Avro that works in python but not in java

avro_issue_1

a = """{
  "fields": [
    {
      "type": "int",
      "name": "first"
    },
    {
      "type": "string",
      "name": "second"
    },
    {
      "type": "string",
      "name": "third"
    },
    {
      "type": "long",
      "name": "fourth"
    },
    {
      "type": "double",
      "name": "fifth"
    }
  ],
  "type": "record",
  "name": "imarecord"
}"""
b = """{
  "first": 11617,
  "second": "howdydoody",
  "third": "hey",
  "fourth": 2398740,
  "fifth": 98723987.123
}"""
c = """{
  "second": "howdydoody",
  "first": 11617,
  "fifth": 98723987.123,
  "third": "hey",
  "fourth": 2398740
}"""

import avro.schema
from avro.datafile import DataFileReader, DataFileWriter
from avro.io import DatumReader, DatumWriter
import simplejson as json

writer = DataFileWriter(open("ab.avro", "w"), DatumWriter(), avro.schema.parse(a))
writer.append(json.loads(b))
writer.close()

writer = DataFileWriter(open("ac.avro", "w"), DatumWriter(), avro.schema.parse(a))
writer.append(json.loads(c))
writer.close()

# This is used in the java

import base64

print base64.standard_b64encode(a)
print base64.standard_b64encode(b)
print base64.standard_b64encode(c)

avro_issue_2

import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;

import org.apache.hadoop.fs.FileSystem;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.Path;
import org.apache.hadoop.io.Text;
import org.apache.hadoop.mapred.FileOutputFormat;
import org.apache.hadoop.mapred.JobConf;
import org.apache.hadoop.mapred.RecordWriter;
import org.apache.hadoop.mapred.Reporter;
import org.apache.hadoop.mapred.lib.MultipleOutputFormat;
import org.apache.hadoop.util.Progressable;
import org.apache.avro.Schema;
import org.apache.avro.file.CodecFactory;
import org.apache.avro.file.DataFileWriter;
import org.apache.avro.generic.GenericDatumReader;
import org.apache.avro.generic.GenericDatumWriter;
import org.apache.avro.io.DecoderFactory;
import org.apache.commons.codec.binary.Base64;

public class Hrm {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            //These come from the prints above
            String a = "ewogICJmaWVsZHMiOiBbCiAgICB7CiAgICAgICJ0eXBlIjogImludCIsCiAgICAgICJuYW1lIjogImZpcnN0IgogICAgfSwKICAgIHsKICAgICAgInR5cGUiOiAic3RyaW5nIiwKICAgICAgIm5hbWUiOiAic2Vjb25kIgogICAgfSwKICAgIHsKICAgICAgInR5cGUiOiAic3RyaW5nIiwKICAgICAgIm5hbWUiOiAidGhpcmQiCiAgICB9LAogICAgewogICAgICAidHlwZSI6ICJsb25nIiwKICAgICAgIm5hbWUiOiAiZm91cnRoIgogICAgfSwKICAgIHsKICAgICAgInR5cGUiOiAiZG91YmxlIiwKICAgICAgIm5hbWUiOiAiZmlmdGgiCiAgICB9CiAgXSwKICAidHlwZSI6ICJyZWNvcmQiLAogICJuYW1lIjogImltYXJlY29yZCIKfQ==";
            a = new String(Base64.decodeBase64(a));
            String b = "ewogICJmaXJzdCI6IDExNjE3LAogICJzZWNvbmQiOiAiaG93ZHlkb29keSIsCiAgInRoaXJkIjogImhleSIsCiAgImZvdXJ0aCI6IDIzOTg3NDAsCiAgImZpZnRoIjogOTg3MjM5ODcuMTIzCn0=";
            b = new String(Base64.decodeBase64(b));
            String c = "ewogICJzZWNvbmQiOiAiaG93ZHlkb29keSIsCiAgImZpcnN0IjogMTE2MTcsCiAgImZpZnRoIjogOTg3MjM5ODcuMTIzLAogICJ0aGlyZCI6ICJoZXkiLAogICJmb3VydGgiOiAyMzk4NzQwCn0=";
            c = new String(Base64.decodeBase64(c));

            Schema avroSchema = new Schema.Parser().parse(a);

            DataFileWriter<Object> writer = new DataFileWriter<Object>(new GenericDatumWriter<Object>(avroSchema));
            writer.setCodec(CodecFactory.deflateCodec(6));
            writer.create(avroSchema, new FileOutputStream("ab_java.avro"));

            GenericDatumReader<Object> reader = new GenericDatumReader<Object>(avroSchema);
            Object datum = reader.read(null, DecoderFactory.get().jsonDecoder(avroSchema, value.toString()));
            writer.append(datum);

            writer = new DataFileWriter<Object>(new GenericDatumWriter<Object>(avroSchema));
            writer.setCodec(CodecFactory.deflateCodec(6));
            writer.create(avroSchema, new FileOutputStream("ac_java.avro"));
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new RuntimeException(e);
        }        
    }
}