Recognized as one of Time magazine's 25 most influential Americans, Dr Stephen R. Covey has dedicated his life to demonstrating how every person can truly control their destiny with profound, yet straightforward guidance. As an an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organizational consultant, and author, his advice has given insight to millions.


Habit 6- Synergize - Dr Stephen R Covey Brand New : 70 minutes 1 CD LEARN THE HABIT OF CREATIVE COOPERATION FROM THE AUTHOR HIMSELF World-renowned expert in leadership and organization Dr. Stephen R. Covey presents an in-depth look at Habit 6 of The 7 Habits Synergize. Filled with never-before-released material from Dr. Covey this CD includes new and insightful examples in the author's trademark engaging speaking and teaching style. * The Highest Activity in Life: Habit 6 is about working with others to create solutions that value others as well as yourself. In this in-depth audio program Dr. Covey teaches that high-trust relationships are comprised of people who value their differences buil extra info.....


Brand New : 63 minutes 1 CD LEARN THE HABIT OF EFFECTIVENESS FROM THE AUTHOR HIMSELF World-renowned expert in leadership and organization Dr. Stephen R. Covey presents an in-depth look at Habit 1 of The 7 Habits Be Proactive. Filled with never-before-released material from Dr. Covey this CD includes new and insightful examples in the author's trademark engaging speaking and teaching style. * You Can Take Control: Habit 1 takes head-on the "victim mentality" that paralyzes and hampers so many people. Habit 1 says "You are not a product of your circumstances; you can choose your response to every situation you face." * More Than an Audio Book: This is not a reading of the Habit 1 chapter from find out more.....



Stephen Covey 7 Habits Collection by Stephen R. Covey Get other Stephen Covey 7 Habits AudioBooks click here 5 AudioBooks Stephen R. Covey 7 Habits Audio Collection CD Brand New : includes: First Things First (1 CD) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1 CD) Living the 7 Habits (1CD) The 8th Habit (1CD) Principle-Centered Leadership (1CD) The wisdom and expertise that has become synonymous with the name Covey is respected the world over and with "The Stephen R. Covey 20th Anniversary Collection" listeners will get more of his renowned experience and advice than ever before. From problem-solving to organization and time management to creating personal and professional balance this unique more information.....



The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey Get other Stephen Covey 7 Habits AudioBooks click here Abridged 3 CD - Poweful lessons in personal change The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People abridged 3 CD by Stephen R. Covey Audio Book CD Brand New (still shrink wrapped): 3.3 hours 3 CDs ABRIDGED What inspires outstanding personal achievement day in and day out? Do successful people really do things differently? They certainly do says acclaimed author Stephen Covey. And in this powerful audio program based on his New York Times #1 best seller he reveals the 7 habits all successful people share and shows you how to make them a part of your everyday life. Learn the timeless val more details.....



Brand New : 68 minutes 1 CD LEARN THE HABIT OF VISION FROM THE AUTHOR HIMSELF World-renowned expert in leadership and organization Dr. Stephen R. Covey presents an in-depth look at Habit 2 of The 7 Habits Begin with the End in Mind. Filled with never-before-released material from Dr. Covey this CD includes new and insightful examples in the author's trademark engaging speaking and teaching style. * Live By Design Rather Than Default: Habit 2 is about making sure that the activities of your day contribute in a rich meaningful way to your life's vision. In this in-depth audio program Dr. Covey reveals the way to define both present location and future direction so you are always moving in the click here.....



Habit 3 - Put First Things First - Dr Stephen R Covey Brand New : 70 minutes 1 CD LEARN THE HABIT OF PERSONAL MANAGEMENT FROM THE AUTHOR HIMSELF World-renowned expert in leadership and organization Dr. Stephen R. Covey presents an in-depth look at Habit 3 of The 7 Habits Put First Things First. Filled with never-before-released material from Dr. Covey this CD includes new and insightful examples in the author's trademark engaging speaking and teaching style. * Identify What's Most Important: Habit 3 is about creating a life that supports your most important priorities at all times. In this in-depth audio program Dr. Covey encourages you to examine the way you spend your time and teaches you extra info.....



