The "Perfectly" Formed Woman
Published on 5 Sep 2016 by NFSA
The Film that runs below is from the National Collection. c1912. Annette Kellerman, champion diver, swimmer and water ballet artiste, gives a diving demonstration in front of a group of admirers at a swimming pool. Her body is described by Harvard University Professor Sargent as 'the most perfect woman of modern times. She is almost exactly the same measurements as the estimated one of the statue of the most perfectly formed woman of ancient times, Venus de Milo'. Concludes with a shot of the Venus de Milo.Annette Marie Sarah Kellermann (6 July 1887 – 6 November 1975) was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville star, film actress, writer, and business owner.
Kellermann was one of the first women to wear a one-piece bathing costume, instead of the then-accepted pantaloons, and inspired others to follow her example. Kellerman's swimming costumes became so popular, that she started her own fashion line of one-piece bathing suits.
Right: In her famous custom swimsuit (designed to allow for serious athletic swimming, unlike conventional women's swimwear of the period, but considered indecent by some). This work is from the George Grantham Bain collection at the Library of Congress.
Kellermann helped popularize the sport of synchronised swimming; and authored a swimming manual. She appeared in several movies, usually with aquatic themes, and as the star of A Daughter of the Gods was the first major actress to appear nude in a Hollywood production. Kellermann was an advocate of health, fitness, and natural beauty throughout her life.
Kellermann (sometimes recorded as "Kellerman") was born in Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia, on 6 July 1887, to Australian-born violinist Frederick William Kellermann, and his French wife, Alice Ellen Charbonnet, a pianist and music teacher.
At the age of six, a weakness in Kellerman's legs necessitated the wearing of steel braces to strengthen them. To further overcome her disability, her parents enrolled her in swimming classes at Cavill's baths in Sydney. By the age of 13, her legs were practically normal, and by 15, she had mastered all the swimming strokes and won her first race. At this time she was also giving diving displays.
In 1902, Kellermann won the ladies' 100 yards and mile championships of New South Wales in the record times of 1 minute, 22 seconds and 33 minutes, 49 seconds respectively. In that same year, her parents decided to move to Melbourne, Victoria, and she was enrolled at Mentone Girls' Grammar School, where her mother had accepted a music teaching position.
During her time at school, Kellermann gave exhibitions of swimming and diving at the main Melbourne baths, performed a mermaid act at Princes Court entertainment centre, and did two shows a day swimming with fish in a glass tank at the Exhibition Aquarium. In June and July 1903, she performed sensational high dives in the Coogee scene of Bland Holt's spectacular, The Breaking of the Drought, at the Melbourne Theatre Royal.
Kellermann and Beatrice Kerr, who was billed as "Australia's Champion Lady Swimmer and Diver", were rivals, although Kerr's public challenges to Kellermann to meet in a competitive race went unanswered.
On 24 August 1905, aged 19, Kellermann was one of the first women to attempt to swim the English Channel. After three unsuccessful swims she declared, "I had the endurance but not the brute strength." The first woman to attempt a Channel crossing had been Austrian Baroness Walburga von Isacescu, in September 1900. Kellermann later challenged and defeated Isacescu in a Danube race.
Kellermann helped popularize the sport of synchronised swimming after her 1907 performance of the first water ballet in a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome.
Swimwear
Kellermann was famous for advocating the right of women to wear a one-piece bathing suit, which was controversial at the time. According to an Australian magazine, "In the early 1900s, women were expected to wear cumbersome dress and pantaloon combinations when swimming. In 1907, at the height of her popularity, Kellermann was arrested on Revere Beach, Massachusetts, for indecency – she was wearing one of her fitted one-piece costumes."
The popularity of her one-piece suits resulted in her own line of women's swimwear. The "Annette Kellermans", as they were known, were the first step to modern swimwear.
Writer
In addition to her film and stage career, Kellermann wrote several books including How to Swim (1918), Physical Beauty: How to Keep It (1919), a book of children's stories titled Fairy Tales of the South Seas (1926), and My Story, an unpublished autobiography. She also wrote numerous mail order booklets on health, beauty, and fitness.
Kellermann married her American-born manager, James Sullivan, on or around 26 November 1912 at Danbury, Connecticut.
A lifelong vegetarian, Kellermann owned a health food store in Long Beach, California, later in life. She remained active well into old age, continuing to swim and exercise until a short time before her death. She and her husband returned to live in Australia in 1970, and in 1974 she was honoured by the International Swimming Hall of Fame at Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Kellerman outlived her husband and died in the hospital at Southport, Queensland, Australia, on 6 November 1975, aged 89. She was cremated with Roman Catholic rites. Her remains were scattered in the Great Barrier Reef. She had no children.
