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› Unlocking the potential of the 'Indigenous Estate'
Unlocking the potential of the 'Indigenous Estate'
Developing the appropriate settings for the management and access to the Indigenous Estate is critical to enable it to achieve its potential, to generate opportunities and choice and to bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders benefits and influence on the national stage.
Steps to assist the Indigenous Estate reach its full potential
The time to start is now
Jonathan Taylor
Associate Director, Policy, Programs & Evaluation
KPMG Australia
Jonathan Taylor, Indigenous Development Specialist, KPMG Australia and
Eddie Fry
Across the Australian landmass, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hold a rich base of assets and rights. Indeed, according to estimates, Indigenous people now own or have controlling interests in some 40% of the Australian land mass under various forms of title and legislation.
The repossession and growth of the Indigenous Estate in the last 40 years by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has been significant.
The challenge now is both to continue to grow the Indigenous Estate and more importantly to cause its assets to be converted to bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders benefits and influence to the national stage.
The assets comprising the Indigenous Estate include tangible assets: the land and waters of the Estate, and the resources located on or within it, and also intangible assets – cultural and intellectual property rights, as they exist in forms of expression (arts, dance, music, language); traditional cultural, environmental and bioscience practices, and other forms of traditional knowledge.
And the Indigenous Estate continues to grow through:
the acquisition, development and management of land
the flows of funds from royalties and rents from resources, land use and other agreements, and the investment of those funds – domestically and internationally
the development and growth of Indigenous businesses and
revitalisation or enhancement of intellectual and cultural property and knowledge, and new forms of expression and works.
1. We need to better understand the Indigenous Estate
Whilst there have been many studies on particular regions or landholdings, a structured identification or assessment of the assets of the Indigenous Estate is required, coupled with an understanding (driven by appropriate consultation) of the aspirations and opportunities desired by Indigenous communities and groups within their respective regions or landholdings.
Once this understanding of aspirations and opportunities increases, we can establish an enabling ecosystem/framework for Indigenous economic development and the Estate can be grown by and in line with the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups and communities.
2. We need to establish a consistent, national, enabling framework for economic development
To allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the full opportunity to protect, and if they wish, develop or harness, their respective interests in the Indigenous Estate, a framework is needed that enables the potential of these assets to achieve the outcomes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples choose.
Such a framework should establish the mechanisms and support structures that enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to:
establish governance structures that are sufficiently agile to participate effectively in economic and investment activity, whilst also reflecting cultural and community needs and expectations
develop the commercial capability necessary to make informed strategic, investment and commercial decisions
access capital and advice from aligned partners who can work effectively alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
In addition, it must:
articulate the role of each key institution, agency and segment in the spectrum of Indigenous economic development, the role it is expected to play and its inter-relationship with the others and
identify the resources, skills, products and services required for each player to be fully effective as an enabler of the economic aspirations of Indigenous Australians.
3. We need to ensure policy settings are enabling, not inhibiting
Current policy settings for economic development of the Indigenous Estate do not articulate a clear framework and can impose requirements seen to inhibit economic activity, rather than enable it.
For example, in certain circumstances organisations are often compelled to incorporate under prescriptive governance regimes which are compliance driven rather than commercially agile. The weight of effort necessarily then goes to meeting reporting and related obligations, rather than strategic and/or commercial decisions, let alone economic development. Many organisations are simply not resourced or ill-equipped otherwise to operate in these contexts, and are caught in a cycle of compliance, audit and reporting, rather than growth.
Similarly, royalty arrangements have often limited Indigenous communities' ability to make risk-based commercial decisions that suit their circumstances, and instead the agreements have enforced the use of an external trustee or adviser with a deliberately conservative mandate, and with incentives/drivers that are not always well aligned with the community's own aspirations.
4. We need to plan for sustainability
Over the course of many years, there have unfortunately been many examples where communities or organisations have lacked a long-term plan for the use and development of their assets.
The consequences of this have been wide ranging. In some cases funds have been disbursed or applied for short-term needs, or invested into local, high risk businesses or activities, with no amounts set aside for longer term use or intergenerational benefit. In other cases, the activities undertaken by such organisations have been opportunistic and reactive, and misaligned with community expectations.
Where funds have consistently been used for the short term, or are locked in an illiquid local business or asset prone to distress, the capital base of the organisation affected is depleted permanently. This is particularly stark where the funds have arisen from a land use or other agreement in which there has been an 'asset swap' or 'conversion of interest', in which the group has exchanged inherent rights to an asset (lands, waters, related rights and/or intellectual property), for financial assets (primarily cash) or other rights.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that establishing an appropriate plan, and subsequently an asset base which provides for financial sustainability, often better positions organisations to meet community expectations (whether relating to community development or otherwise) over the long term.
5. We need to invest in building true commercial capability
Building commercial capability allows Indigenous groups and communities to test, challenge and change the (often imposed) structures to which they are subject.
Within the Indigenous Estate, there are too few examples where commercial capability has been fostered genuinely and sustainably, with the focus instead being on coursework and training. Commercial capability cannot be developed solely in the abstract – rather, it is best developed in the context of, and when it is integrated into, real and tangible projects, for example where groups have co-invested in real ventures and have called upon to plan for and make decisions about how their money will be invested or used, and how the underlying assets and businesses are managed.
6. We need to improve access to appropriate commercial expertise and advice
The lack of understanding of the opportunities within Indigenous Australia, the small asset base of many organisations, and the remoteness and other barriers to effective engagement with many Indigenous communities has meant that, generally, communities have not been able to access the most appropriate and highest quality advice needed to engage in commercial activity.
As the Estate becomes better understood, and as corporate and wider segments have become increasingly engaged with Indigenous Australia, this has started to change – there is still much room for improvement.
7. We must ensure that institutions, policies and structures that manage and regulate access to Indigenous landholdings are used creatively and flexibly
Mechanisms exist, and have indeed been utilised, to lease and otherwise make land available where native title rights and interests or statutory land rights exist for commercial activity (where desired).
For the institutions, policies and structures that manage and regulate access to and with Indigenous landholdings, we must ensure we think laterally and creatively about how to create the necessary certainty, balancing risk and reward, to achieve the outcomes being sought. Accordingly, we must look within existing laws, such as the flexibility afforded by the 'Indigenous Land Use Agreement' (ILUA) Scheme within the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth).
Agreements concluded under the ILUA provisions can be remarkably flexible, covering a wide array of matters, including to support commercial activities, or to provide long-term, binding and legally enforceable rights to an individual. Similar outcomes can be achieved via existing provisions in statutory land rights schemes.
The time to start working towards achieving the potential of the Indigenous Estate is now.
Over the past decade in particular we have witnessed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and groups engage in an accelerated period of agreement-making. The financial benefits arising from this agreement-making activity has largely been generated by extractive resources-related activity associated with the mining boom.
Studies conducted estimate that there could be up to $10-15 billion in investable assets in the Indigenous Estate, much of which is held in trusts. While there remains a reasonably long tail of operational activity left to run, the benefits that can flow from such activity into the Indigenous Estate are inevitably finite.
In the boom and bust cycle associated with the extractive resources industry, the challenge is to now ensure that this wealth derived from a non-renewable asset, works for and benefits both current and future generations by creating opportunity and facilitating independence.
It is time for governments and the institutions that manage, and govern access to the Indigenous Estate, to look beyond the next electoral cycle and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island groups, communities and individuals to focus on the future that these groups, communities and individuals want to achieve. They must be structured in such a way as to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups and communities access to appropriate and professional advice, absent self-interest and 'short-termism'.
Critically, in addition to working to generate a long-term plan and vision that is driven by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people about what they wish to achieve, we must continue to allow the Indigenous Estate to link with the broader Australian economy and vice versa, so that investments, opportunities and benefits are generated for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, if they so choose.
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More articles in this report
Economic advancement of Indigenous Australians
The rise of Indigenous entrepreneurs
Tax reform can boost the Indigenous economy
Indigenous millennials and education
Superannuation: breaking down the barriers to Indigenous Australia
Empowering Indigenous Communities
Igniting the Indigenous economy
This report presents a collaboration of ideas focused on the economic development of Indigenous Australia.
Corporate Citizenship aims to create impacts for our communities in Indigenous Australia, mental health, skills for the future and climate change.


