, that couldn't be said for little odette padalecki...
...pressley had barely walked in when little odette screamed at the top of her lungs and ran over to her older sister.
"pressley!!!" odette screamed, not even wanting to say goodbye to her dance teacher who smiled as they saw the reason why odette was screaming after they had registered the name that the girl had screamed out
kneeling down to the ground with her arms wide open, pressley waited for her little sister to jump into her arms so she could pick her up and twirl her around, "odette!!!" pressley cheered, matching her sister's enthusiasm and excitement as she hugged odette as tightly as possible
then, what odette said next made everyone coo in adorableness, "i missed you, pressley!" odette couldn't have been happier at the end of her dancing lesson, not so upset that it wasn't her daddy picking her up since she would see him later since she could tell that pressley wouldn't just surprise one person in the family
"i missed you too, odette! you've gotten so big! when i last saw you, you were like, three! now you're five years old! in fact, you're nearly six!" pressley giggled as odette nodded her head in excitement, happy as ever that pressley remembered that she was no longer a little girl anymore but a big girl
"i know! i'm glad you're home though, because it's daddy's birthday today! he's been wanting you to come home for agesss!" odette drawn out at the end as that got everyone giggling, including alania, who odette noticed shortly after
"alania!" odette rushed over to the other brunette girl and gave her a hug
and then, it was time for the all-important surprise. the main surprise, her dad jared!
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it had been quickly decided that geneveive would tell the wives and husband of the other cast members from walker and supernatural, including misha, jeff pierre, violet brinson, danneel and jensen ackles, keegan allen, odette anable, molly hagan, kale culley, ashley reyes, alexander calvert, mitch pileggi and a few others. just so they knew that pressley was home surprising jared and that they could tell their kids as well. and this was so the last surprise was jared and then pressley's uncles and aunties.
and, it worked out because they decided to go out to dinner for jared's birthday and immediately, genevieve wanted to take some group shots, some family shots and then during the shots of jared with his supernatural and walker castmates, pressley quickly slid in standing behind her dad with her arms around him. and this was the funniest thing because, jared just smiled, not hesitating to rest his hands over the top of the hands that were his daughter's, not that he knew that. which made genevieve giggle but managed to keep it quiet enough that jared didn't question it and the photos continued. that was until gen showed jared and the two tv show casts the photos. it didn't take the others long to realise that pressley had joined them for the photo and was the person with their arms around jared but kept quiet so their best friend could get surprised without it being ruined.
and it wasn't because moments later, jared looked at the photo again. his eyes wide and then turned around to see his eldest daughter, pressley standing right behind him, with her best friend alania behind her filming the reunion.
"pressley?! what on earth are you doing here?!" nicky's voice shook as he staggered up out of his seat at the restaurant and pulled his eldest in for a hug as pressley giggled
"you aren't as subtle with your birthday wishes, like always!" pressley simply said as she hugged her dad as tightly as she could, feeling like she could finally breathe properly now that she was finally reunited with her whole family again
pressley made everyone laugh with her comment as jared couldn't help but laugh at it either as he nodded his head in agreement, "i'm never subtle, pressley!" he mumbled as it was obvious to pressley that her dad could breathe properly again now that his family was back together again
after one more tight squeeze, pressley then moved to her supernatural and walker families to give them hugs since it was clear they were also surprised, even though they noticed her in the background first.
after jared had composed himself from the shock that was the surprise of his eldest daughter coming home after four years away in australia, he felt like he was ready to have an actual conversation with his daughter again.
hugging her again, jared spoke up, "did you just get home today?" jared chuckled, wiping away a tear as pressley giggled
"yeah, me and alania landed today, we were just two of very few that were allowed to leave, we'll still have to go back at some point for our graduation but, hopefully by then it'll be less restricted," pressley explained as jared nodded his head in understanding as he smiled at alania who he then stood up to give a hug to as she still filmed
alania smiled, "hey jared, happy birthday!" jared gave her a kiss on the head which made alania blush slightly
"hey alania, welcome back darlin' and thank you, it is a happy birthday," jared chuckled as alania smiled back with a head nod, understanding that it was easily his best birthday with all of his children home with him
after a few more photos that had been taken outside of the father and daughter and everyone else, their group had finally picked out what they wanted to eat and ordered it.
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after the fantastic birthday dinner and even more fantastic birthday cake for jared, videos and photos from the birthday was posted everywhere. including posts from her parents and uncles but, she still hadn't posted any but, because they had just come back home, pressley finally posted for her dad's birthday. just so those who didn't know the girl had come home (not that anyone did), wouldn't freak out thinking the girl had forgotten to post or acknowledge her father's 40th birthday.
liked by jaredpadalecki, genpadalecki, jensenackles, keeoone, alaniacallahan and 777k others
pressleypadalecki happy 40 daddy, you still look absolutely fire even though you're no longer in your twenties 🤍
view all 66k comments
jaredpadalecki you are never gonna let me live this down are you?
jaredpadalecki seriously though pressley, thank you so much, this was the best birthday i could have ever dreamt of having 🤍
pressleypadalecki jaredpadalecki it was my pleasure dad, i'm glad i could give you your birthday wish 🤍
genpadaleckithe look on your father's face when he realised it was you in the photo, and not just some random person with their arms around him is always going to be priceless
pressleypadalecki genpadalecki i know! that was my fear as well that he'd turn around to tell me to get the heck off him but, he didn't!
jensenackles i have to say pressley, how on earth are you going to top this birthday present? in all seriousness though, jared's reaction was priceless!
pressleypadalecki jensenackles honestly uncle jensen, i have got no clue whatsoever so, i think i may need some help for the first time in forever! and, i know, i can't stop watching the video!
keeoone i've never seen your dad so shocked before! you are for sure the queen of surprising people for their birthdays, lemme tell you that, pressley!
pressleypadalecki keeoone thanks uncle keegs, i honestly haven't either! and thank you, thank you, however, i think i may start asking for help after this year!
alaniacallahan lol, "you still look fire even though you're no longer in your twenties", what a slow burn that is for your old man, press!
pressleypadalecki alaniacallahan hahaha, you know i had to do it, alania!
misha jared's reaction was the best i had ever seen in ages!
pressleypadalecki misha it really was! he was not expecting it at all!
danneelackles512 your old man's reaction to you being home was the sweetest in the world!
pressleypadalecki danneelackles512 i know, it was so adorable!
violetbrinson what the fuck are you going to do for your dad's 41st next year?! there is no way you could top this!
pressleypadalecki violetbrinson i have got no idea! and i agree, i don't know if i am able to top this!
realashleyreyes the fbi couldn't have planned this any better and neither could the texas rangers!
pressleypadalecki realashleyreyes i agree aunty ash!
padaleckifanalecki omg i'm gonna cry! i was so worried you had forgotten about your dad's birthday, press! you were just on your way to surprise him, i'm gonna cry!
pressleypadalecki padaleckifanalecki don't cry, you'll make me cry! and don't worry, i'd never forget my dad's birthday because i was just on my way to surprise him!
just as pressley thought she had the most perfect day surprising her dad and family for her dad's birthday, she never imagined she'd be talked about in an ew article about how she surprised her dad. but, she did and it happened and it was posted and she was obsessed over it for the next couple of days.
ew!
