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Is congestion charging the answer to peak hour?
chris, February 20, 2020 May 19, 2020 , Congestion, Featured, Industry Insight, Investment, Logistics, Planning, Policy, Road, Transport, Trends, Urban Development, 0
by Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute
There may not be many topics on which the New South Wales, Victorian and Australian Governments agree furiously, but congestion charging is one.
"People are already paying the cost of going on the road because of the congestion they are facing"; there are "no plans and the government does not support a congestion tax"; in fact, "it's not going to happen…you don't need to introduce a congestion tax".
Instead, governments of all persuasions continue to reach for expensive roads and more public transport as the answer. But it hasn't worked. Just look around – we're still stuck in traffic.
There's really only one way to get congestion under control, and that's congestion charging. We should pay to use our busiest roads at peak times.
How congestion charging would work
Grattan Institute's recent report shows how a congestion charge could work in Sydney and Melbourne.
The same approach can be tailored to any large city – wherever peak periods bring excessive congestion.
In the case of Sydney, we recommend the State Government throw a 'cordon' around the inner city, taking in the area west of the Domain, north of Central Station and east of Pyrmont.
Drivers would pay $5 to enter the cordon during the weekday morning peak, or $3 in the half hour either side of the peak, and the same on their way out during the afternoon peak or shoulder period.
Large trucks would pay a higher charge because they take up more space. Tradies and delivery drivers coming into the city would all be equally affected, and so could pass the cost on to their customers. And there'd be no charge outside of the weekday peak and shoulder periods.
There'd also be minimum hassle for drivers, with the charge enforced by automatic number plate recognition technology. This means no paper tickets or e-tags.
Congestion charging would be very effective
Modelling by Veitch Lister Consulting for our report shows the charge could be expected to take about 3,000 cars off Sydney's roads at peak times, with 40 per cent fewer cars entering the CBD in the morning peak.
This would make a real difference to traffic, with increases in speed in the morning peak of 11 per cent in the CBD and up to 20 per cent on sections of the major roads leading to it.
This is great news for tens of thousands of bus passengers, many of whom find just getting through the CBD the most delayed and frustrating part of their commute.
Across the whole city, the charge would improve speed at peak times by about one per cent – not much of a change, but it's a bargain compared to the $17 billion WestConnex project that will only improve speeds across the whole city by three per cent at most.
But isn't this just revenue raising in disguise? Aren't we already paying enough in tolls, rego and fuel tax? Is this fair on poor people? What pollie would be crazy enough to introduce this?
But all these fears are overblown – here's why.
A congestion charge is not about raising revenue – in fact, the CBD cordon charge we recommend would add only a modest amount to the state's coffers.
Yes, many of us pay quite a bit of money to be on the road. But we also pay with something else valuable – our time. Congestion charging will help us get some of that time back.
And, further down the track, we might be able to use congestion charging to replace the blunt and unfair charges we pay today, such as rego and fuel tax.
People on lower incomes won't be unfairly burdened. Most people who commute to the CBD already take public transport. Those who do drive tend to be richer not poorer; more than half of them earn a six-figure salary.
In Sydney, the typical full-time worker who drives to a CBD job earns $2,500 a week – that's $1,000 a week more than the typical full-time worker across the city as a whole.
Most people will have options to avoid the charge, by driving at a different time or by a different route, or leaving the car at home or at the station and taking public transport.
And congestion charging should come with a safety net; there should be discounts for low-income people with impaired mobility who need to get to the CBD in peak periods.
So that leaves the million-dollar question: would our politicians ever go for this?
Not so far; it's more a case of 'no new taxes on my watch!'. But how can they keep a straight face saying this when their usual response to congestion is to build a new road with a toll on it?
Or spend our taxpayer dollars on infrastructure that might not have been needed if we were smarter in using what we already have?
The same old attempts at busting congestion aren't working. It's time for a new approach. Congestion charging might be a bitter pill to swallow for some. But without it, we may as well get used to being stuck in traffic.
Marion Terrill is the Transport and Cities Program Director at the Grattan Institute. Her recent reports, Why it's time for congestion charging: better ways to manage busy urban roads and Right time, right place, right price: a practical plan for congestion charging in Sydney and Melbourne, are available at grattan.edu.au.
Cross River Rail boosts local employment
Imogen Hartmann, July 29, 2020 July 29, 2020 , Construction, News, Project, QLD, Rail, Transport, 0
Work is underway on producing Cross River Rail tunnel segments at the Wagners Precast facility at Wacol in Brisbane,...
Major works begin on stage two of light rail
Lauren Cella, August 5, 2016 August 10, 2016 , Featured, News, QLD, Rail, 0
Major works have began on the $440 million Gold Coast light rail stage two extension, which includes the upgrade of Helensvale...
Ballarat Line upgrade contract signed
chris, December 21, 2017 December 21, 2017 , Construction, Contracts awarded, News, Project, Rail, Transport, VIC, 0
Lendlease and its Alliance partners, have signed a contract with the Melbourne Metro Rail Authority to deliver the $551.7...
$331 million M80 upgrade contract awarded
Infrastructure Journalist, October 31, 2019 October 31, 2019 , Construction, Contracts awarded, Investment, News, Planning, Road, spotlight, Transport, VIC, 0
A design and construction contract has been awarded for the delivery of an upgrade on a northern section of...
Revenue from speeding fines guaranteed for Victorian road upgrades
Infrastructure Journalist, August 10, 2018 August 10, 2018 , Construction, Investment, News, Planning, Road, Transport, 0
All revenue from traffic cameras and on-the-spot speeding fines will be allocated to upgrading suburban and country roads in...
The ten trends that will shape infrastructure in 2017
Infrastructure Journalist, March 21, 2017 October 3, 2017 , Asset Management, communications and connectivity, Featured, Logistics, Policy, Trends, 0
Infrastructure and the way we approach it is in a state of constant evolution. Power is shifting, as are...
Port of Bundaberg road upgrade
chris, September 4, 2018 September 4, 2018 , News, Port, Project, QLD, Road, Transport, 0
Federal Government funding has been granted to fast-track the upgrade and realignment of Buss Street in Queensland, which will...
A gripping case for crumb rubber
Infrastructure Journalist, March 30, 2018 June 19, 2018 , Asset Management, Featured, QLD, Road, Technology, 0
Crumb rubber modified (CRM) binder is a material made by reducing scrap tyres or other discarded rubber into bitumen,...
Training the next generation of rail professionalsUpgrading Australia's geospatial reference system


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{:title=>"The High Republic", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/the-high-republic"} {:title=>"Characters + Histories", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/characters-+-histories"}
Inside Star Wars: The High Republic: Meet the Jedi Knights and Masters, Part 2
Dan Brooks
Exclusively on StarWars.com, the creators of the upcoming publishing initiative reveal an unorthodox Jedi Master and more new characters.
In an exclusive series, StarWars.com is pulling back the curtain on Star Wars: The High Republic, a publishing epic set about 200 years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, with insights from creators, new details, and never-before-seen concept art. Arriving January 2021, the story will be explored through multiple voices and span adult and young adult novels, children's books, and comics from a variety of publishers. In this installment, StarWars.com gets a first look at some of the starring Jedi Knights and Masters, as well as a powerful High Republic family.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, two of the greatest Jedi, lived their lives with a quiet reserve. They taught patience. They respected the opinions of others. They were understanding and thoughtful.
Not all Jedi were like Obi-Wan and Yoda.
Star Wars: The High Republic, Lucasfilm's multi-platform, cross-publisher epic launching in January 2021, will introduce the world to Sskeer: a tough Jedi Master that doesn't quite fit the mold. As such, he sounds very, very fun.
"Sskeer plays a major role in the Marvel Comics ongoing and is an absolute joy to write," says Cavan Scott, one of the writers behind The High Republic. "He's a gruff, opinionated Trandoshan who has been around the block more times than he cares to remember. Loyal, but brutally honest, you can always be sure Sskeer will tell you exactly what's on his mind…or so Avar Kriss and his fellow Jedi think. That's all about to change. This is a Jedi Master with a secret that is tearing him apart." Still, The High Republic is set at a time when the Jedi are at their peak. And none exemplify that more than Avar Kriss.