From the period of April to the end of June, the number of insolvencies being processed in the UK hit a six-year high. It is clear that the various stresses being placed upon low-paid workers, such as high inflation, meagre wage rises, and benefit cuts have affected the wages of low-paid Britons throughout the nation.
During the second quarter of this year, the number of individual insolvencies throughout the UK hit a whopping 28,951, which is a 4.4% increase on the previous quarter, and an incredible 27.3% on the same quarter from 2017.
The reasons for this are broad and varied. For a start, wage growth is barely keeping ahead of inflation. This means that people are seeing a real squeeze on their incomes and are struggling to make it last the month.
In addition, while there are more people are in 'employment', thousands of people are stuck in the 'gig economy'. The gig economy has been described as "a labour market characterised by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work, as opposed to permanent jobs".
Jobs that we typically associate with the gig economy are things like Uber driving, being a courier, or a food delivery driver for companies like Deliveroo. These jobs often result in unpredictable and sporadic wages which can not only be low but incredibly challenging to budget with.
What makes things worse is that the Bank of England is on the cusp of announcing a rise in interest rates. This will make life significantly harder for the people in society with the least money, who already rely on credit to make their lives more manageable and comfortable.
The Insolvency Service, a government body which is intended to "deliver economic confidence by supporting those in financial distress", has noted how the severe upswing in IVA applications has helped to create this insolvency figure.
In the report, they explained there were just under 18,000 IVAs in the last quarter, which was a 5.7% increase upon the first quarter of this year. They also pointed out that this was the highest number of IVAs since their introduction in 1987.
While it is true that going insolvent is not a 'good' thing. Facing unmanageable debt in the first place is a stressful process which can follow you everywhere. However, it is also true that seeking out help and signing up for a formal debt solution is far superior to continuing to try and keep your head above water while making no progress on your situation.
The economy should not be in a state where there are around 18,000 IVA applications accepted in three months, but at the same time, this is significantly better than having 18,000 people doing nothing about their increasing debt trouble.
At debt free life, we naturally hate to see people come to us in desperate financial situations. It is a stress that no one should ever go through, and we fully appreciate the mental toll that it can take on a person.
However, at the same time, we are happy that people who are in such difficult situations are taking steps to improve their situation. Reaching out for help is never easy, and due to the social stigma that has been placed on debt, financial troubles are even more difficult to talk about. Nonetheless, opening up about your issues is significantly easier than continuing to struggle alone.
As it stands, the economy is bleak and doesn't seem to be improving. Thousands of Britons around the country are finding that their wages are getting them less and less, while others are being forced into the gig economy where they cannot rely on a regular salary. We don't have the power to stop this, unfortunately, but we do have the ability to help those facing financial difficulty.
Insolvency isn't good, but with the right service and support it really is not the end of the world. In fact, in many cases, it can be an effective way of hitting the reset button to get on top of debt which you would otherwise have no hope of paying.
Our advisers are on-hand to come up with a plan which will not only make your payments simpler and cheaper but will allow you to write off as much as 80% of your debt entirely. Our team is committed to offering all the support you need from start to finish and explaining everything you need to know in an easy-to-understand manner.
In order to speak with our team immediately, give us a call on 0800 808 5124.
Alternatively, take a moment to fill in our debt calculator, and one of our staff will be in touch as soon as possible.


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Newcomers: 2007 Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty
Weekend Warrior: Fighting in a Field of Heavy Weights
Mark Williamswriter
As a follow-up to the release of last year's half-ton Silverado (our 2007 Truck of the Year), GM now releases the rugged three-quarter and one-ton pickup versions, with many of the same exterior and interior design cues.
You'll notice a familiar look to the hood and body panels between half-ton and heavy-duty trucks. Engine choices are simplified to include one gas and one turbodiesel motor. The new Gen-IV OHV 6.0-liter V-8, now with variable valve timing, produces 353 horsepower and 373 pound-feet of torque. This engine gets the new 6L90 six-speed automatic transmission (a stronger version of the Escalade and Yukon Denali 6L80-E). A revised 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V-8 remains the tool of choice for more than 60 percent of heavy-duty buyers. Of course, to meet the new 2007 federal emissions regulations, there's a sophisticated series of new particulate filters that collect soot and other pollutants. These improvements allow the Duramax to offer a segment-leading 365 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque, but it's at a significant cost. The diesel engine has a price tag of $7195. Tack on another $1200 for the mandatory Allison 1000 six-speed tranny, retuned to keep the shifts between gears (up and down) smooth yet solid. As you'd expect, the system has a "Tow/Haul" button to hold gears and help with braking when loaded, plus both transmissions offer a "thumb shifter" for manual gear selections.
Almost as impressive as the powertrain, the interiors are upgraded to look identical to those in the smaller half-tons. HD interiors have three trim levels (WT, LT, and LTZ), and two dash layouts (Pure American Pickup and Luxury Inspired). Other features include the extended cabs that offer the 170-degree, dual-hinge rear doors, and the rear seats (Extended and Crew Cabs) that fold into the seatbacks. HDs will offer three bed sizes, five wheelbases, three cab models, two different suspension packages (including a new Z71 choice in 4x4 or 4x2), single and dual rear-wheel options, and pricing starting from $24,575. Made for work, the HDs can carry between 2294 and 5307 pounds, with a max trailering capacity of 16,000 pounds (for a fifth wheel). Heavy-Duty, indeed.
2007 Chevy Silverado HD
BASE PRICE	 $24,575-$41.010
VEHICLE LAYOUT	 Front engine, RWD or 4WD, 2-6-pass; 2-, 2+2-, or 4-door pickup
ENGINE	 6.0L/312-353-hp*/373-lb-ft* OHV 16-valve V-8; 6.6L 365-hp/660-lb-ft turbodiesel OHV 32-valve V-8
CURB WEIGHT	 5300-6900 lb (mfr est)
WHEELBASE	 133.0-167.2 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	 224.7-258.7 x 79.8-95.9 x 75.6-77.1 in
0-60 MPH	 N/A
EPA CITY/ HWY ECON	 Not rated (over 8500 lb GVWR)
ON SALE IN U.S. *SAE CERTIFIED	 Currently

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


WordPress has great Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) capabilities. All you need to do is follow a few simple steps and your site will be on it's way up the rankings.
Over the years I've learnt a number of tips and tricks to improve email marketing results. Whilst it's a continual process, as the medium evolves, there are a number of hints I'd like to pass on to my clients.