The 8th Habit by Stephen R. Covey Get other Stephen Covey 7 Habits AudioBooks click here Abridged 3 CD - From Effectiveness to Greatness The 8th Habit - abridged 3 CD by Stephen R. Covey Audio Book CD Brand New (still shrink wrapped): 3 CDs ABRIDGED The world has profoundly changed since The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was published. The challenges and complexity we face in our personal lives and relationships in our families in our professional lives and in our organizations are of a different order and magnitude. Surviving thriving innovating excelling and leading in this new reality requires a new mindset a new skill-set a new toolset—it requires a new habit. The 8th Habit: more details.....


Leadership by Stephen R. Covey Get other Stephen Covey 7 Habits AudioBooks click here The 4 Imperatives of Great Leaders Stephen R. Covey - Leadership - Audio Book CD Brand New (still shrink wrapped): 3 CDs Great organizations are created by great leaders—leaders who can unleash the highest and best contribution of their team toward their organizations’ most critical strategic priorities. Leadership: Great Leaders Great Teams Great Results is FranklinCovey’s flagship leadership-development program. It takes a “mind-set skill-set tool-set” approach to developing leaders who can unleash the talent and capability of their team against the organization’s highe more information.....



7 habits for Managers - Stephen R. Covey Audio Book CD Brand New : 70 minutes 1 CD This audio is a synthesis of Stephen R. Covey's two day interactive and intensive workshop on leadership. In this audio program Dr. Covey teaches managers and leaders how to define their contributions develop greater influence leverage hidden resources give constructive feedback and unleash the full potential of their team against critical priorities. No organization has ever become great without exceptional leadership without leaders who can connect the efforts of their teams to the critical objectives of the organization who can tap the full potential of each individual on their team who can align systems an more information.....



The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey - Audio Book CD The One Thing that changes everything Get other Stephen R Covey (his father) 7 Habits AudioBooks click here The Speed of Trust - Stephen M. R. Covey - Audio Book CD Brand New (1 CD) abridged 75 minutes: In the riveting style of The Tipping Point Stephen M. R. Covey uncovers the overlooked and underestimated power of trust in a gripping look into what he calls "the one thing that changes everything." Groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting The Speed of Trust demonstrates that trust is a hard-edged economic driver -- a learnable and measurable skill that makes organizations more profitable people more promotable and relationships more.....



Habit 7 - Sharpen the Saw - Dr Stephen R Covey Brand New : 70 minutes 1 CD LEARN THE HABIT OF SELF-RENEWAL FROM THE AUTHOR HIMSELF World-renowned expert in leadership and organization Dr. Stephen R. Covey presents an in-depth look at Habit 7 of The 7 Habits Sharpen the Saw. Filled with never-before-released material from Dr. Covey this CD includes new and insightful examples in the author's trademark engaging speaking and teaching style. * Peace of Mind: Habit 7 is about recognizing the importance of taking time regularly to take care of yourself - physically spiritually socially/emotionally and mentally. In this in-depth audio program Dr. Covey teaches you how to create a full and satisfyin extra info.....



Habit 5 - Seek First to Understand Then to be Understood - Dr Stephen R Covey Brand New : 70 minutes 1 CD LEARN THE HABIT OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING FROM THE AUTHOR HIMSELF World-renowned expert in leadership and organization Dr. Stephen R. Covey presents an in-depth look at Habit 5 of The 7 Habits Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood. Filled with never-before-released material from Dr. Covey this CD includes new and insightful examples in the author's trademark engaging speaking and teaching style. * Listening to Truly Understand: Habit 5 explores the essential communication skill of listening opening you up to other perspectives ideas and emotions. In this in-depth audio program Dr. extra info.....



