Spain's Catalonia bids farewell to bullfighting

By: AP
From: http://www.usatoday.com/




BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Matadors drove the killing sword into bulls for the last time Sunday in Spain's powerful northeastern region of Catalonia in an emotive farewell fight before a polemical regional ban on the country's emblematic tradition takes effect.

Three of Spain's top bullfighters, including No. 1 Jose Tomas, starred in the sold-out show at Barcelona's 20,000-seat Monumental ring. Catalan bullfighter Serafin Marin closed the fight killing the last of six bulls to great applause.

Many fans then invaded the ring to grab handfuls of sand to keep as souvenirs.

The bullfighters were later carried shoulder high from the ring into the streets outside the bullring while the crowd chanted slogans in favor of freedom and against the prohibition. A brief bout of scuffling broke out as fans confronted about 20 animal welfare activists, but there were no reports of injuries or arrests.

The fight was also preceded by moments of tension as pro- and anti-bullfighting activists exchanged insults.

Catalonia's Parliament banned bullfighting in July 2010 following a signature-collection campaign by animal rights activists. The ban does not take effect until Jan. 1, but Sunday's fight was the last scheduled this season.

Critics say the prohibition is less about animal welfare and more a snub to Spain by independence-minded Catalans.

Bullfighting's popularity in Catalonia has plunged in recent decades and the Monumental was its last functioning ring, although the city once boasted three.

Hours before the fight, a small group of anti-bullfight activists gathered outside the arena, celebrating with sparkling wine.

"Obviously a lot of political parties have tried to politicize this, but we mustn't forget that this popular proposal sprouted from a pure pro-animal rights standpoint aimed at eradicating animal cruelty," campaigner Soraya Gaston said.

Others hoped the prohibition might only be temporary.

"It looks like this may be the last day (of bullfights in Catalonia). But the last word hasn't been said yet," fan Eduardo Edurna said. "I think we will have bullfighting back in Catalonia."

The prohibition caused a furor and triggered a nationwide debate over the centuries-old spectacle that inspired such artists and writers as Goya, Picasso and Hemingway.

"Banning bullfighting in Catalonia is nothing more than an attack on liberty," said Carlos Nunez, president of Spain's Mesa del Toro pro-bullfighting umbrella group. "It's the fruit of policies in Catalonia against bullfighting and all that is seen to represent Spain."

Although mostly symbolic — the Monumental staged only some 15 fights a year — the prohibition sent bullfighting supporters frantically looking for ways to overturn the decision or at least make sure it doesn't spread to other regions.

Bullfighter Enrique Ponce of Spain performs during the third bullfight of the 2011 season at the Monumental bullring on July 17 in Barcelona.

Spain's leading conservative opposition Popular Party— tipped to win general elections in November — has appealed the ban before the Constitutional Court, while its Catalan branch is battling for a delay in the implementation of the ban.

Meanwhile, the Mesa del Toro is seeking 500,000 signatures in the hope it can persuade the Madrid national parliament to grant bullfighting cultural heritage status.

Animal rights activists, meanwhile, are triumphant.

"It's like a crack has developed in the armor plating (of bullfighting). It's a small crack but the protective shield might crumble altogether," said Leonardo Anselmi, a key promoter of the Catalan prohibition.

Catalonia is the second of Spain's 17 regions to ban bullfighting. The Canary Islands outlawed the practice in 1991 although it had never been a popular tradition there.

For the moment, however, there are no signs any other Spanish region will follow suit.

The practice was once immensely popular in Barcelona and other Catalan towns but its decline began with the end of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco in 1978 and the subsequent rise in Catalan nationalism and a rejection of things deemed Spanish.

But critics say the hypocrisy of banning bullfighting in the name of animal rights was shown up when months after the ban, Catalonia passed other legislation protecting the "correbous," a typical Catalan town festival event in which flaming balls of wax or fireworks are attached to the horns of bulls which are then taunted and teased by rowdy crowds in bullrings or town squares.

