Daily Archives: June 20, 2020

Black-footed Albatross. Photo: Kat Paleckova/Audubon Photography Awards

June 19in addition to Juneteenth, commemorating the ending of slavery in the United Statesis also the inaugural World Albatross Day. For the first time starting this year, organizations around the globe will be honoring these mighty yet threatened seabirds.

Albatrosses can be found plying the South Atlantic and North and South Pacific Oceans. We have three species of albatrosses in the U.S., all off the West Coast. Black-footed and Laysan albatrosses breed mostly at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, located within the larger Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument located in the Pacific Ocean 1,150 miles northwest of the Hawaiian Islands. The Short-tailed Albatross, listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, breeds primarily in Japan. This species used to number about 10 million and was once the most abundant albatross on the U.S. Pacific Coast.

Albatrosses are supremely adapted to life on the high seas. They have wingspans of up to 11 feet, designed for extended gliding and sleeping on the wing. Their noses are equipped with airspeed sensors similar to those on airplanes. Their keen sense of smell guides them hundreds of miles to locate prey at the surface, where they are accessible to these non-diving birds. All of these evolutionary traits are critical to success in a vast, harsh and dynamic ocean.

Historically albatrosses were killed for their feathers and meat, and face a litany of threats today. Fortunately though, albatrosses have proven very responsive to conservation actions, and there are many beautiful stories of their recovery including our three North Pacific species.

For example, Short-tailed Albatross were hunted severely at their Japanese breeding islands, and by 1950, were presumed to be extinct. Then, to the delighted surprise of Japanese biologists, a handful of young adults returning from their adolescence at sea showed up in the early 1950s. The Japanese government responded with strong protection of these few remaining breeding birds. Then, in 2000, the U.S. listed the species as federally endangered which prompted our engagement in multinational collaboration to recover the species. Today, there are about 6,000 of these birds, and growing.

Another example involves the worlds oldest known wild bird, Wisdom. She is a Laysan Albatross banded at Midway Island in 1956, before plastics were in circulation. At the age of 67, she is still rearing chicks and has been widely reported on around the world.

Wisdom survives today because of the dedicated work of many people to reduce the deaths of albatrosses on fishhooks, remove invasive plants and animals (and even toxic lead paint) on their nesting islands,and protect their colonies. For everyone involved in protecting albatrosses, and for people who love the ocean, Wisdoms tenacity is proof and inspiration that albatrosses are resilient enough to thrive into the future, if given the chance.

The protection of albatrosses is a high priority for Audubon and our network of dedicated activists. In the past 10 years on the West Coast, we have led successful campaigns to ensure there are plenty for forage fish for albatrosses in state and federal waters. We have supported expanded use of streamer (bird-scaring) lines in U.S-based fisheries, which virtually eliminate albatross bycatch without impacting fleet profitability or jobs. Wehelped win a fight to prevent the certification of destructive fishing gear types that would have incidentally caught ahigh number of albatrosses and other marine wildlife. We are working to reduce plastics in the ocean, and we continue to urge the federal government to join the international treaty to protect albatrosses, the Agreement on the Conservation ofAlbatrosses and Petrels.

On this first World Albatross Day, we are deeply grateful to the many dedicated people who have fought to protect all 22 species of albatrosses on this earth. If you want to help restore and protect our albatrosses, here is what you can do:

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Celebrating the First-ever World Albatross Day - Audubon Magazine

Jun 18th 2020

IM NOT COMFORTABLE in my chair with such a crew, says the captain of a cargo vessel in the South Atlantic en route from Bermuda to Singapore. He is eight months into a four-month contract, and almost everyone on board has also already worked at least double his contracted time. He hopes Singapore will accept that sailors who have seen almost no one but each other for months pose no infection risk and permit a crew change. If not, some may refuse to keep working. On June 16th an industry-wide agreement to allow emergency contract extensions expired, but that is no guarantee that ports will open up. Believe me, he says, the situation is critical.

