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Monthly Archives: September 2021
UPDATE on Dogs in Afghanistan: U.S. Army Responds to PETA
The U.S. military has replied to PETA’s letter about recent reports that dogs—including working dogs, animal companions of evacuated Americans, and rescued animals—were left in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. forces.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Army sent us this response:
I can report that the U.S. military did not leave any dogs in cages at the airport. … During the extremely complicated and dangerous final phases of the retrograde mission, U.S. forces went to great lengths to help the Kabul Small Animal Rescue facilitate the evacuation of more than 150 stray Afghan dogs. These dogs were not permitted on military evacuation flights due to regulations, but the Kabul Small Animal Rescue claimed to have arranged a chartered plane to rescue the animals. Unfortunately, that plane did not arrive, leaving no options to evacuate the dogs. U.S. forces identified that the only reasonable and humane course of action was to relocate the dogs to a former Afghan National Army compound on the airport grounds with appropriate supplies of food and water. This compound was relatively self-contained and provided for adequate space and grass area. Working tirelessly through the night of August 29 and into the morning of August 30, dedicated U.S. Soldiers transported more than 150 dogs in crates down the airfield to the compound—no easy task under the best of circumstances, but particularly challenging during the hazardous final stages of our withdrawal. Finally, before our forces’ departure from Kabul, our Soldiers showed the owner/operator of Kabul Small Animal Rescue where our forces had released the dogs, and she acknowledged that our forces had exercised the only option available at that point. She also indicated that she intended to return to the airport in the coming days to gather the dogs and get them on a charter plane to forever homes outside of Afghanistan, and it’s our sincere hope that she is successful in that effort.
PETA is in direct contact with Kabul Small Animal Rescue, which has verified that by the time the dogs were “released,” relocating them (as described above) was the only possible solution. But Kabul Small Animal Rescue maintains that its staff was trying to get animals out and needed more time, which was not granted. It remains committed to the welfare and safety of the many dogs in its charge and is continuing to work on the situation.
Thank you to all of you who took action! Please be aware that much of the information circulating online, while perhaps well intentioned, is not accurate. When updates of interest become available and can safely be shared, we will post them here. Thank you again for your compassion and action for animals.
Fall hunting seasons have started, with bear hunting coming first
https://www.concordmonitor.com/bear-hunting-eason-nh-new-hampshire-42257705
A black bear walks across the ground in Lyme on Aug. 1, 2007.AP file
By DAVID BROOKSMonitor staffPublished: 9/1/2021 4:37:08 PM
Bear hunting season began Wednesday in New Hampshire, the beginning of a four-month stretch of the year’s most popular hunting seasons, leading up to rifle season for white-tailed deer in late November.
New Hampshire Fish and Game is cautioning hunters that the pandemic-fueled interest in outdoor recreation means more people are in the woods these days.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?gdpr=0&us_privacy=1—&client=ca-pub-7285563212224435&output=html&h=280&adk=1366764191&adf=1946211047&pi=t.aa~a.1708805249~i.2~rp.4&w=617&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1630610588&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=4882248916&psa=1&ad_type=text_image&format=617×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.concordmonitor.com%2Fbear-hunting-eason-nh-new-hampshire-42257705&flash=0&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=154&rw=616&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&fa=27&adsid=ChEI8OzBiQYQ0vfzjrKT7LaHARI9AG0sWojOKcDCnob_tP5oXGOIbXbAbixgq9GaB4u_YYct3-fzYivgTWKeTuUquEVND6nXZs5sSCFhlLdPYg&uach=WyJXaW5kb3dzIiwiMTAuMCIsIng4NiIsIiIsIjkyLjAuNDUxNS4xNTkiLFtdLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsXQ..&dt=1630610395089&bpp=14&bdt=8637&idt=15&shv=r20210830&mjsv=m202109010101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3Dc734793e652cb2e6%3AT%3D1630610395%3AS%3DALNI_MajQe9804SlM4eOYxLqwDPZ_R0IaA&gpic=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&prev_fmts=0x0&nras=2&correlator=4430084499304&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=1182225196.1630610394&ga_sid=1630610394&ga_hid=1948892778&ga_fc=0&u_tz=-420&u_his=1&u_java=0&u_h=640&u_w=1139&u_ah=607&u_aw=1139&u_cd=24&u_nplug=3&u_nmime=4&adx=106&ady=1094&biw=1123&bih=537&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=31062313%2C31062370%2C31062297&oid=3&pvsid=2755892023851882&pem=485&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&eae=0&fc=1408&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C1139%2C0%2C1139%2C607%2C1139%2C537&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=128&bc=31&jar=2021-09-02-19&ifi=2&uci=a!2&btvi=1&fsb=1&xpc=OW0ky64kJf&p=https%3A//www.concordmonitor.com&dtd=M
“It is more important than ever to be absolutely sure of your target and what lies beyond it. Hunters are strongly encouraged to maximize pre-season scouting and be prepared with backup locations if their desired spot is busy with other outdoor enthusiasts during the 2021 black bear season,” the department said in a statement about the opening of the season.
