- luv-talk - luv.asn.au

Australian refugee policy
by Jason White 12 Dec '13

12 Dec '13

Petros <Petros.Listig(a)fdrive.com.au> wrote: > Why are "stop the boats" a main concern for all, for every election > campaign, while most of us barely will meet a boat-person himself? Unfortunately, the slogan and the policies behind it appeal to a certain proportion of the electorate. I don't understand why that's the case; there may be a sociologist or a political scientist who can explain why this issue resonates with a certain kind of voter. However, the central point is this: both Labor and the Coalition want to appeal to these voters. There are, of course, voters who are strongly opposed to inhumane refugee policies. As one political scientist observed, though, these people predominantly vote for the Greens anyway, so they and their views aren't considered relevant by either the Coalition or Labor. I haven't put numbers on the above: a little searching would find surveys, perhaps even more rigorous studies, revealing what proportion of voters support these policies, how many don't care/aren't interested, and how many are opposed. None of this justifies the inhumane policies in any way; I'm simply providing a plausible explanation of what motivates the major political parties in this area.

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Re: [luv-talk] 7 inch android tablet recommendations
by Daniel Jitnah 12 Dec '13

12 Dec '13

Anyone has any experience with the very cheap bottom end android pad like the Pendo Pad selling for around $70 and similar ones. I realise they are cheap for a reason compared to Nexus - I also know they dont have 3G. But how good are they for only basic web browsing, checking email etc. IF I have to throw away a device after 2 yrs because of battery or accidental breakage, I'd better throw away $70 than $350. Daniel. (ps: also moving this to Luv-talk, so please reply there). On 12/12/2013 10:05, Craig Sanders wrote: > On Wed, Dec 11, 2013 at 03:14:25PM +1030, Ryan Verner wrote: >> Before you return it for warranty, the issue may be that the battery >> has entirely drained and it won't recharge. It's a "design fault", >> affects mine too. >> >> Try this: >> >> http://www.droid-life.com/2012/12/27/fix-nexus-7-refusing-to-charge-try-thi… > > the article states that this is due to a firmware bug that only > appeared > after the 4.2 update. > > that sounds more like a software update that included some planned > obsolescence. or more like forced rather than planned. > > a lot of users will just assume the battery is dead and discover or > decide that it is far easier to just buy a new one than to attempt to > enforce their warranty rights. > > > apple lost a class action lawsuit in the US several years back because > their ipad batteries weren't replaceable and were designed to last, > iirc, only 18 months or less. i would expect and hope that winning > a class action against a company that issued a software update that > falsely simulated the battery dying would be a much easier prospect. > > > craig > > ps: i'm very happy with my (original model) Nexus 7. excellent device. > I haven't allowed it to reboot to install the update it has been > nagging about for a few months though. mostly because my level of trust > of google has gone from "extremely low" to "none" and i'd rather > install > cyanogenmod or something else...but i made the mistake of not rooting > the nexus 7 when i bought it over a year ago so will likely lose all of > my data + settings when i do get around to rooting it. > > if my nexus 7 died (really died - cracked screen or whatever), i'd > almost certainly buy another one. but i'd root it and install CM > or something immediately. > > and i don't think i'd install the google-apps bundle. google's play > store is full of shit (a perfect example of Sturgeon's Law), fdroid's > got most of the apps i actually need (the rest i can live without), and > the only google service i'd really have to find a replacement for is > google > calendar. i'd be better off running my own calendar daemon if i could > find an android calendar app that could connect to it (i already know > that iceowl can be made to connect to any ical service)

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Re: [luv-talk] Vale Nelson Mandela
by Tim Josling 12 Dec '13

12 Dec '13

> From: Petros > After Hitler many Germans said: They did not know about the camps. > Well, there we are.. thanks Tony, thanks Scotty! Controlling our borders equated to Nazi concentration camps? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

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IEEE Software: Tools of the trade: The Frictionless Development Environment Scorecard
by Rodney Brown 11 Dec '13

11 Dec '13

http://www.spinellis.gr/blog/20131206/ Diomidis Spinellis. The Frictionless Development Environment Scorecard <http://www.spinellis.gr/pubs/jrnl/2005-IEEESW-TotT/html/v30n6.html>. IEEE Software, 30(6):30--32, November/December 2013. (doi:10.1109/MS.2013.134 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/MS.2013.134>) The Frictionless Development Environment Scorecard The environment we work in as developers can make a tremendous difference on our productivity and well-being. .... - may interest

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Re: [luv-talk] Vale Nelson Mandela
by Petros 10 Dec '13

10 Dec '13

BTW: I found this linked on a German website: https://twitter.com/Broelman/status/409105782840369152/photo/1 Obviously the world is watching a bit what we are up to.. I have to read the British Guardian these days, if I want to know how many people arrived asking for asylum. After Hitler many Germans said: They did not know about the camps. Well, there we are.. thanks Tony, thanks Scotty! Regards Peter

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Re: [luv-talk] Vale Nelson Mandela
by Petros 10 Dec '13