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Burnaby South Liberal candidate quits over her racial comments about NDP leader
Liberal candidate Karen Wang has quit the Burnaby South byelection race over comments she posted on social media about NDP leader and candidate Jagmeet Singh.
Karen Wang wrote that as the only Chinese candidate, she could beat Jagmeet Singh, noting he is Indian
Karin Larsen · CBC News · Posted: Jan 16, 2019 9:51 AM PT | Last Updated: January 17
Karen Wang, the Liberal candidate in the Feb. 25 Burnaby South byelection, has resigned. (facebook.com/karenxbwang)
In a WeChat post reported by StarMetro Vancouver, Wang wrote that as the only Chinese candidate, she could beat Jagmeet Singh, who she noted is of "Indian descent." Singh was born in Scarborough, Ont., to parents who immigrated to Canada from Punjab state in India.
"Recent online comments by Karen Wang are not aligned with the values of the Liberal Party of Canada," said a statement from the party.
"The Liberal Party has a clear commitment to positive politics and support for Canadian diversity, and the same is always expected of our candidates."
NDP puts off winter caucus meeting to focus on Singh's byelection campaign
In a statement, Wang apologized to Singh and said her choice of words in the social media post was not well considered.
"In trying to speak about my own story and the importance of people of all different backgrounds getting involved in this important byelection, I made comments online that also referenced Jagmeet Singh's cultural background."
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, left, places a sign on supporter Paul Pelletreau's lawn while door-knocking for his byelection campaign in Burnaby, B.C., on Saturday. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)
Singh faces a trial-by-fire while Liberals, Conservatives look to score wins in upcoming byelections
Political commentator Shachi Kurl, of the Angus Reid Institute, said Wang had little option but to resign, because her comments ran opposite to the Liberal Party's brand.
"In Canada in 2019 — especially in a very ethnically diverse riding — those comments are just untenable," she said. "It's a bit of boon to Jagmeet Singh, but perhaps not the end of the world in terms of the long game for the Liberal Party."
Millennials could swing the 2019 election, but parties need to engage them, says pollster
In response to Wang's resignation, Singh told CBC: "I intend to represent everyone, whether their background is Korean, Sri Lankan, Chinese, European, Japanese, South Asian, Vietnamese, African or Indigenous — anyone who calls Burnaby South their home."
NDP leader and candidate Jagmeet Singh responds to Wang's resignation:
Jagmeet Singh responds to the resignation of Liberal candidate Karen Wang in the Burnaby South byelection over racial comments that she made about the NDP leader. 0:53
The Liberal Party now has until Feb. 4 to nominate a new candidate for the Burnaby South byelection. The party's constitution also allows the leader to appoint someone.
Speaking on CBC News Network's Power & Politics Wednesday evening, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said he expects the party will run another candidate.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Jan. 9 that byelections for the ridings of York–Simcoe in Ontario, Outremont in Quebec and Burnaby South in B.C. will be held Feb. 25.
With files from Yvette Brend and Rene Fillipone
Top stories from British Columbia
Cyber thieves make off with hundreds of thousands of dollars in attack targeting Coast Capital Savings
'Your country deserves much better': B.C. judge warned Canadian sentenced to death in China
Nearly 6 in 10 Canadians polled call lack of new pipeline capacity a 'crisis'


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Birdman of LauderdaleNews
The owl babies of University Grove
Kristal Leebrick
University Grove resident David Wark took this photo of one of the great horned owl chicks now "hanging out" in the Falcon Heights community.
The sight of two great horned owl chicks hanging out in the brushy commons on Northrup Street last week was a celebratory event for neighbors in the University Grove community of Falcon Heights.
Their appearance together means the two owls—one hatched in a tree on that block and the other an orphan rescued from a clear-cutting site in Hudson, Wis.—are now siblings, said Karen Kloser, whose white oak is the place where this story began.
The two were brought together on May 5, after the University of Minnesota Raptor Center was called to help with a chick that had fallen, along with its nest, from the tree in Kloser's yard.
That tree had become home to two adult owls sometime in November, Kloser said. That's when she and neighbors began hearing the owls call in the mornings and evenings. In March, a neighbor saw one of the birds fly into a nest in Kloser's tree "and that's when we realized where [they were]," Kloser said.
With no leaves on the trees at that time, neighbors had a good view of the owls. "It was marvelous to watch the behavior day in and day out, and then the baby appeared in late March and that was even more exciting," Kloser said.
That "adorable little white fluff of down" drew continuous crowds to her front yard. Neighbors came with cameras, telescopes, binoculars, and they watched the adult owls keeping the chick well-fed, Kloser said.
On April 23, the chick was seen on the tree branch outside the nest. Hours later, the nest imploded into Kloser's yard and the chick was gone.
Folks in University Grove lost sight of the chick until May 5, when Rebecca Montgomery, Kloser's next-door neighbor, found it on her front stoop. She called the Raptor Center.
Julie Ponder, executive director of the center, said what happened on Northrup Street is a normal occurrence with great horned owls.
"They are our earliest nesters," she said. "They adopt nests used by someone else. They do no home improvement and the nests don't have a lot of integrity. Chicks fall. We go and help get chicks up [into a tree] to get them away from kids, dogs and cars."
When the Raptor Center volunteer arrived, she realized the chick was probably the only one in the brood. And the Raptor Center had an orphan about the same age that had lost its family. That chick was found in Hudson after an area was cleared of trees.
"It was not a safe place and there was no place where we could safely put the chick," Ponder said.
The Raptor Center brought the chick to the St. Paul Campus.
"Two is the average size of an owl clutch," Ponder said, "and the nice thing about great horned owls is they either can't count, don't count or don't care. They will adopt chicks in the area. They are very welcoming."
Karen Kloser caught the two owl chicks in a tree.
On May 11, Kloser sent an email to the Bugle saying, "The Raptor Center orphan owl and our baby owl are now siblings." Neighbors have reported seeing the chicks together and have sighted the parents watching the humans who are watching the babies.
Eventually the great horned owls will leave, Ponder said, but they will stay in a family group in the area for some time.
"They'll start getting a larger and larger range and have less movement in the day," she said. "They will be less visible, but they will still be there for quite a while yet.
"Great horned owls are the earliest nesters but the slowest to get independence."
David Wark, who snapped the photo of one of the chicks (shown above), said the neighbors refer to the owls as "our babies."
"In the 20 years I've lived here, even though there are owls around here, I have never had anything that close in my yard," Kloser said. "It's an incredible gift."
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Deanna Seppanen
June 19, 2015 at 12:18 pm.06.
There is also a Hawk nest in the boulevard tree in front of 1530 Fulham in case any are interested. There are at least two "chicks" in the nest this year. There were five last year.
Jan Morlock
Great story! Thanks to the U Grove neighbors and the Raptor Center.


