text:
Inflammatory Committee Terror Report Helps McCain/Lieberman Target Obama
[Older Post Ported over from the Huffington Post/AOL Site
for Archival Purposes. Original Posting Date:
An inflammatory first report on the domestic threat of "violent Islamist extremism" issued a week ago via the Senate Committee on Homeland Security turns out not to have been drafted by the Committee at all. The report was drafted solely under the direction of Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (CT)-- a pro-war "Independent Democrat"-- and ranking Republican Susan Collins (ME). It appears that other members of the Committee, including Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), had no part in authoring the controversial document, titled: "Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorism Threat."(PDF). "Neither Senator Obama nor his staff had any input into the report," said the spokesperson in Obama's Washington, DC, office Wednesday evening.
The international news service Reuters carried a story identifying the report as coming from the Homeland Security Committee as a whole, and the confusion is understandable. Senator Collins's office in DC, however, stressed that "It was never a full Committee report" and that the cover and inside text of the report itself made that clear. The spokesperson added that "There is a lot of cooperation on this Committee, it is very bipartisan."
Bipartisan perhaps is not the proper word to describe this report, as Lieberman, the chair, is campaigning against his former political party, the Democrats. Nor is it just an interesting anecdote that Democratic Senator and presumptive Democratic nominee for president Obama happens to sit on the Committee, since the report (and the Committee's threatened follow-up reports on "Violent Islamist Extremism") can easily be turned against Obama by his political adversaries.
It has become clear that one of the leading themes of the general election campaign being promoted by Republicans is that Obama is weak in the fight against terrorism. McCain has already personally attempted to tie Obama to the controversial Palestinian political party Hamas and President Bush yesterday in a speech to the Israeli parliament transparently likened Obama to "Nazi appeasers" for his willingness to "negotiate with terrorists and radicals." Lieberman's senate committee report, therefore, is uniquely positioned to influence the political discourse. If Obama fails to embrace the document and the hard-line national security legislation it is preparing the ground for, the case may be made that he is choosing to ignore the import of his own congressional committee's findings, that he is knowingly failing to appreciate the threat of "radical Islam" here and abroad and is therefore willfully soft on terrorism.
At least three other Democratic Senators--Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Thomas R. Carper (D-DE); and Carl Levin, (D-MI)--who sit on the Committee with Obama had no role in the writing of the report, according to their DC Senate office spokespeople. I placed calls to the DC offices of all members of the Committee over several days, but most had yet to return phone calls or emails sent to their press secretaries when this article was published.
"Minority staff reports" and "majority staff reports" are common enough, but this report-- coming from the ostensibly bipartisan leaders of the committee-- can leave the impression that it took into account the views of all of the committee members, which it clearly does not. Reports authored together by the majority and minority staff of a committee are not unheard of and in fact come more often than usual from the Homeland Security committee, but they are not generally common. In addition, Capitol Hill insiders say the report was primarily driven by Lieberman's staff. One Democratic Party operative grumbled that the staff didn't even send Democratic members of the Committee courtesy copies of the report before it was issued.
Lieberman is no neophyte on the political scene. He surely knows the report, its release timed as it is to coincide with the heating up of the general election campaigns, will be used for political ends-- to whiplash Barack Obama and to push both Obama and Hillary Clinton toward hard-line policy positions on the Middle East, as well as to more generally soften opposition to civil liberties abuses by the Bush Administration. More than any serious attempt to examine the serious issues it addresses, the report seems a mere election year political trick.
A spokesperson for the Senate Committee said Thursday afternoon, however, that there was "zero truth" to assertions that the report was politically motivated. "We held six hearings going back for over a year. There were multiple drafts. It was a long process. The staff worked hard on it. There was never any consideration of the political impact." She said that in an election year season when "even the weather is being interpreted through a political lens," such speculation is common but regrettable. There was "absolutely no connection to Obama" or the campaign, she continued. The report came out of Senator Lieberman's deep and sincere interest in the topic and was issued when it was finished.
The Lieberman report has been condemned by critics as based on dangerously thin analysis and so a threat to freedom of expression, civil liberties, and civil rights. The report echoes an equally flawed legislative bill stalled in Congress titled "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007," which I criticized last November.
Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, summarized the ACLU response to the report: "Once we begin trying to regulate belief systems, we have veered perilously far from the Constitution."
The Defending Dissent Foundation (on whose board I sit) coordinated an open letter to the Senate Committee even before the report was released. According to the letter, already signed by 20 civil liberties groups:
We must be clear; the need to prevent criminal acts of violence is unquestionable. Studying and understanding the origin of terrorism and what provokes violence is an important element of prevention. But one of the greatest challenges to countering such movements is drawing the line between advocacy of ideas, including violence, and taking concrete steps toward carrying out a violent act. It is also important to distinguish between violence that injures or kills people and minor acts of vandalism that are part of an act of civil disobedience. Properly viewed, dissent can be an antidote to terrorism, not a precursor to it.
More groups are signing onto the letter, already endorsed by civil liberties activists across the political spectrum from the Republican Liberty Coalition to United for Peace and Justice.
Senator Lieberman has pushed out a report that many experts say is full of superficial stereotyping of Muslims and grade-school analysis of terrorism. It seems one more way that Lieberman, the "Independent Democrat," is campaigning for Republican candidate McCain. Kate Phillips on the New York Times Politics Blog calls their dance "the McCain-Lieberman duet."
The Democratic Party is reluctant to criticize Lieberman because the Senate is home to 49 Republicans and 49 Democrats, with two independents (Lieberman and Bernie Sanders of Vermont) who line up with the Democrats in caucus, thus giving the Democrats a voting majority and senior status on Senate Committees. If Lieberman moves to caucus with the Republicans, it would mean the Senate was evenly divided, sending more tied votes to Vice President Dick Cheney, who serves as the President of the Senate. In addition, Democrats would no longer unilaterally control the chairs of all Senate committees, and would have to negotiate a power-sharing arrangement with Republicans.
There are certainly political groups who will use the report to fire bigoted salvos on behalf of McCain, just as they used falsehoods and fabrications to sink the candidacy of John Kerry. McCain at the time called the charges against Kerry "dishonest and dishonorable." Yet McCain, who has a long track record as a militarist., is the clear beneficiary of election year fear-mongering about Islam and terrorism, and has reached out to leaders of the Christian Right who have a track record of Islamophobia.
When McCain stood before the audience of some 2000 Christian conservatives last year at the FRC Action Values Voters "Washington Briefing" conference, it was already clear that he was seeking to mend fences with the Christian Right. Now McCain has cultivated support from apocalyptic preacher John Hagee, who has stated that "Jihad has come to America. If we lose the war to Islamic fascism, it will change the world as we know it." Hagee is not just talking about "radical Islam," he also believes that the Quran itself gives Muslims a mandate to kill Christians and Jews. According to Hagee, "Well, the Quran teaches that. Yes, it teaches that very clearly."
American Muslims have launched a campaign to encourage more precise language when linking Islam and terrorism, just what the Lieberman report fails to do. According to Religion News Service:
While Muslim Americans have made this argument for years, U.S. government officials have only recently adopted it. In March, the National Counterterrorism Center drafted a memo for the State Department urging diplomats to drop words like "jihadists" or "mujahedeen" (those engaged in jihad) when describing terrorists because it "unintentionally legitimizes their actions."
In fact, in January the Department of Homeland Security suggested that "We should not concede the terrorists' claim that they are legitimate adherents of Islam," according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press. This fact has already attracted attention in the blogosphere, but mainstream media have yet to offer any meaningful coverage of this entire episode. My first report on this matter was posted on the HuffingtonPost / OffTheBus last Monday.
The group Muslim Advocates notes that "The Senate report, issued by Senators Lieberman and Collins on May 8, 2008, with bold red letters on the title and provocative graphic photos of al Qaeda overseas, insinuated that American Muslims are ripe for radicalization and present a potential 'homegrown' security threat to the nation."
A letter critical of the report and asking for a dialogue has been sent to the committee by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), and Muslim Advocates. The letter notes that "Given that only one of nineteen witnesses before the committee represented the American Muslim community, we also urge you to include representative American Muslims at future hearings on Islam or the American Muslim community." The letter suggests that the report undermines its own stated goals, and points out:
As Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff testified to the committee, in response to a question from Senator Tester, "It is very important that ...we make clear that we are not racially profiling people. We are not imputing to people that they are dangerous or threatening because they are Muslim. ... We have to continually treat every American with the same respect that our Constitution requires, regardless of their heritage, regardless of what their religion is, and when that is not honored, that actually has a counterproductive effect." Unfortunately, the committee's report undermines fundamental American values (as well as its own stated recommendations) by encouraging alienating suspicion of several million Americans on the basis of their faith. Contrary to Secretary Chertoff's recommendations, it thus exacerbates the current climate of fear, suspicion and hatemongering of Islam and American Muslims.
Fear-mongering by Republicans about terrorism, Islam, and the Middle East is ratcheting up in the campaign, and Islamophobia has consequences, as I outlined in my previous post about the firing of school principal Debbie Almontaser, Muslim bashing is the New Witch Hunt.
Lieberman has a long track record of supporting an aggressive U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that is tilted in favor of an aggressive stance by the government of Israel. This serves to mobilize that sector of the Christian Right known as "Christian Zionists," profiled by Max Blumenthal here on HuffPost in an article and video about Christians United for Israel, which McCain endorser Hagee heads. While some critics of U.S. foreign policy slip into a stereotypical conflation of Israel, the Israeli government, Jews, Zionism, and Christian Zionism, the relationships among "Culture, Religion, Apocalypse, and Middle East Foreign Policy" are well studied. Christian Zionists help push U.S. foreign policy in a bellicose direction that undermines chances for a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis; a matter for reflection this week, when the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel is being celebrated.
The 2008 Christian Right Values Voters Summit scheduled for September places "immigration" and "radical Islam" just after "marriage and the family" on its list of the important "highlights" of the conference. For the past two years, the Values Voters conference and "Washington Briefing" has featured a range of Islamophobic speeches and publications. If McCain moves to the Political Right to shore up the Republican voter base in the Christian Right--which trial balloons about Gov. Mike Huckabee being considered for the VP slot make more plausible--then Islamophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric will find an eager audience. Summit co-sponsor FRC Action is already bashing Obama.
Last year on HuffPost I wrote that "A McCain-Huckabee ticket, however, could pull voters to the polls across several core Republican constituencies mobilized around the economy and immigration." I should have added Islamophobia, because it clearly is going to play a role in election 2008, no matter who ends up as the final presidential standard bearers for the Republicans and Democrats.
Labels: lieberman, the Homegrown Terrorism Threat
Lieberman's Very Serious Muslim-Bashing Senate Report
A bigoted bombshell was lobbed from Inside the Beltway last Thursday when the Senate Committee on Homeland Security under the "leadership" of Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman and ranking Republican Susan Collins. The report, "Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorism Threat," (PDF) combines Muslim bashing with suggestions that would further undermine Consitutional rights in the United States.
Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, summarized the ACLU response to the awful Lieberman/Collins Senate Committee report:
Though the need to prevent criminal acts of violence is unquestionable, targeting communities based on religious beliefs is unacceptable and unproductive. We will only end up stigmatizing the Islamic community and creating a nation of Islamophobes. We should not be legislating against thought and we should certainly not be regulating religious or unpopular thought. A dynamic debate can only make this country stronger and safer. (More here)
Is Islamophobia something to worry about? I think so. Islamophobia has been simmering of the back burner of Campaign 2008 for some time.
Take the case of Debbie Almontaser in New York. There are lots of statistics and studies, but sometimes a personal story is the best illustration of a problem.
Almontaser was removed as the principal of a new Arab language public school in New York City in 2007. She was thrown to the circling wolves by her own union and the NYC department of education.
Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, Almontaser explains that she began to "help safeguard my Arab, Muslim, and South Asian neighbors in Brooklyn." Aha! Typical! After all, Almontaser is an Arab Muslim immigrant from Yemen. What do you expect? Well, expect more, because Almontaser had already spent years working with a "group of Jews, Palestinians, Muslims, Christians, and others who meet on a monthly basis to talk about world issues and give each other a sense of hope and support. Immediately after September 11, some members of the dialogue called to check up on how my family and I were doing. Based on the concerns and issues I raised, I was invited by these members to go to their churches and synagogues and to speak on behalf of the Arab-American and Muslim communities in Brooklyn."
What got Almontaser fired? She became the target of right-wing media fanatics who used her to whip up fears of terrorist Muslims teaching children to become suicide bombers.
The New York Post and New York Sun led the attacks. Sun columnist Alicia Colon was especially nasty: "So whose insane idea was it to have an Arabic public school in Brooklyn open this September? Are they out of their minds? Have they learned nothing from the Netherlands about the danger of pandering to multiculturalism?"
When I first heard of this proposed school, I thought it was a joke. But then I read Daniel Pipes's column about this disguised 'madrassa' and discovered who the major principals were. Now I can't dispel this feeling of disbelief and outrage. This proposal is utter madness, considering that five years after September 11, ground zero is still a hole in the ground and we're bending over backwards to appease those sympathetic to individuals who would destroy us again. Smart, really smart.
In one online essay, Daniel Pipes, a scholar and anti-Islamic pundit, claimed that Almontaser said, "Arabs or Muslims...are innocent of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001."
The actual quote? Almontaser said "I don't recognize the people who committed the attacks as either Arabs or Muslims.... Those people who did it have stolen my identity as an Arab and have stolen my religion."
The bigoted media feeding frenzy was a disgrace. Months later the New York Times did the right thing and published a thoughtful article titled "Critics Cost Muslim Educator Her Dream School" (online here).
The Bush administration policies in the Middle East have been a disaster, and part of the blowback has been a tragic escalation of both Islamophobic and antisemitic rhetoric in volitile political debates. Muslims are portrayed as a barbarous, tribal force prompting a "Clash of Civiliaztions" in the analysis by Samuel Huntington. Jews loyal to Israel are said to be controlling U.S. foreign policy through the U.S. neoconservative movement and the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. The lurid and bigoted claims wash across the Internet. Such xenophobia and stereotyping has no place in a country that aspires to be a real democracy.
Debbie Almontaser was engaged in working in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities to challenge stereotypes and build bridges across communites. There are several initiatives across the country twinning the issues of Islamophobia and antisemitism. Almontaser, an early leader in such efforts has been slapped down by fanatics. Almontaser is still fighting to clear her name and regain her position in the courts. (Read more about Almontaser and an earlier Witch Hunt here)
It is into this target rich political environment of fear and xenophobia that Lieberman and Collins toss their bombshell report. And they promise more to come. More than fifty years ago, a lawyer representing another target of a political witch hunt confronted the head of an earlier Senate committee: "You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"
History may be repeating itself. Time will tell, and history will judge our response.
Labels: almontaser, and the Homegrown Terrorist Threat, civil liberties
Lieberman Gift To McCain: Senate Islamist Terrorism Report
When a bipartisan Congressional committee issues a report on the threat of domestic terrorist violence during an election year, you can be sure that the centrist establishment is worried about the popular backlash against government repression and the threat to civil liberties.
That's nothing new.
Scholar William W. Keller argues that in times of wide-spread social unrest and tensions, some liberals retreat from their oversight function as protectors of civil liberties and allow authoritarian methods to be implemented in order to restore order and defend the state. Right now in Washington, DC, civil liberties activists have built a coalition that spans the political spectrum from left to right. This coalition recently managed to block legislation titled the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act." It was, as detailed here, lousy legislation and deserved to be squashed.
Many voters do not support the war in Iraq and are suspicious of Bush administration demands for even more erosions of civil liberties and Constitutional rights.This scares the bipartisan status quo brigade, and centrist Republicans and Democrats now rally behind the power of the state. Dissidents on the left and right already are all potential suspects in the "War on Terrorism." Who better to pick as the main target for the New Witch Hunt than Muslims in America? Is there a more vulnerable community for a new campaign based on fear?
So now comes a "series of reports by the Majority and Minority staff of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs...on the threat of homegrown terrorism inspired by violent Islamist extremism." The first report, "Violent Islamist Extremism, The Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorist Threat," (PDF) was published today, 8 May 2008.
What's really amazing, is that this travesty of a "majority and minority" report is not even really "bipartisan." The committee authors include Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the ranking Republican, and Committee Chairmen Joseph Lieberman, the Connecticut independent who has effectively lent himself to the McCain campaign for the last few months.
The ACLU has issued a press release: "ACLU Skeptical of Senate Report on 'Homegrown' Terrorism," and a broad civil liberties coalition signed a letter of protest that was actually issued the day before the report was made public.
Online, there has been almost no comment since the report was issued, hours ago, but it's easy to imagine what the Republican spin doctors and neo-McCarthyites are already whipping up in order to attack Democrats in this election cycle as soft on terrorism. The blogosphere will soon pulsate with their purple prose. This series of reports is a readymade script for the Swift Boating of the Democratic Presidential nominee and a bludgeon with which to push all of the candidates-- Democratic and Republican-- into a corner where they will accept more government repression as the price for being elected.
I will be posting more details about the New Witch Hunt and how it intersects with election 2008 over the next few days. Tomorrow, the story of Debbie Almontaser, hounded out of a job as a school principal by bigoted fanatics.
Labels: governmental affairs, homeland security report, Joe Lieberman, leberman report, liberman homeland security, lieberman Islamic extremism, muslims, repression, Susan Collins, terrorism
Inflammatory Committee Terror Report Helps McCain/...
Lieberman Gift To McCain: Senate Islamist Terroris...


