Friday, 2010

..AD....

There is an elephant in the room. Really:

Two baby elephants intended as a gift to North Korea are unlikely to survive the journey by air, Zimbabwean conservationists said Thursday.


The independent Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said the 18-month-old elephants were being held in pens in the western Hwange National Park, along with pairs of most of the park's other animal species bound for North Korea. The country is a longtime ally of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

And:


Animals rights groups are taking the City of Edmonton to court over Lucy, the Asian elephant at the city-run Valley Zoo.


And:

In the last four years the Canadian government has allowed over one and a quarter million baby seals to be brutally slaughtered by clubbing and shooting, with the majority of seals killed aged three months or younger.

This is the largest most brutal slaughter of marine mammals on the planet and brings shame upon Canada. Respect for Animals is committed to ending this brutality.

Opinion polls show that the majority of people in Europe, the US and Canada are opposed to the seal hunt and 73% of British people support a ban on the import of seal products into the UK.

An independent veterinary study concluded that 42% of seals may have been skinned whilst still conscious. The Canadian government not only defends but also promotes this cruelty.

In May 2009 the European Union voted to ban the trade in seal products. This is a very welcome step forward and we hope it sends a clear and loud message to Canada that the brutal act of clubbing and shooting baby seals will no longer be tolerated.

Some care about elephants and seals and some forget that Kim Jong-Il and Robert Mugabe are evil. Discuss.


In today's news:

US President Barack Obama lashed oil companies Friday for trying to divert blame for the Gulf of Mexico slick and vowed to sever the "cozy" ties between the industry and government regulators.

As experts said the amount of oil flowing into the sea from the crippled Deepwater Horizon rig was likely much higher than estimated, Obama vowed he would not rest until the leak was contained and capped.

(Insert eye-roll here)

The rig, leased by BP from Transocean, has been gushing oil since an explosion on April 20 ripped through the drilling platform and caused it to sink two days later. Eleven workers were killed.

Oh hi:

While the BP oil geyser pumps millions of gallons of petroleum into the Gulf of Mexico, President Barack Obama and members of Congress may have to answer for the millions in campaign contributions they’ve taken from the oil and gas giant over the years.

BP and its employees have given more than $3.5 million to federal candidates over the past 20 years, with the largest chunk of their money going to Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Donations come from a mix of employees and the company’s political action committees — $2.89 million flowed to campaigns from BP-related PACs and about $638,000 came from individuals.

Yep, they'll do that:

Members of Parliament are refusing to let Auditor-General Sheila Fraser examine their expenses, saying she has no right to look at their books – and they don’t plan to give her one.

At a time when all federal departments are cutting programs and squeezing budgets to reduce the deficit, MPs officially rejected Ms. Fraser’s suggestion that her office could help find further savings in the way Parliament spends more than $500-million a year.

“Following careful consideration, the Auditor-General will not be invited to conduct a performance audit of the House of Commons,” reads a statement released Thursday afternoon as many MPs and Senators headed for the airport to get a jump start on a one-week recess.

What a damned injustice to make elected officials accountable for someone else's money!

In conclusion, flair!