Revealed in the last installment of "Inside Star Wars: The High Republic," Kriss is the best of the best. "She's a wise and compassionate Jedi Master who plays a major role in the Great Disaster that opens the story," says Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael Siglain. He also offers StarWars.com one more interesting bit of lore that's surely in the Jedi Archives: "The answer to the question, who is the 'Hero of Hetzal', which we'd teased? It's Avar Kriss. But the answer to why is she the "Hero of Hetzal" can be found in Light of the Jedi this January." Beyond the noble Jedi, however, there are other power players in the galaxy.
As mentioned in May by Siglain, the San Tekkas are a force during the High Republic era.
"Once just a family of hard-scrabble hyperspace prospectors seeking valuable routes in the outer reaches of the galaxy," Charles Soule, one of Scott's co-creators on The High Republic, explains to StarWars.com, "the San Tekka clan has become a dynasty, at the forefront of technologies and techniques that let Chancellor Lina Soh's great galactic Republic continue to expand safely to new areas. Overseen by scions Marlon and Vellis San Tekka, the clan operates in close conjunction with the Republic, and becomes crucial to its response to the Great Disaster. But the San Tekkas have a secret...their rise did not come without cost." Sounds like Sskeer and the San Tekkas have something in common: events from the past that they want to keep hidden.
Look for StarWars.com's official page for all things Star Wars: The High Republic to launch in August, and check out never-before-seen concept art of Sskeer and Jedi Knight Avar Kriss in mission attire below.
Sskeer
Avar Kriss
Mission attire includes protective gear, holster for lightsaber, and wrist-guards with a removable comlink.
For more on Star Wars: The High Republic, check out StarWars.com's previous in-depth coverage:
Read the full announcement of Star Wars: The High Republic
Check out an exclusive roundtable discussion with the authors of Star Wars: The High Republic
Discover five things we learned from the Star Wars: The High Republic reveal event
Meet more Jedi Knights and Masters from Star Wars: The High Republic
Dan Brooks is Lucasfilm's senior content strategist of online, the editor of StarWars.com, and a writer. He loves Star Wars, ELO, and the New York Rangers, Jets, and Yankees. Follow him on Twitter @dan_brooks where he rants about all these things.
Site tags: #StarWarsBlog, #ThisWeekinStarWars, #TheHighRepublic
Star Wars: The High Republic ThisWeek Inside Star Wars: The High Republic
{:title=>"Merchandise", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/merchandise"} {:title=>"Collecting", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/collecting"}
Star Wars Valentine's Day Gift Guide 2023
{:title=>"Star Wars Celebration", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-celebration"} {:title=>"Lucasfilm", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/lucasfilm"}
Hayden Christensen and More Confirmed for Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023
{:title=>"The Bad Batch", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/the-bad-batch"} {:title=>"Characters + Histories", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/characters-+-histories"}
How Omega's Journey Connects with the Bad Batch and Viewers
{:title=>"The High Republic", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/the-high-republic"} {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"}
A Master of the Lightsaber at Work in Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic – The Blade #2 – Exclusive Preview
{:title=>"The Mandalorian", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/the-mandalorian"} {:title=>"Disney+", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/disney+"}
The Mandalorian Soars in New Season 3 Trailer and Key Art
{:title=>"The Bad Batch", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/the-bad-batch"} {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"}
Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Dee Bradley Baker on the Return of Commander Cody – Exclusive

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Sea Change Press Kit
Jenner Information Kit
Goals For Your Property
How To Protect Your Land
Care for the Land
Our Preserve System
Stewardship and Land Management
Monitoring Conservation Properties
Anchor Preserves
Ecological Preserves
Outings & Events
Monthly eNews
On-the-Land Guides
Mountains + Molehills
Transform SDC
Bay Camp
All the Ways to Give
Give Stock or IRAs
Business Giving
Special Campaigns
Donate Your Land
Your Giving Impact
Article (2008)
The Jenner Headlands is within our grasp!
The Jenner Headlands is a spectacular 5,630-acre coastal ranch, described by Sonoma County Supervisor Mike Reilly as being the "whole tiara" among a string of jewels along the coast. After nearly four years of complex negotiations, the Sonoma Land Trust has secured a contract with the landowners to purchase the Jenner Headlands. This will be the single largest conservation land acquisition in Sonoma County history. Located north of the town of Jenner where the Russian River flows into the Pacific Ocean, and extending north along scenic Highway 1 and inland toward the town of Cazadero, this stunning coastal property offers dramatic views, redwood forests, multiple watersheds, fish-bearing streams, abundant wildlife, and more — including the opportunity to provide public access and a 2.5 mile segment to the California Coastal Trail. Without protection, the Jenner Headlands could be subdivided into more than 40 home sites. "It's very rare to be able to save such a large and diverse landscape along the coast," said Ralph Benson, executive director of the Sonoma Land Trust. "We can't let this opportunity get away."
Four years in the making
In 2005, Supervisor Reilly suggested that the landowners consider a conservation sale of the property as an alternative to development, and convened a group of nonprofit organizations and public agencies to work on the project. The Sonoma Land Trust took the lead, working closely with the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. "When we began working on this project four years ago, everyone assumed that a public agency would acquire and manage the land," said Benson. "But no public agency is positioned to do so today. The Land Trust decided to step in and take title so we wouldn't lose this now-or-never opportunity to protect such a large and magnificent coastal landscape. It will probably be several years before a public agency is able to take responsibility for it. When that happens we would like to turn over a well-planned, well-managed unit." The purchase price for the property is $36 million. This is based on extensive negotiations and an independent appraisal reviewed by our multiple public funding partners, including the Open Space District, State Coastal Conservancy, California Wildlife Conservation Board, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (which ranked the project #3 in the nation for funding). Early support for the project came from Petaluma's Tellabs Foundation. We have preliminary commitments for all of the funding needed to purchase the property. What remains is raising the money needed to responsibly manage and care for the property. We need to raise an additional $2 million by the time of closing.
Goals and ecological resource values
Once known as the Rule Ranch, this coastal property was purchased by John Rule in 1867 and has been used as a cattle and sheep ranch since then. The Land Trust and its partners have multiple goals for the Jenner Headlands — first and foremost, the land will be managed to enhance its significant ecological values. The Jenner Headlands is home to numerous endangered and threatened species, including the northern spotted owl, red tree vole, osprey, peregrine falcon, bank swallow, steelhead trout and Coho salmon. Wide-ranging deer, coyote, bobcat, fox and mountain lion also frequent the property. Protecting a large landscape like this, which also connects to existing open lands, provides secure wildlife corridors and habitat that will help all species adapt to the unpredictable effects of climate change. There are eight different watersheds on the property, including Jenner Gulch, which provides the domestic water supply for the town of Jenner. The property also includes a 3,100-acre redwood and Douglas fir forest that has been managed as forestland for the last 100 years. One of the primary objectives is to grow the forest older through sustainable forestry, which will help attain the ecological goals faster and provide income to supplement the costs of managing the property — with the added benefit of supporting the local economy. Cattle grazing has taken place on the land for decades and is expected to continue in order to maintain the health of the coastal prairie. "Sonoma Land Trust has a lot of experience managing lands for ecological purposes, and successful conservation forestland projects exist that demonstrate that our multiple goals for the Jenner Headlands can be met," said Amy Chesnut, SLT acquisitions director who has managed the project from the outset. "We want to grow the forest older and healthier; we want to protect the estuary, creeks and the town of Jenner's water supply; we want to keep the wonderful coastal prairie intact; and we want people to hike on the property and enjoy the ocean scenery. The ecosystem on the property is diverse and healthy, and we have an excellent opportunity to manage these lands to reach all of our goals — ecological, economical and recreational." "This magnificent addition to our network of protected coastal lands — the headlands to the mouth of our region's major river as it meets the sea — is an opportunity not to be lost," said Bill Kortum, former Sonoma County supervisor and Land Trust co-founder. "Stunning views, abundant wildlife and a vital link to the California Coastal Trail are within our grasp."
The Sonoma Land Trust needs to raise $2 million over the next few months in hopes of closing on the property in early 2009. During the first 12 months of ownership, the Land Trust will conduct resource assessments that will guide the development of a management plan for the property. Arrangements will be made to provide public access as soon as possible. "On clear days, the views from the Headlands extend all the way to Point Reyes and Mt. Diablo," said Supervisor Reilly. "Protecting land like this is like unearthing buried treasure — now this coastal jewel can sparkle for the whole world to see."
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Intentional Aging: Monthly Discussion Group
Third Tuesday of every month
11am-12:30pm on Zoom
Each session will explore a different topic inspired by the "Six Dimensions of Aging Well" from the National Council On Aging:
Finances and Future Planning
Connections and Community
Learning and Creativity
Legacy and Purpose
Register in advance to receive Zoom login information. Attending monthly is encouraged, but all are welcome to join any meeting.