Spain's ancient fascination with bulls, and with using the animals as a test of bravery, is still very much a part of the national identity. Bullfights and related events, such as the annual San Fermin Pamplona bull-runs, make up a multimillion-dollar industry and draw many tourists.

But modern times and the economic crisis have nevertheless hit the tradition hard and surveys consistently show most Spaniards have no interest in bullfighting.

In an article headlined "The Fiesta is Ending," leading newspaper El Pais highlighted that changing tastes and economic difficulties, particularly in small towns, have led to a 34 percent drop in the number of bull-related festival events from 2,622 to 1,724 between 2007 and 2010.

In January, Spain's leading broadcaster said it would no longer show live bullfights in order to protect children from viewing violence.

Nuts for each other: The too-cute-for-words baby squirrels rescued after being blown out of nest by aftermath of Hurricane Katia

By Chris Slack

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

When your companions are so soft and inviting it must be hard to resist snuggling up to them like this.

And these four baby red squirrels have a closer bond than most after surviving being just hours from death.

They were blown out of their tree-top nest by high winds as Britain was struck by the tail-end of Hurricane Katia last week.

Safe and sound: The four baby red squirrels sleep in their bed at the rescue centre. They were found by a passer-by after being blown from their tree-top nest by high winds

The squirrels, who are just five weeks old, were found by a passer-by in the aftermath of the gale-force winds.

The rescued animals were taken to a vets' surgery in nearby Alnwick, Northumberland before being sent to the Sanctuary Wildlife Care Centre at Ulgham near Morpeth.

Sanctuary owner Kim Olson said that if the animals had not been found they would have died within hours, attacked by either magpies of cats.

She added that the animals, which weighed just 70grams, had gone into shock and were very sleepy and still.

The woman who found the baby squirrels was not able to find their mother and sanctuary workers fear that she may still be looking for her offspring.

Before they can be released the five-week-old animals need round the clock care and are being looked after by volunteer Eileen Welsh at her home.

A bit of a handful: The five week old kittens play on volunteer Eileen Walsh's arm at her home

Give us a kiss: One of the baby squirrels give its friend a peck on the cheek

Thirsty work: One of the squirrels drinks his latest bottle of goat's milk, which he is fed at three hour intervals

She uses a tiny bottle to feed them goat's milk every three hours and will continue to care for them over winter.

Kim said: 'At this time of year the squirrels would be collecting food for winter but even if we released them in November they wouldn't have enough time.

'We're planning to release them gradually back into the wild next spring at our special unit, which is at a secret location in Northumberland.

'They're doing absolutely brilliantly now, they're extremely lively and mischievous.'

Refreshment: With drops of milk across his face, this squirrel takes its turn to be fed by Eileen

The sanctuary cares for injured and abandoned wildlife, as well as many unwanted farm animals and pets. It currently has 150 animals.

The centre also organises special days for children with special educational needs or behavioural issues.

It was established by Kim, 49 and her husband, Alan Petterson, in 1993 but struggling to find the £70,000 a year running costs Kim fears that the sanctuary's days are numbered.

She said: 'We're probably the largest animal sanctuary in the whole of the North East.

'We look after so much wildlife; we've got a badger cub, young foxes and injured birds of prey.

'"It's a bleak future for North East wildlife if we don't pull through.'

• For more information visit www.wildlife-sanctuary.co.uk

NOPE: Official Ojai Valley Taxidermy TV Commercial

CHUCK TESTA!

Uploaded by ojaivalleytaxidermy on Aug 14, 2011

http://www.ojaitaxidermy.com
Commercial created by YouTube sensations Rhett and Link as part of "commercial kings"
http://www.ifc.com/rhett-link/episodes/taxidermy-comedy.php

Man Gets 5 Years For Killing Calf With Shovel After Cowboys Beat Saints

By Ryan Wilson

Back Porch Editor

Not even Joey Porter's pitt bulls would condone this: a 22-year old Louisiana man has been sentenced to five years in prison for stealing a calf and beating it to death with a shovel after the Saints lost to the Cowboys during the 2009 season.

