Thursday, July 25, 2013

Pet-Friendly Vacations, Travel: Top Ten US Beaches For Dogs ...

(LIFE WITH PETS) As the temperature rises, who doesn?t love to bask in the sun and splash in the cool ocean? A day at the beach is perhaps the most classic summer fun, and it just isn?t fair for man?s best friend to be left out. Luckily, there are many fantastic seaside spots that Fido ? and you ? will love. Check out this list of the top ten cool beaches to enjoy a hot summer?s day with your pooch! ??Global Animal

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Top 10 Dog-Friendly Beaches For You and Your Pet to Relax

PetVR.com

Top 10 Dog Friendly Beaches for 2011

#1) Del Mar Beach San Diego, California

For good reason, Del Mar is one of the most popular beach communities and San Diego County. Great beaches, fairgrounds, horseracing, and a quaint, upscale village provide plenty of activities for everyone. Powerhouse Park, with a full playground, is especially nice for families with young children. Beachgoers can also find good, cheap eats at Roberto?s taco stand on Carmel Valley Road, overlooking Los Penasquitos Lagoon. Plus, the song Dog Beach Boogie helped this beach?s ranking.


#2) Fort DeSoto Beach, Florida

Dr. Beach judged this beach 2005 Best Beach in America and we voted best beach for dogs. Showers and drinking water are provided. Enter the front gate by the parking lot, take your dog off-leash, walk through the L-shaped park to the back gate. Go out the back gate, down a short sandy path and onto the perfect beach for dogs and people.

#3) Dog Beach, California

Doggie nirvana.? Your buddy will have tons of company at this popular spot near San Diego. In fact, people may be outnumbered.

Happy Dogs Play Frisbee on one of the Top 10 Dog Friendly Beaches#4) Cape San Blas, Florida

Just 35 miles south of Panama City, but feeling as if it is worlds away, Cape San Blas beaches are peaceful, not overdeveloped; in fact, you can sometimes walk a mile or two in the off season without seeing another dog?or person.? The state park at the end of the cape was named 2002 Best Beach In America by Dr. Beach (a real person, not a doggie?but most doggies would agree).

Dogs catch some waves at one of the top 10 dog friendly beaches
#5) Carmel City Beach, California

Only a short walk from the village of Carmel, the Carmel Beach is a beautiful and popular escape, with hotels and restaurants in walking distance. Other pet friendly beaches are close by, too.

#6) Hunting Island, South Carolina

Doggie and people heaven on earth.? At low tide, the beach on Hunting can literally appear to be a mile wide, with tidal pools and remote stretches rarely found today. This State Park is located near the golf resort island of Fripp, and near Beaufort, SC.

A Dog splashes in the surf at one of the Top 10 Dog Friendly Beaches #7) Fort Funston National Park, California

Fort Funston is a popular San Francisco dogwalking location. Most visitors walk the paved Sunset Trail, a north to south route on the bluff, and reach Ocean Beach via Fort Funston?s northern section. Fort Funston?s stretch of Ocean Beach is where you?ll see scores of dripping wet dogs, romping across the sand with driftwood stick in their mouths. Please note that there are some leash restrictions at this park during certain seasons for the protection of endangered wildlife in the area.

#8) St. George Island, Florida

No wider than a mile at its widest point, and located near renowned historic towns in the Florida Gulf, there is plenty here for man and man?s best friend.

Photo credit: Chris Griffith

#9) Ft. Fisher State Recreation Area, North Carolina

Just outside of Wilmington, NC, this beach allows dogs in all areas except swimming areas with lifeguards.

Happy Bulldog enjoys a day at the beach

#10) Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint, Oregon

If your pooch isn?t fond of windsurfing, no matter.? This windsurfers? paradise will suit them just fine. Located just outside of Oregon State Park boundaries, south of Gold Beach.

Honorable Mention
Beaches of Sanibel and Captiva Islands
All beaches are dog friendly

More Pet TV: http://www.petvr.com/index.php/pages/PetFriendlyBeaches.html

Source: http://www.globalanimal.org/2013/07/23/pawprints-in-the-sand-top-10-dog-friendly-beaches/41715/

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Friday, June 28, 2013

Senate on verge of historic immigration vote

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Senate stood poised Thursday to approve historic immigration legislation opening the door to U.S. citizenship to millions and promising a dramatic build-up of manpower and technology along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The vote on final passage of the White House-backed bill was expected as early as Thursday afternoon, after a series of test votes so far this week demonstrated supporters command a bipartisan majority well over the 60 votes needed to secure passage and send the bill to the House. First must come two more procedural tests set for Thursday morning.

