Yemen, the new Uprising in the Middle East

Yemen is having strong protests, similar to many other countries in the Middle East.  The president is being pressured to step down, but he refuses and claims he will work out a plan for him to step down in the coming years.  That's what happened in Egypt, and it didn't end well for the president.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, increasingly isolated amid defections and resignations, clung to power on Tuesday despite continuing protests and ominous signs of fragmentation among the nation’s main military units.

The protests have been lasting and have had an effect on the nation.  Many have expected the President to step down by now but he hasn't.  The military has divided into two over the issue, and the leader of the army has sided with the protesters.  These people want a change in Yemen.  It's the domino effect, and Yemen is falling to protesters like much of the area around it.  It has been violent, many protectors of the republic have killed several protesters.  The US is afraid of a power vacuum in Yemen.  Al Qaeda is a dominant force in Yemen, and they could be the next in power of the president leaves.  The US hopes for a peaceful transition to a democracy, without terrorist activities.

Situation on the Ground in Libya

After the the allied air strikes in Libya, the no fly zone is enforced from the west east coast.  What does this mean for both the Rebels and Gadhafi's ground forces.

Coalition airstrikes brought a day of respite for residents of the besieged rebel-held city of Misrata Wednesday, but Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi showed no signs of backing off attacks on civilians.

Gadhafi is still attacking citizens, however, he is without any air power.  The allies are continuing to bomb the supplies on the ground, now that the no fly zone is in place.   The rebels have the ability to gain momentum, now that the playing field has been leveled.  They still are just rebels, without the armor the army has,but the allies didn't stop with aircraft.  Now that they have considerable support, what will the allies end game be.  They bombed anti aircraft sites, but they didn't stop there, now they must pursue helping the rebels on the ground until they're done.  It's a tough situation to analyze, but the most the US can do is support the troops.  The last thing Obama should consider is, helping install new laws in Libya,;the US simply doesn't have the money or position in the world to do that.

The Tradition in Food Preparation

Making food isn't really associated with animal cruelty, volunteering, or ARF.  However, it poses a much more broad question that needs to be tackled with a logical point of view.

 Many cultures have certain traditions in the way they prepare food. Many cultures have unethical ways of preparing certain foods, whether it's by accident, or it's an ancient tradition.  The problem is that many culture prepare their food in violent and inhumane ways.  Making sushi for example is, in many cases, bad.  They kill the animal right when it is ready to be cooked, and they do this in ways to keep the animal alive as long as possible.  That means they don't give it a quick death, and it has to suffer.  The argument is that as humans, we have an obligation to be as humane as possibly when we kill animals for food.  Other animals prey on food and kill it brutally, but as humans we have the knowledge to do this in a better fashion.  There is nothing wrong with culture, however, it is not the best way to prepare food.  It tortures the animal to an unnecessary degree.  The same is true for Westernized countries like America.  We don't have a traditional way of preparing animals.  However, our industrialized process inflicts harm on an animal.  Animals should be killed in a fashion that garuntees no harm.  Products like veal are another question that is simply unanswerable, despite the cruelty that is involved simply for our benefit.

Animal Cruelty and the Economy

Since the economic melt down, not only America but the world has been suffering.  It's the same story for animals.  Many owners vent their anger out on their pets or livestock; it's the bottom of the bottom for some.  Others have to dreadfully turn in their animals with the realization they can't afford to own them. 

Should animals pay the price because humans can't control an imaginary force?  It doesn't seem logical but it's the reality.  There has been a rise in the amount of animal cruelty cases since the economic decline.  The results vary, but it's difficult to see animals in pain because their owners are frustrated.  The amount of animals that go into shelters causes a different problem for the economy.  We spend more money than we should, sheltering animals that are going to be euthanized.  It isn't practical, but due to the compilement of human faults, and the overbreeding of animals, we must spend money to euthanize extra animals.  They are like a cattle that is constantly replenished, and if one were to look at it as money rather than life, they too would understand the situation, in less humane way.

The Basics of ARF

ARF is obviously a very interactive way to help the community, and animals.  However, the basics of the foundation should be reviewed too.  They have many tactics to produce the best results for the animals and people who adopt them.