According to the Time Picayune David LeBlanc Jr. was one of several men convicted in the case.

LeBlanc helped Dwayne J. Jenkins, 36, and Carnie B. Smith, 29, steal the 3-day-old calf on Dec. 19, 2009, from Folsom's Red Bluff Farms, famous for a petting zoo frequented by schoolchildren. They dragged the animal to the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex on Louisiana 1078, where they had attended the Saints party.

There, LeBlanc pummeled the calf with the shovel until it died while Jenkins and Smith watched, according to authorities.

Obviously a horrific crime and the judge slapped LeBlanc with the harsh sentence because he used "a dangerous weapon" that resulted in the "painful death" of a defenseless animal.

The judge ignored pleas from LeBlanc prior to the sentencing in which LeBlanc said he deserved either the same punishment if not a lighter one than his fellow defendants got because he was "the only one who came forth and told the truth" to investigators.

"The others lied the whole time," added LeBlanc, who wore a black-hooded sweatshirt and dark-blue jeans to the hearing. "(Prison) would ruin my life completely. I have a kid on the way. I could not do that."

I'm still not sure how killing a calf makes up for the Saints losing a football game. Whatever, there were a lot of people (myself included) who thought Michael Vick's prison sentence had more to do with his celebrity than justice being served. Given LeBlanc's punishment, that's apparently not the case.

via NBCDFW

Mike Tyson to Host Reality Show on Animal Planet

By Ryan Wilson
From http://backporch.fanhouse.com/

An idea long overdue: a Mike Tyson reality show. On Animal Planet. SB Nation's Bad Left Hook blog has the details:

Debuting in 2011 and beginning filming soon, a new Animal Planet show starring Mike Tyson will "take audiences inside the intensely competitive and bizarrely fascinating world of pigeon racing," according to a network press release.

"I'm honored to be a part of this monumental show on Animal Planet," said Tyson. "I feel a great pride acting as an official representative for all the pigeon fanciers out there. I want people to see why we love these birds. It feels good returning to the rooftops of the city where it all started for me -- New York."

I first heard about Tyson and his pigeons in 2003, when ESPN's Bill Simmons wrote about the boxer and his birds.

The pigeons. People come and go, wives come and go, fights come and go ... but the pigeons endure. He's been flying them ever since he was a little boy in Brooklyn. After Lewis savagely destroyed him last summer, the most humiliating of defeats, Tyson returned to Harlem and flew his birds for months on end. His wife filed for divorce. The boxing world left him for dead. He kept flying those damned pigeons. Earlier in the morning, I was talking with one of the locals who cares for Tyson's birds when he's away -- a guy named Ron -- who explained, "He likes the way they fly. I think he just likes coming up here. It's his place. He relaxes up here."

I'm intrigued. Not sure if Animal Planet has decided on a name for the show but I'm pushing for the Pigeon Whisperer. It's too obvious not to happen.

Don't give your pets pot brownies, okay?

When it's pot versus pet, there's a bad trip in store

By Andrew Strickler

When Tank, a 3-year-old male pit bull mix, arrived with his owner at a veterinary office in Humboldt County, his jaws packed with white powder, it was clear that something was seriously wrong.

Earlier, Tank had mysteriously consumed an entire box of baking soda -- odd behavior, even for an animal with famously indiscriminate eating habits.

But more disturbing was Tank's demeanor. He sat trembling, his front legs stuck out at an awkward angle, his dilated eyes fixed on a distant point. A check of the heart revealed a coma-like 32 beats per minute, far below normal.

Joseph Humble, the attending veterinarian, suspected poisoning. But from what? The dog's owner pleaded ignorance. Tank, distracted, wasn't saying.