"It's landmark legislation that will secure our borders and help 11 million people get right with the law," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the Senate floor Thursday ahead of the votes.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., countered that the bill doesn't ensure true border security since people here illegally can obtain a provisional legal status under the legislation before any security goals are accomplished. "This bill may pass the Senate today, but not with my vote. And in its current form, it won't become law," McConnell said.

Supporters posted 67 votes or more on each of three procedural tests Wednesday. More than a dozen Republicans sided with Democrats on each, ensuring bipartisan support that the bill's backers hope will change minds in the House.

The outlook there is uncertain. Many House conservatives oppose the pathway to citizenship at the center of the Senate bill. And many prefer a piecemeal approach rather than a sweeping bill like the one the Senate is producing.

The House Judiciary Committee is in the midst of a piece-by-piece effort, turning its attention Thursday to a bill on high-skilled workers.

On Wednesday the committee signed off on legislation establishing a system to require all employers to check their workers' legal status on a faster timeframe than the Senate bill contemplates. And last week it approved two other measures, one establishing a new agricultural guest worker program and a second making illegal presence in the country a federal crime, instead of a civil offense as it is now.

None of the bills weighed by the Judiciary Committee contemplate a path to citizenship or even legalization for the millions already here.

At its core, the legislation in the Senate includes numerous steps to prevent future illegal immigration, while at the same time it offers a chance at citizenship to the 11 million immigrants now living in the country unlawfully.

It provides for 20,000 new Border Patrol agents, requires the completion of 700 miles of fencing and requires an array of high-tech devices to be deployed to secure the border with Mexico. Those security changes would be accomplished over a decade and would have to be in place before anyone in provisional legal status could obtain a permanent resident green card.

Businesses would be required to check on the legal status of prospective employees. Other provisions would expand the number of visas for highly skilled workers relied upon by the technology industry. A separate program would be established for lower-skilled workers, and farm workers would be admitted under a temporary program.

The basic legislation was drafted by four Democrats and four Republicans who met privately for months to produce a rare bipartisan compromise in a polarized Senate. They fended off unwanted changes in the Senate Judiciary Committee and then were involved in negotiations with Republican Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Bob Corker of Tennessee on a package of tougher border security provisions that swelled support among Republicans.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-verge-historic-immigration-vote-061838460.html

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Sunday, June 23, 2013

World's Ugliest Dog 2013: Beagle-Boxer-Basset Named Walle Wins Annual Contest

PETALUMA, Calif. -- A huge-headed, duck-footed mix of beagle, boxer and basset hound was the upset winner at the 25th annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest.

Walle (WAHL-ee), a 4-year-old mutt from Chico, Calif., who was entered at the last minute, was judged Friday as the most unsightly of 30 dogs at the Northern California competition.

"This dog looked like he's been photo-shopped with pieces from various dogs and maybe a few other animals," judge Brian Sobel said.

Walle overcame the dominance in recent years by nearly hairless Chihuahuas, Chinese cresteds, or combinations of the two.

Owner Tammie Barbee got the dog when he was three months old.

"People come up to me and say that dog is not right," Barbee said, "but I love him."

Judges said they were especially impressed by Walle's bizarre waddle of a walk.

Walle wins $1,500 and will make several network TV appearances next week, including NBC's "Today" show and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

The contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds gets worldwide attention, with media from around the world traveling to Petaluma, about 40 miles north of San Francisco.

Organizers say the dogs are judged for their "natural ugliness in both pedigree and mutt classes."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/22/worlds-ugliest-dog-2013_n_3484626.html

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Vice President Meets With Fallen Warriors' Children

Vice President Meets With Fallen Warriors? Children

By Marine Corps Cpl. Michael Iams
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., June 19, 2013 ? Vice President Joe Biden visited with more than 40 children participating in the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors at Hanger 6 here June 14 as part of a four-day Good Grief Camp at Palomar Mountain.

TAPS brings together children who have lost a military parent. Program participants learn healthy coping skills.

?This camp allows the children to get together and see that they are not alone in their grief,? said Bonnie Carroll, president and founder of TAPS. ?Here [the children] are able to have fun and be around other children who have experienced the same feelings of loss.?

During their camp, the children and their Marine mentors visited the air station where they viewed aircraft like the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter, the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Packbot and reconnaissance gear.

?We volunteer to help these children cope with the pain of their loss,? said Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Omar Hawkins, a warehousemen with Headquarters and Support Battalion and a TAPS mentor. ?Most of us have also lost a loved one and understand how they feel as we help them through their time of need.?