The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey Get other Stephen Covey 7 Habits AudioBooks click here Unabridged - Poweful lessons in personal change The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Unabridged by Stephen R. Covey Audio Book CD Brand New (still shrink wrapped): 14 hours 13 CDs UNABRIDGED What inspires outstanding personal achievement day in and day out? Do successful people really do things differently? They certainly do says acclaimed author Stephen Covey. And in this powerful audio program based on his New York Times #1 best seller he reveals the 7 habits all successful people share and shows you how to make them a part of your everyday life. Learn the timeless value o more here.....



The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey Get other Stephen Covey 7 Habits AudioBooks click here Poweful lessons in personal change The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - abridged 1 CD by Stephen R. Covey Audio Book CD Brand New (still shrink wrapped): 1 CD ABRIDGED What inspires outstanding personal achievement day in and day out? Do successful people really do things differently? They certainly do says acclaimed author Stephen Covey. And in this powerful audio program based on his New York Times #1 best seller he reveals the 7 habits all successful people share and shows you how to make them a part of your everyday life. Learn the timeless value of the character ethic click here.....


First Things First by Stephen R. Covey Get other Stephen Covey 7 Habits AudioBooks click here learn how to balance your life First things first - abridged 1 CD by Stephen R. Covey Audio Book CD Brand New (still shrink wrapped): 1 CD ABRIDGED First Things First is a revolutionary guide to managing your time by learning how to balance your life. Traditional time management suggests that working harder smarter and faster will help you gain control over your life and that increased control will bring peace and fulfillment. But in the first real breakthrough in time management in years the authors of First Things First apply the insights of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to our daily pro extra info.....
Stephen R. Covey (born October 24, 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah) wrote the best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Other books he has written include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families. His latest book, The 8th Habit, appeared in 2004.
Covey lives with his wife Sandra and their family in Provo, Utah, home to Brigham Young University, where Dr. Covey taught prior to the publication of his best-selling book. A father of nine and a grandfather of forty-nine with his wife, he received the Fatherhood Award from the National Fatherhood Initiative in 2003.
Dr. Covey established the "Covey Leadership Center" which, on May 30, 1997, merged with Franklin Quest to form FranklinCovey, a global professional-services firm and specialty-retailer selling both training and productivity-tools to individuals and to organizations. Their mission statement reads: "We enable greatness in people and organizations everywhere". In 2008, Dr. Covey launched The Stephen Covey's Online Community. The site is a mash up of online courses, goal management and social networking. He uses it as a place to teach his most recent thoughts and ideas on current topics and self leadership. Covey holds a BS degree in Business Administration from University of Utah in Salt Lake City, an MBA from Harvard University, and a Doctorate of Religious Education (DRE) in Mormon Church History and Doctrine from Brigham Young University. He also holds membership of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey's most well-known book, has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide since its first publication in 1989. (The audio version became the first non-fiction audio-book in U.S. publishing history to sell more than one million copies.) Many of the ideas and much of the language recast the content of the classic 1966 Peter F. Drucker book The Effective Executive, wherein Drucker wrote: "Effectiveness, in other words, is a habit",[citation needed] and which includes a chapter called "First Things First". In Covey's version, he argues against what he calls "The Personality Ethic", something he sees as prevalent in many modern self-help books. He instead promotes what he labels "The Character Ethic": aligning one’s values with so-called "universal and timeless" principles. Covey adamantly refuses to confound principles and values; he sees principles as external natural laws, while values remain internal and subjective. Covey proclaims that values govern people’s behaviour, but principles ultimately determine the consequences. Covey presents his teachings in a series of habits, manifesting as aprogression from dependence via independence to interdependence. Dr Stephen Covey 7 Habits Audio Books in New Zealand
