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Life, Politics & Government, Social Science and Society, Sundries
Saturday salon 28/2
February 28, 2015 Brian	65 Comments
An open thread where, at your leisure, you can discuss anything you like, well, within reason and the Comments Policy. Include here news and views, plus any notable personal experiences from the week and the weekend.
For climate topics please use the most recent Climate clippings.
The gentleman in the image is Voltaire, who for a time graced the court of Frederick II of Prussia, known as Frederick the Great. King Fred loved to talk about the universe and everything at the end of a day's work. He also used the salons of Berlin to get feedback in the development of public policy.
Fred would only talk in French; he regarded German as barbaric. Here we'll use English.
The thread will be a stoush-free zone. The Comments Policy says:
The aim [of this site] is to provide a venue for people to contribute and to engage in a civil and respectful manner.
Here are a few bits and pieces that came to my attention last week.
1. Australia Post could 'go bust' without changes to letter delivery rules
Australia Post looks set to lose $6 billion over the next 10 years if it continues to deliver letters on the next day in the cities and within two days in the bush. The volume of letters was down 8.2% in the first half of this financial year.
Some 97% of the mail that's sent comes from corporations and governments.
I think the idea is to charge $1.00 for a letter and $1.50 if you want it delivered the next day. And lose 900 jobs in the corporation.
It seems that service delivery can only be undertaken if it makes a profit.
2. Productivity Commission on Childcare and Early Childhood Learning report
The report is disappointing, according to Gerardine Neylon of the University of Western Australia. It looked at the methods of payment of subsidies, but ignored issues like the poor pay of childhood workers. The report showed no awareness of the importance of early childhood experience in later life chances, of personal growth and economic productivity etc. Australia's performance in the sector is crap.
Australian early childhood education and care lags behind its OECD partners due to low financial investment in the sector. The OECD recommends countries spend a minimum of 1% of GDP on early learning. The OECD average is 0.7% and Australia spends 0.45%.
3. Attacking the Census
"Know thyself" said Socrates and a stack of other Greek sages.
The Abbott Government would rather not, says Ben Eltham in pondering why the Abbott government is considering cutting funding to Australia's census – or even axing it altogether.
If there is a fundamental signature to this government, it is its determination to see Australia and the world through a conservative prism. Where reality doesn't fit the Abbott government's predilections, that reality is ignored.
One aspect of this tendency is a puzzling irrationalism. No government in modern Australian history has been more hostile to evidence, science and reason than Tony Abbott's.
The census is invaluable for demographers, social researchers and anyone interested in public policy. Social analyst David Chalke:
I think it's nonsense. I think it's just silly. You cannot run a country without this basic data and I think to contemplate reducing the quality of the census is absurd.
Yes, it costs:
The last census held in 2011 was the nation's largest logistical peacetime operation requiring 43,000 field staff to deliver 14.2 million forms to 9.8 million households — at a total cost of about $440 million.
I make that about one 10 tenth of one per cent of the Commonwealth budget. Small if you want to know what you are doing with the rest of it.
4. Metadata coming our way
Labor members of a federal parliamentary committee have acquiesced in the plan to force telecoms providers to store the metadata of all phone and internet users for two years.
The Joint Intelligence and Security Committee has been investigating the Abbott Government's proposed laws since last year.
It's recommended some changes to improve oversight and prevent the data from being misused.
As it happens the upper bound of what the scheme might cost is $400 million.
The committee has taken note of journalists' concerns. They've included some safeguards but have come up short in protecting sources.
5. Doing the undoable
The McClure report on social security has recommended that the whole social service payments data system be rebuilt. The current system, known as ISIS (Income Security Integrated System), has been described as a "turbo-charged Commodore 64". For those who came in late the Commodore 64 was one of the early microcomputers of the 1980s which I think had all of 64K of memory.
McClure recommended this to the Howard Government. The Brits tried to do it a few years ago. At current rates the rollout will take 1500 years. A suitable challenge for the man who stopped the boats.
Australia PostCensuschildcareMcClure reportmetadataOpen ThreadsSaturday salon
Politics & Government, Social Science and Society
Abbott shoots himself in the foot – again
Chris Uhlmann and Sabra Lane say that pressure is building in the Liberal Party to remove Prime Minister Tony Abbott and that backbenchers and ministers say the Malcolm Turnbull now has the numbers. The leadership issue has risen again because of the brutal attack launched on Gillian Triggs as President of the Human Rights Commission. Ben Eltham says:
In a show of belligerence that has stunned seasoned political observers, the Abbott government has declared a personal vendetta against one of the most respected lawyers in the land. Triggs' personal ethics have been questioned, her competence and impartiality attacked, and her conduct impugned.
Turnbull has certainly put some distance between himself and Abbott on the matter. He says that criticism of Triggs "misses the point" the point being the children in detention. Further, he said that Triggs was "a very distinguished international legal academic".
Eltham again:
The findings of The Forgotten Children report should shame us all. Triggs found that children have been sexually and physically assaulted in federal care. Some children have been detained for more than 27 months. Many are denied education. Unaccompanied children are locked up in adult compounds. They are mentally and emotionally traumatised. There have been multiple instances of attempted suicide and self-harm.
A government with a scintilla of compassion would have welcomed the report, and redoubled its efforts to get children out of these hell-holes. And, if the Abbott government had wanted to, it could have spun the findings in its favour. For instance, the report found that there are fewer children in detention now than under the previous Labor government.
Instead the Government advised her that it had lost confidence in her and suggested that her legal talents might otherwise be employed by the Government. She declined. It then launched a public attack, bringing up also her finding in the Basikbasik matter.
A galaxy of legal scholars has signed a letter supporting Triggs, pointing out, inter alia, that the Government is not obliged to take her advice, a point she understands well.
Distinguished retired lawyer Hal Wooten tells why he signed up. He respects Triggs personally and professionally, the facts of the report speak for themselves.
Once again Mr Abbott has proved a loose cannon, but this time his wild firing threatens grave pain and injustice to a courageous and honourable public servant, and the undermining of a much needed national institution, as well as obscuring the terrible effect of detention on innocent children.
Richard Flanagan says that some day a PM will apologise for what it is now doing. He thinks:
The only accusation of Gillian Triggs with the ring of truth is that she has lost the confidence of the government – but then so too has Tony Abbott. Gillian Triggs's real crime is that as human rights commissioner she spoke up for human rights with a government that has no respect for them.
He also sees women and children as being at the bottom of the pile, as it were. Triggs is being attacked as a woman speaking up for children.
Bill Shorten says Tony Abbott sank to 'a new low' over Gillian Triggs's treatment and that Abbott was 'psychologically unsuited' to the prime ministership.
Annabel Crabb says the Government is thumping Triggs when it could/should be thumping Labor. It has also presented Labor with the moral high ground.
Jonathon Green has written the speech Abbott could have made about Triggs' report, with Triggs at his side.
One point is that there were 1500 children in detention when the LNP took over. Now there are 126.
For the record, from Berard Keane at Crikey, this is what Chris Moraitis from Brandis's department told the Senate hearings:
"There were essentially three points that I was asked to make. One was that the Attorney had lost confidence in Professor Triggs as chairperson. He retained significant goodwill towards her and had high regard for her legal skills. In that respect, he was asking me to formally put on the table or mention that there would be a senior legal role, a specific senior role, that her skills could be used for."
Brandis later quibbled over the word "position" being tossed around, emphasising that the offer was for a role. But an offer there surely was, later denied by Julie Bishop representing Brandis in the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile much of importance, such as the McClure report on social security, is not being discussed.
Abbott_TonyBrandis_GeorgeTriggs_Gillian
Abbott's war on terror
The tricky thing about Man Haron Monis and the Lindt Café siege, is that he acted alone and was taken rather as a harmless buffoon by the security agencies. The terror threat from random actors is very real. Annabel Crabb says that
It's clearly an escalating threat situation. Anyone carrying on today about how Tony Abbott is just cooking it all up to save his own skin is thinking wishfully.
She says that there are now:
Four hundred current investigations by ASIO, sixty-two new biometric screening gates to catch people travelling on false passports, forty-nine extra AFP officers across Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra working on the problem of Aussie jihadists abroad, and so on.
Certainly Abbott is playing to a political strength. Newspoll tells us that 51% think Abbott is best at handling the nation's security, whereas 31% go for Shorten. 7% say neither, and 11% are uncommitted.
What the Government intends to do was spelt out on Radio National's PM:
There will be a national counter-terrorism co-ordinator "to bring the same drive and focus to this as we've brought to Operation Sovereign Borders."
On immigration a harder line will be taken to "keep out people with security questions over them."
"The Government will develop amendments to the Australian Citizenship Act so that we can revoke or suspend Australian Citizenship in the case of dual nationals."
The Government is looking at "suspending some of the privileges of citizenship for individuals involved in terrorism." Privileges susceptible to suspension could include "the ability to leave or return to Australia", "access to consular services overseas" and "access to welfare payments".
The Government will take action against hate preachers by "enforcing our strengthened terrorism advocacy laws" including "new programs to challenge terrorist propaganda and to provide alternative online material based on Australian values, and it will include stronger prohibitions on vilifying, intimidating or inciting hatred."
Muslim community leaders should speak up more. When they talk about Islam being a religion of peace that they should mean it.
All this doesn't actually amount to much, according to Annabel Crabb, apart from enforcing existing laws and some blowhard (my term) urging.
Bill Shorten offered bipartisanship, saying that Labor would "engage constructively" with the government but counselled:
Haste and confusion is never the friend of good, sensible security in the future.
Abbott had also said quite explicitly that individual liberties might have to be sacrificed to ensure the safety of the community.
According to Grattan:
Shorten said there always should be a strong presumption in favour of individual liberty. "This presumption should only be reduced, rebutted or offset to the extent that current arrangements are proven to be inadequate."
I'm concerned about what Abbott and Brandis might do in returning to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. Frankly I'm concerned about anything Brandis does after getting out of bed.
I'm concerned about revoking citizenship. Once people are Australians, we should take responsibility for them rather than shunt them to a different jurisdiction, or virtually render them stateless.
Sangeetha Pillai argues that there's more to be lost than gained in stripping citizenship. She says that most of what is proposed that is achievable can already be achieved by other means. In other words existing laws suffice. She says "commentators have been quick to note that amendments along these lines carry the risk of exacerbating feelings of social disaffection that can underpin extremism." Her bottom line:
The limited potential effectiveness of the proposed measures, combined with the challenges of implementation and the possibility for them to be counter-productive, suggests that the losses may outweigh the gains.
I'm concerned also that there might be hassling of Muslim's and consequent increased radicalisation.
Abbott's words about Muslim community leaders were, according to Michelle Grattan:
"I've often heard Western leaders describe Islam as a 'religion of peace'. I wish more Muslim leaders would say that more often, and mean it."
Shorten and Julie Bishop were quick to distance themselves from these remarks. One Muslin community leader suggested that Abbott should engage in anything he chose except politics. I understand that some community leaders declined to attend a special briefing.
Randa Abdel-Fattah has a fine piece on the ABC religion and Ethics site:
Flanked by a row of Australian flags, Tony Abbott, like a priest performing a rite of passage, formally inducted Australian Muslims into the category of Australia's primary Other.
The Prime Minister's stated intention was to provide the nation with clarity and reassurance – just in case the decade-long stream of moral panic, manufactured fear and Islamophobic sentiment had left Australians in any doubt as to who successive governments deem as "un-Australian."
In a way, the Prime Minister has done Muslims a favour. For he has made explicit what is at the heart of this government's war on terror (picking up where previous governments left off). It has never been about targeting a radical minority or national security per se. The real struggle is to re-configure our social, discursive and symbolic relations around a politics of us and them.
There are many tragic consequences to this state of affairs. But at least the government has now laid bare the fact that it is prepared to hold social cohesion, justice and national security to ransom in its war on terror.
I'll finish with this Wilcox cartoon from August last year:
I'm sorry, Annabel Crabb, the problem's for real, but Abbott isn't – not entirely. Guy Rundle says Abbott should act like a statesman. It seems to be beyond him.
Abbott_TonySecurityterror
Abbott's battles back, but will he make it?
Abbott has two big challenges right now. One is to settle his party, organisational and political, down and the other is to cream Labor in the polls.
On the latter it was one step forward with a long way to go. Morgan saw the LNP improve from 43-57 to 44-56. Still in wipe-out territory. The only demographic were the LNP heads Labor in the TPP vote is the 65+ group.
In Newspoll the LNP improved from 43-57 to 47-53, a difference worth writing about. Nevertheless it leaves Labor with a comfortable winning position.
The Greens were unchanged at 12 per cent.
The papers are making much of Bill Shorten's net approval rating, which dipped from +2 to -14. Abbott's 'improved' from -44 to -43.
Shorten still heads Abbott as preferred prime minister 43 to 35, with Abbott closing from a hopeless 48 to 30 thumping last time.
In personality terms Abbott is a shocker. The Abbott-Shorten scores are:
Understands the major issues 52-68
Cares for people 55-71
Arrogant 77-46
Likeable 40-64
In touch with voters 33-63
Trustworthy 43-59
They were remarkably similar on Experienced, Decisive and strong and Vision for Australia.
On handling issues they stack up Abbott-Shorten as follows:
Australia's economy 45-37
National security 51-31
Health and Medicare 30-56
Education 33-53
Asylum seekers 51-32
Climate change 24-55
With that one the scores should add up to 100, with the shortfall made up of Neither and Uncommitted. These totalled from 14 to 21%.
Politically Abbott is playing to his strength with his 'war on terror' which I hope to post on soon.
It is possible to battle back from a desperately losing position, as Howard did in 2001, largely on the back of a war on asylum seekers.
He did have his party behind him.
True, after the liberals had lost the blue ribbon seat of Ryan in a by-election and party president Shane Stone sent him a memo accusing the government of being "mean and tricky". Essentially Howard took notice.
The "mean and tricky" leak is now being compared to Fairfax's publication of excerpts from two candid and blunt emails from party treasurer Phil Higginson. RN's PM reporter James Glenday:
it's now obvious the Prime Minister's grasp on power is being actively undermined by a steady stream of leaks.
Abbott:
Plainly there is this desire on the part of some to damage and destroy this government.
But who? The Drum looks at the leaks that rocked Australian politics politics. All were damaging and the leakers were never discovered. Could be one of the seven ministers who are said to have Abbott on notice.
Guy Rundle in a delicious (for lefties) article at Crikey (paywalled, unfortunately) says we are we are watching the throes of a dying government:
Like Howard in 2007, Abbott is politically dead — he just doesn't seem to have noticed yet.
How good is this? Seriously, how good is it? I know I should start a piece about the Abbott government in some more serious vein, about the new stuff about redrawing the line between security and freedom being the desperate act of a dying government but no less dangerous for that, but ehhhh …
They tell us lies, but are they clunkheads?
Back in 2010 just after the election and before the Gillard minority government had been formed, Laura Tingle wrote:
There are two possible explanations for how an opposition presenting itself as an alternative government could end up with an $11 billion hole in the cost of its election commitments.
One is that they are liars, the other is that they are clunkheads. Actually there is a third explanation: they are liars and clunkheads.
But whatever the combination, they are not fit to govern. (Emphasis added)
I visited this theme again in 2013 before the election, when Tingle took a look:
at where the PEFO numbers leave the LNPs budget task and finds that, at best, $25 billion more in 'saves' will be required.
She was commenting on the competence of the Joe Hockey/Andrew Robb team. Robb has of course since been replaced by Mathias Cormann.
Peter Martin has now written a searing critique of the Abbott government's economic performance against what they tell us. Cormann told the ABC
the economy was "heading in the right direction". He wanted "to build on the achievements we made in 2014".
Martin comments:
That year began with a quarterly rate of economic growth of 1 per cent. After the budget, it slid to 0.5 per cent, and then to 0.3 per cent. It's falling, rather than rising. The direction is down. (Ignore the through-the-year figures Cormann quoted. They make the budget look good by including the very strong economic growth that preceded it.)
Here's what the Reserve bank said:
"In Australia the available information suggests that growth is continuing at a below-trend pace, with domestic demand growth overall quite weak."
It's weak and it's bleak. It isn't heading "in the right direction".
Hockey and Cormann will tell you that while unemployment is growing, employment is too.
The Reserve Bank points out that monthly hours worked have scarcely changed since December 2011 despite three years of population growth. They barely moved at all in 2014.
Hockey told us the poorest Australians "either don't have cars or actually don't drive very far in many cases." They do. Petrol is a bigger part their budget than it is for the rich.
Hockey said:
his own wealthy electorate of North Sydney had "one of the highest bulk-billing rates in Australia".
Make that one of the lowest in Sydney.
Hockey said that typical Australians pay nearly half their income in tax. They don't. Even those on $200,000 pay only 36%.
Then this:
Hockey said Australia was on track to run out of money to pay for its health, welfare and education systems. The figures put forward by his then health minister suggested otherwise. In ten years the cost of Medicare had climbed 124 per cent, the cost of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme 90 per cent and the cost of public hospitals 83 per cent. But Australia's gross domestic product – the money we would use to pay for these things – climbed 94 per cent.
Trust has evaporated, and without trust consumers and business lack confidence, which has been sliding since September.
Specific businesses are at a standstill. Universities don't know what fees they will be allowed to charge, students enrolling don't know what fees they will eventually be asked to pay, doctors don't know what will happen to their incomes, electricity generators don't know what will happen to the renewable energy target, big businesses don't know whether they will be hit with the 1.5 per cent paid parental leave levy and what it will be used for.
Focussing on the budget, Alan Austin at Independent Australia finds a revenue megafail, all of the government's own making.
Failures in revenue include:
1. Closing off $7.6 billion in annual revenue from the carbon tax
2. Closing off $3.4 billion revenue from the mining tax
3. Closing off $3.6 billion from changes to tax and superannuation rules
4. Failing to pursue $1.1 billion shifted by multinational companies to offshore tax havens
5. Failing to pursue other tax avoidance schemes
6. Failing to pursue tax evasion
7. Failing to forecast resources revenue write-down
8. Failing to anticipate falling revenue from corporate sector
This comes on top of the earlier post in which Austin found 40 expenditure items where money was wasted. Such as the Italian Carrara marble panelling Defence is putting in a Canberra building, to take one at random.
On the revenue megafail, Austin says, all were Coalition decisions, the deterioration has been dramatic, we got precisely the opposite of what was promised, it will take a treasurer and finance minister with a high level of competence, courage and authority to restore the situation, and finally, as the experiences of Spain, Ireland, Hong Kong, Venezuela and other countries show, damage done to an economy in a short time can take decades to repair.
On debt Austin says:
The Abbott Government inherited the best-performed economy in the world in 2013. Some say the best the world has seen since data collection began. Within nine months, however, ABC Fact Check confirmed deficits for the forward estimate period had doubled over Labor's level. Now, after 17 months, net government debt has increased over Labor's by 34.6%. It's on track to have doubled by this time next year.
I think the initial question about liars and clunkheads answers itself.
Chris Bowen promises us a warts and all budget narrative. We'll have to wait and see. Meanwhile Hockey is setting up to scare us to death with the intergenerational report.
Hockey's debt and deficit mess.
Abbott explodes his economic credibility
Budget 2014EconomicsHockey_Joe
