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Saturday, 10 June
18:08
A Chain of Beauties 01 "IndyWatch Feed Nthamerica"
As discussed here
and here,
Im going to try to write a novel real quickly on the blog. Be
ready for foolery. Im showing my work so SPOILER ALERT!
The entire plot outline is below the fold on this post. Will
also add some carriage returns so people coming directly to this
article can skip it if they feel the need.
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Tales from The Amphisbna:
A Chain of Beauties
SETTING: The Kingdom of Serenedore, in the region of Viridon, in the magickal world of Gaya.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
King Amaron of Serendore, First Scion of House Brande, the main
character
Queen Ebelina II, Last Scion of the Silberdore Dynasty
King Duron of Serendore, First Scion of House Carol, and Queen
Ebelina I of the Silberdore Dynasty
The Royal Grandmere Larethwen Silberdore, ne Zerlindhl
Nalia, Elythro, Tenebre, Alcyra, Celdeste, Styrele, and Morwele,
dormant lampades kept as treasures
Seberind of House Tornrike, childhood friend and advisor to King
Amaron, agent of The Compact
Sir Piriane Janesmith, Head of the Royal Guard, an order of
greatknights, a half-orc lesbian
Thistle and Wisp, magical creatures in the courts employ as
entertainers a koneira and a krowten
Cardinal Edyard, local head of the Church of The Hero
Mistress Tomasine, Court Advocate of The Guild of Guilds, a
dwarf
Queen Ivana and King Kathur, scheming rulers of the northern
Viridon kingdom of Holderode
Duke Willelm, ruler of the seat of Serenedore, the Duchy of
Marigold, High Secretary of The Compact
The Compact, a shadowy organization of nobles that transcend
national borders
The Church of The Hero (Heroism, followed by Heroists), dominant
faith in the kingdoms of Viridon
The Guild of Guilds, an organization of wealthy merchants that
controls the guilds of many kingdoms
PLOT
Several years after the questionable deaths of King Duron and Queen
Ebelina I, their daughter Ebelina II took a husband from the nobles
in the court of Serenedore, young Amaron. But before she
could bring forth an heir, she was murdered thus ending the storied
Silberdore Dynasty. Young King Amaron feels like hes in the
crosshairs of so much treachery, and hes woefully unqualified to
survive it all.
He has two advisors, the Royal Grandmere Larethwen Silberdore and his childhood friend Seberind Tornrike. Seberind and Amaron both served briefly with the Royal Guard and so have some greatknight skills. Larethwen has some elf magi...
15:15
Racehorses at Churchill Downs "IndyWatch Feed War"
Horse named Lost in Limbo dies at Churchill Downs
Arthur Firstenberg Cell Phone Task Force June 8, 2023
Racehorses are among the most finely tuned, exquisitely sensitive creatures on earth. So what happens when you give them all cell phones to wear during a race? They start dropping like well, horses.
That is exactly what started happening this spring at Churchill Downs in Louisville, home of the world-famous Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs hosts three meets every year during which there are horse races four to five days a week a spring meet lasting all of May and June; a September meet; and a fall meet throughout November. The spring meet this year at the Downs began on April 29 and was to continue until July 3. And beginning on April 29, and in every race on every day thereafter, every horse was fitted with a device they had never worn before. It is a wireless device, shaped like an iPhone, that fits into the cloth underneath the saddle on the horses back. Horses also began wearing these devices this spring during morning workouts.
This STRIDESafe device monitors the horses movements
2,400 times per second throughout the race, sending 2,400 pulses of
radio frequency (RF) radiation every second through the body of the
horse. It also contains a GPS component that communicates with
global positioning satellites. It also communicates with the RFID
chip implanted in the left side of every horses neck, ensuring that
the chip also emits radiation throughout the race. And because
every racehorse wears horseshoes made of aluminum, which is one of
the best conductors, the frequencies that are conducted from both
the STRIDESafe device and the RFID chip throughout the horses body
are absorbed and reradiated by its four shoes. Each horse, then,
carries not one but six continuously radiating antennas throughout
each race at Churchill Downs. So with 14 horses normally competing
in each race, there are 84 antennas among animals in close
proximity to one another running around the track.
...