2022 Intentional Aging Programs
Upcoming Discussion Group Events
Simplify and Organize
Learn how to simplify, get organized, and create space for what matters most. Professional organizer and certified KonMari consultant Kristin DeCou will share strategies and tips to help you get started, stay motivated, enlist support, and let go of the stuff that's holding you back. If you're feeling stuck, experiencing a transition, or just need the tools to keep moving forward, this session is for you. Learn more about the presenter at modernrefresh.com.
NEW DATE: Tuesday, March 21
This program is rescheduled from Dec. 2022, which was postponed due to a weather-related closure.
Memory and Neuroscience
Explore concepts presented in the book Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, written by neuroscientist and acclaimed novelist Lisa Genova (Still Alice), who explains how memories are made and how we retrieve them. The group will discuss how memory may be impacted by meaning, emotion, sleep, stress, and context. Understanding the language of memory and how it functions may improve our ability to remember and help us feel less rattled when we forget.
Limited print copies of the book may be borrowed by request; contact your Library and ask for the "Intentional Aging book kit" to confirm availability. Additional copies may be available via the catalog or on the Libby app.
Discussion Group Past Events 2023
Explore the Feldenkrais Method
Join NOLS on Zoom to learn about the Feldenkrais Method — a system of learning and self-improvement using sensory awareness. Katherine Wieseman, Ph.D., will talk about the Feldenkrais Method and then lead participants through a Feldenkrais session. Katherine is a Sequim-based Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. She seeks to help others experience the fullest potential of their existence using methods that are holistic, experiential, multi-sensory, and interactive.
Learn about the Feldenkrais Method — a system of learning and self-improvement using sensory awareness.
This program is generously supported by the local Friends of the Library groups.


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Dr Mathew Davies
BSc / MSc (LSE). PhD (ANU)
Fellow / Senior Lecturer
E: mathew.davies@anu.edu.au
Jump to: Biography|Student projects|Publications|Related websites
Government And Politics Of Asia And The Pacific 160606
Human Rights, socialisation, ASEAN, Regionalism, norm diffusion, international relations theory
My current research examines the intersection of regional order building, human rights and governance in Southeast Asia, paying particular regard to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). I examine Southeast Asia through the lens of socialisation, investigating how ASEAN is both a driver of, and arena for, those efforts to diffuse standards. I am interested in the stories of rights socialisation efforts that have emerged, the success and failure of those efforts and how we can use those stories to better understand what ASEAN is.
I am involved in a project that takes this interest and examines "the new politics of human rights in Southeast Asia". In this project, spanning multiple articles and a single authored manuscript, I explain both why ASEAN came to adopt human rights standards and why it has done so in the way that it has. This project expands my focus on ASEAN to encompass the history of the regional project and the cross over between human and traditional security agendas. The work also interrogates existing accounts of how agents in institutionalised environments change their beliefs in response to normative contestation.
My teaching covers both UG and PG options, including courses on, human rights and regions, conceptual skill building, human rights and International Relations Theory.
I have extensive experience in designing and running professional training courses. In 2011, I led an AusAID funded course training African Diplomats as part of the Australia Awards for Africa program. In 2012 and again in 2015 I co-ran a course for DFAT graduates.
You can follow me on twitter at twitter.com/drmattdavies and find out more about my work at www.drmathewdavies.com
International / Regional organisations
Norms and socialisation
Chair and Supervisor: Benjamin Day - Good donors and the financial crisis: The new uses of aid policy
Chair and Supervisor: Ruji Auethavornpipat - The ASEAN Security Community and regional identity
Advisor: Kerri Ng - US bases in Japan.
Supervisor: Thuy T Do - The debate over East Asian International Relations Theory and its influence on the practice of academics
Davies, M 2018, Ritual and Region: The Invention of ASEAN, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Davies, M 2018, 'Regional organisations and enduring defective democratic members', Review of International Studies, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 174-191.
Davies, M 2017, 'Regionalism and Southeast Asia', in Alice D. Ba and Mark Beeson (ed.), Contemporary Southeast Asia: The Politics of Change, Contestation, and Adaptation, Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 146-163.
Davies, M 2017, Is ASEAN a newfound voice for the Rohingya?, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2017, Out of order, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2017, 'Important but de-centred: ASEAN's role in the Southeast Asian human rights space', TRaNS: Trans-Regional and National Studies of Southeast Asia, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 99-119pp.
Davies, M 2017, 'Academic citizenships', Australian Journal of International Affairs, Vol 71, No. 1. pp. 12-15.
Davies, M & Hobson, C 2017, 'The ethics of scholarship in a changing region', Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 71, no. 1, pp. 1-2.
Davies, M 2017, Asian pawns lose out in power play between the US and China.
Davies, M 2016, What happens if Rodrigo Duterte dumps the US?.
Davies, M 2016, The TPP is over. What happens now?.
Davies, M 2016, 'FORUM - No more middle ground in our democracies'.
Davies, M 2016, US-ASEAN summit an ominous development for regional democracy and human rights, pp. 1-2pp.
Davies, M 2016, Brexit shows the vandals aren't at the gates; they're the ones in power.
Davies, M 2016, University impact requires criticism, rigour, bravery, education, pp. 1-2pp.
Davies, M 2016, The foreign policy wisdom of Trump the Fool, pp. 1-2pp.
Davies, M 2016, ASEAN's South China Sea ulcer, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2016, Opinion: Philippines stumbling towards dangerous isolation.
Davies, M 2016, 'Can Multilateralism and Security Communities Bring Security to the Asia-Pacific?', in Joanne Wallis and Andrew Carr (ed.), Asia-Pacific Security: an introduction, Georgetown University Press, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 223-239.
Davies, M 2016, 'Women and development, not gender and politics: Explaining ASEAN's failure to engage with the women, peace and security agenda', Contemporary Southeast Asia, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 106-127.
Davies, M 2016, 'A community of practice: Explaining change and continuity in ASEAN's diplomatic environment', The Pacific Review, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 211-233.
Davies, M & Harris-Rimmer, S 2016, 'Assessing Indonesia's normative influence: Wishful thinking or hidden strength', Asia & The Pacific Policy Studies, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 83-91.
Davies, M 2015, Rohingya and our rule-bending arrogance, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2015, 'FORUM - Brexit serves as a warning to ASEAN'.
Davies, M 2015, The Ukraine ceasefire plan is a Russian vistory, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2015, The potentials and challenges for ASEAN regionalism after 2015, pp. 1-4pp.
Davies, M 2015, ASEAN at sea.
Davies, M 2015, What next for the Rohingya in Myanmar? Suu Kyi's balancing act after the election, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2015, The Rohingya and regional failure, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2015, ASEAN centrality losing ground.
Davies, M 2015, ASEAN's community moving in circles, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2015, In defence of distance: Why Australia should stay out of ASEAN, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2015, 'Can multilateralism and security communities bring security to the Asia-Pacific?' in Carr, A & Wallis J (eds) Asia-Pacific Security after the Pivot. Georgetown University Press. (Forthcoming)
Davies, M 2014, Return to the fold, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2014, This time, things won't be different in Iraq, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2014, A death cult by any other name, pp. 1-2.
Davies, M 2014, This isn't a Cold War - it could be worse, pp. Online.
Davies, M 2014, 'An agreement to disagree: The ASEAN human rights declaration and the absence of regional identity in Southeast Asia', Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 107-129.
Davies, M 2014, 'States of compliance?: Global human rights treaties and ASEAN member states', Journal of Human Rights, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 414-433.
Davies, M 2014, 'From Arrow to Path: International Relations Theory and the Humanitarian Space', in Michele Acuto (ed.), Negotiating relief: The Politics of the Humanitarian Space, C. Hurst & Co. (Publishers) Ltd, London, pp. 211-220.
Davies, M 2014, Realising Rights: How Regional Organisations Socialise Human Rights, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon and New York.
Davies, M 2013, 'The ASEAN Synthesis: Human Rights, Non-Intervention, and the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration', Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, vol. Summer/Fall, pp. 51-58.
Davies, M 2013, 'ASEAN and Human Rights Norms: Constructivism, Rational Choice, and the Action-Identity Gap', International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 207-231.