Climate Action, Climate Policy & Planning, Politics & Government
Welcome to the the Green Tea Coalition
February 23, 2015 John Davidson	9 Comments
Traditionally, doubting climate science has been an article of faith for the US Tea Party. Imagine my surprise at seeing this New Yorker report that sections of the Tea Party are now actively supporting rooftop solar and teaming up with the Sierra Club to form the "Green Tea Coalition. Coalition action includes:
helping defeat an effort by Georgia Power to impose heavy fees on customers with rooftop solar systems."
So what is going on and are there implications for climate action in Australia?
The Tea party leader behind these moves is Debbie Dooley. Debbie is definitely not someone from the Tea party fringe. She is
one of the twenty-two organizers of the first nationwide Tea Party protest, in 2009…. a co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party, on the board of directors of the national Tea Party Patriots, and, since 2012, has been a fierce solar-power advocate.
In addition, much of what she says in support of solar is pure Tea Party:
"I thought that the regulated (utility) monopoly in Georgia had far too much power…" Solar, …. promised to give people energy autonomy. "The average person cannot build a power plant, but they can install solar panels on their rooftop, and they should be able to sell that energy to friends and neighbors if they wish."
She also talks about:
solar energy, the free market, consumer choice, and national security. "Rooftop solar makes it harder for terrorists to render a devastating blow to our power grid," she said. "There's nothing more centralized in our nation. If terrorists were able to take down nine key substations, it would cause a blackout coast to coast."….
and actions such as leading
a major ballot initiative that would amend that state's (Florida) constitution to allow individuals and businesses with solar panels to sell the power that they generate directly to their tenants or neighbors. (Current law permits only utility companies to sell electricity.)
The key things here are a growing aversion to big business trying to limit the freedom of individuals in addition in addition to the traditional Tea Party aversion to big government. There is no suggestion that the Tea party side of the coalition has suddenly decided to become climate change believers.
So what are the lessons for Australia given that the Tea party is an artifact of US culture? For me there a few key reminders:
You don't have to believe in climate science to do things that help slow climate change.
In some cases ideological things like individualism. aversion to big business/government will help with things like rooftop solar, household recycling, urban farming etc.
In other cases the fracking companies are helping build the case against fossil gas while helping to build the regional Greens vote.
Then there is finance. The thing that is most likely to kill thermal coal projects and fossil power stations these days is the banks perception that these have become very risky investments.
Then there is the economy. What the world economy needs right now is a big drive against Greenhouse emissions – You don't need to believe in climate science – Just sensible economics.
No, I haven't gone over to the Tea party but it is worth reading the rest of the New Yorker article on the fights that Dooley has fought and won against the likes of the Koch Bros and more.
If you want to find out even more, admire the picture, imagine Abbott stewing in the Tea Cup and go to: Green Tea Coalition
Bi-partisan Coalition of Environmentalists and tea party activists seeking common ground on common sense energy solutions for a stronger American economy.
ABC's Sarah Ferguson accused of bias
In a commissioned review Fairfax's Colleen Ryan found that Ferguson's opening question to Joe Hockey on the 2014 budget was "emotive" and would lead to the average viewer thinking the treasurer "was not treated with sufficient respect by the interviewer".
Ferguson's opening gambit to Hockey was: "It's a budget with a new tax, with levies, with co-payments. Is it liberating for a politician to decide election promises don't matter?"
Ferguson, who pressed an uncomfortable-looking Hockey on the fairness of the budget and its reversal of pre-election promises, homed in on the deficit levy and Medicare co-payment, which Hockey referred to as "tax adjustments".
"They're still taxes," Ferguson said. "I don't need to teach you, treasurer, what a tax is. You know that a co-payment, a levy and a tax are all taxes by any other name. Am I correct?"
Apparently she treated Chris Bowen in a similar manner.
I thought she treated everyone like a headmistress sorting out naughty miscreants. Because she was generally well-informed and incisive I rather enjoyed her style.
The ABC has defended her:
"As a political interviewer, Ms Ferguson is tough but demonstrates a consistently civil and objective approach," said Kate Torney, director of ABC News.
"She is insistent that those she interviews do not evade important questions and often focuses on contradictions either within policy positions or in the responses of interviewees.
"The fact that this may make interviewees 'uncomfortable' does not necessarily mean that the interviewer is either aggressive or is failing to demonstrate due impartiality."
Torney said the ABC "does not believe Ms Ferguson's questions were hostile or unbalanced; rather they were astute and prescient".
Generally speaking though, I think aggressive interviewing is unproductive, especially when coming from an ill-informed base, which unfortunately is what we get all too often.
The whole affair has become problematic for the ABC because it has been reported in a biased way. Note that The Guardian report linked above speaks of what the average viewer might think. It hasn't reported a finding of bias as such. But elsewhere we have:
The SMH: Sarah Ferguson interview with Joe Hockey 'breached ABC bias guidelines': review
The Daily Telegraph: ABC bias in Joe Hockey Budget interview with Sarah Ferguson
The Australian (not paywalled): ABC host Sarah Ferguson breached bias rules with Hockey interview
Alan Sunderland as Head of Editorial Policy tells the real story:
Colleen produced an excellent and comprehensive report. Her overall judgement was that our coverage complied with all of our policies and guidelines and the overall quality was "excellent". At significant length, the report discusses all aspects of the coverage and provides a series of observations on ways it might have been improved, expanded or extended.
When it came to the detail, the report analysed 76 different pieces of content over several days, and in all of that it singled out only three items for particular mention. One of them was the Sarah Ferguson interview.
While stressing that the issue was subjective and her view related only to a "potential perception", Colleen Ryan suggested that some questions were asked in a way that might raise perceptions of bias because of tone and phrasing. While acknowledging that all the questions were accurate and appropriate, and that Sarah Ferguson had a reputation as an interviewer who asked equally tough questions of all sides, she nonetheless wondered whether enough respect was shown to this interviewee.
He says it was a worthwhile question to ask, and the whole point of seeking outside views is to raise honest questions.
Thankfully the ABC will continue to monitor its performance with such external reviews and publish the results in a transparent way. It's critics in the MSM should do likewise.
Ferguson_SarahMedia
Climate clippings 127
February 23, 2015 Brian	1 Comment
1. Queensland's minister for the reef
Premier Palaszczuk's new ministry contained some surprises, including the appointment of Steven Miles as Minister for the Great Barrier Reef. His full handle is Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection, Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef.
According to the WWF, Minister Miles will be responsible for delivering ALP environmental commitments including: a ban on dumping dredge spoil in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area; an 80 per cent reduction in pollution run-off into the Reef by 2025; and the reinstatement of key legal safeguards.
2. Japan now has more EV chargers than petrol stations
The number of EV charging points in Japan, including fast-chargers and those installed in homes, has reached 40,000, surpassing the nation's 34,000 gas stations, a new report has found.
The surprising figures were reported last week by Japanese auto giant Nissan, whose fully electric car, the Leaf, has been one of the world's big EV success stories, selling 160,000 cars globally since its 2011 launch date.
Mainly in Japan, the US and Europe.
It should be noted that some of the charging stations are in private homes. Also petrol stations have multiple pumps, not reflected in the figures.
Tesla has its own network of (solar powered) charging stations in the US – and has plans to build versions of this supercharge network in China, Europe and Australia.
In Australia, local fast-charge tech company, Tritium, installed its first public Veefil EV charger in Brisbane at a BMW dealership in Fortitude Valley – the first of a planned "electric super highway" of fast chargers along the east coast.
3. Temperature records vs trends
Gavin Schmidt, who has succeeded James Hansen as head of NASA GISS, has some Thoughts on 2014 and ongoing temperature trends. The shorter Schmidt is that while individual records grab the headlines, they don't matter nearly as much as the underlying trend. This graph shows the overall trend in relation to El Niño and La Niña and years:
The blue bars represent La Niña years, the orange El Niño and the grey neutral years. 2014 is bang on trend, but only marginally higher than 2005 and 2010. Yet it is grey to their orange.
Schmidt doesn't mention this, but while 2014 was neutral it did feature anomalous warming in the northern Pacific, rather than the eastern equatorial Pacific warming associated with El Niños. This warming is said to have some of the same climatic effects as El Niño. Perhaps we need a new category with a fancy name.
4. Climate sensitivity conundrums
The term is "equilibrium climate sensitivity" (ECS). It represents "the global surface temperature change anticipated as a result of doubling atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations." John Fasullo has done a post on the current challenges and constraints in relation to the concept. It's technical and I find it a bit boring, but ECS is an absolutely central concept to climate change discourse.
The basic problem is that the IPCC broadened the uncertainty range at the lower end from 2-4.5°C in IPCC4 to 1.5-4.5°C in IPCC5. The likely midpoint is still 3°C.
Fasullo has a lot of complex argument about the constraints arising from observations and models. What I think it comes down to is this.
The cut-off date for published papers for IPCC5 was July 2012. Prior to that date there had been several papers suggesting uncertainty at the lower end. Now the literature has swung back the other way. There was also the 'warming pause', which for a while back there was deemed by some to be real.
Fasullo makes it clear that the calculations are based largely on short-term effects. In Climate clippings 125 I referred to a David Spratt article which refers to the work of Hansen, Tripati and others which put longer term ECS at 4.5°C or more. And part of the point of the Michael Mann article was that we are starting to get into the longer term feedback zone.
I think they should all go back and read Hansen et al Earth's Energy Imbalance and Implications (2011, I think) pages 4-18. The table on p17 gives ECS at 8°C or more, depending on certain definitions and circumstances.
5. Origin Energy to build Australia's biggest rooftop solar array
Origin Energy and Zen Energy Systems are to build a 3MW solar system on the rooftop of the old Mitsubishi factory in Tonsley, Adelaide, in what will be the largest rooftop solar array in the country.
The awarding of the contracts was announced by the South Australian government this week. The intention to build the array was first announced late last year.
Origin Energy will own the rooftop array and sell the output to the tenants of the Tonsley high tech centre…, under a power purchase agreement that it is looking at replicating elsewhere in the country.
Here's an artist's impression of the site:
6. Origin shifts retail focus to rooftop solar and battery storage
Origin Energy has provided further details of its impending major push into the domestic solar market, saying that it expects rooftop solar to grow five-fold over the next 15 years, and battery storage will also emerge.
The Tonsley centre initiative is one example of this company reorientation. Seems AGL is looking to follow suit.
Abbott_TonyClimate ClippingsOpen ThreadsOrigin EnergySolar power
Marcia strikes
Mercifully Cyclone Marcia made landfall at Shoalwater Bay, a military training area between Yeppoon and Sarina, south of Mackay. The ABC coverage shows how it zigged and zagged after getting up steam in the Coral Sea:
It headed for Mackay and then side-stepped. Perhaps Kolobok Norris was out there on the beach waving his fists! I do hope he and Graham Bell were safe.
It gathered strength to become a category 5, but not nearly as big bad or ugly as Yasi. Nor will it penetrate as far into the inland, where large tracts remain parched.
Here's an image of Yasi:
Here's the equivalent of Marcia:
Cat 5 cyclones can destroy buildings. The Courier Mail has a photo gallery, including this:
Here's another:
There was a three metre tidal surge and with significant erosion a tourist cabin fell into the sea on Great Keppel Island:
There will be a lot of personal stories of danger, escape and loss:
Some people, especially surf board riders, seem to be energised by these events. Here at Noosa they line up for their turn:
Here in South-east Queensland we've had a substantial rain depression for a couple of days. I gather it is related to Marcia but there is clear air between them as seen from this BOM screenshot late on Friday:
Considerable swells have already battered then Gold Coast:
Here in Brisbane we await the remnants of Marcia. I gather we are in a 12 hour interval which is like being in the eye of the storm. So far at our place we've had about 150 mm or six inches in the old money. We are assured that the main issues will be creek flooding and wind, with the possibility of trees bringing down power lines, hence blackouts and/or blocked roads. We are assured that it will be nothing like the floods of 2011. In fact we may get our reservoirs recharged which currently sit at a bit over 80%.
In the NT Cyclone Lam crossed the coast about 440 km east of Darwin, hitting some remote communities.
At time of posting (2 am) it looks as though Marcia has significantly fizzled and is mainly sliding through to the west of us. We've certainly had enough rain and it might do some good in agricultural areas.
Update: Geoff Henderson has sent me a link to a CNN map shown on Facebook, with Tasmania labelled Queensland. Here it is:
Cyclone MarciacyclonesDisastersextreme weather
Life, Sundries
1. Brandis staffer oversees Labor meeting with Gillian Triggs
This scungy mob don't know how to behave.
When Mark Dreyfus, shadow attorney general, met human rights commissioner Gillian Triggs Brandis's deputy chief of staff, Josh Faulks, turned up at the commission's Sydney office at the appointed time for the meeting. Both Dreyfus and Triggs asked him to leave.
Faulks refused, saying he was acting on the instructions of the attorney. The meeting proceeded with Faulks watching.
The Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory body.
At the same time Abbott refuses requests from Triggs for a meeting and Brandis has been unable to find time in recent months.
Simply outrageous.
2. Abbott wades into the Bali nine affair
When Abbott promised an "absolutely unambiguous" response if Bali nine the executions went ahead, I was inclined to agree with him. I thought there should be some very overt sign of our displeasure if our neighbours kill some of our citizens. However, I thought, now is not the time to be saying this.
I also thought it was very bad form to remind Indonesia about the help we gave them during the aftermath of the Aceh tsunami. Surely we gave help because it was needed, not in the hope of future favours.
It seems that Abbott's intervention was a real diplomatic clanger and may have undid much of the carefully crafted strategy pursued by Julie Bishop and others. Lets hope no-one takes the clown too seriously. Certainly Julie Bishop made clear to RN Drive that aid was a quite separate issue.
3. Remembering the freedom rides
Nearly every week we remember some significant event of the past. This week it was the freedom rides of 50 years ago. Ann Curthoys and Brian Aarons remember:
We travelled by bus to protest against racial discrimination against Aboriginal people in New South Wales country towns such as Walgett, Moree, Bowraville and Kempsey.
Although we had done our best to prepare, the non-Aboriginal students were shocked by what we found: desperately poor living conditions on fringe settlements, missions on which white managers controlled every aspect of Aboriginal people's lives, white people convinced of their racial superiority, and exclusion of Aboriginal people from the basic amenities of a country town.
So, we protested against the exclusion of Aboriginal people from RSL clubs in Walgett, swimming pools in Moree and Kempsey, and picture theatres in Bowraville.
The SMH tells the story of the re-enactment. Here John Powles, Charles Perkins, Patricia Healy and Jim Spigelman plan the ride:
How much has changed? A lot, but there is more to go, according to this account of Moree then and now.
4. Remembering Dresden
Just a week ago, on 13-14 February, we remembered the 1945 carpet bombing of Dresden and the consequent fire-storm in which at least 25,000 people died. There are some historic pictures at The Atlantic:
The Daily Mail concentrates on photos of the commemoration, including the magnificent rebuilt Frauenkirche. It also includes historic photos towards the end.
Abbott_TonyDresdenFreedom rideOpen ThreadsSaturday salonTriggs_Gillian
Life, Science
Scary berries: trusting the food we eat
As of Wednesday evening 14 cases of hepatitis A have been linked to frozen berries. More are expected. Schools are on the alert as the berries have been used and consumed in cooking classes. At least one preschool used the berries to make smoothies for an afternoon snack.
Agriculture Minister, Barnaby Joyce, said the government was considering a review of testing on imports under Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) as more hepatitis A cases turned up. His department wrote to the Chinese government to ask for assurances on the food testing measures.
As for the government doing anything concrete Abbott has virtually ruled it out, saying that it is the responsibility of businesses 'not to poison their customers'. A crackdown would just add to the cost of food, he says.
Meanwhile Patties, the company concerned, has cast doubt on the quality of Australian produce, angering growers.
Patties say their:
"policy was to acquire Australian fruit wherever possible," despite the fact in the past two years it sourced berries from China, New Zealand, Canada, Chile, United States, Greece, Turkey and Serbia.
In this case:
The four recalled products – one-kilogram packs of Nanna's Raspberries and Frozen Mixed Berries, as well as 300 gram and 500 gram packs of Creative Gourmet Mixed Berries – were largely sourced and packed in China. (Emphasis added)
The Conversation has an explainer.
Hepatitis A can come from the berries being grown in infected water, washed in infected water, picked or packed by people carrying the virus, getting contaminated by infected animals, such as livestock, rats, mice or bats, at some stage in the production cycle, or mixing with other ingredients contaminated with hepatitis A virus during processing.
The infection can be inside the berry itself.
About 90 per cent of China's groundwater is polluted, 65 per cent severely so, with contaminates such as pesticides, fertilisers and petrochemicals, a report from the Centre of International Security Studies at Sydney University showed.
The real problem, however, is faeces. Human poo is used in China as fertiliser. I understand that customs don't test for bacterial or viral pollution. I did hear that the berries were now sent to an overseas lab for testing. Are we a first world country?
A new focus has come on labelling. Consumers want it, there have been endless inquiries, and exactly nothing happens. Choice tells us we are stuck with statements like 'Packed in Australia using imported fruit' or 'Made in Australia using local and imported ingredients' which offer very little information about a product's origin and are largely meaningless to consumers.
It looks as though Joyce wants to do something about labelling, but I think it lies in the health portfolio. At least eight governments have to agree. Without the support of the PM who seems to have made up in his mind in the negative, nothing will happen
Ironically the Chinese would rather eat our fruit than their own if they can afford it, but there is no provision to export our produce directly to China. It has to go through third countries. We are currently working on a trade deal with China. Andrew Robb, please note!
Antony Green's voting analysis
Labor received 51.1% of the two-party preferred vote to the LNP's 48.9%, according to Antony Green. This represents a swing to Labor of 14.0% since 2012.
That margin was greater than Anna Bligh achieved in 2009 and should have resulted in a comfortable win. However much of Labor's vote is locked up in safe seats. Labor has 15 seats on more than 10%, compared to the LNP's 10. Labor has two on over 20% to the LNP's none.
At the other end of the spectrum, the LNP has four on a margin of less than 1% compared to Labor's one. The LNP has 12 seats on less than 3% to Labor's seven.
Labor won in Brisbane and the regions, especially the north. The swing was greatest in outer Brisbane (17%), defined by the seats in the Moreton Bay, Redlands, Logan and Ipswich local government areas. Labor holds no seats on the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast.
On preference flows, fewer votes were exhausted this time.
There were 71 electorates that finished as two-party preferred contest in both 2012 and 2015. In 2012 the distribution of all minor party preferences in these seats split 27.0% to Labor, 22.0% to LNP and 51.0% exhausted. In 2015 the same figures are 47.8% to Labor, 15.9% to the LNP and 36.3% exhausted. With 18.2% minor party and independent vote in these seats in 2015, changed preference flows have added 3-4% to the swing.
The union campaign to "put the LNP last" seems to have prevailed over the LNP's injunction to "just vote one".
Had preference flows in 2015 been at the same rate as in 2012, Labor would not have won Bundaberg, Ferny Grove or Maryborough, and would have struggled to win Mount Coot-tha.
Labor won the race for both Katter and PUP preferences.
Together Palmer United and Katter preferences split 38.7% to Labor, 20.6% to the LNP and 40.1% exhausted.
As for the Greens:
In 2015 Labor received around 20% stronger preference flows from the Greens. In 2012 the big first preference gap delivered a boost to the LNP through exhausted preferences, a factor less relevant in 2015. On a Green vote of 8-10% in most urban seats, the change in preferences delivered an extra 2-3% to the swing to Labor after preferences.
There has been a pathetic attempt to suggest that Labor has no mandate, because the LNP got more first preference votes. Green's analysis rather gives the lie to that claim. The LNP are lucky they got as many seats as they did.
Finally, and not from Green, if you want to shorten Annastacia Palaszczuk's first name, friends and family call her Stacia.
Queensland election 2015


