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CANADA (November 2018): Increase in Employment rate in Canada
Increase in Employment rate in Canada As per Statistics Canada's monthly Labour Force Survey, Canada's employment rose by 94,000 and the unemployment rate dropped to a record low in November 2018. The unemployment rate decreased 0.2 percentage points to 5.6%, the lowest since comparable data became available in 1976. In terms of industries, the most significant employment gains in November occurred in professional, scientific and technical services; health care and social assistance; construction; business, building and other support services; transportation and warehousing; and agriculture. as per Statistics Canada. Some of the figures are as follows:
Quebec, the number of employed grew by 26,000
In Alberta, employment rose by 24,000
Ontario also saw employment increase by 20,00
British Columbia also saw employment increase with 16,000
Saskatchewan posted employment gains of 5,500
Manitoba also saw employment increase by 2,600
CANADA: Fingerprints and Photo (biometrics)
Starting from 31 July 2018, applicants from Middle East, Europe and Africa applying for Permanent residence visa, Visitor visa, a Work or Study permit, or Refugee or Asylum status will be required to give biometrics. This will apply to applicants from Asia, the Americas and Asia Pacific from 31 December 2018 onwards.There are few exemptions among which, children under the age of 14; applicant over the age of 79; and temporary resident applicants who have already undergone biometrics in relation to a permanent resident application which is still in progress
For visitor visa, study and work permit applicants will be required to give biometrics once every 10 years. However, permanent residence applicants will be required to provide biometrics irrespective of whether he/she has given biometrics in the past in relation to a different permanent resident application or a visitor visa, study or work permit application.
It will cost CAD$ 85 for individual applicants. Maximum total fee of CAD$ 170 for families applying together at the same time
AUSTRALIA: Upcoming changes to South Australia – Chain Migration
South Australia offers a unique opportunity to close relatives seeking South Australian state sponsorship to apply under 'Chain Migration' pathway wherein, the applicant need not worry if their nominated occupation is not listed in the SA's state nominated occupations list but can still apply if it is available in the SA's Supplementary Skilled List. Starting from 01 July 2018, few important changes are going to take place as mentioned below:
The only visa subclass option will be a Provisional 489 visa.
The family member living in South Australia must now have resided in South Australia for at least 2 years.
The family member in South Australia must continue to be a permanent resident, Australian citizen or the holder of subclass 489 visa which was nominated by South Australia.
The overall changes make this pathway more strong and successful in meeting the very objective that the sponsored relative is committed to South Australia and is genuinely looking to settle with or close to the sponsoring relative who may also be helpful to the sponsored relative in acquiring employment, integration and to be a part of the growing economy.
AUSTRALIA – Changes to the Skilled Occupation list effective from 17 January 2018
After the recent six monthly review by the Department of Jobs and Small Business, the new Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) came into effect on 17 January 2018. However, there have not been many changes, except few which include:
* Horse Breeder (ANZSCO 121316) is removed from STSOL and added to MLTSSL.
* Management Consultant (ANZSCO 224711) is removed from STSOL and added to MLTSSL.
* Hair and Beauty Salon Manager (ANZSCO 142114) is removed from STSOL.
* Building Associate (ANZSCO 312112) is removed from STSOL.* Psychotherapist (ANZSCO 272314) is added to STSOL.
* Property Manager (ANZSCO 612112) is added to STSOL.
* Real Estate Representative (ANZSCO 612115) is added to STSOL.
Canada – Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP) reopened in January 2018
On 2 January 2018, IRCC reopened Parents and Grandparents Program. Canadian citizens and permanent residents wishing to sponsor their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada as Canadian permanent residents are required to fill the "Interest to Sponsor" online form. These forms will be available only until noon 1 February 2018.
IRCC will select randomly potential sponsors from the Interest to Sponsor submissions and invite them apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents. If you are invited, must lodge a complete application and all supporting documents within 90 days from the date of invitation. ICCRC aims to receive 10,000 complete applications for the year 2018.Alternatively, you may also consider the "Super Visa" as another option for bringing parents and grandparents to Canada. This visa is valid for 10 years and allows parents and grandparents to make multiple entries to Canada and allow them to stay in Canada for up to 2 years on their initial entry.
AUSTRALIA – New MLTSSL and STSOL List effective from 01 July 2017
The much awaited new Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) formerly known as SOL list and the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) formerly known as CSOL List for the year 2017 – 2018 is released.
The good news is many common occupations, especially Engineering Professionals which were flagged to be removed, have been retained.
Also, the maximum age limit for skilled category (Subclass 189/190/489) has been reduced to 45 years, whereas earlier an applicant could apply until 50th birthday with no points awarded.
Contact us to know more about how it may affect your application.
CANADA – Changes to Canada Citizenship Act
On 19 June 2017, the Bill C-6 received Royal Assent making some amendments to the Canadian Citizenship Act.
In addition to others, following are some of the important changes taking effect immediately on 19 June 2017.
Under the previous Citizenship Act, applicants were required to intend to continue to live in Canada if granted citizenship. This provision is now repealed, wherein the applicants are no longer required to intend to continue to live in Canada once granted citizenship. This provides more flexibility to Canadians who may need to live outside of Canada for work or personal reasons. Under the previous Citizenship Act, applicants were required to maintain the requirements for citizenship from the time they apply for citizenship until taking the Oath of Citizenship only applied to applications received on or after June 11, 2015. This requirement now also applies to all applications, including those received before June 11, 2015.In addition to others, following are some of the important changes expected to take effect in fall 2017:Before applying for citizenship, the applicants had to be physically present in Canada for four out of six years. The new changes will reduce this requirement, wherein the applicants must be physically present in Canada for three out of five years before applying for citizenship.Applicants had to be physically present in Canada for 183 days in four out of the six years preceding their application. This provision is now repealed. Applicants no longer have to meet this requirement.Time spent in Canada prior to becoming a permanent resident did not count towards the physical presence requirement for citizenship. Now, applicants may count each day they were physically present in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before becoming a permanent resident as a half-day toward meeting the physical presence requirement for citizenship, up to a maximum credit of 365 days.Applicants between 14 and 64 years had to meet the language and knowledge requirements for citizenship. With the new changes, applicants between 18 and 54 years must meet the language and knowledge requirements for citizenship.* This is a newsletter and to be used for general information only. You must discuss with the appropriate authorised person before making any decisions based on this article.
Changes to List of Occupations for Australia Skilled Migration
Changes to List of Occupations for Australia Skilled Migration effective from 19 April 2017.
Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) replaces the former Skilled Occupation List (SOL) and the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) replaces the former Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List (CSOL).
Occupations on the MLTSSL are those identified by the Australian Government as being in shortage in the Australian labour market in the medium to long term. MTSSL is applicable for subclass 189, subclass 489 (Family Sponsored), and subclass 485 visa.STSOL is applicable for subclass 186, subclass 190) visa, subclass 489 (State or Territory nominated), subclass 457, and subclass 407.The new MLTSSL now has 16 occupations restricted to only apply to the Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa, the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa, and the Skilled Regional (Provisional) subclass 489 visa where the applicant is nominated by a state or territory.The new STSOL contains 200 fewer occupations than the former CSOL. The occupations have been restricted and removed on the basis of their historically low visa grant rates.To know more details, or to know how it may affect your application, please contact our office for a free and fair consultation. For appointment, call us on +968 24700011 / +968 99275272 / Email: muscat@migratevision.com (Sat to Thu. 9:30 am to 1:00 pm & 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm)
Changes to SOL and CSOL list effective from 1 July 2016
The following occupations has been moved from SOL to CSOL
233611 Mining Engineers (excluding Petroleum)
233612 Petroleum Engineers
234912 Metallurgists
251311 Environmental Health Officers
251312 Occupational Health & Safety Advisers
411211 Dental Hygienists
411212 Dental Prosthetists
411213 Dental Technicians
411213 Dental Therapists
The following occupations has been added to the SOL
251912 – Orthotist or Prosthetist
25 2711 – Audiologists
These changes will be applicable for invitations issued on or after 1 July 2016 and relate to the following visa subclasses:
Subclass 186
Changes to Engineers Australia – Migration Skills Assessment Application fee effective from 1 July 2016
There will be an increase in the Migration Skills Assessment application fee charged by Engineers Australia starting from 01 July 2016.
Form CDR applicants from overseas who wish to do only Skills Assessment will be charged AUD $ 750/-. However, if the applicant chooses to do Skills Assessment and also relevant work experience assessment, it will cost AUD $ 1030. If the applicant is in hurry and chooses to apply under fast track option, then add additional AUD $ 275/-.A complete list of new fees is available in this link – https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/shado/About%20Us/Migration%20Skills%20Assessment/feestructure_2016-17.pdf
VETASSESS – Changes to Certifying documents as true copies.
Good news from Vetassess for Skills Assessment applicants, applying under General Professional Occupations (not for Trade occupations). Starting from 01 December 2015,
Vetassess will accept colour scan documents and no longer will require an applicant to provide certified true copies of documents. This is a great relief to many applicants and agents saving valuable time and money in getting the documents certified.
Engineers Australia will start accepting TOEFL iBT®
ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA will start accepting TOEFL iBT® as an alternate English language test to IELTS from 01 January 2016.
Unlike many other Skill Assessing authorities, currently Engineers Australia accepts only IELTS test results as part of Migration Skill Assessment requirement.Effective from 01 January 2016, the TOEFL iBT® result with the following minimal scores for each module will be acceptable:
Listening: 12
Reading: 13
Writing: 21
Speaking: 18
Note: Engineers Australia will continue to accept IELTS (General or Academic) with a minimal score of 6 in each module. The validity of both the test results will be up to 2 years after the test date.
Fast Track Service for Migration Skill Assessment by Engineers Australia
Effective from 21 August 2015, Engineers Australia has commenced Fast Track service for Migration Skill Assessment applications. The current normal application processing time is around 9 weeks for Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) based applications. However, the processing timeframe keeps changing depending on the case load.
Those who are in hurry to obtain their skill assessment from Engineers Australia, then the new Fast Track service is very useful, as the application will be allocated to an assessor within 5 business days from the point of submission of the application. In addition to the Skill assessment fee, Fast Track fee of AUD $ 250/- for offshore applications is applicable, while it is AUD $ 275/- for onshore applications.
AUSTRALIA: Changes in SOL and CSOL list from 01 July 2015
Effective from 01 July 2015, the following occupation changes has been made to the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) and Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List (CSOL)
Added to SOL
Panelbeater (ANZSCO: 324111)
Cabinetmaker (ANZSCO: 394111)
Removed from SOL
Primary School Teacher (ANZSCO: 241213)
Removed from SOL and added to CSOL
Urban and Regional Planner (ANZSCO: 232611)
Dental Specialist (ANZSCO: 252311)
Dentist (ANZSCO: 252312)
The above changes are applicable only for those applicants who receive invitations after 01 July 2015. If you received an invitation in one of the above occupations before 01 July 2015, then you will not be affected by the change and can lodge your visa application before your invitation expires.
There are several other occupations flagged for a close review in coming time which may result in either removal or cut down in the number of places available in the ceiling. The addition or deletion of an occupation in the SOL and CSOL is based on the findings of a review of Australia's labour market and education and migration data by the Department of Industry and Science. The review also considered submissions by industry, unions, trade and professional organisations.
Keep checking news section on our website https://migratevision.com for latest update. For a free no obligation preliminary assessment, contact us on +968 24700011 / +968 99275272 or email us at muscat@migratevision.com. If you are interested in the Online Webinar, then email us at webinar@migratevision.com
Change in assessment criteria by ICAA, CPA, IPA for Australian Migration Skill Assessment
Starting from 01 July 2015, there will a change in assessment criteria for Skill Assessment by The Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (ICAA), CP Australia, and Institute of Public Accountants.
The core knowledge areas from 12 will be reduced to 9. And the applicant will need to meet only 7 core knowledge areas if applying for a nominated occupation of Accountant (General), Finance Manager, Management Accountant, or Corporate Treasurer. However, External Auditors and Taxation Accountants must meet atleast 8 core knowledge areas.The core knowledge areas such as Financial Accounting and Accounting Theory/Contemporary Accounting Issues will be consolidated in one core area as 'Financial Accounting and Reporting'. Commercial Law (including contracts) and Corporate Law/Corporation Law will be consolidated in one core area as Business Law. Lastly, the Accounting Information Systems will be removed and will no longer be required.If you are an Accounting professional, and are looking to migrate to Australia, then contact us for a free no obligation preliminary assessment. You may write to us at aus-nz@migratevision.com / muscat@migratevision.com