Davies, M 2013, 'Explaining the Vientiane Action Programme: ASEAN and the institutionalisation of human rights', The Pacific Review, Vol. 26 No. 4 385-406
Davies, M 2013, 'The legacy of Ataturk: The limits of conditionality in Turkish European Union membership negotiations', Australian Journal of International Affairs, Vol 67 No. 4, 511-525.
Davies, M 2013, 'Rethinking International Relations Theory', Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 67, no. 2, pp. 247-248.
Davies, M 2012, 'The Perils of Incoherence: ASEAN, Myanmar and the Avoidable Failures of Human Rights Socialization?', Contemporary Southeast Asia, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 1-22.
Davies, M 2010, 'Rhetorical inaction? Compliance and the human rights council of the United Nations', Alternatives: Global, Local and Political, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 449-468.
http://twitter.com/drmattdavies
http://drmathewdavies.com
https://anu-au.academia.edu/MathewDavies


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Burnet workshops for expectant parents adopted in PNG
Greater involvement by fathers in pregnancy care and birth is just one of the key behavioural changes underway in Papua New Guinea, thanks to an Australian government funded project.
The Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies project runs workshops for pregnant women and expectant fathers waiting for antenatal clinics (ANCs), who can wait an entire day for their appointments.
The workshops use waiting times to educate parents around birth, postnatal care, immunisation and family planning, and particularly to encourage fathers to positively support partners and children.
The most frequently reported change in knowledge or behaviour was greater involvement by fathers in pregnancy and birth, and greater support by them for their partners.
Men said the health sharing sessions had helped them to overcome uneasy feelings and doubts and increase spacing between children's births.
"There is a great need to break the cultural mindset especially in males and to be more understanding, helpful and responsible during pregnancy. I took eight young men to the second session after I attended the first," a participant said.
Men and women said after the workshops that they had made changes to nutrition and rest during pregnancy; sex during pregnancy, preparation for childbirth and malaria prevention.
Australian Doctors International (ADI) invited Burnet's Program Technical Advisor, Lisa Davidson and project officer, Juliana Bubur to Namatanai in New Ireland to train 20 community health workers in program delivery. The inservice training occurs twice a year, and the Namatanai session was funded by one of ADI's major donors, Lili Koch.
"Delivering education sessions to expectant parents while they are waiting for their ANC appointment was a completely new concept for all the participants, but one that they embraced enthusiastically," Ms Davidson said.
"A significant achievement is that as of June this year the program will be embedded into ANC services in PNG's East New Britain Province. It will be handed over to the Provincial Health Office to continue the roll out to all ANC clinics in the province."
"The health workers who participated in the training were extremely enthusiastic about the content and delivery of the HMHB program," ADI Health Project Manager, Rachael Smith said.
"They are now able to practice their new skills in communities throughout some of the most remote areas in New Ireland Province."
Julie Tartaggia
Lisa Davidson
Sexual and Reproductive Health Specialist
lisa.davidson@burnet.edu.au


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Dutch organisation here on study tour
KIGALI- Members of the Dutch-based group, 'Unity is Strength Foundation', are in the country on a study tour that will focus on the journey towards unity and reconciliation.Last year, the Foundation awarded Rwanda with the International 'Unity is Strength Award' (Diversity Award) for its leading role in promoting unity among the people.
Edwin Musoni
Published : March 29, 2011
Karugarama (L), receives gift from Sergio Belfor, as NURC's Bishop John Rucyahana looks on ( Photo T.Kisambira).
KIGALI- Members of the Dutch-based group, 'Unity is Strength Foundation', are in the country on a study tour that will focus on the journey towards unity and reconciliation.
Last year, the Foundation awarded Rwanda with the International 'Unity is Strength Award' (Diversity Award) for its leading role in promoting unity among the people.
The ten-person delegation will meet several government officials and other stakeholders in various sectors.
"This year marks the international year for African Descends, this is why it is an honour for us to be in Africa, and particularly in Rwanda," said Sergio Belfor, the Managing Director of the foundation.
He added that his team had come to Rwanda with an open minded attitude to learn how the leadership has succeeded in uniting its nationals.
"We also want to leave Rwanda with concrete joint projects and resources," said Belfor.
The Minister of Justice, Tharcisse Karugarama, who met with the delegation, said that the country has come a long way, which is why she is recognized internationally.
"Rwanda was once the best example of lack of unity. This is why we believe Unity and Human Rights are the key pillars to our success," Karugarama said.
The Diversity Award was given to Rwanda after the foundation acknowledged the country's efforts to promote cultural diversity and eliminate discrimination, as well as the integration of minority groups into the society.
Karugarama received the award on behalf of the country, last year, in the Netherlands.
Follow https://twitter.com/EdwinMusoni
FEATURED: International community urged to step up, put full support behind Ebola response


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Police just released footage from the biker shootout in Texas, and it's absolutely insane (NSFW)
Ryan Mallett's tardiness issue was way worse than originally reported
Mike Vrabel's Wife is a Former College Volleyball Player
Karl Rasmussen, January 21, 2022 3:06 pm
Rex Grossman Now Owns a Nursing Company 15 Years After His Super Bowl Appearance
Patrick Pinak, January 21, 2022 11:24 am
Dan Rooney's Son on NFL's Rooney Rule: "The Results Aren't Good"
Jason Cole, Special to FanBuzz, January 21, 2022 5:00 am
at NRG Stadium on October 8, 2015 in Houston, Texas.
Quarterback Ryan Mallett was released from the Houston Texans, but his former teammates are still talking about how he couldn't get with the program.
"Ryan clearly just didn't get it," one Texans player said, via the Houston Chronicle. "How can you miss the flight? That's ridiculous and disrespectful to just not show up when everyone else is here ready to go. That makes you question whether he cared at all about what we're trying to do, or what kind of problems he's dealing with. He's immature."
Mallett had a number of incidents with being late. He was reportedly late not once, but twice on Saturday. Coach Bill O'Brien sent Mallett home after he arrived late to the team facility, and the final straw for the Texans was when he missed the team flight later that day.
The Texans put up with Mallett's consistent tardiness and fined Mallett on a number of occasions. Unfortunately, the team still owes Mallett $1.47 million in termination pay.
Ryan Mallett


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Africa, Americas, Economics, Europe
by GeoPolitic.org March 16, 20219:50 am
Ten Years Ago, US-NATO Regime Change Operation in Libya
The United States-NATO invasion of Libya was launched a decade ago this month, as the Western powers engineered the ousting of the country's leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who had been in power for more than 40 years.
A central reason behind this military assault, which began on 19 March 2011, was to reinforce Western control over Libya's oil wells. Libya has long held the largest oil reserves in Africa, and it contains greater quantities of this resource than either the superpowers of America or China.
The quality of Libya's oil is particularly high and its cost low; 92% of the nation's revenue came from trading in it. What's more, Western oil specialists believe it likely that Libya possesses large volumes of undiscovered oil deposits, on top of the ample sources which it already has. With good reason, much of Libya remains unexplored. The country consists mostly of a treeless, barren landscape which stretches out for hundreds of miles over the horizon. Libya is a highly complex nation, a semi-tribal society with an array of beliefs, loyalties and kinship.
As part of the Middle East and North African countries (MENA), the significance of Libya becomes apparent. Former US president Dwight Eisenhower called the Middle East "the most strategically important area of the world", mainly due to its enormous oil sources. Libya has a broad coastline resting on the Mediterranean Sea, a body of water critical to the exportation of raw materials for the world market.
Fears over radical nationalism prevailed also regarding Libya. The US-NATO attack involved the elimination of the independent nationalist threat from Libya; both through the removal of Gaddafi, and by nipping the Arab Spring uprising in the bud, while encouraging a civil war. It was no coincidence, just as Libya was being bombarded by NATO warplanes, that the Arab Spring protests had been taking off in parts of North Africa and the Middle East.
Before the US-NATO intervention started, political leaders such as Fidel Castro of Cuba wrote of the Americans on 9 March 2011,
"The empire is now attempting to turn events around to what Gaddafi has done or not done, because it needs to militarily intervene in Libya, and deliver a blow to the revolutionary wave unleashed in the Arab world". (1)
The spectre of uncontrollable nationalist movements has been a leading concern of Anglo-American governments for decades. Henry Kissinger, former US National Security Advisor (1969-1975), summarised the feeling in Washington by saying that an area which falls outside of US auspices can become a "virus" that will "spread contagion", and which must be inoculated.
