Sunday 27 November 2016

The Japanese whale killers have set sail for the Southern Ocean once more


The Japan Times, 18 November 2016:

KITAKYUSHU – Japanese vessels left Friday to conduct what Tokyo calls “research whaling” in the Antarctic Ocean through March.

Japan is planning to hunt 333 Antarctic minke whales in its second whaling expedition in the Antarctic Ocean since an international court ruled against the practice in 2014, the Fisheries Agency said.

Responding to the International Court of Justice ruling, Japan submitted to the International Whaling Commission a new whaling plan to cut catches of minke whales by two-thirds to 333.

In fiscal 2014 through March 2015, the country only conducted visual surveys but resumed whaling based on the new plan the following year.

Nonprofit organization Sea Shepherd Australia has expressed its intention to block Japan’s whaling, and the agency is planning to monitor the group’s activities from one of its patrol ships.

Two whaling vessels — the 724-ton Yushin Maru and 747-ton Yushin Maru No. 2 — left the port in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Friday morning. They will soon join two other whaling ships and the 8,145-ton mother ship Nisshin Maru to form a fleet with 185 crew members in total.

YUSHIN MARU NO.2
MO: 9278040
MMSI: 432364000
Call Sign: JPPV
Flag: Japan [JP]
AIS Vessel Type: Fishing
Gross Tonnage: 747
Deadweight: 732 t
Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 69.61m × 10.8m
Year Built: 2002
Status: Active

FACTORY SHIP NISSHIN MARU
MO: 8705292
MMSI: 431683000
Call Sign: JJCJ
Flag: Japan [JP]
AIS Vessel Type: Fishing
Gross Tonnage: 8145
Deadweight: 5555 t
Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 129.58m × 19.4m
Year Built: 1987
Status: Active

YUSHIN MARU
IMO: 9197181
MMSI: 431439000
Call Sign: JLZS
Flag: Japan [JP]
AIS Vessel Type: Fishing
Gross Tonnage: 720
Deadweight: 642 t
Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 69.61m × 10.4m
Year Built: 1998
Status: Active

Saturday 26 November 2016

Just because it is beautiful........(18)


Damien and Yilpi Marks  |  Seven Sisters
Jap 012558  |  acrylic on linen  |  180 x 60 cm

Headline of the Month


Turnbull's all the way with Donald J – what could possibly go wrong?
[Katharine Murphy, The Guardian, 18 November 2016]

Friday 25 November 2016

WHITE RIBBON DAY: in 2016 the number of domestic violence-related homicides in New South Wales has risen by almost half

Destroy the Joint, 22 November 2016

ABC News, 22 November 2016:

The number of domestic violence-related homicides in New South Wales has risen by almost half, prompting police to call on the community to report suspected cases of family abuse.

There have been 32 homicides related to domestic violence across NSW so far this year, compared with 23 homicides at the same time last year.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said that represents a 40 per cent increase in domestic violence incidents that results in death.

"These are more than just statistics, these are people's lives," Mr Scipione said.

"These are people who are dying in our streets and we need to make sure

Mr Scipione added that, in some cases, community members were aware of a history of violence in a home but had reservations about contacting police.

NSW Police attend about 145,000 incidents of domestic violence every year across NSW, or about 400 call-outs every day.

About 60 per cent of those victims have had no previous contact with police……


Labor MP for Lindsay Emma Husar, 23 November 2016:

In my first speech in this place I said 29 out of my 36 years of life had been affected by domestic violence. 
I am a survivor of family violence, and it has taken me a long time to overcome the trauma of that to be where I am today.

I know there are a lot of women out there who suffer in silence. Today I stand in solidarity with survivors, with those women afraid to speak, and I will use my story, told in this place to advocate for the change we need.

I will use the eve of white ribbon day as an opportunity to shine a light into the darkest corner of my own life. 
The first 13 years of my life was marred with physical domestic violence, committed towards my mother, at the hands of my always drunk-when-abusive Father.

My Dad was the son of a World War Two German soldier who committed many acts of violence against his wife and against his seven children. My father had been raised in a house where violence was the accepted norm and at a time when society said these were private matters.

Whilst the blows that landed on my mother during my childhood didn’t land on me physically – they may as well have. The trauma inflicted was the same. I recall it vividly and in great detail.

Each episode of this violence over my 13-years was different but the aftermath was always the same: Dad would apologise, promise to be different, and that would work for just a short time.

One evening, at the end of another round of abuse, Dad launched the family dinner of that evening at the wall. 
The stain remained on that wall for a very long time – the stain in my heart would linger much longer. Mum then bundled my sister and I into the family car and fled.

