Category Archives: High Seas

Vessel location data suggests that more than 1,500 transfers of fish catch may have occurred on the high seas in the western and central Pacific Ocean in 2016 far more than the 1,000 transshipments that were actually reported.

Another 700 or more transfers, called transshipments, may have taken place in national waters in the region.

The dearth of clear information on transshipment in the waters overseen by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the lack of effective reporting, monitoring and data sharing of transshipment activity threatens to obscure illegal fishing while contributing to inaccuracies in fish stock assessments.

A new report by The Pew Charitable Trusts concludes that there is a strong probability more transshipment occurred in WCPFC waters than was reported to the secretariat by carrier vessels or their relevant flag or coastal state authorities.

It appeared that there was a lot more activity on the high seas than what was being reported, Mark Young, a senior manager for international fisheries at Pew who spent 23 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, including as chief of enforcement for the Pacific district, told SeafoodSource. What we found were a lot of data gaps or anomalies or non-standard responses.

Transshipment, which is the practice of transferring catch from one vessel to another, enables fishing vessels to stay at sea longer, offloading their catch to carrier vessels with enormous sub-freezing refrigerated holds. But that transfer also makes it possible for illegal, unreported and unauthorized catch to enter the seafood supply chain.

A 2016 study estimated that more than USD 142 million (EUR 128 million) worth of IUU catch is transshipped each year in the western and central Pacific Ocean alone, most of it misreported or not reported by licensed fishing vessels.

At-sea transshipment is poorly managed across tuna regional fishery management organizations (RFMO), according to Holly Koehler, vice president of policy and outreach at the International Sustainable Seafood Foundation, which advances long-term conservation and sustainable use of global tuna fisheries.

"A lack of visibility into and oversight over these high seas transshipment activities is a detriment to all RFMOs ability to wipe out IUU fishing activities globally, among other challenges to the sustainable, long-term management of tuna fisheries, Koehler told SeafoodSource.

To estimate how many vessels conducted transshipping activities, Pew compared public data from WCPFC reports with vessel location data derived from automatic identification system signals.

Pews analysis found that only 25 carrier vessels reported high seas transshipments in the secretariats territory in 2016, but location data showed that more than 100 vessels might have conducted 2,200 transshipments at sea or in port in the region.

Pew wasnt able to count an additional 381 vessels not observed on AIS, most of which were under 300 gross tons, and couldnt observe any transshipments between two longline fishing vessels. Significant gaps in AIS data also might have hid transshipments during the voyages of another 70 authorized carrier vessels.

More than half of the AIS-detected potential high seas transshipments took place in two relatively small regions: On the high seas off Japan and in an area of overlapping jurisdiction between the WCPFC and the IATTC in the central Pacific.

Transshipment activity can be detected by the vessels unique movement patterns. A carrier vessel must be stationary or moving very slowly during transshipment, a sharp reduction from transiting speed, Young said.

Computer algorithms can detect those movement changes, and alert human analysts to potential transshipment activities.

Not typically does it stop and loiter around because time is money. Youre using fuel. Why would you slow down? One reason is you might be meeting a fishing vessel and doing transshipment, Young said. When a carrier vessel is out on the high seas and theyre in known productive fishing grounds and they slow down to one or two knots, theres only a couple reasons they might do that.

Implementing best practices around monitoring, reporting and data sharing would help combat illicit transshipment, Young said.

Vessels should be required to report transshipments to all the relevant authorities, not just flag states, but also coastal and port states and the secretariat of any governing regional fishery management organization, Young said. And that reporting should be done in real time. Carrier vessels entering the convention area of an RFMO should be required to submit a simple report stating theyve entered the area an intend to do transshipment so they can confirm if they have a fishery observer aboard.

All vessels involved in transshipment should be required to have human or electronic observation, Young added. Carrier vessels already have requirements for 100 percent observer coverage, but there is no requirement that the observers submit reports to the WCPFC, only to the flag states, where the fate of those reports becomes a mystery.

From our current understanding, its a bit of a black hole, Young said.

Photo courtesy of Adam Baske

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Transshipment in western and central Pacific most likely underreported - SeafoodSource

ORLANDO, Fla. It's going to be a cruise to nowhere, but that will be just fine with die-hard Star Wars fans.

Disney officials offered new details on its recently announced Star Wars-themed resort in Florida.

"Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser" will be like a two-day cruise in that it drops visitors into a completely self-contained world. Except instead of traveling on the high seas, visitors will be made to feel like they've been launched from a parking lot at Walt Disney World in Florida to a spaceship millions of miles above Earth.

Once aboard the "ship," visitors become part of a narrative involving other passengers, crew members and cast members dressed as Chewbacca or stormtroopers. They are given tours of the ship's "bridge" where navigation and defense systems are explained. At various points during the two days, they may have to put knowledge they've acquired on the cruise to use as part of the storytelling, said Ann Morrow Johnson, a creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering, during a presentation where video and still photography were prohibited.

"There are characters on the ship, and many you will be meeting for the first time," Johnson said. "It's a dangerous time in the galaxy and you should be wary about who you make allegiances with because your choices matter. The choices will affect how your Star Wars story unfolds."

Hotel room windows won't look out to the Florida sun and palm trees, but rather a screen showing the twinkly lights of stars in the vast darkness of space. The bedrooms have king-sized beds and also bunk beds built into the walls.

The opening date hasn't been set yet.

