Thousands of protesters descended on the Wisconsin State Capitol on Friday as they called for coronavirus restrictions implemented by Gov. Tony Evers (D) to be lifted.
Photos of the massive demonstration show protesters packed on the capitol’s steps, breaking social distancing guidelines as they crammed into the area standing shoulder to shoulder.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that protesters cheered “USA” and circulated petitions to recall Evers. Protesters also reportedly held signs reading “All Workers, Are Essential” and “Death…. is preferable to communism.”
Some also carried American flags and assault-style rifles.
The original stay-at-home order was supposed to end Friday, but last week, Evers extended it to May 26. Evers’s new extension of stay-at-home orders does make some adjustments, including the opening of golf courses.
Planet of the Humans, the new documentary film from director Jeff Gibbs and executive producer Michael Moore, contains a stunning evisceration of so-called green energy and the people profiting from it. It was released on April 21 for free viewing on YouTube and as of the afternoon of Friday, April 24, had been viewed over 1.5 million times.However, Marc Morano reported on Climate Depot that a pressure campaign has succeeded in getting the distributor to pull the film. Josh Fox, who directed 2010’s semi-factual anti-hydraulic fracturing documentary, Gasland, launched the campaign on Twitter and tweeted Friday afternoon that the distributors had agreed to withdraw Planet of the Humans. Fox also tweeted that he didn’t blame the distributors because they hadn’t seen the film before releasing it.
Gibbs and Moore approach green energy from the perspective of the ultra-far left. They believe that everything wrong and evil in the world is caused by “cancerous” capitalism…
Two house cats in New York State are the first in the U.S. to test positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on April 22. The owner of one of the cats had been diagnosed with the disease, but no one in the household of the second cat had tested positive, so it’s not yet known how the cat contracted the virus. Both cats had mild respiratory symptoms and are expected to recover.
Experts say it’s important to know that cases of pet cats acquiring coronavirus are very rare: In the world, there are only three confirmed cases of domestic cats (and two confirmed cases of dogs) getting sick. The CDC says there is no evidence at this time that the disease could spread in the opposite direction—from pets to humans.
“This is almost exclusively a human-to-human transmitted disease,” Michael San Filippo, a spokesperson for the American Veterinary Medicine Association, told NBC affiliates. “The risk to pets is very low, with only a handful of cases of the virus appearing in companion animals, and no cases of people getting sick from their pets.” (Many other human illnesses, including the common cold, do not pose threats to pets because they’re caused by species-specific viruses that are unable to infect other animals.)
The hunt for the next potential coronavirus animal host
One recent study, from a veterinary diagnostic lab in Maine, tested thousands of samples from dogs and cats and found no cases of the disease. While an early version of a report on a small experiment testing whether the virus could spread between cats found that indeed it can, research does not suggest that cats are a vector in spreading disease among humans.
With more than 2.6 million cases of COVID-19 globally, experts say that if pets were a significant vector, we’d know by now.
Keeping pets healthy
Many pet owners are more worried about getting their animals sick than they are about contracting illness from their pets.
To keep your pets healthy, treat them as you would any family member: If someone in your house is sick, they should isolate themselves. Make sure your pet maintains social distancing; the CDC recommends that pets not interact with anyone outside your household. When walking a dog, stay six feet away from other people (and animals) and avoid dog parks. Experts recommend washing your hands before and after interacting with a pet, just as you would with a fellow human.
