The U.K. government is gathering evidence to inform a potential ban on fur imports and sales, and it needs to knowyourviews.
Foxes, minks, and coyotes urgently need you to take part, asthe U.K. government needs to hear from as many people as possiblebeforethe June 28 deadline!
Just a few minutes spent responding could help secure monumental legislation that would spare millions of animals suffering around the world for thecruel fur trade.
Skull found at the site among other items at Nesher Ramla.(photo credit: DR. YOSSI ZAIDNER)AdvertisementA new type of early human previously not known to scientists has been discovered in Israel, Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University researchers announced Thursday as their extraordinary findings appeared in the prestigious academic journal Science.Researchers believe the new “Homo” species intermarried withHomo sapiensand was an ancestor of the Neanderthals.Read More Related Articles
Lucy Draper says noisy children on Father’s Day was the last straw (Picture:Kennedy News & Media)
A landlady has banned all children under 12 from her pub after they caused ‘complete havoc’ on Father’s Day and ‘ruined everyone else’s lunch’.
Lucy Draper, 67, says parents did nothing to stop their little ones screeching and even had to move one table away because the noise was ‘unbearable’.
The Compass Inn, in New Forest, Hampshire, hit the headlines last year when under-12s were banned except for Sunday lunchtime to stop the pub turning ‘into a creche’.
The landlady of 26 years says she made the decision after a family with three children under five disturbed other customers.
She told the Advertiser and Times: ‘The children were jumping up and down on chairs, literally screeching. It was the kind of noise that goes straight through you.
‘We were packed because it was Father’s Day. The parents did nothing to stop them, even after I had a polite word.
Children are now strictly prohibited from the dog friendly and gluten free pub (Picture: Kennedy News & Media)
‘It ruined everyone else’s lunch. I had to move one table away from them because the noise was so unbearable. The kids were just feral.’
In an announcement on its Facebook page, the dog friendly and gluten free pub said: ‘Today we have yet again experienced a family with no respect for other diners as their children were so badly behaved.
‘When we take bookings we have no idea if children are going to behave in an adult environment.
‘Today we had complaints about the rowdy children, we had to move people to a quieter area, apologise for them and the staff had to put up with the backlash this family created.
‘All bookings we have already taken with children on a Sunday we will honour but as from today we will not be taking any further booking for children on a Sunday.
‘It’s a shame that I have had to make this decision but we are ultimately an adult only pub but some families disregard this fact that we expect their children to behave which unfortunately is not always the case.’
The family involved in Sunday’s incident appear to have left a one-star review on TripAdvisor, saying: I’m sad to say it was clear that staff weren’t huge fans of young children.
‘We noticed a scowl at one point, and felt they couldn’t get us out quick enough. There was no warmth or friendliness towards us but there was plenty to other customers.
‘Others were getting “see you again ” & “enjoy the rest of your day”. We were given the Bill without asking if we were finished & received a flat “thanks” upon paying. A simple smile costs nothing and goes a LONG way.’
Replying to the scathing review, Mop writes: ‘I would think that any pub you went to would not put up with your family.
‘You and families like you that hold no regard for other diners are the reason we went adult only.
‘Tables near to you complained about the noise and how unruly your children were. A few basic manners would not go amiss and disciplining you children on how to behave in public.’
The ban has had a mixed reaction on social media, with some criticising the pub for ‘punishing’ well behaved children and ‘tarring every family with the same brush’.
But Wendy Bruder wrote: ‘Good for you. Poorly behaved kids are the worst. Shame on their parents.’
Pierette Odgers added: ‘It’s a shame that some ruin it for others. I would have liked to have booked a family meal, as I’ve heard fantastic things about your food. My eldest is a coeliac. Nevermind, hopefully in 4 years time we can come as a family.’
The report, which is scheduled for official release next year, is the most comprehensive rundown to date of the impacts of climate change on our planet and our species.
“The worst is yet to come, affecting our children’s and grandchildren’s lives much more than our own,” the report warns.
Millions of people worldwide are in for a disastrous future of hunger, drought and disease, according to a draft report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was leaked to the media this week.
“Climate change will fundamentally reshape life on Earth in the coming decades, even if humans can tame planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions,” according toAgence France-Presse, which obtained the report draft.