The details on the hotel were given as Walt Disney World prepared to open its $1 billion, 14-acre Star Wars-theme land at Disney's Hollywood Studios park last month. A near-identical park opened in Disneyland in California earlier this summer.

Visitors staying at the Star Wars hotel will get to visit the new land, "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge," as their "port of call" during their two-day stay.

Disney officials gave new details on the most anticipated ride at the Star Wars land. "Rise of the Resistance" won't open at the Florida park until December, but Disney officials described it as one of the most ambitious and complicated rides ever built at a Disney park.

It has "everything that makes 'Star Wars' Star Wars, all in one attraction," said Scott Trowbridge, creative portfolio executive at Walt Disney Imagineering.

Passengers on the ride are part of a rag-tag group of rebels who are pulled into the enemy First Order's ship, where they try to make their way to an escape pod using a ride system. Once they arrive at the escape pod, their ride car gets into a motion-based simulator. There's a stomach-in-throat surprise drop, and then the simulator makes them feel like they're returning to their home planet.

"There's a kick-in-the-pants final moment," Trowbridge said.

Along the way, passengers encounter the Star Wars characters of Rey, Poe and Kylo Ren.

Doors swoosh open to reveal the command bridge of a Star Destroyer. Three dozen stormtroopers are lined up in three rows before a gigantic screen of small stars set against the blackness of space.

Travel on 09/22/2019

Print Headline: Star Wars hotel to be immersive

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Disney World Star Wars hotel to be immersive - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Boris Johnson looks set to lose the high-profile supreme court battle over his decision to prorogue Parliament, legal experts have claimed.

With the verdict expected to be announced early next week, insiders toldThe Observer there is a growing belief the court will rule against the government.

Philippe Sands QC, professor of law at University College London, told the newspaper: The dominant feeling among informed observers is that the government is on the ropes and its going to lose.

While another legal insider, who did not wish to be named, said the UK is heading towards a constitutional eruption of volcanic proportions if the court finds against the government.

The supreme court hearing testimony about the suspension of Parliament last week. (Reuters)

A panel of 11 justices heard appeals over three days arising out of separate legal challenges in England and Scotland, in which leading judges reached different conclusions.

At the close of the unprecedented hearing on Thursday, the courts president Lady Hale said the judges hope to give their decision early next week.

She said: I must repeat that this case is not about when and on what terms the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

The result of this case will not determine that. We are solely concerned with the lawfulness of the Prime Ministers decision to advise Her Majesty to prorogue Parliament on the dates in question.

As we have heard, it is not a simple question and we will now carefully consider all the arguments that have been presented to us.

Depending on the legal basis upon which the judges reach their conclusions, Parliament may have to reconvene if Mr Johnson who has refused to rule out a second suspension loses the case.

Documents submitted to the court revealed three possible scenarios in the event the court rules the suspension was unlawful, two of which could see the Prime Minister make a fresh decision to prorogue Parliament.

The other outcome could see the court order Parliament to be recalled, but Mr Johnsons lawyers urged the judges to consider the very serious practical consequences involved in this option, as it would require a new Queens Speech and State Opening of Parliament.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has claimed Britain will be a good global citizen after Brexit. (Reuters)

Lawyers for Mr Johnsons opponents said Parliament should meet urgently after the ruling to decide what to do in the event the prorogation is declared null by the court.

Asked shortly after the hearing ended to rule out proroguing Parliament for a second time, Mr Johnson said: I have the greatest respect for the judiciary in this country.

The best thing I can say at the moment whilst their deliberations are continuing is that obviously I agree very much with the Master of the Rolls and the Lord Chief Justice and others who found in our favour the other day.

He added: I will wait to see what transpires.

It comes as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain will be a good global citizen after Brexit.

Mr Raab intends to use a meeting of the United Nations general assembly in New York next week to stress the UKs international influence after it leaves the European Union.

Ahead of his visit to the US, Mr Raab said: As we leave the EU, the UK will walk tall in the world and step up our commitment to being a good global citizen.

Our message to the United Nations is that we will lead by example and work tirelessly to strengthen the rules-based international system to tackle climate change, protect journalists from attack, and uphold freedom of navigation on the high seas.

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Boris Johnson set to lose supreme court battle, legal insiders claim - Yahoo Lifestyle

Wednesday, 18 September 2019, 10:24 amPress Release: New Zealand Defence Force

A multi-national, interagency, high seas fisheries patrol insupport of the sustainable management of Pacific tunafisheries has recently concluded with high levels ofcompliance found.

Although bad weather affected thepatrol, nine fishing vessels were inspected with threealleged offences detected during the patrol.

A positivetrend apparent was the increased level of compliance withinthe licensed fleet compared with previous years. Rules areput in place on the high seas by the Western Central PacificFisheries Commission (WCPFC) which are designed to not onlyprotect the tuna stocks from overfishing but to alsominimise fishing impact on the surrounding marine ecosystem.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) provides operationalsupport to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) forfisheries patrols.

Royal New Zealand Navy offshore patrolvessel HMNZS Otago patrolled international waters adjacentto the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of New Zealand,Samoa, Tokelau, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga and Fijiwhile Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion aircraftsupported the patrol with forward air support. The patrolwas also carried out in conjunction with Australia, Franceand the United States.

Maritime Component Commander,Commodore Tony Millar, Acting Commander Joint Forces NewZealand, said the NZDF regularly worked with MPI bydeploying ships and aircraft to assist New ZealandsPacific neighbours with fisheries monitoring andsurveillance activities.