When Rose George, a journalist, wrote about the shipping industry in 2013, she called her book Ninety Percent of Everything to convey its importance to global trade. But during the covid-19 crisis almost none of the mariners who keep the world fed, warmed and entertained have been allowed on shore. At any moment 1.2m are in cargo vessels on the high seas. (Half as many again work on cruise ships or vessels transporting goods within a single countrys territory.) At least 250,000 have finished their contracts and have no idea when they will be relieved. Similar numbers are stuck at home with no idea when they will next get work. Both totals are rising by tens of thousands each week.

In normal times, crewing the worlds merchant fleet is a logistical miracle. Ship-management firms handle the rosters, signing crew on, flying them from their home countries to a convenient port, and getting them off their ships again and on a plane home. Many mariners are from developing countries, in particular India, Indonesia and the Philippines. They often start and end their contracts in hubs such as Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Contracts are typically of three to nine months, with one months variation in either direction to make planning easier.

The virus has thrown an almighty spanner in the works. Countries that classified lorry drivers, pilots and cabin crew as essential workers overlooked merchant seamen, even though their work underpins the global economy. Some will accept their citizens, but ships may not be calling at a suitable port, and management companies may not be able to line up relief. With few scheduled flights, the sailors who manage to disembark may not be able to get home.

At first they were proud to be able to help in the global emergency, says Lars Robert Pedersen of BIMCO, which represents the owners of about 60% of the worlds merchant fleet. They are used to hard work and long contracts. But when official neglect continued, sailors morale became a problem. They are fed every day, and they are getting paid, but thats not the point, he says. They are effectively imprisoned on board their ships.

Owners and managers are trying to make confinement more bearable with free internet and wage top-ups, says Andreas Hadjipetrou, the managing director of Columbia Shipmanagement. One captain asked for gym equipment and karaoke, he says. The crew created a band and sent us a video clip. More importantly, they are doing everything they can to facilitate crew changeswhich take not just planning, but a hefty dose of luck.

Among the merchant seamen relieved during the lockdown is Hrisheet Barve, a ships captain and an Indian from the state of Goa. By the end of May he and 16 crew members, also Indian, were months over contract. Since they were sailing along Indias coast, he proposed to the ships management company, Anglo-Eastern, that it divert to the port of Cochin in the state of Kerala for a crew change. The company agreed, despite the cost and delay. Even though the men were all nationals, disembarking required lengthy negotiations with the shipping ministry and port and state officials. They had seen no one else for months, but still had to spend two weeks in quarantine.

By the end, says Captain Barve, he was very worried about his mens mental state. When youre all in the same boatpun not intendedyou can pull each other down. And tired, miserable sailors are unsafe, he adds. It just takes one captain to make a mistake and run a tanker aground and cause an oil spill. They will say it was a navigational error but the real culprit will be that he was working way longer than he should have been.

The International Maritime Organisation, the arm of the UN that deals with shipping, has drawn up a protocol for crew changes during the pandemic. It requires governments to classify merchant seamen as essential workers, thus enabling them to travel and cross borders. Ports and airports need facilities for testing and quarantine, and safe connections. We have the standard operating procedure ready to act on, says Bjorn Hojgaard of Anglo-Eastern. We just need help from regulators.

The industry hopes that governments will be prodded into action by the sudden expiry of so many seamens contracts. The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) says it will support any seamen who refuse to work. If that leaves too few people to operate a ship safely, its insurance policy could lapse, and full liability fall on the captain and owner, who might then decide it was too risky to keep going. The trade that has flowed so smoothly throughout the pandemic might finally gum up. Everyone is happy to reap the benefits of global trade, says Stephen Cotton, the ITFs general secretary. But no one seems willing to step up when it comes to safeguarding those who deliver the things they need every day.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline "Ninety percent of everything"

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As the virus rages on shore, merchant seamen are stranded on board - The Economist

Carnival Cruise Line plans to resume some North American cruises starting on August 1 amid the coronavirus pandemic. USA TODAY

Carnival Corp. has announced its lines will take a phased approach as they make their return to the high seas,meaning its vesselsand brands will return to sailing over timerather than all at once.