The report warns of a series of thresholds beyond which recovery from climate breakdown may become impossible,The Guardiansaid. The report warns: “Life on Earth…
Two kitten siblings being rescued by the HSUS in Texas after Hurricane Harvey forced a sudden mandatory evacuation of the area.Anthony Rathbun/HSUS via AP Images
The past few years have shown how suddenly natural disasters and other emergencies can upend our lives. Take, for instance, recentsevere hurricanesand wildfires, the early 2021deep freeze in Texasor the ongoing worldwide Covid-19 crisis. Families everywhere have seen how crucial it is to have disaster plans in place for their loved ones.
Animal lovers have always been aware that human beings aren’t the only ones in need of disaster preparedness plans, and in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, the rest of society caught on. Within a year of that disaster, Congress passed the PETS Act, mandating that state and local response agencies receiving federal funds…
Irish Council Against Blood SportsMullingar, Ireland
JUN 24, 2021 —
Fur farming will finally be banned in Ireland in 2022, it has been confirmed.
On 22 June 2021, the government approved the ban, with Fianna Fáil tweeting: “Ban on fur farming in Ireland. A key commitment in the Programme for Government, the ban will come into effect next year.”
Earlier in the day, the Irish Independent reported that Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue sought “approval from his ministerial colleagues to implement a prohibition on fur farming in Ireland within a short timeframe.”
The owners of the three remaining fur farms in Counties Laois, Kerry and Donegal are set to receive compensation for closing down and demolishing the hellholes where an estimated 120,000 mink are cruelly caged every year and gassed to death at six months of age.
Speaking outside Government Buildings, Minister McConalogue said that fur farming “really has become outdated”.
“It’s no longer appropriate to our time,” he stated. “It is something that societal views have changed towards and indeed it is something that the government’s views have very much changed as well.”
Of course, fur farming has never been appropriate to any time. It shamefully involves confining animals to cages where they can be seen repeatedly pacing back and forth and jumping against the bars, cruelly denying them their ability to express natural behaviours and pulling them out squealing and thrown into a gassing box where they spend their last moments desperately trying not to inhale poisonous Carbon Monoxide.
Mink are semi-aquatic and highly evolved physiologically to hold their breath. They are able to detect a lack of oxygen in their blood and are prone to hypoxia, which means they can suffer particularly during gassing.
The upcoming fur farming ban follows long-running campaigns by several groups (including an ICABS campaign over more than 20 years), protests, petitions, political lobbying, a statement from Veterinary Ireland backing a ban and a RED C opinion poll which showed that an 80 per cent majority in Ireland want fur farming banned.
Among those calling for a ban were over 400 from the worlds of film, television, theatre, radio, sport, literature and music. The list of high profile personalities, compiled by Irish actor Rachel Pilkington, includes Oscar-nominated actors Saoirse Ronan, Ruth Negga and Stephen Rea, Oscar-nominated directors Lenny Abrahamson and Jim Sheridan, Emmy award-winning director Emer Reynolds, Olympic medallist Sonia O’Sullivan, former international rugby player Alan Quinlan, musicians Sharon Shannon, Damien Dempsey, Mundy, Don Mescall, Mary Coughlan, Josh Gray and Brian Kennedy, author Cathy Kelly, comedians Deirdre O’Kane and PJ Gallagher and many more.
This week’s development comes two years after the then government pledged to ban the practice.
In June 2019, prior to the current government coalition, former Agriculture Minister Michael Creed (Fine Gael) agreed that “the farming of mink is counter to good animal welfare” and that “it is considered timely to commence the phasing out of the industry in Ireland.”
“The government will now proceed to bring forward a Bill which will be drafted in conjunction with the Attorney General’s Office,” he stated. “The Government Bill will provide for a phased basis for the ban for existing operators. The Government Bill will make it illegal for any new fur farms to be established. Phase out arrangements will be put in place for the small number of current operators to allow for an orderly wind down of the sector and to allow time for employees to find alternative opportunities.”
Fianna Fáil had previously “agreed to back the proposal to introduce a ban on the farming of mink for the production of fur in Ireland”.
This came after the introduction to the Dail of the “Prohibition of Fur Farming Bill 2018” by Solidarity/People Before Profit TDs Paul Murphy, Mick Barry and Ruth Coppinger and majority political support for a ban. Along with Fianna Fáil, other parties which gave their backing to a ban were Sinn Féin, Labour, Independents 4 Change, the Green Party, the Social Democrats and Aontú.
