Indonesians Tax Amnesty (human conflict)

Car and real-estate sales data suggest the amnesty is resulting in people putting off purchases. Indonesian property companies had achieved only 46 percent of 2016 pre-sales targets by the end of September, with many developers attributing the slowdown to buyers focusing on the first window of the tax reprieve, Aurellia Setiabudi, an analyst at PT Maybank King Eng Securities in Jakarta, said in a note released Tuesday. PT Astra International reported a 13 percent decline in sales of non low-cost cars in September, the biggest drop in a year. Sales of Nissan Motor Co. and Suzuki Motor Corp. vehicles fell 40 percent and 34 percent, respectively, according to figures from the Indonesia Automotive Industry Association.While the amnesty should be good for vehicle sales in the longer term, it could be causing a slowdown in sales of higher-end vehicles at the moment, said Jongkie D. Sugiarto, one of several chairmen at the auto association in Jakarta.

It’s not just companies selling big ticket items that are being affected. High-end supermarket operator PT Supra Boga Lestari is down 5.5 percent since the end of August, and PT Ace Hardware, which sells home supplies and furnishings to middle-class Indonesians, has lost 14 percent.
In a nation where only 4 million people out of a population of 258 million pay tax, the amnesty is aimed at broadening the revenue base and allowing the government to have a more stable stream of income to finance infrastructure development and social spending. After a slow start to the amnesty, there was a surge in uptake in September as the window for getting the lowest tax rate closed, taking the total amount of penalty fees to 97.2 trillion rupiah at the end of last month. The government is targeting 165 trillion rupiah for the entire reprieve, which runs through March, and some 424,286 individual and companies have taken part so far.

 People who participate in the program will have to raise money to pay for their redemption penalties, especially if they are declaring non-liquid assets like companies or homes. If I joined this program, of course I spent a few hundred million rupiah to participate in this program, so I needed some breathing space before I could start spending again. Actually this program has many big effects in positive ways, such as increase our economy to develop our country.


Reflection based on http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-28/discretionary-stocks-hit-by-amnesty-as-indonesians-curb-spending

Elephants released in Tesso Nilo National Park, Indonesia

WWF has pushed for the protection of Tesso Nilo Forest as a national park since 2004 so that Riau’s elephants would have a safe haven. But the park is still being illegally cleared for commercial activity and may be at its carrying capacity for elephants. The current 38,000ha park is too small to provide sufficient habitat for any additional elephants. The park was originally proposed to be 100,000ha.

Eight endangered Sumatran elephants were released into Indonesia's Tesso Nilo forest, months after they were found chained to trees without food or water. WWF, which provided daily care and medical treatment for the elephants after their discovery, worked with local government officials to ensure their safe release. The elephant herd initially numbered ten when they were captured by Riau Forestry Officials after raiding crops in Balai Raja of northern Riau on the Indonesia island of Sumatra — one died of tetanus and one escaped.

This article is so deep. These elephants need room to live, which means ending problematic pulp and oil palm development. Unsustainable logging throughout the province has eliminated much of the elephants, include their original habitat and as a result have been moving into more populated areas in search of food. Even these elephants are the latest casualties in the escalating human-elephant conflict in central Sumatra, the direct result of uncontrolled destruction of their forest habitat, i wish government can stop all forest conversion, illegal logging and encroachment


Reflection based on http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?70060/Elephants-released-in-Indonesias-Tesso-Nilo-National-Park

Reef health in Australia

Official Australian government reports say that the overall health of the Great Barrier Reef is poor and deteriorating. The World Heritage Site has lost more than half of its coral cover in the past 30 years, and populations of animals such as dolphins, dugongs and sharks are in decline. In addition to being one of the planet’s richest marine habitats, the reef generates nearly US$5.8 billion each year and provides about 69,000 jobs.

Megaport expansions proposed along the coast have brought new threats to the reef from dredging, dumping, and increased shipping. Plans to ban the dumping of dredge spoil in the reef’s World Heritage waters have been progressing at the federal and state level, but have not yet come into force. Last year the World Heritage Committee expressed concerns over industrialization in the area and said that unless significant improvements are made, the reef could be in inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Over 350,000 people from around the world have joined WWF’s campaign calling for world leaders to defend the reef from industrial destruction. They have debated the status of the Great Barrier Reef and other extraordinary natural places.

I think this decision will keep the pressure on the Australian government to turn its promises into real action and results. They have made the right decision. The future World Heritage status of the reef should rightly be determined based on the actual condition of its precious corals and marine life. I wish Australia can strengthen protection of the Great Barrier Reef to protect our marine life.

Reflection based on http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?247491/UNESCO-puts-Australia-on-probation-over-reef-health

Use your own #EndangeredEmoji helps social campaign

WWF has launched its first ever emoji-based fundraising campaign to help support the organisation’s work to protect precious species and their habitats.  The launch of the campaign, which has been run on Twitter, come just ahead of Endangered Species Day on Friday 15 May.
Adrian Cockle, Digital Innovation Manager at WWF International said: “When it comes to fundraising, giving people a simple way to donate is key. By using one of the world’s biggest social platforms to highlight endangered species, we’re hoping to raise vital funds for their conservation as well as raising awareness globally.”