We would go to the refuges in our community, until, after so many years and so many incidents, my father knew the locations and we were not safe there anymore. We then shifted to staying in hotels, which were located above pubs where the people below were loud and sometimes their noise would spill into the streets, waking me and reminding me that I wasn’t in my own bed, in my own home. 


I was in a foreign place, because I was not safe in my home.

One night, when Mum was hurrying to get my sister and I out. Dad had removed and smashed the distributor cap from the car rendering it useless and us trapped. The Police fetched us this time.

I still remember sitting in the Police station well into the early hours of the morning and the officers in Penrith police giving us pink milk while we waited. The police did their best.

Again, after this event my Mum returned home.

We know why women return time and time again even when their lives are massively disrupted along with their children’s’, and I hope that the blame that was launched at my Mum during the 90’s for not leaving, is no longer part of the “solution” around domestic violence – and I hope the questions of ‘why doesn’t she just leave’ quit being asked.

Eventually, though, the courage rises up, services step up and women stand up. Finally leaving. But not before one last terrible incident.

There were 13-police cars the last time physical violence affected my childhood. But this was the end of the physical violence, once and for all. Whilst the physical part ceased other abuse around finance and control ramped up.

Sadly, the wheel of domestic violence continues to affect my life as a grown woman, with children of my own. The last 16-years of my life have been and continue to be affected by domestic and family violence.

In the limited time I have left, I would like to thank Opposition Leader Bill Shorten for his continued support of my current situation, his understanding, and the support he provides to me. I would also like to thank my caucus colleagues and staff who know my story, who don’t judge me and continue to provide support. 

I would like to acknowledge the Penrith Women’s Health Service who have been providing services to my community for 30-years, including to my Mum then, and to my family now.

Sometimes in my experience I have found that, mostly, victims don’t talk about domestic violence because other people don’t talk about domestic violence.

For many years I was embarrassed and ashamed. I know that I shouldn’t be but I am.

I hope that today, I have lent my voice, my story, and my passion for advocating change, to the choir of the white ribbon movement who call on us to stand up, speak out and act. 
[Transcript @randlight]

The fate of Australia's dugongs and sea turtles


The fate of Australia’s dugongs and sea turtles due to declining numbers, loss of habitat, pollution, unmonitored legal hunting and illegal poaching is once more being debated in the media.
Tropic Now, 14 November 2016:
Traditional hunting advocates say the practise represents a small component of the issues facing sea turtles and dugongs.
Pic: David Reid

Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion has defended traditional hunting at a graduation ceremony for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rangers in Cairns.

Native title laws allow traditional owners to hunt endangered turtles and dugongs.

Wildlife identity Bob Irwin has recently called for a moratorium on current practices but Mr Scullion says hunting isn’t the problem.

“There is evidence to demonstrate it is sustainable and there is no evidence to demonstrate it isn’t,” he says.

“Yes, there are some threats to dugongs and turtles. But none of them come from the ocean, they all come from the land and they’re all associated with degradation of habitat.”

Indigenous ranger Mick Hale runs a turtle hospital, Yuku-Baja-Muliku, with his wife, Larissa, at Archer Point more than 300 kilometres north of Cairns.

“We started about six years ago,” Mr Hale says. “It came about around the time Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Yasi decimated our seagrass beds.

“We noticed a lot of sick turtles around [with no food], so instead of letting them die we started a turtle hospital.

Traditional hunting can be sustainable, Mr Hale says.

“The biggest challenge for us is getting the public to understand that traditional hunting is the smallest percentage of mortality for turtles and dugongs,” he says.

“We’ve got environmental impacts, habitat destruction, global climate change.

“These are all massive contributors to the demise of turtle and dugong populations.”

The Hales are currently caring for three turtles - two green sea turtles and a hawksbill.

“We just do it because it’s what we do,” Ms Hale says. “We look after country and after people so that we do have a sustainable future.”

Injinoo ranger Cristo Lifu says rescuing five olive ridley sea turtles from ghost nets with fellow Cape York rangers recently was a powerful experience.

“They were stranded and stuck in a net,” Mr Lifu says.

“We rescued them but it was lucky we were there. Because if not, they would have been dead in another two or three days.

“It’s just about caring for country. Our elders looked after country before us and it’s our time now to take over.”……

The Australian, 11 November 2016:

…three federal ministers commit to talk to indigenous rangers and the Queensland state government to spearhead moves that could see more “no take’’ zones introduced in a bid to stop the vulnerable ­species being poached and traded, as revealed in The Australian last month…..

The North Australian Indig­en­ous Land and Sea Management Alliance says commerc­ia­l­isation claims have been found to be “unsubstantiated”, while envir­onmental groups point out that dugongs and turtles face far greater threats than hunting, including loss of habitat, marine debris and coastal development.