Annette Kellermann. (2016, September 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Annette_Kellermann&oldid=737653160
Jonathan Jones Shields Indigenous History
15 September, 2016 by FRAN STRACHAN - UNSW
The shields symbolise the protection of both family and country - Jonathan Jones with prototype ceramic shield on site at the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Photo: Emma Pike/Kaldor Public Art Projects
Using 15,000 white shields, UNSW Art & Design alumnus Jonathan Jones has created the most ambitious Kaldor Public Art Project to date.
A Sydney-based Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi artist, Jones created the site-specific work barrangal dyara (skin and bones) at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens for the 32nd Kaldor Public Art Project.
barrangal dyara recalls the 19th century Garden Palace which originally stood in the Royal Botanic Garden between 1879 and 1882 before a devastating fire destroyed not only the building, but the countless culturally significant Aboriginal objects inside it.
“The fire completely expunged the Aboriginal history of the area,” said Jones, who is the first Indigenous artist to contribute to the Projects in its history.
“barrangal dyara represents an effort to commence a healing process and a celebration of the survival of the world’s oldest living culture despite this traumatic event,” Jones said.
The vast sculptural installation of 15,000 white shields spans the 20,000 square-metres of the site, marking the original foot-print of the Garden Palace building.
Exterior, the Garden Palace, Sydney, c1879. Collection: Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.
Jones said the shields replicate the ones his ancestors made from tree bark and then painted or engraved with biographical details.
“The shields symbolise the protection of both family and country,” he said.
At the heart of the installation, where the Garden Palace’s dome once crowned Sydney, a native meadow of kangaroo grass has been planted in tribute to the cultural practice of Aboriginal agriculture and management of crops such as kangaroo and wallaby grass, and native millet.
Eight Aboriginal language soundscapes have also been developed with communities throughout the south-east of Australia and installed at the site. The soundscapes are spoken in: Gumbaynggirr; Gamilaraay; Gunditjmara; Ngarrindjeri; Paakantji; Woiwurrung and Wiradjuri, allowing the project to develop from a state of loss and mourning into a celebration of the resilience of the world’s oldest culture.
John Kaldor, Founder of Kaldor Public Art Projects, said his admiration for Jones, one of Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous artists, has grown as the project has progressed.
“His great knowledge and compassion has given me an insight into a different Australia. Working with Jonathan has been a privileged, wonderful personal experience for me.”
Jonathan Jones and John Kaldor in front of the Garden Palace gates at the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Photo: Anna McKay/Kaldor Public Art Projects
The installation will be enlivened by daily presentations of Aboriginal language, performances, talks, special events and workshops.
UNSW Art & Design and Kaldor Public Art Projects are longstanding cultural partners and the faculty is once again an education partner with Kaldor Public Art Projects for their 32nd project.
Barrangal Dyara is at the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, from 17 September to 3 October.
Change In Operations On Macquarie Island
The Division will use a network of existing field huts to support research on the Island. (Photo: Barry Becker)
13th September 2016
The Australian Antarctic Division will use a network of field huts to support future research on Macquarie Island, and will close the existing permanent research station in March next year.
The Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan, launched earlier this year, highlighted the need to deal with ageing infrastructure at the Macquarie Island research station.
An independent engineering investigation concluded an urgent decision on the future of the station was required to manage increasing risks associated with occupational health and safety, environmental contamination and site-exposure to ocean inundation.
Withdrawal of a permanent presence will be a further step towards minimising human impacts on the Island. This follows the successful Macquarie Island pest eradication program which removed all introduced animals (cats, rabbits, rats and mice).
The Division’s Director, Dr Nick Gales, said the decision will allow a greater focus on our operations in the Australian Antarctic Territory.
“Macquarie Island is a unique and fragile ecosystem which holds a special place in the heart of many expeditioners and scientists, so I understand people may be disappointed with this decision,” Dr Gales said.
About a dozen expeditioner positions on the Island will be affected and the Division will work with these expeditioners to explore the possibility of re-deployment to other stations.
“The engineering report shows the cost of refurbishing the Macquarie Island buildings is such that it could not be justified within existing budgets.”
“While scientific research on the island will be impacted, opportunities to conduct high priority research will remain possible through the use of the six existing field huts and through extended ship visits into the future.”
Macquarie Island is about 1500 kilometres southeast of Hobart, about halfway between Tasmania and the Antarctic continent.
The Australian Antarctic Division has continuously operated a year-round research station on the Island since 1948.
The Island is part of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Government is responsible for monitoring and protecting the island as a wildlife reserve and World Heritage site.
A team will be sent to the Island in November to start the process of decommissioning station infrastructure.
“All essential equipment and dangerous goods, including station fuel, will be removed by ship, and the buildings secured and closed down.
“Demolition and removal of buildings and remediation of the site will be completed over the next decade,” he said.
The Division will work closely with affected agencies, including the Tasmanian Government, Bureau of Meteorology and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.
