Surfers Rescue Baby Great White Shark

In Venice, California, surfers decided to save a baby great white shark after pulling it out of the water. There was something stuck in its mouth. Takes guts to put your hands near shark's teeth, even baby shark's teeth.

Harry Potter Dog Needs New Home

It seems the owner of the star dog didn't have the time for him anymore.

“[Berry] was given up for rescue because the gentleman couldn’t afford to keep him anymore and his companion,” said Jane O’Brien, who fields inquiries for German Shepherd Rescue. The two dogs were immediately put into a safe foster home but now need a permanent place to live.
On the organization’s website, Berry’s bio reads: “My Dad contacted German Shepherd Dog Rescue because he realized he didn’t have the time to look after us properly anymore. His work takes him away from home an awful lot and whilst his friends and family tried to help look after us, we weren’t getting the walks or brushes we were used to.”

I love German Shepherds and would love to adopt these dogs. They would get lots of attention, brushing and exercise on the Tijuana Slough every day, and even get to play in the ocean.

Alas, the chances of those dogs getting shipped to California are rather slim. Too bad.

Test: Are YOU What is Wrong with the World?

Join the Modern Underground Railroad

REMINDER - Have you heard about the New Underground Railroad?

It’s a web-based portal where anti-trafficking activists across the globe can link up to share information about campaigns, one-time events, important legislation, internships and job positions. Create your own FREE account with End Slavery Now -- the world’s largest database of volunteers, organizations, facilities and service professionals fighting to stop modern day slavery.

To sign up, visit http://bit.ly/bTEvz1

Also, be sure to check out End Slavery Now’s BRAND SPANKING NEW "Action on the Ground" project map (http://bit.ly/ov8qkW ) -- the first comprehensive and interactive web-based app to track the global fight against human trafficking. This new tool allows partner NGOs around the world to upload projects, photos and links; making it easy to see what organizations are doing to rescue, rehabilitate and reintegrate modern-day slaves, as well as stem demand.

The Abolitionist's Digest

REMINDER - Interested in reading news articles gathered from around the country and the globe that cover human trafficking crimes and efforts to eliminate modern-day slavery? Sign up to receive The Abolitionist’s Digest -- produced by DC SMS members and emailed each Wednesday morning.

Sign up to receive the weekly digest here, http://bit.ly/hPYzFd.

Push for Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation

MOBILIZE

REMINDER - Can you be a part of ensuring a crucial piece of federal legislation that safeguards the rights of trafficking survivors is renewed before it expires at the end of the month?

The 2011 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) was only recently introduced in the House (H.R. 2830) -- so it’s important now more than ever to keep pressure on our representatives to pass this vital legislation! The TVPRA is one of the cornerstones of the United States’ anti-trafficking efforts. Initially signed into law in 2000, the law must be reauthorized every few years. The current TVPRA expires on Friday, and it is critical that the reauthorization be signed before this date to ensure the country maintains a consistent and comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking. The Senate version (S.1301) was introduced this past June.

You can sign the Polaris Project’s Change.org petition urging Congress to reauthorize TVPRA here: http://chn.ge/pyQ921 Once you've signed the online petition, go one step further to spread the word! Tweet about the petition on Twitter. Here's a sample tweet: I just signed this petition on @Change asking Congress to reauthorize the #2011TVPRA #trafficking http://ht.ly/6rX92 via @Polaris_Project. Spread the word on Facebook! Here's a sample post: Sign the petition on Change.org today to ask Congress to reauthorize the 2011 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act! Your signature can make a difference in the lives of human trafficking victims. [http://ht.ly/6rX92]

Brooks Bros. in Georgetown to Host Benefit to AId Victims of Sex Trafficking

Come to a special night of cocktails, hors d’ oeuvres and shopping on October 6 at Brooks Brothers Georgetown to benefit Urban Light -- a nonprofit that provides educational opportunities and social and health services to teenage boys that have escaped the sex industry in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

As Chiang Mai continues to be the hub for tourism in northern Thailand while myriad economic and social factors fuel rural-urban migration, the population of young boys who are victims of sex trafficking continues to grow. Urban Light is the only organization of its kind to focus on connecting these young men with housing, health, and employment opportunities while offering in-house case management and personal development.