A champion chinchilla Persian rests near a stack of books “like a lordly little lion” in Bloomsberg, Pennsylvania.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A trio of Siamese kittens sleep on a sofa in Washington, D.C.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
An owner lovingly strokes her Persian in New York City. The 1938 National Geographic article captioned this image as “Stately, kindly, lordly friend, condescend here to sit by me.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A pair of blue Persian cats pose on a recliner in Bogota, New Jersey. At the time, in the 1930s, the blue Persian regularly won best-in-show cat competitions.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A trio of Persian cats—which Eddy described as “unusually affectionate”—recline on furniture in Silver Spring, Maryland.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
“Wary Princess Pat, with silvery frill and hypnotic stare, seems poised for flight,” Frederick Eddy wrote in the November 1938 National Geographic. The smoke Persian lived in New York City.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A black domestic shorthair named Midnight sits in front of the fireplace in Washington, D.C. Culver notes that the cat “had to be dragged, snarling, from under the sofa for a split-second pose.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A blue Persian stares intensely at a goldfish bowl in Washington, D.C.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A Burmese cat poses in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the time, Elmer was one of the only Burmese cats in the eastern U.S.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
Three tailless Manx cats play on furniture in Washington, D.C.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
“You can throw me on the table, but just try to put me on the shelf!” Eddy captioned this image of a champion red Persian in the 1938 National Geographic magazine article.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A pair of Siamese cats huddle together for a photo in Newton, Massachusetts.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLARD CULVER, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION
A tortoiseshell domestic shorthair, named Joseph for her “coat of many colors,” perches on a shelf in Washington, D.C. “Only on humiliating hands and knees may fond humans visit this scornful kitty in her own domain,” Eddy wrote in the magazine article.
Wild animal worries
On April 5, we learned that a Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo tested positive for the coronavirus; on April 22, we learned that six more tigers and a lion at the Bronx Zoo have it, as well. These are the first tigers and lions known to have the virus.
Both wild and domestic cats had been known to be susceptible to feline coronavirus, a different strain, but until recently it was unknown whether they could contract SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
It’s believed that the SARS-CoV-2 strain of the virus developed from a closely related coronavirus in bats. Researchers theorize that the strain evolved and jumped to an intermediate host animal, and then evolved again to infect humans.
Scientists have been working quickly to determine what other species are susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV2. Initial studies are working to identify any animal that the coronavirus could infect, whether or not it causes illness in that species. Among the species scientists are studying are cats and ferrets, both of which appear to be at least somewhat vulnerable to infection in laboratory settings (other animals studied include dogs, bats, civets, and pigs). Pangolins can carry a closely related coronavirus, but they have not been found to carry SARS-CoV-2.
Virologists caution that although the pathogen can enter the cells of some species in a lab, such infection might not occur outside of a laboratory setting. They have also determined that animals infected in a lab might not become sick. Additional testing will be needed to develop a better understanding of how this develops in animals. (Read more about how these tests are done and what we can extrapolate from them.)
The bottom line: We know that humans can pass on the novel coronavirus to some animals, but there is no evidence at this time that animals can pass it on to humans. More research is needed. In the meantime, the best practice is to take the same precautions with your pets as you would with humans.
A former employee of Joe Exotic has revealed that the 57-year-old killed over 100 tigers, would hit cubs if they misbehaved, and feared most of his big cats while running the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park. Erik Cowie, the head zookeeper at the animal park — which is being run by a different owner — said that the tigers hated Exotic so much that “several of the big cats would have eaten him alive if given the chance.”
“Joe would often brag about being in a cage with 16 tigers, but in reality, it was more like two or three of them. I would take the mean ones out of the cage, the cats who didn’t like him,” Cowie told DailyMailTV.
He added, “There was a liger and we used to use Joe as bait in order to get her out of its cage, this big cat would try to attack Joe every time she saw him.” Liger is a hybrid offspring of a male lion and a female tiger.
Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, better known as Joe Exotic, is the central character of Netflix’s hit docuseries ‘Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness’. He is currently serving a 22-year sentence for plotting to kill animal rights activist Carole Baskin in 2017 and for more than a dozen wildlife violations, including killing five tigers.
However, in reality, he killed more than 100 tigers, according to Cowie.
He also recalled how Exotic was excited after killing five big cats to make space for other animals at the zoo as he told him, “Damn, Erik if I only knew it was going to be that easy.”
Cowie also shared that once Exotic killed a 27-year-old Siberian tiger named ‘Cuddles’ just because he was getting old. And once the central character of the Netflix original killed eight tigers in a single day. “They euthanized them and had a veterinarian sign off on them with excuses like they were too old, sick, etc. Most of the time a veterinarian wasn’t even around when things like that would happen, but he would write it down on a log, so he could be covered in case government inspectors wanted to check his books,” he alleged.