The Cairns Post, 9 August 2016:

AN indigenous leader claims a moratorium on dug­ong and turtle hunting will not work and will only push poachers further underground.

The Coalition is preparing draft legislation to provide stronger protection for the marine creatures from over-exploitation by traditional owner groups.

Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch has said he is not happy with some elements of the draft legislation and wants a blanket moratorium on the traditional take of the species.

Girringun Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Phil Rist said his group’s TUMRA (Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreement) had ens­ured populations of turtles and dugongs along the Cassowary Coast remained sustainable for 10 years.

He said imposing a moratorium on hunting of the animals would push illegal hunting and exploitation further underground.

“TUMRAs around turtles and dugongs are the way to go,” he said.

“These are instruments for us – ourselves – to better manage our take of turtle and dug­ong on a sustainable level.

“These agreements are end­orsed by the State and Federal governments, and we have proven that they work and they work really well.”

Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre co-ordinator Jennie Gilbert supported a moratorium on turtle hunting, saying the animals definitely needed more protection in Far Northern waters.

“They have got enough threats in their lives without hunting,” she said. “We know that there’s illegal hunting and poaching going on out there.

“The numbers of green sea turtles in Far North Queensland still haven’t recovered from the mass stranding event of 2012, due to a lack of feeding grounds.”

BACKGROUND

ABC News, 27 September 2014:

The Federal Government is warning anyone involved in the illegal trade of dugong and turtle meat that they will be caught.

The Government has allocated $5 million to a dugong and turtle protection plan that involves the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Customs and Border Protection, and the Australian Crime Commission.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the Crime Commission has been given $2 million to investigate the illegal trade.

Traditional owners have given their backing to the Government's protection plan.

"They know that their good name is being used by poachers," Mr Hunt said.

"We are determined to end the illegal trafficking in dugong and turtle meat and to protect these majestic creatures."

Under the Native Title Act of 1993, Indigenous people with native title rights can hunt marine turtles and dugong for personal, domestic or non-commercial communal needs, and "in exercise and enjoyment of their native title rights and interests".

Dugong and turtle poaching has been identified as a problem in the Northern Territory and Queensland, where the animals are hunted and the meat sold illegally.

National Indigenous radio broadcaster Seith Fourmile said non-Indigenous people were also involved in the illegal trade.

"They are involved with the trading, with selling it, passing it down - some of the turtle meat has gone as far south as Sydney and Melbourne," he said. 

Australian Government Dugong and Turtle Protection Plan 2014-2017:

To enhance the protection of our iconic marine turtles and dugong in Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait, the Australian Government has committed $5.3 million over three years for delivery of a Dugong and Turtle Protection Plan under the Reef 2050 Plan and Reef Trust. The plan addresses threatening processes that impact on the long-term recovery and survival of these protected migratory species. Information about the Reef 2050 Plan and Reef Trust is available at www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/reef-trust

The Dugong and Turtle Protection Plan includes the following seven core elements:
       1.    $2 million for a Specialised Indigenous Ranger Programme for strengthened  enforcement and compliance and marine conservation in Queensland and the Torres Strait
The programme is being delivered by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. More information is available at www.indigenous.gov.au/news-and-media/announcements/minister-scullion-2-million-strengthen-compliance-powers-indigenous
       2.    $2 million for an Australian Crime Commission investigation into the illegal poaching, transportation and trade of turtle and dugong meat in the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait
A fact sheet about the investigation by the commission’s Wildlife and Environmental Crime Team is available at
https://www.crimecommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/ Wildlife%20%26%20Environmental%20Crime%20Team%20FACTSHEET%20281114.pdf(link is external)
      3.    $700 000 for marine debris clean-up initiatives
Information about the Great Barrier Reef marine debris clean-up initiative is available at www.environment.gov.au/minister/hunt/2014/mr20141113a.html
     4.    $600 000 to support the Cairns and Fitzroy Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre
The Reef Trust will support the work of the centre to rehabilitate sick and injured turtles and return them to the marine environment.
Information about the Cairns and Fitzroy Turtle Rehabilitation Centre is available at www.saveourseaturtles.com.au/about-ctrc.html(link is external) and www.fitzroyisland.com/newsroom/meet-patients-cairns-turtle-rehabilitation-centre(link is external)
      5.    Working with Indigenous leaders to provide for traditional use and reef protection
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is working with Traditional Owners to develop Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreements to provide for traditional use and deliver reef protection. This may also include voluntary no take agreements.
Information about the agreements is available at www.gbrmpa.gov.au/our-partners/traditional-owners/traditional-use-of-marine-resources-agreements(link is external)
      6.    Federal legislation tripling the penalties for poaching and illegal transportation of turtle and dugong meat
The Environment Legislation Amendment Act 2015 amends various sections of the EPBC Act and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (Marine Park Act) to provide additional protection for turtles and dugong. The amendments triple the maximum penalties for various criminal offences related to the killing, injuring, taking, trading, keeping or moving of turtles and dugong under the EPBC Act and for criminal offences and civil penalty provisions which apply to the taking of, or injury to, turtles and dugong where they are a protected species under the Marine Park Act.
The tripling of maximum penalties does not impact on the rights of Native Title holders under the Native Title Act 1993 to hunt turtle and dugong for personal, domestic or non-commercial communal needs.
Information about the legislation is available at www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/ Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r5128
      7.    A national approach to dugong and turtle management
Refers to the nationally co-ordinated management of turtle and dugong in Australia. This includes the development of EPBC Act policy documents and guidelines such as updating the Recovery Plan for Marine Turtles of Australia 2003, Marine Turtle Referral Guidelines and policy guidelines for dugong and seagrass habitats.

