Jilly_in_VA
Jilly_in_VA's JournalIs breeding bulldogs cruel? Animal groups debate how to make them healthier
Wrinkled, jowly faces. Squat legs. Prominent underbite.
Bulldogs and French bulldogs are among the most popular breeds in the U.S. But according to a growing body of evidence, that distinctive bulldog look also leads to serious health problems for many dogs.
In late January, a court in Norway banned the breeding of bulldogs, after an animal welfare group argued that chronic inbreeding and an exaggerated body shape was causing suffering for many dogs. Their flattened face and shortened airway can cause respiratory issues, sometimes requiring surgery. The dogs are also prone to skin and spinal problems.
The court ruled that breeding the dogs should stop, unless it's to improve the health of the breeds or to bring in new genetic material. The ruling is being appealed currently, but it's sent shock waves across the world, including the U.S.
Some veterinary and animal rights groups argue that bulldog breeders should be required to use genetic and health testing, so dogs with serious problems aren't bred. They say breeding to change the body shape of bulldogs, like making their snouts longer, could also alleviate some health issues.
Bulldog breeding groups adamantly oppose changes, arguing that irresponsible breeders are causing health issues for dogs. Still, recent genetic studies show that bulldogs are so inbred, there may not be enough genetic diversity in the breed to eliminate some health problems. Under purebred dog rules, bulldogs can only be bred with other bulldogs, limiting the overall gene pool.
"We say that the dogs are our best friends, but we are not the bulldog's best friend at all," says Ashild Roaldset, CEO of the Norwegian Society for the Protection of Animals. "If this was your best friend, you wouldn't want it to have all these conditions. You would want it to have a better life."
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/15/1085173405/bulldogs-health-breed-ban
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I agree 100%. There is a "breed" (not "recognized"
called the American Bulldog that is absolutely delightful and doesn't have these problems. One of my grandsons has one in his family. She's a sweetheart.
Russian Billionaire's Superyacht Mysteriously Vanishes
It’s a 230-foot superyacht with room for 28 guests and crew—and yet, in the last week, it has seemingly vanished, just as other vessels belonging to Russian billionaires have been frozen or seized.
The Galactica Super Nova, owned by Lukoil CEO Vagit Alekperov, sailed in recent weeks from Barcelona to Tivat, Montenegro, arriving on March 1. But just a day later, the boat departed, according to data from the ship-tracking company MarineTraffic.
An official at the port in Montenegro confirmed that the yacht was no longer there.
Soon after it left, Galactica’s automatic tracking system, also known as AIS, stopped pinging out signals, reports MarineTraffic and its competitors VesselFinder and VesselsValue. As of Wednesday afternoon Central European Time, the boat had yet to update its location.
It is legally required for all yachts of Galactica’s size to have their AIS turned on “at all times,” said Sam Tucker, head of superyachts at VesselsValue. “For the past 12 months, we have had a very reliable signal coming from this vessel, so after seeing it [leave] Porto Montenegro, we are very surprised that there has been no signal received from either our satellites or ground stations.”
Duncan Bateson, a marine lawyer based in London, said it was likely that “if captains of Russian-linked boats are turning off their AIS tracker, then it's because they're trying to evade being tracked.”
Lukoil did not respond to requests for comment.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-billionaire-vagit-alekperovs-superyacht-galactica-super-nova-mysteriously-vanishes?ref=home
'We all will be judged:' Russian POWs voice disquiet, shame over war in Ukraine
"I want to tell our commander-in-chief to stop terror acts in Ukraine because when we come back we'll rise against him."
Russian President Vladimir Putin "has given orders to commit crimes. It's not just to demilitarize Ukraine or defeat the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but now cities of peaceful civilians are being destroyed."
"The crimes that we committed; we all will be judged."
These are the voices of Russian prisoners of war now held by Ukraine.
Nearly a dozen have appeared in news conferences held by the Ukrainian authorities, just a few of the 600 that Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky says have been captured.
Their public appearances may be questionable under the Geneva Conventions, which forbid states from causing unnecessary humiliation to prisoners of war. And it is possible that they felt pressure to express views sympathetic to those of their captors.
But three captured Russian air force pilots who spoke to CNN did not suggest they were speaking under duress.
CNN requested access to speak with the prisoners with the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. That request was made prior to a press conference that took place in Kyiv on Friday. CNN spoke with the three men immediately after that press conference.
CNN were the only journalists in the room and at no time did Ukrainian Security Services, who were in the room throughout, interject or direct CNN or the prisoners to ask or answer specific questions. The interview was conducted in Russian.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/15/europe/ukraine-russian-prisoners-of-war-intl/index.html
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It is apparent that Russian Army morale sucks
'It is unbelievable': Francis Kr becomes first black architect to win the Pritzker prize
Few architects have experienced such a meteoric rise, against such odds, as Francis Kéré. Born in a remote village in Burkina Faso without running water or electricity, he began his career by building a mud-brick school for his community, before being selected to design the country’s national parliament less than 15 years later. Now he continues his unparalleled trajectory, named as the winner of the 2022 Pritzker prize, architecture’s highest international accolade.