Despite a night-long concert at Natya Tarangini, Rajan and Sajan Mishra look far from fatigued. In fact, they have been up early for their morning riyaaz. "Music keeps us rejuvenated," says Rajan Mishra, the elder of the legendary duo that hails from the famous Benaras Gharana. "The whole maahol (atmosphere) at Raja Radha Reddy's institute was so serene, just the kind any artiste would like to perform in," he adds, talking about the annual concert organised by the Kuchipudi dancer family to celebrate Shivaratri.
"We've had a long association with the Reddys," smile the Mishra bandhu (brothers) famous across the world for their khayal gayaki as they sit in the tastefully decorated living room home of their Ramesh Nagar house in Delhi. What makes the bond with them even more special is the fact that their respective cultural traditions are being carried forth by their children.
They started singing together more than 53 years ago. "Right from the time we were growing up in Benaras, we had realised how blessed we were to be part of a 350-year-old family tradition of gayaki," adds Sajan Mishra remembering the maahol (atmosphere) of their home with the legendary singer Hanuman Prasad Mishra, their father, and the sarangi virtuoso Gopal Prasad Mishra, their uncle, as the heads of the family.
The family elders ensured that the brothers must always sing together. "This, they felt, would always keep our bonds strong. Saath gayenge to saath rahenge," says the elder-by-five-years sibling.
But, while a strict maahol prevailed, "there was prem (love) too. "Our elders would say, 'Go to any university in the world but prem ka paath yaheen milega (this is the place you will find love)," he adds.
And now, while the Mishras remain busy with concerts across the globe, they also find time for Viraam, the gurukul that they have set up in Dehradun where music is taught in the guru-shishya parampara.