Brain-Sensing Technology Allows Typing At 12 Words Per Minute
A way for people with movement disabilities to communicate
Directly reading brain signals could provide a way for people to communicate their thoughts and emotions. Credit: Image courtesy of Stanford University
September 12, 2016: Stanford University
It does not take an infinite number of monkeys to type a passage of Shakespeare. Instead, it takes a single monkey equipped with brain-sensing technology -- and a cheat sheet.
That technology, developed by Stanford Bio-X scientists Krishna Shenoy, a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford, and postdoctoral fellow Paul Nuyujukian, directly reads brain signals to drive a cursor moving over a keyboard. In an experiment conducted with monkeys, the animals were able to transcribe passages from the New York Times and Hamlet at a rate of up to 12 words per minute.
Earlier versions of the technology have already been tested successfully in people with paralysis, but the typing was slow and imprecise. This latest work tests improvements to the speed and accuracy of the technology that interprets brain signals and drives the cursor.
"Our results demonstrate that this interface may have great promise for use in people," said Nuyujukian, who will join Stanford faculty as an assistant professor of bioengineering in 2017. "It enables a typing rate sufficient for a meaningful conversation."
Communication challenges
Other approaches for helping people with movement disorders type involve tracking eye movements or, as in the case of Stephen Hawking, tracking movements of individual muscles in the face. However, these have limitations, and can require a degree of muscle control that might be difficult for some people. For example, Stephen Hawking wasn't able to use eye-tracking software due to drooping eyelids and other people find eye-tracking technology tiring.
Directly reading brain signals could overcome some of these challenges and provide a way for people to communicate their thoughts and emotions.
The technology developed by the Stanford team involves a multi-electrode array implanted in the brain to directly read signals from a region that ordinarily directs hand and arm movements used to move a computer mouse.
It's the algorithms for translating those signals and making letter selections that the team members have been improving. They had tested individual components of the updated technology in prior monkey studies but had never demonstrated the combined improvements in typing speed and accuracy.
"The interface we tested is exactly what a human would use," Nuyujukian said. "What we had never quantified before was the typing rate that could be achieved." Using these high-performing algorithms developed by Nuyujukian and his colleagues, the animals could type more than three times faster than with earlier approaches.
To type or not to type
The monkeys testing the technology had been trained to type letters corresponding to what they see on a screen. For this study, the animals transcribed passages of New York Times articles or, in one example, Hamlet. The results, which are published September 12 in the Proceedings of the IEEE, show that the technology allows a monkey to type with only its thoughts at a rate of up to 12 words per minute.
People using this system would likely type more slowly, the researchers said, while they think about what they want to communicate or how to spell words. People might also be in more distracting environments and in some cases could have additional impairments that slow the ultimate communication rate.
"What we cannot quantify is the cognitive load of figuring out what words you are trying to say," Nuyujukian said.
Despite that, Nuyujukian said even a rate lower than the 12 words per minute achieved by monkeys would be a significant advance for people who aren't otherwise able to communicate effectively or reliably.
"Also understand that we're not using auto completion here like your smartphone does where it guesses your words for you," Nuyujukian said. Eventually the technology could be paired with the kinds of word completion technology used by smartphones or tablets to improve typing speeds.
In addition to proving the technology, this study showed that the implanted sensor could be stable for several years. The animals had the implants used to test this and previous iterations of the technology for up to four years prior to this experiment, with no loss of performance or side effects in the animals.
Shenoy and Nuyujukian are part of the Brain-Machine Interface initiative of the Stanford Neurosciences Institute, which is working to develop this and other methods of interfacing technology directly with the brain. The team is running a clinical trial now, in conjunction with Jaimie Henderson, professor of neurosurgery, to test this latest interface in people.
If the group is successful, technologies for directly interpreting brain signals could create a new way for people with paralysis to move and communicate with loved ones.
Additional authors include Jonathan Kao, a graduate student in electrical engineering, and Stephen Ryu, a consulting professor in electrical engineering. Krishna Shenoy is also professor (by courtesy) of neurobiology and bioengineering and a member of Stanford Bio-X and the Stanford Neurosciences Institute.
This work was supported by the Stanford Medical Scholars Program, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship, the National Science Foundation, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Foundation, the Burroughs Welcome Fund, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
The above is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford University.
Snail Venom Holds Key To Better Diabetes Treatments
Professor Mike Lawrence from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Credit: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
September 12, 2016: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
New research has found that venom extracted from a species of marine cone snail could hold the key to developing 'ultra-fast-acting' insulins, leading to more efficient therapies for diabetes management.
Researchers from Australia and the US have successfully determined the three-dimensional structure of a cone snail venom insulin, revealing how these highly efficient natural proteins called Con-Ins G1 can operate faster than human insulin.
The teams also discovered that Con-Ins G1 was able bind to human insulin receptors, signifying the potential for its translation into a human therapeutic.