The idea for the #EndangeredEmoji campaign was sparked by the discovery that 17 characters in the emoji alphabet represent endangered species. WWF is seeking to translate the popularity of these characters into donations. Emoji have been used over 202 million times on Twitter since they were integrated into the platform in April 2014. The number is increasing daily.

Spider monkey Giant panda Asian elephant Galapagos penguin Antiguan Racer snake Bactrian camel Tiger Sumatran tiger Green turtle

Amur leopard Siamese crocodile Bluefin tuna Blue whale Western gray whale African wild dog Lemur leaf frog Maui’s dolphin

In my opinion, this emoji alphabet is the best idea ever. The standardized set of digital pictograph characters will be used in communication globally, contain the following characters which represent endangered species. Young people will not be in difficulty if they want to send emoji to show when they are travelling to somewhere where endangered animal live. Emoji is the first global language and with this people all over the world can get involved in protecting our earth and the animals we share it with.


Reflection based on http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?246650/WWF-turns-tweets-to-donations--with-EndangeredEmoji-social-campaign

Being entrepreneur can help forests and economies grow

Analyzing the policy and entrepreneurial context in three landscapes across Asia, the report highlights how supporting innovative small-scale green businesses could help reverse the current trend where business incentives for promoting deforestation remain greater than those for preventing it. The study shows that this trend persists despite recent deforestation-free commitments made by several countries and the UN push to halt deforestation by 2020. Small and medium-sized Asian businesses specializing in forest and ecosystem services can play a key role in reducing deforestation in the region, according to a new study.

This is a collaboration between five organizations. Those are WWF, Ennovent, Impact Hub, Clarmondial and GreenWorks Asia. The report shows that there is strong potential for innovative green business approaches. The report draws on case studies from three key biodiverse countries that represent the range of conditions across Asia including: the Central Truong Son area in Vietnam; Kalimantan and Sumatra in Indonesia; and the Terai Arc region in the lowlands of Nepal. Sectoral analyses in the study show the kinds of enterprises that might contribute positively to addressing deforestation, such as rubber, cocoa, rattan, essential oils and medicinal plants. A good example is The Mountain Institute’s work in Nepal to turn medicinal and aromatic plant production into a profitable business for small producers. Since 2001, The Mountain Institute has increased the income of over 15,000 farmers through training and supporting the sustainable cultivation of plants such as Chiraito (Swertiya chirayita), Lothsalla (Taxus wallichiana), Satuwa (Paris Polyphylla) and Seto Bikhuma (Aconitum ferox, A. spicatum). The institute, in partnership with WWF and business innovation company Ennovent, plans to secure certifications for organic production, quality processing and good forest management – including in the buffer zones of national parks - strengthening linkages to the profitable global cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.

I think this will be inspiration for those who wanna be involved in the scale-up and consolidation phase for forest-friendly initiatives and outlines recommendations to create and replicate successful models of deforestation-free social enterprises in other affected areas. However, we can show the world about the importance of bringing together entrepreneur incubators, impact investment and innovation support in a more coordinated fashion and increase investment in zero deforestation products.

Reflection based on http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?267930/Small-businesses-in-Asia-can-help-forests-and-economies-grow-new-report-shows#

Set the future with partner

TLC, thoughtful loving communication, can help you find out if you and your significant other are on the same page about moving your relationship forward. It doesn't happen via text, email or any other tetchy way but with a good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation.Whether you’re married, live together or spend the majority of your time together, we all fall into routines. Maybe we make or order in dinner and break the routine. Invite him to a night at home filled with TLC. When you do, tell him with a smile that you miss him, miss us and want to connect and talk without the usual distractions. Pour a glass of wine and toast the two of you, but don’t overindulge or start drinking too early. You don’t want the wine to cause you to have loose lips or trigger tears! Then just hug him and say something sweet and reach for his hand and hold it as you speak. It’s such a simple act, but it connects two people instantly, giving each a feeling of love, comfort, connectivity and closeness.


It’s important he knows that this isn’t simply a romantic dinner. It’s a time for you both to catch up and talk. Being honest is hard, and it’s OK if you stumble and cry. Now’s the time to ask the hard questions and share what you really want. Let him know you want to spend your life with him and plan for it together, don't forget with real actionable steps. Ask him if he wants the same thing. If the answers are yes, you go, girl! Jump into his arms, hug and kiss him all over — do whatever feels right to show him how happy you are. If he has another idea how to do the same, that’s fine, too. Keep the tone of the invite open and loving — light versus heavy, to limit your pre-stress and his anxiety over what’s up.

I learned a long time ago we can never go wrong when we speak with love instead of anger and hurt. If things have gone well and you both feel that you’ve aired, shared and, most importantly, are on the same page about moving forward, agree to be present. That can mean engaging in more frequent TLC to limit uncertainties and keep your plans moving forward. Schedule your next sit-down in the next few days and start planning everything. On the other hand, if he hesitated or gave you an excuse like, "Someday, when…" it’s time for you to realize he may love you but isn’t ready to commit or doesn’t want to. The choice will then be yours to stay or start "spring cleaning" him out of your life.

Reflected based on http://www.sheknows.com/love-and-sex/articles/1114815/how-to-talk-to-your-partner-about-the-future?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_1188651