Here in Santiago, Chile, young lovers have a curious habit of consecrating their affection by placing a padlock on the railing of a local bridge and tossing the key into the Rio Mapoche, thus supposedly insuring that their amor will endure forever.
I discovered this in January, shortly after I got here, when during one of my long walks I crossed the Puente Racamalac (also called the Puente Condell), a rainbow-shaped footbridge in the Parque Balmaceda. I was reminded of it again on Valentine's Day, when near the end of another long walk I crossed the bridge while two TV news crews were shooting some footage, presumably for a timely feature on the love locks, which I presumably wrecked by being a stout, sweaty, middle-aged American.
The 2012 Spanish movie Tengo ganas de ti (In English, I Want You) is based on a hit Italian movie from 2007, Ho voglia di te, which in turn was based on a 2006, best-selling romance novel of the same name by the Italian screenwriter and novelist, Frederico Moccia.
For a social historian, or a cultural anthropologist, what makes the spread of this custom so interesting and amusing is that Moccia invented the whole ritual of love locks and thrown keys from scratch when he wrote his romance.
Moccia, 44, says he just dreamed up the ritual. "I liked the idea of tying locks to love because it is more solid, tangible," he said. The book sold 1.1 million copies, the movie version came out – and soon life began imitating art.
The original lock scene of the book and the Italian movie was the famous Ponte Milvio over the Tiber River, built in 115BC, and site of the battle that made Constantine the first Christian emperor in 312AD.
As testament to how fast things spread in the modern world, within a few months of the Italian movie appearing, the city authorities in Rome had to start cutting locks off the bridge, lest the weight of them collapse the ancient structure. A similar dynamic has played out across Europe. In Paris, a footbridge over the Seine near the Louvre, the Pont des Artes, was also recently in danger of collapsing from the weight of Moccia's love locks. The Parisian authorities responded with bolt cutters and social media. The lovers of Paris responded by moving to the Pont de l'Archevêché near Notre Dame.
I suspect that within the next year or so, two things will happen. First, the City of Santiago will begin to worry about weight of the accumulating candados de amor and take measures to prevent the collapse of the Puente Racamalac. And, second, the custom of love locks will begin to appear in the United States and Canada.
Curiously, Moccia's novel has not yet been translated into English, despite doing very well in French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian and Chinese. However, as we've seen with the spread of roadside memorials, something introduced to American roads via Mexican immigrants, sentimental customs have a way of getting to the USA and spreading rapidly.
So, look for love locks on an American bridge near you, coming soon.
I wonder how many relationships they prematurely ended by doing that?
The City of Paris continues to fight a losing battle against the love lock. It's only a matter of time before a bridge collapses, or around-the-clock guards are posted to stop this.