text:
Hayes urges forest owners to attend windblow events
Mar 28, 2014, 12:20pm
Left to Right: John Madden (Forest Service, DAFM) John O Sullivan (Coillte) Minister Tom Hayes, John Hunt (Forest Owner) and Tom Houlihan (Teagasc)
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Tom Hayes TD, today welcomed the announcements by Teagasc and the ITGA that they are to run a number of field events to assist forest owners and practitioners to manage windblow sites.
Recently the Minister visited several sites that were damaged by Storm Darwin in Castleisland, Co. Kerry, and Athea, Co. Limerick. Minister Hayes said "As chairman of the Windblow Taskforce it is important for me to visit these sites first hand and to meet the private owners, Coillte, Teagasc and foresters on the ground to discuss the various issues that arise when owners are faced with windblow damage. I was genuinely shocked at the level of damage I saw across the country side in west Limerick. Some sites appeared to be a real tangled mess and I would urge everyone in the industry to put safety first when attempting to harvest in these areas. "
Minister Hayes added "I very much welcome Teagasc's field events planned for 8th April in Mullinavat Co. Kilkenny and 16th April in Castleisland Co. Kerry focusing on the needs of those forest owners affected by Windblow and indeed I intend to be there myself. Teagasc have teamed up with Coillte, the Forest Service of my Department and others to provide as much information as possible on these forest walks. This will add considerably to the information already provided in the 'Windblow Guidance note' that the Taskforce issued recently"
In addition to these field events the Irish Timber Growers Association (ITGA) is also holding an event, on the 11th April in Tullamore Co. Offaly, advising forest owners affected by Windblow on the marketing and sale of the timber. Minister Hayes said "I welcome the work of the ITGA in the whole area of timber marketing and sales. The ITGA have produced some excellent documentation and processes in terms of timber security for private owners and are currently finalising a Template timber sales agreement and this will be very useful to those forest owners who now find themselves in the position where they will be trying to sell their timber sooner than expected"
Minister Hayes added "This is a difficult time for forest owners who have experienced windblow and I would like to assure those that help and advice in dealing with the damage is available from their local Teagasc adviser or forestry consultant. Alternatively email your query to [email protected] ."
Coillte Environment Tom Hayes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Lindenhurst "American Venice" 2 Bedroom House Rental $2550 Includes All - Gas, Water, Sewer, Lawn Care & Cable/Internet. Tenant Pays Own Electric (electric heat). Eat in Kitchen w/Breakfast Bar, Dining Area w/Sliders to Deck & Yard, Living Room, Queen Sized Bedroom with 1/2 Bath, Washer/Dryer, Hardwood Floors, CAC. Pet may be possible with additional security.