PRESSLEY PADALECKI, DAUGHTER OF SUPERNATURAL AND WALKER ACTOR JARED PADALECKI HAS COME HOME FROM UNIVERSITY IN QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA AFTER FOUR YEARS TO SURPRISE HER DAD FOR HIS 40th BIRTHDAY AT BIRTHDAY DINNER
SAMANTHA HIGHFIELD | EDITOR JULY 19, 2022
pressley padalecki, the eldest daughter of supernatural and walker actor jared padalecki and wife geneveive padalecki, gave her father the biggest surprise and ultimately, the best birthday present ever for his 40th birthday. she surprised him during a birthday dinner for his birthday as the walker cast has a small break in the middle of their newest season.
the twenty-year-old is a university student studying for a bachelor's degree in film and television all the way in brisbane, queensland, australia where she had been the last four years, two of them due to the coronavirus pandemic. it was mentioned in a video taken by pressley's family friend, alania callahan, who is a fellow film and television university student with pressley, that the two girls were two of very few given permission to fly home by the university of queensland for her dad's birthday which is what inspired her to surprise her father for this 40th birthday.
pressley padalecki and her childhood best friend, alania callahan in brisbane, australia | pic: instagram/pressleypadalecki
in pressley's instagram post for her dad's 40th birthday, she posts three photos. one of her with her father at a restaurant, a photo of her all dressed up for the dinner and then another photo of her at the airport, taken by alania callahan, who is a very well known friend to the entire padalecki family, not just pressley. and this is due to the relationship alania's parents has with pressley's grandfather, gerald padalecki, former tax accountant.
her caption reads: "happy 40 daddy, you still look absolutely fire even though you're no longer in your twenties 🤍" which is a very simple caption for the padalecki girl as she is usually the one to write paragraphs for occasions like her family members' birthdays and days like mothers and fathers day. however, the eldest padalecki daughter didn't forget the little slow burn that she always gives her dad for every birthday post. this year mentioning that he is no longer in his twenties but still looks absolutely fire. but, it seems as though she wanted to keep it short, sweet and simple since she did surprise him at dinner in front of so many people after it was shown she had surprised the rest of her family.
pressley violet padalecki is the eldest daughter of jared and genevieve padalecki, born in 2003. however, jared and genevieve didn't meet until season four of supernatural and pressley was actually the daughter of padalecki's former partner before he met genevieve. genevieve then shortly after adopted pressley just as the two married in 2010. pressley is the older sister to jared and genevieve's three other children, thomas colton, austin sheppard "shep" and odette elliot. at the beginning of little pressley's life, there were tons of rumours about how people had no idea that jared already had a child before meeting his now-wife. however, thankfully those rumours never lasted long to cause too much harm to the family. causing only a mild controversy, everyone cheered in the excitement that jared was already a father. then, when pressley was first introduced, everyone rejoiced that little pressley violet was healthy and then in 2010, pressley's parents got married in sun valley, idaho when she was only a few months old.
pressley padalecki | pic: instagram/pressleypadalecki
it had been four years since jared, genevieve, tom, shep and odette had seen their daughter and older sister and since the rest of the supernatural and walker family had seen their niece and cousin. as previously mentioned, pressley had been in queensland, australia studying at their university for a degree in film and television because she had always loved acting and performing. the university of queensland is also where her childhood best friend alania callahan studied with her.
alania, who gave me permission to talk with her, said that she's been friends with pressley and the entire padalecki family ever since she could remember. because one day, during an event that gerald padalecki was hosting, both alania and pressley's parents were attending the event and met, hitting it off straight away with each other. so, since that day the padalecki's and callahan's met, the friendship continued and then moved on to their children, which is how pressley and alania's friendship became so strong. alania was also not one to hide or shy away from her love for her best friend's dad and his tv shows, supernatural and walker when i questioned her on their friendship and the families relationship. she explained that being friends with jared and genevieve padalecki feels like she has an extra set of parents, especially considering that jared and genevieve are the godparents of alania and alania's parents, gina and alexander callahan are the godparents of pressley, it only makes sense for alania to mention that to us in our conversation with her.
in the comments of pressley's post for her dad's birthday, alania said quote, "lol, "you still look fire even though you're no longer in your twenties", what a slow burn that is for your old man, press!" which clearly indicates the love that alania not only has for her best friend pressley but also for her best friends dad jared. and pressley responded back saying quote, "hahaha, you know i had to do it, alania!" which clearly states that it's now become a tradition for pressley to roast her dad at least once during her birthday posts for her dad. which is the way that pressley shows love to her dad that's just special to the father and daughter.
talking further with alania, she talked about her first memory with pressley padalecki at a supernatural convention back in 2012, in toronto, canada, saying quote: "i remember the first ever time i was present at a supernatural convention, it was back in 2012 in toronto, canda. it was near the end of the convention so some tears had been shed but a lot of laughs had occured and were being continued. the fan for the final question had been called up and suddenly, i just remembered bawling my eyes out. the fan had asked a question about asking for help but not knowing how and i just remember being so young [...] we, pressley and i, were seven and i remember just crying because someone who was so much older than me didn't know how to ask for help when i asked my own parents for help every single day...i then turned to my right and noticed that pressley was getting teary-eyed because she saw the way her dad reacted and of course, because her dad is jared padalecki and he's known to be an emotional person, pressley is also got that personality trait..."
continuing with a giggle, thinking she sounds insane which, i immediately tell her she doesn't, "...she's also crying and she just hugs me as we watch her dad and jensen just help this clearly nervous and troubled fan. telling them that they just did the very first thing but also the hardest thing. and that was acknowledging that they wanted help but didn't know how to ask for it. they then continued this answer for a little while longer and we were just sitting in our seats completely exhausted by the end of it because of how much little seven-year-old us had been crying. because whilst we were young we still had some understanding to why we were crying. i could tell how much this question had meant to both jared and pressley."
pressley padalecki and alania callahan in brisbane, australia | pic: instagram/pressleypadalecki
alania then talked to me more about her friendship with pressley and the padalecki's which, if you guys are lucky, will be released publically soon. also mentioning that she is excited to go back to brisbane, queensland with pressley so they can graduate together and then come back home to focus on some musical auditions. she also mentioned however that she's glad to be coming back home with her best friend and glad to be spending time with her best friend's family after being away for so long due to the coronavirus pandemic. in which kept them from coming home a year earlier like supposed to, having to rely on facetime and phone calls to keep in touch.
welcome home pressley and alania, congratulations on finishing your bachelor's degrees and we cannot wait to see you guys performing on stage very soon!
and, of course, we cannot forget, the happiest 40th birthday to jared padalecki, we hope you had the best birthday ever and hope you enjoy the rest of the newest season of walker.
for those wanting to catch-up on walker, check out the cw app or stan for this new upcoming season and the other seasons.
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rewriting this was so much fun even though i know i could have done it better lol! i'm just glad to have written another thing after what feels like forever since the last one-shot.
ok ily bye xx
wc; 5870
#supernatural and walker cast#fluff#jared padalecki#jensen ackles#misha collins#genevieve padalecki#violet brinson#kale culley#keegan allen#happy birthday dad!
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Slow fold of year into year, past into fiction
Midwinter. Black
sun in motion, even
at its still point. Long
the winter, long
this night, this
waiting. In this white
moment no
momentum, still
the flicker of our name. Keep
me in the light
love, while you
winter alone. The tide
pulls back to come
forwards, holds itself
gelid into itself. Now
things pull, tip
from stasis, lean
into new. Slow
fold of year
into year, past
into fiction. Break
the stride
of dark spirits, outpace
their company. Step
with me gold where others
walked, ghosted
by future suns.
— Felicity Plunkett, “Sunturn” in “A Kinder Sea” (University of Queensland Press; May 4, 2020)
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the raven cycle sequence, 'taratology'.
deo, shastro (2018 [2017]), the agonist. st. lucia: queensland university press.