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Writings of Ken Risling
Ken Risling attended high school in Davis, California, with Annie Moore, who joined Peoples Temple after graduation and who died at Jonestown. She was 24 years old at the time, as was he. Ken went on to lead a relatively normal life, staying in Northern California, pursuing a career in construction, and raising a family with his partner. But he has not been able to mute the incessant echo of the silent scream he heard the day he learned Annie was dead. His search for peace has inspired him to reconnect with family and friends, read all he can about Annie's world, and write. He has authored numerous essays and accounts, and composed a song, "Jonestown," relaying his memory of, and bewilderment about his friend.
Human struggle remains a focal point in his life. Writing and music continue to grow as his passionate pursuit.
The song "Jonestown" appears here and here. He can be reached at rise@sonic.net.
Angel of Death, My Beloved (2018)
I Lost My Friend (2018)
Before The Wind: Remembering Annie Moore (2011)
Confessions of a Religious Bigot (2010)
The Gift of Tears: "The Ballad of Annie Moore" (2008)
"Jonestown": Annie's Song Launches Songwriter (2007)
"Jonestown": The Birth of A Song (2005)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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May 5, 2008 0 New Cocktail at Blue Hill at Stone Barns
I got the first taste of a new cocktail at Blue Hill at Stone Barns the other night. It's not even on the menu yet.…
February 14, 2008 0 A Piece of Lardo on Your Tongue for Valentine's Day, Perhaps?
Dan Barber, chef-owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills and Blue Hill in Manhattan, describes his Valetine's Day menu. Waiters will drop…
October 1, 2007 1 The Last of the Tomatoes at Blue Hill at Stone Barns *WITH VIDEO*
I had a lovely dinner at the bar at Blue Hill at Stone Barns a couple of weeks ago. Sorry I've been remiss in posting…


We value our relationships with our Jewish communities, and the significant and important contributions that those communities make to Scottish society. The Scottish Jewish heritage centre shares in our ambition to promote interfaith dialogue, to strengthen and enhance connections across communities and to lower barriers, eliminate fear and increase understanding. I recognise the importance of learning about the Holocaust as well as taking action to tackle religious prejudice, including antisemitism. I urge the centre to explore with Museums Galleries Scotland museum accreditation and related support. In addition, the next wave of the Scottish Government's promoting equality and cohesion fund will be open for application in 2020, and I suggest that the centre considers developing an application, in the coming year, for relevant projects.
I thank the cabinet secretary for her encouraging reply. Does she agree with me and, I think, the Jewish community, that there is ignorance not just about the Holocaust but about Jews, Judaism, Jewish history, the Jewish way of life and the considerable Jewish community in Scotland, and that such ignorance can lead to antisemitism, when people do not understand properly?
I absolutely agree. The more understanding there is, the greater the tolerance, appreciation—and indeed celebration—of the variety of religions and cultures that we have in Scotland. That is an important part of promoting the positives and explaining the experiences that other people perhaps do not understand. John Mason made the point well.
This exchange can be found here.


In a stunning turn-around, a Houston judge ruled Thursday that the Giwa girls are to be returned home immediately. Advocates and family are rejoicing in the partial victory, and are praying for little Ali to be returned home soon as well.
In a permanency hearing on Tuesday, Ahmed and Kathy Giwa were told that the plan had changed to adoption and that CPS planned to work to see the Giwa children adopted out to non-family members.
Ali was taken by CPS in April 2015 on allegations that his parents medically neglected him, after doctors failed to determine a reason for him lagging behind his twin sister developmentally. In November, Ali's twin and his older sister were also seized when the family tried to take the children out of the country to visit their dying grandmother in Nigeria. The Giwas have been fighting CPS to get their children back, because they say that their children should never have been taken from them in the first place.
Health Impact News has been following their story for many months, and word of the injustice happening to the family has spread quickly. Advocates called for a day of prayer and fasting on Wednesday, in anticipation of the hearing in Harris County on Thursday.
To all who were watching, the case looked desperate. Friends and family had little hope that anything good would come out of the hearing, because they report having seen far too many unjust things happen already in the case.
We are so happy to update the girls are coming home, in fact, as I type this they may be home! Can you imagine that reunion?
Let's just say that Terri Jones, CPS had a BAD, BAD day in court today! This judge used some COMMON SENSE and the GIWAS won!
Thank you to all of our supporters both in this group and countrywide! We will update once the Giwas are reunited and have time with their precious children. We still have to get Ali home. Everyone working together marching, protesting, praying, blogging, calling, emailing, letting your voice be heard, doing interviews and the list goes on, plus all of the behind the scenes work. You made a difference! Our collective voices, talents, knowledge MADE A DIFFERENCE. The Giwa girls will be sleeping in their home tonight with mom and dad!
Image from Fox News Houston .
We've just been amazed, like God's raising this whole army of people. We're just thankful.
The Fox affiliate interviewed the Giwas and their attorney Kori Booth after the hearing. Judge John Phillips reportedly asked CPS how the visit to their dying grandmother presented any kind of a safety threat to the girls, and he ordered them to be returned to their parents. All 3 children had been placed in 3 separate foster homes, in violation of federal laws requiring siblings to be placed together whenever possible.
Booth pointed out that CPS has never offered any evidence of guilt of the parents for the developmental delays in Ali. Like most of the cases that are reported at Health Impact News and published on MedicalKidnap.com, the accusations against the parents were allegations based on hearsay and opinion, without any evidence. In many cases, that is all that is needed to rip a family apart.
The Giwas live outside of Harris County, and many have questioned the county's jurisdiction over the case. The case has now been moved out of Harris county to the county that they actually reside in.
The court has ordered the female siblings to live with their parents while CPS maintains legal custody to monitor their safety and well-being. Ali (their son) will remain in foster care to ensure that his medical needs are being met.
They plan to adopt that boy out to some non-family member, and the judge shook his head and basically questioned them as to how they could come to that conclusion.
That is the same question that concerned people all over the world are asking, even as they rejoice that the Giwa girls are finally reunited with their parents.