Cowie said Exotic was never emotionally attached to the animals as he didn’t spend enough time with them “to truly bond with them”, and that towards the end, he was too busy campaigning for governor or president.
“Joe only cared about them in a monetary way,” Cowie said, while mentioning a particular lion that used to hate Exotic so much it “would try to chew through the cage to get at him.”
“I learned a lot from Joe, mostly on not what to do,” he added.
In his interview, Cowie also disclosed that Exotic would hit cubs if they misbehaved with the zoo guests. “For one reason or another, a cub would become unruly so Joe would take the baby cub out of view of the people at the zoo and pop the cub in the nose and bring it back out,” he said, adding that this ruthless behavior made his job more difficult. “I then had to deal with a baby cub who had just been popped in the nose and then make sure it wouldn’t act up and bite some older women or child,” he said.
Cowie said that Exotic tried to keep his inumane behavior a secret by never allowing zoo guests to bring cameras. He had ordered his employees to check the guests’ belts to ensure they were not carrying any hidden camera as he feared PETA would send in a spy to get evidence against him.
“These animals trusted me and I let some of them down, for that I’ll never forget,” Cowie said, adding he regrets not revealing the truth earlier about Exotic killing over 100 cats.
“I love these animals dude. I’d sooner put myself under a bus than leave these animals. These animals are my children. They are the only reason why I’m out here. I’m just a guy who picks up poop with his hands and I’m good at cutting up cows to feed to the tigers,” said Cowie, who has been working at the park for eight years and wants to continue doing so.
However, his body is not cooperating with him in doing his dream job. “It’s a young man’s job, I’m old and my body has suffered because of it,” Cowie explained.
He also shared the since Exotic is not anymore the owner of the zoo, animals are doing well. The Oklahoma zoo, which has currently 117 tigers, is now taken care of by a new owner, Jeff Lowe.
GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that there was currently “no evidence” that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second coronavirus infection.
In a scientific brief, the United Nations agency warned governments against issuing “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” to people who have been infected as their accuracy could not be guaranteed.
The practice could actually increase the risks of continued spread as people who have recovered may ignore advice about taking standard precautions against the virus, it said.
“Some governments have suggested that the detection of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could serve as the basis for an ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate’ that would enable individuals to travel or to return to work assuming that they are…
The U.S. passed 50,000 coronavirus deaths on Friday and is closing in on nearly 1 million infections as several states around the nation begin implementing plans for reopening businesses and easing social distancing.
On Friday the Johns Hopkins coronavirus database listed 51,017 U.S. deaths and more than 890,000 infections. Due to a lack of testing, the actual number of infections is likely to be much higher.
Despite warnings from national health leaders that the country could face a second wave of the virus in late 2020, states and cities are drafting or implementing plans to get people out of their homes and back into mainstream life.
“We will have coronavirus in the fall,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the White House’s Coronavirus Task force. “I am convinced of that because of the degree of transmissibility that it has, the global nature. What happens with that will depend on how we’re able to contain it when it occurs.”
Meanwhile the death toll continues to rise and drop at sporadic rates. On Thursday, for instance, the U.S. followed up four days of decreased death totals with one of its deadliest days yet, with over 3,000 deaths.
The latest milestone comes at an incongruous time when many states, under intense pressure from not only the White House but also their own citizens, announce plans to allow people back to work.
Governors of more than a dozen states in the past 10 days — including California, Florida, Alaska, Tennessee, Colorado and Georgia — have detailed their hope to slowly phase out lockdowns and restrictions on businesses.
Meanwhile the death toll continues to rise and drop at sporadic rates. On Thursday, for instance, the U.S. followed up four days of decreased death totals with one of its deadliest days yet, with over 3,000 deaths.
The latest milestone comes at an incongruous time when many states, under intense pressure from not only the White House but also their own citizens, announce plans to allow people back to work.
Governors of more than a dozen states in the past 10 days — including California, Florida, Alaska, Tennessee, Colorado and Georgia — have detailed their hope to slowly phase out lockdowns and restrictions on businesses.
Some are only allowing minor reopenings. Gov. Gavin Newsom said that California was not prepared “to open up large sectors of our society” but made the first modification to the state’s stay-at-home order with the resumption of “essential” surgeries.