#the raven cycle#maggie stiefvater#pynch#ronan lynch#gansey#shastra deo#the agonist#adam parrish#speaking#genuinely unsure if this counts as plagiarism#very pretty poems! big fan! but really unsure
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NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: Soviets on Venus by Thomas Simmons
ADVANCE ORDER: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/soviets-on-venus-by-thomas-simmons/
#Soviets on #Venus explores a remote jeweled casket. It construes an alien neighbor as it reconceptualizes an underrated scientific breakthrough: the series of unnamed probes piloted to #Venus by the #USSR between 1961 and the mid-80’s. The missions were called the Venera program. These fantastical spacecraft transmitted data, vivid photographs, and poetic energy back to Earth. Some piloted through the morning star’s magma-hot, swampy atmosphere as balloons. A few smashed themselves into aeolian canyons or upon alien tufa. A handful simply melted away into silvery pools. And several ended in disaster. These fantastic probes form a sediment of verse from which a strange beauty emerges.
PRAISE FOR Soviets on Venus by Thomas Simmons
Only the dexterity of a poet like Simmons could illuminate the tragic furrows where the trauma of socialist politics overtakes legitimate scientific inquiry. There is a revelation here, and a quiet restlessness.
—Gregory Kipp, Geological Engineer
Weaving thoughts and images and historical facts together in a poetry which maintains a sparse lyricism, Simmons’ narrative is not only vastly more entertaining than most prose histories, but it gives the reader a unique advantage to imagine and reimagine the story that is being told.
–Cliff Cunningham, Research Fellow, University of Southern Queensland and author of Asteroids
Is the verse collection Soviets on Venus good or bad? Yes. Find out for yourself!
–Frank Pommersheim, Professor Emeritus, Knudson School of Law and author of Braid of Feathers
Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry #USSR #venus #space
#poetry#preorder#flp authors#flp#poets on tumblr#finishing line press#small press#book cover#books#publishers#poets#poem#smallpress#poems#venus#space science#ussr (former soviet union)
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youtube
Dreweatts is delighted to offer an extremely rare opal tiara from the family of the Late Jean Pierre François Joseph Pineton de Chambrun, Marquis de Chambrun, Marquis d’Amefreville (1903-2004) and his second wife Muriel, Marquise de Chambrun. Jean Pierre Pineton was the eldest son of French politician and diplomat Charles Louis Antoine Pierre Gilbert Pineton de Chambrun (1865-1954) and his American wife, Margaret Rives Nichols (1872-1949). Jean Pierre married his second wife Muriel in married in 1963 and they spent their 40-year marriage between France, the United States and the Algarve in Portugal.
The de Chambrun family has a prominent history as French politicians in the French Senate and French Chamber of Deputies and were direct descendants of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834), the French aristocrat and army officer who commanded American troops to victory in the American War of Independence. He was also a key figure in the French Revolution in 1789 and the July Revolution of 1830 and served in French parliament. Such was his impact that he was considered a national hero in both countries and gained the title of ‘Hero of Two Worlds’.
Jean Pierre and Muriel toured America lecturing about Lafayette and his role in the American Revolution and War of independence. Muriel also became a celebrated poetess and won several awards including Ohio Poet of the year in 1976 for her book of poems Sudden Spring and an award from Cincinnati University in 1970 for her first book Salisbury Cathedral. Jean Pierre and Muriel were fêted by American society and acknowledged by several American President’s including Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George Bush Junior for their work in promoting Franco-American relations.
Although profoundly deaf, Jean Pierre had studied biochemistry at the Institut Pasteur, and art at the Horace Vernet school. As a member of at the Cercle de l’Union Artistique in France, Jean Pierre became an acclaimed painter and designer of jewellery, wrought iron and crystal for the renowned firm Baccarat. With his background in jewellery, it is thought that the tiara was most probably designed by him. The tiara is exceptionally rare as it is set with opals, hardly ever seen in period tiaras, due to the stone’s fragility and also as some believed that opals held a strange power, that could bring bad luck to its wearer. This superstition was picked up in the British press, however it was eventually dismissed after it was a firm favourite with Queen Victoria, who during her reign owned multiple pieces of jewellery set with opals, which were said to have been the favourite gemstone of her husband, Prince Albert.
“To have a period tiara set with opals is extremely rare, as the opal stone is so fragile, with their composition mainly consisting of water and silica gel”, says Deputy Chairman and International Head of Jewellery, Silver and Watches at Dreweatts. “Of the very few other tiaras set with opals, is the Princess Marie of Denmark opal tiara, an exuberant Art Nouveau creation of large, towering opal set floral sprays. It has not been seen being worn in public since the wedding of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway in 1968.”
The tiara in the sale is an exuberant piece of mid-20th century jewellery design. Opals are highly attractive stones due to their colour play, as they show all the colours of the rainbow. When rotated in light, one can see different flashes of colour, which are caused by the microscopic silica spheres in the stone. The most sought-after colours are red and green. Opals were traditionally found in Eastern Europe, in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. However, in the 1870s, they were discovered in Australia. Since then Australia has contributed to around 90% of the global output of precious opals. The best opals are found in Lightning Ridge, with others come from Queensland and New South Wales. A small percentage of stones also come from Ethiopia, America and Mexico, however these are not as commercially viable as the Australian examples.
“The opals found in this stunning tiara are of exceptional quality and we can therefore assume that these originated from Australia.” says James Nicholson. They are set into 18 carat gold scrolled framework, complimented by circular cabochon, circular cut and step cut ruby accents, as well as rose cut and old mine cut diamonds, adding an extra sparkle. Adding to the uniqueness of this particular tiara, it is intended to be worn more like an ‘alice band’ across the middle of the head, rather than at the front. This adds significant height to it, making it a fabulous statement piece. It is estimated to fetch of £12,000-£18,000 when it goes under the hammer in Dreweatts Fine Jewellery, Silver Watches and Object of Vertu sale on March 22, 2023.
Opal tiaras are extremely rare, and only one other tiara set with opals is known. The Princess Marie of Denmark opal tiara was an exuberant Art Nouveau creation of large, towering opal set floral sprays. The tiara was re-set by Princess Marie's daughter-in-law Princess Viggo, into a simpler diadem. This opal diadem was passed down to the Count and Countess Flemming of Rosenborg, and has not been seen being worn in public since it was last worn at the wedding of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway in 1968.
The present lot is an exuberant piece of mid 20th century jewellery design. Although unmarked, it is probably made in Northern Italy, and with his background in jewellery, it is likely that it was designed by Jean Pierre.
Opals are rarely found in tiaras due to the fragility of the stone, with their composition mainly made up of water and silica gel. They are highly prized due to their colour play, showing all the colours of the rainbow. When rotated in light, one can see different flashes of colour, which are caused by the microscopic silica spheres in the stone. The most sought after colours are red and green.
Opals were traditionally found in Eastern Europe, in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. However, in the 1870s, they were discovered in Australia. Since then Australia has contributed to around 90% of the global output of precious opals. The best opals are found in Lightning Ridge, with others coming from Queensland and New South Wales. A small percentage of stones also come from Ethiopia, America and Mexico, however these are not as commercially viable as the Australian examples.
The opals found in the present lot are of exceptional quality, and so we can be fairly certain that these originated from Australia. They are set into 18 carat gold scrolled framework, complimented by circular cabochon, circular cut and step cut ruby accents, as well as rose cut and old mine cut diamonds, adding an extra sparkle.Adding to the uniqueness of this tiara, it is intended to be worn more like an alice band across the middle of the head, rather than at the front. This adds significant height to it, making it a real statement piece.
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Scientists accidentally discover new species of snake
New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/7uyrB
Scientists accidentally discover new species of snake
A team of scientists exploring the Amazon Rainforest discovered a previously undocumented subspecies of anaconda, according to a press release published on Tuesday by the University of Queensland. The northern green anaconda was accidentally discovered while the researchers filmed for National Geographic’s upcoming series Pole to Pole with Will Smith. The subspecies is thought […]
See full article at https://petn.ws/7uyrB
#ExoticPetNews
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GERMAINE GREER
GERMAINE GREER
1939
AUSTRALIAN WRITER AND FEMINIST
‘I opened the door, and there was this phenomenal creature!