text:
Q: "Error while finalizing cipher" when decrypting a file I get "error while finalizing cipher" whenever I want to decrypt a file I encrypted before.
For testing purposes, I've just copypasted Pero's code from here.
All I've changed is removed the salt and replaced it with my md5 function.
Before that I've tried it with the salt and it gave me the same error :(
In that other question, the problem seems to be solved somehow, but he didn't further elaborate on that, it was just something with the salt that I didn't even use.
public static void encrypt(String path, String password) throws IOException, NoSuchAlgorithmException, NoSuchPaddingException, InvalidKeyException {
    FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(path);
    FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(path.concat(".scrypt"));
    byte[] key = md5(password).getBytes("UTF-8");
    MessageDigest sha = MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA-1");
    key = sha.digest(key);
    key = Arrays.copyOf(key,16);
    SecretKeySpec sks = new SecretKeySpec(key, "AES");
    Cipher cipher = Cipher.getInstance("AES");
    cipher.init(Cipher.ENCRYPT_MODE, sks);
    CipherOutputStream cos = new CipherOutputStream(fos, cipher);
    int b;
    byte[] d = new byte[8];
    while((b = fis.read(d)) != -1) {
        cos.write(d, 0, b);
    }
    cos.flush();
    cos.close();
    fis.close();
}