Civilian welfare in Libya again proved a low priority – and was cynically exploited as a justification for the Western intervention following their procurement, on 17 March 2011, of UN Security Council Resolution 1973, calling for a "no-fly zone" over Libya.
Moniz Bandeira, the experienced Brazilian historian, wrote that,
"The United States, Britain and France didn't establish the no-fly zone to protect civilians, an ambiguous and questionable concept introduced through resolutions on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, and approved by the UN Security Council. They carried out the war against Libya through air strikes and by allying themselves openly with the rebels, just as Nazi Germany had done during the civil war in Spain (1936–1939), when it not only bombed Guernica, but several other cities". (2)
Among the NATO goals was to prevent a peaceful, negotiated settlement that may have favoured the unreliable Gaddafi; and, in turn, could have harmed Western hegemony across North Africa and beyond. Gaddafi accepted in principle the careful diplomatic proposals put forth by the African Union (3), and which had the consent of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Gaddafi's attempt, to seek dialogue through a position of strength, was brushed aside in the West. As though he were a global police chief, Barack Obama said on 3 March 2011 that Gaddafi "has lost the legitimacy to lead and he must leave".
Moreover, China's growing presence in North Africa was viewed in Washington as an encroachment on its regional interests. By the start of 2011 China had invested around $18.8 billion in Libya, through 75 companies (4). More than 10% of Libya's oil exports were being sold to Beijing. Three of China's biggest oil corporations had developed projects in Libya at this point: the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the Sinopec Group, and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
Some of these Chinese sites were attacked in Libya, as the upheaval grew. Around the time of the NATO bombardment, there were 36,000 Chinese in Libya, mostly construction workers employed on infrastructural programs. They thereafter had to be evacuated from the country. It reveals something about international affairs, that while China was involved in strengthening Libya's industry and infrastructure, the Western powers were more intent on raining down bombs from the air.
The no-fly zone had been a grotesque notion, and was violated instantly, beginning with air strikes from French Rafale and Mirage aircraft. In coming months, NATO warplanes would carry out around 9,600 air raids over Libya, destroying approximately 5,900 targets (5). These attacks led to a sharply increased rate of civilian casualties, which rose at least tenfold following the US-NATO invasion (6), leaving Libya in the hands of warring militias and fanning the flames of terrorism even further. NATO's "humanitarian intervention" in Libya also sent a wave of refugees from North Africa to Europe. Another of Washington's unstated aims here, was to take over lucrative regions of Africa that had traditionally been under French control.
Meanwhile, the Arab Spring was looked on with much concern in Washington, London and Paris, whose staunch allies in the Middle East are the oil dictator countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait. The Arab Spring protests, we can note, barely took off the ground in these states, where few calls were heard from the western democracies that the autocrats be removed. Such an outcome, whereby the masses seek to influence their own affairs, could easily result in a diminishing of US control over the Middle East's oil, as is well known.
A Gaddafi victory against the insurgents would have enhanced his prestige and independence, an unacceptable outcome for US-NATO. Gaddafi was viewed with some misgiving in the West; he did not routinely obey orders, was unpredictable and erratic. Having met Gaddafi on a number of occasions through the decades, Castro described him in March 2011 as "a Bedouin Arab soldier of unusual character and inspired by the ideas of the Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser". (7)
Nasser had strong nationalist beliefs, was independent-minded and a social reformer. As a result, he was viewed with alarm from the mid-1950s onward. Panicky officials in Washington and London called Nasser "a new Hitler". US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles believed Nasser to be "an extremely dangerous fanatic" with a "Hitlerite personality", and the Americans were grateful when Israel put the brakes on Nasser during the Six-Day War.
By 12 March 2011, Gaddafi was on course for victory versus the anti-government forces, as his army captured strategically important Libyan towns such as Ra's Lanuf; before the US-NATO attack, beginning the following week, quickly turned the tables on him. Bandeira observed how, "Without NATO's logistical support and bombing campaign" and "without the flow of CIA intelligence supplied by the drones, the so-called rebels would not have advanced far beyond Benghazi".
The "freedom fighters" opposing Gaddafi, whom the Western media were championing, comprised largely of contingents tied to terrorist organisations like Al Qaeda and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG); along with hundreds of other men with extremist pasts, previously pardoned by Gaddafi and who were roaming freely in Libya. Among them initially were 350 militants with backgrounds mainly from the LIFG, who in 2009 had moved on to Benghazi. By early 2011, this number rose to 850 in Benghazi (8). Many of the freed insurgents would link up with Al Qaeda, in a bid to foment unrest and topple Gaddafi, who was hated by conservative Islam and the above terrorist groups.
Furthermore, radical Muslims, Salafists who had been exiled by Gaddafi, were returning to Libya through Mali, Egypt and other nations. Benghazi was a centre of radical, Salafist Islam in Libya, as was the city of Derna just over 150 miles east of Benghazi.
Among the members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group was Abu Yahya al-Libi, a hardline extremist from Libya and top level member of Al Qaeda. Al-Libi was described by ex-CIA analyst Jarret Brachman as a "rising star within Al Qaeda, and I think he has become the heir apparent to Osama bin Laden in terms of taking over the entire global jihadist movement" (9). While pursuing jihad against Gaddafi, Al-Libi publicly supported the terrorist campaigns aimed at Chinese authorities in Xinjiang province, north-western China.
Bin Laden himself gave his blessing to the terrorists in Libya. He called such "revolutions" made by his "Libyan brothers" as "a great and glorious event". The elusive Egyptian-born Al Qaeda chief, Ayman al-Zawahiri – who would shortly succeed Bin Laden – had dispatched veteran jihadists to Libya in early 2011, so as to build a base of operations there against Gaddafi (10). The first revolts in opposition to the Gaddafi regime began between the 13th and 16th of January 2011, in the cities of Benghazi and also Beyad and Derna, all in north-eastern Libya; that is, in the region of Cyrenaica, a province of Libya with traditionally separatist leanings, and which happens to contain about 80% of the country's known oil reserves.
During these opening actions, public buildings and police barracks were attacked, as the terrorists killed dozens of soldiers and policemen (11). Some were executed, either decapitated or hanged. These acts were not spontaneous but had clearly been planned and coordinated, as an air base and police station were captured.
Since Gaddafi's taking of power in 1969, Benghazi had never completely accepted his rule. To complicate matters, some of the indigenous groups in Libya, such as the Tuareg, Warfalla and Hasawna tribes, were far from friendly to Gaddafi. They would support the armed revolts.
Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi, head of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, admitted in late March 2011 that Al Qaeda members were operating under his command (12). For instance, they were engaging in combat against Gaddafi's troops in the town of Ajdabiya, north-eastern Libya. Al-Hasidi said that the Al Qaeda fighters he was leading were "good Muslims".
The US-NATO alliance was supplying many of the extremists with funds, weaponry and logistical assistance. This included information pertaining to the planning of operations, and the guiding of bombings such as drone attacks, in which the CIA was instrumental. Autocratic, Western-backed countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan had all dispatched elite soldiers to bolster Gaddafi's foes, as likewise did Bulgaria, a NATO and EU state (13). Qatar and the UAE further provided airplanes to NATO over a six month period during the bombing campaign, while other nations like Bahrain and Oman co-operated with NATO.
Mustafa al-Gherryani, spokesman for the anti-Gaddafi insurgents, said that arms were being imported to Libya from neighbouring countries such as Egypt. The weapons were paid for by the Americans. Passing through Libya's eastern frontier, this military hardware was sent with Washington's consent by the Egyptian Army. It was delivered to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and to jihadists of Al Qaeda's factions in North Africa. NATO's supreme commander in Europe, Admiral James Stavridis, acknowledged at the end of March 2011, before the Senate Armed Services Committee, that US intelligence services had detected "flickers" of Al Qaeda among the rebel forces. (14)
There is clear evidence that the anti-Gaddafi revolt was, in fact, at least partly instigated by the imperial powers to begin with. France at this time was led by the unpopular right-wing president Nicolas Sarkozy. He was recently sentenced to jail for corruption, amid other damaging claims that his successful 2007 election campaign received significant funding from Gaddafi (15). The Italian journalist Franco Bechis wrote on 23 March 2011 that, under Sarkozy, France's foreign intelligence agency DGSE "had probably started planning the rebellion in Benghazi on October 21, 2010", many weeks before the uprising began.