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It's Sean and Connor again from the YouTube Channel Raising Awesome. In this blog series, we hope to inspire the contestants of the latest Project 14 Challenge: Home Automation. Over the next month, we'll release videos and blogs covering the skills, code, and hacks that allow one to automate and secure their home on a college kids budget. The final edit will be an Element14 Friday Release in April. From all this, we hope you get some good code and inspire your own great ideas for future projects.
In this blog, we will tap into some popular IoT commercial products to unleash their true power: Nest Thermostat and Alexa. However, even without them, we'll give tips on how you could make your own Nest and Alexa functionality. Also, we will be doing some hacks on major appliances as well such as a Whole House Humidifier and our Gas Stove.
In addition to a WiFi router, you'll want to gather the items below to get the most out of this series. Of course, you'll need perfboard, headers, jumper wires as well, but here are the larger components involved.
When you break down home automation to its foundational building blocks, designing a project becomes a snap. Let's look at each of the three building blocks.
Notification is truly the most foundational component of home automation. It's been around for years - doorbells, phones ringers, alarm clocks, and oven preheat beeps are good examples. With a little IoT mojo, you can have your phone and Alexa give you information much, much beyond those manual and time based devices.
Physical, manual activation of devices has become sooooo 2018.
Voice is the future; however, our most preferred approach to home automation is sensing coupled to AI. A simple example would be your 1980's coffee pot "sensing" time to start automatically in the morning. But even better would be for your sensor grid to detect motion in the hall between the hours of 5:00 to 6:00 am which then triggers the hall and kitchen lights turn on, the coffee starts brewing, and Alexa begins giving your daily brief.
To truly get the most out of this project in the end, we need a way to pull in state/data or receive triggers from every device, then chug some code, actuate, and notify. However, we will show you how to make individual devices to notify on their own as well. We will use the Raspberry Pi with the Matrix Creator as our Hub. This combo will allow us to have everything from video to humidity sensing in one package.
ESP8266 and a reed switch can go a long way. This will be a battery powered, smart energy device to detect unwanted entry to windows and doors.
It will auto arm if you leave the home getting this knowledge from the Nest Thermostat.
It will also arm by telling Alexa to arm it.
Another good use for the ESP8266. We'll make a small module that installs in a safe place by your stove. It will detect elevated temperatures on its surface. Should you leave the house, it will send you a notification.
Did I leave the Garage Door Open?
And another one for the ESP8266. We will detect if the garage door is open. If you leave the house, you'll get a notification and will be able to activate the door with your phone.
Hear we will detect water near the hot water tank and under sinks. We will have it automatically shutoff the water supply to the house and notify us by our cell phones.
The Clock Crane is a voice activated crane that takes objects less than 25lbs between floors. It was featured on one of the final episodes of The Ben Heck Show.
Cats are easy pets when it comes to travel. Just fill up the dishes, make sure their box is clean, and head out the door. But, you always have the fear that they might run out of food - or you may want to regulate the food so they don't eat it all in the first day like our cat would.
Stay tuned for updates of this blog as we further define our scope. We'll soon post the intro video as well. For you contestants of the Project 14 Home Automation challenge, feel free to use and expand any of our code and circuits in your projects. it's all Open Source, of course!
In Blog #2, we will introduce IoT notification techniques. Please post any requests or comments below!
Project14 | Winners Announcement: Giving Personality to Habitat with Home Automation!
Project14 | Volunteer to Judge the Home Automation Competition!
Project14 | Meet the Home Automation Projects that Give Your Habitat a Personality!