The children and mentors received a surprise visit from Vice President Joe Biden and his family as they landed at Camp Pendleton in Air Force 2.

?I just want to say how honored we are to be here,? said Biden?s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, who accompanied her husband. She noted that her son, Beau, deployed to Iraq a few years ago as a member of the Army National Guard. She and First Lady Michelle Obama champion the ?Joining Forces? initiative, which seeks support for military families and works to connect service members, veterans and military spouses with the resources they need to find jobs at home.

The Bidens emphasized the importance of finding someone to help through the difficult times.

?It?s important to be around people who understand what you?re going through,? the vice president told the children. ?I hope that is what you find out here at this camp. I hope you find that there are a lot of kids who understand and will be there for you.?

Biden sat with the children and answered their questions while they all ate ice cream.

?I asked the vice president how many states he has been to,? said Lily Blish, an 8-year-old who lost her father to cancer seven years ago. ?I would like to travel a lot like he does.?

After talking with the vice president, the children were able take a photo with him and get a tour of Air Force 2.

?This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the children to be able to meet with the vice president and ask him any question they want,? said Brad Gallup, a team grief facilitator with TAPS. ?This also let [the children] know they are still connected to the military community and how important they are.?
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Source: http://www.defense.gov//news/newsarticle.aspx?id=120330

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Sunday, June 16, 2013

Russia questions Syrian chemical weapons evidence

MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia's foreign minister said Saturday that the evidence put forth by the United States of chemical weapons use in Syria apparently doesn't meet stringent criteria for reliability.

The Obama administration said this week that it will give lethal aid to Syrian rebels in light of evidence that President Bashar Assad's forces used chemical weapons in the country's civil war.

In Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the material does not include guarantees that it meets the requirements of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. He said the organization specifies that samples taken from blood, urine and clothing can be considered reliable evidence only if supervised by organization experts from the time they are taken up to delivery to a laboratory.

The OPCW is the autonomous body for implementing the international Chemical Weapons Convention that went into effect in 1997. Its website says Syria is one of six countries that have not signed or acceded to the convention.

A spokesman for the organization, based in The Hague, Netherlands, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Lavrov, after meeting with his Italian counterpart Emma Bonino, scoffed at suggestions that Assad's regime would use chemical weapons now in light of its apparent growing advantage against the rebels.

"The regime doesn't have its back to the wall. What would be the sense of the regime using chemical weapons, moreover at such a small quantity?" he said.

Russia has blocked proposed U.N. sanctions against Assad's regime and acknowledged last month that it has contracted to supply advanced S-300 air-defense missiles to Syria. But President Vladimir Putin and other officials say the policies do not constitute overt support for Assad.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-questions-syrian-chemical-weapons-evidence-101359458.html

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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Asus K009 tablet clears FCC with apparent Nexus branding, Qualcomm CPU, rear camera

Unknown Asus K009 tablet clears FCC with apparent Nexus branding, LTE and WiFi radios

Earlier rumors about a Qualcomm-powered second-generation Nexus 7 tablet successor from ASUS could be right on the money, if a recent FCC listing holds water. A certain "ASUS Pad" model number K009 just cleared the US testing site packing a Qualcomm APQ-8064 S4 Pro quad-core, 1.5GHz processor with Adreno graphics, front and rear cameras, 4,000 mAh Li-ion battery and LTE radios. Though no screen size is listed, the battery spec points to a 7-inch model -- the Nexus 10 has a 9,000 mAh battery, for instance. On the other hand, a rear camera, like the 5-megapixel model shown above, would be a refreshing addition to the Nexus 7, which sorely lacks in that department. Most intriguingly, Asus listed the model as a Nexus "for marketing purpose(s)" -- though another K008 model also set the Nexus grapevine aflame when it hit the Bluetooth SIG, meaning skepticism should rule until we hear it from the horse's mouth.

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Q & A: child marriage and violations of girls' rights - 14 million girls ...

What is child marriage?

Child marriages occur when one or both parties are under the age of eighteen. The emerging consensus of international human rights standards is that the minimum age of marriage should be set at 18. A minimum age of marriage along with enforcement of a prohibition on forced marriage (irrespective of the age of either party) aims to protect both girls and boys from child marriage, although the practice affects girls more frequently and often coincides with other rights violations; including but not limited to domestic violence and impeded access to reproductive health care and education.

How many girls are affected by child marriage?

