SA abalone ruling may have national effect

A decision allowing two native title holders to take undersized abalone may have a national effect. Source: AAP

A HIGH Court decision upholding the native title rights of two Aboriginal people to take undersized abalone may have national ramifications.

South Australian Attorney General John Rau says the government is getting legal advice on the implications of Wednesday's ruling that the rights of Owen and Daniel Karpany were not extinguished by the South Australian Fisheries Management Act.

Mr Rau told ABC Radio the government wants to find out whether the decision is confined to this particular case or has wider ramifications.

Fisheries officers busted the father and son in 2009 near Cape Elizabeth in possession of 32 abalone - 24 of them under the 13-centimetre size limit.

The pair, members of the Narrunga people, said they planned to divide up the catch and eat them at a banquet with about 15 family members.

The case went to the full bench of the SA Supreme Court, which held that their native title rights had been extinguished and the Native Title Act did not apply in any event.

But the High Court held that SA fisheries law did not bar native title holders gathering undersized abalone for personal, non-commercial communal needs.

"Maybe the implications are quite modest and it just means these gentlemen can occasionally go out for private purposes and get some abalone," Mr Rau said on Thursday.

Asked if it sent the wrong message about keeping undersized catches, Mr Rau said it was not a good thing according to fisheries laws.

But if the decision meant only one or two individuals, who were native title holders, could occasionally do this, it would have a limited impact.

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Celebrate National Peaches & Cream Day: Peaches & Cream French toast casserole

June 21 is National Peaches and Cream Day; 38% of all the world's peaches are grown in the U.S., and Texas boasts some really delicious peaches!

Whether you have fresh peaches to use, or canned, try out this easy recipe that your family will enjoy for breakfast or brunch!

Peaches and Cream French toast casserole:

Ingredients:

3-4 cups sliced peaches (fresh, or 2- 15oz. canned peaches)

1 - 8oz loaf of French bread, sliced

8 eggs

2 cups 2% or whole milk

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 to 1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Spray or butter a 9x13' casserole dish. Arrange bread slices in the bottom, as tightly fitting as possible.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whish together all eggs and milk, then add sugar and vanilla. Whisk until dissolved.

3. Pour egg mixture over bread, and then arrange peach slices all over then top, distributing evenly.

4. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon, then cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours.

5. Remove baking dish from fridge and uncover 30 mins prior to baking.

6. In the meantime, place 1/2 cup cream in a sauce  pan, and simmer until reduced by half.

7. Pour the thickened cream over the casserole, and then bake, uncovered, for about 45 - 55 minutes at 350 degrees F.

8. Let stand for ten minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

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Copyright 2013 KLTV. All rights reserved.

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Miss America hopeful is a national guard sergeant - with tattoos

1 of 4. Miss Kansas, Theresa Vail, is seen on stage during the bathing suit portion of the preliminary round of the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in this September 10, 2013, file photo.

Credit: Reuters/Carlo Allegri/Files

By Victoria Cavaliere

NEW YORK | Thu Sep 12, 2013 4:43pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Kansas woman hoping to be crowned the next Miss America on Sunday night keeps her personal mission statement close to her heart: it's tattooed on her torso.

Miss Kansas Theresa Vail became the first Miss America contestant to visibly show her tattoos during competitions this week, pageant officials said. Her two pieces of ink are expected to be on display during Sunday's nationally televised pageant.

Tattoos aren't the only thing that sets Vail, 22, apart from her beauty queen competitors. She's also a member of the Kansas National Guard, making her the second contestant in the history of the Miss America Pageant to be an active member of the military.

Sergeant Vail, who lists her hobbies as hunting, archery and cooking, addressed her tattoos on her personal blog. She said her decision to not cover them during the contest was an attempt to challenge traditional definitions of beauty and femininity.

"I do not want to shock the nation when I'm seen in a swimsuit, bearing my marks," she wrote. "I am opting to show them proudly."

Her goal, she said is "empowering women to OVERCOME stereotypes and break barriers."

Vail's two tattoos include her "personal mission statement," the Serenity Prayer, down the right side of her torso. It reads "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference."

Her other tattoo is the insignia of the U.S. Army Dental Corps on her left shoulder. Vail says she hopes to go on to dental school in the future.

The 2014 Miss America will be crowned Sunday night.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Andrew Hay)

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U.S. Team Wins National Geographic World Championship

Do you know from which country the Fang people come? Here's a hint: This country's capital city is located on an island off Africa's west coast, and the national flag includes six small stars representing the mainland and five offshore islands.

If you guessed Equatorial Guinea, congratulations! You may have the brains to compete against geography geniuses from around the world.

This trivia is similar to the final questions the United States team answered to win first place at the 11th National Geographic World Championship, held Wednesday at the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg, Russia.

(See "National Geographic Bee: Do You Have What It Takes?")

The victorious team defeated Canada and India in the final round; the runners-up came in second and third, respectively, after a close tiebreaker. The United States was represented by three young geography students: captain Gopi Ramanathan, 14, from Minnesota; Asha Jain, 13, from Wisconsin; and Neelam Sandhu, 14, from New Hampshire.

"It feels great. I am actually still sort of in shock right now," said Sandhu just hours after winning the championship.

"We went to a local chocolate museum in St. Petersburg to celebrate, and now we are planning on hanging out and enjoying the moment," she said.

After beating 14 other teams in preliminary activities on Sunday and Monday—a scavenger hunt around St. Petersburg and a written team test—the United States, Canada, and India advanced to the finals. Other competitors came from Australia, Bulgaria, China, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Poland, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom.

Moderator Alex Trebek—also host of the television show Jeopardy!—quizzed the young geography buffs on physical, cultural, and economic geography in a game-show format.

(See "Alex Trebek: On Hosting the National Geographic Bee.")

Students on the Nigerian team participate in a scavenger hunt around St. Petersburg, one of the problem-solving tasks included in the geography World Championship.Photograph by Rebecca Hale, National Geographic

This is the sixth time the United States has taken home the gold since the first competition in 1993. Mongolia and Indonesia were first-time competitors. Russia won top honors at the last championship, held at Google's company headquarters in San Francisco in 2011.

Twenty years ago, National Geographic started the World Championship in response to concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the United States. John Fahey, chairman and CEO of the National Geographic Society, said the competition was a rewarding cross-cultural exchange.

"The competition enhances geo-literacy, international dialogue and understanding, and promotes friendships around the globe," he said. "The National Geographic World Championship competitors embody the spirit of curiosity about our planet that has defined the National Geographic Society for 125 years."

Past Winners of the National Geographic World Championship:

United States, 2013

Russia, 2011

Canada, 2009

Mexico, 2007

United States, 2005

United States, 2003

United States, 2001

United States, 1999

Canada, 1997

Australia, 1995

United States, 1993

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