The Habits
* Habit 1: Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Choice
* Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Vision
* Habit 3: Put First Things First: Principles of Integrity & Execution
* Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Principles of Mutual Benefit
* Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Principles of Mutual Understanding
* Habit 6: Synergize: Principles of Creative Cooperation
* Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal
Follow-up titles to The Seven Habits aim both to add to the original and to form a cohesive philosophy on personal, principle-based leadership. They come in the format of audio books as well (such as the title Beyond The 7 Habits). Covey has also written a number of learning-books for children. His son, Sean Covey, has written a version for teens: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. This version simplifies Covey's 7 Habits for younger readers to better understand them.
Covey's latest book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (published in 2004) functions as the sequel to The Seven Habits. Covey claims that effectiveness does not suffice in what he calls "The Knowledge Worker Age". He proclaims that "[t]he challenges and complexity we face today are of a different order of magnitude." The 8th habit essentially urges: "Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs..."
In March of 2008 Dr. Covey launched the Stephen Covey's Online Community. The site is a mash up of online courses, goal management and social networking. Dr. Covey uses it as a place to teach his most recent thoughts and ideas on current topics and self leadership, his books as well as goal setting and reaching. The content is shared via videos, podcasts, printable text and online activities. Users are also able to set personal goals, track their progress and share their progress with others within the community. The community is currently growing at a rate of over 1000 users a week.
Gay-rights groups have criticized Covey for his activity in opposing same-sex marriage in Hawaii in the early 1990s.
Religious views
As a practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Stephen Covey has authored several devotional works for Latter-day Saint or Mormon readers, including:
* Spiritual Roots of Human Relations (1970)
* The Divine Center (1982)
* 6 Events: The Restoration Model for Solving Life's Problems (2004).
Evangelical writer Bill Gordon suggests that Mormon theology and cultural practices undergird Covey's writing for a general audience. Specifically, note the notion of "agency" (comparable with Covey's emphasis on "choosing" or "choice") and Covey's belief in a personal God. Himself "[s]ensitive to accusations that his books are little more than Mormon teachings repackaged as management training, Covey says he never introduces religion or politics into his books or worldwide seminars."
Covey served a two-year mission in England for the LDS Church. Covey also served as the first president of the Irish Mission of the Church starting in July of 1962. When Covey studied business at Harvard he would on occasion go and preach to crowds on Boston Common.
Honors and awards
* 2003 Fatherhood Award from the National Fatherhood Initiative
* The Thomas More College Medallion for continuing service to humanity
* The Sikh's 1998 International Man of Peace Award
* The 1994 International Entrepreneur of the Year Award
* The National Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership
* One of Time Magazine's 25 most influential Americans (1996)
* Accepted the inaugural nationally-acclaimed California University of Pennsylvania's Corporate Core Values Award from the California University of Pennsylvania on behalf of the FranklinCovey Corporation at the "national Franklin Covey Conference" (December 2006).
Parents win right to have disabled daughter, 11, sterilised - Telegraph Parents win right to have disabled daughter, 11, sterilised --> Accessibility links Skip to article Skip to navigation Tuesday 09 March 2010 | Australia feed All feeds --> checkLoginStatus(); Advertisement Website of the Telegraph Media Group with breaking news, sport, business, latest UK and world news. Content from the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph newspapers and video from Telegraph TV. Enhanced by Google Home News Sport Finance Lifestyle Comment Travel Culture Technology Fashion Jobs Dating Games Offers UK World UK Politics Celebrities Obituaries Weird Earth Science Health News Education Topics News Blogs News Video USA Barack Obama Europe Asia China Middle East Africa and Indian Ocean Australia and the Pacific Home News World News Australia and the Pacific Australia Parents win right to have disabled