Thursday 24 November 2016

Is president-elect Donald J Trump likely to enter the White House with a large personal debt?


He may be a single digit billionaire but this is not the sort of money U.S. president-elect Donald J. Trump can expect to find down the back of one of his Fifth Avenue sofas – so where will the US$47.5 million come from to pay back these loans declared below?

Did he borrow from his own companies to help fund his election campaign or did he borrow elsewhere?

Will he go the way of many a suspect politician and decide to quietly 'sell' petitioners access to himself as president after 20 January 2017? After all, Trump obviously sees himself as a businessman first and a president second.


Campaign contributions to DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT, INC. from individuals totaled US$85,958,458 and Donald Trump’s own contribution was an additional US$8,599,568.

US$47,508,505 of his campaign funding was money he borrowed or loans which he has guaranteed, with candidate loan repayments to date totaling zero.

Total receipts were US$254,946,267.78 and total disbursements US$238,951,814.21 (specific outlays listed here).

Cash on hand as of 19 October 2016 was US$15,994,454.

Donald J. Trump For President, Inc. owes US$2,086,572 and to date has had to refund contributions totaling US$406,776. As of 20 November the US Federal Election Commission has notified the campaign treasurer that there have been potential violations of electoral law totaling tens of thousands of dollars in excessive, prohibited and impermissable contributions which are required to be refunded to contributors.


Political donations to the Trump campaign by state
STATE
SUM
Alaska
  24,726.00
Alabama
  100,475.00
Arkansas
  41,311.00
Arizona
  128,119.00
California
  528,053.00
Colorado
  97,902.00
Connecticut
  51,435.00
District of Columbia
  11,200.00
Delaware
  14,650.00
Florida
  518,009.75
Georgia
  179,845.96
Hawaii
  15,434.00
Iowa
  54,717.00
Idaho
  24,212.00
Illinois
  142,379.38
Indiana
  60,830.00
Kansas
  53,343.00
Kentucky
  52,057.00
Louisiana
  98,470.00
Massachusetts
  82,895.00
Maryland
  78,154.98
Maine
  12,674.00
Michigan
  141,878.00
Minnesota
  44,339.00
Missouri
  70,822.00
Mississippi
  38,400.00
Montana
  16,224.00
North Carolina
  114,228.00
North Dakota
  15,542.00
Nebraska
  27,560.44
New Hampshire
  18,380.00
New Jersey
  117,382.00
New Mexico
  46,055.00
Nevada
  80,581.08
New York
  225,577.55
Ohio
  134,695.77
Oklahoma
  76,169.00
Oregon
  46,016.00
Pennsylvania
  149,508.03
Puerto Rico
  500.00
Rhode Island
  7,846.00
South Carolina
  75,422.00
South Dakota
  10,569.00
Tennessee
  100,885.00
Texas
  583,537.40
Utah
  39,237.00
Virginia
  181,666.00
Virgin Islands
  250.00
Vermont
  4,534.00
Washington
  131,435.07
Wisconsin
  44,838.00
West Virginia
  12,580.00
Wyoming
  17,904.00

Generated Thu Oct 27 21:35:10 2016

Big security role on offer at ADHA - what could possibly go wrong?


itNews, 18 November 2016:

One of the highest-stakes cyber security jobs in the federal government is up for grabs as the Australian Digital Health Agency looks for an executive to take on responsibility for securing the national e-health records system.
The My Health Record platform is on the cusp of becoming a fully national data store as the government prepares to make registration opt-out in a move that will create accounts for most Australians.
It means the My Health Record system, which is operated by the ADHA, will very quickly turn into one of the largest and most sensitive databases in the country - and a big target for cyber criminals looking to capitalise on the risk.
The ADHA is looking to recruit an experienced security boss to lead its cyber security centre and take on accountability for the health data of millions of Australians.