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Project ScotlandThe Scottish Construction Magazine
Project ScotlandThe Scottish construction news magazine
Home Business SNIPEF reappointed to run Approved Certifier of Construction Scheme
SNIPEF reappointed to run Approved Certifier of Construction Scheme
THE Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers' Federation (SNIPEF) has announced it has been advised by the Scottish Government that it has been re-appointed to run the Approved Certifier of Construction scheme for a further six years.
The scheme, which was initially introduced as part of the 2003 Building (Scotland) Act, allows for certain categories of work, which is subject to a building warrant, to be carried out and self-certified by an approved certifier.
Categories of work include above and below ground drainage, gas, oil, solid fuel installations and renewables. It also means that work certified under the scheme does not require a building control officer to be in attendance and, consequently, can increase the speed of a project.
SNIPEF is just one of the scheme's providers approved by the Scottish Government to run an approved certifier of construction scheme.
Fiona Hodgson, chief executive of SNIPEF, said, "This is a very pleasing development and endorses the high-quality services we have been providing over the past eleven years. Certification has multiple benefits, including improved efficiency and productivity and increased peace of mind, with the highest standards upheld.
"Along with other scheme providers, SNIPEF has been working with the Scottish Government over the summer to address issues raised by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and create positive outcomes for certification.
"The issue of certification sits high on the sector's agenda and building standards services are key to ensuring that construction schemes can help raise standards throughout the industry and deliver new buildings and improved facilities."
Project Scotland
Midlothian construction firm 'exceeds expectations' with support for charity
Construction bosses urged to invest in employee wellbeing
Planning consultancy to 'refocus' on emerging technology and renewables
Read Project Scotland
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Project Scotland remains the only construction news magazine published in Scotland and thus the only publication properly placed to fully reflect industry thinking north of the border. Editorial includes project news, business, site and sector reports. In addition, we have regular features covering civil engineering, insulation, flooring, renewable energy, roofing and cladding, timber frame, quarrying, scaffolding, construction law, bricks and blocks and health and safety.
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Rustling needs to be a specific offence:
Federated Farmers is asking political parties to develop policies to tackle the scourge of stock theft better known as rustling.
"We know stock theft or rustling has been estimated to cost the farming community some $120 million each year," says Katie Milne, Federated Farmers rural security spokesperson.
"In recent weeks we've seen a lifestyler raided for breeding ewes in Waikato and over 200 sheep despicably shot in Otago.
"We've got to ask if the penalties imposed are serious enough to be a deterrent for either rustling or poaching. Based on our experience to date they are not. . .
Behaviour is the root cause of meat industry's problems – Allan Barber:
I am not completely sure why we spend so much time and effort complaining about the meat industry or which problems we are trying to solve. However in the interests of encouraging progress and stimulating debate, I will try to define the problem: this appears to be that the meat processing and export sector is not profitable enough, whether in absolute terms or in comparison to dairy. Both may be true.
It is worth stating the unique challenges of the red meat sector up front. First, there is a market at both ends of the chain, procurement and sale of the products; second, New Zealand exports a higher percentage of its production than any other country which must travel further to reach its markets, not all of them equally buoyant; third, sheep and beef must be disassembled into multiple cuts of meat as well as many co-products, all of which are sold into a wide range of markets for variable returns; fourth the climate dictates when the grass will grow and livestock will be ready for slaughter; and last, but not least, the producer can choose when and where to send the livestock for slaughter except in a drought. . .
The recipe for future success:
Blue Sky Meats and its suppliers will be relieved the company is back in black after two challenging years.
The return to profitability – a $1.946 million after-tax profit for the year to March – came on the back of the only two losses in the Southland-based company's 28-year history.
It has been a much better year for meat companies. Along with Blue Sky – and Lean Meats – the two big co-operatives, Alliance Group and Silver Fern Farms, who both report late in the year, have signalled profitable years. . .
Dairy recovery anticipated – by Christmas – Sally Rae:
Dairy commodity prices are predicted to stay in a trough period for another three to six months.
Speaking at the recent South Island Dairy Event in Invercargill, Rabobank's director of dairy research for New Zealand and Asia, Hayley Moynihan, said it could be Christmas before there was a more sustained recovery in commodity prices.
It would be a "reasonably prolonged" trough, as inventories were worked through and an additional seven billion litres of milk available on the world market in the first half of 2014 took time to "find a home". . .
Focus on consumers behind Pasture to Plate success – Sally Rae:
King Country farmer William Oliver's belief in the consumer stemmed from his time studying at the University of Otago.
Mr Oliver and his wife Karen were the overall winners of the Silver Fern Farms' Pasture to Plate Award.
Silver Fern Farms chairman Rob Hewett said the couple impressed the judges with their focus on the consumer. . . .
Simpler pesticide rules on the way:
The Environmental Protection Authority is aiming to simplify the rules covering pesticides and other hazardous substances.
The authority is marking its third anniversary as the country's environmental regulator after being created from three agencies – the Environmental Risk Management Authority, the Ministry for the Environment and the Economic Development Ministry.
EPA chief executive Rob Forlong said one of its big achievements has been a wide ranging review of organophosphate chemicals, which resulted in controls on some pesticides being tightened and others phased out. . .
Final countdown for Ultimate Rural Challenge:
The showcase event of the rural calendar is only three days away!
The 2014 ANZ Young Farmer Contest Grand Final begins this Thursday 3 July, 4.30pm with the Official Opening at Lincoln University Library. Here, the top seven contestants will be introduced to the public and compete in their first head-to-head challenge.
The competition over the following two days is a testament to the sophistication of modern farming and level of skill and knowledge required to be successful in the field. The top seven young farmers have made it through to the Grand Final by competing in their local district competition and taking first place in their Regional Finals. . .
Successful annual conference for Rural Contractors NZ:
More than 100 agricultural contractors from all over the country met in New Plymouth, last week, for Rural Contractors New Zealand's (RCNZ) annual conference.
Rural Contractors New Zealand is the only national association for rural contractors in New Zealand.
Last week's conference saw Wellsford-based Steve Levet re-elected as president of RCNZ, with Southland's David Kean re-elected vice-president. . .
Leave a Comment »	| business, Farming, food, rural, trade	| Tagged: Allan Barber, ANZ Young Farmer Contest, Blue Sky Meats, David Kean, Environmental Protection Authority, EPA, Hayley Moynihan, Karen Oliver, Katie Milne, Rabobank, Rob Forlong, Rob Hewett, Rural Contractors NZ (RCNZ), rustling, Sally Rae, South Island Dairy Event, Steve Levet, William Oliver	| Permalink
Macraes project praised – Dene Mackenzie:
Hopes are high the review of Oceana Gold's operations – particularly of its Macraes gold project – will not cut deeply into the Otago economy.
Otago Chamber of Commerce president Peter McIntyre said yesterday many people in Otago were not aware that such a constructive mining sector operated within the region.
Macraes was estimated to be worth around $100 million annually to the regional economy. . .
Water collectives recommended – Sally Brooker:
Farmers need to continue with collective ventures for better water quality, Federated Farmers says.
The theme of partnership for water progress was discussed by a panel at the federation's national conference in Ashburton on July 4. Speaking first, former Rotorua-Taupo federation president Neil Heather said collaboration produced "powerful action".
He outlined the gains made in cleaning up Lake Rotorua's water pollution, saying farmers needed to become informed. . .
Fewer cows can mean better profits – Sally Brooker:
The traditional approach to determining stocking rates needs to change, DairyNZ representative Chris Glassey says.
Presenting a paper at the recent South Island Dairy Event at Lincoln University, he said incoming nitrogen limits would force change.
"The optimum stocking rate is never a constant. This paper challenges the belief that more cows means more profit." . .
Kiwi shearers fleece British opposition in test series – Ruth Grundy:
The two-man New Zealand shearing team has won the British leg of its northern hemisphere series.
Rowland Smith, of Hastings, and Tony Coster, of Rakaia, beat Ulster at the Rickamore Shears in Ireland on July 13,notching up the third win on their four-event 2013 Elders Primary Wool United Kingdom Tour.
The pair opened the UK series a fortnight earlier with a loss to Scotland at Lochearnhead Shears but quickly bounced back with two wins over England. . .
Bee numbers on the rise – Tim Cronshaw:
Commercial bee numbers are on the rise in spite of the varroa mite disease which has plundered wild bee stocks.
Bees in managed hives were hit hard by varroa, but hive treatment has allowed them to withstand the disease and their numbers have grown as demand for honey production and pollinating crops has increased.
Registered beehives are up about 7 per cent to 450,000 from last year and rising since 2005 along with increasing numbers of registered beekeepers.
Federated Farmers North Canterbury chairman Barry Hantz said good prices for manuka honey had encouraged beekeepers to put in more hives, particularly in the North Island. . .
Didymo find 'gutting' – Rebecca Fox:
The battle to keep Fiordland didymo-free has been lost.
The invasive algae has been discovered in the remote Large Burn valley.
Western Fiordland was one of the "last frontiers" to remain free of didymo in the South Island, despite it being originally discovered in the nearby Waiau River in 2004, Department of Conservation freshwater ranger Lyndsay Murray said yesterday.
"It's pretty gutting really. It's the first confirmed positive sample of a waterway west of the divide." . . .
Leave a Comment »	| business, Farming, rural	| Tagged: Barry Hantz, bees, Chris Glassey, Dene Mackenzie, didymo, Federated Farmers, Fiordland, Lochearnhead Shears, Lyndsay Murray, Macraes, manuka honey, Oceana Gold, Peter McIntyre, Rebecca Fox, Rickamore Shears, Rowland Smith, Sally Brooker, South Island Dairy Event, Tim Cronshaw, Tony Coster, Waiau River	| Permalink
Global forces need smart response – Sally Brooker:
New Zealand dairy farmers and milk processors need robust business structures to withstand market movements, Hayley Moynihan says.
Delivering a keynote address at the South Island Dairy Event in Lincoln on June 24, the Rabobank food and agribusiness research and advisory senior dairy analyst said milk price volatility was not going away. We needed to aspire to where there was opportunity to enter more lucrative markets.
Rising consumer expectations were presenting a continuing challenge, Ms Moynihan said. . . .
Waikato farmers set the record for Agrecovery:
Federated Farmers is applauding the way Waikato farmers have embraced Agrecovery rural recycling. A record six tonne of hazardous horticultural, agricultural and veterinary chemicals was collected during the Waikato regional collection, finishing last week.
"Farmers are choosing to dispose of their chemical waste responsibly due to the convenience of the service," says James Houghton, Federated Farmers' Waikato provincial president.
"It is great to see increasing numbers of farmers using Agrecovery. It is another example of farmers changing their behaviour and working for the good of the environment without the need for legislation. . .
Warm, wet weather inhibits rabbits – Ruth Grundy:
Wet and warm springs and summers are keeping rabbit numbers down across Canterbury.
Environment Canterbury biosecurity team leader Brent Glentworth said for the past two seasons warm, wet weather during the first rabbit breeding cycle had been largely responsible for keeping the population in check.
Young rabbits had a low survival rate in those conditions because they succumbed to pneumonia or coccidiosis – a liver disease "very prevalent" in warm, wet weather, Mr Glentworth said. . .
Mounting cost to irrigation schemes – Ruth Grndy:
Irrigation companies in the Waitaki river catchment are facing significant clean up bills after last month's flooding damaged irrigation schemes.
Waitaki residents say the rain and flooding from the storm which lashed the country was the worst seen in decades.
The Danseys Pass bridge was destroyed after about 160mm of rain fell in the space of three days.
Maerewhenua District Water Resource Company chairman Kelvin Weir said the scheme had been "very lucky" and "survived pretty well" considering the amount of rain and high river flow. . . .
Irrigation extending potato, onion output – Ruth Grundy:
Easier access to water in Canterbury is not only fuelling dairying production but also a significant growth in the production of potatoes and onions.
The 2012 agricultural production census, conducted by the Department of Statistics, shows the Canterbury potato harvest accounted for half the national harvested area in June 2012.
And, the land put into onions increased from 690ha in June 2007 to 1040ha in June 2012 – about a 50% increase. . .
New ASB sponsorship will improve financial literacy of dairying women:
ASB has confirmed it is a new gold sponsor of the Dairy Women's Network (DWN). The partnership, which took effect on 1 July, will boost the work already being done by the DWN to improve the financial literacy skills of the country's dairy farming women.
DairyNZ modelling shows there is an opportunity to improve the industry's profitability by more than $1B per year, or approximately $1000 per hectare, by improving financial literacy and management capabilities.
The industry body has also identified there is a significant range in profitability between dairy farmers, with a contributing factor being management capability. . .
Leave a Comment »	| business, environment, Farming, rural	| Tagged: Agrecovery, ASB, Brent Glentworth, Dairy Women's Network, Federated Farmers, Hayley Moynihan, James Houghton, Kelvin Weir, Ruth Grundy, Sally Brooker, South Island Dairy Event	| Permalink
Agribusiness Man of the Year shares secrets of his business success – Caleb Allison:
Craig Hickson had no idea he would win agribusiness person of the year at the Federated Farmers awards in Auckland this week.
The Hawke's Bay sheep farmer wasn't there to receive the award as he is in Australia attending a lamb industry conference, but he told NBR ONLINE winning is a pleasant surprise nonetheless.
Modestly, he says he doesn't know why he won, but says innovation has long been a focus of his company, Progressive Meats, which he started with his wife in 1981. . .
Outlook is green for primary industries – Burce Wills:
Today, I am going to take a look at where we might be in the year 2020 and touch on some challenges ahead.
A lot can change in eight years but much can also stay the same.
In 2004, eight years ago, the Iraq war was one year old and Afghanistan was in turmoil. Despite this petrol was under $1.10 a litre. Meanwhile exporters faced a Kiwi dollar that was US$0.67 in January but ended 2004 at $US.71. Some things never change.
For the year ending June 2004, our agricultural, horticultural and forestry exports came to around $18.5 billion. In the year to March 2012, exports for the primary industries came to almost $32 billion. . .
That is a remarkable increase of almost 73 percent.
Environmentally good practice wins – Sally Rae:
Blair and Jane Smith might have won the 2012 national Ballance Farm Environment Awards – but they reckon their farming journey is just beginning.
The North Otago couple were awarded the Gordon Stephenson Trophy during a function at Parliament Buildings that celebrated people farming in a manner that was environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. . .
Dairying needs to connect – Sally Rae:
Public perceptions of dairy farmers are probably better than farmers might think, but there is still room for improvement, DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle says.
A panel discussion, entitled Perception is Your Reality, was held as part of the South Island Dairy Event in Dunedin.
Public perceptions were important and DairyNZ surveyed the New Zealand public twice a year and also held focus groups in the main urban centres. There was still "a fair amount of support out there for us", Dr Mackle said.
But farmers must "get things right" on the farm. . .
Horsing around serious pastime – Sally Rae:
Ask Tara McConnell how she fits everything into her day and the answer is simple – with a head-light.
Miss McConnell (24), of Flag Swamp, works as a shed-hand for a shearing gang four days a week, but the rest of her time is consumed with horses. . .
Key Opens New Zealand's Advanced New Infant Dairy Formula Facility to Supply Global Demand:
After over 12 months preparation, New Zealand's most advanced pharmaceutical grade infant dairy formula production facility opens to supply soaring demand overseas. .
The new facility was officially open by Prime Minister John Key on Friday 29th July 2012 and addresses a rapid increase in global demand and a shortage of high quality wet dairy infant formula products. By the end of 2012 it expects to annually produce over 20 million cans of infant formula for the export market.
Building a facility that provides pharmaceutical standard dairy formulas on a scale large enough to meet international demand was not easy. It required over a year's planning and a large investment in infrastructure, experience and technology. GMP pharmaceuticals already New Zealand largest pharmaceutical manufacturing and testing facility specializing in health supplements, was in a good position to meet the significant logistical requirements. . .
Harvest disaster hits wine price – Greg Ninness:
The days of quality Marlborough sauvignon blanc being available for less than $10 a bottle are ending as this year's disastrous grape harvest starts to push wine prices higher.
This year's sauvignon blanc harvest was down 19 per cent on last year's, and total production of all varieties in Marlborough, the country's main wine region, was down 23 per cent.
There are signs that this year's much smaller vintage is already starting to lift wine export prices from recent lows. . .
Court slams Te Awamutu farm for illegal effluent discharge– Aaron Leaman:
A Te Awamutu farming company has with been hit with almost $32,000 in fines for dirty dairying after a helicopter monitoring flyover raised red flags with their operation.
Wyebrook Farms Ltd, owner of a farm in Candy Rd, west of Te Awamutu, has been fined $31,875 and ordered to pay $491 costs following a hearing in the Hamilton District Court. The company pleaded guilty to two Resource Management Act charges. . .
Fourth time lucky for Central Otago viticulture competition winner:
Central Otago viticulturist David Salmon took the honours at the regional Markhams Young Viticulturist of the Year competition on Friday (29 June). This was Mr Salmon's fourth attempt at the title, finishing runner-up last year, and was "over the moon" to win the competition.
"It has been an ambition of mine for a long time," says Mr Salmon (30). "This was my last attempt as I'll be too old for the competition next year. I've fought hard for this and it's been my dream to represent Central Otago at the nationals," he says.
Mr Salmon, who works at Kawarau Estate, Cromwell, took out the award against seven other local wine industry hopefuls, competing in a range of activities including wine taste-testing, pruning, hanging gates, fixing irrigation, testing their machinery handling abilities and finally delivering a speech on a given topic.
Michelle Dacombe from Felton Road Wines came second, improving on her third placing last year, and third place went to Jake Tipler from Peregrine Wines. This was Mr Tipler's first entry into the competition. . .
Pesticide programme pays off:
A research project to reduce the use of chemical pesticides on apple orchards has had a huge pay-off for the pipfruit industry.
Analysis by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research has shown that the Apple Futures programme has been worth up to $113 million in export earnings in the past four years, for a research cost of just over $3 million. . .
The March edition of Countrywide is online here.
Aussie farm blogs many styles, many perspectives – Talking Fairleigh links to 50 farm blogs.
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CPI up 1.6% dairy farm costs up 10% a hectare
Consumers and producers are counting the costs associated with rising inflation.
The Consumer Price Index went up 1.6% in the June quarter and pushed inflation up to 4% while dairy farm working costs rose 10% a hectare in the past year.
Specialist dairy farm and business management company, Farmright, surveyed 50 farms which the company manages and found that between 2006-07 and 2007-08, feed rose 25%, fertiliser 24% and freight and cartage 37% per hectare.
Farmright manager Jim Lee said fertiliser costs had gone up further since the survey was done, and wage costs were also creeping up on dairy farmers.
Wage costs only rose 3% last year, but newly negotiated contracts indicated that figure would increase sharply this year because of greater demand and a shortage of workers.
The shortage of staff is critical and it's not helped by immigration policy which requries herd managers to have a bachelor's degree or five years relevant work experience if they are applying for residency.
"We know from contracts being negotiated for new and existing staff being rolled over that there have been some increases."
The cost of production, which included feed, run-off costs and cost of management, but excluded depreciation on the Farmright-managed farms, rose from $2.91 per kg of milk solids (kg m/s) in 2006-07 to $3.61 per kg m/s in 2007-08.
Mr Lee said drought and cost increases had an impact. But he said some businesses were now operating at higher cost structures than they would be aware of.
He believed some farmers would be faced with costs of $6 per kg, made up of $4 per kg farm input costs and interest costs of $2 per kg.
"Cost control and financial discipline are more important now than ever before," he said.
It is easy to let costs get away when the payout is high but not so easy to rein them in when the price falls.
However, one of the speaker's at last year's South Island Dairy event (SIDE) conference told how he'd gone into dairying when the milk payout was $5.30 and the next year it went down to $3.60 – but they made more that season than the previous one because they were much more disciplined about containing costs.
Leave a Comment »	| agriculture, economy	| Tagged: cartage, dairy farmer, Farmright, feed, fertiliser, freight, herd manager, immigration, Jim Lee, South Island Dairy Event, wages	| Permalink
Campaign Trail Can Be Lonely
Oh dear, it's a lonely life for would-be Mps. Only six people attended a meeting with Act candidate and former Labour Finance Minister Sir Roger Douglas in Invercargill yesterday – including Sir Roger and his off-sider.
Maybe that's why he turned up at the South Island Dairy Event later in the day – there are more than 600 people attending that conference providing a ready-made audience.
Leave a Comment »	| politics, rural	| Tagged: Act, Invercargill, Roger Douglas, South Island Dairy Event	| Permalink