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Paul Rudd suprisingly succeeds in Marvel's 'Ant-Man' | The Triangle
Paul Rudd suprisingly succeeds in Marvel's 'Ant-Man'
By Josh Weiss
Marvel should stick to its lesser-known properties more often. They come with less baggage and expectations than crowd favorites like "The Incredible Hulk," "Captain America," or "Thor," not to mention "The Avengers." These are household names and if you don't deliver on these iconic characters, with their rich histories and storylines, you may very well be condemned for heresy and sacrilege. However, every so often a new hero grows out of nowhere and changes the game, making you rethink your notions of the entire comic book genre. "Ant-Man" is that hero and —while I was a big fan of "Age of Ultron" — his standalone movie (released July 17) is the greatest thing to come from Marvel Studios since "Guardians of the Galaxy" last summer.
For such a small guy, Ant-Man makes one giant impact. The whole movie excels on all the elements you wouldn't expect to work, mostly choice of actors and the use of special effects. Couple that with director Peyton Reed only having just took over the reins when Edgar Wright parted ways with Marvel over creative differences last year. I was a little worried by Reed as his past exploits, including "The Break-Up" and "Yes Man," weren't exactly classics. You can leave your fears and apprehension at the concession stand because Reed has finally found his groove in the world of superheroes.
If you've seen the "Avengers" sequel, you'll know that studio has the interconnected comic book world down pat. As they've been building this massive cinematic universe since 2008's "Iron Man," there comes a higher level of confidence with each film, and references to more and more various characters and happenings within this universe. For lack of a better term, they're Easter eggs and "Ant-Man" is chock full of cameos, "Hail Hydras," etc.
The story opens in a flashback to 1989 (only a year after Peter Quill was abducted by the Ravagers), where Dr. Hank Pym — a Michael Douglas who is made younger with the technology I assume made Arnold Schwarzenegger younger in "Terminator Genisys" — resigns from S.H.I.E.L.D. after he discovers they're trying to replicate his research on "Pym Particles," which could be dangerous if it ever got into the wrong hands. It's the stuff that lets the title character shrink and grow at will. Those present are familiar faces: none other than Howard Stark (John Slattery) and Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Why does any of this matter? Because Pym was the original Ant-Man who made his first appearance in "Tales to Astonish 27" and his wife Janet van Dyne was the original Wasp. Fun fact: Ant-Man also founded the Avengers in the comics, but I'm willing to concede credit to Nick Fury in the cinematic universe since Samuel L. Jackson is such a badass.
And yet, as with many Marvel features these days, a superhero back in the day (save for Captain America) is just not relevant anymore. It needs an update, like changing Iron Man's origins from the Vietnam War to the War in Afghanistan. You need an update of the character to allow audiences to relate so we move to the second and modern day iteration of Ant-Man, Scott Lang. If the movie was made in the late 80s and directed by Joe Johnston, I'd suggest changing the title to "Honey, I Shrunk The Felon" since Lang is an ex-con with a masters in electrical engineering who's really adept at burgling people (not robbing as that involves physical harm).
Lang is played by the last person you'd expect to play him: funnyman Paul Rudd. You'd think him to be at home in a Judd Apatow comedy, but you know what? He's frickin' fantastic in the role and is the best wisecracking hero since Tony Stark. Rudd adds a lightness to the Marvel cinematic universe that I didn't know was missing until I saw "Ant-Man." Anyway, Lang's got a daughter to think about and gets a chance at redemption when he comes under the tutelage of an aged Dr. Pym who bequeaths him the super suit (sorry, Frozone). Michael Douglas has usually been the serious, no nonsense male archetype in his films, but here he's a kind Mr. Miyagi mentor who can also wisecrack when he wants to.
The two work with Pym's daughter Hope van Dyne (the beautiful Evangeline Lily with a bob hairdo) to stop the nefarious CEO of Pym's company Darren Cross (Corey Stoll is scary as hell, he should play villains more often) from cracking the solution to Pym Particles. Cross, in the original comics, is Ant-Man's arch-nemesis Yellowjacket.
There is a sense of urgency to the plot, but it's also really fun. It plays to the comedic strengths of Rudd and the dramatic strengths of Douglas. There are also standout supporting characters like Michael Pena, T.I. Harris and David Dastmalchian as Lang's crew of misfits in crime. Luiz (Pena) is especially funny since he never knows when to shut up.
And don't even get me started on the special effects, which are used to their fullest potential as we shrink with Lang and explore the world from the perspective of an insect. With this shrinking/growing technology as a plot device, the entire world becomes a playground that can grow and shrink at will; no place or object is too inaccessible from cracks in the floor to model train sets to the barrel of a gun. All of it adds up to some pretty great visual gags that drive the film forward.
And did I mention Lang can talk to and control ants? Yeah, pretty wicked awesome when you ride up to defeat your enemy with thousands of bugs that can lift up to 50 times their own weight, give you a nasty bite or fry electrical equipment. Can't wait to see what he can do when he joins the Avengers! We've seen entire cities dropped out of the sky and the end of S.H.I.E.L.D., but I think that the small scale world of "Ant-Man" is what makes it so unique compared to all the giant spectacles of every other superhero movie out there. And with that, the age old debate is put to rest: bigger is not always better.


This 7,222-square-foot home is listed for $879,000 and has five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one half-bathroom, a fully finished basement and exercise room.
The current owners of this home at 3612 Olive Branch Road in Greenwood only needed 15 minutes to decide it was the right space for them.
Now, they're hoping another family will come along and love it as much as they have.
Located in Johnson County's White River Township, close to Center Grove schools, this 7,222-square-foot home is listed for $879,000 and has five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one half-bathroom, a fully finished basement and exercise room.
But the real gem is the yard and back patio. The home's current owners, Dennis and Elaine VanEmon, have added thousands of dollars in landscaping updates to the 1.71-acre property since moving in eight years ago. Beyond that, the patio space includes a large summer kitchen, two fire pits, a koi pond and an in-ground pool.
The private drive leading to the home runs parallel to railroad tracks just west of Ind. 135, but Realtor Brenda Dean said tests from inside the house registered the sound of the train at around 70 decibels. That's roughly equivalent to the sound of a vacuum cleaner, according to estimates shared by Purdue University.
Almost all of the bedrooms are located on the back side of the house, opposite the tracks.
Each of the five bedrooms comes with ample closet space; many have built-in shelves. The master bedroom, which offers sweeping views of the backyard, pond and flowing dam, offers twin closet spaces that connect to a hobby room that could easily be converted to a lounge space or hold a private collection.
The spacious master bathroom includes a large whirlpool tub and standing shower, plus Jack-and-Jill sinks.
The home's kitchen, featuring stainless steel appliances, has been updated to expand pantry space and added a bar to the already existing kitchen island. A balcony is accessible from the dining area.
The basement offers space for a home theater, a second fireplace and a card-table nook as well as space for a full bar. Large doors lead from the basement to the pool deck.
And then there's that back patio.
The home's current owners estimate they've added more than $60,000 in landscaping, including terraced landscaping on the back slope leading to a retention pond and flowing dam. They've also added more than 80 new trees and shrubs to the property.
Accessible from the basement, the patio area includes an in-ground pool, two fire pits — one wood-burning, the other gas — a koi pond and a small herb garden where the owners have planted basil, mint, sage and chives.
But the centerpiece is the full summer kitchen, just a few steps off the pool deck. Added by the current owners around 2013, the kitchen includes warming ovens, a refrigerator, ice maker, sink and a large gas grill. There's also wiring that would allow for an outdoor TV to be mounted on the home's exterior wall under the water-proofed balcony.
With granite counter tops and a bar facing one of the fire pits, the space is ripe for entertaining.
Address: 3612 Olive Branch Road, Greenwood.
Details: Built in 1995; five bedrooms; five bathrooms and one half-bathroom; 7,222 square feet; three-car garage space; full outdoor kitchen; in-ground pool; koi pond; overlooks lake with dam on 1.71 acres.
Contact: Brenda D. Dean, Your Realty Link, LLC., 317-403-2780, brenda@indyonlineteam.com.