“It is unbelievable,” said Kéré, speaking from his office in Berlin. “I don’t know how this all happened. First of all I am happy and overwhelmed, but the prize also brings a great sense of responsibility. My life is not going to be easier.”
He is the first black architect to be recognised in the prestigious award’s 43-year history, reflecting the profession’s overwhelmingly white, male, middle-class bias – a product of systemic discrimination that still plagues the industry.
“I don’t want to talk about racism directly,” he said, “but this is a field where you need a lot of resources. You really need to be strong and be lucky, as competitions are not always so open. I hope that young people in Africa will see me and know that this is a possible path for them too.”
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/mar/15/it-is-unbelievable-francis-kere-becomes-first-black-architect-to-win-the-pritzker-prize
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His buildings are amazing! See to believe!
Mug shot: Republican Josh Hawley told to stop using January 6 fist salute photo
The Republican senator Josh Hawley must stop using an infamous picture of him raising his fist to protesters at the US Capitol on January 6 on campaign merchandise, the news site Politico said.
The shot was taken on 6 January 2021 as Hawley, from Missouri, made his way into the Capitol for the certification of electoral college results in Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump.
Supporters Trump told to “fight like hell” in defense of his lie about electoral fraud attacked the Capitol. The attempt to stop certification failed but Hawley was one of 147 Republicans to lodge objections regardless.
A bipartisan Senate report connected seven deaths to the riot. Trump was impeached.
In February, Hawley’s campaign started selling $20 mugs featuring the picture, with the caption “Show-Me Strong”, a play on Missouri’s “Show-Me State” nickname.
The picture was taken by E&E News, which Politico bought in December. On Monday, Politico said it had sent a cease and desist letter and said: “We do not authorize [the picture’s] use by the Hawley campaign for the purpose of political fundraising, which the campaign has been put on notice of by legal counsel.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/15/josh-hawley-january-6-fist-photo
QAnon Thinks Trump Says 'Chy-na' to Send a Secret Message About Ukraine
QAnon followers are boosting an unhinged new conspiracy theory that claims former President Donald Trump was purposely mispronouncing the word “China” for years, as part of a secret plot to alert the world that COVID-19 was manufactured in Ukraine.
The latest conspiracy theory being spread among QAnon adherents ties in with the wider conspiracy about U.S. biolabs in Ukraine and suggests that QAnon may be shifting its longstanding perception of China as the enemy.
The new conspiracy theory, first flagged by disinformation expert Marc Owen Jones, has been bubbling up on QAnon channels on Telegram for the past week.
First, some enterprising QAnon sleuth claimed to have “discovered” that there was a place in Ukraine called “chy-na” and further claimed that Trump’s distinct pronunciation of “China” was the former president’s attempt to signal to his followers that what he was talking about was “chy-na” in Ukraine, and not China.
In recent days, the theory has grown, and many QAnon followers now argue that when Trump referred to COVID-19 as the “China virus,” he was secretly referring to the Ukrainian chy-na, and trying to tell the world that the virus was manufactured in Ukraine, a claim that ties in with the broader belief that Ukraine is home to some “deep state” plot to control the world.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/88gbax/qanon-thinks-trump-says-chy-na-to-send-a-secret-message-about-ukraine
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Your daily dose of disinfo/laughter
Hendersonville political pundit denies working for Russian state-run media
Scottie Nell Hughes is well-aware of the tweets.
“You are quite literally working for Putin. Your actions will not be forgotten,” one man tweeted at her.
“I wonder if North Korea will hire Scottie Nell Hughes now,” tweeted another.
The vitriol toward the Hendersonville resident has increased so much that she’s now placed her Twitter account on safety mode, a temporary block to keep away what she describes as hatred towards her and all the employees of the now-shuttered RT America.
The network, funded by the Russian government, abruptly shut down this month after carriers from Roku to DirecTV dropped it from their platforms following the invasion of Ukraine.
“I do know that there was so much hate that was being targeted – not only to myself but my colleagues – obviously people that were from other countries, including Russia,” Hughes said.
In its coverage of RT America’s closure, CNN described the network as “one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s main mouthpieces in the US.”
Dr. Robert W. Orttung, research professor of International Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, said RT, the main network of Russia’s state-run media, routinely promotes Russia propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine.
https://www.wvlt.tv/2022/03/14/hendersonville-political-pundit-denies-working-russian-state-run-media/
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Sorry, ya wee snowflake, but you ARE working for the Russian propaganda machine!
'Turning Red' spurs debate about double standards in film criticism
“Turning Red,” Pixar’s first feature-length film directed by an Asian woman, received strongly favorable reviews overall by film critics and audience members — but not without some criticizing it as too “alienating” and “narrow.”