These patrols are important asthey support our Pacific neighbours in the sustainablemanagement of the Pacific tuna fisheries, CommodoreMillar said.

The Commanding Officer of HMNZS Otago,Lieutenant Commander Ben Martin, said the ship supported MPIwith boarding teams, and maritime aviation via the SH2ISeasprite helicopter that was embarked on the ship.

Otago was involved in extensive patrols over a largearea of the South West Pacific, hailing and boarding fishingand transhipment vessels. The boardings found a number ofcompliant and non-compliant vessels, he said.

Thepatrols are carried out to ensure compliance with theWestern Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Treaty whichwas established in 2000 for the conservation and sustainablemanagement of highly migratory species including tuna,billfish and marlin.

During the inspections, catch recordsare checked, holds are inspected and the boarding partymakes sure the vessels fishing equipment meetsregulations.

MPI spokesperson Steve Ham, FisheriesCompliance Manager, said that overall the levels ofcompliance were high but the non-compliance identifiedshowed the importance of boarding inspections at sea.

Allmatters of non-compliance had been referred back to theresponsible flag state for investigation, he said. Inprevious years non-compliance like this had resulted insanctions such as fines, skippers removed from the fisheryand companies having fishing permits revoked.

One memberof the boarding party was HMNZS Otago Able ElectronicTechnician (AET) Timothy Ong, who speaks Mandarin and wasable to communicate with Chinese fishing captains, gainingvaluable information about their fishing activities.

Itwas also during the patrol in the Pacific that the crew of aP-3K2 Orion located a Chinese fishing vessel damaged by fireand arranged for the ships sister ship to rendezvous withthe stricken vessel. The next day the P-3K2 located a memberof the ships crew who had gone overboard, dropping a liferaft to the man who had been in the water for about 50 hoursby that stage. All 18 crew members were rescued.

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High seas fishery patrol completed - Scoop.co.nz

In all the arts, comparisons are inevitable to previous work by an artist. It can be a painting, a sculpture, a film or documentary, a symphony, an opera, a pop tune, a jazz score, a musical, a ballet, etc., or the composition, staging, interpretation or direction of it or all its myriad elements.

And so, after seeing and hearing the latest staging of Benjamin Brittens opera Billy Budd at San Francisco Opera, which ends today at the War Memorial Opera House, I longed for the companys production during its 2004-05 season. It starred in the title role baritone Nathan Gunn, giving a poignant reading of part, with conductor Donald Runnicles drawing out the lush music for the orchestra, one of largest in the composers canon.

Be that as it may, the new production directed by Michael Grandage, the score interpreted by conductor Lawrence Renes, and baritone John Chest in the title role, lacked, as the curtain came down three hours after it first went up, the engaging heft of Willy Deckers production 15 years ago. I recall audience members here and there sniffling or wiping tears off their cheeks. That didnt happen this time around.

Still, resonating in brief moments only, this mediocre production from the Glyndebourne Festival shares with nearly every opera a few things worth noting.

Based on Herman Melvilles 1891 novella, an unfinished work of fiction that wasnt discovered until long after authors death, Billy Budd is generally regarded as one of the 20th centurys finest operas, with a libretto written by E.M. Forster (A Room with a View and Howards End fame) and Eric Crozier.

The story unfolds aboard the HMS Indomitable during the French Wars of 1797, as the ship enters enemy waters. The lowest-ranking seamen are in perpetual conflict. Billy, a handsome young man press-ganged from The Rights o Man merchant ship, comes aboard and catches the envious eye of the evil master-at-arms, John Claggart, and the fate of Billy, whom Claggart hates and trumps up suspicion that Billy may lead the crew in mutiny, is tragically sealed.

The score is typical Britten in its grand opera ambitions, marked by massed choral scenes, elaborate ensembles, and emotional solo outbursts. The music, by turns lyrical and dissonant, explores the battle between good and evil, of law and order on the high seas. But in many ways the story and the music, drawing out the homoerotic subject matter, more accurately serve as a psychological examination of innocence inexorably overwhelmed by a twisted envy.

What this story shares with Melvilles greatest work, Moby-Dick, is the story of a man obsessed with some idea or fantasy beyond himself, not the great white whale of the novel most of us read in high school but, in the shorter work of fiction, the repressed sexual attraction of an older man for a much younger one.

Tenor William Burden leads the all-male cast in the role of Edward Fairfax Vere, the ships captain. Bass-baritone Christian Van Horn portrays Claggart.

On Christopher Orams massive, gray-and-black hulk of an 18th-century fighting ships innards, stretching from stage wing to the other, Burden kicks off the opera with Veres prologue. As a retired ships captain, he looks back over his life, the good and the less so, finding always some flaw in the good that has come his way. His voice was adequate for the role, sounding reflective and somewhat recessive as a man who eventually must sentence Billy to hang. The haunting motif during the prologue, a sinuous figure that moves between a major and minor chord, serves as something of a repeated theme, moral ambiguity, throughout the opera.

If there was a redeeming element of this production, it is Van Horn, tall and dominating in his all-black naval uniform, a stovepipe hat atop his head, his vibrato chilling, especially when he reveals his attraction for Billy and, later, when he bribes one sailor to incite Billy to mutiny.

Vere at first scoffs at the notion that Billy could lead a mutiny, but agrees to hear the circumstances, which, in a scene in the captains quarters, leads a falsely accused Billy to strike Claggart in the head, killing him.