"We are going to be patient in our approach and learn from best available information we are going to have before we sail," Roger Frizzell, spokesman for Carnival Corp., told USA TODAY Thursday.

"There is no formal schedule for return at this point," Frizzell said, noting dates are notset for the phased returns to startdespite the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's no-sail order's expiration date approaching on July 24.

Eight Carnival Cruise Line ships are scheduled to sail in August, but Frizzell noted "there has been no formal decision that those eight will sail, but they are not canceled at this point.

The cruise world giant, which is parent to Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Seabourn,Cunard and of course, its flagship, Carnival Cruise Line, shared the news in their 2020 second quarter summary. Carnival Corp.'s full fleet contains well over 100 ships.

Carnival plans to have eight ships operating in August.(Photo: Carnival)

The company expects that initial sailings will depart from a number of "easily accessible" home ports.

No decisions have been made regarding how many people will be on board when the first ships set sail as the cruise giant is still working with health authorities, including the CDC, and experts to determine a return date, proper health protocols andship capacity levels.

Some areas that may be subject to change include medical care, screening and testing, terminal protocol for arrival and departure, sanitization, boarding and disembarkation, onboard experiences and more.

"There is certainly some time to finalize that while we are at a pause," Frizzell said.

While it plans a slow resumption of previous operations, Carnival Corp.also expects delays to new ship deliveries, of which 16 are scheduled into2025, according to its website.

The company also intends to accelerate the removal of ships during 2020 that had been expected to be sold later and remove additionalships from its fleet.Six ships are set to be removed from Carnival Corp.'s fleet in the next 90 days. Frizzell didnot identify which vessels would be leaving the fleet but said they are some of the oldest.

Carnival is under investigation by the United StatesCongress forits handling of multiple outbreaks of COVID-19 on itsships, the governing body announced on May 1.

In addition to the Diamond Princess, which led to more than 700 coronavirus cases and 13 deaths, and Grand Princess, which had more than 100 casesand at at least 3 deaths,Carnival subsidiary Princess Cruises also had cases on theRuby PrincessandCoral Princess; Additionally, USA TODAY confirmed cases on Costa Cruises'Costa Favolosa,Costa Luminosa;and on Holland America'sMS Zaandam, which are also owned by Carnival.

In May, Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., said during an earnings call that Norwegian has been planning a phased relaunch.

He had estimated, at the time,that full resumption of operations couldtake up to six monthsacross Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings'28 ships, which are spread across its three brands. But he expressed that it will take time and require cooperation with government and health authorities.

And Royal Caribbean's CEO, Richard Fain,saidgetting ships back to sea will likely be a gradual process on an earnings call May 20.

"We dont expect that this is going to be that someday somebody blows a horn and all the ships start operating right away," Fain said. "We think that it will be a gradual start ...a little like how society is opening up."

EXCLUSIVE:Virgin Voyages announces 'Voyage Well' health plan for Scarlet Lady ship

Norwegian, Oceania, Regent: Cruise lines extend suspensions into fall

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'We are going to be patient': Carnival plans phased return to cruising amid coronavirus pandemic - AZCentral.com

'Cable Girls' aka 'Las Chicas del Cable' was Netflix's first Spanish original show. Since 'Cable Girls', Netflix's Spanish series have taken the world by storm, some of the most popular shows being 'Money Heist' and 'Elite'.

The first part of the final season was released earlier this year on Valentine's Day and was set amid the onset of the Spanish Civil War. While the first part consisted of only five episodes, there were more twists and turns than any of us expected, including an unexpected death.Now, the final episodes of the Spanish period drama are set to release on Netflix. Read on to know more details.