Associate Professor Mike Lawrence from Melbourne's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research led a collaborative study between the University of Utah, the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, La Trobe University and Flinders University in Australia.
Associate Professor Lawrence, a specialist in the structure of insulins and their receptors, said the teams utilised the Australian Synchrotron to create and analyse the three-dimensional structure of this cone snail venom insulin protein with exciting results.
"We found that cone snail venom insulins work faster than human insulins by avoiding the structural changes that human insulins undergo in order to function -- they are essentially primed and ready to bind to their receptors, " Associate Professor Lawrence said.
Associate Professor Lawrence said human insulins could be considered 'clunky' by comparison.
"The structure of human insulins contain an extra 'hinge' component that has to open before any 'molecular handshake' or connection between insulin and receptor can take place.
"By studying the three-dimensional structure of this snail venom insulin we've found how to dispense with this 'hinge' entirely, which may accelerate the cell signalling process and thus the speed with which the insulin takes effect." Associate Professor Lawrence said.
Published today in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, the team's findings build on earlier studies from 2015, when the University of Utah reported that the marine cone snail Conus geographus used an insulin-based venom to trap its prey. Unsuspecting fish prey would swim into the invisible trap and immediately become immobilised in a state of hyperglycaemic shock induced by the venom.
Dr Helena Safavi-Hemami from the University of Utah said it was fascinating to uncover how the cone snail insulin was able to have such a rapid effect on its prey and, furthermore, that the peptide had therapeutic potential in humans. "We were thrilled to find that the principles of cone snail venom insulins could be applied to a human setting," Dr Safavi-Hemami said.
"Our Flinders University colleagues have shown that the cone snail insulin can 'switch on' human insulin cell signalling pathways, meaning the cone snail insulin is able to successfully bind to human receptors," Dr Safavi-Hemami said.
"The next step in our research, which is already underway, is to apply these findings to the design of new and better treatments for diabetes, giving patients access to faster-acting insulins," she said.
The above is reprinted from materials provided by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.
More Admissions And Surgeries At NSW Hospitals
7th September, 2016: Media Release - NSW Health
NSW hospitals are admitting more patients and performing more elective surgeries than ever before, according to the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) report.
The BHI Hospital Quarterly report for the April to June 2016 quarter found there were nearly 480,000 hospital admissions overall - the highest level ever reported and an increase of 4.7 per cent compared to the same time last year.
There were 58,583 elective surgery procedures performed - an increase of 7.2 per cent.
More than 636,300 people presented to emergency departments (EDs) - an increase of 1.2 per cent and the highest level reported in an April to June quarter. More than 470,000 patients (or 73.9 per cent) left the ED within four hours.
Concord, Gosford, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga and Westmead hospitals saw the greatest improvement in the number of patients who spent four hours or less in the ED, while there is room for improvement at the new South East Regional (Bega) Hospital and at Campbelltown, Nepean and RPA hospitals.
Health Minister Jillian Skinner said hospitals continue to perform at a high standard despite unprecedented demand across the board.
“NSW cares for the largest caseload of patients in the country and our hospitals consistently prove capable of meeting the demand,” Mrs Skinner said.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our expert clinicians and hospital staff and I thank them for the wonderful work they do to achieve these results.”
The BHI data highlights stability in on-time elective surgery performance, with more than 56,000 patients (or 97 per cent) receiving their procedures within clinically recommended time frames.
Australia’s Premier International Maritime Exercise Underway
13 September 2016 | Media Release
Australia’s largest international maritime exercise, Exercise KAKADU 2016, was officially launched in Darwin yesterday by the Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer.
Exercise KAKADU will see nations from around the Asia-Pacific region enhance interoperability, share knowledge and develop skills in responding to threats in the maritime and air domains with a multinational force.
Commander Australian Fleet welcomed participating nations and outlined his vision for the Exercise.
“I extend a warm welcome to all nations joining Exercise KAKADU. This exercise is important for forging relationships that build the trust on which we depend in times of crisis and in peace,” Rear Admiral Mayer said.
“Australia’s regional partners have come to the crucial city of Darwin and our seas to the north to develop expertise and mastery in maritime operations. KAKADU provides an opportunity to collaborate so that our combined forces can immediately respond at times that require the support of all nations.”
Ships, submarines and aircraft from Australia, Canada, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and the United States, with observers from Fiji, India, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga and Vietnam have descended on Darwin to practise activities ranging from constabulary and surveillance scenarios to high-end maritime warfare in a combined environment.
Australia’s Commander Warfare, Commodore Malcolm Wise, said Exercise KAKADU is a chance to learn new skills and assesses the readiness of a multinational force.
“Exercise KAKADU provides training opportunities across the full spectrum of warfare. We are many nations speaking many languages and KAKADU ensures interoperability to deliver a professional, safe, communicative and integrated force,” Commodore Wise said.