I couldn’t believe my eyes. She filled the door frame.
Just a splendid creature…’ - Margaret Fink
She’s intelligent, mouthy and says what she thinks - the first person that comes to your mind when you hear the word feminist, is Germaine Greer.
Greer was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia into a Catholic family and attended University in Sydney and Cambridge where she was attracted to politics and the feminist movement of the 1960s.
In 1970 her book The Female Eunuch, she wrote about women’s roles in society, believing women are expected to be submissive to fulfil male fantasies. Greer revealed how she was a rape victim whilst at University in 1958, aged 19 by a rugby player who beat her before he raped her. Throughout her life she has made controversial comments, which often ruffles the feathers around her. Many of her comments are agreed with and some are disagreed with, regardless she has kept it interesting. She appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2005 and left after six days, calling it a ‘fascist prison camp’. Today she supports the environment including land preservation.
She was only married once in 1973, to a builder who she met outside a pub in London, after knowing him for a short time they married. The couple broke up a few weeks later, Greer had been unfaithful and was disappointed in both her husband and marriage, he was a drunk and sneered to her one night, ‘I could have any woman in this room’, she replied, ‘except me’ and left him permanently.
She had lived in Essex, England as well as Queensland, Australia. In 2021, she returned to Australia, sold her home and put herself into aged care. She stated there are more women in age care than men, and she feels like an inmate. She states that aged care is one of the more pressing feminist issues today.
#germainegreer #feminist #feminism
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Major Sources.
Radical Brisbane: An Unruly History.
Evans, R., Ferrier, C., & Rickertt, J. (2004). Radical Brisbane. Vulgar Press.
Pig City: From The Saints to Savage Garden.
Stafford, A. (2004). Pig City: From The Saints to Savage Garden. University of Queensland Press.
The Hillbilly Dictator: Australia's Police State.
Whitton, E. (1993). The Hillbilly Dictator: Australia's Police State (Rev. ed.). ABC Books.
The Road to Fitzgerald and Beyond.
Dickie, P. (1989). The Road to Fitzgerald and Beyond (New ed. [ie. 2nd ed.].). University of Queensland Press.
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Book Review: "Peace Crimes: Pine Gap, National Security and Dissent" by Kieran Finnane (@KieranFinnane @UQPbooks @EasternRegional)
Peace Crimes: Pine Gap, National Security and Dissent (University of Queensland Press, August 2020) by
It’s purely coincidental that this reviewer was reading Peace Crimes: Pine Gap, National Security and Dissent by Alice Springs-based journalist Kieran Finnane (2020) when a documentary about the book’s subjects – known as Peace Pilgrims – was shown via the ABC program Compass.
The Pilgrims are…
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Choose Compassion: Why it matters and how it works (EPUB) By James Kirby When you think of compassion, what comes to mind? Kindness, understanding, tenderness, empathy, maybe warmth? Compassion can be all those things – but it is much more. Drawing on his many years of experience as a clinical psychologist and researcher, Dr James Kirby brings together hard science and real-life examples to offer a guide to a more compassionate life and society. Kirby debunks the myth that compassion is simply a feeling and shows us how it is a motivational force that can shape our behaviour and relationships with each other and the world. He considers how it might help with self-criticism, parenting and grief, and he explores what part artificial intelligence might play in a compassionate future. In this engaging and timely book, Kirby traverses philosophy, psychology and pop culture to show how we can choose compassion to make our lives healthier, happier and more meaningful. Product Details ASIN : B0BCN23FYK Publisher : University of Queensland Press (November 1, 2022) Publication date : November 1, 2022 Language : English Screen Reader : Supported
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Annotated Bibliography
Huggins, J. (2022). Sister girl: Reflections on tiddaism, identity, and reconciliation. University of Queensland Press.
This source provides a comprehensive reflection on Aboriginal identity and the mechanisms of oppression in Australia, particularly those relating to First Nations women. This is significant to Ah Kee’s work as it provides the background to the important of his art, and the portrayals of conflicting identity. It is written by the esteemed author and advocate, Dr Jackie Huggins, a Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru woman. Through my citations, I recognise that it is critical to prioritise centring the perspectives of Aboriginal women and gender diverse folk, as their experiences are commonly excluded from main discourse.
Evans, M., & Sinclair, A. (2016). Containing, contesting, creating spaces: leadership and cultural identity work among Australian Indigenous arts leaders. Leadership, 12(3), 270-292. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/1742715015620463
This article examines the broad relationships between art expression, leadership, and Aboriginal identity. It demonstrates how leaders in Indigenous art embody Aboriginality through their art form and contradict stereotypes to find self-determination. This further explores the division between mainstream views of Aboriginality, and demonstrates the leadership and strength in Aboriginal identity.
Heiss, A. (2022). Am I black enough for you?: Ten years on. Random House Australia.
This book, written by acclaimed author and Wiradjuri woman, Dr Anita Heiss, explores ideas of Aboriginal identity in contemporary Australian society. It challenges colonial stereotypes and represents the heterogeneity in Aboriginal peoples. It demonstrates parallels with Ah Kee’s work by opposing the false perceptions of white Australia.
Watego, C. (2021). Another day in the colony. University of Queensland Press.
In this novel, Professor Chelsea Watego, a Munanjahli and South Sea Islander woman, provides an insightful reflection on Aboriginal oppression and stereotyping in the colony. Whilst not explicitly about art forms, it analyses important themes such as sovereignty and activism, relevant to the topic of identity expressed through art. It will be useful in analysing the dynamics of Aboriginal identity, relevant to Ah Kee’s work.
Joss, S. M. (2004). Beyond the Dreamings: Identity and representation in Australian Aboriginal urban art. [Doctoral Dissertation, American University]. ProQuest. https://dra.american.edu/islandora/object/thesesdissertations%3A3101/datastream/PDF/view
This source collates perspectives from various Aboriginal artists, as well as non-Indigenous consumers of art, to digest the link between identity and contemporary Aboriginal art forms. It compares racially motivated depictions of Indigeneity, with the activism and reclamation present in Aboriginal modern art. It is an extensive document, and as such, provides a comprehensive insight into themes topical to Ah Kee’s work, such as finding identity in art, representation, and racism.
Ah Kee, V., & McIntrye, S. (2022). nothing important happened today: An Interview with Vernon Ah Kee. The Journal of the Pacific Arts Association, 22(2), 11-26. https://doi.org/10.5070/PC222259587
Whilst explicitly about Ah Kee’s 2021 exhibition, nothing important happened today, this transcript also enables unique insight into Ah Kee’s intention when creating art. This is particularly important when discussing the role of his art in the political landscape, and relating his work to ideas of sovereignty and identity. It is important to understand the perspective of the artist to discern the messages in their work, especially when the art has a cultural significance.
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. [MCA Australia]. (2015, Nov 19). Vernon Ah Kee interviewed in 2006 for MCA Artist Voice [Video}. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU-YYflHDXo
This specific video is about Ah Kee’s 2006 collection, fantasies of the good. It allows for an in-depth appreciation of Ah Kee’s background and the meaning behind these powerful portraits in relation to Aboriginal identity. As they are portraits of his family and ancestors, it is imperative that Ah Kee’s perspective is appreciated when viewing the artwork.
Moreton-Robinson, A. (Ed). (2004). Whitening race: Essays in social and cultural criticism. Aboriginal Studies Press.
This source provides the necessary background to contextualise Ah Kee’s work through the discussion of Australia’s ongoing racism and dispossession of Aboriginal peoples. It was collated by Goenpul woman, Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson, who is a credible and discerning scholar. Furthermore, chapters in the book are dedicated to the white perception of Aboriginality, and the racist representations of our peoples that have poisoned mainstream discourse. This is useful for dissecting the dichotomy between colonial perceptions, and reality.