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Telecommunications and Postal Services
SA Connect progress; USAASA 2018/19 Annual Performance Plan
Chairperson: Mr J Mahlangu (ANC)
The Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) updated Members on the progress made on SA Connect, and confirmed that it was working together with state-owned entities, Broadband Infraco (BBI) and the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) to rollout SA Connect. The Committee was informed of the scope of Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the project. The DTPS gave a summary of the number of sites connected under Phase 1 and the targets it had for this financial year. Phase 2 was yet to commence, since Treasury had requested a feasibility study, which was currently being undertaken.
Members heard that Treasury budget cuts had affected the SA Connect targets, and that it would not be able to deliver on some of the initiatives planned. Another challenge it had had to deal with had involved the procurement, since none of the bidders had met the minimum requirements .A decision had therefore been made that the DTPS would use government entities which would in turn collaborate with entities in the private sector.
The Committee was concerned that the budget figures for SA Connect did not add up, and that the DTPS was not providing a clear picture of how the medium term expenditure framework (MTEF) transfer of R557.8 million allocated for SA Connect would be spent. The Committee also wanted to know why BBI, which was the lead agency for SA Connect, was not present during the meeting. Concern was expressed that network connectivity at some of the schools was very slow, The DTPS responded that the reason for the networks being slow in the schools was because the speed prescribed under the Universal Service and Access Obligation (UASO) was 1Mb/s. The Deputy Minister, however, assured Members that the speed limits would be changed during the next spectrum allocation.
There was a general feeling by the members of the Committee that it had not received much information on SA Connect, despite it being an important project for government. The Chairperson raised his concern that the DTPS had not addressed the issue seriously, and agreed that it was unfortunate that South Africa was currently lagging behind in terms of the international rankings. The Committee was of the opinion that it should have been given more information on what other leading countries were doing when it came to investment in connectivity projects.
The annual performance plans for the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) and the Universal Service and Access Fund (USAF) were presented to the Committee. One of the targets for USAASA had been the development of a costed transition plan from USAASA/USAF to the Digital Development Fund (DDF) by the target date, which had been achieved. For the implementation of the digital migration programme, 22 282 set top boxes (STBs) and antennae were to be procured. USAF also advised that it was developing a service delivery model to ensure that all the STBs sitting in the warehouses of the South African Post Office (SAPO) were installed. USAASA gave the Committee its assurance that the procurement process would ensure that blacklisted manufacturers were not considered.
Meeting report
Mr Tinyiko Ngobeni, Deputy Director General: Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) said the four strategic pillars of SA Connect were digital readiness, digital development, digital future and digital opportunity.
On digital readiness, the DTPS was pursuing key policy and regulatory issues to enable broadband infrastructure rollout and adoption of data services. The policy defined the targets to be met by certain days, with the intention of getting 100% connectivity and affordability. It had specifically targeted the allocation of spectrum to address broadband coverage and capacity, the rapid deployment of information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and a reduction in the cost to communicate. In reducing the cost of communication, the regulator – the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) -- was working together with the Competition Commission. On 26 April 2018, ICASA had released the final regulations on the end-user and subscriber charter.
Broadband connectivity targeted government, businesses and individual users. The implementation of broadband connectivity would be achieved through a two phased approach. Phase 1 involved connecting schools, clinics, post offices, police stations and other government facilities and included expanding broadband infrastructure to provide universal access by connecting 6 135 government facilities in eight prioritised districts. Phase 2 focused on providing broadband connection services in the remaining 44 districts to schools, health facilities and a number of other government facilities within these identified districts.
In implementing this model, the Department was working together with state-owned entities (SOEs). In May 2017, Broadband Infraco (BBI) and the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) had been jointly mandated to implement Phase I of the project. In August 2017, the tripartite Master Services Agreement (MSA) contract was signed by the DTPS, BBI and SITA, which commenced the rollout of SA Connect.
Mr Ngobeni took members through the challenges faced by SA Connect Phase I, one of them being the procurement challenge. None of the bidders had met the minimum requirements, so a decision had been made that the DTPS should use government entities, which would in turn collaborate with entities in the private sector
Another challenge was funding, In December 2017, National Treasury had informed the DTPS of budget cuts -- by 33.8 % in 2017/18, by 98.7% in 2018/2019, by 75.9% in 2019/2020 and by 75.9% in 2020/20121.The Budget cuts had in effect reduced the number of facilities that could be connected. He gave an example of what was planned for Dr K Kaunda District, where the plan had been to connect 311 facilities, but because of the budget cuts the number had been reduced to 43. Despite the cuts the DTPS had continued implementing the programmes.
Regarding implementation progress, the target for the year was to connect 570 SA government facilities, and the following had been achieved so far:
A detailed physical site surveys of the government facilities to be connected had been completed;
BBI had concluded a tender process to expand its core network;
BBI had also concluded a tender process for access network connectivity to provide last mile services in eight district municipalities;
SITA had renegotiated its contract with its service provider to upgrade the capacity of existing services that formed part of SA Connect, to 10Mbps;
The DTPS had established district task teams in all eight district municipalities to facilitate SA Connect implementation at the district level.
The progress status on SA Connect phase 2 was that Treasury recommended that the DTPS do an extensive feasibility study to assist in sorting out the issue of funding. The DTPS had engaged a development bank to assist with the feasibility study and to develop a bankable business case.
The DTPS, as the central coordinating body for the rollout of SA Connect, had developed an agreed coordination framework across all spheres of government, comprised of provincial steering committees and district task teams. Most provinces had provincial broadband plans, but the funding was still an issue. Some of the provinces had started implementation, such as Gauteng, which had a target of 3 000 and had so far connected 1 066 sites. Another example was the Western Cape broadband project, where a total of 1 908 facilities had been connected to 10 Mb/s broadband services under Phase 1, Phase 2 had commenced in October 2017 and 500 facilities had been upgraded to 100 Mb/s.
Mr Ngobeni informed Members that the Universal Service and Access Obligation (USAO) rollout formed part of the licence obligations for MTN, Vodacom and Cell C, and that the target was 5 250 schools in five years, with a yearly target of 1 050. Since commencement, 4 366 schools had so far been connected. The DTPS was engaging with the operators, and connectivity was not about connectivity alone -- it included a trolley that contained 25 laptops and one projector which followed the teacher to the different classrooms. Once connectivity was concluded, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) was supposed to take ownership of the devices. In line with e-rate regulations, 50% of the connectivity charges were supposed to be supported by Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) through the Universal Service and Access Fund (USAF), but the model had not worked. The DTPS and DBE were engaging with ICASA to review the payment model, as stipulated in the obligation.
The digital opportunity programme dealt with the issue of skills. SA was lagging behind other countries in terms of ranking, and though the infrastructure was in place, the issue was usage and skills. The DTPS was working on programmes such as e-government with SITA, the National Electronic Media Institute of SA (NEMISA). It was also working with the CoLabs, and there had been a lot of e-skills training. However, there was a need to expand the training to the communities, which would require additional funding.
Ms M Shinn (DA) wanted to know why BBI was not represented at the meeting, given that they were the lead agency for SA Connect, and why the presentation had left out the work done by USAASA. She also sought clarification on the budget for SA Connect .She was of the opinion that the figures did not add up. From the figures and the documents presented, the DTPS had not presented a clear picture of where the money was coming from, which entity was receiving how much, and what the money was going to do. From the DTPS's medium term expenditure framework (MTEF) transfer of
R557.6 million directed to SA Connect, BBI would expect revenue of R88.3 million from SA Connect, while USAASA also required funding of R106.3 million. It was not clear, however, whether the funds would be received from the R557.6 million assigned to SA Connect. She also sought clarification on whether the sites installed by provinces and metros were included in the budget for SA Connect.
Ms D Tsotetsi (ANC) referred to the aspect of infrastructure, and wanted the DTPS to clarify how deployment of ICT infrastructure enhanced competition. She asked whether the public had been made aware that certain targets would not be realised because of the ongoing Treasury cuts .What would the duration of the Phase 2 feasibility study be? Were the figures being given on the number of sites connected incremental, or were there new figures for each financial year? She referred to the figures given on provincial-led initiatives, where the number of access connected sites as at March 2017 was 1 000, and asked whether the number included the 592 access sites connected at the end of March 2016.
Mr C Mackenzie (DA) asked why Telkom was not included under the USAO programme. He also expressed concern that the network in some of the schools was very slow. Only after an oversight visit had been carried out at some schools, and a request made to Vodacom, was the network improved .He wanted to know whether there was any source of monitoring and a full report on the schools.
Ms N Ndongeni (ANC) asked whether the numbers given in Phase I included those sites connected by USAASA, or if the sites were new ones connected by SITA and BBI. She also wanted an update on the progress that had been made since May 2017, when BBI and SITA had been jointly mandated by the DTPS.
The Chairperson commented on the international rankings which compared SA to other countries in the region. In view of the " Fourth Revolution" which had already taken off, he asked where the country stood, given the under-connectivity experienced in South Africa, and what it could do to catch up.
DTPS's response
Mr Ngobeni responded that the DTPS had expected BBI to be present at the meeting, but there had to be an explanation as to why BBI was not represented.
On what USAASA had done, he referred Members to page 32 of the presentation, which indicated the sites targeted by USAASA and those which had so far been completed. For the year 2017/18, USAASA had set a target of 609 and had managed to complete 210.
On the budget allocation, he said that the money that came from the DTPS was used to pay for the services, and since the infrastructure would not be used by government facilities alone, an entity like the BBI was expected to generate revenue from other businesses which it would connect. He gave the example of the 999 fibre, which was not solely for SA Connect, which was expected to provide connectivity to other entities too. He confirmed that the USAASA budget was coming from USAF, and not SA Connect. He added that SA Connect did not look only at activities covered by the DTPS, but went further to provide broadband connectivity nationally and also had initiatives at national and provincial levels.
The government did not make direct financial contributions to the projects, but provided direct financial incentives by paying for the services. He confirmed that the numbers presented did not include numbers on the initiatives done at the municipal and provincial levels, since the DTPS had no control over the budgets at the municipal and provincial levels. Similarly with the 3G and 4G connectivity, the numbers were not included. The DTPS reported on that only since it was the government's responsibility to bring the infrastructure closer, which was crucial to making the services cheaper.
On how infrastructure enhanced competition, he answered that the DTPS was looking at competition and at small and medium enterprises (SMEs), since delays affected the SMEs more and DTPS believed that by making the rules easier, it would reduce the barriers to entry for the SMEs.
He added that DTPS would do more when it came to communicating with the public so that it was aware of the targets that would not be realized because of the budget cuts.
On the duration of the feasibility study, he said that the DTPS had met with Treasury and that it would finalise the scoping by the end of the financial year so that it could use it to target funding for the next financial year.
In response to the question from Ms Ndongeni on the scope of Phase 1 and whether the numbers given included USAASA numbers, he confirmed that they did include USAASA numbers. He gave the example of the OR Tambo district, which had 1 444 facilities and which formed the focus for USAASA in the past year. He added that the USAASA model had provided connectivity for two years, and this helped some of the facilities such as schools, to get used to the connection. Through the USAASA projects, the DTPS had also got an opportunity to address some of the teething problems before dealing with the issue of sustainability, which would involve integrating into the SA Connect model.
On the international benchmark, he responded that the reason South Africa had moved backwards could be attributed to usage and skills. Countries like the Seychelles focused on skills, whereas the traditionally focus had been on infrastructure. He advised that SA should focus on content and connectivity, which were both important. SA was lagging behind in terms of connectivity since the 3G network was still at 99%, whereas the 4G network was at 77 %. The country had the coverage, but there was still need to increase the speed, and in addressing the speed the spectrum issue would assist.