There are some poignant moments when Chest, his fate inescapable, sings his ballad, Look! Through the port comes the moonshine astray! And alone in another scene, he sings, Ive sighted a sail in the storm, the far-shining sail. Sadly, just before he is hanged, Chest, in deep admiration of the captain, cries out, Starry Vere, God bless you!

At operas end, Burdens Vere, a much older man remembering the court-martial, sings, I could have saved him. He knew it. But he has saved me. I was lost in the infinite sea, but Ive sighted a sail in the storm, the far-shining sail. At that moment, the operas main musical theme of tonal ambiguity returns, symbolizing the sometimes moral uncertainty of life.

The San Francisco Opera production of Billy Budd continues its last performance at 2 p.m. Sunday at the War Memorial Opera, 301 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Tickets range from $26 to $398 (with standing-room tickets $10 on day of show only at the box office). The companys production of Gounods Romeo and Juliet continues to Oct. 1, followed by Mozarts The Marriage of Figaro, Oct. 11 to Nov. 1; Puccinis Manon Lescaut, Nov. 8 to 26; and Humperdincks Hansel & Gretel, Nov. 15 to Dec. 7.

For more information, visit http://www.sfopera.com or telephone (415) 864-3330.

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At the opera: Herman Melvilles obsession with obsessed men - TheReporter.Com

ELK RAPIDS, Mich. Not long after Hefzur Rahman enrolled at his new school in Michigan three years ago, his fifth-grade class studied the subhuman conditions that enslaved Africans endured in overcrowded ships bound for North America.

He knew what it was like to be on a boat in fear for his life, he told his classmates.

At the age of 11, he had joined hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing violent oppression in Myanmar, cramming onto boats piloted by smugglers. The men beat their human cargo, he recalled, and he watched desperate people drink seawater only to die of dehydration. As his boat began to sink, Hefzur tied empty water bottles around his waist and jumped into the ocean. I thought I would pass away, he said.

Today, Hefzur is safe, living with a foster family in small-town Michigan, where most of the boats that ply nearby Elk Lake are filled with families headed for sunny afternoons on the water.

But he stays up at night worrying about his parents, who put him on the boat leaving Myanmar not just to save his life, but also in the hope that he would help get the rest of the family out. They are still counting on him. I feel like I am in jail, he told his foster mother, anxious that he was spending too much time at school. I want to work. I must send money to my family.

About 730,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar in the summer of 2017, and almost all of them, like Hefzurs parents, are living in camps in neighboring Bangladesh. A few thousand have been admitted to the United States part of a dwindling number of refugees granted resettlement under a program that President Trump has been scaling back and is expected to slash again this week.

Intent on curbing immigration, the Trump administration will admit no more than 30,000 refugees this fiscal year, the lowest number since the programs inception in 1980. In the coming days, Mr. Trump is likely to announce another reduction for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, perhaps setting a cap as low as 10,000 refugees or suspending admissions entirely.

For much of the past century, the United States was a world leader in refugee resettlement. The government admitted hundreds of thousands of displaced people after World War II and enacted its first refugee legislation in 1948. It later took in large numbers of refugees from Southeast Asia, the former Soviet Union and Cuba, and in more recent years, accepted those fleeing war and genocide in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Adopting even lower limits on refugees would be the latest move by the president to restrict immigration at a time when the countrys proportion of foreign-born residents has reached its highest level in nearly a century. On the southwestern border, the administration has also imposed strict new limits on asylum seekers, mainly from Central America, who are fleeing violence in their homelands.

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Myanmar, have faced systemic repression in the majority-Buddhist country for decades. But in August 2017 the military and allied mobs began burning entire villages. The violence, which the United Nations described as ethnic cleansing, pushed hundreds of thousands of Rohingya out of the country.

In 2015, 4,071 Rohingya refugees were admitted to the United States. About 3,000 arrived the following year. But far fewer have come since President Trump took office, and as of Friday, 593 Rohingya had been admitted this year.

For the dozens of children like Hefzur who have been arriving from Myanmar without family, an initial expectation that their parents would join them has faded, leaving many of them frustrated and distraught.

My dream is to bring my family here, Hefzur said. Im afraid my mom and dad will die before I can touch them again.

Bruce Mossburg, program director for refugee foster care at Bethany Christian Services, which has sponsored many of the Rohingya in Michigan, says the children his agency works with often appear to struggle with survivors guilt.

Its hard for them to heal and move forward if their families are in crisis and they do not know if they will ever see them again, he said. Cutting the numbers is devastating for them.

In Michigan, the Rohingya community is centered in the city of Grand Rapids, where they have formed a soccer club, attend mosque together and share the latest news about developments affecting their families left behind.

Rohim Mohammod, a teenager who was resettled in Grand Rapids in 2017, mastered English within a year of arriving and has received invitations to speak on panels about the refugee experience. In May, he won his sophomore classs Champion of Character which he hung in the bedroom of the neat, two-story Craftsman house where he lives with an American family.

But like Hefzur, he often talks about his mother and two younger brothers who are trapped in Myanmar. Rohim, 17, recently got a job at a hospital cafeteria, and is sending as much money as he can to his family.

He was basically the man of the house, Tori McGarvey, Rohims case manager, said. His younger brothers looked up to him. His mother counted on him.