A few minutes later, the mystery was solved. "The guy called me right back and said, 'Doc, I know what happened,' " Humble recalls. " 'The dog ate some pot -- kind of a lot of pot.' "

Marijuana's action on humans is well understood: Once its psychoactive agent, tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC, is carried from the lungs or stomach by blood to the brain, it binds to nerve cells and activates the brain's pleasure centers. Effects include sensory sensitivity, motor impairment and an increased desire for Doritos.

The plant's effect on canines is considerably less benign. Even a few grams can cause staggering, vomiting, urinary incontinence and, in severe cases, seizures and coma. "Some people may enjoy pot, but I assure you dogs do not," Humble says.

Although no statistics are kept on marijuana poisonings, the nation's canine-to-pot ratio reveals potential for a problem. The American Pet Products Manufacturers Assn. estimates that 43 million U.S. households include a dog, while more than 25 million Americans fessed up on a 2003 government survey to having used marijuana at least once in the previous year.

In Northern California, which is believed to have the highest concentration of medical marijuana users in the country and where pot cultivation is a popular hobby, vets face a preponderance of such cases, with some attending to several zonked-out dogs a week.

But unlike in human medicine, where entire textbooks are dedicated to doctor-client communication, there are no such rules for vets, leaving them to their own strategies for broaching a touchy question: Any chance the dog ate your stash?

Because marijuana toxicity can resemble the early stages of a life-threatening poisoning by garden chemicals or antifreeze, identifying the toxin quickly is critical. But due to pot's shaky legal status, many people are reluctant to admit that their pet is stoned, and most vets choose to skirt the issue rather than confront owners.

"The classic question is, 'Do you have teenagers?' " says Edward Haynes, a Mendocino County veterinarian who sees a spike in such cases during the fall pot harvesting months. "Then you say, 'Is it possible that the dog came in contact with any recreational drugs?' " he says.

Owning up to the truth

Even in cases where the owner admits that the dog was exposed to pot, many are still reluctant to take responsibility. Humble, who says he treats dozens of marijuana poisonings every year, says, "It's always a roommate's or the neighbor's. It's never theirs."

As was the case with Tank. His owner explained to Humble that his roommate had baked a tray of potent marijuana cookies, leaving a warning that consumption should be limited to a quarter of a cookie. Left alone, Tank gobbled the entire batch. And the baking soda? "The animal had the munchies," Humble says.

Jeffrey Smith, a vet at Middletown Animal Hospital in Middletown, Calif., says he engages in profiling to aid diagnosis. "The majority of these cases, they tend to be young people, sort of 'living life and loving it' types," he says. "They come in two or three at a time with one pet, kind of nervous and looking at each other."

Other vets employ a mild form of blackmail. In cases where marijuana poisoning is suspected but not owned up to, some vets explain that if a more innocuous poison cannot be identified, their pet will need a full treatment of intravenous fluids, a stomach pump and an enema -- costing the owner hundreds of dollars, not to mention a seriously bad trip for the dog. "About two-thirds of people, you have to kind of squeeze it out of them," says Smith.

Once marijuana poisoning has been established as the cause of the patient's distress, vets say the best approach is to monitor the dog's vital signs and wait. "Most of the time, they do fine if you just let them sleep it off, just like people," says Haynes.

Because of the importance of distinguishing marijuana toxicity from other poisonings, some vets call the 24-hour poison hotline run by the ASPCA Poison Control Center in Urbana, Ill. Since 1998 the center has consulted on about 600 cases of marijuana toxicity among animals from around the country, with New York and California leading the list.

More than 95% of cases involved dogs, a disparity that does not surprise veterinarian Caroline Donaldson, an ASPCA consultant who has written about marijuana toxicity for the journal Veterinary Medicine. "Dogs eat anything and everything. It's the nature of the beast," she says.