Changes to Canadian citizenship law effective from 11 June 2015
Earlier, an applicant had to be physically present in Canada for 3 out of 4 years before the date of their application for Canadian citizenship, but starting from 11 June 2015,
an adult applicant must now be physically present in Canada for at least 4 years (1,460 days) out of the 6 years before the date of their application, and must be physically present in Canada for at least 183 days in each of the 4 calendar years within the qualifying period. In addition to this, the applicants must have a Permanent Residence Status and applicants aged between 14 and 64 must meet the basic knowledge and language requirement in English or French. Also meet the personal income tax filing obligations in 4 taxation years that are fully or partially within the 6 years immediately before the date of application.
Change in the DIBP domain name email addresses
Starting from 1 July 2015 email addresses will change from '@immi.gov.au' or '@customs.gov.au' to '@border.gov.au'
I. This is to reflect the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service integrating into a single organisation – the Department of Immigration and Border Protection – on 1 July 2015. At this time the Australian Border Force will be established within the Department.
Increase in the Visa Application Charge (VAC) effective from 1 July 2015
Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) Australia has announced an increase in the Visa Application Charge (fees) for various visa types starting from 1 July 2015.
VAC increases include:
2.3% for GSM, Skilled Graduate, 457, Visitor and Student streams.
5% for Temporary Short Term Business, Entertainment, Working Holiday, RRV, Retirement and Contributory Parent streams.
10% for Remaining Relative, Carer and Aged Dependent Relative and non contributory Parent visas.
50% for Significant Investor visas and Offshore Partner visas.
Summary of changes in VAC for some important visa subclasses are as follows:
Visa Subclass Current VAC Price in AUD $ New VAC Price from 01-Jul-2015 in AUD $
Skilled – Independent (Permanent) – Subclass 189
Skilled – Nominated (Permanent) – Subclass 190
Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) – Subclass 489
Primary Applicant – $3,520Adult Dependent – $1,760Child Dependent – $880
Partner – Subclass 100/309
Primary Applicant – $ 4,630Adult Dependent – $ 2,320Child Dependent – $ 1,155 Primary Applicant – $ 6,865Adult Dependent – $ 3,435Child Dependent – $ 1,720
Students – Subclass 570-575, 580
Primary Applicant – $535Adult Dependent – $405Child Dependent – $135 Primary Applicant – $550Adult Dependent – $410Child Dependent – $135
Five Year Resident Return – Subclass 155
Three Month Resident Return – Subclass 157
Visitor Offshore – Subclass 600
Child Offshore – Subclass 101
Primary Applicant – $ 2,370Adult Dependent – $1,185Child Dependent – $595 Primary Applicant – $ 2,370Adult Dependent – $1,185Child Dependent – $595
Contributory Parent – Subclass 173
Primary Applicant – $3,520Adult Dependent – $1,185Child Dependent – $595 Primary Applicant – $3,695Adult Dependent – $1,245Child Dependent – $625
Contributory Aged Parent – Subclass 864, 884
Skilled Graduate – Subclass 485
Primary Applicant – $1,440Adult Dependent – $720Child Dependent – $360 Primary Applicant – $1,470Adult Dependent – $735Child Dependent – $370
NSW to start new State Nomination process for subclass 190 from February 2015.
NSW has changed its policy to attract new migrants who intend to apply for NSW state nomination under subclass 190. Starting from February to June 2015,
NSW will select applicants from Skill Select. To be considered for NSW nomination, the applicant must indicate NSW as preferred state in their EOI. The criteria for NSW to select applicants is based on ranking system starting with DIBP points score, then on English language ability and then skilled employment. The top ranking applicants will be first to be invited to make an application. Once invited, the applicant will have 14 days to lodge an application and supporting documents to NSW Trade & Investment. It may take around 12 weeks to process an application and if successful, then, the applicant will receive an invitation from skill select to apply for subclass 190 visa.
New Australian Computer Society (ACS) Administration Fees from 05 January 2015
Starting from 05 January 2015, ACS will start charging two new administration fees as follows:
Recommendation Fee:If an applicant had made an application and nominated an incompatible ANZSCO code, or did not suit the application type, then ACS use to send an email recommending the applicant that the nominated occupation is not appropriate and to change the nominated occupation, or the application type before a decision is made. However, this service was free of cost. Starting from 05 January 2015, ACS will charge AUD $ 200 for all accepted recommendations.Additional Assessment FeeACS will carry out assessment of a total of 8 assessment episodes per application. As per an example from ACS, an applicant can submit 3 qualifications and 5 employment episodes or 8 employment episodes in total or any combination of qualifications and employment episodes numbering 8 assessment episodes per application. If the applicant has more than 8 assessment episodes in an application, then ACS will charge AUD $ 50 for each additional qualification or employment entry.
Changes to VETASSESS Skill Assessment process for General Professional Occupations from 01 January 2015
Starting from 01 Jan 2015, there will be few changes to the Skill Assessment process for General professional occupations assessed by VETASSESS.
There will be a change in assessment fee and the processing time will be 8-10 weeks provided that the applications are assessment-ready. The most important change is the introduction of "date deemed skilled" based on qualification and employment evidence provided. It means that based on the applicant's qualification and employment evidence provided within the last 10 years, VETASSESS will determine the date at which the applicant is deemed skilled based on closely related employment. It refers to the date that an applicant is considered skilled in their nominated occupation and therefore eligible for claiming employment points from that date and not earlier.An example provided by Vetassess is as follows for better understanding:An applicant nominating the occupation of Chemist (ANZSCO Code: 234211) completes a relevant Bachelor degree in 2007 and has four years of relevant work experience from January 2010 to December 2013.One year of work experience post the relevant qualification meets the skills assessment criteria and the date the applicant is deemed skilled will be January 2011. Therefore, all relevant/closely related employment from January 2011 will be considered skilled employment and eligible for points test purposes.
TOEFL & PTE acceptable for Accounting bodies Skill Assessment
Effective from 01 November 2014, the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA), CPA Australia, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (ICAA) have started to accept TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic test results for meeting the English proficiency requirements of the general skills assessment as follows:
Listening—- Reading—- Writing—- Speaking
IELTS Academic 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0
TOEFL iBT 24 24 27 23
PTE Academic 65 65 65 65
Victorian Government temporarily halts ICT skilled nominations
During the period 01 October 2014 to 05 January 2015, Victorian Government will not be accepting applications for Victorian State nomination for below mentioned ICT occupations, as large volume of applications in these occupations has already been received.s
During this temporary closure period, the Victorian Government will be processing all outstanding applications and will help reduce delays for future applicants. However, applications that are currently in process, and those received prior to this date, will be assessed against current guidelines and an outcome will be provided in due course. Applications for all other occupations eligible for Victorian Government nomination remain open.The occupations affected by this pause are:· 135112 ICT Project Manager· 261111 ICT Business Analyst· 261112 Systems Analyst· 261311 Analyst Programmer· 261312 Developer Programmer· 261313 Software Engineer· 261314 Software Tester· 261399 Software and Applications Programmers nec· 262111 Database Administrator· 262112 ICT Security Specialist· 263111 Computer Network and Systems Engineer.It is anticipated this closure will be for three months, however further updates will be provided if required.Applicants applying under the streamlined PhD and 457 pathways are not affected by the closure and may continue to apply under these ICT occupations during the temporary closure.Source: MIA
Canada – Changes to the definition of a dependent child
With effect from 01 August 2014, the definition of a dependent child has changed for Citizenship and Immigration Canada's (CIC's) immigration programs. The age at which a child will be considered a dependant is being reduced, from under 22 to under 19.
The exception for full-time students is also being removed. Children of applicants who are 19 or over but are financially dependent on their parents and are enrolled in full-time studies will no longer be eligible to be processed as dependent children.In all cases, a child will continue to be considered a dependent, regardless of age, if they have depended on their parents for financial support because of a mental or physical condition.According to CIC, reducing the age for dependents to under 19 in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) will bring the IRPR in line with provincial definitions of "age of majority," which is currently evenly split between 18 and 19 across provinces and territories.Young adults will be able to apply to come to Canada on their own merits, as foreign students or through various economic programs.All permanent resident applications in CIC inventories before August 1, 2014 will continue to benefit from the pre-amendment definition of dependent child.
Australia: Alternative for IELTS from November 2014
Starting from November 2014, there will be an alternative for IELTS for visa applicants across the Skilled Migration category (Subclass 189 / 190 / 489) and various other visa subclasses such as 124 / 132 / 151 / 186 / 187 / 188 / 462 / 476 / 485 / 489 / 858 / 887 / 888 / 890 / 891 / 892 / 893.
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) will accept English language test scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT) and the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic). Also, the scores from the Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test will also be accepted from early 2015.However, a final implementation date in November 2014 has not yet determined.From November 2014, TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic test scores will be benchmarked against the IELTS equivalent score for each English language proficiency level (Functional, Vocational, Competent, Proficient or Superior).A summary of test score equivalencies for all English language tests accepted by the department from November 2014 is provided below.
Test component
Average across test components only 4.5 32 30 n/a
Listening 5.0 4 36 B
Reading 5.0 4 36 B
Writing 5.0 14 36 B
Speaking 5.0 14 36 B
Listening 6.0 12 50 B
Reading 6.0 13 50 B
Proficient (for points tested Skilled visas)
Superior (for points tested Skilled visas)
Listening 8.0 28 79 A
Reading 8.0 29 79 A
Writing 8.0 30 79 A
Speaking 8.0 26 79 A
Australia: Changes to Skills Assessment Validity Period
Effective from 1 July 2014, if a skills assessment is required, it will only be valid for a period of 3 years from the date of issue, unless a shorter validity period is specified on the skill assessment. For example Vetassess and ACS Skill assessment have 24 months validity period.
A skills assessment must be valid at the time of invitation to apply through SkillSelect for the following visas:
• Skilled – Independent (subclass 189) visa;
• Skilled –Nominated (subclass 190) visa;
• Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489) visa.A skills assessment must be valid at the time of lodgement for the following visas:
• The Direct Entry stream of the Employer Nominated Scheme (subclass 186) visa;
• The Direct Entry stream of the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) visa;
• The Graduate Work stream of the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa.These changes do not affect the Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visa
Australia – Non-Contributory Parent and other Family visas are now closed
Effective from 02 June 2014, the following subclasses of visas are longer acceptable.
The Family Stream will refocus on meeting the increasing demand for close family reunions. The additional partner and child places will be made available as a result of the cessation of new applications from the other family and parent (non‑contributory) places. This cessation will also enable faster processing of existing applications.The Government will reverse the Mid‑Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2012‑13 measure titled Response to the expert panel — Permanent migration programme — additional family stream places and remove 4,000 places allocated to Illegal Maritime Arrivals in the Family Stream (not previously accounted for in total programme numbers). The savings from this measure will be redirected by the Government to repair the Budget and fund policy priorities.The 'other family' and non-contributoryparent visas are:
Parent -Subclass -Subclass 103
Aged Parent- Subclass 804
Aged Dependent Relative – Subclass 114
Aged Dependent Relative -Subclass 838.
Remaining Relative- Subclass 115
Remaining Relative -Subclass 835
Carer-Subclass –Subclass 116
Carer – Subclass 836
Australia – The 'other family' and non-contributory parent visas with no future
The Australian Government will be modifying the size and composition of the 2014‑15 Migration Programme. The 2014‑15 Migration Programme will have 190,000 places and maintain the composition of 128,550 Skilled Stream places, 60,885 Family Stream places and 565 Special Eligibility Stream places. The Skilled Stream will continue to focus on Australia's longer term skills needs, including addressing skills shortages in regional Australia.
New Zealand – LTSSL List revised
Under the Skilled Migrant Category, effective from 24 March 2014,
the Appendix – 4 – Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) has been revised with few changes to the qualification requirements and the specifications to claim bonus points for qualification in an area of absolute shortage.
Canada – FSW applications
Starting from 01 May 2014, the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) category began with an overall cap of 25,500 for new federal skilled worker applications.
This includes a cap of 500 applications from PhD students. There are also sub-caps of 1,000 for each of the 50 eligible occupations. Those with valid job offer are not affected by the cap. CIC will continue to accept application under the above category until the new 'Express Entry' is expected to be launched in January 2015.
Canada – Express Entry program
Canada to start a new program called
"Express Entry" from January 2015. It will be based on the successful model of Expression of Interest already in place in New Zealand and
Australia – Form 80 changes backtracked
The recent changes to Form 80 requiring
Address and Travel history for last 30 years has been backtracked to previous 10 years address and travel history
AUSTRALIA – Credit card surcharge
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection applies a surcharge on all credit card transactions with the Department.
The rate is dependent upon the credit card type as follows: MasterCard & Visa Card – 1.08%; Amex & JCB – 1.99%; Diners Card – 2.91.