Exercise KAKADU runs 12 to 23 September and includes a harbour phase for planning and simulation, before moving into a sea phase where the ships and aircraft will divide into several multi-national task groups to exercise various scenarios, culminating in a task group versus task group “free play”.
Guard commander, Lieutenant Matthew Smith, during the ceremonial sunset as part of the Exercise KAKADU official reception on board HMAS Adelaide, Darwin, NT.
Exercise KAKADU is a joint-enabled, biennial exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and supported by the Royal Australian Air Force. KAKADU is the Navy’s premier maritime exercise, developing interoperability between nations in the maritime and air domains, and providing training opportunities for maritime security and surveillance.
Exercise KAKADU, is held from 12 to 24 September 2016, will involve 19 ships and submarines, 18 aircraft and more than 3000 personnel from 19 Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean navies and air forces.
Participating nations include Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga, United States of America, and Vietnam.
Image Series No.: S20162360, Photographer: ABIS Kayla Hayes
New Material To Revolutionize Water Proofing
In addition to waterproofing, the new ability to control the properties of materials could be applied to a wide range of other coatings, said Mr Wong. Credit: Image courtesy of Australian National University
September 8, 2016: Australian National University
Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have developed a new spray-on material with a remarkable ability to repel water.
The new protective coating could eventually be used to waterproof mobile phones, prevent ice from forming on aeroplanes or protect boat hulls from corroding.
"The surface is a layer of nanoparticles, which water slides off as if it's on a hot barbecue," said PhD student William Wong, from the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory at the ANU Research School of Engineering.
The team created a much more robust coating than previous materials by combining two plastics, one tough and one flexible.
"It's like two interwoven fishing nets, made of different materials," Mr Wong said.
The water-repellent or superhydrophobic coating is also transparent and extremely resistant to ultraviolet radiation.
Lead researcher and head of the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory, Associate Professor Antonio Tricoli, said the new material could change how we interact with liquids.
"It will keep skyscraper windows clean and prevent the mirror in the bathroom from fogging up," Associate Professor Tricoli said.
"The key innovation is that this transparent coating is able to stabilise very fragile nanomaterials resulting in ultra-durable nanotextures with numerous real-world applications."
The team developed two ways of creating the material, both of which are cheaper and easier than current manufacturing processes.
One method uses a flame to generate the nanoparticle constituents of the material. For lower temperature applications, the team dissolved the two components in a sprayable form.
In addition to waterproofing, the new ability to control the properties of materials could be applied to a wide range of other coatings, said Mr Wong.
"A lot of the functional coatings today are very weak, but we will be able to apply the same principles to make robust coatings that are, for example, anti-corrosive, self-cleaning or oil-repellent," he said.
William S. Y. Wong, Zbigniew H. Stachurski, David R. Nisbet, Antonio Tricoli. Ultra-Durable and Transparent Self-Cleaning Surfaces by Large-Scale Self-Assembly of Hierarchical Interpenetrated Polymer Networks. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2016; 8 (21): 13615 DOI:10.1021/acsami.6b03414
Student Editors Give Voice To Asylum Seekers
13 September, 2016; BY CLARE MORGAN – UNSW
Weekly visits by UNSW students to the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre have culminated in a special issue of Human Rights Defendermagazine.
Once a week for the past two years, students from UNSW Law have volunteered to travel to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre to visit detainees.
Working with members of the group Supporting Asylum Seekers Sydney (SASS), the Refugee Art Project and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, they meet with the detainees to offer support and friendship. They also liaise with detainees’ case managers and lawyers and help with the administrative tasks that can make immigration cases so frustratingly slow.
Last year they set up the Humans of Detention Facebook page, based on the popular Humans of New York project and featuring individuals’ stories paired with paintings created by Sydney artists.
Now two of these students have guest edited a special Villawood-themed issue of Human Rights Defender magazine, published by the Australian Human Rights Centre (AHRCentre) at UNSW Law.
Nanak Narulla, a third-year Arts/Law student, and Eloise McCrea-Steele, a fourth-year Fine Arts/Law student, wanted the magazine to acknowledge the work of SASS and other human rights advocates, to encourage people to get involved, to give a voice to the detainees they had met and to enrich peoples’ knowledge of the system.
Their special issue includes a history of the site of the detention centre, a profile of SASS member Vera Hazel, an interview with two Villawood detainees detailing their daily life, a spread from Villawood: Notes from an immigration detention centre, the Walkley Award-winning graphic novel by Safdar Ahmed, an interview with artist Wendy Sharpe about the Portraits of Humanity project, and an examination of Australian community attitudes to asylum seekers and refugees.
Launching the issue, AHRCentre Director Professor Andrea Durbach noted the timing of this special issue, which comes in the wake of the “cruelly dismissive” official responses to the “disturbing and distressing Nauru files”.