Although canines are clearly on the front lines of the pot-versus-pet drug war, the ASPCA has documented a handful of cases involving cats, rabbits and horses. Humboldt County vet Judy Horvath once treated an iguana that fell unconscious after snacking on some buds supplied by its owner.

"We had to hook it up to an electrocardiogram to even find a heartbeat," Horvath says. The iguana came to several days later, shaken but alive.

Is it animal abuse?

Such cases bring up the question of legal responsibility. Although 12 states, including California, have decriminalized marijuana, the federal government still classifies pot alongside heroin and LSD as among the most dangerous Schedule 1 controlled substances. In addition, a 2004 California law obligates vets to report cases of animal abuse or neglect, which could include animals irresponsibly exposed to toxins.

Melissa Stallings of the California Veterinary Medicine Assn. says, "It's really up to each vet to make a common-sense call. They have to ask, does it rise to the level of abuse?" So far there have been no reported cases of a vet turning in a pet owner for pot-related abuse.

Smith sums up the feelings of many vets regarding their role in drug law enforcement. "My only concern is the animal," he says. "I don't have to be the local cop as well as the local vet."

Others feel obliged to take it further.

"A lot of times a kid will stash some pot in his room and leave the door open. In goes the dog and out goes the evidence," Haynes says. Once marijuana poisoning is established, he says he feels obligated to inform parents, if only to protect a dog with impaired short-term memory. "I've busted a lot of teenagers that way."

Whale-Sized Marshmallows Deployed to Thwart Japanese Whalers

Written by Jerry James Stone

Just Born — the makers of Marshmallow Peeps — says they’ll be producing whale-shaped, and whale-sized, Marshmallow Peeps in an effort to end Japanese whaling.

The Peep-maker said the joint effort is between Darryl Hannah, The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Greenpeace, and that they are uniting under the moniker PEEP: People for Everything and Everyone on the Planet.

PEEP will be using the marshmallow whale Peeps as decoys, hopefully tricking Japanese whalers into harpooning those instead of cute and cuddly whales. If successful, PEEP will look into other decoy opportunities. Baby seal Peeps are under strong consideration, especially with Canada’s seal hunt underway.

PEEP is Darryl Hannah’s brainchild.

Each Easter, Hannah and fellow gal-pal Drew Barrymore get together for a ritual Spring Cleaning. The tradition involves naming and nuking [microwaving] Marshmallow Peeps until they explode. The Peeps usually don names of prominent conservatives and members of the GOP. Last year when the Rush Limbaugh Peep kept getting bigger and fatter, and just wouldn’t die…Hannah had an idea.

The former mermaid had this to say, “Last Easter, after the Rush Limbaugh Peep broke Drew’s microwave, we joked…what if we covertly replaced prominent members of the GOP with Marshmallow Peeps. Like a McCain McPeep? So we actually tried making a few, but it just didn’t work out.”

“At first we tried making a Karl Rove Peep, but the mold kept turning out like that Emperor guy from Star Wars [the originals, not those crappy sequels],” she laughed. “The GOPeeps just weren’t working, it was really hard to get them right, and someone kept eating the Sarah Palin one!”

She said it was her work on Splash that gave her the idea of whale Peeps.

One obstacle, and the reason it took a year to develop the whale-sized Peeps, is that Peeps aren’t veggie friendly. “We wanted Greenpeace on our side.” Hannah said. “The last thing you wanna do is piss off a bunch of vegans from Greenpeace,” she warned.

Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, said, “We will start deploying the whale Peeps when the ship leaves port next.” This is expected to happen sometime in June.

The whale Peeps will come in three flavors: pink, yellow and krill.

Source: Just Born, Inc.

NY eatery frees ancient lobster

Large lobsters are usually too big to get caught in traps

A lobster believed to be some 140 years old is to be freed from the confines of a tank at a New York restaurant.

George the giant lobster, weighing 9kg (20lb), will be returned to the ocean, from where he was caught two weeks ago.