Every year 14 million girls are married worldwide. One in seven girls in the developing world is married before her 15th birthday ? some as young as eight or nine. In 2010, over 67 million women ages 20-24 had been married as girls, and, if the trend continues, 142 million will be married by 2020.

The top twenty ?hot spots? of child marriage, or countries with the highest prevalence, are: Niger, Chad, Bangladesh, Guinea, Central African Republic, Mali, Guinea, Nepal, Mozambique, Uganda, Burkina Faso, India, Ethiopia, Liberia, Yemen, Cameroon, Eritrea, Malawi, Nicaragua, Nigeria, and Zambia.

Over 40 countries globally have a prevalence of child marriage of 30 per cent or higher. Two out of five girls are married as children in South Asia and Central and West Africa. Most of these girls are poor, less-educated, and living in rural areas.

Abuses associated with child marriage Child marriages violate many human rights; including to education, freedom from violence, reproductive rights, access to reproductive and sexual health care, employment, freedom of movement, and the right to consensual marriage. The testimonies of the children and women Human Rights Watch has interviewed illustrate the profoundly detrimental impact on their physical and mental well-being, and their ability to live free of violence.

Consequences of child marriage have lasting effects beyond adolescence as they struggle with the health effects of getting pregnant too young and too often, their lack of education and economic independence, domestic violence, and marital rape.

Health-related consequences Child marriage directly threatens the health and well-being of girls: complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the main cause of death among adolescent girls aged 15-19 in developing countries. Girls aged 15 to 20 are twice as likely to die in childbirth as those in their 20s, and girls under the age of 15 are five times as likely to die.

These consequences are due largely to girls? physical immaturity where the pelvis and birth canal are not fully developed. Complications in labor are exacerbated where emergency obstetric services are scarce, as is the case in many societies where child marriage is prevalent.

Pregnancy for adolescent girls poses a serious risk of developing obstetric fistula, since their smaller pelvises make them prone to obstructed labor. Fistula leaves its victims with urine or fecal incontinence that causes infection, pain, and a bad smell.

A child born to a girl under 18 has a 60 percent greater chance of dying in the first year of life than one born to a woman 19 and older.

Education-related consequences Child marriage frequently ends a girl?s education forever. Girls who marry young are often expected to take on responsibilities at home that are prioritized over attending school.

A lack of education limits girls' choices and opportunities throughout their lives, not just when they are children. The price of this exclusion is often poverty. In Yemen, one girl who married at the age of 12 told Human Rights Watch:

All that I?m good for is to be a mother, and a home maker.... I?m illiterate. They didn?t teach us anything. If they did, at least I would have benefitted from something.

Without education, girls and adult women have fewer opportunities to financially provide for themselves and their families. Research shows how limited education may make girls and women more vulnerable to persistent poverty when their spouses die, abandon, or divorce them.

Violence against married girls Married girls and young women between the ages of 15 and 19 with low levels of education are at a much greater risk of domestic and sexual violence from their spouses than older and more educated women. Research cites spousal age difference, typical of child marriage, as a significant risk factor associated with violence and sexual abuse against girls.

Marital rape is common in South Sudan, although it is not recognized by law. One girl told us her husband raped her, aided by his brothers:

I had refused to have sex with him, but he forced me. My brothers-in-law used to lock me up in the house during the day so that I don?t go anywhere, and so that I can have sex with him.

Another told Human Rights Watch that her husband physically, emotionally, and sexually abused her. She said:

I had fibroids and was in a lot of pain. Sex was painful. If I told my husband I had pain, he would get out shouting that he was going to look for sex elsewhere because I had refused him. Sometimes he would have sex with me anyway.

In 2010, the case of Elham Mahdi Al-Assi, a 12-year-old girl in Yemen, caught international media attention when she died three days after she was married to a much older man. Her death was the result of severe bleeding caused by tears to her genital and anal area. Elham's mother told the Associated Press that her daughter had complained that her husband tied her up and raped her. This was after Elham?s mother warned her that failure to consummate the marriage would bring her family shame.

Non-consensual sex can have especially devastating mental health consequences for young girls because they are at a formative stage of psychological development. Child brides also often face emotional abuse and discrimination in the homes of their husbands and in-laws. Confined to a home that may be removed from their hometown and familiar surroundings, they are isolated from friends and family.

What happens when girls seek help after suffering violence in their marriage?

International human rights standards recognize the right of women and girls to live free from physical, mental, and sexual violence. However, in many countries where child marriage is an accepted practice, governments also fail to criminalize domestic violence and marital rape. Girls in child marriages, already vulnerable due to their age and alienated due to their gender and low social status, are thus denied the protection from their governments they so greatly need.