Deprived of an education as a Rohingya in Myanmar, Rohim has relished school, devoting long hours to improving his math skills. Having never heard of the Holocaust, he devoured Night, Elie Wiesels memoir of his childhood experiences in death camps.

I look forward to graduating from high school, going to college, Rohim said. I always wanted to start a new life. I want to have a good job, a house, find someone who I love one day.

But even more, he said, I would like to bring my brothers over here.

In Myanmar, parents who feared for their childrens safety paid to smuggle them to Malaysia, a majority-Muslim country. Instead they ended up in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, rescued from boats that were adrift in the high seas. After languishing in detention centers or camps for more than a year, the stateless minors were granted refugee status by the United Nations and flown to the United States.

I never heard of United States, said Hefzur, sitting on the edge of the lake at his foster familys vacation home.

His paperwork said he was 12, and he looked that age, said Karen Grettenberger, his foster mother. The family enrolled him in fifth grade, and for the first few months, he was quiet and polite.

Gradually, though, he started to withdraw. When Ms. Grettenberger began taking Hefzur to therapy, thats when we realized that we had an angry kid, she recalled.

His responses were so vehement the interpreter apologized before translating, she said. Later, at home, He sat on the floor and refused to look at me while he played with miniature superheroes. He pulled his legs to his chest and rocked. He directed his anger at us for keeping him captive, which hurt.

Hefzur wanted to quit school and get a full-time job to send money to his family, frustrated that his age which had been roughly calculated when he arrived because most Rohingya do not keep records of birth dates rendered him too young to legally work. You need to change my age, he told his foster mother.

The Grettenbergers asked Bethany Christian Services to arrange a bone-density test, which estimated he was 14 old enough to work.

He took a job stocking shelves at a grocery store for minimum wage, and mowed lawns and moved dirt for neighbors. He sent almost all he earned to Myanmar, and his family used it for food and medicine, he said.

Hefzur stayed in touch with his parents via cellphone. They struggled to envision his new life, and were displeased that their son was living with non-Muslims.

Through an interpreter, the Grettenbergers told them that they had no intention of converting him even though Lou Grettenberger, a United Methodist pastor, had been taking Hefzur to church on Sundays with the rest of his family.

The Grettenbergers also ordered decals of Quran passages one reads Praise be to God for Hefzurs room. They bought him a new prayer book, which he placed on a bookcase beside his prayer rug. On Fridays, they drove him to the mosque for prayers.

While Hefzur was adjusting, conditions for the Rohingya in Myanmar, where his family was still living, were deteriorating. His parents described villages burning in the distance. They had to go, they informed him.

They told him they had collected money from his brother in Malaysia and sold a married sisters gold earrings to pay for safe passage to Bangladesh. Then the phone calls stopped.

For seven days Hefzur had no idea what happened to them.

I remember awakening and hearing him singing his prayers, Ms. Grettenberger said.

She and her husband felt helpless. It was an exceptionally surreal situation where we watched the genocide unfold in the media, she said, and our son was getting updates from his relatives, hiding in their homes and by the river, describing the same burning villages we were watching on TV.

When Hefzur finally learned that his family had made it to Bangladesh, he was overjoyed.

Gradually, Hefzur began settling into school, and feeling less guilty about the time he spent there. When he was in 10th grade, Ms. Grettenberger was approached by his teachers. They ganged up on me and said, Your child needs to be wrestling, she recalled.

Once he became a powerful member of the varsity team, he started getting high-fives in the hallways. While his English was still halting and academics did not excite him, Hefzurs other talents were becoming evident.

When the Grettenbergers bought a trampoline, Hefzur assembled it by studying the picture. He built a playhouse from an elaborate kit without reading instructions, repaired the motorboat and tractor, and created a pulley system to reach the bird feeders above the deck.

Gradually, Ms. Grettenberger said, his anxiety seemed to subside.

It took time for him to see us as allies, she said. Eventually, he put the anger aside and embraced what help we are able to give.

Denied citizenship in their homeland, the Rohingya children, like other legal residents of the United States, can become naturalized Americans after five years. When they become adults, they can apply for their parents to join them through a process known as family reunification, which Mr. Trump has said he wants to cut back.

Hefzur has begun to make plans. This semester, he started a vocational program that would enable him to graduate with a certificate in plumbing. He hopes to take a driving test soon.

Ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha last month, Hefzur sent his family money to buy a cow for slaughter. I will keep helping them, he said, but I also used some of my money to buy a computer. After setting it up, he made a 3-D sketch of the Grettenberger house and insisted they hang it on the wall.

When people asked me how I am when I first came, I could only say, Fine. But I really didnt know what it meant, he said on a Saturday afternoon when he could enjoy his new hobby, sailing, after a week of hard work. Now I really am fine and I want my family to be fine, too.

He hoisted the sail on his foster familys sunfish boat and set out across Elk Lake, its waters, as they nearly always are this time of year, placid.

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Refugee Cutbacks Could Isolate Rohingya Children in the U.S. - The New York Times

WHEN PENCIL MET ERASER

Authors: Karen Kilpatrick and Luis O. Ramos Jr.

Illustrator: German Blanco

Macmillan Imprint, $17.99, ages 4 to 9

The straight-ahead plot of When Pencil Met Eraser highlights the relationship between two inanimate objects that can talk. They tell a lively and multi-layered story.

Once there was a pencil who loved to draw. Pencil liked to work alone. (See? Classic opening, right?)