The country was moving to the 5G network, where the connectivity requirements were huge. The infrastructure required tower stations to be close to one another and the country would have to work towards improving its infrastructure.
He agreed with the Chairperson regarding jobs, and said that there were no borders since Africa was a single digital market. The type of skills currently required for jobs were different and would have to be usable within the country and beyond. He added that the training iIn the CoLabs under NEMISA was not just about consumers, but also looked at jobs and business opportunities.
Ms Miriam Paul, Chief Director: ICT Infrastructure, DTPS, advised that the reason Telkom was not part of the UASO obligation was because Telkom was on review by ICASA, and that currently its obligation was on public phones. There was an ongoing discussion to include Telkom, and that once it was included, its target area would be primary health institutions.
Regarding the low speed in some schools, she advised that the speed specified under UASO obligation was 1Mbs, and operators had looked at the coverage and provided the 1Mbs as specified. However, if one engaged the operators and requested the speed to be increased, the operators usually increased it.
Mr Ngobeni responded to the question on what SITA and BBI had achieved so far since May 2017, and confirmed that since the signing of the Minimum Service Agreement (MSA), implementation had begun and connectivity was progressing.
Ms Shinn commented that she had not received a response on how the R557.6 million would be distributed. From the figures given, she was not able to tell how many sites had been targeted, how many had been installed by whom, whether the sites were working and what the funding plan was.
The Chairperson asked the DTPS to expound on the presentation on the SA Connect Phase 2 progress status.
Mr Ngobeni responded that the chart on page 24 of the presentation showed the government facilities that would be part of phase 2, and in order to connect those facilities, funding would be required. The budget for infrastructure was too huge. Government would pay only for the services. Based on the confirmation that government would consume the services, BBI had been required to go out and raise the funds.
Ms J Kilian (ANC) said that the Committee had not received further information, and that it would have to follow up further. She stressed that this was a most important project for government, and that there was a need to develop a sustainable programme that would carry out SA connect.
Mr Mackenzie asked whether it was possible to have a report on the number of sites connected and whether those sites were working.
The Chairperson remarked that SA was lagging behind, and the DTPS had not addressed the issue seriously. He warned that SA would be embarrassed, and gave the example of the metered taxis which still want to fight the evolution of their industry. He would have been interested to know what the leading countries did -- whether they had allowed the private sector to take the lead and whether the DTPS would be expecting the private sector to invest in infrastructure. He was not happy that Treasury had taken money from such an important project. The DTPS should have fought Treasury on the cuts and tried to impress on them the impact of the cuts. He added that globalisation did not wait, and that jobs would easily be taken by persons based in China. SA was failing to adapt in this important area. He also cited the .zna domain name which should work harder to ensure that South Africans were hosted by them. He added that the DTPS could influence ICASA to review their speed limit of 10mb/s in the schools.
Ms Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Deputy Minister: DTPS, responded that the speed limits would be changed for the next spectrum allocation.
The Chairperson informed Members that he had received a letter from the chair person of USAASA on the suspension of its CEO, but he had not received a similar letter from NEMISA. The letter from USAASA had not given reasons for the suspension.
USAASA: Annual Performance Plan 2018/2019
Mr Sipho Mngqibisa, Acting CEO: USAASA informed the Committee that USAASA had two programmes – a business support programme and a business Intelligence programme.
He took Members through the performance indicators of the business support programme .One of the indicators would be the percentage of risks mitigated, where USAASA had set a quarterly target of 75% for the year. The second indicator was the utilisation of the functioning SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) module, which was a new performance indicator whose target had been set at 100%.
The first performance indicator for the business intelligence programme was the number of impact assessments conducted, where the medium target had been set at 1.The second performance indicator was the development of a costed transition plan from USAASA/USAF to the Digital Development Fund (DDF) by the target date. He confirmed that the target had been reached and that the transition plan had been completed and costed. The need to conduct impact studies was also one which would assist smooth transition from USAASA/USAF to the DDF.
On USAF, he said that on the number of existing sites maintained with internet activity, USAF had targeted 680 sites for the year 2018/2019, and also had a plan to roll out 275 new sites with internet activity in the year 2018/2019.
On digital migration, USAF had set a target of procuring 22 282 set up boxes (STBs) and had also put up a new strategic objective which was aimed at ensuring that all the projects were completed within the time frames set out.
USAF had set up quarterly targets for 2018/2019. One area it had focused on was the community and institutional broadband access, and the performance indicator under that area was the number of newly identified under-serviced areas. Two under-serviced areas had been identified. These were the Ngquza Hill and Port St Johns local municipalities in OR Tambo District municipality. The 2018/2019 annual target for the number of existing sites with internet connectivity which would be maintained, was 676 sites with contracts of 24 months. These 676 sites comprised 564 schools, 111 clinics and one public office. USAF had also targeted 275 new sites with internet connectivity to be maintained in Impendle and Nyandeni local municipalities.
On the Implementation of the digital migration programme, 22 282 STBs and antennae were to be procured. USAF had planned to have the set top boxes and antennae distributed and in doing this, it had set up a quarterly target of 100 %.
He pointed out that due to the slow progress in rolling out the projects, as well as issues of accountability, it was necessary for USAF to amend its goals and introduce improved accountability as one of the strategic objectives. This would be achieved through the efficient and effective management of infrastructure projects.
Mr Mackenzie asked for clarification on the risk management mitigation target of 75 %. He wanted an explanation for the remaining 25% which would not be mitigated.
Ms Shinn sought clarification on the estimated performance for the year 2017/2018. She wanted to know why the target for new sites with internet connectivity was 609, whereas the target for existing sites maintained with internet connectivity was 680. She asked where the funding for USAASA would come from, and whether it received any money from the DTPS. On set top boxes .she sought clarification on whether the production process that was corrupt, was continuing, since a portion of the money for the STBs had been paid for by Treasury.
Ms Tsotetsi wanted to know why Treasury was carrying out the budget cuts. She also wanted to know what confidence USAF had that it would implement all its plans, given the unpredictable nature of the budget cuts.
Ms Ndongeni asked when the projects were going to be finished since from the report given, USAF was the very far from achieving the targets set.
USAASA's response
Mr Linda Nene, Board member: USAASA, responded that the target of 75% was on the risk management plan. The target dealt with the plan for the risk management process and included activities such as risk education and risk awareness. These were activities which were being monitored, and the target was not set to deal with the management of risk.
Mr Mngqibisa responded to Ms Shinn's question on the divergence of the sites being maintained, and said that as per the advice of the Auditor General, the number of existing sites were accounted for differently, and the 680 sites was the total number of sites to be maintained with internet connectivity
The Chairperson agreed with Ms Shinn that the sequence of numbers was not adding up and that it may generate an audit query. He said that previously the figures had not been accumulated, but when it came to the year 2017/2018, the numbers were being accumulated. He advised that USAASA should look at the figures to ensure they were in line.
Mr Nene confirmed that USAF had requested money to maintain 680 sites for 24 months. The numbers changed, depending on the budget, and the number of 680 as sites being maintained had been put in the annual performance plan (APP) because that was what had been funded. He added that USAASA was confident the figures would not generate an audit query.
Mr Mackenzie wanted to know why there had been a steep rise in board costs of approximately half a million rand.
Mr Mohamed Chowan, Chief Financial Officer (CFO): USAASA, responded that a comparison could not be made between the two years because in the previous year the board had been incapacitated, and three directors had joined it in December 2016. On whether Treasury had given reasons for the budget cuts, he responded that USAASA had received only a notification from DTPS, but no reasons had been given.
Ms Tsotetsi asked what the motivation for the budget cuts had been, and whether it it had been possible for the DTPS to intervene to stop the budget cuts.
The Chairperson commented that Treasury was not aware of the issues that were crucial unless one put up a fight. He impressed on the board the need to be assertive and to impress upon Treasury that targets needed to be met.
Mr Mngqibisa responded on the set top boxes, and said that through the assistance of the DTPS, USAF was developing a service delivery model to ensure that all the STBs sitting in the warehouses of SAPO were installed. USAF was waiting for the new Director General of SAPO to be briefed, but that it had a plan to have all the STBs sitting in the warehouses cleared. He added that the Board had petitioned the High Court to set aside the panel of 27 manufacturers previously appointed, USAF was again going back to court to request that all the current service providers that provided USAF with the STBs be allowed to conclude their contracts so that it could finalise and start the new procurement process. It would involve the Competition Commission in the procurement process, and it would make sure not to include the implicated manufacturers.
Ms Shinn wanted to know why permission had to be sought from the Competition Commission. She also sought clarification on whether the new procurement process was to procure the 3 500 boxes, She asked for confirmation on whether the court process had to be concluded before the procurement process could commence.
Ms Tsotetsi commented that there was a possibility that the blacklisted companies would reapply, using different names.
Mr Chowan responded that USAASA would scrutinise the companies to ensure there were no cross directorships. The board would apply its mind to ensure that the blacklisted companies did not come back.
Mr Mngqibisa said that the competition authorities had advised that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) could assist in tracking when the bids were out, which was the reason that USAF was involving the Competition Commission. The Director of Communication would relay the information on when the procurement was to commence.
The Chairperson then directed members to the issue of the advertisement of the Ikamva National e-Skills Institute (iNeSI) Bill.
Mr Justice Molafo, the Committee's media officer, said he had prepared a communication plan and that he had already received calls for interviews. Eight SABC radio stations would be used for the advertisement, but there was a supply chain process which had to be followed first.
The Committee's Secretary also confirmed that a list of newspapers was ready, and that she would forward it to all Members.
The meeting was adjourned.
SA Connect progress; USAASA 2018/19 Annual Performance Plan 2
USAASA & USAF 2018/19 Annual Performance Plans
SA Connect Briefing to Parliamentary Portfolio Committee
Kilian, Ms JD
Mackenzie, Mr C
Mahlangu, Mr JL
Ndabeni-Abrahams, Ms ST
Ndongeni, Ms N
Shinn, Ms MR
Tsotetsi, Ms D
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This policy sets the general rules of binding and book repair at the University Libraries which involve most departments in the library. Outsourced binding is managed in the Serials and Cataloging departments, book repair is mainly done by the book conversation section at the Archives and Special Collections Department.
All paperback books (excluding branch libraries and some textbooks) are sent to binding and book jacket affixing.
Original binding is outsourced to a professional book binder.
Book jacket affixing, for hard cover books, are done in-house in the library conservation lab in the Archives and Special Collections Department.
Book binding internal workflow is managed by the Cataloging Department and follows its policies and procedures.
Binding of complete volumes of serials is managed by the Serials and E-Resources Department and follows its policies and procedures.
Books and serials are sent to binding in big bunch once every month.
Rush binding items are picked up by the binder once a week.
Binding errors are returned to bindery for repair.
Contacts, follow up and reporting on outsourced binding is done by the Serials Department.
All going and incoming binding materials have to pass through AUB Auxiliary Services.
Policies on book repair are further developed in the Archives and Special Collections policies and procedures.
All items needing repair are reported by circulation staff or other to the librarian in charge of the collection: Collection Development, Reference, Archive and Special Collections and Branch librarians.
The librarian in charge decides on whether items need repair, based on: usage, availability of other copies in the Library or availability online.
If no newer or other copies were found in the Library, the Librarian checks if the book is still in print and orders the latest edition. The item needing repair is kept as is, until the new edition is received and processed, when it is discarded. A note that it is to be discarded should be added in the Note area in Copies record.
In case the book was out of print, the Librarian routes the item to Cataloging Dept., with an initialed flyer: No new ed. Available please repair.
Items with minor repair of the cover and spine are sent to the binder for correct binding.
Items with poor physical conditions are sent to ASC/Preservation Section for action.
In most cases old and out of print items are handled with care and kept for in- house repair.