Participating shoppers will enjoy a 15% discount on their Brooks Brothers purchases during the night of the event with 10% of the evening’s sales donated directly to Urban Light.

When: Thursday, October 6, 6:00p.m. - 8:00p.m.

Where: Brooks Brothers Georgetown, 3077 M St. NW

RSVP by emailing events@brooksbrothers.com

Anti-Sex Trafficking Tonight at GWU

Cargo is an award-winning anti-sex trafficking drama written and directed by Yan Vizinberg. The film tells the story of a young Russian woman, smuggled into America by human traffickers, and a notorious Egyptian transporter, hired to drive her from the Mexican border to New York City. The pair form an unlikely bond that transforms them and threatens to derail the traffickers' plans.

Vizinberg will be on hand after the screening along with film editor/producer Abigail Honor and Andrew Powell, the founder and CEO of FAIR Fund to take questions from the audience. Refreshments will be served.

When: Monday, September 26, 6:00p.m. - 7:30p.m.

Where: George Washington University, Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E St. NW

RSVP at: http://bit.ly/owIRzs

2011 DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk

GET OUT THERE

IMPORTANT - 2011 DC STOP MODERN SLAVERY WALK

On October 22, 2011, thousands of people will gather on the National Mall for the annual DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk, a united effort to celebrate human rights, raise awareness about the crime of human trafficking, and raise funds for organizations that are working to end human trafficking. We hope for full participation from the SMS community.

**Early bird registration ends Friday. Prices will go up October 1 so REGISTER TODAY! http://walk.stopmodernslavery.org

Chance to Appear in DC Documentary on Human Trafficking

REMINDER - Would you like your voice to be heard on a short documentary on human trafficking?

Local DC filmmaker and SMS member Dexter Sumner and the Hague Files crew are looking for anti-trafficking activists to provide 30-seconds or so of soundbyte outtakes on their feelings about modern-day slavery. Participants do not have to be an expert to talk about the issue though experts are welcome to contribute soundbytes!

Soundbyte topics the documentary is focusing on are:
• Runaways and the lack of shelter(s) to house them.
• Debt bondage practices with a particular interest in the experience of Korean women trafficked into the United States.
• Voices for the voiceless -- who speaks for trafficked victims, particularly children?
• Violence -- what kind of violence would someone who is trafficked face?
• The real reasons why individuals enter the sex trade and public misconceptions about those reasons.

Participants are also welcome to comment on other human trafficking issues not addressed above. To get involved, email, dextoor@msn.com

Human Trafficking in UAE

NEW - Interested in learning more about the nature of human trafficking in the United Arab Emirates?

Attend a lunchtime discussion this Thursday on the new book Gridlock: Labor, Migration, and Human Trafficking in Dubai with book author and Pomona College associate professor, Pardis Mahdavi.

Gridlock draws on four years of Mahdavi's ethnographic research in the United Arab Emirates that examined disconnections between policies on human trafficking and the realities of gendered labor and migration in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The project seeks to illuminate the experiences of migrant women and men in the Middle East and how their stories have frequently been misunderstood by policymakers and activists. The book also offers steps that could be taken to improve policy, discourse and activism.

When: Thursday, September 23, 12:00p.m. - 1:00p.m.

Where: Woodrow Wilson Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Imperial Beach, CA

A small video I put together highlighting our fun in Imperial Beach, CA. This is definitely a surfer town. Imperial Beachians are nice and friendly, too.

My husband and I take a romantic walk every night on the beach with our dog. It really feels like heaven.

Tiny Hands in Nepal

NEW - Do you have a moment to add your name to another petition supporting enhanced border security in Nepal to ensure young girls are not trafficked into India to work in brothels?

An estimated 10,000 girls are kidnapped or coerced across the border into India where they are sold into a life of sexual slavery. Many of these girls are offered a chance to escape from their poor villages, either through a false marriage or job opportunity in the city. Once they arrive they are shuttled across the Indian border to brothels were they are forced to have sex with as many as 40 clients each day.