A big thank you and well done to all who campaigned for a ban.
A discussion of weather and climate of the Inland Northwest.
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
We are forecasting the hottest day ever in Spokane history
A heat wave like no other is becoming increasingly likely. Prepare NOW!
The biggest heat wave to ever strike the Inland NW on record is becoming increasingly likely. What makes this event unique?
All time record high temperatures are in jeopardy for several locations
And this is during June (our peak heat season is late July through early August)
100+ degree temps will last for several days
Mild overnight lows in the mid 60s to upper 70s will provide little to no relief at night
Occurring during a period of severe to extreme drought
Fire danger increasing to record levels next week and as we near the 4th of July (for this early in the season)
The Climate Prediction Center’s latest Risk of Hazardous Temperatures product shows our region in a high risk of Excessive Heat through next Friday, July 2nd. Don’t be surprised by future outlooks extending this out further.
What is going to cause the excessive heat? A very strong ridge of high pressure (record setting for late June by some model solutions). Here is one ensemble solution showing the strong ridge centered right on top of us on Sunday.
12z GFS model of 500mb heights, winds, and temperatures valid 2 AM PDT Sunday, June 27th 2021
Strong high pressure in late June spells trouble! Why? The lower atmosphere continues to warm as the ridge persists over the region as the late June sun angle brings an abundance of solar radiation towards the Earth’s surface which continues to warm things up each day. Here is one model prediction of near surface temperature anomalies from this Thursday through the following week (June 24-July 3rd).
Note the large area of warmth that persists into early July over the northwest US and southwest Canada. So it looks like this heat wave will be around for awhile, but how hot will it get? Our current forecast is calling for all time records to be threatened beginning Monday.
NWS Forecast High Temperature for Monday, June 28th (issued June 23rd) as compared to current all time records.
And if we don’t break the all time records on Monday, we will probably have another shot on Tuesday and Wednesday! Here is our current forecast as of June 23rd for Tuesday.
NWS Forecast High Temperature for Tuesday, June 29th (issued June 23rd)
It is worth noting that a few models (especially the GFS) want to take the heat up another notch, suggesting temps near or above 110F for Spokane and near 120F for Moses Lake. Spokane
Meteogram of forecast raw model temperatures for GEG (Spokane International Airport) through Wednesday, June 30th, 2021
Moses Lake
Meteogram of forecast raw model temperatures for Moses Lake through Wednesday, June 30th, 2021
While these values are not currently forecast, it does have our attention. The record for the state of Washington and Idaho is 118 degrees at Ice Harbor Dam, WA and Orofino, ID so we will be watching for this potential closely. What other impacts are expected? As mentioned in a previous blog post, here, our region is currently experiencing severe to extreme drought over much of Eastern Washington into the Idaho Panhandle. The unprecedented heat is not good news for the region. Wheat and hay crops are already starving for soil moisture, and this upcoming heat will only make the soils drier than they currently are.
And what about fire danger? Fuel moisture is expected to dry out considerably, reaching record low values for late June. Fuel moisture comes in different sizes, but all are measures of how dry the grass, twigs, branches, and timber are. Forecast 100 hour (branch size) dead fuel moistures based off model data from the NWCC (Northwest Interagency Coordination Center) are shown below. Red is observed, while blue is the forecast. The bottom gray line is the minimum value on record. The plot below is for NE Washington but the same idea applies to other areas of Central and Eastern Washington into the ID Panhandle. As you can see the red line has dipped near the minimum value several times since mid-May (likely due to the drought). The blue forecast line is expected to drop fuel moisture to record lows for this time of year.
100 hour fuel moisture (%) for NE Washington. Red is observed, Blue is forecast from model data
Safety tipsSo what can you do to stay safe during this heat wave? Here are some suggestions
Drink plenty of fluids and wear light colored clothes
Check on and take care of those vulnerable to heat (children, those with chronic medical conditions, elderly, pets)
Stay inside during the hottest times of the day (afternoon and early evening)
Maggie Caldwell, Earthjustice, (347) 527-6397, mcaldwell@earthjustice.org Andrea Zaccardi, Center for Biological Diversity, (303) 854-7748, azaccardi@biologicaldiversity.org Bonnie Rice, Sierra Club, (406) 640-2857, bonnie.rice@sierraclub.org
New Montana Trapping Policies Could Cause Collateral Damage to Threatened Animals
BOZEMAN, Mont.— Citing the risk to other imperiled animals, Earthjustice sent a notice of intent to sue the state of Montana today for implementing new laws permitting snaring of wolves and expanding trapping seasons to reduce the wolf population.