Stuurman, R. (2003, June 19). Aboriginal identity in contemporary society [Paper presentation]. Access to Indigenous Records National Forum.
This is a powerful source that discusses the dynamics of existing as an Aboriginal person in white Australia, and findings ones’ identity. It theorises how identity is defined and constructed in contemporary society, and where Aboriginality fits into this mould. Relevant to Ah Kee’s work, it also recognises ties to art as an expression of identity and opposition to colonial views.
Fredericks, B., & Bradfield, A. (2021). Affirming Aboriginal identities: Art production in central Queensland. Journal of Visual Art Practice, 20(1-2), 31-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/14702029.2021.1917906
This study investigates the nuanced connection between Aboriginal art expression, identity, and social action. It considers how art forms can serve as a tool in dismantling colonial concepts of Aboriginality.
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nicky byrne one-shot
𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓮 - happy birthday dad!
𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 - dad x nicky, an emotional reunion between father and daughter, happy tears
𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓻𝓲𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 - nicky byrne's eldest daughter, pressley byrne had been away at university in australia for the last three years and only now, three years later, was able to come home due to covid restrictions. and it was also her dad's birthday so, there was no way she'd miss out on surprising her old man for his 44th birthday.
𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻'𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓮 - the one-shot will be written in lowercase and flashbacks, if any, will be written in italics.
masterlist
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𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 | 8 october 2022 |brisbane, queensland
pressley byrne was tearful, in an emotion she wasn't sure was joy, relief or sadness. joy, because she was finally able to get on that goddamn three-hour delayed aer lingus flight back home to her home country of ireland, dublin specifically, from brisbane, queensland australia after four whole years, two of them being stuck there due to coronavirus (in 2020 and 2021). relief, because she was able to spend her father's birthday with him at home during a brief break from westlife's wild dreams tour and sadness because she felt awful that she had become so close to her roommates back at the university of queensland that she felt sick to her stomach that she was one of the very few international university students who were able to travel back home after the whole coronavirus, lockdown situation that the world had been circumnavigating the last couple of years after they had all graduated. however, the moment she finally sat down, alongside her best friend, alania, a fellow international student of the university of queensland in their first-class seats as pressley wore her old oversized westlife hoodie that was for sure first given to her when she was just a wee toddler paired with white flared jeans and fluffy slides. she sighed in relief, with a smidge of joy and a smidge of sadness as she rested her head against the side of the first class cabin she and alania purchased as both girls listened intently to the aeroplanes safety instructions even though they knew nothing bad was actually going to happen.
after all the safety instructions and usual announcements had been made, both girls settled back down in their seats, pressley reached for her wired earphones even though it wasn't totally illegal for her to use her airpods, and plugged them into her iphone and immediately went into her spotify premium. pressing shuffle on her playlist, home by westlife and then you raise me up also by westlife and other songs that reminded pressley of her family back home in ireland played in her earphones. whilst those songs would always make her cry (and absolutely, positively did on this flight) it also made her smile and be extremely grateful that the flight, although it was delayed by three hours and was an entire 24-hour flight, they were finally on the plane and on their way home on irish soil in dublin. the overly exhausted irish girl seemed to fall asleep within minutes and it seemed to stay that way for the entire flight. even her fellow uni best friend, alania callahan, didn't want to disturb her twenty-year-old best friend as it seemed obvious from the tear stains on the byrne girl's face, the slightly distressed wrinkles and scrunched-up nose that she shared with her dad that it revealed to the flight attendants as well as alania that this sleep was extremely needed. especially because she'd be surprising not just her dad for his birthday but also everyone else so, no one disturbed her until alania had to when the plane landed back home in dublin, ireland.
pressley was in the deepest sleep, her earphones blasting westlife's version of michael buble's hit song home when she felt herself being shaken awake. the girl jolted awake but softly fluttered her eyes open to see the prettiest female eyes, they were the blue eyes of her bestie, alania. rushing to take out her earphones, alania gestured for the girl to breathe and go slow as pressley listened and she took her time before alania spoke up. with the slightly exhausted smile from the blonde, alania took that cue to speak up so, she did.
"hey little miss sleepy, sorry to wake you up honey but the flight attendants were wanting me to let you know that we've finally arrived back home in dublin..." alania smiled at her bestie as that seemed to make pressley teary-eyed and on the verge of tears
alania wasn't bothered by her bestie's emotional reaction since, it was quite normal for pressley to cry and, it was also clear to alania that pressley had been waiting for the moment of hearing that she was finally home after being away from it for what had felt like an eternity, just like alania.
alania let her best friend compose herself before pressley spoke up, "...we're home, alania?" pressley whimpered out as alania sweetly smiled
"yeah, we're home press. we touched down around ten/fifteen minutes ago, we are currently the last ones from first class to deboard but the flight attendants are still waiting to deboard business and economy classes so, the flight attendants said to me before waking you up that they aren't really in a rush to get us off but...wait, you never told me whos picking you up..." alania was knee deep in repeating what she was told to pressley when she remembered that she was never told who was picking pressley up as pressley smiled and giggled slightly through her tears
"...oh, yeah, sorry, i...um, i'm surprising my family, but my dad especially for his birthday. it's his 44th birthday today and westlife is on a small break from their wild dreams tour before returning back for their asia leg in mid-november..." pressley giggled, smiling as she just imagined the reactions of her dad nicky and her brothers and sister, rocco, jay and gia along with the reactions from the rest of her westlife family, shane, mark and kian and the reaction of their kids as well
seeing pressley's smile at what alania knew was her best friend's imaginings of how the byrne girl's family would react to the surprise made alania smile even more. she had been friends with pressley and her family since they were basically in diapers after their parents met at an event for pressley's grandfather, bertie ahern, who was the irish prime minister at the time and since then, the byrne's and callahan's had been the best of friends, that friendship continuing on in their children.
"...so, if you're surprising the whole family, who's picking you up then?" alania giggled as the two girls grabbed their carry-on luggage and awkwardly shimmied out of the plane so they could then leave and truly be back on solid ground, not a plane's ground after what felt like a whole year of being in one
"no one, alania, did you forget that we drove here and left my car in the parking garage the whole four years..." pressley trailed off as alania suddenly face palmed, remembering all of a sudden as the two girls giggled - glad that they had faith in the undercover parking at dublin airport
"...how did i forget that? we came together cause i stayed at your house overnight--i'm a fucking idiot!" alania chuckled as pressley shook her head and giggled at her childhood best friend
"come on alania! let's go home, it's time for us to surprise our families!" pressley smiled, holding her hand out for her best friend to grab which she did as the fellow blonde girl nodded her head with a smile and took her best friends hand with hers
𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 | 8 october 2022 | dublin, ireland
pressley had just helped alania surprise her family and, it was the sweetest moment ever, especially when alania's parents gina and alexander basically pulled her into joining the family group hug and it only made her even more excited to surprise her own family, her dad most especially. with gina and alexander callahan's help and the help of alania, it was pressley's time to surprise her own family. and the first person to be surprised was georgina, pressley's mum.
so, after a couple of moments of gina, alania's mum, convincing georgina to come outside to the front of the house on her own, georgina made her way outside and the look on both georgina and pressley's faces when they saw each other was the sweetest in the world.
alania filmed as pressley waited in anxious wait for her mum to come outside to the front of the house after gina sent what could be perceived as a suspicious text. pressley had just turned around to smile at alania and her phone when she heard her mum's voice...