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Economy Watch: The Yo-Yoing of Wall Street
"Roller coaster" might not be a fitting metaphor for Wall Street during this nervous summer of 2011. Yo-yo might be better. On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was on the rise again, to the tune of 423.37 points, or 3.95 percent, while the S&P 500 gained 4.63 percent and the Nasdaq vaulted ahead by 4.69 percent. It was a curious first for the Dow, which has never before had four 400-point swings in a row.
The Dow is down about 12 percent since its most recent peak earlier this year, a considerable amount but maybe not in bear territory just yet (20 percent would be more like it). Also, the index is still up about 70 percent from its March 2009 trough in the immediate aftermath of the financial panic.
The rebound might have been driven partly by decent weekly unemployment numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor, which said on Thursday that first-time unemployment claims for the week ending Aug. 5 dropped below 400,000 for the first time since April. Whatever else businesses are doing, they don't seem to be firing workers in a panic as they did in late 2008. Or it might have been institutional investors looking for deals, or the turn of European stocks upward before Wall Street opened. A lot of things can turn a yo-yo market.
U.S. foreclosures way down year-over-year
Foreclosure tracker RealtyTrac reported on Thursday that foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions) were reported on 212,764 U.S. properties in July, which is a 4 percent decline from June and a whopping 35 percent drop from July 2010. The report also mentioned that foreclosure filing vexed one in every 611 U.S. housing units during July.
According to RealtyTrac, a number of factors have conspired to slow things down. "It appears that the foreclosure processing delays, combined with the smorgasbord of national and state-level foreclosure prevention efforts—including loan modifications, lender-borrower mediations and mortgage payment assistance for the unemployed—may be allowing more distressed homeowners to stave off foreclosure," James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac, posited in a statement. So maybe it isn't just the aftermath of robo-signing anymore.
Nevada posted the nation's highest state foreclosure rate once again. In fact, for foreclosure consistency, Nevada can't be beat, because July 2011 was the 55th straight month in a row for the state as foreclosure champ, with one in every 115 housing units receiving a foreclosure filing during the month. But even Nevada's foreclosures are slowing down. A total of 9,930 Nevada properties had foreclosure filings in July, a 1 percent decrease from the previous month and a 28 percent decrease from July 2010.
A way to deal with foreclosures?
The government has proposed to sell thousands of foreclosed properties that Fannie, Freddie and the FHA now own, for conversion into rental properties. The Obama administration published a "request for information" to that effect on Wednesday that asserted that the government is looking for input on converting about 92,000 empty, foreclosed houses nationwide into rentals by selling them to investors.
All together, the entities currently own about 250,000 houses, and maybe as many as another 800,000 are in some stage of foreclosure that will eventually put them in the hands of the GSEs or the FHA. So the pool of potential conversions could be quite large, and possibly even help meet some of the growing demand for rental housing. Another goal of the initiative would be to help stabilize neighborhoods, under the theory that houses occupied by renters are better than houses occupied by no one and slowly falling apart.
"Exploring new options for selling these foreclosed properties will help expand access to affordable rental housing, promote private investment in local housing markets and support neighborhood and home-price stability," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a statement.
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text:
package com.asto.dmp.ycd.mq