10 Dec '13

From: "Jason White" <jason(a)jasonjgw.net> > Petros <Petros.Listig(a)fdrive.com.au> wrote: > >> Just something interesting I read on yesterday: >> >> http://www.smh.com.au/national/adam-steinberg-on-indigenous-health-20131208… >> >> ''For every dollar the Australian government spends on non-indigenous >> health, it spends $1.47 on indigenous health,'' Steinberg says. >> ''There is no doubt there have been resources devoted to this problem, >> but why is there not progress?'' > > I'm wondering how this is calculated - on a "per person" basis? Indigenous > people comprise a relatively small proportion of the total population, so it > surely can't be true that they are allocated more than half of the total > federal health budget, which the above would appear to imply. Well, it was not written by a mathematician;-) I read it as: The government spends more money per head on indigenous people, ca. 1.47 times of the Australian average of spending for health per person. Regards Peter

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Re: [luv-talk] Vale Nelson Mandela
by Petros 10 Dec '13

10 Dec '13

From: "Trent W. Buck" <trentbuck(a)gmail.com> > A glance at the demographic disparities in > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australian#Life_expectancy > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australian#Education > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australian#Employment > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australian#Health > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australian#Crime_and_imprisonment > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australian#Substance_abuse > suggests that an apology alone isn't going to cut it. Just something interesting I read on yesterday: http://www.smh.com.au/national/adam-steinberg-on-indigenous-health-20131208… ''For every dollar the Australian government spends on non-indigenous health, it spends $1.47 on indigenous health,'' Steinberg says. ''There is no doubt there have been resources devoted to this problem, but why is there not progress?'' Regards Peter

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Drupal assistance sought
by Colin Fee 09 Dec '13

09 Dec '13

I've posted in the Drupal Melbourne group ( https://groups.drupal.org/melbourne) a request for drupal assistance in a re-dev of the website for the Friends of the RAAF Museum (see https://groups.drupal.org/node/387283) In what other fora could I post a similar request? -- Colin Fee tfeccles(a)gmail.com

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Vale Nelson Mandela
by Dan062 09 Dec '13

09 Dec '13

Dear Luvers, I am only forwarding this email. Please ignore the reference to the political party in it. Irrespective of your political conviction or inclination, this may be an opportunity for anyone to express their condoleance for the passing of Nelson Mandela. So you may wish to take the opportunity offered here. (there is a link to a condoleance page below). As far as I am concerned Nelson Mandela is my Hero, and I have no doubt he would have been a friend of Linux, and many Luvers would be saddened today. Daniel. --------------------------- Today, members of the Australian Labor Party join with our friends in the African National Congress, and the people of South Africa, in mourning the loss of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. The African National Congress, in their statement this morning, said of Mandela: “The large African Boabab, who loved Africa as much as he loved South Africa, has fallen. Its trunk and seeds will nourish the earth for decades to come." Mandela was known throughout South Africa as “Tata Madiba”, an expression drawn from his tribal name and also meaning “father”. This was how he was known to a generation of South Africans who lived through the peaceful transition from partheid to multi-racial democracy. His leadership of the anti-apartheid movement, and stewardship of the new South Africa, were an inspiration right around the world, including here in Australia. That’s why we’ve created this online condolence book. You can sign your condolences and we’ll collate the contributions and send the book to the ANC as a symbol of our continued solidarity. <http://www.alp.org.au/condolence_book_for_mandela> Australian Labor played an important role in the global movement to end apartheid. Ordinary party members and unionists joined the campaigns and actions throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Prominent leaders like Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke, Don Dunstan and Gareth Evans ensured that Labor in government took the lead in imposing sanctions on the Apartheid regime. When Mandela was released from prison he visited Australia. Tens of thousands turned out to hear him speak in Sydney when he said to the crowd that he could “feel the solidarity of Australians and others for 27 years through thick prison walls”. Australian Labor was one of only a few parties around the world to give practical assistance to Mandela and the ANC in the 1994 election. Personnel and resources were made available to the ANC by then National Secretary Gary Gray. Assistant National Secretary, Ian Henderson spent months in South Africa helping the campaign. All members and supporters of Australian Labor can today celebrate the life of a great member of our global movement and should take pride in our contribution to the development of democracy in South Africa. Mandela’s inspiration and legacy will continue to shape our commitment to democratic ideals across the world and to inspire our enduring friendship with the people of South Africa. You can share your condolences with the ANC. These contributions will be compiled and shared with our friends in South Africa. <http://www.alp.org.au/condolence_book_for_mandela> Nick Martin Assistant National Secretary Director, Labor International Australian Labor Party - 9 Sydney Ave, 5, Barton, ACT 2600, Australia To stop receiving emails: http://www.alp.org.au/unsubscribe -- dan062 <dan062(a)yahoo.com.au>

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Re: [luv-talk] Vale Nelson Mandela
by Tim Josling 09 Dec '13

09 Dec '13

Make your predictions: http://predictionbook.com/predictions/22373 "South Africa will be a smoking ruin similar to Zimbabwe by 2033. Specifically, the price of gold in Rand will have risen at least 20-fold (current price 12,857.80 rand / oz) , and unemployment will be at least 40% currently 23%." It is possible that a) Nelson Mandela was in many ways an admirable person (IMHO true), and b) Majority rule will result in a bad outcome for almost all South Africans, worse than continued white majority rule (IMHO quite likely), and c) It was in some sense the right outcome (in line with the argument that one person one vote democracy is the least worst system, in spite of its many ill effects across the world). > 1. Re: Vale Nelson Mandela (Lev Lafayette) > On Fri, December 6, 2013 11:24 pm, Russell Coker wrote: > > > > While somewhat controversial in the past it's now generally accepted that > > opposing the racist policies of white South Africa was the right thing to > > do.

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