daughter, 11, sterilised - The parents of a profoundly disabled Australian girl have won a court case to have the 11-year-old sterilised, prompting claims the ruling amounts to an "abuse of human rights". - Bonnie Malkin in Sydney Published: 5:02PM GMT 09 Mar 2010 The girl, known only as Angela, suffers from an extreme form of the neurological disorder Retts Syndrome. She cannot communicate and "acts as a three-month-old baby would". Angela's parents had sought permission from the Family Court for doctors to perform an irreversible hysterectomy – the removal of her womb – to stop Angela's menstrual cycle, which they believed was the cause of her epileptic seizures, and lessen her distress. Related Articles - US student becomes anti-abortion star for clandestine filming - - Father of Babe in the Wood murder victim arrested - - Madonna denies she is using fame to fast-track latest adoption - - Recession will prompt rise in domestic violence - - Judge bans paedophile who abused girl, 11, from taking Viagra on NHS - Her mother told the court that her daughter had experienced irregular menstrual periods since she was nine years old that caused her pain and exhaustion. Other medications had not worked and three gynaecologists had agreed that a hysterectomy was the best solution, she said. However, Queensland Health, the government body responsible for carrying out the surgery, would not approve the procedure without a court order. Justice Paul Cronin, ruling in the Brisbane Family Court, said the decision would improve Angela's life and was "in the child's best interests". He said the procedure was "urgent and necessary". "Angela is never going to have the benefits of a normal teenage and adult life," the judgment read. "A fundamental consideration is ... the risks to Angela's life as well as her general health." The court heard Angela could not speak or control her movements and relied on her parents to be fed, transported and washed. She had no bladder control, wore a nappy and had a special walking frame because she could not stand unsupported. A paediatrician said pregnancy would be "disastrous" for Angela. Despite the statements from the medical profession, the ruling has incensed disability groups. They claimed that forced sterilisation of any girl was an abuse of human rights and that in this case it was being used as a "quick fix" for a complex situation. Carolyn Frohmader, chief executive of Women with a Disability Australia, has campaigned for a law banning the sterilisation of disabled children. "It is only ever the disabled girls," she told the Australian newspaper. "When you go through the cases, there is never a boy, no matter how intellectually disabled, who has to be sterilised." Therese Sands, executive director of People with Disabilities Australia, said she was "alarmed to hear that children are still being sterilised". "It is our view that nobody has the right to sterilise a child, not a judge, not a parent, not unless it's a matter of life or death." But not all disability advocates agreed. Mark Patterson, National Council on Intellectual Disability executive director, admitted the issue "is a very difficult one". "These families have been through a lot, and done all they can, and throw their hands up and say 'What more can I do?'," he said. "I think people should give them a bit of a break." In Australia, parents are ordinarily able to make decisions about medical treatment for their children without consulting the authorities. However in 1992 the High Court found that serious, invasive, irreversible medical procedures required the permission not of parents but of the courts. Angela's case echoes that of Ashley, a severely disabled American girl whose parents controversially opted to use a course of surgery and hormone supplements to stunt her growth. Ashely, who suffered from a severe brain impairment and was not able to sit up, walk, talk or eat without assistance, underwent a hysterectomy and was given hormones to prevent her growing more than 4ft 5in (1.3 metres) or weighing more than 75lb (34kg) In 2007, when her case came to light, Ashely's parents said that they had decided to act because they were anxious about the impact that fertility and her rapidly increasing size and weight would have on the quality of her life. They feared that she would become too big one day to lift, move, take on a family outing. However, the treatment, which included excising her breasts and putting her on a course of oestrogen, provoked outrage among organisations representing disabled people and some doctors, with many asking why a course of treatment that would not be considered for an able-bodied person should be allowed in this case. 