text:
Season Finale! The Jamie & Lloyd SHOW
The bosses at JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs have laid out their succession plans. One man looks like he'll be around longer than the other
by Hugh Son, with Dakin Campbell Mar 19, 2018 3 minutes
In another universe, they might have starred in an odd-couple comedy about a pair of New Yorkers who rise to fame and fortune: Jamie Dimon, the voluble, sometimes ill-tempered alpha male from Queens; Lloyd Blankfein, shorter and bald, the wisecracking sidekick from Brooklyn. Now the men atop the world's two preeminent banks—Dimon at JPMorgan Chase & Co., Blankfein at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.—have announced plans for an orderly handoff. It's part of a wider succession moment sweeping through finance a decade after the financial crisis, as men in their 60s and 70s prepare their companies for the next
Bloomberg Businessweek4 min read
"I Am Frequently Asked 'What Country Are You From' (I Grew Up in Brooklyn). I've Been Questioned About Whether I Really Went to Harvard (I Did) or How I Got In (I Applied)" ——Edith Cooper, Head of Human Capital Management at Goldman Sachs
Black bankers are underrepresented among executives. And at some companies, the numbers are getting worse
How Fancy Private Bankers Cross-Sell
JPMorgan ex-employees describe the push to sell in-house products | "Clients expect to hear from us about all of these capabilities"
The Undergrad Fixing Finance
Bank of America, JPMorgan, and big-name hedge funds are trying to diversify. BLK Capital wants to make it easier for them
More from Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek34 min read
The New Workers Of The World
What an astonishing, disquieting time to be a working person. In much of the world, young people from poor families are easily outearning their parents. Yet the pressures of globalization and automation have also left many manual and service workers
Deutsche Bank Waves the White Flag
For decades, Deutsche Bank AG had one predominant aspiration: to compete with Wall Street. In abandoning global stock trading, Germany's biggest bank is giving up on that ambition. No financial company has exited the equities business of this scale b
When Mother Earth Gives You A Building Permit
One day last December, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador donned a beaded necklace and bowed his head reverently before a fire pit, to ask Mother Earth for permission to build a railroad through the heart of Mayan territory. The line, whi