The coming-of-age story follows a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian, Meilin, who must learn how to navigate puberty and be a dutiful daughter. She has an ancestral connection to red pandas and is imbued with the ability to turn into the animal when she feels intense emotions.
The film, directed by Academy Award winner Domee Shi and starring Sandra Oh (as Meilin's mother), was rated 95 percent certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and was ranked 12 out of 26 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of Pixar films. The overall critics' consensus on the website was positive and read: “Heartwarming, humorous, beautifully animated, and culturally expansive, Turning Red extends Pixar’s long list of family-friendly triumphs."
But a Twitter user pointed out the discrepancy between critics and the public, with some viewers saying it’s “targeted to a specific audience” and “wildly inappropriate."
One viewer on Rotten Tomatoes said the film was “totally unrelatable to the general population,” while another said it was “crude” to talk about puberty; both gave the film one star.
Some of the criticism surrounds the idea of encouraging teenage rebellion, but a number of viewers and critics are pointing out some of the double standards in the criticism and how race and gender might play into the idea of not being relatable.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/turning-red-spurs-debate-double-standards-film-criticism-rcna19938
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This really brings the question of "Who is doing the loudest screaming and why?" Let's talk about that.
How the biggest pro-Trump Republicans seriously misread the Russia moment
In late January, as Russia’s troops amassed along Ukraine’s borders, many of the GOP’s most Trump-friendly figures preached caution over confrontation. According to Axios’ reporting, the GOP’s up-and-comers feared they would “alienate the base” of the Republican Party by pushing too hard against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ambitions for Europe. They thought they had their finger on the pulse of an ascendant movement within the Republican Party. They were wrong.
“You’d think we would have learned our lesson by now when it comes to policing the world and ‘democracy building’ thousands of miles away,” said Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters. “I gotta be honest with you, I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,” Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance asserted, citing domestic border security and opioid addiction as more pressing national emergencies. Even after Moscow moved troops into Ukraine, the avatars of populist Republicanism continued to remind right-wing voters that they should care more about cultural conflict than the real thing. “Has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him? Has he shipped every middle-class job in my town to Russia?” Fox News host Tucker Carlson asked incredulously. “Is he teaching my children to embrace racial discrimination? Is he making fentanyl? Is he trying to snuff out Christianity? Does he eat dogs?”
If the aperture through which you view conservative politics is narrowed to the point that it is limited to only Trump’s presidency, this is a defensible political strategy. After all, the former president still enjoys the affection of a critical mass of Republican voters, and Trump’s rhetoric when it came to Russia was reliably favorable toward Putin. But the MAGA wing of the GOP misjudged the mood on the American right when it came to Russia.
When President Joe Biden gifted Putin a bipartisan summit in June 2021, CBS News/YouGov found 62 percent of Republicans described the Russian leader as “unfriendly” or “an enemy.” Fully two-thirds of GOP respondents agreed with the idea that Biden “should take a tough stand” against Russia. In late January, the Pew Research Center found that this sentiment had not abated. Most self-identified Republicans called Russia a “competitor,” while another 39 percent described Russia as an “enemy.” Moreover, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s border represented either a “major” or “minor threat” to U.S. interests.
Last month, on the eve of Russia’s invasion, another CBS News/YouGov survey found that only 9 percent of Republicans supported Russia over Ukraine while nearly 60 percent of Republicans accused Biden of being “too friendly” toward Putin. And today, with Russia on the march, Quinnipiac pollsters found that 74 percent of GOP voters don’t think Biden’s response to the invasion of Ukraine has been tough enough. Two-thirds of Republican respondents support accepting Ukrainian refugees into the country and the same number back a ban on importing Russian oil, even if it means higher prices at the pump.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/russia-trump-s-greatest-republican-allies-drastically-misread-signs-n1291736
Ghost Army honored with gold medal, but who were they?
It could have been a scene from a Hollywood movie. The set looked real. The actors played their parts perfectly. They had everyone fooled.
Instead, the scene was set behind enemy lines in France and later Germany during 1944 and 1945. They may have been actors, but they also were soldiers risking their lives in an attempt to lure Nazi troops away from advancing U.S. forces.
Very few outside the unit knew about the work done by the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops during World War II because the project was a highly guarded and effective tool of warfare.
The soldiers in the 23rd, also known as the Ghost Army were sworn to secrecy in case the Army planned to use the tactic in future wars. Not even their families knew what they did.
Fifty years later, the top-secret missions were declassified and documents pertaining to the 23rd’s actions released, leaving soldiers free to talk about one of the Army's most successful missions. It took another 25 years before their work was recognized by Congress.
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2022/03/13/mississippi-louisiana-ghost-army-members-remembered-after-gold-medal/9409650002
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I never heard of these guys until today, but what a great story!
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Member since: Wed Jun 1, 2011, 07:34 PM
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