The black-and-white illustrations that accompany these sentences feature an elaborate skyline with office towers, standard issue government structures and apartment buildings with arched windows.

Enter Eraser with his irreverent voice: Whatcha doin? Eraser jumps right into the drawing and does what he does. After working on the upper-left corner of the cityscape, he proclaims, Look! Now you can see the sky.

Pencil grumbles and pontificates, Leave the art to the artist. Undaunted, Eraser urges, Lets do another one. Pencil keeps drawing. Readers see a meadow full of flowers with broad petals. Eraser creates a meandering path right through the center. Next, Pencil draws a skiff navigating high seas. With a little help from Eraser, waves recede and smooth sailing commences. So it goes. Pencil creates a dark, dense forest, and Eraser removes some of the heavier graphite shading to allow for stargazing.

The charm of the book is its simplicity. With fewer words than there are in this review, the authors create characters with distinctive personalities who teach a valuable lesson about the joys of collaboration. And, there is a twist. It is not giving away too much to say that the cliffhanger showcases a curious gaggle that includes a pen, a crayon, a paintbrush and a ruler.

Be sure to have pencils (and erasers) at the ready so youngsters can replicate the concept they learn in the book. Imagine the creations.

NOTABLE SEPTEMBER RELEASES

Beloved author and illustrator Jan Bretts fall release, The Tale of the Tiger Slippers (G.P. Putnamss Sons, $18.99; ages 5 to 10) is set in India. The story re-tells a folktale, Abu Kassems Slippers. A poor cubs mother fashions him some sturdy slippers to protect his feet while he makes bricks and builds houses. Tigers hard work and dedication lead to wealth, but he continues to wear his battered slippers. When others ask why, Tiger tries to rid himself of the slippers, but they keep returning. Brett did her usual extensive research to create the story and its impressively detailed illustrations. Her travels included stops at Banhavgarh, Kanha and Panna national parks to study wild tigers. The countryside was beautiful, often revealing a venerable shrine or crumbling fort, resembling a primal forest rather than a jungle. The ancientness and complexity of the culture seemed to be begging for storytelling, Brett stated in a news release.

Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by Kimberly and James Dean (HarperCollins, $17.99; ages 4 to 8). The best-selling gang that relays adventures in groovy, rollicking rhymes is back. What a perfect way to practice beginning letter sounds (pepperoni, pretzels, pistachios, pickles, popcorn and papaya) as Pete, Callie, Gus, Grumpy Toad, Alligator and Squirrel offer a subtle lesson about cooperation amid trademark over-the-top and festive atmosphere. Dont miss the endpapers where the creators offer one last laugh with vividly depicted toppings for pizza. Beside the usual mushrooms, peppers and olives, check out the watermelon, ketchup, egg, fish, sweet pea, baked beans and rock options. Oh, and there is chocolate, too.

Two-time Newbery medalist Kate DiCamillo released Beverly, Right Here (Candlewick Press, $16.99 ages 10 and older). It is the third book in her series that focuses on friends who refer to themselves as The Three Rancheros. The first was Raymie Nightingale. The second was Louisianas Way Home. Now, readers hear from Beverly Tapinski. Once again, the difficult theme of parental abandonment surfaces, and once again the moving story leaves readers feeling inspired by triumph exhibited in the toughest of situations. DiCamillo is the National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature and now has more than 30 million books in print around the world.

In case you missed it, another of DiCamillos books, A Piglet named Mercy, (Candlewick Press, $18.99) arrived earlier in the summer. This picture book tells the origin story of Mercy Watson, the title character in DiCamillos popular chapter books, which includes six titles, plus a spin-off collection of four books in the Tales from Deckawoo Drive series, aimed at readers ages 6 to 9. Mercy, the porcine heroine, finds all kind of adventures involving disguises, grumpy neighbors, car trips, and of course, a lot of buttered toast.

Brandy Hilboldt Allport writes Read All About It, a children book review column for the Florida Times-Union. She can be reached at brandysbookmarks1@outlook.com.

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Read All About It: Pencil makes point to eraser in kids book - The Florida Times-Union

Russell Coutts can make a pretty good argument for being historys greatest yachtsman. His achievements include being a part of five teams that won the Americas Cup and winning an Olympic gold medal in 1984.

His latest endeavor may be more challenging than winning any yacht race. Coutts is the chief executive of SailGP, the yacht racing series featuring high-speed sailboats that reach speeds of more than 50 knots.

SailGP, the brainchild of Larry Ellison, the yachting enthusiast and a founder of the software company Oracle, debuted this year and is trying to make its mark in the sports consciousness so people pay attention to sailing more than every few years when the Americas Cup is contested. The series, in which teams compete under national banners, will hold its finale this weekend in Marseille, France, where strong winds are in the forecast and a $1 million prize is on the line, a rarity for what has largely been an amateurs endeavor.

This is all about establishing which team can respond best under the pressure, Coutts said in an interview this week in which he talked about the state of his start-up, his sport, and why his time competing on the high seas has passed.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and condensed.

Why did SailGP break with tradition and put a winner-take-all $1 million purse on the line?

Its good to have a situation where guys feel pressure and real desire to win. Who wouldnt want to win that prize? It adds to the drama. Who can respond to the pressure in that final race?

How rare is it in sailing for there to be this kind of prize on the line?