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Fast bowler Glenn McGrath was typical of most cricketers and footballers 15 to 20 years ago when he arrived in Sydney from the dusty plains of NSW and vowed to encourage his children to play golf or tennis in order for them to ''earn some real money.'' Since then cricketers have caught up with the golfers and tennis players, becoming the first ''team millionaires'' of Australian sport. McGrath did not anticipate the money coming into Australian cricket from overseas TV rights, and a new pay deal for Australia's top 25 cricketers will provide them with an average $1 million a year. Higher than expected earnings for Cricket Australia over the past four years meant its revenue was about $100 million above the $478 million forecast and, under a deal struck with the Australian Cricketers Association, players receive 25 per cent of total revenue generated. AFL footballers also receive a quarter of total revenue from broadcasting rights, gate takings, sponsorship, merchandising and any other income received by the 16 clubs and the central administration. Super 14 players receive 26 per cent of what is called ''player generated revenue'', a sum not comparable with total revenue because it excludes income such as foreign exchange earnings, interest received, rent and some grants. Rugby union players receive between 15 and 20 per cent of total revenue, about the same as NRL players.. According to the NRL's chief executive, David Gallop, the NRL receives about $150 million a year and the 16 clubs average receipts of $13 million to $14 million. Each club has a salary cap of $4.1 million, and all but the Warriors pay the full amount, meaning the wage bill of the clubs in 2010 will be about $65 million. Another $2 million is paid in third-party deals with club-associated sponsors and an additional $3.5 million is paid to about 80 players in NRL-sanctioned sponsorship arrangements. A total revenue pool of $374 million and player payments of $71 million means the NRL players' share of the revenue cake is 19 per cent. However, with 25 players at each of the NRL's 16 clubs, the average salary is well below the mean of Super 14's 132 fully contracted players and lower than the AFL average payment. Ian Schubert, the NRL's salary cap boss, says the average NRL salary in 2010 will be $164,000, based on 25 players sharing $4.1 million, although the $5.5 million in sponsorship money across the NRL lifts the average to $177,750. This is well short of the medium 2008 AFL payment of $233,000. An AFL spokesman said the 2009 figures would not be available for three weeks but salaries had increased 4 per cent on 2008, meaning the average payment to the players at the AFL's 16 clubs last year, including marketing deals, would be $240,000 to $245,000. ''Total payments to players in 2008 was $129 million and AFL revenue was $327 million, while separate club revenue would probably be $200 million,'' an AFL spokesman said, meaning players share of total revenue was 24.4 per cent. According to the Australian Rugby Union Players Association, the average 2008 player salary for Australia's four Super 14 franchises (Brumbies, Reds, Waratahs and Western Force) was $238,738, on a par with the AFL and also well above the NRL. Another factor is the effort involved in earning the income. The NRL men play two more games a year than AFL players and nearly double the 13 matches played by a Super 14 player, although Wallabies play an additional 12 to 15 games a year. The Wallabies are the highest paid elite squad of the three football codes, averaging $380,000 a year in 2008, while the average for those who play Super 14 and finish the season playing club rugby is $130,000. But the AFL's 2008 annual report lists two players - believed to be Carlton's Chris Judd and St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt - receiving $1 million a year. The NRL's highest-paid player would probably earn half this. A weak NRL Players Association and a grossly underpaid broadcasting deal are the chief reasons league players echo McGrath's comments of 15 years ago. Furthermore, the NRL pitches its salary cap at the capacity to pay of its poorest club. The Sharks, with a turnover of $11 million, spend 37 per cent of income on player salaries, while the Broncos, with an income of $26 million, outlay only 15 per cent.