"...pressley? what...what are you doing home?" georgina's voice was shaky and tearful as pressley turned around and only just opened her arms for a hug when georgina rushed over to pull her eldest daughter in for a hug
"surprise mam!" pressley whispered as she started to giggle as she felt herself breathing properly again as she smiled into her mum's shoulder
georgina held her heart tightly as she moved out of the hug, one of her hands still holding pressley's, "you didn't tell us you'd be home for your dad's birthday!" she whispered, having an inkling as to that being the entire reason why pressley was surprising her whole family rather than just nicky
"because i wanted to surprise all of you, not just dad. he isn't that subtle when asking for birthday wishes mam," pressley giggles as does georgina, alania, alexander and gina who are all filming from different angles because, you know, angles
"of course he isn't, he's never been subtle. oh, i'm so glad you're home, press! it's been way too long!" georgina whispered, hugging her eldest child again
"it really has! i'm just glad that alania and i had the opportunity to come home because so many other international, especially irish, students at the uni are still stuck back in brisbane!" pressley explained as georgina looked shocked as alania nodded her head in agreement, the girl stopped filming a moments earlier
~
a few minutes went by when, with the help of georgina, alania, gina and alexander, pressley surprised her twin brothers, rocco and jay at rocco's soccer practice that weirdly enough, their dad, who was soccer crazy, wasn't attending because he was celebrating his birthday with the westlife lads.
thankfully, rocco's soccer coach, another good friend of the byrne family, recognised the surprise and that pressley had returned home and gave a subtle head nod, letting the older sister know that she could surprise rocco. however, it seemed as if jay, rocco's twin brother, had noticed pressley just a minute or two quicker.
"...pressley!" jay squeaked out, jumping from the wired fence he was sitting atop and rushing over to the other side of the soccer pitch to his older sister who stood smiling
her speed picked up as she noticed the look on her brother's face, he was seconds from crying and as though his feet couldn't run fast enough to reach her so, she started to run towards him as well. finally, after what felt like the brother and sister had been running forever, they finally reached each other and jay and pressley byrne collided with each other.
jumping into his sister's arms, even though he was a full-on teenager, at sixteen, he didn't care as it had been at least four or so years since he had last seen her that wasn't over the phone on facetime.
"what are you doing home?" he sniffled with a small giggle as pressley smiled, pulling away and giving her brother a sweet kiss on the head
"me and alania got lucky as two of very few international students who were able to come home and also, i couldn't resist surprising dad for his birthday, of course!" pressley giggled at the end, making jay giggle too, even with the tears dripping down his cheeks
"do you need to go back to graduate?" jay then questioned as the laughter from the soccer team started occurring out of the blue - rocco had finally realised where his twin brother was and that his older sister was home
and, that was when another screech of pressley's name was heard, "pressley!" her heart almost exploded at how her younger brothers always got so excited and emotional when she came home as she turned around, waiting for her brother to run over to her
similar to jay, rocco started getting teary eyed as he ran because he felt like he couldn't run quick enough so, like she did with jay, pressley started to run over to rocco. thankfully though, pressley and rocco didn't stray too far from jay who seemed like he was still in shock from this whole reunion thing, after rocco and pressley hugged, they immediately pulled jay in as they had a group hug.
"what are you doing here? i thought you couldn't get home because of covid?" rocco chuckled, wiping off a tear from his cheek as pressley smiled, shaking her head
"no, i was lucky, as was alania--"
"--alania's home as well?!" rocco squealed in even more excitement as pressley and jay giggled, pressley nodding her head
"yes, she is! she's actually filming this whole thing!" pressley giggled as alania rushed over from a little bush that she had been filming behind, the twins smiling as they rushed to give the girl a hug
after the twins reunited with alania, they then chatted with their older sister a little bit more, wondering if gia, their younger sister and their dad knew only to find out pressley was surprising the whole family.
~
now that mum, rocco and jay were surprised, the only two people that needed to be surprised were little sister gia and their dad nicky. however, usually, dad would be the person to pick gia up after irish dancing, however, georgina managed to convince her husband that she was going to pick up gia when really, it was actually going to be pressley and alania that were going to be picking gia up. thankfully, the irish dance studio that eight-year-old gia danced at was the very same one that pressley and alania danced at so, they would be allowed to pick up gia instead of nicky or georgina since the two girls were very well known at the dance studio.
and once again, alania was filming as the girls walked into the irish dance studio to pick up gia, who was around five when pressley first left for uni and was now eight years old, nearly nine. you would think that a young girl of gia's age, who hadn't seen their older sister since they were five, wouldn't remember them but, that couldn't be said for little gia byrne...
...pressley had barely walked in when little gia screamed at the top of her lungs and ran over to her older sister.
"pressley!!!" gia screamed, not even wanting to say goodbye to her dance teacher who smiled as they saw the reason why gia was screaming after they had registered the name that the girl had screamed out
kneeling down to the ground with her arms wide open, pressley waited for her little sister to jump into her arms so she could pick her up and twirl her around, "gia!!!" pressley cheered, matching her sister's enthusiasm and excitement as she hugged gia as tightly as possible
then, what gia said next made everyone coo in adorableness, "i missed you, pressley!" gia couldn't have been happier at the end of her irish dancing lesson, not so upset that it wasn't her daddy picking her up since she would see him later since she could tell that pressley wouldn't just surprise one person in the family
"i missed you too, gia! you've gotten so big! when i last saw you, you were like, five! now you're eight years old! in fact, you're nearly nine!" pressley giggled as gia nodded her head in excitement, happy as ever that pressley remembered that she was no longer a little girl anymore but a big girl
"i know! i'm glad you're home though, because it's daddy's birthday today! he's been wanting you to come home for agesss!" gia drawn out at the end as that got everyone giggling, including alania, who gia noticed shortly after
"alania!" gia rushed over to the other blonde girl and gave her a hug
and then, it was time for the all-important surprise. the main surprise, her dad nicky!
~
it had been quickly decided that georgina would tell the wives and husband of the other three westlife lads, gillian, jodi and cailean. just so they knew that pressley was home surprising nicky and that they could tell their kids as well. and this was so the last surprise was nicky and then pressley's uncles, kian, mark and shane.
and, it worked out because they decided to go out to dinner for nicky's birthday and immediately, georgina wanted to take some group shots, some family shots and then during the shots of nicky with his westlife bandmates, pressley quickly slid in standing behind her dad with her arms around him. and this was the funniest thing because, nicky just smiled, not hesitating to rest his hands over the top of the hands that were his daughter's, not that he knew that. which made georgina giggle but managed to keep it quiet enough that nicky didn't question it and the photos continued. that was until georgina showed nicky, kian, shane and mark the photos. it didn't take kian, shane and mark long to realise that pressley had joined them for the photo and was the person with their arms around nicky but kept quiet so their best friend could get surprised without it being ruined.
and it wasn't because moments later, nicky looked at the photo again. his eyes wide and then turned around to see his eldest daughter, pressley standing right behind him, with her best friend alania behind her filming the reunion.
"pressley?! what on earth are you doing here?!" nicky's voice shook as he stood up out of his seat at the restaurant and pulled his eldest in for a hug as pressley giggled
"you aren't as subtle with your birthday wishes, like always!" pressley simply said as she hugged her dad as tightly as she could, feeling like she could finally breathe properly now that she was finally reunited with her whole family again
pressley made everyone laugh with her comment as nicky couldn't help but laugh at it either as he nodded his head in agreement, "i'm never subtle, pressley!" he mumbled as it was obvious to pressley that her dad could breathe properly again now that his family was back together again
after one more tight squeeze, pressley then moved to her three uncles, mark, shane and kian to give them hugs since it was clear they were also surprised, even though they noticed her in the background first.
after nicky had composed himself from the shock that was the surprise of his eldest daughter coming home after four years away in australia, he felt like he was ready to have an actual conversation with his daughter again.
hugging her again, nicky spoke up, "did you just get home today?" nicky chuckled, wiping away a tear as pressley giggled
"yeah, me and alania landed today, we were just two of very few that were allowed to leave, we'll still have to go back at some point for our graduation but, hopefully by then it'll be less restricted," pressley explained as nicky nodded his head in understanding as he smiled at alania who he then stood up to give a hug to as she still filmed
alania smiled, "hey nicky, happy birthday!" nicky gave her a kiss on the head which made alania blush slightly
"hey alania, welcome back darling and thank you, it is a happy birthday," nicky chuckled as alania smiled back with a head nod, understanding that it was easily his best birthday with all of his children home with him
after a few more photos that had been taken outside of the father and daughter and everyone else, their group had finally picked out what they wanted to eat and ordered it.