Tony LaRussa created ARF after he and his wife helped a cat that dashed across the field of a baseball game.  They soon understood how limited space was to hold animals in the bay area.  They ened up creating ARF which has very fundamental rules to help benefit animals.  Neverminding all of the volunteer and employee work that goes into making ARF function, there is one simple idea behind ARF - Collect needy animals from shelters, put them up for adoption in a pleasing environment, and sell them to adopters.  They fulfill this one simple role, and the process takes a while, in order to ensure the well-being of the people and the animal.

Geese Euthanized in New York City

Over a thousand Canadian Geese were euthanized in New York, due to a hazard they pose. 

In an effort to control the city's goose population and improve aviation safety, authorities slaughtered 1,676 Canada geese across New York last summer, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report.

As far as America has progressed in terms of setting laws, and addressing animal cruelty, there are still problems.  The people are the main issue, as they are typically the ones committing the crimes.  The government on the other hand is the savior that has set many rules prohibiting animal cruelty.  However, the government simply failed here.  Slaughtering geese because they pose a hazard to air craft is not a vaild excuse.  It's obvious there needs to be some sort of education to inform people that killing innocent animals is wrong, because to people, the presenence of animals is sometimes just an obstacle, rather than something they need to address for long term coexistence with them.  There are so many different ways to deal with animals.  Relocating is the first thing that comes to mind, and for some reason, adults need some sort of advanced education in order to understand the options they have.  Animals are relocating all the time to similar environments.  If they have enough money to collect and euthanize that many birds, they have enough money to collect and relocate the birds.  There are always valid options when it comes to dealing with a hazardous animal in urban regions; people need to put more thought into their approach to subjects like this.

Oldest Bird in America

The oldest bird known in America was tagged in 1956 by scientists. She has been tracked ever since, and she is estimated to be at least 60 years old.

 Obviously there is no animal abuse involved in this particular wild animal.  America isn't low enough to expect that to happen, although wild animals are harmed.  Relating to animals, and helping animals however, the fact that humans have praised this bird means a lot.  It's phenomenal the this bird has lived for so long, and has had around three dozen children.  The idea that we almost worship this bird means that humans are only a cog in a bigger machine in the world.  We may think we are everything, but we look at this bird through the eyes of wonder as if we were still primal.  Be the animal a pet or a dangerous creature, they are more important than people the the welfare of the world, and the sustainability of life.  It's not right to harm animals, but although many who do such things do it feeling empowered simply because they can do this with such ease; they are truly a small part of the world, and endangering animals means much more than they can comprehend.

Mental Health Break

This is a fun train wreck to watch.

Protesters in Wisconsin Stand Strong

Protesters have been converging on the Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, since mid-February to protest the governor’s budget bill. Their voices are angry, energetic, accusatory. 

Democrats have supported them, but the republicans aren't having any of it.

It seems have been a long time since the protesters started.  However, the issue at hand is well worth the fight.  The budget bill that threatens the workers wages, is effecting some of the most sustainable jobs in the near future.  The length of time the outcry has been going on seems almost unbearable.  Many of the protesters are simply too tired.  They still are fighting what seems to be a massive battle that will tear apart Wisconsin into two huge sides.  The government isn't budging, making this protest not a short lived one.  It could be a very long time until we see any results.  The Democrats absence seems to be an important factor and perhaps until the republicans get them back, they won't want to make any sort of agreement.

What Obama is Doing Now

What does Obama want to do now?  He came to office enthusiastic, and still is, but his ideas have been changing. 

 Obama was much more calm when he came to office, and now that there is a lot of turmoil in the world and in the United States of America, he needs to take action.  As Gloria Borger, (on the right), explained, he has been acting brilliant since his resurgence.  There have been many things he has had to act on.  He had to give some sort of acknowledgement to the middle east, which he supposedly did well.  He has also messed up on a couple of things as she has said too.  Obama's involvement right now is more important than ever, is what this article brought to my attention.  It certainly seems like Borger was getting behind that idea.  There are a lot of important issues in the world that require some sort of recognition by Obama, and personally, his regards to these issues have been great, but delayed.  After health care was passed, in terms of America, he seems a bit more in the shadows as he knows he gave up a lot to the republicans.