The challenge of creating a beautiful yet tasty cupcake for our themes can be daunting, but here's some tips on how to get some inspiration.
For many Bakers at IronCupcake, the most exciting part is deciding what to make for the competition! Simply googling the month's theme can bring so many ideas, especially when you start looking at images. You can also try googling the theme + 'cupcakes', but don't be put off by the professionals – we want to see your interpretation, not theirs!
If you're looking for recipes, the internet can be a very fickle friend, as many are untested or simply incorrect – microwave chocolate cake anyone?! My advice is to choose recipes from established websites (IronCupcake recommend BBC Good Food and Delia Online), or recipes which have positive and genuine user comments saying that the recipe worked.
If you're unsure, try your recipe out before the competition to see what you might need to change.
Many recipes for whole cakes can be transferred to cupcakes quite easily, with a reduction in oven time and sometimes temperature. As a general rule, bake your cupcakes at around 170 degrees and keep your eye on them. Test at around 10-15 minutes – a skewer will come out completely clean when they are cooked.
The pinboard-style website is a fantastic resource for bakers lacking in inspiration. Try searching the theme or theme + 'cupcakes', as with Google, and you should find some beautiful photos as a result. Again, be wary of using untested recipes. Each month, IronCupcake creates a board for the theme which you can follow for more inspiration! Visit IronCupcake:Leeds' Pinboard.