Tiny Hands is aiming to collect a minimum of 7,500 signatures before November when their vice president of justice operations, Jeff Blom, is slated to bring the petition before the Council Against Human Trafficking in Nepal. You can sign the Change.org petition sponsored by Tiny Hands International here: http://chn.ge/oQBB8B

2011 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA)

NEW - Can you be a part of ensuring a crucial piece of federal legislation that safeguards the rights of trafficking survivors is renewed before it expires at the end of the month?

The 2011 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) was only recently introduced in the House (H.R. 2830) -- so it’s important now more than ever to keep pressure on our representatives to pass this vital legislation! The TVPRA is one of the cornerstones of the United States’ anti-trafficking efforts. Initially signed into law in 2000, the law must be reauthorized every few years. The current TVPRA expires on September 30, and it is critical that the reauthorization be signed before this date to ensure the country maintains a consistent and comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking. The Senate version (S.1301) was introduced this past June.

You can sign the Polaris Project’s Change.org petition urging Congress to reauthorize TVPRA here: http://chn.ge/pyQ921 Once you've signed the online petition, go one step further to spread the word! Tweet about the petition on Twitter. Here's a sample tweet: I just signed this petition on @Change asking Congress to reauthorize the #2011TVPRA #trafficking http://ht.ly/6rX92 via @Polaris_Project. Spread the word on Facebook! Here's a sample post: Sign the petition on Change.org today to ask Congress to reauthorize the 2011 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act! Your signature can make a difference in the lives of human trafficking victims. [http://ht.ly/6rX92]

Anti-Human Trafficking Happy Hour Fundraiser September 22

REMINDER - Love happy hour? How about raising money for a really important anti-trafficking cause?

Swing by the L2 Lounge in Georgetown on September 22 for a happy hour fundraiser for the Bridge to Freedom Foundation. All proceeds will go directly to BTFF’s efforts to support human trafficking survivors as they work to build sustainable, thriving livelihoods.

When: Thursday, September 22; 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Where: L2 Lounge, 3315 Cady’s Alley, NW

Donation: $15 at the door

2011 DC STOP MODERN SLAVERY WALK

IMPORTANT - 2011 DC STOP MODERN SLAVERY WALK

On October 22, 2011, thousands of people will gather on the National Mall for the annual DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk, a united effort to celebrate human rights, raise awareness about the crime of human trafficking, and raise funds for organizations that are working to end human trafficking. We hope for full participation from the SMS community.

**Early bird registration ends September 30. Prices will go up October 1 so REGISTER TODAY! http://walk.stopmodernslavery.org

If you are interested in volunteering on the day of the walk, please email walkvolunteer@stopmodernslavery.org.

San Diego Hip Hop Sound - Rap with a Touch of Funk

Total fan of Dido Brown here. Just discovered some local San Diego hip hop talent Dido Brown.

Great stuff.

Give it a listen:

New Sound Out of San Diego: Dido Brown and Green-Eyed Boys

Great new sound coming out of San Diego. Actually met one of the Green Eyed Boys in a parking lot selling his CDs. Led me to Dido Brown. You've got to hear this stuff. It's fantastic.

Give it a listen:

Classic DC: DC Drum Circle

Some things are just classic DC and must be experienced to be called a true DC resident, and not just someone passing through. The DC Drum Circle is one of those things. Below is a video of DC Drum Circles. Not a substitute for the real thing.

Something about the pounding rhythm penetrates your body and resets your own personal rhythms. Must really feel it to know what I mean.

PETA Mobile Vet Clinic

Nikita was found abandoned by a PETA fieldworker during the worst of Hurricane Irene. His only shelter from 70 mile-per-hour winds and driving rain was a piece of plywood barely covering a corner of the minuscule pen that he was trapped in.

Nikita was rescued from the storm in the nick of time, and as soon as he was well enough, he was neutered through PETA's mobile spay-and-neuter clinic program.

PETA's mobile veterinary clinics offer low-cost or free spaying and neutering and other veterinary care to the indigent community near our Norfolk, Va., headquarters. You can help PETA continue to provide these lifesaving community programs with a special gift today.

