Day: June 4, 2021

General News

Australia: Koala ‘facial recognition’

Researchers at an Australian university have been granted thousands of dollars from the government to work on AI-based devices that would help identify individual koalas crossing the roads in the country.

A team of artificial intelligence specialists from Griffith University in South East Queensland have been working on high tech cameras they plan to install at koala crossings on the east coast of Australia.

Their aim is to train the equipment to use ‘facial recognition’ technology on the animals, to be able to better understand koalas’ patterns, if any, in crossing the roads.

FILE PHOTO. © Reuters / David Gray

The study plans to challenge their AI equipment to not only distinguish koalas from other animals, but to be “powerful enough” to determine individual koalas. To create recognition patterns, researchers will team up with koala conservation groups and sanctuaries in the area, who can describe certain koala appearances and movements.

The local government has allocated AUS$90,000 for the project, which will see a network of devices with cameras, motion sensors, internet modules and solar panels placed on the roads.

As part of the pilot study, 20 cameras will be installed on roads near Brisbane by the end of July.

“Animal movement will trigger image capture, with images transferred to a server at Griffith University. Computer vision and machine learning systems will be used to process images, allowing for automatic detection and recognition of individual koalas,” said Jun Zhou, Associate Professor from Griffith’s School of Information and Communication Technology, who is leading the study.

Specialists say they will be analyzing this data to try and understand how the cuddly creatures are moving across habitats and whether they need any assistance while crossing the roads in particular.

“The goal of this project is to set up an AI-based monitoring facility to monitor the koalas’ road crossing behaviors, so that we can analyze how many koalas are using the facilities to cross the road using underground pathways or the above-road crossings,” Zhou said.

Australia has been tracking its koalas for years, using various tags and GPS sensors, to help preserve the declining population. Mostly living along the country’s eastern coast, koalas have been vulnerable to road incidents and both man-made and natural habitat loss.

More than 60,000 koalas were killed or harmed in devastating bushfires in 2019, with the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia having warned the species could be extinct there by 2050.

Australia, a member of the Five Eyes alliance, already boasts one of the most advanced mass surveillance networks, and Sydney has recently made it to the list of top 10 “most surveilled cities in the world” outside of China.

https://www.rt.com/news/525578-koala-facial-recognition-ai/

And I mean…Stop! Checkpoint. Papers. Can I see your Eucalyptus?

I can’t get rid of the stupid feeling that this is just an excuse for more private surveillance, and this koala watching story is how they sell it to the public.

My best regards to all, Venus

General News, Uncategorized

England: It is nice to be important; but it is much more important to be nice.

We get lots of support for the site every day; and I thank everyone for making the effort to let us know they are with us on issues, – everywhere in the world.

Today, an e mail arrived which simply said the following – there was no ‘Hi’, or anything relating to friendly, nice advice – it simply said:

Cesar Millan: a torturer and not a dog whisperer

“You don’t carry much credibility when your article is full of grammatical errors”.

That’s fine – we always welcome negative comments for the site, as well as positive.  I have the following to say in response; and that is:

This article was posted by Venus.  She is a German citizen and operates out of Germany for WAV.  English is not her mother tongue by any means; but I personally fully support everything she produces (in English); as her articles are always varied, interesting and informative.

Venus writes some fantastic articles for WAV in English; which as I say, is not her native tongue.  Wherever possible; and if information (or articles) are from another source; we always attempt on the post to give a link or reference to the original source.

The e mail states ‘grammatical errors’ but fails to inform further on what they exactly are, or if applicable.  Regardless; the person who commented obviously has a right to express their (her) feelings about the article.  Myself; I fully support all the excellent work that Venus contributes to the site; and I very much appreciate that she is not writing anything in her own mother / native language.  Regardless of this; I am sure you will all support me that there are very few criticisms to be targetted at anything which relates to her work.  She is always professional with her approach, spending many hours of her time advancing the cause for animal rights; even though WAV is a volunteer run site and nobody takes any rewards for what they do. It exists because we care.

I finish by quoting the great Mick Ronson; who stated:

It is nice to be important; but it is much more important to be nice.

How very true;

Regards Mark – and please keep your comments arriving; however you feel about issues we cover.

A response comment from Jorge; one of our visitor friends; thanks Jorge:

Hi Daphne,

a grammar consists of formation and transformation rules that make it possible to build formally correct sentences from a given vocabulary (words). Grammars belong in the field of a science called syntactics.

Credibility, on the other hand, has to do with truth. That means, with the relation between formal systems and their models, or if you prefer, between language and reality. So it’s about whether what someone says is true or not. A science called semantics takes care of this problem.

So if you conclude a lack of credibility from incorrect grammar, you are making a so-called “category error”. So much for the brief introduction to semiotics.