“How we wrest back our humanity from political expediency to civil decency, how we develop and execute policies that manifest our responsibilities as compassionate, generous citizens, is really at the core of this small but significant gesture that led to the special edition of the Human Rights Defenderon Villawood,” she said.
Nanak Narulla, who recently returned from a visit to the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea, said he began his weekly visits to Villawood with the aim of learning what being in detention was actually like.
“When I first went to Villawood, I didn’t quite know what to expect,” he said at the launch. His first visit was fairly confronting, but getting to know detainees made him want to go back every week.
The students’ issue of the magazine was an opportunity to offer the human face of detainees and provide an insight into their daily life.
“Our core motives were to diversify the narrative, to tell people a little bit about the mundane experiences of asylum seekers, about the mental health aspects of being an asylum seeker as well as the practical realities of being in a detention centre,” he said.
A painting by asylum seeker Miri Badger, one of the refugee works featured in the special issue of Human Rights Defender.
They also wanted their issue to have a strong focus on art and its ability to provide a voice for those who are often not heard.
Safdar Ahmed, whose black-and-white graphic novel starkly illustrates detainees’ experiences in the countries they fled and their life in detention, explained how the Refugee Art Project helped give asylum seekers a sense of empowerment and agency.
“The work is interesting because I think it shows peoples’ individual stories are very complex. Human beings are complicated, they have very rich histories, and it’s not always comfortable to reduce them to the status of refugee,” he said at the launch.
Even refugee supporters could fall into the trap of reducing their status, seeing them only through the prism of their suffering.
“I think people are a lot more than just their refugee experience. If there’s one thing I hope our organisation can give, it is a fuller picture of peoples’ experiences and the complexity and depth and richness of their personalities.”
Angela Nickerson, a lecturer at UNSW’s School of Psychology and Director of the Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program, outlined the long-term psychological effects of indefinite detention.
“Research is one of the most powerful tools to help refugees. Without it, we can only guess at what strategies will help these people,” she said.
Find out more about Human Rights Defender here.
Study Links Altered Brain Chemistry, Behavioral Impairments In Fish Exposed To Elevated Carbon Dioxide
Research team studied damselfish behavior, physiology under ocean acidification conditions predicted for year 2300
This is Lizard Island coral reef with study species, Spiny damselfish (Acanthochromis polyacanthus). Credit: Jodie L. Rummer
September 13, 2016
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University showed that increased carbon dioxide concentrations alters brain chemistry that may lead to neurological impairment in some fish.
Understanding the impacts of increased carbon dioxide levels in the ocean, which causes the ocean to become more acidic, allows scientists to better predict how fish will be impacted by future ocean acidification conditions.
"Coral reef fish, which play a vital role in coral reef ecosystems, are already under threat from multiple human and natural stressors," said lead author of the study Rachael Heuer, a UM Rosenstiel School alumna which conducted the study as part of her Ph.D. work. "By specifically understanding how brain and blood chemistry are linked to behavioral disruptions during CO2exposure, we can better understand not only 'what' may happen during future ocean acidification scenarios, but 'why' it happens."
In this study, the researchers designed and conducted a novel experiment to directly measure behavioral impairment and brain chemistry of the Spiny damselfish, (Acanthochromis polyacanthus) a fish commonly found on coral reefs in the western Pacific Ocean.
During a three-week period, the scientists collected spiny damselfish from reefs off Lizard Island located on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The fish were separated into two groups -- those exposed to ordinary CO2 "control" conditions and those exposed to elevated CO2 levels that are predicted to occur in the near future, but have already been observed in many coastal and upwelling areas throughout the world. Following the exposure, the fish were subjected to a behavioral test, and brain and blood chemistry were measured.
The unique behavioral test, employed a two-choice flume system, where fish were given the choice between control seawater or water containing a chemical alarm cue, which they typically avoid since it represents the smell associated with an injured fish of its own species.
The researchers found that the damselfish exposed to elevated carbon dioxide levels were spending significantly more time near the chemical alarm cue than the control fish, a behavior that would be considered abnormal. The measurements of brain and blood chemistry provided further evidence that elevated CO2caused the altered behavior of the fish.
"For the first time, physiological measurements showing altered chemistry in brain and blood have been directly linked to altered behavior in a coral reef fish," said UM Rosenstiel School Maytag Professor of Ichthyology and lead of the RECOVER Project Martin Grosell, the senior author of the study.
"Our findings support the idea that fish effectively prevent acidification of internal body fluids and tissues, but that these adjustments lead to downstream effects including impairment of neurological function."