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Friday, 09 June
22:59
New US Military Bases in Papua New Guinea and ASEAN "IndyWatch Feed Asia"
The US Army will have unfettered access to PNGs territorial waters and airspace following a security cooperation agreement scheduled to be signed on about May 20, Radio New Zealand reported.
According to the radio station, which has a draft document in its possession, under the agreement, which is expected to be signed soon by a senior US administration official, the United States will provide its armed forces unhindered access to the territorial waters and airspace of this Pacific nation. Aircraft, vehicles, and vessels operated by or on behalf of the US Armed Forces shall be free to enter, exit, and move within PNGs territory and territorial waters and shall be exempt from any inspection conducted without the consent of the American authorities.
The text also states that the US military, for whom the document provides full immunity from any claim by the New Guinean authorities, will be given access to all airports and seaports in the country, including the military. These facilities can be used for a variety of activities, including visits by government and military officials, military exercises, maneuvers and transit, as well as refueling, repair and maintenance of aircraft and ships. In addition, they will be permitted to house personnel and to prepare and store equipment, supplies a...
14:00
PET project: Coca-Cola expands its footprint in Papua New Guinea "IndyWatch Feed Niugini"
In spite of softer market conditions, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) continues to invest in Papua New Guinea, committing K80 million to the construction of a new bottle manufacturing plant in Lae. Business Advantage PNG talks to CCEPs Sales and Commercial Director, Tim Solly, to find out more.
Rendered image of Coca-Colas new mega warehouse in Lae. Credit: CCEP.
A new K80 million PET [polyethylene terephthalate] bottling plant will be constructed in Germany before being shipped to PNG for installation at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) Lae headquarters, where it will commence producing around third quarter 2024.
The new investment is in response to our current constraints on PET production, CCEP Sales and Commercial Director, Tim Solly tells Business Advantage PNG.
Were undersupplying the market currently and this will put some stability into our supply chain, advises Solly.
The move towards more PET bottles is partly a response to what Solly describes as softer conditions currently impacting PNGs retail market.
Competition makes you focus and be better at what you do
The funding follows an earlier K150 million investment made during the COVID pandemic on a new can production line, mega warehouse and office space in Lae.
Recycling scheme
While the new PET facility allows for greater production flexibility, PET bottles themselves present a growing waste challenge in PNG.
With that in mind, the company has just launched PNGs first PET bottle collection and recycling scheme, with the ultimate goal of helping to collect one bottle for every bottle it sells across the country.
The scheme follows on the success of similar programs around the world, including Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, explains Solly.
Initially we will operate this in Port Moresby only, but we will seek to expand this around the country, and request suppo...
07:40
Papua New Guinea to host Pacific ICT Ministerial Summit "IndyWatch Feed Niugini"
Information and Communication Technology Minister Timothy Masiu has announced Papua New Guinea will host the inaugural Pacific ICT Ministers Summit in August in Port Moresby.
In a meeting with Pacific ICT delegates in Seoul, Republic of Korea, Minister Masiu informed the delegates from Tonga, Nauru, Samoa, Palau, Cook Islands and Kiribati that the meeting is a follow up from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU ) meeting in Romania last year where the Pacific leaders expressed the need for the Pacific to a voice on significant ICT matters.
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| Minister for Information and Communications Technology Hon Timothy Masiu with ICT Ministers from Palau and Tonga in Seoul, Republic of Korea [photo by PNGDICT] |
Minister Masiu informed his colleague Ministers that, following on from the Pacific ICT Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) in Kokopo, PNG, earlier this year, preparations are well underway for the Pacific ICT Ministers Meeting.
The overarching theme is, Smart Pacific, One Voice with added emphasis on a Connected Pacific Enabling Aspirations through ICT.
As the Chair and host for the Secretariat, PNG is working with other members in the region and also to push for an ITU Sub-Regional Office in the Pacific.
He told a meeting with the Pacific Delegates in Seoul at the sides of the Korea Pacific Islands Digital Ministerial Conference that the recommendations and proposed cooperation from the Conference with South Korea will form inputs to the resolutions at the Pacific ICT Ministers Meeting and to further strengthen working with development partners in digital transformation.
He added PNG is committed and will continue to work with all Pacific Island nations to promote regional cooperation and collaboration given the region is scattered with a wide ocean space and digital transformation is the way forward for better Information and Communication to harness development in all sectors.