As you have hopefully understood, mastering your mother tongue is not enough to understand anything about the world. For that you need a little more, something that you obviously don’t have.

By the way, English is not my mother tongue either, so if you prefer we can communicate in German, Spanish or Greek.

Regards,

Jorge

Environmental, General News, Uncategorized

England: A Voice For The Silenced People of Tibet.

Self immolation is brning yourself to death in protest.  As of July 2020, 156 monks, nuns, and ordinary people self-immolated in Tibet since 27 February 2009, when Tapey, a young monk from Kirti Monastery, set himself on fire in the marketplace in Ngawa City, Ngawa County, Sichuan.[4] According to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT),[5] “Chinese police have beaten, shot, isolated, and disappeared self-immolators who survived.”[

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation_protests_by_Tibetans_in_China

I (Mark) have been a supporter of ‘Free Tibet’ (London) for quite a while now.  I am an animal rights campaigner; but am also a human rights campaigner when I feel it is right, and I feel the need to try and support oppressed peoples.

China invaded Tibet during the 1950’s, and now have total control over what happens there.

The Tibetan people have lost their rights due to the Chinese control; hence the fight, with my support to once again Free Tibet from China and the abusive government that has destroyed its people.

https://freetibet.org/about

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet

“Tibet today is one of the most repressed and closed societies in the world.”

– Senator Robert Menendez, Chair of US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 2012

China invaded Tibet in 1950. Inside its borders and across the world, Tibetans have never stopped believing Tibet is a nation.

After more than 70 years of occupation, Tibetans still resist China’s rule and defy its oppression.

https://freetibet.org/about

YULIN – The annual dog meat “festival” in Yulin is scheduled for June 21st and animals need your voice as part of the effort to bring cruelty like this to an end.  China, despite all its supposed chages to animal welfare policies recently, still do not appear to have control over something which causes immense and illegal animal suffering.  China seems to have totalitarian rights in Tibet, but when dog suffering in XChina is invooved, they seem to turn the other way.

You can support the call to end the Yulin dog meat’festival’ by visiting 

 Petition: Stop the Horrific Yulin Dog Meat Festival and End China’s Dog and Cat Meat Trade (ladyfreethinker.org)

Here is a recent post link which I did regarding the situation in Tibet:

England: ‘Free Tibet’ (London) – Support Tibetans standing up for their environment. Petition. – World Animals Voice

Here is the link to take you to ‘Free Tibet’, London:

https://freetibet.org/

You can take actions by visiting  https://freetibet.org/take-action


China’s control of religion in Tibet – https://freetibet.org/religious-freedom

Boycott Beijing – make a stand for human rights.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is d-lama-tibet.jpg

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are going to be held in Beijing, China.

Olympianism is the coming together and celebration of cultures through acceptance.  It has a philosophy of life which places sport in the service of humankind; its vision being to build a better world through sport.  Its values and principles include respect, friendship, diversity and autonomy.  By awarding the games to China for the 2022 Winter Olympics, the IOC – International Olympic Committee has shown that when it comes to China; it is willing to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses.

This is a betrayal of the olmpic movement and especially the people of Tibet; who now live under the crippling rule of the Chinese Communist Party – the CCP.  The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held freely in Beijing; but witout a demonstration of strength by groups and organisations opposing the regime.  With no chance of improving the Chinese stance on human rights; or any prospect of the IOC changing its decision; it is left to groups, organisations and individuals to make a stand; hence the reason for me issuing this post in support of the people of Tibet; people who’s voices have been silenced for so long.

Prior to the 2008 Olympics, the CCP in China made a series of promises that China would become more open, and embrace human rights.  These promises were quickly cast aside with a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters on the eve of the 2008 games.  Over one hundred Tibetans were KILLED; many mnore were arrested, tortured and forcibly relocated.

For 13 years Beijing has been punishing Tibetans for protesting about the Beijing Olympics 2008.  This year, 2021, Tibet was classified vy the think tank Freedom House as the worst place in the world for civil liberties.  Meanwhile, the CCP is currently committing genocide against the Tibetan Uyghur peoples; with many of the tactics being used against the Uyghur people from contolling tactics developed by China in Tibet.

The IOC let the people of Tibet down by their actions in 2008.  So now I want to kake you aware of the situation and why we say ‘NO Beijing 2022’ until the people of Tibet are free as an independent state (as they were before the Chinese invasion).

Animals rights, human rights; when things are wrong, you have to take action by being a voice.  We are not afraid to take action.

Freedom for the good people of Tibet.

Reagards Mark

Countries involved in Beijing Olympics risk being used by Chinese government, says Uighur activist | CBC Radio

Petition · Revoke Beijing's right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics on human rights ground · Change.org