Also during October 2010, Gaddafi's intelligence chief Nuri al-Mismari fled Libya, passing through neighbouring Tunisia as he sought exile in France. Once on French soil, Al-Mismari met with France's military and started to scheme against Gaddafi – a plot which involved enemies of Libya's government based in Benghazi.
Present on Libyan soil prior to the March 2011 US-NATO invasion were: CIA advisors, US Navy SEALs, British MI6 spies, and Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers from the British Army (16). In Libya too were French secret agents from the above-mentioned DGSE, and commandos from the French Army Special Forces Command. These elite units from the triumvirate of America, Britain and France were often dressed as Arabs, therefore posing as "false flaggers"; in order to conceal their identities from Libyans, and allow them to provoke resistance unmolested. So much then for the Western powers not having "boots on the ground" in Libya.
For example on 24 February 2011, just over three weeks before the NATO assault started, a British frigate HMS Cumberland sailed into the port of Benghazi, and disembarking from this vessel were British SAS commandos. (17)
London had already dispatched MI6 agents and SAS officers to consult with forces headed by Libya's former Minister of Justice, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, a strong critic of Gaddafi who was co-operating with the West. From March 2011 until August 2012, Jalil was chairman of the so-called National Transitional Council (NTC), which was seeking to replace Gaddafi. From early on, allying itself with the NTC were the extremists of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (18), as members of this latter organisation had announced to the press in March 2011.
Another high-ranking Gaddafi official who defected to the West was Moussa Koussa, Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs from March 2009 to March 2011. Koussa was previously co-opted by MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence agency (19). On 28 March 2011, he travelled by car across Libya's north-western border to Tunisia, where he got in contact with London. Koussa then climbed aboard a Swiss private airplane at Djerba Airport in Tunisia, and flew directly to the English capital.
1 Fidel Castro Ruz, "NATO, war, lies and business", Granma, 9 March 2011
2 Luiz Alberto Moniz Bandeira, The Second Cold War: Geopolitics and the Strategic Dimensions of the USA, (Springer 1st ed., 23 June 2017) p. 176
3 Noam Chomsky, Who Rules The World? (Metropolitan Books, Penguin Books Ltd, Hamish Hamilton, 5 May 2016) p. 251
4 Frederic Wehrey, Sandy Alkoutami, "China's Balancing Act in Libya", Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 10 May 2020
5 Sebastian Moffett, "NATO underplayed civilian deaths in Libya: HRW", Reuters, 14 May 2012
6 Chomsky, Who Rules The World?, p. 251
7 Castro, Granma, 9 March 2011
8 Bandeira, The Second Cold War, p. 160
9 Fred Burton, Samuel M. Katz, Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi (Icon Books Ltd., 2 Oct. 2014) Part One, The Dawn Before Benghazi
10 Bandeira, The Second Cold War, p. 161
11 Ibid., p. 157
12 Praveen Swami, Duncan Gardham, Nick Squires, "Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have Al Qaeda links", Daily Telegraph, 25 March 2011
14 Lara Marlowe, "'Flickers' of Al Qaeda among rebels, says NATO chief", Irish Times, 30 March 2011
15 Kim Willsher, "Gaddafi 'contributed €50m to Sarkozy's 2007 presidential election fund'", The Guardian, 12 March 2012
18 Konye Obaji Ori, "Libya: The mosque and the State", The Africa Report, 5 December 2013
Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/ten-years-ago-us-nato-regime-change-operation-libya/5739955


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Is Your Social Security Check Bigger Than Biden's?
By Kailey Hagen – Oct 22, 2021 at 5:05AM
You might be surprised by the size of the President's check.
Nearly all qualifying seniors claim Social Security benefits, and President Joe Biden is no exception. Since he's publicly shared some of his recent tax returns, we know exactly how much the President receives from the program, and the answer might surprise you. Here's a closer look Biden's benefit and how it compares to the average American's.
A bigger benefit for Biden
The average Social Security benefit for 2019 -- the most recent year for which Biden's tax returns are available -- was about $1,563 per month. That adds up to about $18,756 per year.
In 2019, President Biden received $35,069 from the program, or about $2,922 per month. That's over $16,000 more than the typical worker received during the year.
But it's still way off the maximum Social Security benefit available. Top-earning seniors who waited until age 70 before claiming could have raked in $3,770 per month in 2019, amounting to $45,240 per year.
It's worth noting that these numbers are a little out of date. The average worker's Social Security benefit has now climbed to about $1,559 per month, thanks to annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). These raise everyone's Social Security benefits slightly to counter inflation.
COLAs have also raised the maximum Social Security benefit to $3,895 per month in 2021. Biden's benefit has increased, too. Factoring in the 1.6% Social Security COLA in 2020 and the 1.3% COLA in 2021, his monthly benefit would be roughly $3,008 per month in 2021.
How to make your Social Security benefit even better
Beating Biden's Social Security benefit is a tall order, but it might be possible for some workers who take the following steps.
First, make sure you work long enough. Your Social Security benefit is based on your average monthly earnings over your 35 highest-earning years. If you work for fewer years, the government will add some zero-income years into your calculation, and this will reduce your monthly benefit.
Working longer than 35 years is usually a good idea because people often earn more money later in their careers than they did when they were younger. These later, higher-earning years gradually replace their earlier, lower-earning years in their benefit calculation, resulting in larger checks.
Anything you can do to increase your income during your working years will also help boost your Social Security benefits, as long as you're earning less than $142,800 in 2021. That's the maximum income subject to Social Security tax, so anything over this amount won't increase your benefit. This limit will rise to $147,000 in 2022.
Most importantly, delaying benefits can also increase your checks. You become eligible for Social Security at 62, but you must wait until your full retirement age (FRA) -- between 66 and 67 -- to get the full amount you're entitled to based on your work history. You can also continue delaying benefits past your FRA and your checks will grow a little every month until you reach your maximum benefit at 70.
Waiting to claim isn't always wise, though. If you have serious health issues or you need Social Security to help you pay your bills, signing up earlier is the better choice.
Tracking your progress
If you want a concrete idea of how large your Social Security checks will be, create a my Social Security account. There you'll find a record of all the income on which you've paid Social Security taxes over the years, as well as a benefit calculator that can tell you how much you'll receive per month at various starting ages. If you anticipate your income changing over the years, you can also see how this will affect your checks.
Once you have a sense of how much money you'll receive from the program, subtract this from your total estimated retirement expenses to figure out what you must save on your own. Redo these calculations once every year or two to make sure you're still on track for your goals. It won't take long and can help you avoid unpleasant financial shocks in retirement.
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Romney Elaborates on Cultural Dispositions
August 15, 2012 , by Sebastian Bennett
Recently in Jerusalem, Mitt Romney ascribed Israel's relative prosperity compared with that of Palestinians to "cultural" differences. Shortly thereafter, the former Massachusetts governor reprised the cultural theme at a fundraiser in Forth Worth, Texas that was closed to the press. A leaked recording of a portion of his speech follows:
"Ladies and Gentleman, ours is an age when candor is condemned and directness denounced. We dare not say what we know to be true, for there is comfort in that which we recognize as false.
"Some may lament such political correctness, but keep in mind that what we call civilization rests on a razor's edge: Our dark instincts lurk just below the surface, readily accessible at the slightest provocation. Don't be fooled by the sheep's clothing, we're wolves underneath. Societal cohesion, then, requires biting our tongues, allowing those falsehoods to flourish that keep our inner demons at bay, as the truth can be dangerous.
"However, tonight, amongst you, my friends, I'd like to peek behind the curtain. I'd like to acknowledge what we cannot readily acknowledge; I'd like to un-bite my tongue, and say what we all know to be true but claim otherwise in polite company. I'm talking about culture. Specifically, I speak of the culture of creativity, as the decision this country faces in less than 100 days has the potential to determine the fate of that decisive yet delicate predilection.
"What is the 'culture of creativity?'
"The culture of creativity nurtures and celebrates the divine gift responsible for man's rise from Stone Age hunter-gatherer to Silicon Era info-engineer: his imagination. The culture of creativity venerates the glorious works that are the fruits of man's ingenuity, such as the artist's rendering, the philosopher's insight, and the entrepreneur's savvy—especially the entrepreneur's savvy. Benjamin Franklin said, 'Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.' The culture of creativity undergirds growth and progress, my friends, because it honors improvement, honors achievement, and honors, not punishes, success."
