InShanna Swan’s new book, she details how pollution isleading to an “existential crisis” in fertility rates with a chemical used in plastics called phthalates leading to male babies being born with smaller or malformed penises, Sky Newsreported on Wednesday.
FILE – Daniel Bolling works out at the Downtown Gym, Monday, May 18, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
(KUTV) — After news broke that Krispy Kreme is giving free donuts to those who show their COVID-19 vaccination card, a gym owner in New Jersey is doing the opposite.
Ian Smith, owner of The Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, N.J., said on Twitter that his gym is giving out free memberships to “all who don’t get vaccinated.”https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1374435699668127744&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Ffoxbaltimore.com%2Fnews%2Foffbeat%2Fgym-owner-giving-free-memberships-to-those-who-dont-get-vaccinated-1&siteScreenName=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Ffoxbaltimore&theme=light&widgetsVersion=e1ffbdb%3A1614796141937&width=550px
In the tweet, Smith said:
“In light of @krispykreme giving free donuts for receiving the CVD shot, here at @TheAtilisGym we are giving out free memberships to all who don’t get vaccinated. We believe in health – the real way – exercise, good diet, plenty of Vitamin D, Zinc, and an environment to destress.”
Smith also made news in 2007, when he killed 19-year-old…
The potential of soils to slow climate change by soaking up carbon may be less than previously thought
Grassland in Russia. The study suggests that plans to plant trees is such areas to combat climate change may be counterproductive.Photograph: Valery Matytsin/TASS
The storage potential of one of the Earth’s biggest carbon sinks – soils – may have been overestimated, research shows. This could mean ecosystems on land soaking up less of humanity’s emissions than expected, and more rapid global heating.
Soils and the plants that grow in them absorb about a third of the carbon emissions that drive the climate crisis, partly limiting the impact of fossil-fuel burning. Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere can increase plant growth and, until now, it was assumed carbon storage in soils would increase too.
For over forty years, the Commerford Zoo has exploited Minnie and forced her to perform for their financial gain. Over the past two years, both of Minnie’s elephant companions died. She is now held alone, without the psychologically necessary companionship of other elephants, at the Commerford Zoo’s small farm in Goshen, CT.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Please complete this action alert asking the US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to order that the USDA conduct an emergency inspection of the Commerford Zoo to ensure that Minnie is safe and properly cared for.
?Take future action with a single click. Log in or Sign up for FastActionContact InformationPrefixFirst NameLast NameEmailRemember me so that I can use FastAction next time.Urgent concerns about an elephant at a Connecticut roadside zoo Dear Secretary Vilsack, I am writing to express serious concerns about the welfare of Minnie, an Asian elephant owned by the Commerford Zoo in Goshen, CT, who has not been seen in public for over a year. Personalize your messageThank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter. Sincerely, [Your information here]
What was revealed yesterday putsa big bloody handprint on all the bills undoubtably headed to Montana Governor Gianforte’s desk to exterminate wolves and take no prisoners.
If wolves aren’t already targeted with hate and revenge, our newly elected Governor, Greg Gianforte, in mid February,illegally trapped and killed a collared Yellowstone wolf,#1155,allegedly 10 miles outside the park’s northern boundary.
Why and why there? To give us all the finger?To rub it in? Wolf haters take great pride in killing what we love. Yellowstone wolves carry the biggest target on their backs. Was this to skip out from the legislative session and get the party started?To celebrate the handwriting is on the wall for (HB224) wolf snaring, extended wolf trapping season (HB225), kill em all, and by any despicable way you can devise (SB314),while getting paid to do so (SB267), appointing the Wildlife Commission members (HB163) mandating they enforce this…
The new study focused on summer lightning flashes, or “strokes,” detected above 65 degrees latitude—that includes parts of northern Canada, Alaska and Russia, as well as Greenland and the central Arctic Ocean.
The data suggests that the total number of Arctic lightning strokes has…
1 of 4FILE – This Aug. 29, 2017, file photo provided by the North Korean government shows what was said to be the test launch of a Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — New U.S. president, same old North Korean playbook. Almost.
Two months after President Joe Biden took office, North Koreais again turning to weapons teststo wrest outside concessions. But the tests so far have been relatively small compared to past launches. That indicates Washington has a window of engagement before North Korea pursues bigger provocations.