"If coral reef fish do not acclimate or adapt as oceans continue to acidify, many will likely experience impaired behavior that could ultimately lead to increased predation risk and to negative impacts on population structure and ecosystem function," said Heuer, currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of North Texas. "This research supports the growing number of studies indicating that carbon dioxide can drastically alter fish behavior, with the added benefit of providing accurate measurements to support existing hypotheses on why these impairments are occurring."
R. M. Heuer, M. J. Welch, J. L. Rummer, P. L. Munday, M. Grosell. Altered brain ion gradients following compensation for elevated CO2 are linked to behavioural alterations in a coral reef fish. Scientific Reports, 2016; 6: 33216 DOI: 10.1038/srep33216
United Wambo Open Cut Coal Mine Project
Street 134 Jerrys Plains Road
City Warkworth
Exhibition Start 11/08/2016
Exhibition End 22/09/2016
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A Joint Venture project between United Collieries and Wambo Coal which combines the existing open cut operations at Wambo with a proposed new open cut at United.
The Project will utilise the existing Wambo Mining Infrastructure Area (MIA), Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP) and train loading facility. The Project anticipates delivering up to 6Mtpa of product coal, providing jobs for around 500 employees with a life of mine of approximately 23 years. The Project proposes to relocate a 2km section of the Golden Highway and a section of 330kV powerlines to optimise coal recovery in the United Open Cut.
Extent of Mining Areas: Refer to Figure 1.3 - The project proposes realignment of the Wambo Open Cut boundary to maximise resource recovery. The realignment would result in approximately 5 hectares of additional disturbance for the Wambo Open Cut mine.
The Proposed United Open Cut mine is situated to the weast of the existing Wambo operations (refer to Figure 1.3)
The conceptual staged mine plans are shown on Figure 3.2 to Figure 3.6
Operating Hours 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Figure 1.3
Figure 3.2
Initiative To Restore One Million Corals Launches In The Caribbean And Florida Keys
September 12, 2016
Mote Marine Lab scientists restore staghorn corals in 2015 in the Florida Keys with volunteer helpers from the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge and SCUBAnauts International. On Sept. 12, 2016, Mote signed a one-year agreement with The Nature Conservancy toward a proposed 15-year initiative to restore corals at unprecedented scales in the Florida Keys and Caribbean. Credit: Joe Berg/Way Down Video
Mote Marine Laboratory and The Nature Conservancy are partnering on a coral conservation initiative that will enable coral restoration at unprecedented scales throughout the Caribbean and the Florida Keys. The collaboration officially began Monday evening, Sept. 12, 2016, in Miami, with the signing of a one-year memorandum of understanding (MOU), enabling the first steps in a proposed 15-year initiative of joint coral reef restoration and conservation efforts.
The goals of the initiative are to restore more than one million corals across the region's reefs, share science-based coral restoration and conservation practices among U.S. and international Caribbean partners, and construct necessary facilities such as coral gene banks, which preserve genetically diverse coral tissue and help researchers find strains resilient to environmental change. The Sept. 12 MOU will officially launch one year of planning and preparation, which will include growing 50,000 coral fragments.
Coral reef systems help provide shoreline resiliency that protects coastal communities and create vibrant, healthy oceans for the people that depend on them. Ocean acidification, increasing ocean temperatures as a result of climate change, overfishing, unplanned coastal development and other associated stressors including waste water have damaged or decimated reefs around the world. Coral cover in Florida and the Caribbean has declined by 50 to 80 percent in some areas in just the last three decades.
"As global challenges to the long-term sustainability of coral reefs intensify, so must our efforts to understand and address them," said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, President & CEO of Mote. "The basic and transformative research that Mote conducts is vital, but we also have a responsibility to translate and transfer the findings of our science into positive ecological, societal and economic impacts. Proactively restoring reefs at a regionally strategic scale, combined with establishing a network of coral gene banks to safeguard essential biodiversity, is unprecedented and allows for all three benefits: helping replenish some of the ocean's most biodiverse ecosystems, educating and involving communities that are intimately linked to them, and preserving livelihoods -- the billions of dollars generated by reef-related economic activity."
Mote -- an independent, nonprofit marine science and education institution of five campuses from Sarasota, Florida to the Florida Keys that conducts diverse research programs around the world -- has developed innovative technologies to grow staghorn, brain, boulder and star coral fragments and planted approximately 20,000 of them onto depleted reefs in the Florida Keys. In early 2017 Mote plans to open a new coral reef research and education facility at its Summerland Key campus, where Mote scientists have already pioneered groundbreaking methods to restore reef-building corals at accelerated rates and begun to genetically identify staghorn coral strains for potential resilience against threats.
"We are accountable to future generations for securing the very resources that have helped us and generations before us to thrive," said Dr. Luis Solórzano, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy's Caribbean Program. "With the threats of climate change, unsustainable development, overfishing and pollution, this partnership between The Nature Conservancy and Mote Marine Lab offers hope for the future of coral reefs and the systems they support. It is our imperative to engage leading scientists, advance innovative coral restoration practices and work collaboratively in order to safeguard these critical ecosystems."