These new laws increase the likelihood that grizzly bears and Canada lynx, both federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, may be injured or killed by snares and other traps set for wolves.
Earthjustice sent the notice on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Clearwater, Humane Society of the United States, International Wildlife Coexistence Network, Sierra Club, Western Watersheds Project, Wilderness Watch, and Wolves of the Rockies.
“The Montana legislature and governor’s policies on wolf management are not about hunting, they are state-sponsored eradication the likes of which we haven’t seen since the 19th century,” said Ben Scrimshaw, Earthjustice attorney. “Traps and snares frequently capture, injure, and kill non-target animals, and to increase this activity in known grizzly and lynx habitat is going to result in a lot of dead federally protected wildlife.”
“Montana’s expansion of strangulation snares and other traps is an appalling attack on the wolf population, but many other imperiled animals will also die,” said Andrea Zacccardi, a senior attorney at the Center. “These unscientific and aggressive laws threaten to kill various native wildlife, including federally protected grizzly bears and Canada lynx.”
“The cruelty of strangling neck snares and steel-jawed leghold traps has no place in the twenty-first century,” said Nichols Arrivo, an attorney for the Humane Society of the United States. “These barbaric and indiscriminate devices will inevitably turn dogs, grizzly bears and Canada lynx into casualties of Montana’s egregious war on wolves.”
“Montana’s unwarranted, extreme new laws aimed at annihilating the wolf population are a sharp departure from the state’s historically more reasoned, science-based approach to wildlife management,” said Bonnie Rice, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club. “The proliferation of strangling neck snares across Montana’s landscape will not only injure and kill countless wolves, but also threatened species including grizzly bears and lynx, as well as domestic pets.”
“Montana’s new anti-wildlife laws recall the anti-predator hysteria that led to the near extirpation of wolves from the lower 48 states in the early 1900s,” said Jocelyn Leroux, Washington and Montana director for Western Watersheds Project. “These laws completely ignore science and agency professionals, codify the use of cruel and senseless wolf extermination measures, and will catch countless federally protected grizzly bears and Canada lynx in the crosshairs.”
“Montana’s legislature has declared a war on wolves and other wildlife that imperils even our wildest places,” said George Nickas, executive director of Wilderness Watch. “Citizens don’t have to sit back and let it happen. This notice sends the message that we won’t.”
“It was clear to us 10 years ago the Montana state management of wolves was based on special interest and irrational hatred,” said Marc Cooke, president of Wolves of the Rockies. “The time is now to protect Montana wolves from commercialization and state management for future generations.”
Background
Approved in May, Montana’s Senate Bill 314 could lead to the slaughter of more than 85% of the state’s wolves. The law pushes the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission to authorize hunters and trappers to kill an unlimited number of wolves through baiting, trapping and night hunts using night-vision scopes and spotlighting.
In addition, Montana House Bill 224 allows trapping-license holders to snare multiple wolves during the state’s trapping seasons, while House Bill 225 expands the wolf-trapping season by four weeks, threatening grizzly bears in their non-denning season. Costs that wolf hunters and trappers incur during this prolonged season can be reimbursed under Senate Bill 267’s bounty program.
![PIC FROM Kennedy News and Media (PICTURED: THE COMPASS INN, DECORATED TO CELEBRATE BREXIT DAY ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 31.) A landlady is facing the wrath of irate locals after announcing the pub was to be 'adults only' - banning under 12s to save the boozer from being 'a creche'. Lucy Draper announced her new no-child policy on The Compass Inn's Facebook page yesterday [Tuesday] as she banned youngsters from entering any time except Sunday lunchtimes. However the move has been branded 'inconsiderate' and 'ridiculous' as hundreds of customers took to social media to declare they would now boycott the establishment. DISCLAIMER: While Kennedy News and Media uses its best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied and the publication of images is solely at your discretion. SEE KENNEDY NEWS COPY - 0161 697 4266](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/PRI_163029830.jpg)