Its rare for there to be this much prize money. Normally, when you get prize money its not either you win or get nothing. In future years we might expand that and distribute some to the rest of the podium, but its great to have that one 10-minute race with all that at stake. Its a bit like our version of the Olympic 100 meters.

Why has this kind of prize money not traditionally been a part of sailing?

There has never been a consistent format to generate a commercial interest and create a foundation for prize money. There have been attempts, but there has never been a format like this where you are racing super high-tech boats and shipping them around the world.

What has worked for SailGP in its first year?

All six teams have tracked under budget. Weve found the right formula to manage the costs. The budgets are $5 million, and we added $2 million to allow for an upgrade to the boats.

How much do these boats cost?

Around $4 million.

What has surprised you?

Weve got things to improve, but we are a start-up and we have established ourselves as a global championship series. Weve delivered great economic return and good audience figures. We had six teams on the water and moved them around the world and shown we can deliver. Weve almost completed the seventh boat, and were expanding the number of venues next year.

So you are satisfied?

Our aim was to provide a consistent championship with consistent dates, venues and teams and format. That has been absent from the sport of sailing. There is no other event that provides that. This is new. This is a long-term structured program instead of discreet events. This is an attempt to mimic what a lot of other sports already had.

Why have the teams from Japan and Australia dominated?

Nathan Outteridge and Tom Slingsby have more experience with this type of boat. They each have very strong teams. There are so many things that have to go right and have to be executed in exactly the right order in maneuvering these boats so it has taken time to build that experience. As that experience grows, the gap is closing rapidly.

Do you watch these races in these crazy fast boats and think of making a comeback?

Im 57 years old. The one thing you realize is how quickly you have to react, and I do think age will be a factor. Its not just the physicality, but its the ability to make quick accurate decisions. This is an amazing opportunity for these sailors to grow the high performance talent in some of these countries. In the 1980s, the United States was the total dominant force and whatever reason that seeped away. The U.S. has made some strides with youth programs and they are starting to get those sailors coming through. The Australians do have strengths. So do the British. Thats why they are two of the top nations. But the French, Spanish and Germans are rapidly developing.

Did you ever think a sailboat would be able to go this fast?

No, I didnt. When we put the new wind sails on next year that will jump the speed by a couple knots. We could see 53 knots. That is amazing.

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Russell Coutts Likes Sailing Races With Big Money at Stake - The New York Times

Seth Rudetsky and James Wesleys Concert for America fundraising concert series continues September 21 at UCLAs Royce Hall.

Hosted by Rudetsky and Wesley, the evening features Wayne Brady (Lets Make a Deal), Liz Callaway (singing the Oscar-nominated "Journey to the Past" from Anastasia), Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives), Emmy winner Jane Lynch (Glee), Grant Gustin (singing Pasek & Pauls Running Home To You from The Flash), Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), Tony winner Rachel Bay Jones (Dear Evan Hansen), Emmy and Tony winner Laurie Metcalf (Three Tall Women, The Conners), Grammy winner Melissa Manchester, Emmy winner Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Caroline Rhea (Sydney To The Max), Gina Torres (Pearson), Elyfer Torres (Betty en NY), Eden Espinosa (Falsettos, Wicked), Carrie Manolakos (Mamma Mia!, Wicked), Allison Smith (Annie), Yuri Sardarov (Chicago Fire), Pasha Pashkov and Daniella Karagach (Dancing With the Stars), Kate Flannery (The Office), and recent Supergirl newlyweds Chris Wood and Melissa Benoist, singing together for the first time as a married couple.

Proceeds benefit the National Immigration Law Center, whose mission is to defend and advance the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their families.

A concert of amazing performers belting up a storm or being hilarious, combined with information on how every person watching, can help this national crisis is my idea of a perfect evening, says Rudetsky.

Wesley adds, Seth and I feel that the best way to achieve social justice is through art. We are also honored to announce that Dr. Colleen Kraft, the immediate past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, will be joining us at Royce Hall to discuss the continuing crisis at our southern border and her informed medical opinion that even short periods of detention can cause psychological trauma and long-term mental health risks for children and the effects can be long-lasting.

Concert for America is created and organized in association with Your Kids, Our Kids, as well as with the support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. It is co-presented by Greg Berlanti, Robbie Rogers, and their Berlanti Family Foundation.

For tickets and more information, visit ConcertForAmerica.com.

See What Your Favorite Stars Are Up to Away From Broadway With Playbill Universe

The fundraiser benefiting organizations working to protect the rights of families at our southern border took place June 30.

Callaway, Jackson, Jones, and more have been special guest performers on Playbill Travels Broadway on the High Seas cruises. Cabins are now on sale for Broadway in the Great Northwest, Playbill Travels first domestic cruise featuring Kate Baldwin, Tedd Firth, Christopher Fitzgerald, Aaron Lazar, and Faith Prince (April 26May 4, 2020), and for Broadway on the Mediterranean (August 31September 7, 2020), featuring Audra McDonald, Will Swenson, Gavin Creel, Caissie Levy and Lindsay Mendez, and for Broadway on the Nile (December 27, 2020January 7, 2021), with performers soon to be announced. To book a suite or stateroom, call Playbill Travel at 866-455-6789 or visit PlaybillTravel.com.

Originally posted here:

Cheyenne Jackson, Rachel Bay Jones, Wayne Brady, More Are Part of September 21 Concert for America - Playbill.com

For the second straight year two of the state's top conferences in girls soccer will square off for regular-season bragging rights while also working to raise money and awareness for a worthy cause.