public static void decrypt(String path, String password) throws IOException, NoSuchAlgorithmException, NoSuchPaddingException, InvalidKeyException {
    FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(path);
    FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(path.replace(".scrypt", ""));
    byte[] key = md5(password).getBytes("UTF-8");
    MessageDigest sha = MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA-1");
    key = sha.digest(key);
    key = Arrays.copyOf(key,16);
    SecretKeySpec sks = new SecretKeySpec(key, "AES");
    Cipher cipher = Cipher.getInstance("AES");
    cipher.init(Cipher.DECRYPT_MODE, sks);
    CipherInputStream cis = new CipherInputStream(fis, cipher);
    int b;
    byte[] d = new byte[8];
    while((b = cis.read(d)) != -1) {
        fos.write(d, 0, b);
    }
    fos.flush();
    fos.close();
    cis.close();
}

md5() is equivalent to php's md5()
Would be awesome if someone could help me, I searched for a solution for hours :(

A: The difference is this in encrypt:
byte[] key = md5(password).getBytes("UTF-8");

and decrypt:
byte[] key = (salt + password).getBytes("UTF-8");

Needless to say, this leads to different keys which makes proper decryption impossible.

This type of key derivation from a password is not remotely secure. Passwords have low entropy, but keys have high entropy. If you want to convert a password to a key then you need to utilize a computationally intensive operation so that attackers can't just try all easy passwords. This can be done with PBKDF2, bcrypt, scrypt or Argon2. Use a many iterations or a high cost factor, and always use a randomly generated salt. The salt doesn't have to be secret, but it must be send to the receiver along with the ciphertext. You can write it in front of the ciphertext and read it back during decryption.
Always use a fully qualified cipher string, because different JVM's may have different defaults. This would make interoperability a nightmare. Your current string probably defaults to Cipher.getInstance("AES/ECB/PKCS5Padding");
Never use ECB mode. It's deterministic and therefore not semantically secure. You should at the very least use a randomized mode like CBC or CTR. It is better to authenticate your ciphertexts so that attacks like a padding oracle attack are not possible. This can be done with authenticated modes like GCM or EAX, or with an encrypt-then-MAC scheme.

Have a look at RNCryptor (Java, PHP), which has everything for secure encryption and interoperability.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Problem with getting inserted Id from database I am trying to get the last inserted Id from database via Entity Framework, however my problem is somehow unique and I am not able to find any solution, but to rewrite my whole infrastructure and business layer, so all my Ids are Guids, which I am able to create manually, or get last record with another database call after commit.
Here is the problem. I have a three-layered architecture, where I am using UoW, repository, services and facades. I will show my code from top to bottom, so you can understand.
Here is my facade, where uow.Commit is calling SaveChanges()
public async Task<int> RegisterUserAsync(UserCreateDto user)
{
        using (var uow = UnitOfWorkProvider.Create())
        {
            var id = _userService.Create(user);
            await uow.Commit();
            return id;
        }
}

As you can see I am sending only my DTO into the service, where I process is like this, also I am mapping inside service
public virtual int Create(TCreateDto entityDto)
{
        var entity = Mapper.Map<TEntity>(entityDto);
        Repository.Create(entity);
        return entity.Id;
}

and finally my repository looks like this
public TKey Create(TEntity entity)
{
        Context.Set<TEntity>().Add(entity);
        return entity.Id;
}

Is there some elegant solution to this? Like I said my only idea is to switch all Ids to Guid or second call for Id after commit, which I find as not very good solution, because when I want to connect two or more tables in one transaction it would be impossible.

A: EF Core solution of the problem is simple - auto generated PK of an entity instance is available after calling SaveChanges[Async]. e.g.
var entity = Mapper.Map<TEntity>(entityDto);
Context.Add(entity);
// Here entity.Id contains auto-generated temporary value
// Other stuff...
Context.SaveChanges();
// Here entity.Id contains actual auto-generated value from the db

So the problem is more in the design of your infrastructure - all these (unnecessary) UoW, repository, services and facades simply hide that functionality.
The only relatively simple and elegant solution I see with your architecture is to change the service return type from int to Func<int>, e.g.
public virtual Func<int> Create(TCreateDto entityDto)
{
    var entity = Mapper.Map<TEntity>(entityDto);
    Repository.Create(entity);
    return () => entity.Id; // <--
}

Then in your façade you could use
public async Task<int> RegisterUserAsync(UserCreateDto user)
{
    using (var uow = UnitOfWorkProvider.Create())
    {
        var id = _userService.Create(user);
        await uow.Commit();
        return id(); // <-- the actual id!
    }
}

Edit:
Actually EF Core provides another option which would allow you to keep your current design intact - the HiLo key generation strategy, but only if the database provider supports it. I can say for sure Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer and Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL do support it with respectively ForSqlServerUseSequenceHiLo and ForNpgsqlUseSequenceHiLo fluent APIs.


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text:
Baden Powell – Le Monde Musical de Baden Powell
November 5, 2008 Uncategorized
Deve Ser Amor – 3:54
Choro Para Metronome – 3:00
Adágio – 3:07
Berimbau – 3:03
Samba Em Prelúdio – 3:30
Chanson D'hiver – 2:27
Samba Triste – 3:33
Berceuse A Jussara – 2:37
Prelude – 2:54
Euridice – 3:05
Bachiana – 4:10
Garota De Ipanema – 2:59
AMG Rating: 3 Stars
Recording Date: 1964
Label: Universal Music France
Baden Powell (git)
Alphonse Masselier (b)
Arthur Motta (dr)
Silvio Silveira (perc)
Paul Mauriat and his orchestra
Francoise Waleh (vcl on "Samba Em Preludio")
1964 cover
Linernotes wrote:
Brazilian music is, as its country which is 16 times as big as France, diverse, varied, surprising, subtle and simple all at the same time. This music only asks, as Brazil, for regognition and love. With this album, which is the first he releases in Europe, the guitarist & composer BP presents us a complete palette of his musical world. From African rythms to his personal perceiving of classical european composers, and through delicate reminiscence of melodies from the Antilles, to negro american jazz accents: BP reminds all these influences on his guitar.
He's 27 years old. Born in Rio. He played since 8 y.o. After having studied in Rio academy, where he improved his style and learned composition, he started like many other, in clubs with little rythmic entities. He eventually showed up in several Tv & radio broadcasts, and his compositions became very popular. He teamed with Tom Jobim, Carlos Lyra, Roberto Menescal for work and tours in several big cities in Brazil. He recorded with Herbie Mann and Jimmy Pratt just before his departure to the US. After some concerts in the Village Vanguard, his friend and poet Vinicius de Moraes made him come to Paris in the late of 63. He gave recitals and tv shows: Living room, musicorama etc… Asked for his guitaristic influences he answers: Segovia, Van Eps, Django are people that are part of the musical world i love. With this record you'll be able to discover samples from this musical universe.
Here are the themes: DEVE SER AMOR: was recorded using play back device. Baden first recorded the rythmic part with the bass & drums. Afterwards he recorded the melody. The same process was involved with BACHIANA.
CHORO PARA METRONOME is quite a challenge. The choro which was originally an improvisation over folkoric patterns, turns here into a guitar piece. The metronome replaces the whole rythm section. Fitting perfectly with this souless rythm, BP shows here its astounding technique.
The Albinoni ADAGIO and the Bach PRELUDE so seduced the guitarist, that he did want to give a respectful homage to these composers by playing these two pieces.
BERIMBAU is the name of a musical instrument looking like an arc, which is used in the Capoeira. This is a dance which partly look like wrestle, and is done by Nordeste youth, especially in the Bahia area. It is undoubtly of African inspiration.
SAMBA EM PRELUDIO is made of two distincts melodies. Baden plays the first which is in turn played by the orchestra. Then the guitar plays the second theme, and then the two parts are played together, and taken by cello and Francoise Waleh's voice. CHANSON D'HIVER is the first song that Baden wrote when he came to Paris in December 63.
SAMBA TRISTE opens on a very dark climate and dramatic first part, then the repetitive rythm takes over and leads to the conclusive chords. BERCEUSE A JUSSARA is a delicate composition, dedicated to his little niece "Sobrinha" Jussara. EURIDICE is a Vinicius de Moraes composition, which illustrates the Orphee myth. BACHIANA is a piece written with, once again, Johann S. Bach in mind. GAROTA is a new composition from Tom Jobim and Vinicius. Baden takes it as a basis for a free improvisation, with a complete command on the instrument.
Jacques Lubin, 1964.
Scott Yanow, AMG wrote:
When it was originally released in 1964, this set of music was a bit of a hit, selling over 100,000 copies. Brazilian guitarist-composer Baden Powell was working regularly in France at the time and he is joined on various selections by a French rhythm section and an orchestra. There are also some unaccompanied guitar solos. Listened to over four decades later, much of the music comes across as being overly sweet, safe and sleepy. Powell plays well enough, but the lack of mood variation and the unimaginative arrangements are unfortunate. Since the guitarist rarely gets beyond the melody, the overall results are pleasant background music, nice but predictable. [Universal reissued Le Monde Musical de Baden Powell on CD in 2005.]
This RIP and PRESENTATION courtesy of the almighty KUNG. I only uploaded this for him because he's busy, and I'm still rebuilding my machine to do new rips and scans. This is essential listening, enjoy!!
Tagged Bossa Nova, MPB.
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text:
The 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was the fourth edition of the youth association football tournament for women under the age of 17. The final tournament was hosted in Costa Rica.