import com.asto.dmp.ycd.base.Constants
import com.asto.dmp.ycd.util.DateUtils
import scala.util.parsing.json.{JSONArray, JSONObject}

object MsgWrapper {
  def getJson(quotaItemName: String, msgList: List[Msg], propertyUuid: String = Constants.App.STORE_ID): String = {
    new JSONObject(Map(
      "quotaItemName" -> quotaItemName,
      "propertyUuid" -> propertyUuid,
      "quotaItemList" -> JSONArray(for (msg <- msgList) yield matchMsgType(msg))
    )).toString()
  }

  def getJson(quotaItemName: String, msgs: Msg *): String = {
    getJson(quotaItemName: String, msgs.toList)
  }

  def matchMsgType(msg: Msg) = {
    msg match {
      case _msg: MsgWithName =>
        toMsgWithNameJsonObj(_msg)
      case _ =>
        toJsonObj(msg)
    }
  }

  def toJsonObj(msg: Msg): JSONObject = {
    new JSONObject(Map[String, Any]("indexFlag" -> msg.indexFlag, "quotaCode" -> msg.quotaCode, "targetTime" -> msg.targetTime, "quotaValue" -> msg.quotaValue))
  }

  def toMsgWithNameJsonObj(msg: MsgWithName): JSONObject = {
    new JSONObject(Map[String, Any]("indexFlag" -> msg.indexFlag, "quotaName" -> msg.quotaName, "quotaCode" -> msg.quotaCode, "targetTime" -> msg.targetTime, "quotaValue" -> msg.quotaValue))
  }
}

object Msg {
  def apply(quotaCode: String, quotaValue: Any, indexFlag: String = "2", targetTime: String = DateUtils.getStrDate("yyyyMM")) = {
    new Msg(quotaCode, quotaValue, indexFlag, targetTime)
  }
  def strMsgsOfAStore(quotaItemName: String, propertyUuid: String, msgs: List[Msg]): String = {
    val buffer = new StringBuffer()
    for (msg <- msgs) {
      buffer.append(s"$quotaItemName${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"${propertyUuid}${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"${msg.quotaCode}${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"${msg.indexFlag}${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"${msg.targetTime}${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"${msg.quotaValue}\n")
    }
    buffer.toString
  }
}

class Msg(val quotaCode: String, val quotaValue: Any, val indexFlag: String = "2", val targetTime: String = DateUtils.getStrDate("yyyyMM"))

object MsgWithName {
  def apply(quotaCode: String, quotaName: String, quotaValue: Any, indexFlag: String = "2", targetTime: String = DateUtils.getStrDate("yyyyMM")) = {
    new MsgWithName(quotaCode, quotaName, quotaValue, indexFlag, targetTime)
  }
  def strMsgsOfAStore(quotaItemName: String, propertyUuid: String, msgs: List[MsgWithName]) = {
    val buffer = new StringBuffer()
    for (msg <- msgs) {
      buffer.append(s"$propertyUuid${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"$quotaItemName${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"${msg.quotaCode}${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"${msg.quotaName}${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"${msg.indexFlag}${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"${msg.targetTime}${Constants.OutputPath.SEPARATOR}")
      buffer.append(s"${msg.quotaValue}\n")
    }
    buffer.toString
  }
}

class MsgWithName(override val quotaCode: String, val quotaName: String, override val quotaValue: Any, override val indexFlag: String, override val targetTime: String) extends Msg(quotaCode, quotaValue, indexFlag, targetTime)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Microsoft Teams will soon allow you to delete private chats
By Mark Anthony Ramirez published 3 June 21
(Image credit: Microsoft )
Microsoft has taken people's desire to delete private messages in Microsoft Teams seriously and will soon be adding the feature. According to a response on Microsoft User voice, a Team engineer named Alex stated, "Thank you for your feedback! The team has finalized the designs for this feature request, and work is planned to begin shortly. We will share an update as soon as one is available."
Currently, you can only delete, hide or archive individual messages. However, there has been no option to delete an entire thread of private messages completely. Nearly 20,000 users have upvoted the post Delete post on User Voice, expressing their desire to delete private threads completely.
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For its part, Microsoft has not mentioned a timeframe for when this new feature will go live, so it could be a while before it actually makes it into the Teams application. Many users on User Voice mention the legal ramification for wanting the delete option as soon as possible.
With Microsoft recently updating most of its products, this shouldn't take too long for them to get done. Meanwhile, users can continue to demand the feature via the User Voice forum.
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Mark Anthony Ramirez
Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.
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