“Tumors, heart valves, the need for people to get the kind of care they deserve,” Newsom said. “If it’s delayed, it becomes acute. This fundamentally is a health issue.”
Others are more aggressive. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he was allowing certain businesses to reopen on April 24, including gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, barbers, cosmetologists and massage therapists. Georgia’s timetable is one of the most aggressive in the nation.
“Each of these entities will subject to specific restrictions, including adherence to the basic minimum operations, social distancing and regular sanitation,” Kemp said.
Unemployment in the U.S. is swelling to levels last seen during the Great Depression of the 1930s, with 1 in 6 American workers thrown out of a job by the coronavirus, according to new data released Thursday. In response to the deepening economic crisis, the House passed a nearly $500 billion spending package to help buckled businesses and hospitals.
More than 4.4 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, the government reported. In all, roughly 26 million people — the population of the 10 biggest U.S. cities combined — have filed for jobless aid in five weeks, an epic collapse that has raised the stakes in the debate over how and when to ease the shutdowns of factories and other businesses.
Janet Simon, laid off as a waitress at a Miami IHOP restaurant, said she has just $200 and is getting panic attacks because of uncertainty over how she will care for her three children. Simon, 33, filed for unemployment a month ago, and her application is still listed as “pending.”
“I’m doing everything to keep my family safe, my children safe, but everything else around me is falling apart,” Simon said. “But they see it, no matter how much I try to hide my despair.”
In northern Colorado, a major meatpacking plant that closed because of an outbreak that claimed the lives of four workers was set to reopen Friday after a two-week disinfection, even as some questioned how employees can maintain social distancing inside the facility.
In the hardest-hit corner of the U.S., evidence emerged that perhaps 2.7 million New York state residents have been infected by the virus – 10 times the number confirmed by lab tests.
Abroad, there was mixed news about the epidemic. Some countries, including Greece, Bangladesh and Malaysia, announced extensions of their lockdowns. Vietnam, New Zealand and Croatia were among those moving to end or ease such measures.
In Africa, COVID-19 cases surged 43% in the past week to 26,000, according to John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figures underscored a recent warning from the World Health Organization that the virus could kill more than 300,000 people in Africa and push 30 million into desperate poverty.
Brazil’s health ministry confirmed 407 deaths due to the outbreak in the last 24 hours, a daily high for the country.
While the health crisis has eased in places like Italy, Spain and France, experts say it is far from over, and the threat of new outbreaks looms large.
“The question is not whether there will be a second wave,” said Dr. Hans Kluge, the head of the WHO’s Europe office. “The question is whether we will take into account the biggest lessons so far.”
To your friend who says she can’t go vegan because she would miss cheese too much (or if you are that friend) she’s in luck. “Vegan cheese has come a long way over the years,” says Lauren McNeill, RD, Toronto-based registered dietitian. Alts to dairy cheese are on the up and up, putting slander against vegan varieties—is this shredded plastic or fake mozz?—to rest.
Here, one brand shares how their almond milk-based products are made, and a registered dietitian weighs in on whether vegan cheese offers gouda benefits (pun intended).
What is plant-based cheese?
Whether you ditch the dairy stuff for ethical reasons or because your digestive system flat out refuses lactose, help is here to satisfy all of your cheesy cravings. Considering cheese is a broad foodstuff, plant-based options are made with ingredients…
PHOENIX (AP) — Despite the concern of environmentalists, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to expand hunting on three wildlife refuges in southern Arizona and allow hunting on a fourth for the first time.
The proposed changes would open or expand hunting and fishing in 97 national wildlife refuges and nine national fish hatcheries overall and would be finalized in time for the fall 2020-2021 hunting season, the Arizona Republic reported.
“America’s hunters and anglers now have something significant to look forward to in the fall as we plan to open and expand hunting and fishing opportunities,” Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in a statement.
Environmentalists argue that the plan could further endanger imperiled species on fragile landscapes already at risk from climate change.
The 2,765-acre Leslie Canyon refuge would be open to hunters for the first time since its establishment in 1988.
(Netflix)
Exposing the Big Game 