The competition was played from 15 March to 4 April 2014.  Japan beat Spain in the final 2–0, the same score the same match ended in the group stage. Japan emerged as the fourth different champion in four editions.

The opening match of the tournament set a new tournament record with 34,453 spectators. In total 284,320 supporters attended matches averaging 8,885 per match beating the 2012 record.

Host selection
On 3 March 2011, FIFA announced that the tournament would be held in Costa Rica. There were six official bids.

Hosting rights were then stripped on 28 February 2013 due to problems in stadium construction. After receiving guarantees from both CONCACAF and the Costa Rican government, they were re-instated as hosts at an executive committee meeting in Zurich on 21 March 2013. The final was originally scheduled on 5 April, but was brought forward one day due to government elections.

Mascot
The official mascot of the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was Juna, a blue morpho butterfly. The name Juna means "to fly" in the Cabécar language.

Theme Song
The official theme song for the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's world cup was called Pasión Total by F.A.N.S.

Qualified teams
The slot allocation was approved by the FIFA Executive Committee in May 2012. The Oceania Football Confederation qualifying tournament was scheduled for January 2014, FIFA however decided that it would be hosted too late then. Eventually FIFA and OFC in agreement with all member nations agreed to award the confederation spot to New Zealand. Just as New Zealand, Nigeria qualified without playing a match because two opponents withdrew their respective qualifying games. Defending champions France did not qualify.

In total 103 nations took part in the qualifying, three less than for the 2012 World Cup.

1.Teams that made their debut.

Venues
Four stadiums are to be used across Costa Rica.

Match officials
A total of 14 referees, 4 reserve referees, and 28 assistant referees were appointed by FIFA for the tournament.

Squads

Each team must name a squad of 21 players (three of whom must be goalkeepers) by the FIFA deadline. The squads were announced on 6 March 2014.

Final draw
The group stage draw was held on 17 December 2013 in Pueblo Antiguo. Confederation champions Germany, Japan and Mexico were put in Pot 1 alongside the hosts Costa Rica, who were automatically assigned to Position A1. The draw then made sure no teams of the same confederation could meet in the group stage.

Group stage
The winners and runners-up of each group advance to the quarter-finals. The rankings of teams in each group are determined as follows:
 points obtained in all group matches;
 goal difference in all group matches;
 number of goals scored in all group matches;
If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings are determined as follows:
 points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
 goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned;
 number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
 drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee.

All times are local, Central Standard Time (UTC−6).

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Knockout stage
In the knockout stages, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time, the match is determined by a penalty shoot-out (no extra time is played).

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Third place match

Final

Winners

Awards
The following awards were given for the tournament:

Goalscorers
6 goals
 Deyna Castellanos
 Gabriela García

5 goals
 Hina Sugita
 Nahikari García

4 goals
 Marie Levasseur

3 goals

 Manuela Giugliano
 Yui Hasegawa
 Uchenna Kanu
 Pilar Garrote

2 goals

 Nina Ehegötz
 Jane Ayiyem
 Sandra Owusu-Ansah
 Gloria Marinelli
 Annamaria Serturini
 Nana Ichise
 Rikako Kobayashi
 Fuka Kono
 Shiho Matsubara
 Asato Miyagawa
 Janae González
 Rasheedat Ajibade
 Sung Hyang-sim
 Andrea Falcón
 Patricia Guijarro
 Sandra Hernández

1 goal

 Jessie Fleming
 Sarah Kinzner
 Chen Yudan
 Cui Yuhan
 Fan Yuqiu
 Andrea Rodríguez
 Angie Rodríguez
 Sofía Varela
 Kim Fellhauer
 Jasmin Sehan
 Ricarda Walkling
 Ernestina Abambila
 Gladys Amfobea
 Valentina Bergamaschi
 Flaminia Simonetti
 Yu Endo
 Maki Hiratsuka
 Fuka Nagano
 Meika Nishida
 Mizuki Saihara
 Rebeca Bernal
 Jacqueline Crowther
 Belén Cruz
 Cinthia Huerta
 Gabriela Martínez
 Viridiana Salazar
 Daisy Cleverley
 Joy Bokiri
 Aminat Yakubu
 Ju Hyo-sim
 Ri Ji-hyang
 Wi Jong-sim
 Sheryl Barrios
 Fanny Godoy
 Beatriz Beltrán
 Sandra Luzardo
 Tahicelis Marcano
 Kika Moreno
 Yosneidy Zambrano
 Grace Chanda

Own goal

 Sara Páez (for China PR)
 Maria Araya (for Zambia)
 Kim Jong-sim (for Canada)

References

External links
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Costa Rica 2014, FIFA.com
FIFA Technical Report

2014
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
2014 in youth sport
March 2014 sports events in North America
April 2014 sports events in North America
2014 in youth association football