PETA's three mobile clinics work to help animals in the border areas of Virginia and North Carolina, which has one of the highest rates of homeless dogs and cats in the country. These state-of-the-art, mobile clinics have had a dramatic impact on reducing the number of unwanted and abandoned animals throughout the region. Since this lifesaving program's inception in 2001, PETA has spayed or neutered more than 70,000 dogs, cats, and rabbits—including feral cats and aggressive dogs whom many other clinics simply refuse to handle. The program averages 900 sterilizations a month, and with your help, we hope to do even more!

Our mobile clinics are impressive, eye-catching vehicles, funded by PETA donors and featuring celebrity friends like Simon Cowell and Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest—stars who make people look at the messages about adopting, getting dogs and cats fixed, and not chaining! We've recently expanded our fleet with a new clinic, and you can watch the dedication video here.

The issue of animal homelessness is urgent—a real matter of life or death. Unwanted animals are left on the street to fend for themselves. They succumb to untreated injuries and illnesses, become victims of abuse, or are turned over to animal shelters, with little hope of adoption. Our spay-and-neuter program is a simple and effective way to prevent the births of any more unwanted companion animals.

PETA staffers go into low-income and underserved neighborhoods and distribute fliers about the mobile clinics. We then drive in one of the clinics to make it easy for the residents to deliver their animals for surgery. Those who can't make it are picked up from home, delivered to the clinic, and driven back home at the end of the day through our one-of-a-kind transport program. We also visit underfunded animal shelters so that we can spay and neuter animals before they are adopted into loving homes.

The mobile clinics are equipped with the newest technology. The medical technicians run a safe and efficient program that allows for at least 25 sterilizations on the van each day. And then, thanks to PETA's work, there is no need to find homes for the offspring of the animals who have been "snipped"!

Please support our vital work to care for neglected animals and stop animal overpopulation.

PETA is working to bring about a day when every companion animal born has a good home waiting—when animal homelessness is non-existent. Until that time, we will continue to expand our spay-and-neuter services and care for the animals who are being neglected.

Thank you for all that you do for animals.

Kind regards,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President

Dogs in the Courtroom

A criminal conviction against a child molester, who was a parent of the victim and got the girl pregnant, has been appealed on the basis that a dog was used to comfort the child during courtroom testimony. The defense attorney's argument is that the increased anxiety in testifying in a criminal case is a necessary part of the process, and that the jury is unfairly swayed by the presence of the dog.

Dogs have been permitted in courtrooms for over twenty years. This case is the first time that their presence is a basis for an appeal of a conviction.

Finnish Guide Dogs Respond More to Praise Than Treats

FACTFILE: The Finnish Guide Dog School is located in the Itä-Hakkila district of Vantaa

There are 195 guide dogs in Finland, and 60 of them live in the province of Uusimaa. Almost all guide dogs are yellow, chocolate, or black Labrador retrievers.

A guide dog can be given to any blind or visually impaired adult who is able to take care of a guide dog properly.

Guide dogs are bred and trained at the Guide Dog School in Itä-Hakkila, which works under the Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired (Näkövammaisten Keskusliitto ry.) and is a member of the International Guide Dog Federation.

The Guide Dog School has its own kennel, producing around 70 puppies every year.

Before they can begin their training, the puppies need foster homes where they grow up until they are 18 months old. Then the foster families return them to the Guide Dog School.

The puppies are first tested when they are six weeks old, and when they reach 18 months they are given a closer evaluation. The purpose of the tests is to define the dogs' suitability for guide dog use. Only half of them pass the tests and are admitted to the training programme.

Guide dogs retire at the age of 10 to 12.

Settlements on the Moon

The New York Times published a story last Sunday about the need for philosophers for the U.S. space program.

Philosophers? The U.S. space program needs a dose of reality. The idea that the major feat of getting man to the Moon was immediately dismantled to chase the dream of Mars is disappointing, to say the least.

More Dog Surfing!