~
after the fantastic birthday dinner and even more fantastic birthday cake for nicky, videos and photos from the birthday was posted everywhere. including posts from her parents and uncles but, she still hadn't posted any but, because they had just come back home, pressley finally posted for her dad's birthday. just so those who didn't know the girl had come home (not that anyone did), wouldn't freak out thinking the girl had forgotten to post or acknowledge her father's 44th birthday.
liked by nickybyrneinsta, georginaahernbyrne, shanefilanofficial, kianegan, alaniacallahan and 777k others
pressleybyrne happy 44 daddy, you still look absolutely fire even though you're no longer in your twenties 🤍
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nickybyrneinsta you are never gonna let me live this down are you?
nickybyrneinsta seriously though pressley, thank you so much, this was the best birthday i could have ever dreamt of having 🤍
pressleybyrne nickybyrneinsta it was my pleasure dad, i'm glad i could give you your birthday wish 🤍
georginaahernbyrne the look on your father's face when he realised it was you in the photo, and not just some random person with their arms around him is always going to be priceless
pressleybyrne georginaahernbyrne i know! that was my fear as well that he'd turn around to tell me to get the heck off him but, he didn't!
shanefilanofficial i have to say pressley, how on earth are you going to top this birthday present? in all seriousness though, nicky's reaction was priceless!
pressleybyrne shanefilanofficial honestly uncle shane, i have got no clue whatsoever so, i think i may need some help for the first time in forever! and, i know, i can't stop watching the video!
kianegan i've never seen your dad so shocked before! you are for sure the queen of surprising people for their birthdays, lemme tell you that, pressley!
pressleybyrne kianegan thank uncle kian, i honestly haven't either! and thank you, thank you, however, i think i may start asking for help after this year!
alaniacallahan lol, "you still look fire even though you're no longer in your twenties", what a slow burn that is for your old man, press!
pressleybyrne alaniacallahan hahaha, you know i had to do it, alania!
markusmoments nicky's reaction was the best i had ever seen in ages!
pressleybyrne markusmoments it really was! he was not expecting it at all!
jodialbert your old man's reaction to you being home was the sweetest in the world!
pressleybyrne jodialbert i know, it was so adorable!
caileano what the fuck are you going to do for your dad's 45th next year?! there is no way you could top this!
pressleybyrne caileano i have got no idea! and i agree, i don't know if i am able to top this!
gillianfilansligo the fbi couldn't have planned this any better and neither could the gardai!
pressleybyrne gillianfilansligo i agree aunty gillian!
westlifertwo omg i'm gonna cry! i was so worried you had forgotten about your dad's birthday, press! you were just on your way to surprise him, i'm gonna cry!
pressleybyrne westlifertwo don't cry, you'll make me cry! and don't worry, i'd never forget my dad's birthday because i was just on my way to surprise him!
just as pressley thought she had the most perfect day surprising her dad and family for her dad's birthday, she never imagined she'd be talked about in a goss.ie article about how she surprised her dad. but, she did and it happened and it was posted and she was obsessed over it for the next couple of days.
goss.ie
PRESSLEY BYRNE, DAUGHTER OF WESTLIFE LEGEND NICKY BYRNE HAS COME HOME FROM UNIVERSITY IN QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA AFTER FOUR YEARS TO SURPRISE HER DAD FOR HIS 44TH BIRTHDAY AT BIRTHDAY DINNER
MAIREAD O'HALLORAN | EDITOR OCTOBER 8, 2022
pressley byrne, the eldest daughter of westlife member nicky byrne and his wife georgina byrne, gave her father the biggest surprise and ultimately, the best birthday present ever for his 44th birthday when she surprised him during a birthday dinner for his birthday as the band has a small break in the middle of their wild dreams tour.
the twenty-year-old is a university student studying for a bachelor's degree in film and television all the way in brisbane, queensland, australia where she had been the last four years, two of them due to the coronavirus pandemic. it was mentioned in a video taken by pressley's family friend, alania callahan, who is a fellow film and television university student with pressley, that the two girls were two of very few given permission to fly home by the university of queensland for her dad's birthday which is what inspired her to surprise her father for this 44th birthday.
pressley byrne and her childhood best friend, alania callahan in brisbane, australia | pic: instagram/pressleybyrne
in pressley's instagram post for her dad's 44th birthday, she posts three photos. one of her with her father at a restaurant, a photo of her all dressed up for the dinner and then another photo of her at the airport, taken by alania callahan, who is a very well known friend to the entire byrne family, not just pressley. and this is due to the relationship alania's parents has with pressley's grandfather, bertie ahern, former irish prime minister.
her caption reads: "happy 44 daddy, you still look absolutely fire even though you're no longer in your twenties 🤍" which is a very simple caption for the byrne girl as she is usually the one to write paragraphs for occasions like her family members' birthdays and days like mothers and fathers day. however, the eldest byrne daughter didn't forget the little slow burn that she always gives her dad for every birthday post. this year mentioning that he is no longer in his twenties but still looks absolutely fire. but, it seems as though she wanted to keep it short, sweet and simple since she did surprise him at dinner in front of so many people after it was shown she had surprised the rest of her family.
pressley gillian byrne is the eldest daughter of nicky and georgina byrne, born in 2003 when westlife was in what was very well known to be their prime as a band but just before they would become the westlife we all know and love today as a four-piece. pressley is the older sister to nicky and georgina's three other children, rocco bertie, jay nicky and gia byrne. at the beginning of little pressley's life, there were tons of rumours about how people thought that pressley couldn't dare be the daughter of nicky and georgina since they weren't even married, only getting engaged the christmas the year prior in 2002. however, it was indeed confirmed by louis walsh, westlife's manager and bertie ahern, georgina's dad and nicky's father-in-law that georgina was pregnant with her and nicky's first baby. causing only a mild controversy, everyone cheered in the excitement that nicky was becoming a father. then, when pressley was born, everyone rejoiced that little pressley gillian was healthy and then in august of 2003, pressley's parents got married in france when she was only a few months old.
pressley byrne | pic: instagram/pressleybyrne
it had been four years since nicky, georgina, rocco, jay and gia had seen their daughter and older sister and since the rest of the westlife family had seen their niece and cousin. as previously mentioned, pressley had been in queensland, australia studying at their university for a degree in film and television because she had always loved acting and performing. the university of queensland is also where her childhood best friend alania callahan studied with her.
alania, who gave me permission to talk with her, said that she's been friends with pressley and the entire byrne family ever since she could remember. because one day, during an event that bertie ahern was hosting, both alania and pressley's parents were attending the event and met, hitting it off straight away with each other. so, since that day the byrne's and callahan's met, the friendship continued and then moved on to their children, which is how pressley and alania's friendship became so strong. alania was also not one to hide or shy away from her love for her best friend's dad and his band, westlife when i questioned her on their friendship and the families relationship. she explained that being friends with nicky and georgina byrne feels like she has an extra set of parents, especially considering that nicky and georgina are the godparents of alania and alania's parents, gina and alexander callahan are the godparents of pressley, it only makes sense for alania to mention that to us in our conversation with her.