MATHS education is in crisis, with the number of students enrolled in a mathematics major at Australian universities declining by 15 per cent since 2001 and the number of students taking advanced maths at high school dropping 27 per cent between 1995 and 2007. And many primary school teachers, who had dropped maths in order to try for a better tertiary entry rank, had developed ''mathematics phobia'' which they were passing on to their pupils. A review conducted for the Group of Eight leading universities found the state of maths in Australia had deteriorated to a dangerous level. It concluded that in the short term there were only two conceivable responses: more remedial programs for undergraduates and graduates leaving with weaker degrees. Nalini Joshi, a professor of applied mathematics at the University of Sydney, said the situation was a ''looming disaster''. ''The trouble is the decline in the number of qualified teachers,'' she said. This led to a ''lack of inspiration'' for students who responded by turning their backs on the subject. ''As a result, the pool of people available to replace those teachers is dropping … [It's] a vicious cycle.'' The review, chaired by the former University of Sydney vice-chancellor Professor Gavin Brown, found the proportion of year 12 students taking the lowest level of maths - elementary - had increased by almost 30 per cent between 1995 and 2007 while those doing intermediate and advanced levels both fell. It also said that many maths teachers were underqualified - 40 per cent had not done three years of university study in maths (up from 30 per cent in 1999). Maths and statistics graduates are employed in a range of fields, including environmental science, meteorology, psychology, health sciences, geography, economics, finance and business. But many students still felt maths was not ''useful'', the review found. Already the CSIRO and the Bureau of Statistics have expressed concern about whether they will be able to recruit enough graduates to replace retiring staff, let alone to cover any growth in demand. And official government estimates have predicted demand for these graduates would grow at an annual rate of 3.5 per cent between 2006 and 2013. The review's recommendations include introducing a maths component to primary school teacher training, increasing remedial programs and reviewing science teaching in universities.
Red alert ... Michael Clarke and Lara Bingle at the Allan Border Medal. Photo: Getty Images What a mess. Now not so much a case of the dog wagging the tail as the Pup tailing the WAG. Other than that excruciating pun, the most unfortunate thing about Michael Clarke's mercy dash to the arms of a damsel distressed by being photographed undressed is that, rather than merely another tawdry made-for-magazine melodrama, this sordid story now has a legitimate place in the sports pages. For two reasons, given the AFL is considering what, if any, action to take against amateur pornographer and occasional Brisbane Lions forward Brendan Fevola, whose unhappy snap of Lara Bingle set in train the series of events that has gossip columnists wearing bibs for fear of short-circuiting their keyboards with drool. The Australian vice-captain abandoning a significant tour. An AFL star testing the twitchy trigger finger of a league that uses its social responsibility policies as a marketing tool. A young, well, whatever it is Bingle does, in such a tizzy that she has reprised her only memorable public utterance: ''Where the bloody hell are you?'' Serious stuff. A situation that has already prompted po-faced debate about Clarke's suitability to captain Australia, serious condemnation of Fevola's malevolence, earnest arm's-length diagnosis of Bingle's mental state and - a personal favourite - disingenuous calls from ex-jocks working in the media for the (other) media to leave them all alone to sort out their ''serious personal problems''. Do not feel the legitimate sporting connotations to this trashy tale mean you are obliged to engage. You do not have to participate in the talkback debate about whether Clarke's mercy dash makes him a white knight or misguided cuckold. You can take for granted that Fevola's decision to take, and most likely distribute, the picture of the clearly uncomfortable Bingle confirms his status as an A-grade moron. You do not have to even try to understand how someone traumatised by her nude likeness being downloaded at a rate previously known only by Tiger Woods's lovers then lowered her credibility by selling the story to a glossy. Instead, unless you have Dr Phil on speed dial, feel free to sit back and have a laugh. If not at the apparently feckless Clarke, the appropriately named Bingle and the cave-dwelling Fevola specifically, then at all those in modern sport - the administrators, the athletes, the agents, the media spruikers - whose eagerness to embrace every aspect of the entertainment industry, with little or no consideration of the inherent pitfalls, has created this farcical situation. Laugh about how the lucrative marketing of athletes as stars well beyond their field of endeavour - spokesmen, models, ambassadors - has invited an unhealthy focus, even obsession, with their private lives and swollen bank balances and inflated egos. By treating sports stars as rock stars, they now behave like rock stars. Who would have thunk it? Laugh about how the sometimes unseemly, always self-serving relationship between agents and the more sensational sections of the media