Season 6 of 'Cable Girls' will be available to stream on Netflix on July 3 from 12 am PST.

In the first part of the final season, we had seen Lidia's (formerly Alba) life in America with Francisco after she got tired of Carlos's inability to stand up to his mother Dona Carmen. Lidia and Francisco had also adopted ngeles's daughter, Sofia. The season picks up many years later, after Sofia, who is all grown up now, leaves America to go fight in the Civil War.

When Lidia goes to Spain to search for Sofia, she comes across Carlos, who became a general fighting in the war. While things are tense between Lidia and Carlos, they soon come around. However, this is short-lived after Lidia is captured by the Army and Carlos is shot dead.Meanwhile, Marga is pregnant and finally reunited with Pablo, as well as his twin brother Julio; American journalist James Lancaster - for whom Carlota may or may not have feelings for - was set to be deported and Francisco had made his way over to Spain.

While Francisco may have been able to keep Sofia alive, his new mission would be to find Lidia in the final season. We are certain he will mourn the death of his once-best friend, Carlos as well. We also learn that one of the leaders at the camp where Lidia is imprisoned is Dona Carmen.

Blanca Suarez

Blanca Suarez is a Spanish actress known for her roles in 'Cable Girls', 'El Internado', and 'El Barco'. She plays the role of Lidia on 'Cable Girls'.

Ana Fernndez Garca

Ana Fernndez Garca is a Spanish actress best known for her work on 'Cable Girls'. She plays the role of Carlota.

Nadia de Santiago

Nadia de Santiago is a Spanish actress best known for her roles in 'Las 13 Rosas' and 'Cable Girls'. She plays the role of Marga.

Yon Gonzalez

Yon Gonzalez is a Spanish actor known for his roles in 'El Internado', 'Gran hotel', 'Bajo sospecha', and 'Transgression'. He plays the role of Francisco in 'Cable Girls'.

'Cable Girls' also stars Ana Polvorosa as Oscar, Denisse Pea as Sofia, Alex Hafner as James Lancaster, and Concha Velasco as Dona Carmen.

The show was created by Ramn Campos ('Grand Hotel', 'High Seas'), Gema R. Neira ('Grand Hotel', 'High Seas') and Teresa Fernndez-Valds ('Grand Hotel', 'Velvet Collection').

A trailer for the final season has not dropped yet. Keep watching this space for more updates.

'High Seas'

'Elite'

'Money Heist'

'El Internado'

'Grand hotel'

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'Cable Girls' Season 6: Release date, plot, cast and all you need to know about the Netflix series' final run - MEAWW

A strong sense of empires crumbling this week, as Led Zeppelin are no longer the biggest dickheads ever to demand a plane respray. Sliding into the top spot are Boris Johnson and his government, with the prime minister taking time out of accidentally bumping off British citizens to order a 900,000 paint job on his VIP Voyager aircraft.

The only disappointment is that he didnt reveal the plans at one of the daily No 10 press conferences. Heres a slide showing how tens of thousands more people than necessary have Sadly Died because of decisions I took or put off taking. But looking at the positives, heres a slide of the new designs for my plane! As for the respray, Im picturing something that befits our status in the world. Perhaps giant letters reading Air Farce One. The budget option would be to keep it grey and just scrawl a classic across the side, like CLEAN ME or My plane is dirtier than your mum. If not, maybe Johnson would be drawn to something like If this planes a-rockin, dont come a-knockin, or Dont laugh, lady your daughter could be in here.

None of these would be any less absurd than the justification for it all by cabinet minister Oliver Dowden. I note that Oliver is a Conservative culture secretary, which has historically been like being the Ku Klux Klans equalities wizard. Here he is on Johnsons paint job: We really are a creative industries superpower, and we should be promoting that. I think the work on Voyager is part of that. To which the most reasonable reply is: wut? Still, lets try to clamber inside the logic simulator and work out what in the name of his favourite album being a free CD that came on the front of the Sunday Times in 2007 Oliver is trying to say here. Is it that theatres are in such acute crisis that 75% of them may never reopen, so we need to get this piece of military hardware into the bodyshop? Is it that we made Fleabag, and thats why my boss needs a penis extension? Im finding the philosophy somewhat impenetrable.