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.478.1_en.html#goog_476829714https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.478.1_en.html#goog_1400137971https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.478.1_en.html#goog_2007776401
Hunting accidents are rare in New Hampshire…
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Susan Peters’ Life Changed Following Duck Hunting Episode at 23 That Led to Losing Her Will to Live
https://news.amomama.com/277794-susan-peters-life-changed-following-duck.html
September 02, 2021 | byBusayo Ogunjimi
Susan Peter’s name would have emerged as one of the golden names from Hollywood’s silver-screen era, but a tragic accident not only cost her her career but also her will to live.
Susan Peters’ story would have ended differently if not a tragic accident that forced her career to a halt and brought her to misery. Years before her accident, the actress found her inspiration to study after befriending a disabled boy; little did she know she would meet the same fate as him.
At age 22, Peters had suddenly become an actress with promise in the 1940s. Although newcomers in the movie industry might find it hard to recall her name, it once offered great potential.
Pictures of Susan Peters | Photo:Wikimedia Commons / Schuyler Crail (Public Domain)https://be62ca3cde0ddd9d6edd91b66f476f58.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Her career began during her senior year in high school, where she…
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COVID-19: New ‘Mu variant’ from Colombia could be vaccine resistant – WHO
A number of mutations suggest that the Mu variant could resist immune defenses and possibly even have a faster transmission than other variants.
ByAARON REICHSEPTEMBER 2, 2021 16:29
This undated transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, also known as novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The spikes on the outer edge of the virus parti(photo credit: NIAID-RML/FILE PHOTO/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)AdvertisementThe World Health Organization (WHO) is closely monitoring the emergence of a new variant of the novel coronavirus, theMu variant, which has already been spreading through South America and has shown signs of possible vaccine resistance.First identified in January 2021 in Colombia, the Mu variant has seen sporadic cases emerge throughout South America and Europe. Globally, the variant accounts for less than 0.1% of…
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Why won’t US TV news say ‘climate change’?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/02/us-media-hurricane-ida-climate-change
It’s media malpractice not to mention that burning fossil fuels drives extreme weather events like Hurricane Ida
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About this contentThu 2 Sep 2021 06.00 EDT
The climate emergency is exploding in various parts of the world this week, but climate silence inexcusably continues to rein in much of the United States media.
Hurricane Ida has left more than a million people in Louisiana without running water, electricity or air conditioning amid a heat index topping 100F. The Caldor firedestroyed hundreds of housesand forced mass evacuations around Lake Tahoe in California. Abroad, vast swaths of Siberia were ablaze while drought-parched Madagascar suffered what a United Nations official called the first famine caused entirely by climate change.
Painstaking…
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Biden: Texas abortion law ‘blatantly violates’ Roe precedent
The president promised to defend abortion rights but the White House was vague on what he can or will do.
President Joe Biden said the new law would “significantly impair women’s access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes.“ | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
ByLAURA BARRÓN-LÓPEZ,ALICE MIRANDA OLLSTEINandKELLY HOOPER
09/01/2021 12:53 PM EDT
Updated:09/01/2021 05:44 PM EDT
President Joe Biden vowed Wednesday to defend abortion rights after the Supreme Court let stand a Texas abortion law that bans the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy.