text:
Die 5. U-Flottille (5. Unterseebootflottille) war ein militärischer Verband der deutschen Kriegsmarine. Zunächst als Frontflottille Emsmann gegründet, handelte sich bei dieser in Kiel stationierten Flottille ab 1941 um eine reine Ausbildungsflottille.

Geschichte
Die 5. U-Flottille wurde am 1. Dezember 1938 in Kiel als Frontflottille unter dem Namen Flottille Emsmann aufgestellt. Dieser Name ging auf den U-Bootkommandanten Oberleutnant zur See Hans Joachim Emsmann (1892–1918) zurück. Die Flottille Emsmann ging Anfang Januar 1940 im Zuge der Neugliederung der deutschen U-Boot-Waffe in der neugegründeten 1. U-Flottille auf. Im Juni 1941 wurde die 5. U-Flottille als Ausbildungsflottille neugegründet. Im Laufe ihres Bestehens  waren diesem Verband insgesamt 340 U-Boote – im Wesentlichen als Ausbildungsboote – unterstellt. Damit war die 5. U-Flottille wahrscheinlich nominell die stärkste der deutschen U-Flottillen.

Schiffe der 5. U-Flottille
Zudem unterstanden der 5. U-Flottille auch einige Überwasserschiffe, die als Ziel-, Begleit- und Wohnschiffe eingesetzt wurden:
 Zielschiff Ammerland
 U-Bootbegleitschiff Lech
 U-Tender Memel
 Beischiffe  Sierra Cordoba und St. Louis

Flottillenchefs
Die 5. U-Flottille war dem F.d.U. Ost unterstellt. Im Laufe ihres Bestehens wurde sie von zwei Flottillenchefs kommandiert:
 1. Dezember 1938 bis 31. Dezember 1939 Korvettenkapitän Hans-Rudolf Rösing
 16. Juni 1941 bis 8. Mai 1945 Korvettenkapitän Karl-Heinz Moehle
Vom 21. September 1942 bis zum 8. November 1942 kommandierte Korvettenkapitän Hans Pauckstadt die 5. U-Flottille in Vertretung Möhles. Vom 16. September 1943 bis zum 17. Oktober 1943 war Korvettenkapitän Jost Metzler Flottillenchef in Vertretung.

Anmerkungen und Einzelnachweise

Literatur
 Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939–1945. Band 2: Der U-Boot-Bau auf deutschen Werften. E. S. Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg u. a. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6.

U-Flottille #:5
Gegründet 1938
Aufgelöst 1945

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Nachos are a pub food classic, and they don't have a good reputation for being the healthiest option. But, that doesn't mean there isn't a way that you can enjoy them even if you're focused on a healthy diet! Our Sweet Potato Nachos will be sure to remind you of this well-loved pub-style plate.
Regular white or yellow potatoes aren't ideal for maintaining blood sugar balance. In contrast however, one medium sweet potato contains roughly 6.6g of fibre to help keep blood sugar levels in check. Plus, have you ever wondered what gives sweet potatoes their bright orange colour? They contain antioxidants which are beneficial for lowering inflammation in the body.
Sweet potatoes aren't the only blood-sugar balancing ingredient in this recipe! We've added protein like chicken (or black beans if you're opting for the vegan/vegetarian option). Protein is essential when it comes to building and repairing muscle, and it helps keep us full for a long period of time.
You can't have nachos without guacamole! Avocados are an excellent source of B5, vitamin K, copper and healthy fats.
And, don't let the sweetness of the mango fool you. Mangoes naturally contain enzymes to aid with digestion and improve appetite.
Although this recipe is included in our One-Week Intermittent Fasting Menu Plan, you don't have to be fasting to enjoy this recipe! Make these nachos as a snack, lunch, dinner, or as party food for your next get-together!
If you're interested in Intermittent Fasting, we've debunked it here. Then check out our One-Week Intermittent Fasting Menu Plan!
1. Preheat oven to 375 and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Season your chicken breast with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Cut sweet potato into rounds as thinly as possible. Try to be consistent with how thin you slice them so they bake evenly.
4. In a mixing bowl, toss the sweet potato rounds with olive oil and sea salt.
5. Place the chicken and sweet potato rounds across the baking sheets in a single layer and bake for approximately 30 minutes in the oven. Flip the sweet potato rounds about halfway through, depending on the thickness or until golden brown. Remove from oven.
6. While your chicken and sweet potato chips cook, assemble the guac by combining avocado, mango, red onion, lime juice and sea salt. Mix and mash with a fork until creamy. Store in fridge until ready to eat.
7. Assemble a layer of baked sweet potato chips and top with shredded chicken and guac. Enjoy!