Then again, Johnson has always seen some mystical correlation between his sense of sexual potency and the success of the nation. He has previously fretted that Trident going to sea without missiles would mean the whole country is literally firing blanks. He has described himself as the man to put some lead in the collective pencil. And hed now like us to have a chlorinated chicken in every port. Actually, I think I invented that last one but youre welcome for the image. Were all men of the world, and no one said dockside life was for the faint-hearted.

Speaking of grotesque maritime adventures, it feels the moment to turn to one ministers widely publicised letter to Johnson this week in the wake of his shameful decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign Office. This requested that the government spend money intended for overseas aid on two new yachts to replace the Royal Yacht Britannia.

The letter was written by Penny Mordaunt, hitherto one of the less lavishly useless ones. When Dominic Cummings broke lockdown to drive to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight and so on, Tory MPs were swamped by furious constituents. Mordaunt went on record to offer them her deepest regrets and say that there were some inconsistencies in his account of events and the reasons behind it. In the immediate wake of this, a well-placed observer told the Times: Dom is very vindictive. I think someone like Penny shes fucked. I know how they operate and she is in big trouble. They will go after her.

Alternatively, she might have to pass some mad loyalty test, like having to execute a snitch in an abandoned warehouse in front of her crime boss or write a letter saying that aid money has to be spent on a yacht. Sorry, two yachts. That, I imagine, is when you lower the gun you were handed, shaking with a mixture of horror, fear, relief (maybe even a tiny trace of exhilaration), and Cummings claps you on the back and goes: That its, Pen. Always knew you were one of us.

In terms of cultural exports, of course, we are now a country where the foreign secretary informs the world that Black Lives Matter protesters taking a knee seems to be taken from the Game of Thrones [sic]. Domestically, the DfId/FCO merger is a culture war gambit that reminds us this government will be coming for the BBC soon enough. In that act of cultural vandalism, they will be assisted by various quarterwits on the left who want to privatise a utility currently owned by the public, and who believe that a strong, independent leftwing media will spring up in its place. Just like it has in all the other countries.

Still, no doubt the politicians can visit these on their royal yacht replacement. Im afraid I dont yet know the purpose of the second yacht Mordaunt has requested. Maybe some kind of human ark? There may come a point where Johnsons administration has wiped out so many British citizens that the only way for us to survive as a world-beating master race is to take to the high seas and they will get higher, if he has his way where a retinue of women will be impregnated by one hugely self-regarding enthusiast. I cant imagine who.

In the meantime, surely its time to point out that if a telly chef was behaving like Johnson, you know what people would be saying. Lets look at the evidence: the chap in question has left his wife for someone very much younger. He has recently acquired a dirt bike on which to bomb round the grounds of Chequers. He now wants not one but three ludicrously showy high-performance vehicles. Come on does the prime minister have to get a Celtic knot tattoo before we can call whats happening by its name? Does Johnson have to casually push up his sleeve at the dispatch box to reveal a newly inked piece of Route 66 body art, then say to Keir Starmer Im headed for the open road of life, mate? Does he have to be spotted in a terrible leather jacket? Do a triathlon? Learn to surf? If it were anyone else in public life, then the Daily Mails Sarah Vine would have written 15 columns about it, so allow me to go there on her behalf: the prime minister is having an incredibly cliched midlife crisis, and were all having to live in it.

If this was Bake Offs Paul Hollywood, then fine. I myself would get a couple of columns out of it; and in any case hes only in charge of a baking tent, a Kawasaki Ninja and a semi-custom Big Dog Ridgeback (Im told it doesnt ride as good as it looks). But when theyre in charge of an entire country, shambolic pandemic response and some nuclear codes, it does feel like something we should all keep an eye on. A powerless one, yes: but still an eye.