"But the culture of creativity is in peril. It's in peril because the creators, those men and women of great ingenuity and insight, are imperiled. And if 'they' are imperiled, then 'we' are imperiled, as without them there is no 'we' by which I mean Americans enjoying the fruits of prosperity and progress. But I'm getting ahead of myself. You may wonder, who exactly are these creators, and just what is it that imperils them?
"The creative class isn't defined by sex, race, or creed. Its members are not found just on one coast or another, or just in the academic quad or the churches where we commune with God. Like precious gems, they are found far and wide, but only rarely. And like precious gems their value is immense. You know their names: Alexander, Pericles, Augustine, Newton, Spinoza, Leonardo, Mozart, Morgan, Ford, Jobs. These are the creators, the great men and women whose insight and talent has delivered us from what the 16th century philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, called man's 'nasty, brutish, and short' existence.
"It isn't acceptable to speak the truth about the creative class. We shy away from it out of fear of opening a Pandora's box. Instead, as prisoners of our democratic ethos, we talk about 'society' and about collective achievements. We talk about great men only insofar as they stand on the shoulders of giants. Yet not everyone can be standing on someone else's shoulders; someone of unusual strength and fortitude, an Atlas of sorts, must be propping up all others.
"Such candor, to be sure, can't be offered up in polite company for fear of ruffling the feathers of those who prescribe to feel-good egalitarianism. After all, social harmony requires parroting lies to which we all can agree, and none is more sacred in our republic than the credo of equality. But keep in mind that all complex systems are made up of critical components whose functioning determines the larger entities' fate. This is why history books focus on the exploits of the creative class, because its members and its members alone determine history's course!
"We care not of the slaves who built the pyramids, but rather the visionary pharaohs who ordered the glorious structures' construction; we care not of the railroad laborer who merely drove spikes into the ground, but rather the industrial geniuses derisively called 'Robber Barons' whose foresight connected this country of ours from sea to shining sea, helping to make it the greatest nation on earth! We care most about the creative class yet we dare not admit it. Let's admit it tonight."
[Rousing Applause]
"My friends, I am here to tell you that the culture of creativity is in peril. It's in peril because we are no longer what we once were. From a country of rugged individualists united in an insatiable desire for self-betterment, we have become a nation of lazy redistributionists defined by our desire for underserved reward. We no longer prize success; we're jealous of it.
"How far we've fallen. The great observer of America, Alexis de Tocqueville, who first used the word 'individualism,' understood our essence as a people. 'In no other country in the world is the love of property keener or more alert than in the United States,' he observed, 'and nowhere else does the majority display less inclination toward doctrines which in any way threaten the way property is owned.' You see, my friends, we were, as de Tocqueville recognized, a nation that honored and rewarded its creators, a nation, dare I say it, that revered pharaohs, not slaves.
"Something has changed. The spirit of rapacious communitarianism is threatening to undo all that has made our country great. We now malign our creators, not venerate them. Too many of us believe the pious and politically correct nostrums about equality. This is no road map to prosperity, but rather the road to serfdom.
"Consider: In the last three-and-a-half years, we've burdened job creators by adding 106 new major regulations at a cost to business of more than $46 billion annually, yet we now have more than 46 million Americans on food stamps, or about one out of every seven citizens. We have the highest corporate tax rate in the world, yet over half of Americans pay no federal income tax whatsoever. We castigate 'fat cat' businessman and 'greedy' entrepreneurs for their pluck and drive, yet we lavish on 'victimized' homeowners who purchased under no duress or coercion houses they couldn't afford. We threaten our mightiest corporations by promising to annul incentives for innovation and production, yet we wage a war on carbon dioxide and genuflect before Big Labor. We seek to restore our greatness, yet endeavor to do it by destroying that which has made us great.
"What do you call this, Ladies and Gentleman? A culture of creativity? I think not. It's the opposite: a culture of lethargy. That must change. And it will. A cultural revolution awaits!"
"In less than a 100 days, the Romney-Ryan administration will restore our greatness. In less than 100 days, we will put the country back on track by restoring that which has made the United States what Lincoln characterized as 'the last, best hope of earth,' our culture of creativity!
"How will this be done? My friends, we will do it diligently and methodically. Even audaciously."
[Laughter and clapping]
"On day one, my administration will submit legislation to Congress to repeal that $2 trillion job-killing boondoggle, Obamacare!"
"We can't stifle our economy with malevolent laws that discourage hiring, and no recent law has been more damaging to the culture of creativity than The Affordable Care Act. But it's not the only danger to our way of life. We will also overturn Dodd-Frank, a misguided job killing, innovation-stifling monstrosity that must be torn up immediately!"
"We will remove prying hands from the invisible hand by cutting thousands of federal regulations; we will free the free market by eliminating needless government departments and agencies. Capital must be made capital again! But that's just the start, my friends. We will work to lower corporate income taxes so that American companies pay the minimum taxes possible, not a dime more. And we'll also lower all tax rates, especially on those most responsible for our prosperity, the creators, as well as simplify the tax code so that, at 56 million words, it will no longer run seven times the length of the Bible! Why do Washington bureaucrats have more to say than God Almighty?!"
"All of this must be done, but it's only half the equation. Restoring the culture of creativity requires restoring an appropriate societal equilibrium by rewarding initiative and success, but also by not rewarding laxity and failure. We require stakeholders, not freeloaders. How can we see to this?
"First, the Romney-Ryan administration will cut Medicaid by one-third over the next decade, or by $1.4 trillion. Healthcare is a privilege, not a right. Second, we'll fix that government leviathan that threatens to single-handedly destroy the culture of creativity, Medicare. In 2010, spending on the program surpassed $560 billion; by 2022 that number is expected to surpass $1 trillion. This can't stand. Ladies and Gentlemen, we'll reverse this by capping Medicare expenditures and turning the program over to the states as a voucher. Third, we'll privatize Social Security; where your money is invested is your right.
"Finally, we'll go over all non-discretionary spending with a fine comb. Student loans, infrastructure spending, research and development, and the rest will be subjected to careful scrutiny and judged by one standard and one standard alone: does it promote human imagination or human stagnation.
"My friends, some critics may cry foul. Some may call this 'Romney-hood' economics. Some may call it elitist. Some may defiantly use terms like 'social inequality' and the 'one percent.' But through the din, my friends, we, you and I, know that the forces of growth and progress always prevail. History bears witness to this. History bears witness that human imagination and ingenuity, a precious gift bestowed by our Creator, are gloriously irrepressible.
"Michelangelo once said, 'I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.' My friends, I see in this nation pent up greatness. We just need to set it free. We need to restore the ethos of pharaohs, not of slaves. God Bless these United States of America! And God Bless the Culture of Creativity!"


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Home Columns Articles Growth of Labour Legislation in India
Growth of Labour Legislation in India
Bhumitra Dubey
Law is very necessary for maintaining peace, harmony and provide direction to society for the development. This development is possible because of the growth of the industry which is totally depending on labours because they have an important role in increasing productivity and management of the nations.
Mahatma Gandhi had once said- 'A nation may do without its millionaires and without its capitalists but a nation can never do without its labour.'
We see the constant struggle between the labour and capitalists and how capital uses them for their own benefit even not provide them basic amenities of life so because of this in India many numbers of labour laws made for promoting the condition of labours which directly deal with the development of industry and national economy. So, for the growth of the nation, the growth of labour legislation is important.
How the Labour Legislation evolved in India?
Before Independence
Labour legislation in India starts with the history of British Colonialism. Labours of India protected the interest of British employers and because of these labours, Britishers establish their supremacy in India because the Britishers were less in number and it was not possible to control whole India, established industries without taking the help of Indian labours.
The first legislative control attracts by the plantation industry in Assam where workers were recruited through professionals. And these workers were not allowed to leave the garden. Then day by day burden on Indian Labour increased because of British exploitation and by this competition to British textiles in the export market increased. So the British Parliament passed the Factories Act of 1883 to make the labour costlier just to reduce its pressure. And by this act, Indian Labour got some basic liberties like eight hours of work, child labour abolition, restriction of women in night employment, and overtime wages for extra work after eight hours. After this many acts passed in India for independence for labours such as Workmen Compensation Act 1923, Mines Act 1923, Forced Labour 1930, Payment of Wages Act 1936.
After Independence
After the Independence condition of Indian labour was worst. They were treated like property, paid less for their work, even their health issues are not considered, they were deprived of their right. And the cost of living also increased after independence in India. So these workers raised their voice against it. They formed various organizations to go on strike with unions. For the betterment of labour life finally in 1950 laws related to labour embedded in the constitution which protect their fundamental rights (Constitutional Articles concern with labours are 14,16,19,23,24,38), deal with their health issues such as Minimum Wages Act 1948, Factories Act 1948, Employees State Insurance Act 1948.