"Coral reefs are critical ecosystems for sustaining the integrity of our marine habitats, natural resources and species, as well as for protecting our coastal areas. The decline of our coral reef systems from climate change and other human related impacts has serious consequences to the health and well-being of people and nature and requires that we take bold actions to transform the rate and scale of coral conservation," said Temperince Morgan, Director of The Nature Conservancy in Florida.
"We are excited to be joining forces with our Caribbean Program and Mote to step up to this challenge in an unprecedented way by applying our extensive experience in coral restoration to further develop and apply the science needed to conserve one of the most valued and threatened marine habitats in the world."
The Nature Conservancy is an international conservation organization working to protect the lands and waters on which all life depends.
Throughout the Caribbean and Florida, the Conservancy has worked with their partners to advance science-based conservation actions that include establishing coral nurseries and planting over 15,000 coral colonies from the nurseries onto reefs over the past 12 years in the Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas and U.S. Virgin Islands. These coral nurseries span from the Florida Keys all the way down to Grenada and are part of the largest restoration project of its kind.
By combining forces, two of the world's foremost independent marine research and conservation organizations will launch an innovative, international coral reef restoration initiative, giving Caribbean and Florida Keys coral reefs a better chance to survive and deliver ecological and economic benefits to future generations.
Key goals for the one-year agreement and onward
-Now through September 2017: The one-year MOU will help Mote and Conservancy staff secure additional coral restoration permits, plan their reef restoration initiative for the coming years, fundraise collaboratively and grow approximately 50,000 fragments of various coral species at Mote's facilities in the Florida Keys and the Conservancy's facilities in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Partners will focus on selecting coral strains resilient to increasing water temperatures, ocean acidification and disease. In early 2017, Mote will enhance these efforts by opening its new coral reef research facility on Summerland Key.
-By 2020: A networked coral gene bank of threatened Caribbean and Florida coral species will be established and accumulate genetically identified coral tissue samples as "insurance" against climate change and near-term catastrophic events for reefs, such as widespread bleaching, diseases and oil spills. Efforts will include enhancing or expanding coral nurseries and adding gene banks to Mote and Conservancy facilities in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands, respectively. Mote and Conservancy staff will forge and advance international partnerships for upcoming coral restoration in priority locations including Cuba and the Bahamas.
-By 2025: Mote and Conservancy staff plan to work with U.S. and international partners to restore corals at unprecedented rates for the Caribbean and the Florida Keys. Goals include planting one million coral fragments in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Florida Keys and 500,000 in at least three other Caribbean nations. The partners aim to establish a new, permanent coral restoration facility in St. Croix to be jointly operated by Conservancy and Mote staff. They will also complete training of key local personnel working at U.S. and international coral restoration areas, and in the process, disseminate state-of-the-art coral science, conservation and restoration practices around the Caribbean.
Mote and the Conservancy will work together and leverage their ongoing research and community engagement programs to secure the philanthropic investments needed to implement these innovative programs for restoring coral reefs and engaging local communities to lead in these efforts.
Mote is already working with middle- and high school students in its Coral Research and Conservation Program that the Lab spearheaded with EARTHANGLE Inc. Now, the MOU between Mote and the Conservancy will help expand this program, with the ultimate goal of educating and engaging more students and their communities in coral reef conservation and restoration activities in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida Keys.
The above is reprinted from materials provided by Mote Marine Laboratory.
SUNDAY MORNING BIRDWATCHING with PNHA
Would you like to know more about our local birds and explore our bushland reserves? Then join us on one of our bird walks:
PNHA Birdwatching 8am Sunday 25 September, Warriewood Wetlands, followed by Morning Tea and a talk on the Birds of Warriewood Wetlands at 9.30am.
Warriewood Wetlands is one of Sydney’s birding hotspots with over 150 species recorded. Come along and see how many you can find.
At 9.30am, after the walk, join us for morning tea and a talk on the birds of Warriewood Wetlands provided by PNHA. We are holding this event as part of the Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment's Narrabeen Spring Celebration.
Meet: 8am for the walk, and/or come at 9.30am for the morning tea and talk, Katoa Close, off Garden St, North Narrabeen.
Bring: For the walk: Binoculars, water, insect repellent, hat. Morning tea will be provided (see Bookings)
Bookings: Please book this time, for catering. Text or call 0439 409 202.
Our last walk of the year is at 7.30am on Sunday 27 November at Warriewood Wetlands. The summer migratory species will have arrived and the Wetlands will be home to nesting birds and birds with young. there should be plenty to see.Meet at Katoa Close, North Narrabeen.
Most walks last a couple of hours. Bring binoculars and morning tea for afterwards if you like. Contact pnhabirdwatching@gmail.com for details of each walk.