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


March 2, 2015 – Year-over-year new listings growth eased from 37 percent last month to nine percent in February. However, as sales activity remained below long term averages for the month, Calgary inventory levels rose to 5,474 units in February.
City of Calgary sales totaled 1,217 in February, a 34 percent decline over the previous year's activity. While sales fell across all product types, the rate of decline was higher in the apartment and attached sectors of the city.
Unadjusted detached benchmark prices totaled 516,000 in February, a year-over-year increase of six percent, but a 0.5 percent fall over January figures.
The variation in price is more extreme when considering the average price. In February the average price rose by 0.3 percent relative to January, but fell by 4.2 percent compared to last year. This does not come as a surprise given how the composition of the sales influences the change. Benchmark prices provided changes over time on similar properties, providing a clearer indication of pricing trends.
If you'd like a full copy of the monthly statistics package, please just let me know by message or email and I'll get it to you right away.


text:
October 2009 , 145:489 | Cite as
The anatomy of large valuation episodes
Agustín S. Bénétrix
First Online: 11 September 2009
We examine cases in which there is a large shift in a country's net foreign asset position due to the re-valuation of its foreign assets and/or foreign liabilities. We highlight the differences in large valuation shocks between countries characterized by large gross stocks of foreign assets and foreign liabilities and countries exhibiting large net external positions. Finally, we analyze macroeconomic dynamics in the neighborhood of large valuation episodes.
International financial integration Valuation channel Valuation episodes
JEL Classification
The author would like to thank an anonymous referee for helpful comments and suggestions, Philip R. Lane for his continuous encouragement and help with the External Wealth of Nations database. The author gratefully acknowledges the Institute for International Integration Studies (IIIS) at Trinity College Dublin for financial support.
Appendix: countries and data sources
Countries: The set of countries used to identify the 59 large valuation shocks is formed by 17 emerging markets and developing countries and 21 advanced countries. The former is composed of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey and Venezuela. The latter group is formed by Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Data: Stocks and flows of foreign assets and liabilities (Lane and Milesi-Ferretti 2007a). Trade balance (Direction of Trade Statistics, IMF). Constant GDP in local currency (World Development Indicators). Current account balance and real exchange rate (International Financial Statistics, IMF). Equity price index (Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc.). Total return bond index (Global Financial Data). Foreign assets are the sum of portfolio equity assets, foreign direct investment and debt assets (debt assets includes foreign exchange reserves minus gold). Foreign liabilities are the sum of portfolio equity liabilities, foreign direct investment and debt liabilities.
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© Kiel Institute 2009
1.Department of EconomicsInstitute for International Integration Studies, Trinity College DublinDublin 2Ireland
Bénétrix, A.S. Rev World Econ (2009) 145: 489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10290-009-0026-1
First Online 11 September 2009