The crustacean was bought for $100 (£66) by the City Crab and Seafood and quickly adopted as its mascot, posing for pictures with restaurant patrons.

But animal rights group Peta sought the lobster's release, and will now put it back into the waters off Maine.

It will enter the ocean in the waters around Kennebunkport, where lobster trapping is banned.

George was originally caught off Newfoundland, Canada, and has spent about 10 days in the tank at City Crab and Seafood.

These intriguing animals don't deserve to be confined to tiny tanks or boiled alive Ingrid Newkirk Peta

The approximate age of a lobster can be deduced from its weight.

Restaurant manager Keith Valenti said there was never any intent to harm the lobster, and the decision to keep it in the tank was made to offer customers a little something extra.

"We bought a big lobster, started taking pictures with kids and it worked out real well," Mr Valenti told Reuters news agency.

But it was a "no brainer", he added, to agree to the request to return George to the ocean.

"We never intended him to be sold, just draw attention to the restaurant, and he did."

Ingrid Newkirk, of Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) praised the decision.

"We applaud the folks at City Crab and Seafood for their compassionate decision to allow this noble old-timer to live out his days in freedom and peace.

"We hope that their kind gesture serves as an example that these intriguing animals don't deserve to be confined to tiny tanks or boiled alive."

4 dogs vs. 1 desperate coyote (intense photos)

Click here for the whole collection of pics

Huge Sonic Fan gets Ban on Hedgehogs overturned

11-year-old fights city hall, and wins

Story by Chad Lawhorn

4:34 p.m. Friday, January 2, 2009

This little guy changed Lawrence law...Or maybe it was this little guy

11 year-old Judson King became so enamored with the blue video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, he decided he needed a real one.

Then . .

"I got the breaking news they were illegal and that kind of made me really mad," Judson said.

Lawrence's animal code has long prohibited the fury rodents in the city limits, a fact that didn't particularly upset Judson's mother.

"I thought, that's my out. Now I don't have to get him one. Then he said, 'How do we make them legal?'" mom Rebecca Weeks said.

And that began a three year effort, perhaps crusade is a better word, to make hedgehogs legal in the city.

"I pretty much did research every single night for the past three years, and I daydreamed about having them. I had about 5,000 pictures of them," Judson said.

After the research, Judson sent a letter to city commissioners in January 2008, essentially asking them why they didn't like hedgehogs.

Eleven months later, commissioners put his issue on a city commission agenda.

"I was just playing with hedgehog pictures and then my mom comes in and says, "You are going in front of the city commission on Tuesday. I thought I would faint," Judson said.

At city hall, Judson arrived in a suit and tie and armed with personalized folders full of hedgehog facts for each of the commissioners.

It was no contest. Commissioners could not find a good reason why they were banned in the first place.

Judson King one, city commissioner nothing.

"I loved having him. I think he ought to run for commission in April," City Commissioner Sue Hack said.

Judson may not have the time.

Three years after he first asked for it, Judson got his hedgehog, Little Luke, for Christmas.

"Oh, it has been really worth it," Rebecca said.

Judson says all is going well with his new pet. But because hedgehogs are nocturnal, Little Luke's stirring frequently wakes Judson in the middle of the night.

Animal rights group throws flour on fur-clad Lohan

By RACHID AOULI, Associated Press Writer

AP – U.S. actress Lindsay Lohan, right, and disc jockey Samantha Ronson pose for photographers as they arrive …

PARIS – U.S. actress Lindsay Lohan has been pelted with a flour bomb on arrival at a Paris nightclub wearing a fur stole.

Animal rights activists showered the 22-year-old actress with flour when she went to the VIP Room Theater in the early hours of Saturday with her friend, disc jockey Samantha Ronson.

The owner of the nightclub helped Lohan dust off her blue sequined dress and black stole before she posed on the red carpet. Ronson went on to spin tracks for a crowd that included reggae rapper Shaggy and "I Kissed a Girl" singer Katy Perry.