2011 Loews Dog Surfing "Best of" dogs surfing video clips showcasing canine surfers hitting the waves to raise money for local charities. See more dog surfing videos from this event and other California dog surfing contests at the SoCal Beaches Magazine website at http://www.socalbeachmag.net

Trickle-Down Misery

We've had enough of trickle down economics. Now is the time of trickle down misery. The affluence and success and money stays at the top, though. Because they are the "job creators" that bestow their wondrous skills on the America population to "spur the economy" and "get America working again." Except that they don't. No jobs were created in the last jobs report. None. How's that trickle-down garbage working for you now?

Eighty-Nine Dogs Saved From Being Restaurant Food

The Bangkok Post reports today that 89 dogs were saved from Vietnamese menus.

"Civil volunteers in Ban Phaeng district yesterday seized two pickup trucks at Pho Sai village near the Mekong River and found them to be carrying fertiliser sacks containing a total of 120 dogs, 31 of which had suffocated.

The volunteers, who are members of a task force unit under the Ban Phaeng district office, apprehended the drivers of the two vehicles _ Issarapong Sankampai, 24, a native of Nakhon Phanom, and Vietnamese citizen Xern Nguyen Wan, 23 _ and took them to police for questioning.

The suspects allegedly admitted they had been hired by a gang to take the dogs across the Mekong River to Vietnam, where dog is a popular meat and is often served in restaurants."

See the full story by clicking on the title to this post.

"Obama! Obama!" Cried the Homeless

There's something about DC's fine old buildings that draw homeless people to their benches. In this case, the National Building Museum. A casual walk to the courthouse led to a thought-provoking encounter, at least for me.

A group of homeless people were lolling about on the benches and lawn of the National Building Museum yelling "Obama! Obama!" to passers-by. I was one of them.

There were all kinds of hopes and dreams put upon President Obama when he was elected, including those homeless people. In retrospect, it would have been impossible for him to fulfill all of them. But wouldn't it have been possible for him to meet just a few of them? Defenders of the President talk about his accomplishments: capturing Bin Laden, health care, etc. All really big things. What's missing is the chest-thumping and the anger. Of course, those same defenders will say that that is just not his style. So change your style. Bankers essentially stole hundreds of millions of dollars and left the American taxpayer with the bill. Then they still throw people out of their homes without having possession of the underlying note and give themselves legendary salary bonuses. People are angry. They want a little blood. Give it to them. And you would even have the law on your side.

Surfing Dogs at Loews Dog Surfing Contest

Dog Bites Shark in Australia

Wow! A video of a dog biting a shark in Australia.

The Obama Puppy, Christmas Tree, etc

For Heaven's sake. The puppy or Christmas tree chosen by the incoming President is not news. Now I like dogs, a lot. But this is just not news. It belongs on the social page or the style section of the newspaper. Other than finding out that President Obama is kicking his dog, I don't want to hear about his dog! We've got real problems in this country.

Jedi Knights on Police Force in Glasgow

Eight officers on the Glasgow police force list their religion as Jedi. You know, as in Star Wars. Certainly, one of the legacies of the Twentieth Century was the birth of very many religions. It is no surprise that some of them sprouted from popular culture. When flying into one Middle Eastern country, the card we were handed to fill out had a blank for religion. I put "Druid." It was my little protest at having been asked the question at all. Maybe that's what is going on in Glasgow.

The Obama Apolog-O-Rama - Limerick by Leisure Lad

THE OBAMA APOLOG-ORAMA
Beat cop shed some tears
Advancing Skip Gates’s career
Seemed scant consolation
Viewed by the nation
Hanging w’ the Veep  and his non-alky beer
 

Nanowrimo: Great Writing Exercise

I've read recent posts about the stupidity of Nanowrimo and how all it does is encourage very bad writing. The writers seem to dismiss the exercise, and that's all that it is, as the idea that spawned terrible writing. As a Nanowrimo survivor, I can honestly say that it really helped me get past internal barriers and just get the story down on paper, or on the hard drive. I've got so many mostly-finished manuscripts, it's embarrassing. My hopes are that our move to Imperial Beach, CA, will spur my creative juices and resolve to get these projects finished, at last. Certainly, living a few miles off of the beach is really cool and gives me the feeling of a permanent vacation. We can actually go to the beach every single day. I still can't get over it. We've woven a mile-long walk into our daily lives already. I want to add pilates, playing the saxophone and writing. Let's see how that goes.