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Simon Thomas - Biography and Images
Home • Biography & Images • Simon Thomas
Simon Thomas is a former presenter on Sky Sports
Simon was born on 26th January 1973 in Cromer, Norfolk but grew up in Surrey where he went to Aberdour School in Tadworth and St John's School in Leatherhead. Following his school career, he went to Birmingham University where he graduated with a degree in History.
Prior to joining Sky Sports News in July 2005, Simon was the 27th presenter of the children's programme Blue Peter, which he joined in January 1999 to replace Richard Bacon. He presented his final edition of the programme on 25th April 2005.
He had previously worked as a researcher at CBBC and LBC radio. His time at Blue Peter allowed him to take part in a large number of sporting features and has run the London Marathon twice, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc, completed a parachute jump with the RAF and presented medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
He reported for Blue Peter from several countries around the globe including Austria, Australia, Belize, Brazil, Germany, India, Italy, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Solomon Islands, Spain, the United States and Vietnam.
Away from his television career, Simon enjoys a wide range of sports, listing his favourites as rugby, football and surfing. He married Gemma Crosland, in a traditional church wedding in Sevenoaks on 6th August 2005. Gemma died in November 2017, three days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
Simon is a Norwich FC supporter. During his time at Blue Peter, he was given the opportunity to cook the team lunch, with help from Delia Smith.
Simon Thomas • Sky Sports Former Presenters • World Cup 2010 SSN Team
Former Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas to release his first book in June 2019
Former Sky Sports Football presenter Simon Thomas will release his first book next month. 'Love, Interrupted – Navigating Grief One Day at a Time,' will be published via Trigger Press on 13th June 2019. "When Simon Thomas lost the woman… Read more
Simon Thomas talks to Dan Walker on BBC Breakfast
Feel so inspired after interviewing @SimonThomasSky today. He speaks so powerfully about grief, loss, love, faith and finding a way to deal with the death of his wife. It'll be on @BBCBreakfast tomorrow morning pic.twitter.com/SWg1fdRpE3 — Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) May… Read more
Simon Thomas to leave Sky Sports at end of football season
Simon Thomas has announced he is to leave Sky Sports at the end of the current football season. In December 2017, Simon's wife Gemma died just three days after being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, leaving Simon alone with their… Read more
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The Netherlands Embassy has a vacancy for a Senior Agricultural Advisor to join its dynamic team, for a 35-hour work week at its location in Dublin.
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The position forms part of the Agricultural Attaché Network (LAN), which incorporates both the Netherlands Embassies of London and Dublin.
The Agricultural Counsellor based at the Embassy in London is the overall manager of this team, which also includes an Agricultural Advisor and an Agricultural Officer also based in London.
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Contribute to the Ministry of LNV's policy development by collecting, identifying, analysing, interpreting and reporting on relevant information, data and developments;
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In order to create an understanding of relevant political/administrative environments and to help carry out the above tasks, establish and maintain a network of contacts, including with the LAN Homebase at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) in The Hague and with other Agricultural Networks worldwide, with the Ministry of LNV and where relevant with other ministries in The Hague, with the authorities, the business community and civil society interest groups (such as ngo's) in the Republic of Ireland, and with news media (for public information, PR and press releases);
Register activities in RVO's Achilles database;
Write articles for the LAN's Agroberichtenbuitenland.nl website.
The Embassy is looking for a candidate with the following skills and competences:
University level qualifications, as well as at least five years of relevant experience;
General knowledge and understanding of (Irish / EU) agriculture and fisheries policy, legislation and regulations, government structure and agribusiness and trade;
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Applicants are asked to send a motivation letter and a recent CV to Philip de Jong, agricultural counsellor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in London, by October 25.
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January 7, 2021 / forpeatsake	/ Leave a comment
To kick off what has already been an incredible year on many fronts (!), I was tasked with writing a post for the International Peatland Society's blog, in my role as the Coordinator of the Peatlands and Biodiversity Expert Group within the organisation. Mark Harrison joined me in extracting some positive news about peatlands from 2020, to inspire us to keep speaking up for swamps in the year ahead. (The piece below is being reposted from the IPS blog, accessed here.) Onwards, and bog-wards.
As we say goodbye to 2020, to what has been an incredibly and unpredictably challenging year in many ways for many people, it is important to sift through the muddy (swamp) waters for positive news. For peatlands, the last 12 months have provided many sources of hope. Various happenings have brought the societal relevance of peatlands further into the public eye, and shone light on some of the great work of peatland scientists and practitioners across the world. Here are a few highlights (hopefully you also know of many more!).
There is a passionate campaign underway to make The Flow Country into a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The UK Government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced in July that it will support the bid to UNESCO to consider this vast area of blanket bog as a significant jewel in humanity's crown. If The Flow Country peatlands, which cover 2,000 km2 within the region of Caithness and Sutherland in northern Scotland, are given World Heritage Site status, they will enjoy increased resources for their protection and restoration (supporting further excellent work such as this), and helping the UK to achieve its net zero climate targets. The campaign team are busy working on the nomination materials, which will be reviewed by the UNESCO Committee in 2023. In the meantime whilst we await their decision, the RSPB's Forsinard Flows reserve continues to provide access to this wonderful site (in the absence of Covid-restrictions!).
This year has seen noteworthy articles published that raise awareness of the importance of peatlands as an irrecoverable carbon stock (Goldstein et al., 2020), highlight the importance of better understanding peatland carbon dynamics and incorporating them into global climate models (Loisel et al., 2020), evaluate the relative impacts of incentive vs. deterrent interventions on peat fire outcomes (Carmenta et al., 2020), and assess the value of understanding people's engagement with peatlands and the reasons behind "caring for Cinderella" (Byg et al., 2020). In addition to these, and of central relevance to this year's main news story, Harrison et al. (2020) published an article describing the role that tropical peatlands play in the context of global disease pandemics.
Covid-19 has touched us all, including the communities living in the World's peatlands. Working with an international team of co-authors (including us both), Harrison et al. (2020), make apposite connections between the current Covid-19 pandemic and tropical peatlands drawing attention to the consequences of neglecting this globally important ecosystem in these challenging times. We describe how tropical peatlands could prove a potential source of zoonotic emerging infectious diseases in the future, with wildlife harvesting and habitat degradation bringing people into contact with potential animal vectors. Of more immediate effect, we describe the likely/ensuing impacts that the Covid-19 pandemic is already having on communities living in and around tropical peatlands. Food security, health provisioning and livelihoods have been compromised by the interruptions to transport resulting from the pandemic within the peatlands of Borneo and the Peruvian Amazon. Peatland research, restoration and conservation have also all been disrupted, increasing the susceptibility of already degraded peatland areas to fire and illegal activities. On a positive note, the article concludes by providing specific recommendations on how tropical peatlands can be managed to mitigate the risks of this pandemic and potential future ones. Hopefully these recommendations will be heeded.
Many tropical peatland areas are vulnerable to the impacts, whether directly or indirectly, of Covid-19 (Harrison et al., 2020). A remote tropical peatland community in Buenos Aires (upper image), within the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, Peruvian Amazon, which is accessible only by boat. People living here and in neighbouring communities rely heavily on resources extracted from the surrounding peat-forming Mauritia flexuosa palm swamps. Urarina indigenous groups living in peat-rich areas, harvest palm leaves from which to make textiles (lower image); important both practically and culturally for these isolated communities. The palms also offer plentiful food for wild fauna and thus the palm swamps in which they grow are important hunting spaces for people, providing bushmeat in locations far from the nearest market. Photo credits: Lydia Cole.
Finally, the UK Government has been put under further pressure recently to ban peat compost for amateur gardeners. The UK aimed to phase out peat compost for home use in England this year, but the target was only voluntary, meaning political will is limited and enforcement non-existent. Campaigns drawing attention to this Government failing are helping to ensure it does not go unnoticed.
Despite these 'wins' for peatlands in 2020, there remain many challenges to protecting these invaluable ecosystems sufficiently from degrading human activities (for example in the Congo basin and Indonesian Borneo). Continuing to bring peatlands into public view and onto national and international policy agendas is vital, and one that the International Peatland Society is committed to as we dive into 2021.
Dr. Lydia Cole, Coordinator IPS Biodiversity Expert Group
University of St. Andrews
Dr. Mark E. Harrison
University Of Exeter, Cornwall
November 27, 2020 / forpeatsake	/ Leave a comment
I'm re-posting this blog with permission from the University of St Andrews' Energy Ethics group, for whom I wrote this piece.
As part of Energy Ethics 2020, I joined three other panellists on Friday 13th November to debate the question: Are renewable energy technologies a sustainable solution for meeting the world's growing energy needs? It was a fascinating 90 minutes, filled with interesting and shocking facts about the dimensions of renewable energy in the 21st Century. I learnt that if we wanted to rely on biofuels, we would have to plant crops on the whole of the world's terrestrial surface in order to replace the 15 Empire State Buildings' worth of crude oil that is currently extracted per day; that an average electric car uses three times more copper than a conventional car (where does this come from!?); and that many people in the Majority World lack access to sufficient energy to light up their homes for educational purposes or to cook without subjecting the household to air pollution, let alone have access to renewable energy sources. The challenges of powering the world on renewable technologies were as palpable as the need to overcome them in order to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels; and reducing this reliance is imperative if we are to limit the impacts of ongoing climate change.
I am an ecologist, who has studied landscapes in which bio-energy production has been one option for land use. Since energy use and sourcing is a topic that touches all of our lives, I have spent some time thinking about how we might produce renewable energy whilst ensuring we uphold the environmental pillar of sustainable practice. I remember being excited by palm oil, touted as the great solution to diesel-fuelled transport. After millions of hectares of Southeast Asia were converted into oil palm plantations, the critiques started to roll in: we are taking up precious agricultural land to fill our cars with biofuels whilst people starve; we are destroying miles upon miles of biodiverse tropical forest to plant a monoculture that provides limited habitat for wildlife; we are creating huge carbon emissions in the process of growing this 'renewable' fuel, amongst other condemnations. I remember getting excited about Jatropha, claimed to be a more renewable alternative, as a biomass crop that could be grown in areas that were already ecologically degraded. But Jatropha did not prove the golden ticket either: the crop requires significant inputs of fertilisers, pesticides and water (through irrigation systems) in order to be productive, and the process of converting Jatropha seed oil into biodiesel results in large greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions itself. There are large questions around the sustainability of these two biofuels (and many others). There is also enquiry to be made around whether they are actually truly 'renewable'.
A commercial plantation in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, where the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis, is grown to produce palm oil. [Photo credit: Lydia Cole]
According to Oxford's online Lexico, a renewable resource is defined as one that is "not depleted by use". The resource therefore has to regenerate at the same rate that it is harvested or otherwise consumed. For example, sufficient time must be left between the logging rotations in a tree plantation to ensure that the trees grow to reproductive age before they are harvested. If trees are harvested too early in their growth cycle for natural regeneration to take place, a key dimension of the renewability of the resource is undermined, along with the interdependent system in which it grows: the soil, with its finite stock of nutrients and growing material; the water supply to ecosystem; and the diversity of plants and animals involved in nutrient cycling and natural regeneration. If the context and condition of the whole ecosystem is considered, as the fundamental housing from which renewable resources are produced, many of our current 'renewable' resources would be axed from the list.
An area of deforested peatland in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, in the process of being converted into an oil palm plantation. [Photo credit: Lydia Cole]
One resource that epitomises this renewability challenge is peat. Peat accumulates at an average rate of one millimetre per year, in waterlogged environments where the lack of oxygen slows down or entirely halts the process of decomposition. Burning one cubic meter of extracted peat is the equivalent to releasing one thousand years of accumulated carbon. It is produced through the natural process of harnessing the sun's energy via photosynthesis, the same process as produces wood-fuel, but the slow regeneration time of peat demands that if we burn it, we must do so at an impractically slow rate.
Aside from the extensive time required to re-accumulate the equivalent carbon belowground that is extracted when peat is harvested, the process of extraction itself often leads to large carbon emissions. The equipment deployed uses fossil fuelled combustion engines and emits CO2, but even greater volumes of GHGs result from the disruption of the waterlogged environment, which is an inevitable part of the extraction process. This prevents the ongoing 'sinking' of CO2 from the atmosphere into the peat substrate. It also results in the release of carbon that was previously inaccessible to the forces of decomposition, which cycles the plant-derived organic carbon back into the atmospheric gas that we have come to dread. Rwanda, a country striving for domestic energy security and energy accessibility for all, has recently built a peat-fired power station. International financing and engineering assistance, primarily from Finland, has supported the development of this "sustainable electricity" infrastructure. But this strategy of burning peat for electricity generation is far from sustainable, and even further from a system harnessing a renewable resource, as I have touched on here.
Rwanda's first peat-fired power plant at Gishoma. [Photo credit: Rwanda Energy Group/Twitter]
Though the balancing of the three pillars of environment, society and economics to develop sustainable solutions to meet our energy needs is no trivial task, a sufficient understanding and consideration of the environment component is essential if the other two pillars are not to be undermined. But when has any big transition occurred without challenge? And it is challenge that drives innovation and positive change. To end the discussion, the panellists were asked for their final (ideally positive!) reflections in order to provide food for thought moving forward. Building decentralised, appropriate renewable energy systems at a community level was mentioned by several of us. One panellist emphasised the need to create macro-policies with micro-foundations. He also reflected on the need for a dimension of international cooperation and support, through knowledge transfer and financial assistance, to lend the opportunities of renewable energy to those countries less able to develop their own. Promisingly, finding the money for these initiatives now seems more possible than ever, with recent COVID-19 related budget decisions demonstrating to the population here in the UK that our national Government can deliver when it chooses to. There was further optimism in the recent election of a new leader in the United States of America, Joe Biden, who has both acknowledged the reality of climate change and will likely choose to provide national and international leadership on approaches to solve this challenge. But we were reminded, as conscious citizens, that we must hold our leaders to account and show them that we are willing to embrace equitable and truly sustainable solutions to one of the greatest challenges of our age.
June 3, 2020 / forpeatsake	/ Leave a comment
Re-posting here a quick plug I made for World Peatlands Day on the Tropical Wetlands Consortium blog. Any excuse to post about peat.
Tuesday 2nd June, 2020, marked the first ever World Peatlands Day – a celebration of all things boggy, swampy, sucky, blanket-y, fen-y, etc. The International Peatland Society launched the event in August 2019, to draw attention to peatlands as being a unique ecosystem type, with a unique set of values and challenges associated with their sustainable management, and thus deserving of a separate international day of recognition. The longer-established World Wetlands Day happens on 2nd February every year, bringing the vast range of wetlands into the public eye; ecosystems that we all interact with and rely on in some way. Peatlands are one major part of that story.