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

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This is Boris Johnson's midlife crisis. The rest of us just have to live in it - The Guardian

The Nicaraguan crew that is stranded on the Carnival Cruiseline and Royal Caribbean cruises denounced this Friday that the Ortega regime canceled at the last moment, and without any explanation, their entry into the country. The group of 239 compatriots has been stranded on the high seas since March.

Unfortunately, the Nicaraguan government has just notified us that the flight will be postponed until July 13. We have tried different ways to continue with the travel arrangements as it was fully planned, however, we have been informed that the repatriation date must be postponed, says the statement issued by the Royal Caribbean company and addressed to the 146 Nicaraguans who are found stranded in Barbados, in the Caribbean.

The Ortega-Murillo dictatorship had conditioned the entry of Nicaraguans by air (charter flight) and with negative results of having contracted Covid-19. In other words, they had to undergo a test beforehand to determine that they were not infected and to enter Nicaragua.

Also read: Prohibiting Nicaraguans from entering our territory is an aberration, say human rights defenders.

One of the Nicaraguans who works for the Royal Caribbean company and asked not to reveal his name for fear of retaliation by the regime towards his family, told LA PRENSA that the company complied with the dictatorships demands, such as the Covid-19 tests, which they were negative.

The flight was ready. In fact, the charter flight (which is not governed by the schedule of trade routes) was scheduled to arrive in the country this Thursday, June 18, but at the last minute they canceled it and postponed it until this Friday. However, at midnight yesterday the company notified him that the regime had again canceled the flight and now postponed the trip to July 13.

We are desperate, we are here on the ship doing nothing, without work () we ask the government to help us, that the company has already done its duty, we are healthy and we want to return home to our families, said the source.

In the same way 93 Nicaraguans who work for the Carnival Cruiseline company They were ready to enter the country but the regime canceled the entry and now they do not know what date the trip is postponed, according to one of those affected to LA PRENSA.

On the other hand, it was known that another 100 Nicaraguans who were on a Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) cruise ship, were able to enter the country on June 13, which is not explained now by the refusal of the regime.

Faced with the refusal of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship, family members of the crew who are stranded on the high seas made a small protest in front of the house of the political secretary of the Caribbean Coast, Johnny Hodgson, to demand the entry of their relatives. The protesters stated that foreign ships continue to arrive in the country, but do not allow their relatives who are Nicaraguan to enter.

During the express picket, family members reported that they had Ortega supporters. People ended the protest by chanting the lyrics of the National Anthem.

To the request of these 239 Nicaraguans who are stranded on the high seas, there is another group of compatriots who are on Cayman Island, and who are asking the regime to respond to the repatriation request made by the islands authorities.

Read Also: Rosario Murillo continues calling for massive activities. This announced for Len this weekend

We want to be given a prompt and positive response () the Cayman Islands government was notified that on June 11 they were going to have an answer but it is until the day that they are still waiting, said one of those affected by a video that circulated on social networks.

In this regard, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) noted that it is aware that some 500 Nicaraguan cruise ship workers are in precarious economic conditions, stranded in the Caribbean and Central America, and that the regime prohibits them from entering the country.

Although it has allowed the entry of 93 compatriots, the State has not explained so far why these stranded people cannot return to their country, thus keeping them in an uncertainty that takes three months, the agency explained through Twitter.

The IACHR added that on April 27, it requested information from the Nicaraguan State about the situation of these people, but to date they have received no response.

Nicaraguan human rights defenders have stated that the regime cannot prohibit the entry of nationals, since there is no legislation that allows it, and rather this violent action violates article 31 of the Nicaraguan Political Constitution that sets out the right to enter and to leave the country freely .

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We are healthy and we want to return to our families, cry out nicas stranded on cruise ships - Explica