An Idea for Detroit

How about US automakers, rather than merge or go bankrupt, find a way to make a hybrid engine that will fit into their old cars? Or better yet, an electric engine just for urban use.

Imagine how cost-effective that would be! For a few thousand dollars, you can basically have a new car. That would be great! I'd be all over that.

And maybe those new engines could fit into old cars like Jaguars, too.

In those huge companies that spent all that money on research and development, there has to be some green technology engine in the works.

And the impact would be intense. Suddenly people could get new engines instead of completely new cars. Steadily, and over time, the American car could be transformed into a green machine. American consumers would save money, national pride and optimism would be restored. Not bad.





Auto Bailout, Car Bailout, Car Restructuring Plan, Chrysler, Gm, Obama And Auto Restructuring, Politics News

Coal and Energy Independence, circa. 1976

An ad in Time Magazine by the coal industry lauds the use of coal as a means to energy independence. See copy above.

It is sad to see that the same issue is preoccupying America now as in 1976: energy independence. Imagine all the free money we would have since the U.S. would not have to fight all those wars to secure our energy supply. Think of all the lives saved. Think of all the schools funded. Thank you, Ronald Reagan. We appreciate what you did more than ever now. Not in a good way.

World Bank Realizes: Poverty Matters

And here would be the limits of a world-class education. Only after the riots and revolutions of the Middle East do the geniuses at the World Bank realize that all those World Bank protesters were right all along. Poverty matters. Crushing poverty matters more.

Dog Loose Leash Training Tips

Johnny Cat Reclining

Treason !

If Bill Clinton's White House had a senior staffer that committed treason, don't you think that the media would be jumping up and down screaming about it? But when George Bush's Administration outs a covert agent, which is TREASON, then the whole story goes away.

Great Hardball segment linked to this post.

Dog Detective in New York Airport

A canine detective at JFK airport has been put on the case of the missing traveling cat. Fried chicken and sardines are being put out to tempt Jack the Cat, who escaped his cat carrier on a flight into JFK. "Specifically, Nicole Mabrey of Lost Pet Investigation is bringing her "scent specific" German short-haired pinscher to the American Airlines baggage center where Jack was last seen August 25 on his way to board a flight to California with his brother, Barry." There is a Twitter account for the adventuring Jack the Cat (@jackthelostcat), who tells his readers of his great adventures.

Doggie DNA

The DNA of dogs is being used to determine which owners are not picking up the poop from their beloved pets.

Personally, I think it's kind of funny.

Dog poop can really bring down an apartment complex. The stink, the fleas, it can ruin even the nicest of places.

No doubt there are people who will consider this activity a violation of their rights. But the dog doesn't have any constitutional rights. Neither does his publicly-deposited poop.

So scofflaws - beware! The dog poop police are out to get you.

See article in New York Times on this issue by clicking on the title to this post.

So What Is Dog Agility?

Dog agility From ">Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Agility field left side: A competition agility field showing (clockwise from lower left) a tunnel, the dogwalk, the judge standing in front of a winged jump, two additional winged jumps, dog executing the teeter-totter with his handler guiding, and the tire jump. Agility field right side: The right side of the same agility field showing (clockwise from foreground) the weave poles, the pause table, the A-frame, two winged jumps, the collapsed tunnel (or chute), and a wingless jump. Numbered orange plastic cones next to obstacles indicate the order in which the dog must perform them. Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles.[1][2][3][4][5] Consequently the handler's controls are limited to voice, movement, and various body signals, requiring exceptional training of the animal and coordination of the handler. In its simplest form, an agility course consists of a set of standard obstacles, laid out by an agility judge in a design of his or her own choosing on a roughly 100 by 100-foot (30 by 30 m) area that is made up of grass, dirt floors, or rubber mats, with numbers indicating the order in which the dog must complete the obstacles. Courses are complicated enough that a dog could not complete them correctly without human direction. In competition, the handler must assess the course, decide on handling strategies, and direct the dog through the course, with precision and speed equally important. Many strategies exist to compensate for the inherent difference in human and dog speeds and the strengths and weaknesses of the various dogs and handlers.