This Sunday, seven teams from the Shore Conference will face seven teams from the Skyland Conference in the second annual Mountains vs. the Seas Girls Soccer festival. Last year's showcase helped raise more than $50,000 for the Go4TheGoal Foundation, which works to improve the lives of children battling cancer.

This year's showcase is raising money for Into the Light, a non-profit focusing on reducing the stigma of depression for teens and young adults and preventing suicide.

Anyone wishing to donate online can follow this link. Click the donate button and follow the steps provided to complete the process.

Of course, there will also be some high-level soccer played in Tinton Falls Sunday, asw well. Here is a look at the seven match-ups on tap for the festival.

2019 Mountains vs. the Seas Girls Soccer Festival

Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019

At Capelli Sports Complex, Tinton Falls

Field No. 5

Records through Thursday's games

Shore (7-1) vs. Pingry (4-2), 10 a.m.

Shore returns goal-scoring machine and Illinois commit Julia Eichenbaum, who is off to another torrid start now that she is in her final high school season. The Shore striker already has 12 goals and six assists in eight games for the Blue Devils, who have won seven straight since an opening-day, 4-0 loss to Freehold Township. Shore is trying to return to the Group I final after failing to reach the state championship game for the first time in seven years.

The Blue Devils draw Pingry,which caught fire at the right time last year en route to capturing the NJSIAA Non-Public A championship. Like Shore, the Big Blue have been a high-scoring outfit early in the 2019, posting at least three goals in each of its last five games with an average of 3.67 per game.

Jackson Memorial (8-0) vs. Hunterdon Central (4-0-1), Noon

One of the Shore's hottest teams out of the gate, Jackson Memorial has hammered its opponents by a combined 34-3 margin while going 8-0. Senior Natalie Knauf is off to a strong start scoring goals and junior Hannah Reese has starred this week with a hat trick vs. Manasquan and another goal in a 2-0 win over Toms River South.

Hunterdon Central represents Jackson Memorial's toughest test to date. The Red Devils are a perennial contender in Group IV and have picked up a quality 5-0 win over Haddonfield and a 1-1 draw vs. Ridge.

Middletown South (7-0) vs. Mount St. Mary (4-1), 2 p.m.

Middletown South's start to 2019 has been as impressive as any in the Shore Conference. Among the Eagles' victims so far are Allentown and Red Bank Catholic, so not only is Middletown South winning every game; it is beating quality competition. Emma Laudisi continues to be a reliable source of scoring while junior Katie Coyle and freshman Abygail Doherty have also started strong on the attack.

The Eagles will put their streak on the line against a Mount St. Mary side that has conceded only twice this year and is led by senior Olivia Tiboni (six goals in five matches).

Field No. 6

Freehold Twp. (5-1-1) vs. Ridge (3-1-1), 10 a.m.

Four has been the magic number for Freehold Township to open the season, with the Patriots scoring four goals in each of their five victories. Senior Kat O'Brien leads the way with seven goals, junior Ryan Leohner has six and senior Anna Proborkina has posted five goals and six assists in the early going.

Saturday's 10 a.m. slate is a rematch of the 2017 Group IV championship game, which ended in a scoreless draw and the two teams sharing the group title. Last year was the first year in which group finals are decided by penalty kicks should the game remain tied after 100 minutes, but he draw will again be in play on Sunday for the Patriots and the Red Devils.

Toms River North (4-1-1) vs. Watchung Hills (1-5), Noon

After winning the a wide-open Shore Conference Tournament last season, Toms River North is among the favorites again this year. After an opening-day loss to St. John Vianney, the Mariners have picked up wins over Ridge and Colts Neck and earned a draw against Brick. Toms River North is again led by central defender and Duke University commit Emily Royson.

On record, Saturday's game might seem like a mismatch, but Watchung Hills has had to deal with Hunterdon Central, North Hunterdon, Pingry, Ridge and Kearny. The Warriors are a year removed from reaching the North Jersey 2 Group IV final, where they loss to Bridgewater-Raritan.

St. John Vianney (5-2) vs. Bridgewater-Raritan, 2 p.m.

With a serious slate of games to open the season, the Lancers are a very strong 5-2 to open the year, with wins over Toms River North, Freehold Township, Middletown North, Colts Neck and Neptune and losses to Shore and Red Bank Catholic. Senior Abby Cieri has led the attack with five goals and three assists during St. John Vianney's fast start.

Bridgewater-Raritan is the defending Group IV runner-up after losing a championship-game heart-breaker to Eastern. The Panthers won their first five games of this season and bring a balanced scoring effort to the table against another tough opponent on a tough schedule.

Field No. 3

Red Bank Catholic (5-1) vs. Somerville, Noon

After coming up one win shy of Shore Conference and NJSIAA sectional titles last year, RBC is on a mission in 2019 to finish off both. On Saturday, the Caseys will show off a balanced attack that includes three five-goal scorers through six games - sophomore Morgan Cupo, senior Reagan Pauwels and senior Katelyn Bertoldo.

Somerville counters with a program that was always a factor in Group II and has bumped up to Group III in recent years while maintaining its status as one of the Skyland's top teams year-in and year-out. The freshman duo of Caitlyn Scott (six goals) and Alexandra Peterson (five) have opened eyes in the early part of the season.

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Girls Soccer Shore Takes on Skyland in 2nd Annual Mountains vs. Seas Festival - shoresportsnetwork.com