In celebration of the day, re-peat put on Peat-Fest, a very impressive 24 hours of online peat-related fun. The British Ecological Society's Peatlands Research and Conservation Ecology Groups co-hosted a peat- and conservation-themed quiz (part-organised and attended by members of the Tropical Wetlands Consortium). Here are a few popular tweets illustrating yesterday's celebration….
But if World Peatlands Day passed you by, don't fear; there are plenty more days to celebrate peatlands to come*. International BogDay is on Sunday 26th July, the World Bogsnorkelling Championships (now cancelled) are usually in mid-Wales (UK) on the August Bank Holiday weekend, and in July of 2021, the Swamp Soccer World Championships is to be held in Finland. Do let us know if you spot more opportunities to celebrate these important ecosystems, in the Global North, South or swamps.
Spot the difference!
March 22, 2020 / forpeatsake	/ Leave a comment
On 7th March B.C., during those heady days of frollocking in the sun/rain-shine, wholesome hugs and re-usable coffee cups, the University of St Andrews held a Science Discovery Day. I was unable to attend unfortunately, but put together a poster for my research group – the Tropical Wetlands Consortium – to pop up as part of their peat paraphernalia. Below are two copies of the poster: (a) the poster before our seven year old consultant checked it for readability by the society members he was representing; (b) the revised version, edited in response to his valuable feedback. There are four major differences. Can you spot them (click on images to enlarge)? And understand why the items in (a) weren't accessible to our next generation of budding scientists? The feedback was eye-opening for me, and I shall now be using this consultant regularly to accessibility-check my primary school-level outreach work.
(a) Pre-accessibility assessment
(b) Post-check by our seven year old consultant
A story of flaming bogs in Borneo
February 3, 2020 February 4, 2020 / forpeatsake	/ Leave a comment
I've made a pact with myself that I will write a plain language summary for each paper I publish as the first author, to make my work more accessible for people beyond the ivory tower. Some journals, e.g. People and Nature, now encourage this for each of their publications. Whether you believe or not that scientists have a role in advocacy, I believe that sharing the treasure of knowledge with the people that funded our adventure is our responsibility. And perhaps it's better to tell the story with scientific facts, than 'facts' derived through alternative means? Here is my first attempt at an accessible summary for my last publication. (Though it's still too sciency, a good friend pointed out – I'll try for properly plain next time! All comments welcome!)
Over the past year, it's been rare to pass a day without hearing of forests burning, whether in Australia, Brazil or Siberia. The frequency and intensity of forest fires seem to be increasing, with devastating impacts on people and nature. But fires in forests are not a new phenomenon and can be vital to the resilience of these ecosystems. Historical and palaeoecological work can provide context from which to compare these contemporary fires and provide evidence to demonstrate the impact of management and policy.
One type of forest that has gained a global reputation in recent decades for its spectacular fires is degraded tropical peat swamp forest. In an intact state, these waterlogged ecosystems accumulate carbon under their prevailing anaerobic conditions, making them hugely important for mitigating the effects of rising GHG emissions. But are fires unique to degraded tropical peatlands or do intact peatlands burn too?
Our recent paper* answered this question for three peatland sites along the coast of northern Borneo, within the Malaysian state of Sarawak. We collected a set of peat cores from each site and spent many hours in front of the microscope gathering data on elements of the landscape over the last 7,000 years. Fossil pollen grains were identified to provide knowledge on the floral components of the landscape over time and distinguish major ecosystem types. Fossil charcoal particles were counted to reconstruct past fire regimes in these swamps, including incidences of forest burning that were above the background levels. We also looked at a wide range of historical and contemporary literature to explore the interactions that people have had with these peatlands over the last 500 years: the approximate time of people's arrival in the flooded coastal forests, the changes in land titling and the political pressures on land management in recent millennia.
Our results demonstrate that intact tropical peatlands do burn. They probably burnt more in years when the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) – a climatic phenomenon that brings drier, warmer weather to this region in irregular, sub-decadal intervals – was stronger, but the peat swamp forest seemed to recover even from these more intense fires. However, cue people's entry into the story, c. 1850s, and the narrative changes. Fossil charcoal levels reach unprecedented levels, in parallel with indicators of deforestation. And the peat swamp forest shows signs of losing its long-standing stability – the ecosystem's resilience appears to be compromised by the simultaneous forces of fire and deforestation.
Many of the forests standing in the Anthropocene have been degraded. Their resilience has been compromised by unusually low precipitation (resulting from regional climatic drying) or by management interventions that disrupt natural disturbance regimes, or by both, pushing them beyond the limits of their ecological memory. Our work suggests that tropical peatlands have recovered from episodes of burning throughout the Holocene. But the presence of people, agriculture and fire in peatlands seems to be a recipe for disaster. There is no shortage of contemporary literature and news reports supporting the notion that a drained peatland burns. Our work contributes to the common narrative that for climate change mitigation and for the universal long-term benefit of people and nature, drainage and deforestation are not compatible with sustainable management of tropical peatlands.
*Cole, L.E.S., Bhagwat, S.A., and Willis, K.J. (2019) Fire in the Swamp Forest: Palaeoecological Insights Into Natural and Human-Induced Burning in Intact Tropical Peatlands. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00048
Friend and FAO
January 10, 2020 / forpeatsake	/ Leave a comment
Earlier this year, as a result of making friends at a conference years ago, I had the privilege of working with a bunch of the world's most knowledgeable peat-ple on this article for the FAO, published to coincide with COP25: Peatlands: the challenge of mapping the world's invisible stores of carbon and water. (Page 46-57 in the linked document).
Our main message, watered-down, is that mapping peatlands is no easy task and there is still much work to do on the ground, and across the globe….but we are fast working on these knowledge gaps and know enough about the important role that peatlands play in mitigating climatic change that we would be fools to let them squander.
The Jungle Book Part II: Still no Paddington
January 9, 2020 January 10, 2020 / forpeatsake	/ Leave a comment
I return to tell a few tales of my recent stint of fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon, as part of the Leverhulme Trust-funded project: Valuing Intact Tropical Peatlands: an Interdisciplinary Challenge.
In early December, I returned to a cold and dark Scotland after two months in a warm and sunny Peru. Although, after spending weeks in mosquito-ridden swamps, it was a relief to at least leave them behind. The warmth and sunshine, less so!
Since early October, I had been based, along with Luis, another postdoctoral fellow from the University of St Andrews, and Charlotte, from the University of Edinburgh, in the central Amazonian town of Iquitos; the largest city without a road connection to the rest of the world. We spent several days there in between trips, organising the logistics, equipment and food for each period of fieldwork. All of our work is done in collaboration with, and would be impossible without, the fantastic team of ecologists and anthropologists based at IIAP (Instituto de las Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana).
This recent trip upstream to the Pastaza-Marañón Foreland Basin was the second of two that we made as a group in 2019. I wrote a bit about the previous one here. Earlier in the year we didn't have time to visit all of the four communities we intended to, so returned to spend time in and collect data from the final two: Nueva Pandora (on the Tigrillo tributary of the Chambira River) and Jenaro Herrera (on the larger Ucayali river). We also revisited the two communities we'd got to know back in May and June of 2019: Veinte de Enero (at the edge of the Pacaya-Samiria National Park) and Nueva Union (on the Chambira river), to fill in some data gaps and to train more community members in how to use a personalised data collection tool, ODK.
Six action-packed weeks were spent up-river altogether, splitting our time between each community. As before, each day involved squelching out into the surrounding wetlands. Our goal was to learn more about the types of forests that the community uses or in some way interacts with, and what the belowground environment and aboveground ecology was in each location. We were guided to areas of importance (appropriate for surveying) by a community member, seeming to effortlessly navigate the sucking swamps. Meanwhile, we would stop to tip out the sloshing aquarium in our wellies every few hundred metres! If our community guide told us it would take 30 minutes to get to a certain site, we knew it would take us double that, minimum.
Some of the incredibly strong women in Nueva Pandora, who were carrying kilos of palm shoots that they'd just harvested in the leach-infested swamps, back to their homes 30+ minutes away, without wellies. We stood and watching in awe as we set up a plot, in wellies.
Each location contributed a new angle to the story of lowland peatland development and ecology in the Peruvian Amazon and gave us food for thought on how people use this challenging landscape. Each location also yielded a novel short-term challenge, whether it be swarms of incessant bees, mosquitos who pay no attention to clothing or repellent, thigh-deep water, buckets of water being poured down from the heavens, snake super-highways, or ants who somehow turn up in your pants. Character-building at best; madness-inducing at worst. To my surprise, I left the jungle this time with a new love of the Amazon and its many wonders.
Bees – many and everywhere.
With the majority of the fieldwork now complete, it's time to find out exactly what's inside the many bags of samples that we brought back with us (peat or organic matter-rich mineral soil?) and explore the ecological and social survey data we collected. One major goal of the project is to produce a cohesive output that combines the quantitative ecological data with the qualitative social survey data, which will tell the story of the local value of the variety of wetland ecosystems in the PMFB. This will be a challenge, as is often the case in interdisciplinary work, but one that we are primed for.
Another major goal is to return to each community with the relevant results of our study and of the interactive studies that community members are carrying out with ODK, in order to enrich their knowledge, where relevant, and thus capacity to manage their relations to their environment, the people they interact with and the State.
And of course, we have to return to defend our title on the football pitch. And to find Paddington.
Our visiting Jiiri team posing with Nueva Pandora's home team, the Leuuakus, after a long football match (and a long day in the swamp!). I am indebted too all of these people for their help and kindness over many days in the jungle.
Sucked in (to the swamps)
July 22, 2019 / forpeatsake	/ Leave a comment
About a month ago, I got back from my first ever trip to the continent of South America. And the reason for my visit? Peat, of course. Here is a blog post I wrote for my new(ish) research group, the Tropical Wetlands Consortium, on my recent adventure to the "chupaderas", or sucking swamps, of the western Amazon.
A colleague, being sucked in. (She is entering a type of palm swamp dominated by Mauritia flexuosa, locally known as an aguajál and important for the fruit that can be harvested there.)
At the end of June, I got back from two months of fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon. The swamps, the Amazon, Peru, and indeed South America, were all new to me, having spent most of my research career to date searching for remnants of intact peatlands in Southeast Asia.
In the Pastaza-Maranon Foreland Basin (PMFB), a large area of the lowland Amazon within the Department of Loreto, Peru, you're pushed to find any land that isn't swampy to walk on. Mapping projects to date have estimated the peatlands of the PMFB to cover 100,000km2. One of the reasons I was there, along with six colleagues (from the Universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh and Manchester) and a bunch of exceptional assistants, was to help improve the accuracy of this estimate. We each had slightly different data gathering agendas, but overall were trying to find out more about the evolution, ecology, condition and value of these peatlands, both from a local and global perspective.
Washing clothes in Veinte de Enero, on the banks of the Yanayacu river, on one of the many fine evenings after coming back from a sweaty day in the swamps.
My focus, along with that of Luis Andueza (fellow St Andrean) and Charlotte Wheeler (Edinburgh), was to investigate how people value the wetland ecosystems of the PMFB. Luis formed a key part of the social science team, made up of a great bunch of co-investigators and assistants from the Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (IIAP). They spent many hours asking many questions of the members of three communities, Veinte de Enero, Nueva Union and Nueva Pandora, living on the banks of the Yanayacu, Chambira and Tigrillo rivers, respectively. They, incidentally, drank a variety of liquids during the interviews, to facilitate their social integration with the communities!
The ecological crew I was with, busy measuring what we measure in a plot. Spot the agile one up the tree. Never have I seen such heights scaled so quickly, and with such ease! (I might need to adapt the Risk Assessment for the next trip, however.)
Concurrently, Charlotte and myself, led by our brilliant botanist, Nállarett, and two courageous Field Assistants, Julio S and Julio I, were out exploring the many ecosystems that surrounded these communities. Our work was, in essence, a big treasure hunt. Our mission (that I questioned why I'd chosen to accept at various points of inundation!) was to find the gold – the code-word for peat. We ventured into the environment surrounding the three communities in order to "ground-truth" information of two sorts: (i) ecosystem types/resource extraction locations marked on participatory maps generated by the communities in workshops run by the social science team, and (ii) maps generated through remote sensing (using Landsat imagery) that depict changes in land cover, with the different 'covers' yet to be confidently identified or understood from an ecological perspective. We spent approximately 20 days cutting our way through swampy forests of all shapes and sizes. When we came across a new ecosystem type, and felt that we could work at that location for two hours without sinking, we gathered data on various above- and below-ground characteristics. One of the most challenging plots was half a meter under water, at a location aptly named "31 Devils". Thankfully, I've had previous experience of snorkelling in bogs.
Now that we're all back on solid ground, we're starting to explore all of the ecological and interview data collected from the swamps, to try to understand how people use, and importantly, how they value the wetlands ecosystems of the PMFB, as well as understanding the physical characteristics of these ecosystems from a western scientific perspective. Our initial findings suggest that there are a whole range of forested wetlands used by these communities, composed of a huge diversity of flora on both peat and non-peatlands, and on a confusing mix of peaty-lands in between. And, not unsurprisingly, people tend to avoid the deeper, looser, more "sucking", mosquito-ridden swamps, when and where they can! Sensible folk. But we still have much to learn about the nuances of how each community values these carbon-rich, biodiverse and beautiful ecosystems.
Some of the great team, fresh-faced and smiling at the start of our fieldwork campaign! (One member of the team may have been carried over the swamps in some parts. Many other members of the team wished someone would carry them over the swamps in all parts.
Las turberas de Peru
April 7, 2019 April 7, 2019 / forpeatsake	/ 2 Comments
I learnt a new word this week: turberas. In about three weeks' time, I'll be off to Peru's turberas. In case you hadn't guessed, turberas = peat. My new gig is on a project entitled Valuing Intact Tropical Peatlands. I'll be heading out to Iquitos, a city (inaccessible by road – for better or for worse) within the Peruvian Amazon, which will be the base from where a crew of us researchers will be heading into the swamp forests this side of the Andes.
Talking shop with the team, at the edge of a bog.
There are still a fair few questions to answer on the exact details of the research and the associated fieldwork that we will be doing, but we made huge head-way this week at our first project meeting. We were fortunate to have four of our Peru-based colleagues join us (all from the Instituto de Investigaciones Amazonía Peruana) for three and a half days of intense discussions. And my, it was frazzling. (I have a new-found respect for the MPs of the UK Parliament after two+ years of what have effectively been intense interdisciplinary discussions.) This project is the first truly interdisciplinary one I've been a part of, i.e. much more than just lip-service is being given to the notion of working together, across disciplines, to answer some multifaceted questions. I'm re-learning the importance of patience, open-mindedness, clarity, humility and perspective: all immensely valuable skills for any project, and any well-lived life.
I will write more about the project as the days fly by, but at this point, one of the persisting aspects of it (whilst others seem to come and go with the wind!) is that we're interested in finding out how and why people are interacting with their environment, notably the boggy bits of it. For me, it's such an exciting project, and certainly as interesting as it is challenging. And it's such a privilege to work with a team of passionate Peruvians, and an engaged UK-based crew, spanning the social and natural sciences.
Watch this space for more reflections on working interdisciplinarily (a word? – probably in the social sciences), and for news on how I fare in a real-life intact peat swamp. A rare and wonderful space these days.