in the comments of pressley's post for her dad's birthday, alania said quote, "lol, "you still look fire even though you're no longer in your twenties", what a slow burn that is for your old man, press!" which clearly indicates the love that alania not only has for her best friend pressley but also for her best friends dad nicky. and pressley responded back saying quote, "hahaha, you know i had to do it, alania!" which clearly states that it's now become a tradition for pressley to roast her dad at least once during her birthday posts for her dad. which is the way that pressley shows love to her dad that's just special to the father and daughter.
talking further with alania, she talked about her first memory with pressley byrne at a westlife concert back in 2012, at croke park which was also the band's final show until their reunion in 2019, saying quote: "i remember the first ever time i was front row at a westlife concert, it was back in 2012 at croker for westlife's final ever gig on the 23rd of june and it was the encore. so, we had all just bawled our eyes out through their farewell speeches and you raise me up when me, pressley, some other family members, as well as the westwives of kian, shane and nicky since mark was single at the time, were in front of the barricade in the front row since we were originally up in the boxes near the back where the "w" stage was in the middle of the stadium. and their first song of the encore was world of our own and we were just jamming, having the times of our lives, turning around to see gillian, jodi and georgina having the time of their lives as they all sang and danced to world of our own. holding each other, bless, and then the song finishes and, i then realised, they hadn't played flying without wings yet [...] i was devastated because it's my favourite song of theirs only to realise that the instrumental of the next song was indeed flying without wings when all of a sudden, the previous mood that was happy and joyful just, died all of a sudden and i could see the tears building in pressley's eyes as well as gina's, gillian's and jodi's and i just felt my own heart collapse..."
continuing with a giggle, thinking she sounds insane which, i immediately tell her she doesn't, "...and pressley starts to cry because basically, straight away, within a few minutes of shane starting to sing flying, kian's basically bawling his eyes out only for me to turn next to me to see that jodi, who was literally cradling gillian and georgina on each side of her, was also bawling her eyes out which made kian absolutely lose it and bawl his eyes out. and, i could barely look at pressley during the whole thing because i knew how difficult this was and we were only like, seven give or take so, we were having a lot of "big" feelings as it's now known for such small little girls that it was truly overwhelming but unforgettable. and, seeing nicky and pressley run up to each other afterwards as they cried together was heartbreaking and so bittersweet because i could tell how much both nicky and pressley were going to miss daddy being in westlife,"
pressley byrne and alania callahan in brisbane, australia | pic: instagram/pressleybyrne
alania then talked to me more about her friendship with pressley and the byrne's which, if you guys are lucky, will be released publically soon. also mentioning that she is excited to go back to brisbane, queensland with pressley so they can graduate together and then come back home to focus on some musical auditions. she also mentioned however that she's glad to be coming back home with her best friend and glad to be spending time with her best friend's family after being away for so long due to the coronavirus pandemic. in which kept them from coming home a year earlier like supposed to, having to rely on facetime and phone calls to keep in touch.
welcome home pressley and alania, congratulations on finishing your bachelor's degrees and we cannot wait to see you guys performing on stage very soon!
and, of course, we cannot forget, the happiest 44th birthday to nicky byrne, we hope you had the best birthday ever and hope you enjoy the rest of the wild dreams tour.
for those wanting last-minute tickets for any of westlife's remaining shows for their wild dreams tour, check out their website or their social media for any announcements they may post about adding new tour dates.
- - -
rewriting this was so much fun even though i know i could have done it better lol! i'm just glad to have written another thing after what feels like forever since the last one-shot.
ok ily bye xx
wc; 5870
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From Ellen van Neerven's Comfort Food (2016)
"Finger Limes", pp. 7-8
"Five-Minute Meals," p. 58
"Coconut Oil", p. 77
Van Neerven, E. (2016). Comfort food. University of Queensland Press.
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Age-old problem: How to live better for longer
Finding and developing solutions to challenges associated with an ageing population has never been more pressing, as the number of people over 60 is expected to double to two billion worldwide by 2050.
The West Moreton region is set to experience even faster growth, with the population of older people to double in the next five to 10 years.
University of Southern Queensland researcher Dr Melissa Taylor said addressing the growing demand for care and support for older people was a significant challenge.
Read More: https://ipswichnewstoday.com.au/news/2022/11/03/age-old-problem-how-to-live-better-for-longer/
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A tale in the desert ecology skill
A tale in the desert ecology skill drivers#
Frank A.S.K., Dickman C.R., Wardle G.M.Biodiversity and Environmental Change: monitoring, challenges and direction. Both of these were de-stocked and we are monitoring the changes in the biodiversity in response to these changes in land management. The study area also encompasses two of the properties that are managed by Bush Heritage Australia for conservation: Ethabuka Reserve and Cravens Peak Reserve. Further, because coping with increased extreme events while retaining efficient resource use is of great practical importance, this project will help to ensure that inland landscapes are managed productively. The low productivity dryland ecosystems are poorly known compared to mesic areas but still support substantial pastoral activity and support food production of the world. Why is this project important to both scientists and land managers? Lignum swamp ( Muehlenbeckia florulenta) – 1 plot.Eucalyptus coolabah swamp with emergent Corymbia terminalis – 1 plot.Eucalyptus coolabah open woodland ( Eucalyptus coolabah) – 2 plots.Blue mallee sparse woodlands ( Eucalyptus gamophylla) – 1 plot.Mulga woodlands ( Acacia aneura) – 2 plots.Georginae gidgee woodlands ( Acacia georginae) – 4 plots.Grevillea stenobotrya sparse shrubland with dense hummock understory – 1 plot.Spinifex hummock grasslands ( Triodia basedowii) – 3 plots in long unburnt (20+ years).The AusPlots on our study sites are within the Simpson-Strezlecki bioregion and encompass a broad range of vegetation types: Having this historical and contextual environmental data helps to place our results in a broad conceptual framework. This is allowing us to extend the spatial resolution of the temporal patterns we track across the study system.įinally, we have also been able to document the fire and grazing histories of the study site and model the 100- year changes in temperature and rainfall for the Simpson Desert region. Fourth, if funding is forthcoming, we will be extending this experimental work to encompass the western reaches of the Simpson Desert where there are another suite of AusPlots.įifth, we are also part of a Google Earth Engine collaboration with Stuart Phinn and Peter Scarth in TERN’s Auscover Facility and the University of Queensland, to link our plot-level changes to remotely sensed changes in vegetation fractional cover. Third, starting in 2015, we will also be undertaking experiments to determine the effects of droughts using the standard experimental protocols of the global Drought-Net. Secondly, since 2013, the desert ecology plot network has been part of the global Nutrient Network and together, with nearly 80 sites around the world, we are conducting an on-going manipulative experiment to identify and test the processes that underpin patterns of diversity and productivity in grasslands by adding different combinations of nutrients and by using fences to exclude large herbivores. Firstly, the desert ecology plot network has been monitoring changes in the flora and fauna for 25 years and this time-depth complements the larger spatial coverage of nearly 500 AusPlots within the rangelands of Australia. This exciting collaboration brings together work at a national and global scale. We will be remeasuring these AusPlots and synthesising the results with our own data to address pressing issues of increased environmental changes land-managers are facing.
A tale in the desert ecology skill drivers#
Our work combines long-term observations with manipulations to disentangle the multiple drivers of the system, including rainfall, fire, grazing and ferals. Here, Glenda shares some of the details of this collaboration and its benefits for everyone involved.īy co-locating 15 AusPlots within our 8000km2 study site in the Simpson Desert there is an unprecedented opportunity to detect and understand changes in productivity over space and time. Productivity and diversity of desert complex environments Glenda Wardle and Chris Dickman from the Desert Ecology Research Group (DERG), University of Sydney, and LTERN have been collaborating with AusPlots since 2014.
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