The Minister said he was grateful the Pacific Delegat...
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Thursday, 08 June
06:00
Childrens literacy in Indonesia: solving the book supply problem "IndyWatch Feed Politics.au"
In 1992, while one of us (Collett) was at school in Jakarta, the other arrived to take up a position as school principal in Kalimantan. A young parent and fresh from a career teaching early childhood in Australia, one of the first priorities was to buy some local childrens books for the classroom and for home. This was a disappointment. Outside Jakarta and the big cities there were few bookstores. Books for children were limited to school textbooks or folk tales with dense text and sparse black and white illustrations.
Over the last ten years the situation has begun to change. Bookstores in regional centres now stock Indonesian childrens books and young adult fiction, but much of it is translated from English and there is still a dearth of content for beginning readers. The cost of quality childrens books is prohibitive for all but the upper middle classes, and the few books that do make it into the hands of children in schools and homes are typically dry texts or religious instruction. Why spend limited funds on entertainment for children? The priority is academic and moral instruction. Until recently, this attitude was reflected in government policy. Illustrated storybooks were approved for purchase in early childhood centres, but not for primary schools.
Meanwhile, childrens literacy levels in the general population are alarmingly low. The Innovation for Indonesias School Children (INOVASI) program has been working with the Indonesian government and non-government partners to address this issue since 2016. INOVASI is funded by the Australian government and implemented by Palladium. The program is due to end in December 2023.
In 2016, a ministry survey found that 47% of grade 4 students were unable to read. INOVASIs 2017-18 baseline study found that 43% of grade 2 students failed a basic letter and word recognition test, while INOVASIs book study found that 68% of available books were textbooks dry, boring, and too difficult for beginning readers. Children cannot learn to read without reading material, and the most effective reading material is levelled and engaging childrens books.
Throughout the Jokowi period, commencing 2014, government efforts to build a reading culture have aligned with grassroots efforts. International an...
Thursday, 25 May
06:00
Reversing rural decline in PNG: the 11th Henry Kila Memorial Address "IndyWatch Feed Pacific"
This is an edited extract of the 11th Henry Kila Memorial Address delivered to the 2023 Australia Papua New Guinea Business Forum and Trade Expo in Port Moresby on 16 May 2023. Read the full speech.
I was born in the mid-1980s, and grew up in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, in Enga, in Porgera District, in a beautiful government outpost called Kolombi, which was established by early Christian missionaries during the colonial era.
During its heyday, Kolombi was more than just a government outpost. When I was a kid, it had a well-functioning health centre that supervised more than ten aid posts. There was a police post with a permanent police officer, and a formidable village-court magistrate. Together they ensured law and order was maintained.
There was an agriculture extension officer to promote agriculture services, particularly for cash crops, and a kiap or government administrator. There was an LLG (local level government) chamber which ensured regular local council meetings were held, and a community school which I attended as a boy.
However, disaster struck in 1996 with the closure of Kolombis airstrip, apparently due to a lack of funding for maintenance.
When the airstrip closed, Kolombi started to face rural decay. All the vital government services slowly ceased: the police post closed down, the kiap left, most health workers left and all the aid posts shut down; the agriculture extension officer departed, and the community school closed down as the teachers left.
Without the presence of a government authority, law and order started to deteriorate.
As I have written about previously, I made the decision to leave. As a 13-year-old, I walked for 12 hours to Porgera town, in bare feet over treacherous terrain. I will forever be grateful to the family who adopted me, a complete stranger. They took me in and looked after me, enabling me to complete my schooling, and from high school I went to The University of Papua New Guinea and then The Australian National University.
However, as far as I can tell, I was the only one to escape Kolombi. No other child from my area, or virtually none, has received any formal education since 1996. By 1997, when I returned to Kolombi, again on foot, it was clear that government services had already stopped, and cash cropping had been abandoned.
Since then, things have only got worse. With the proliferation of guns and the total breakdown in law and order, many tribal fights have erupted, involving numerous tribes in the district, and destroying property and claiming many lives, including some of my relatives and friends.
All the development gains, even from before independence, have been lost.
What I have related is not uncommon. Indeed, it is the typical story of ru...