text:
Cikarang is een spoorwegstation in Bekasi, West-Java, Indonesië.

Bestemmingen
Patas Purwakarta: naar Station Purwakarta en Station Jakarta Kota

Cikarang

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Error trying to read a PDF using readPDF from the tm package (Windows 7 / R version 3.0.1)
Below the commands and the resulting error:
> library(tm)
> pdf <- readPDF(PdftotextOptions = "-layout")
> dat <- pdf(elem = list(uri = "17214.pdf"), language="de", id="id1")

Error in file(con, "r") : cannot open the connection
In addition: Warning message:
In file(con, "r") :
  cannot open file 'C:\Users\Raffael\AppData\Local\Temp
    \RtmpS8Uql1\pdfinfo167c2bc159f8': No such file or directory

How do I solve this issue?

EDIT I
(As suggested by Ben and described here)
I downloaded Xpdf copied the 32bit version to
C:\Program Files (x86)\xpdf32
and the 64bit version to
C:\Program Files\xpdf64
The environment variables pdfinfo and pdftotext are referring to the respective executables either 32bit (tested with R 32bit) or to 64bit (tested with R 64bit)

EDIT II
One very confusing observation is that starting from a fresh session (tm not loaded) the last command alone will produce the error:
> dat <- pdf(elem = list(uri = "17214.pdf"), language="de", id="id1")

Error in file(con, "r") : cannot open the connection
In addition: Warning message:
In file(con, "r") :
  cannot open file 'C:\Users\Raffael\AppData\Local\Temp\RtmpKi5GnL
     \pdfinfode8283c422f': No such file or directory

I don't understand this at all because the function variable is not defined by tm.readPDF yet. Below you'll find the function pdf refers to "naturally" and to what is returned by tm.readPDF:
> pdf

function (elem, language, id)
{
    meta <- tm:::pdfinfo(elem$uri)
    content <- system2("pdftotext", c(PdftotextOptions, shQuote(elem$uri),
        "-"), stdout = TRUE)
    PlainTextDocument(content, meta$Author, meta$CreationDate,
        meta$Subject, meta$Title, id, meta$Creator, language)
}
<environment: 0x0674bd8c>

> library(tm)
> pdf <- readPDF(PdftotextOptions = "-layout")
> pdf

function (elem, language, id)
{
    meta <- tm:::pdfinfo(elem$uri)
    content <- system2("pdftotext", c(PdftotextOptions, shQuote(elem$uri),
        "-"), stdout = TRUE)
    PlainTextDocument(content, meta$Author, meta$CreationDate,
        meta$Subject, meta$Title, id, meta$Creator, language)
}
<environment: 0x0c3d7364>

Apparently there is no difference - then why use readPDF at all?