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Winter Trip
From₹10,500₹7,999
Group Sizesolo2-56-10more than 10
Hassle free booking experience
Hand-picked tours & activities
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Give us a call or mail us ! Our tour experts will help plan your trip.
DetailItineraryInclusionsPhotosFAQsReviews
12-15 persons
Camping based trek
Easy-Moderate
Mcleod Ganj
Min Age: 15+
Himalayan hiking
Himalayan views
Fresh snow on the mountain
A trekker at night camping
Snow laden meadows
01 Night 02 Days, Himachal Pradesh, India
If you're holidaying in McLeodganj, and if you just have one night to camp out, or want to do a day hike, then go up to Triund. It's a pretty three- to four-hour walk to the top. Of course, if you want to be more adventurous you can go over the Indrahar. This is the most frequented pass across the Dhauladhar, and is known by several names: Laka, Indrahar and Kwarsi.
I crossed it on my way to Bharmour in November 2002. At 7.30 am, on a cold morning late in autumn, there was not a whiff of wind at the top. The Kangra Valley was spread out below like a green and brown checked carpet. Silver lines marked the streams, picked out by the rays of the morning sun as they sliced the checkerboard in crazy patterns. We spent nearly two hours at the top, basking in the warmth of the sun, absorbing the surreal view of a serene and quiet world in the valley below. A Gaddi whom we met just below the pass guided us to Nag Dal. The nearly one-and-a-half-hour trek to the left of the pass lay over snow and boulders and we followed the footprints of a bear till the lake. A large number of Gaddi shepherds choose this pass for their seasonal migration. For those seeking thrill of standing on top of a high pass, Indrahar presents the perfect option, and they can return the same way to Dharamsala. The track is well marked, there is no need for a guide and even a lone trekker can safely venture up and return in two days of hard walking.
Triund Trek Highlights
Walking through the majestic alpine
Camping in the meadows having tasty & nutritious meals
Capture the magnificent views of the Himalayan ranges
Experience the thrill of crossing the high Himalayan passes
Adventurous trek options like Indrahar Pass
Mcleodganj (9 km from Dharamsala)
Nearest Roadhead
Nearest Railhead
Chandigarh Railway Station
Bhuntar airport near Mandi
Price Inclusions
all veg snacks & meals during trek
camping equipment (tents, mats, sleeping bags etc.)
camp tent accommodation for 1 night (2-3 per tent)
forest camping & trek permits (INDIANS ONLY)
services of trek leaders, trek guides, cook, helpers
Price Exclusions
any kind of hotel or lodge stay
porter charges apply in case a trekker is unable to carry his / her backpack & wants to offload it on mule / porter (₹ 250-300 per backpack per day)
any thing which is not mentioned in the inclusions
Customized ItineraryMcLEODGANJ-TRIUND-LAHESH CAVE-INDRAHAR PASS-CHATTA PARAO-KWARSI-HILLING-CHOLI
DAY 1 McLEODGANJ-TRIUNDDISTANCE 9 KM TIME 4 HOURS LEVEL EASY
Though you can drive the 2 km to Dharamkot from McLeod, it's nicer to walk. A number of yoga and meditation centres have been established in the forest-clad serenity of the Dharamkot area. With a bit of luck, it is possible to spot leopard and pij (wild goat). In winter, even the monal has been known to descend to this belt. Galu Devi (2,130m) at Dharamkot
has a small temple and a water point. From here the track ascends north-east through a mixed forest of oak and rhododendron.
Triund is famous for its views, and is a popular walk with visitors to Dharamsala and McLeodganj. The well-trodden route is, therefore, peppered with tea shops and dhabas from spring till he onset of winter. Wending one's way through a 'Magic View', a 'Scenic View' and even a 'Snowline Café', the path ascends sharply in the last stretch to Triund (2,975m) Triund's majestic views include the peaks of Mun (4,610m), Slab (4,570m), Rifle Horn and Arthur's Seat up in the Dhauladhar, and the wide sweep of the valley below.
Both birdwatchers and stargazers are also well rewarded in Triund's environs. There is one fly in the ointment: water can be scarce at Triund and the source is a kilometre below the Triund Ridge, down a steep and narrow path on the western side. This is the only source and the track to it is slippery and risky in the monsoons. Post-monsoon, the volume of water decreases considerably and, at times, it goes dry. In that case one has to go further down in the same direction to get water.
There is no permanent habitation at Triund but a Forest Rest House, located on a subsidiary ridge of the Dhauladhar, can be booked in Dharamsala. Nearby rock shelters (to the right) can be used in an emergency. For those carrying their own tents, there is ample space to camp out in the grassy meadows. During the trekking season, a couple of dhabas spring up to cater to traffic but their prices can appear rather exorbitant to humble pockets.
DAY 2 TRIUND-LAHESH CAVEDISTANCE 6 KM TIME 3 HOURS LEVEL EASY
It is a moderate, northbound ascent starting behind the Forest Rest House for the first hour and a half, shaded by oak and fir. Somewhat steeper going thereafter brings up Laka Got (3,350m), a small, grassy camping ground marked by a trekking shelter in a ruined state. From here, the trail turns to the right (north-east), goes up a small ridge and then turns to the left (west) to climb up north to reach Lahesh Cave (3,500m), a natural rock shelter that can house 20 people. It takes less than an hour to reach the cave from Laka Got.
An added attraction near the cave is a small waterfall. There are a number of other huge boulders that can serve as emergency shelter for four to five people. But in this boulder strewn maze, it is easy to miss the cave without a guide. While crossing the pass in 2015, when we reached the Lahesh Cave, we saw two people waving at us from a distance. We signalled them to come over. They were from New Zealand and were on their way to Bharmour. They had tried locating the cave, and had found some place to spend the night under a rock mistaking it for Lahesh Cave!
DAY 3 LAHESH CAVE-CHHATA PARAO VIA INDRAHAR PASSDISTANCE 7 KM TIME 6-8 HOURS LEVEL MODERATE
Steady climbing can bring up the pass in 3-4 hrs. The track lies up a steep rock face ascending north over steps both
natural and man-made. The narrow width is rendered somewhat hazardous in the rains as numerous streams course down the face. Post-monsoon, most of these go dry and present no difficulty.
In general, it is inadvisable to cross the pass after midday as the weather on this pass is unpredictable and visibility can reduce drastically in a very short time. It's best to wait out such periods because it is easy to lose one's way in such conditions. A small rock temple embedded with trishuls marks the Indrahar Pass. Local travellers and Gaddis usually stop to pray for a safe crossing. In clear weather, both the Pir Panjal and the Great Himalayan ranges are visible from the top. The view of the Manimahesh Kailash is particularly rewarding after the stiff climb.
The descent to Chhata Parao, a small camping spot with a rock shelter (3,700m), is taxing because it's along a trail obscured by thick grass. From the top the trail goes down left (west) in easy steep steps through the rocks, for about a hundred feet. It then takes a further turn to the left, goes down a bit before taking a right turn and dropping steeply north to Chatta Parao. The trail lies on the left side of the gully, formed by the glaciers and avalanche cones below the pass.
After going down for nearly 2 hrs a vertical rock face on the right side of a side stream is to be negotiated. Mercifully, the Gaddi shepherds have cut steps in the rock face making it a little easier for even the faint-hearted. After crossing the stream over boulders, the trail enters the pasture. A huge rock overhang marks the Chhata Parao campsite and there's sufficient space nearby to pitch tents. On the left of Indrahar Pass are a few glacial lakes and bears can occasionally be spotted here in autumn. The larger Nag Dal is located further on the left of the pass. Tucked away in a niche on the barren slopes, it is not visible from the track and the services of a guide are required to visit it. The lake remains frozen till mid-July.
DAY 4 CHHATA PARAO-KWARSIDISTANCE 14 KM TIME 4-6 HOURS LEVEL MODERATE
The path down follows the Chhata Nallah, staying on its left side for a few kilometres, then descending steeply to cross Chhata Nallah over a wooden bridge. This is an easier crossing than the small streams encountered earlier. The trail climbs to the left and crosses a landslip area before descending gradually to a side stream crossed on a trangari (wooden log bridge). From here, the track turns left and a steep ascent through conifer forest leads to a ridge offering the first view of Kwarsi Village. The path descends for nearly half an hour to reach the Trekker's Hut and then turns right to enter the village The route after Chhata is well marked but has its hazards. In May, the hard snow in the hollows can be treacherous and in the rains, slush and the thick vegetation can be irksome. Though, the riot of wild flowers on the slopes is compensation enough. Kwarsi (2,730m) is set amidst fine groves of deodar and blue pine. It has a few shops and a nag temple, which is worth a visit. Kwarsi rooftops are a pleasing sight in autumn with corn cobs, tomatoes and grass spread out to dry for the winter months. Kwarsi boasts of a Trekker's Hut and a Forest Rest House. The rest house, located beyond the village, has not been in use for many years but is an ideal place to camp.
DAY 5 KWARSI-HILLING AND CHOLIDISTANCE 14 KM TIME 4-6 HOURS LEVEL EASY
From Kwarsi, the mule path to Hilling Village has a few tricky sections. After the village, the bridle path crosses the fields and then drops down left through a thick deodar forest. After about 30 mins, a 100-metre stretch cut into the rock-face
can present problems for the fainthearted: the one-foot wide path hangs over a precipitous drop! The descent is steep till Hikkim Nallah is crossed over a permanent wooden footbridge. Thereafter the track is gradual (mostly on the road), passing through Hilling and Lamu villages to Choli. Hilling has been connected by a jeep road to Choli. However, not many vehicles ply on this section.
GETTING THERE AND OUT
FROM McLEOD to Dharamkot it's 2 km/ 10 mins by jeep (Rs 40). No bus on this narrow uphill climb
Dharamsala to McLeod is 9 km/ 25 mins by taxi (Rs 100) and 1/2 hr by bus (Rs 9). There is a bus every half hour between 7 am and 8 pm. Shared taxis available (Rs 7 per head)
RETURN From Choli on the Holi Chamba Road, take a taxi (Rs 200) to Kharamukh (20 km/ I hr). From Kharamukh, take a taxi (2 hrs/ Rs 800) or bus (3 hrs/ Rs 40) to Chamba (70 km), which is well connected with Pathankot (115 km)
The best season for Triund trek is from October to March.
Yes, it is ideally recommended for 10+ age kids.
Camping tent accommodation (2-3 per tent).
Winter Special
From₹2,500₹1,299
Nag Tibba Village Stay In Uttarakhand
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Ravi Prasad
Great camping at Dharamsala and a fulfilling trek to Triund mountain. Thanks a lot !


Every day our body manufactures waste in the process of metabolism. We also ingest substances through food, water and air that are potentially harmful for our system. Fortunately, the body has the capacity to rid itself of metabolic waste and chemical irritants through various eliminative systems.
Although medical science tends to discredit the idea of cleansing, natural healers have long stressed the importance of maintaining good elimination for better health. After all, it makes sense that the body will be healthier if waste and toxins are eliminated quickly. In fact, just about any system or machine needs some kind of regular cleaning to run properly.
Plumbers know that pipes can get clogged and need to be cleaned. Auto mechanics realize that oil and other fluids need to be regularly changed to keep engines running smoothly. Even electronic equipment needs to be cleaned periodically to keep dust from damaging circuits. It makes sense that this is also true for our bodies.
Most of us strive to keep the outside of the body clean, but few pay much attention to keeping clean on the inside. Most people who have done some internal cleansing, however, have noted numerous improvements in their general health.
Cleansing is about two things. One is minimizing your exposure to toxins in the first place and the other is using herbs, supplements, hydrotherapy, fasting or other natural means to improve the function of eliminative organs.
Here are the basic elements of a good cleanse.
The most important tool for cleansing is water. Most people do not drink enough water. Experts suggest we should drink about 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body weight each day. On a cleanse, one might need a little more. Since the quality of water is also important, drink the purest water you can find.
The second most important tool for cleansing is fiber. Dietary fiber binds toxins in the intestinal tract and bulks the stool to promote normal and healthy elimination. Americans do not get enough fiber in their diet, so a fiber supplement like Psyllium Hulls Combination or evrybody's Fiber is important for maintaining normal elimi nation.
The third tool needed for a good cleanse is a blend of herbs that support the liver, kidneys, colon and lymphatics.
The liver utilizes enzyme systems that neutralize toxins and prepare them to be flushed through the kidneys or colon (via the gallbladder). Water and fiber then carry these toxins away.
Many good herbal formulas for supporting this process are available. A few good examples are All Cell Detox, Chinese Liver Balance and Enviro-Detox.
For people with extremely sluggish elimination, an herbal laxative may also be helpful. LBS II is a popular choice.
However, herbal laxatives should not be used long-term because people tend to become dependent on them. For long-term problems with sluggish elimination, consider using Gentle Move.
Traditionally, a cleanse has involved fasting or at least partially fasting. In fact, fasting for 24 hours consuming only water one day per month is a good practice for general health.
A modified form of fasting is called a juice fast, where a person consumes nothing but fresh, raw vegetable and/or fruit juices for three days. A popular version of this is the master cleanse, promoted by Stanley Burroughs, where a person drinks natural lemonade made with fresh lemons and sweetened with real, grade B maple syrup.
However, since most cleansing programs last two weeks or more, it is better to adopt a semi-fasting state during the cleanse. Simply avoid all refined and processed foods during the cleanse and eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. This aids the cleansing process by not burdening the body with more cooked, processed foods and chemical additives.
The nice thing about making this a time to clean up your diet is that cleaning out the body tends to reduce your craving for junk food. So, by the time you have finished the cleansing program it will be easier to maintain a healthy eating program.
Depending on your specific needs, herbal and nutritional formulas that help destroy yeast, parasites or bacteria may also be used as part of a cleanse. Formulas are available to assist the body in ridding itself pf more specific toxins such as heavy metals.
Cleansing can also be aided by various forms of hydrotherapy. For instance, enemas and colonics can be helpful as long as they are not overdone. Generally speaklng, enemas and colonics should not be done more than once or twice per week and never for a period longer than a few months without taking a break. Sweat baths, steam baths or saunas are also useful as they encourage detoxification through the skln. It may be done more frequently. Foot soaks or foot spa baths are also helpful in the detoxification process.
Again, once or twice a week for a limited period of time is more than enough.
Remember that cleansing takes the good out with the bad, so you should alternate cleansing with a program of rebuilding and good nutrition. When it comes to cleansing more is not better.
CleanStart Wild Berry or CleanStart Apple/Cinnamon are NSP's most popular cleansing programs. It contains a fiber packet as well as supplements to cleanse the colon. It is based on a cleansing program called Ivy's Recipe by NSP National Manager Ivy Bridge.
Dieter's Cleanse is a cleanse that was designed to use at the start of a weight loss program. Howewer, it can also be used as a general cleansing program even if you are not trying to lose weight. It not only contains herbs to clean out the colon and liver, it also contains supplements to balance glandular function and metabolism.
Tiao He Cleanse is particularly good for the liver and one of the best all-around cleanses.