Child marriage is more prevalent in jurisdictions that generally offer fewer protections for women and girls. Yemen currently has no minimum age for marriage and girls of any age can and are being married. After her husband raped her, 11-year-old Reem al-Numeri in Yemen attempted to seek a divorce only to be told by the judge ?we don?t divorce little girls.?

Where legal provisions do exist to protect girls from child marriage or related forms of violence, authorities often fail to enforce that protection or to prosecute perpetrators. Cases of domestic violence in Afghanistan show that many women and girls are afraid to seek help from justice or security departments because they fear further abuse or being forcibly returned home.

Rangina Y., married at the age of 13 in Afghanistan, explained her distrust for courts and judges. After running away from the physical and verbal abuse of her in-laws, she faced pressure from President Karzai, hostility from powerful members of parliament and extralegal arguments by the head of the Family Court to return to her husband. Rangina Y. told Human Rights Watch: ?I don?t want to go back. I can?t go back. They want to kill me.? Failing to receive protection and enforcement of national marriage laws, women and girls in situations such as Rangina?s have little reason to trust the state or government to protect them.

What happens when girls try to resist early marriage?

Girls who refuse to accept or stay in forced marriages, or who elope because they want to marry someone not chosen or approved of by their families, are often at risk of violence, imprisonment, and in extreme cases, may be killed by their families or husbands.

In South Sudan, local women?s rights organizations pointed out to Human Rights Watch that society is generally tolerant of such punishment because the girl is seen as having gone against her family?s wishes and societal norms. As a result, perpetrators are rarely held to account, perpetuating a culture of violence against women in the country.

One South Sudanese girl, who married at 15, told Human Rights Watch that she was in year five of school and wanted to finish her education, but her uncles beat her and her mother to force her to marry a 75-year-old man:

This man went to my uncles and paid a dowry of 80 cows. I resisted the marriage. They threatened me. They said, ?If you want your siblings to be taken care of, you will marry this man.? I said he is too old for me. They said, ?You will marry this old man whether you like it or not because he has given us something to eat.? They beat me so badly. They also beat my mother because she was against the marriage.

Eleven girls Human Rights Watch spoke to in South Sudan said their families restricted their movements after they became engaged. One told Human Rights Watch:

I am now confined at home. My family does not allow me to leave home because they think I will get another man?. I don?t even go to the market anymore or see my friends.

Another problem in protecting victims of forced marriage and enabling them to access justice is lack of coordination between relevant government ministries. For example, in South Sudan, Human Rights Watch documented that there are no guidelines on how the authorities should handle these cases, and ministries respond to cases in an ad hoc manner, often without offering any real solutions to the girls who go to them for protection. In the end, their inefficiency helps perpetuate child marriages and related abuses against girls.

What work has Human Rights Watch conducted on child marriage?

Human Rights Watch has cited cases of child marriage in Bangladesh, Chad, Egypt, India, Iraq, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Uganda, and Uzbekistan, and interviewed women and girls who experienced child marriage in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Yemen, and most recently South Sudan, where we found that almost half of the girls 15-19 were married.

How does Human Rights Watch recommend we end the practice of child marriage?
Governments can mitigate some of the worst abuses linked to child marriage by:

  • Setting and enforcing a minimum age for marriage at 18;

  • Requiring verification of the full and meaningful consent of both spouses;

  • Establishing and enforcing compulsory marriage registers;

  • Prosecuting perpetrators of forced marriage;

  • Ensuring that marriages concluded under force may be voided, annulled, or dissolved without undue burden placed on the victim(s);

  • Safeguard by law a victim?s right to seek financial compensation after voiding, annulling, divorcing, or otherwise dissolving the marriage and protect the rights of children born out of such a marriage;

  • Providing training to law enforcement officials on gender discrimination and violence against women, including investigations into child marriages;

  • Recognizing marital rape as a criminal offense;

  • Increasing access to education for girls, including by providing incentives for families to keep their daughters in school;

  • Increasing and improving access to reproductive healthcare for all girls and women in rural and urban areas by allocating greater resources from national health expenditure and more personnel;

  • Ensuring that access to emergency obstetric care, including monitoring of labor, trained birth attendants, newborn care, and contraception, is available to all girls and women in rural and urban areas;

  • Raising awareness among health workers and the public on the importance of registering births, including home deliveries;

  • And providing continuing formal education and vocational training opportunities for married girls and women.

Source: http://reliefweb.int/report/world/q-child-marriage-and-violations-girls-rights-14-million-girls-marry-each-year-worldwide

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