EDIT III
The pdf file is located here: C:\Users\Raffael\Documents
> getwd()
[1] "C:/Users/Raffael/Documents"

EDIT IV
First instruction in pdf() is a call to tm:::pdfinfo() - and there the error is caused within the first few lines:
> outfile <- tempfile("pdfinfo")
> on.exit(unlink(outfile))
> status <- system2("pdfinfo", shQuote(normalizePath("C:/Users/Raffael/Documents/17214.pdf")),
+                   stdout = outfile)
> tags <- c("Title", "Subject", "Keywords", "Author", "Creator",
+           "Producer", "CreationDate", "ModDate", "Tagged", "Form",
+           "Pages", "Encrypted", "Page size", "File size", "Optimized",
+           "PDF version")
> re <- sprintf("^(%s)", paste(sprintf("%-16s", sprintf("%s:",
+                                                       tags)), collapse = "|"))
> lines <- readLines(outfile, warn = FALSE)
Error in file(con, "r") : cannot open the connection
In addition: Warning message:
In file(con, "r") :
  cannot open file 'C:\Users\Raffael\AppData\Local\Temp\RtmpquRYX6\pdfinfo8d419174450':   No such file or direc

Apparently tempfile() simply doesn't create a file.
> outfile <- tempfile("pdfinfo")
> outfile
[1] "C:\\Users\\Raffael\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\RtmpquRYX6\\pdfinfo8d437bd65d9"

The folder C:\Users\Raffael\AppData\Local\Temp\RtmpquRYX6 exists and holds some files but none is named pdfinfo8d437bd65d9.

A: Intersting, on my machine after a fresh start pdf is a function to convert an image to a PDF:
 getAnywhere(pdf)
A single object matching 'pdf' was found
It was found in the following places
  package:grDevices
  namespace:grDevices [etc.]

But back to the problem of reading in PDF files as text, fiddling with the PATH is a bit hit-and-miss (and annoying if you work across several different computers), so I think the simplest and safest method is to call pdf2text using system as Tony Breyal describes here.
In your case it would be (note the two sets of quotes):
system(paste('"C:/Program Files/xpdf64/pdftotext.exe"',
             '"C:/Users/Raffael/Documents/17214.pdf"'), wait=FALSE)

This could easily be extended with an *apply function or loop if you have many PDF files.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A course you do not want to underestimate! Great course to play if you want to work on alignment and accuracy without \_killing\_ your shot. Must brig A-Game for better scores!
The 9-hole Washington Park Golf Course in Racine, Wisconsin features 5,518 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 70. Washington Park golf course opened in 1917.


text:
David Pepose
Jasen Smith
Jorge Santiago
Spencer and Locke
REVIEW: 'Spencer and Locke' #4 by David Pepose, Jorge Santiago, Jr., and Jasen Smith
All good things must come to an end and that's never more appropriate than limited comic book series like 'Spencer & Locke' by David Pepose, Jorge Santiago, Jr., and Jasen Smith. The thrilling and poignant crime mystery that pays homage to a beloved comic strip has surpassed all expectations becoming one of the best comics of the year.
Spencer and Locke #4
Writer: David Pepose
Artist: Jorge Santiago Jr.
Colors: Jasen Smith
Letterer: Colin Bell
Publisher: Action Lab
Score: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
The series has been a surprisingly effective psychological crime drama that's taken Detective Locke through some dark episodes. Unable to relinquish a traumatic past, Locke finds solace in an imaginary friend, a big blue panther named Spencer. A nod to the legendary comic strip 'Calvin and Hobbes' by Bill Watterson, Pepose's take is much more adult and disturbing. He's been able to combine these different elements with the present day in an emotional roller coaster wrapped in an action-packed mystery. It all comes to a conclusion in issue four where Sophie's killer is revealed and Locke must face his drug lord father.
This is one of those instances where a miniseries could have benefited from a six-issue run instead of four. As great as the build-up has been to this point, with Locke descending into madness, drugged and beaten, only to escape certain death in his efforts to find Sophie's daughter who's being held hostage, this finale felt rushed a bit with little development of Locke's mustache-twirling father. It's all neatly tied up by the end but with little investment in Locke's villainous dad this challenge feels unearned. Where Locke battled personal demons throughout the series, this physical confrontation feels less impactful overall.
Nonetheless, the series has been such a revelation thematically and executed with such precision that I wonder if any conclusion would have satisfied and lived up to what came before. Pepose, Santiago, and Smith have created such a dynamic story that even if the ending falls a little flat it doesn't diminish the overall series as a whole. It's no wonder it's being developed as a film.
Santiago has been a Swiss Army Knife as an artist, providing an uncommon versatility alternating between two distinctive styles and excelling at both. The Watterson-like flashbacks of young Spencer and Locke and the present day noir of shadows and action. There's a cartoonish look to it all but kept grounded by the very adult script of pain, loss, regret, and vengeance. Smith chose a colorful palette to infuse life into each of Santiago's scenes. Bright and pastel in the flashbacks or bold and deep in the present. The art team has been instrumental in finding the right tone and conveying the emotional weight of some heavy scenes.
'Spencer and Locke' has been heart-stopping and hear-breaking. What may have seemed like a clever gimmick in incorporating the childish wonder of 'Calvin and Hobbes' and turning it on it's head with a grittier darker version became a sobering account of abuse and tragedy. A mentally jarring journey down the road to forgiveness and justice. 'Spencer and Locke' is that diamond in the rough you hear about when a new book from a small publisher just knocks your socks off. This is one of the year's best.
Labels: Action Lab comic books David Pepose Jasen Smith Jorge Santiago reviews Spencer and Locke


Pooping in a flush toilet – it's one of those magical properties of modern life that is also taken the most for granted. Once that lever is pressed, the offending material disappears completely from existence.
Of course, it doesn't really. It goes down the pipes and joins the collective poop deluge we all contribute to each day. But how large is this deluge being sent to our treatment plants? No one seems to really know, so I thought I'd try to figure it out. I went two different routes to find my end number to help make it more meaningful.
For the first method, I worked backwards. As of March 10, 2016, Calgary's three water treatment plants were processing 467,426 m³ of water everyday. That's over 460 million litres of water, enough to fill approximately 184 Olympic sized swimming pools.
According to a tour guide at one of the Calgary wastewater treatment plants, around 1% of all intake at the plants is solid waste. A lot of that is random stuff flushed down toilets and garburators, which is then caught by "the grit" (a heavy-duty filter system that separates the solids from the liquid. Find out more about Calgary's wastewater treatment system).
How much of that is human waste? We can only guess, so I worked within a range. I went from a conservative 10% to a generous 50% of solid waste arriving at the plants being folk's previous meal. A little elementary math later, it could be from 467,426L to 2,337,130L of poop, every day. I split the difference and said 1,402,278L. Unfortunately, this number required too much guesswork to feel meaningful (albeit educated).
So, on to method two. How does my first calculation compare with how much people poop on average? The average person produces approximately 1 ounce of stool for every 12 lbs of body weight. According to a Maclean's article, the average Canadian female weighs 153 lbs, and the average male weighs 187 lbs – for a total average of 170 lbs. So, a person weighing 170 lbs would produce just about .88lbs of poop a day (or 14.16oz). But not everybody in Calgary is an adult! 28.8% are 18 or younger – average weight of around 80 lbs producing an average of .41 lbs of poop a day.
Per a density conversion website, 1 litre of poop weighs around around .88lbs. Therefore, the average volume of poop produced a day by the average Canadian would be around a litre for adults, and about half a litre for kids. With a population of 1,235,171 in our fair city, around 30% being kids, there would be around 1,045,179L of poop flowing to our water treatment plants every day – which falls in the lower end of the range of 10% to 50% of solid waste being feces established before (it would be around 20%).
Conclusion: we're either flushing a lot of solids that aren't poop into our sewers, or we poop at above average rates. My instinct tells me the latter, as this is Alberta where we like to do things bigger.
I split the difference between the two and called it my answer: 1,223,728.5L of poop collectively weighing around 1,076,881 lbs. Roughly.
But now for the fun bit – how much exactly is that?
That's enough to create close to a 1 metre thick layer of sludge on the ice at the new Rogers Place in Edmonton (and be altogether more appealing than what is currently on display).
That's enough to crush around 119 Smart Cars!
It would fill 45 school buses. Or about 2,786,961.25 16oz cups of coffee.