text:
A New Semester Means New Things For The Moot Court Honor Society
The Moot Court Honor Society is not just about bettering one's advocacy skills, but also taking those skills and giving back to the community. During Constitution Week, Mesa College requested that Thomas Jefferson's Moot Court Honor Society put on a demonstration on a topic of law relevant to constitutional rights; a request Moot Court members were more than happy to oblige with.
Moot Court's President, Brian Del Vecchio, Vice President, Elizabeth Atkins, and Moot Court member, Donny Samporna argued Fisher v. University of Texas along with the assistance of Moot Court members Nadia Akaweih and Pua Uyehara.
During the demonstration, Samporna argued for Plaintiff, Fisher, while Atkins argued for Defendant, University of Texas. Del Vecchio served as Solicitor General and Akaweih and Uyehara assisted with practices and the facilitation of questions.
Fisher v. University of Texas is a constitutional law case pertaining to a Caucasian applicant, Fisher, who was denied admission to the state university. Fisher brought suit alleging that the university's race-conscious admissions program violated her Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection.
In 1997, the year that Fisher had applied to the university, the Texas legislature had enacted a law that required the University to admit all high school seniors who ranked in the top ten percent of their high school. Fisher did not fall within the top ten percent.
For those students who did not fall into that category, the school would consider race, amongst a number of other factors, such as Personal Achievement scores, as factors for admission. Fisher believed that the consideration of race violated her Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection.
However, the district court did not agree as they decided in favor of the University. Upon appeal, the Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's decision. However, Fisher appealed the court's decision and the case found it's way before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that such cases were reviewable under the Fourteenth Amendment and that a strict scrutiny standard was to be applied in determining whether such policies are "precisely tailored to serve a compelling governmental interest." The Court held that the lower courts had not properly conducted the strict scrutiny analysis in this case.
What was most exciting for Moot Court members was having the chance to demonstrate their litigation skills as thought they were really presenting a case before a court.
In addition to the invaluable experience, Samporna, who argued for Fisher, really enjoyed the process of helping college students see how Moot Court works and what all it represents. Samporna said, "Helping non-legal minds develop an understanding and appreciation of laws and the legal process deepens my own appreciation for my chosen profession."
Hopefully the demonstration inspired more than just Moot Courters but also the young minds at Mesa College hoping to pursue a career in the field of law.


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It's important to us that our programme is innovative and gives real tangible results to work with and Insight Market Research has given us clear insight into the service we provide to our customers. This has led to big improvements in the execution of our service and the training we provide to our teams. They are extremely professional and have helped us through the development of a highly rewarding Mystery Shopping programme. I would have no hesitation in recommending Insight Market Research to any business looking to run a tailored mystery shopping programme.
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Some of it is country/jazz, some has an Hawaiian feel. Some is straight country and kind of folky.
I write, record, produce, and perform emotionally-charged songs in the folk rock vein.
Mak Mereli (Real Name Mamuka Megrelishvili) Composer. Music for film and TV, animation, theatre and commercials.
Hi, I'm a songwriter and producer. I'm Looking for placements for my work. The emphasis is strongly on writing memorable melodies.
Hi! I'm a young songwriter and composer. I love music in all its forms. I can play piano and guitar and I like using these in my tracks. I believe t. ..
Wrong Records in an independent record label based in New York with a catalogue of artists spanning multiple genres from rock to folk to dub.
Singer/Songwriter. Acoustic Guitar. Fingerpicking style on most songs. Acoustic blues, Americana and folk. Baritone voice.
I have various songs in the folk/rock or soft rock vein which may suit different types of movies. Best to check my website and take a` listen.
Eclectic styles, with and without vocals. From folk rock to techno.


Few underclassmen have boosted their professional stock this season quite like Siad Haji.
The dynamic attacking midfielder was perhaps a bit slow out of the gate, but continued to trend up over the past week, leading VCU to a pair of significant conference wins at home.
In a mid-week clash with the 2017 A10 champions Massachusetts, Haji fired home a pair of goals. During Saturday's encore, Haji was credited with the assist on both goals, as the Rams extended their conference winning streak to three games.
Haji's output over the week nets him the latest Player of the Week, and pro scouts are sure to take notice as he continues to influence games on the score sheet. See which other top performers from around the nation join him below.
GK Michael Creek, Missouri State – One of four remaining unbeaten teams in the country, Creek kept a pair of clean sheets over the past week in 1-0 wins. He made a single save in a win over Western Illionis, and then came through with five big stops in a conference victory against Bradley.
D Scott Devoss, Denver – Plenty of digital ink has already been spilled about Andre Shinyashiki's performance of 2018. But the Denver back line has also excelled for long parts of the season. DeVoss logged every minute over the past week, including 105 minutes in a 1-0 win in double overtime against Creighton.
D AJ Vasquez, UCLA – Making his return from injury, Vasquez played the full 90 minutes and helped UCLA keep a pair of clean sheets over the past week. The former U.S. youth international back-stopped 1-0 wins over Oregon State and Washington as the Bruins extended their Pac-12 record to 3-1.
D Patrick Nielsen, Michigan State – After losing its first game of the season the weekend prior, the Spartans hit the road to College Park and plundered all three points. A big part of that was thanks to Nielsen, who scored the winning goal from a set piece (or at least he claimed to score it) and led the team's defensive effort in a 2-0 victory.
M Siad Haji, VCU – With two goals and two assists, Haji boosted his numbers to five goals and seven assists on the season. He's arguably the top pro prospect in the men's college game this season.
M Niko Klosterhalfen, Old Dominion – Klosterhalfen found the back of the net three times in two victories for the Monarchs, scoring the winning goal in overtime (one of two tallies) against William & Mary. He opened the scoring on Saturday, a 4-1 win against Florida Atlantic.
M Alvaro Quezada, UC Irvine – A roaring start to the Big West campaign saw Quezada at the heart of UC Irvine's success. He had two assists in a 3-1 win against UC Riverside, added a goal and assist in a defeat of Sacramento State.
M Jonathan Hagman, Syracuse – Riding a three-game winless streak into a week that featured matchups against Akron and Wake Forest, the Orangemen jolted their season to life with a pair of wins. Hagman scored a hat trick against the Zips to win it 3-1, and also started and locked down the Demon Deacons on Friday night by a 2-0 score.
F Josh Luchini, Lehigh – The freshman forward had a hand in leading Lehigh to a pair of 1-0 wins in conference play. He setup Mark Forrest's winner last Wednesday, in a defeat of Colgate. On Saturday, he scored the winning goal in a win against Navy.
F Cal Jennings, UCF – Now the nation's second-highest scorer, Jennings bagged four goals across two games last week. He scored twice in a lopsided 8-1 win against Jacksonville, and tacked on two more in a 4-3 conference win over Tulsa.
F Jake Rudel, St. Mary's CA(m) – Make it 10 goals in 12 games now for Rudel, who scored the opening and close goals in a 4-0 defeat of Pacific over the weekend. The Gaels look here to stay in the WCC race, and now sit at a record of 12-0.


AnonD-326246, 31 Oct 2014hey , im using samsung s5 G900FD - I use the first sim for calling and texting while the oth... moreGo to settings, connections, SIM card manager and tick receive incoming calls.
You can only remove the network provider logo of one SIM from the status bar if you disable that SIM.
I use the first sim for calling and texting while the other for 3g internet but everytime i turn on the internet (3G) ,even though the bars are full i cant seem to call/text or recieve calls and texts using the 1st sim most of the time.
Secondly , is there anyway to remove SIM1 logo from the top status bar??
galaxy s5 duos camera and speed is gd or? how is this phone?
Murtaza, 30 Oct 2014Can HSDPA (3G) and LTE (4G) can be used from secondary SIM Port? Actually I want to use 3G/... moreIf you have two 3G sims in your ports then sim 2 will work at 2G. Sim 2 will always be relagated to 2G if you have a superior G band chip in the port of sim 1.
Murtaza, 30 Oct 2014Can HSDPA (3G) and LTE (4G) can be used from secondary SIM Port? Actually I want to use 3G/... moreYes you can!
Can HSDPA (3G) and LTE (4G) can be used from secondary SIM Port?
Actually I want to use 3G/4G on my sim in secondary port and not from primary one.
If you have studied science or at least you have some general knowledge, you must know that going deeper in water means, increasing pressure, so this device can bear pressure only upto 1 meter, this is why they mentioned 1 meter.
AnonD-279291, 29 Oct 2014Can anyone solve my problem? While sending text messages through SMS when 3G is active, signal... moreCan u post ur firmware version before u update. If not how about the last firmware verson. U can check at ur fon settings.... it written with the date.
AnonD-139514, 25 Oct 2014Yes it use to happen to my phone....network would disappear for few sec and then come back....... moreSame problem im facing. Any solution or should I switch to some other good brand?
Will this phone's SIM 1 work on AT&T LTE network in the US?
dooxy, 28 Oct 2014yes you can. but you can't use sim 1 for 3&4g data and sim2 for 3&4g data at the same... moreI mean the 1 sim I use for my contacts only and the 2 sim I use for internet only this is what I mean.
ben, 28 Oct 2014I ask something if this samsung duos can use of 1 sim for calling and for sim2 is for internet... moreYes it can.
ben, 28 Oct 2014I ask something if this samsung duos can use of 1 sim for calling and for sim2 is for internet... moreyes you can.
but you can't use sim 1 for 3&4g data and sim2 for 3&4g data at the same time - it's one or the other.
I ask something if this samsung duos can use of 1 sim for calling and for sim2 is for internet can you give me your opinion if it is possible. Thanks!
is this phone useful or not...? Coz i want to buy this phone nex week so guys please tell me is this phone worth to use these days...?
I just received an update of 15.41Mb now. Does anyone know for what it is?
Hi guys, the Samsung S5 Duos SMG900FD in middle east (Oman & UAE), it's dual standby not a dual active , I bought one and I tested it, the concept here is the phone diverts the calls from Sim1 to Sim2 and vice versa , if you want to check that , go to settings and check for the divert calls for both sims , you will see that.
So if your operator charges the calls on divert , when you are on Sim1 talking and received a call on Sim2 and answered it , the Sim2 will be charged, please check the credit on both sims.
In Oman, Omantel & Nawras they charge your Sim for diverting a call.
In UAE Etisalat & du they charge the divert call to other operator but not on same operator Sims.
So SMG900FD is a dual standby not dual active.
Anonymous, 26 Oct 2014Is it possible on this phone that by using one sim we can receive the call on other. Yes it is.
I can receive calls in one SIM even the other SIM is in use for 4G internet.