means that, for all the hysterical headlines about a ''Star's Heartache'', the people who suffer most are those young or impressionable enough to have their tastes and behaviour shaped/informed by a celebrity culture now as shallow as a microbe's bath tub. Laugh about how sporting bodies who preach ''respect and responsibility'' towards women also encourage players to parade wives and girlfriend on the red carpet wearing not much more than Bingle in the infamous photograph. Thus a woman's role as status symbols, attachment and the rightful reward for athletic achievement has been endorsed and ''WAG'', once a derisive term for a spendaholic ditz, has become an official office. And let yourself have a giggle about poor Clarke who - apparently straight-faced - asked out loud why a New Zealand camera crew was following him at training last week. Let others decide if he is fit to be skipper. For now, Clarke and the rest should just have you in fits.
When the Barangaroo Delivery Authority called for a broad debate on its preferred development proposal, The Sydney Morning Herald approached the NSW branch of the Royal Institute of Architects for help. The institute's council agreed to circulate two questions. The Herald asked: do you believe construction of a pier into the harbour will set a precedent for other developments? More than 40 responded: two-thirds opposed the plan, while a third supported it, as these edited letters show. The primary issue is to soften the hard mile-long industrial container wharf linear water edge. So I support returning 3.5 hectares of water to the community through new coves, and to balance this I support having 0.5 hectares of new wharf (with hotel over) in the water. The gain to Sydney is about 300 metres of north-facing waterfront public domain on a site that faces west. The Opera House in its day broke every planning rule, yet it symbolises Sydney. Let's again be bold by doing what the Opera House does - challenge the interaction of land and water. Chris Johnson Former NSW government architect Like it or not, Sydney's merchant shipping has now been largely transferred to Botany Bay. The wharf at Woolloomooloo was the first redundant pier to be adapted for residential and commercial purposes rather than demolished. Subsequently, piers at Walsh Bay and West Darling Harbour have been utilised as residences and offices, all contributing to the vibrancy of the foreshore. A new public pier at Barangaroo with a commercial component would hardly set a precedent. I personally like the notion of the proposed pier extending from the major pedestrian connection of Barangaroo back to the city. A tall building on the pier would need to be very skilfully designed to minimise shadow on Darling Harbour and, particularly, on its east-side pedestrian areas. I am not convinced that the present schematics address [that]. Douglas McKay Douglas McKay and Associates I am happy to see a pier [at] Barangaroo, since it reflects the historic context of the site and it brings drama to the foreshore edge. Sydney needs to move away from the bland commercial architecture we have within the city and look to the opportunity confronting ''the edge'' offers. Sites such as this are not common and each site should be treated on its merits. Let us confront and be brave about this opportunity. Stephen Blaxland BN Group I support the overall scheme which breaks the site into three parts of roughly equal area. I firmly believe reinstating the point to resemble its original topographical levels [and] foreshore line, acknowledging the indigenous people, is beyond argument when … compared to the existing concrete slab. There is a sincerity to it, as opposed to a selfishness. I'm convinced by the proposition that it is an ''exclamation mark, the pier closes off the broad water to allow ferries to tie up and presents an entry into Darling Harbour''. In principle and in the majority of built environments I would agree with the tried and tested solution that all buildings should fall and follow the topography at some agreed parallel height. However, in this instance I think the ''exclamation mark'' transcends the mediocrity of monotony. John P. Mangraviti, C3D Design The Opera House sits on a pier which intrudes deep into the harbour. There are two large and long piers in Pyrmont that would face the proposed pier at Barangaroo. Both piers are private properties used as commercial suites and residential apartments, and both - just like the piers in Walsh Bay - have absolutely no heritage value at all. Same applies to Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf. If all those piers were allowed to stay (for good), what is wrong if another one is added? The present scheme by Lord Rogers should be encouraged to proceed for its creativity, courage and design merit. Kiril Manolev Manolev Associates FOR MORE LETTERS