But the White House has been vague about what the president would, or could, do in the near term. And some abortion rights advocates are calling for a more clear-cut strategy in the wake of the court’s latest move.https://f3f748279202ebfc5b1c11bd4620233c.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
“This extreme Texas law blatantly violates the constitutional right established underRoe…
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As new signs of climate change emerge, here’s how you can invest in companies and funds that keep the environment safe
PUBLISHED WED, SEP 1 20218:30 AM EDTLorie Konish@LORIEKONISHSHAREShare Article via FacebookShare Article via TwitterShare Article via LinkedInShare Article via EmailKEY POINTS
- Individual investors are expressing increased interest in environmental, social and corporate governance, or ESG, investments.
- ESG assets held by individual investors increased by 50% from 2018 to 2020.
- Evaluating those potential investments is key. Here’s where to get started.
A member of a rescue team walks a flooded street in Laplace, Louisiana, after Hurricane Ida made landfall on Aug. 30, 2021.Marco Bello | Reuters
From Hurricane Ida to California wildfires, experts are pointing to signs of climate change.
Research shows individual investors are taking notice.
A recent survey conducted by professional services company Accenture found that 59% of investors who are working with financial advisors have asked them about ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) or socially responsible investments.
Moreover, 84% of investors who made…
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Planet 9 May Be Out There – Here’s Where We Need To Look
TOPICS:AstronomyPlanetsSolar System
By BRIAN KOBERLEIN, UNIVERSE TODAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
There are eight known planets in the solar system (ever since Pluto was booted from the club), but for a while, there has been some evidence that there might be one more. A hypothetical Planet 9 lurking on the outer edge of our solar system. So far this world has eluded discovery, but a new study has pinned down where it should be.
The evidence for Planet 9 comes from its gravitational pull on other bodies. If the planet exists, its gravity will affect the orbits of other planets. So if something seems to be tugging on a planet, just do a bit of math to find the source. This is how Neptune was discovered, when John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier noticed independently that Uranus seemed to be tugged by an unseen planet.
In the case of Planet 9, we don’t have any gravitational effect on a planet. What we do see is an odd clustering of small icy bodies in the outer solar system known as Kuiper belt objects (KBOs). If there were no planet beyond the Kuiper belt, you would expect the orbits of KBOs to be randomly oriented within the orbital plane of the solar system. But instead, we see lots of KBO orbits are clustered in the same orientation. It’s possible that this is just due to random chance, but that isn’t likely.
The possible orbit of Planet Nine. Credit: CalTech/R. Hurt (IPAC)
Back in 2016, the authors looked at the statistical distribution of KBOs and concluded the clustering was caused by an undetected outer planet. Based on their calculations, this world has a mass of 5 Earths and is about 10 times more distant from the Sun than Neptune. The paper even calculated a broad region of the sky where the planet might be. But searches turned up nothing. This led some to conclude the planet doesn’t exist. Orbital oddness doesn’t prove a planet exists. Just ask Planet Vulcan. Others went so far as to argue Planet 9 does exist, but we can’t see it because it’s a primordial black hole.
This new study reexamines the original work in light of some of the criticism it received. One big criticism is that outer solar system bodies are difficult to find, so we look for them where it’s convenient. The clustering effect we see could just be due to biased data. Taking observational bias into effect, the authors find the clustering is still statistically unusual. There’s only a 0.4% chance of it being a fluke. When they recalculated the likely orbit of Planet 9, they were able to better localize where to look.
One interesting aspect of the study is that the newly calculated orbit puts Planet 9 closer to the Sun than originally thought. This is odd, because if it is closer then we should have already found it. The authors argue that observations thus far have ruled out the closest options for Planet 9, which helps narrow down its possible location even further. If the planet exists, it should be detectable by the Vera Rubin Observatory in the near future.
This study isn’t conclusive, and many astronomers still argue that Planet 9 doesn’t exist. But this study makes it clear that we won’t have to argue about it for much longer. Either it will be discovered soon, or observations will rule it out as an explanation for the KBO clustering effect.
Reference: “The orbit of Planet Nine” by Michael E. Brown and Konstantin Batygin, 22 August 2021, Astrophysics > Earth and Planetary Astrophysics.
arXiv: 2108.09868
Originally published on Universe Today.
Exposing the Big Game 