Legislation Role for Labours in Contemporary India
Our lawmakers made many efforts for the welfare of labour by making various laws and schemes. The government introduced the Code on Wages bill in 2017 and it was sent to the standing committee. Its report came on 2018 at the time of election so the bill lapsed at the end of 16th Lok Sabha. Recently Minister of Labour Mr Santosh Gangwar reintroduced the bill which was passed in parliament on 8th August and known as Code on Wages Act 2019.
What is the need for Code Wages Act, 2019?
This act provides uniformity because this act is made after replacing four wages acts:
(1) Payment of Wages Act 1936 (2) Payment of Bonus Act 1965 (3) Minimum Wage Act 1949 (4) Equal Remuneration Act 1976.
(2) Past Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act apply only to employees engaged in certain kind of job so that 60% of the workers not covered under these acts but this new act cover employees of both organised and unorganised sector means it covers entirely 50 crore workforces.
(3) Currently, 12 different labour laws defined their own "wages" definition and by this difficulty arise in its implementation. And it is also difficult for courts in their cases to decide which definition is correct. But new wage code removes multiplicity of "wage" definitions.
(4) 17 labour laws are more than 50-year-old and some belong to the pre-independence era. All these laws are obsolete and not able to fulfil the condition of today's society.
(5) This act is made to rationalize 44 labour laws and to improve the ease of doing business in the country.
Main Provision of Code Wages Act
• This act stated that the central government will make wage-related decisions for employment such as railway, mine, oil fields and state government make provisions for other employment.
• Code stated that central government will fix the national floor wage according to living standard and skills of work of labours and state government will fix the minimum wage for their regions but that wage cannot be lower than the national floor wage set by the central government.
• Central and state government constitute central and state advisory board which consist: –
(1) Employers (2) employees (3) independent person (4) one-third of the total member on both central and state will be women.
This advisory board help in fixing of national floor wage and minimum wages of state.
• Minimum wages will be revised and reviewed by the central and state within the interval of five years.
To make four laws into one, provide uniformity in labour laws is a good step taken by the government. This act will only be able to achieve its goal if those labours are aware of their rights. In reality, it is seen that labour laws itself not solve the labour problems because workers are poor, illiterate, unaware, and they are weak in negotiating with employers. Most part of Indian Population covers with labour so to earn a livelihood they are controlled by employers' terms and condition. So, it is the responsibility of the government to protect them by aware them with their rights and duties.
"The views of the authors are personal"
What are the defects in the Code Wages Act?
a) This act talks about the equal wages of men and women but there are no criteria for the recruitment of women because mostly capitalist prefers men over women for labours.
b) Labour comes under the concurrent list and different states have different criteria for minimum wages so they raise their concern.
What is Labour Legislation mean?
Labour Law is also called industrial law. It deals with employment and non-employment wages, working conditions, industrial relations, social security, labour welfare of industrially employed persons.
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My name is Bhumitra Dubey a student of Dharmshastra National Law University in semester 2 nd. I am pursuing B.A.LLB. as my career option. I live in Chhatarpur (M.P.). I have done my schooling from Chhatarpur. My experience at university is very enriching. I am actively involved in practical projects, get opportunities to participate in a number of curricular activities like MUN, Debate, Chai PE harcha, International Conference. My active participation in writing has taught me many skills. I was also a member of Indian edition Week as a volunteer. I have been working in RLEk (Rural Litigation Entitlement Kendra) in Dehradun as an intern. Now I got the opportunity to join in your organization to explore new dimensions and for further development of my skills.
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Science Section »
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Death of the Millennia Old Baobab Trees
Author Topic: Death of the Millennia Old Baobab Trees (Read 910 times)
Shiranu
Traveling to the Other Side
Around 1,500 years ago, shortly after the collapse of the Roman Empire, a baobab tree started growing in what is now Namibia. The San people would eventually name the tree Homasi, and others would call it Grootboom, after the Afrikaans words for "big tree." As new empires rose and fell, Homasi continued growing. As humans invented paper money, printing presses, cars, and computers, Homasi sprouted new twigs, branches, and even stems, becoming a five-trunked behemoth with a height of 32 meters and a girth to match.
And then, in 2004, it collapsed.
The tree's demise was sudden and unexpected. In March, at the end of the rainy season, Homasi was in full bloom. But by late June, its health had suddenly deteriorated. One by one, its stems broke off from the gargantuan trunk and toppled. The last of them fell on New Year's Day, 2005, ending 15 centuries of life.
Common throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the African baobab is one of the biggest flowering plants in the world, and reputedly one of the longest-lived. It's also known as the upside-down tree, because its bare branches look like roots, or as the monkey bread tree, because of its nutritious and edible fruit. It's exceptionally long-lived, but recently, several of the oldest baobabs have been dying. Homasi, for example, was part of a grove of seven baobabs, six of which perished within a two-year period.
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This isn't an isolated event. Of the 13 oldest known baobabs in the world, four have completely died in the last dozen years, and another five are on the way, having lost their oldest stems. "These large and monumental trees, which can live for 2,000 years or more, were dying one after another," says Adrian Patrut from Babes-Bolyai University in Romania, who has catalogued the deaths. "It's sad that in our short lives, we are able to live through such an experience."
It's not just the baobabs, either. Around the world, the creaking deaths of ancient trees are testifying to the period of extraordinary environmental change that we are living through. "In Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, I've come across whole forests of trees that have died since 2001," says Wise. "While they are not as old as the baobabs, they are 400 to 500 years old. The die-off has other immediate causes, like insects, but a 500-year-old tree has experienced a lot of insect outbreaks and lived through them. Something is pushing them over the brink this time around."
"The ancients still want to speak to us, we've just forgotten the language.
Re: Death of the Millennia Old Baobab Trees
The climate is changing. Those who deny it is are nuts.
Mousetrap
It is interesting to know that the Earth iswarming up, but not just in the last 150 years, as we are made to believe, but since 4 700 years ago.
Over the past 3 000 years the oceans of the world rose by more than 300 meters (+1000 feet) [Lighthouse reef]
Imagine how shallow the seas was, and how many Ice was on the continents 3 000 years ago, to allow the oceans to rise this high!
More evidence of this global warming is found at lake Missoula and the scab-lands.
The greater part of North America would have had as much Ice as Antarctica.
Anyone that thinks the Earth was always cold, and only started to warm up now, are ignoring Geology and should do further investigation.
Just as there was this huge ado about the ozone layer in the 80's and 90's, which by the way was never disproved as a natural occurrence, science is ignoring the fact that this too is a natural stage the Earth is undergoing.
It is a consequence of the global flood and a natural result of the Atmosphere that lost its water contents as gravitational strength increased 4 700 years ago
Evolution, the religion whereby one believes your children more human, and your parents more ape, than you!
The Human Mind, if it has nothing to do with Evolution...What an incredible entity...
If it does, what a waste!
Atheism, what a wonderful religion, where one believe to believe is erroneous.
That is AWESOMELY pathetic! Yes, the Earth as warmed and cooled many times during its 4.5 billion years, but the reasons are generally understood. This current warming, however, is best understood as the result of human burning of fossil fuels. The modern warming tracks the fuel use very accurately and no other reason is evident. The sea level rise from 20KYA is about 130 meters
I hesitate to ask you any questions, as the answers will be so inaccurate and faith-based, but (sigh):
Where did the water for the flood come from?
How old do you think the Earth is?
Were humans and dinosaurs co-existent?
Two anaerobic microbes were talking one day, about 2 billion years ago. One says to the other: "Can you believe those fear-mongers? They claim that the oxygen we exhale will poison the atmosphere, making it impossible for us to keep living out in the open like we do! They say we'll have to go underground, or someplace, where we can escape all that poisonous oxygen! What a load of hype! To think we could change the whole atmosphere like that is just idiotic! LOL"
Forgive me, Carl...
A century ago, astronomers looked at Venus and saw it was covered with opaque clouds. "Well", they said, "what are clouds made of? Rain. So all those water clouds must mean Venus is soaking wet. Well, all that water must mean swamps. What grows in swamps? Ferns. What eats ferns? Dinosaurs!"
Observation: You can't see anything on Venus. Conclusion? Dinosaurs!"
And that's how religion was created...