This week, North Korea’s neighbors reported the country fired four short-range missiles into the sea in its first missile launches in about a year. The launches — two on Sunday, two on Thursday — came after the North said it had…
“Ever since we arrived on this planet as a species, we’ve cut them down, dug them up, burnt them and poisoned them. Today we are doing so on a greater scale than ever.” – Sir David Attenborough
I start my article with this quote not only out of respect to its author, climate change activist David Attenborough, but due to its succinct message.
This quote is so brilliant because it can be interpreted in so many ways. This quote encapsulates how we, as the human species, have affected every element of the earth’s circle of life through our insensitive desire to be at the top of the food chain.
The “them” can apply to anything: fossil fuels, wildlife, the ocean and, most importantly, the animals that we live side by side with.
In my eyes, I see this quote as a message to the world and its leaders on why trophy hunting (the act of killing a wild animal for sport) should not remain legal any longer.
Most people struggle to understand why hunters want to take life from such beautiful animals.
The statistics from a 2016 report from the International Fund for Animal Welfare found that 1.7 million hunting trophies were traded between nations between 2004 and 2014, of which 200,000 were endangered.”
Even though this data was collected a few years ago, it still highlights the ever increasing number of trophies being exported and traded, meaning more and more animals are being killed. Which I believe needs to stop.
There is an ongoing biodiversity crisis on our planet. Biodiversity refers to the variety of animals and life on earth and sadly this is ever decreasing. A statistic from CareOurEarthsays that the current rate of global extinction is 100 times higher than the average over the last million years.
Serious action needs to take place in order to prevent any more of the Earth’s biodiversity from being lost- and this must start with change. Trophy hunting laws might be a good place to start.
Walter Palmer’s killing of Cecil made international news in 2015. It is estimated that hunting has led to the lion species’ gene pool shrinking by 15 percent in the space of 100 years.
This lion, Cecil, lived in Hwange National Park in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe. On the 2nd July 2015, he was killed by American trophy hunter Walter Palmer. Cecil was allegedly lured out of his enclosure then shot with a bow and arrow and left there in extreme pain. Palmer then came back the next day to shoot the lion. On discovery that Palmer had a permit, making the murder legal, controversy arose. A petition was created to change laws on big game hunts in Zimbabwe.
There have been numerous cases where hunters have told journalists and news broadcasters that there is a conservation side to trophy hunting. Some argue that the land allocated for trophy hunting provides protection to species’ habitats and can benefit local communities with both employment and wildlife (when done correctly). Canned hunting in particular means the animals are bred and the species are saved from otherwise definite extinction in the wild.
And yet the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation found that that only 3% of hunting revenue went to causes such as helping communities. This tells us that there is only a minor contribution to communities and they are able to cope with or without the revenue brought in, even before any ethical considerations.
These so called acts of conservation make the wildlife into an economical asset, which does not solve the problem- rather, it endangers species by giving them an economic value that humans might seek out. The treatment of species which are not yet endangered as assets to be collected or traded will surely lead them to the same fate as those already under threat.
Fortunately, there are wildlife conservation examples to be seen, mainly in Africa, which help preserve suffering species from game hunting. An example is The Makalali Game Reserve ,which is one of South Africa’s private reserves. Their aim is to counteract illegal hunting and wildlife trade by game hunters preying on critically endangered animals. The conservation area gives shelter to the animals known as ‘The Big 5’: lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes and rhinos.
Elephants are in the top five most sought after animals for trophy hunters.
These animals are the most likely to be hunted due to their distinctive features; whether that is tusks from an elephant or a fur coat from a leopard- these are financial opportunities to hunters, who will either illegally or legally sell these items as commodities, or keep them for their own display.
The ban of trophies being imported to the UK through new laws has seen improvement, and is expected to dis-incentivise hunters who can no longer bring their trophies home. This is a glint of hope but there is a lot that still needs to be done.
I end this article with yet another quote by Sir David for the younger generation to ponder on.
“Cherish the natural world, because you are a part of it and you depend on it.”
By:MTN NewsPosted at1:30 PM, Mar 23, 2021and last updated7:25 AM, Mar 24, 2021
HELENA — Gov. Greg Gianforte has been given a warning by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) afterreportedly trapping and killing a wolf this Februarywhile not having the proper education certification, a violation of state hunting laws.
The wolf was trapped and killed on private property near Gardiner north of Yellowstone National Park.
FWP warning for Greg Gianforte
The Governor’s Office issued a statement after reports of the alleged violation surfaced, “After learning that he had not completed the wolf-trapping certification, Governor Gianforte immediately rectified the mistake and enrolled in the wolf-trapping certification course. The governor had all other proper licenses.”
