June 26, 2016

10 Inspirational Quotes By Leo Buscaglia!

Felice Leonardo "Leo" Buscaglia, Ph.D. (31 March 1924 – 11 June 1998) was an author and motivational speaker, and a professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California. He was a graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School (Los Angeles). Leo Buscaglia authored a number of New York Times bestselling inspirational books on love and human reticence on the subject, including The Fall of Freddie the Leaf, Bus 9 to Paradise, Living Loving and Learning, Love, and My Father. In lectures he often protested, in outrage at the comparative absence of writings on the subject, "I got the copyright for love!!!" [source: wikipedia]

10 Inspirational Quotes From Leo Buscaglia
  1. Love always creates, it never destroys. In this lie's man's only promise.

  2. Love is always bestowed as a gift - freely, willingly and without expectation. We don't love to be loved; we love to love.

  3. We all need each other.

  4. Don't smother each other. No one can grow in the shade.

  5. What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life.

  6. Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.

  7. The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises.

  8. Death is a challenge. It tells us not to waste time... It tells us to tell each other right now that we love each other.

  9. It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.

  10. The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position.

BONUS
Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 11:53 AM 0 comments

SUNDAY Afternoon Cartoons To Cheer Everybody Up And Take A Break From This World's Nonsense! Let Bugs Bunny Put A Smile On Your Face. :)


Bugs Bunny - Baseball Bugs (1946) by TheCryptoCrew

Bugs Bunny - (Ep. 25) - Wackiki Wabbit by serijedomace04

bugs bunny - sahara hare by tetleymoon

Transylvania 6-5000 -- 1963 by tetleymoon

02 Ali Baba Bunny .Looney Tunes by lardbass

My favorite part: Daffy Duck, "It's mine, you understand. Mine. All mine. Mine. Mine. Mine." That's how I feel about my favorite treats lol ;)
To thrive in life you need three bones. A wish bone. A backbone. And a funny bone. ~by Reba McEntire 
One last thing I'd like to leave you with... all of you really need to lighten up and laugh a little. Stop being so hyper-sensitive and offended by every minute detail you see. Stop over-analyzing something meant to be funny. First ask yourself, why am I offended by this? Is this really hurting me? Is this hurting other people? Sadly, I have read so many comments on youtube condemning Bugs Bunny cartoons because they were "offended". Really? As if our world didn't have enough major issues to be offended by like rape, murder, corruption, oppression, slavery, people left starving, millions of household pets euthanized per year in the US alone, fisherman capturing sharks who then cut off their fins and throw them back into the ocean to die, or how about elephants and rhinos being killed solely to have their ivory tusks and horns cut off with carcass left to rot. Catch my drift?
The leadership instinct you are born with is the backbone. You develop the funny bone and the wishbone that go with it. ~by Elaine Agather
I'll give you an example, I am not fond of Pablo Picasso artwork. However, there are millions of people on this planet who love his artwork. Many of his original paintings have been auctioned for tens of millions, even hundreds of million of dollars. I believe to each his or her own taste. If someone were to give me a Picasso painting as a gift, I could not in good conscience hang that painting any where in my home. Why? Because I have no connection to his style of art. His art doesn't move me. I don't care that it's worth tons of money. I'm not going to display it to make someone else feel good. I'm the one who needs to feel good in my own house. I would graciously accept the gift and thank them. But I would not hang it up. Now, just because I don't like Picasso's art style doesn't mean it's not amazing artwork, and just because I don't like Picasso's art style doesn't mean I want it banned.
Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. ~by Plato
Another example I'd like to bring up is a Cuban artist expressing himself in 1987 by displaying a photograph of the cruxifiction of Jesus Christ submerged in a jar of urine at a New York art museum. If I were walking through this museum and saw this display, I would flinch. Then I would wonder, what would cause him to feel such disdain for Jesus Christ? That's what artist make us do, question things. Would I want this banned from any museum? No, this artist is expressing what is in his heart. Do I think his artwork is vulgar, well yes I do on a personal level because I love Jesus Christ. But that doesn't mean I want it banned. That's just an object, a thing. I have Jesus Christ in my heart. For all we know, this Cuban artist may have been molested by a Catholic priest who was supposed to be representing Jesus Christ. But seriously, I could care less that someone wants to offend me, and I would most definitely not have any desire to kill them, or injure them in any way, shape, or form for trying to offend me or trying to hurt my feelings. Give me a break!

Look, I respect each person's autonomy and right to believe whatever the heck that person wants. A person can worship a rock for all I care. As long as you are not harming anyone, well then, it's no skin off of my back. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

I hope all of you have a great lighthearted day! Hugs! ♥

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 11:11 AM 0 comments

HAPPY Sunday Everybody! Love You...♥

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 10:22 AM 0 comments

SPAIN: Paralyzed Spain Heads For Election Rerun Today: 5 Things To Know

Market Watch
written by Barbara Kollmeyer
Saturday June 25, 2016

U.S. voters can complain all they want about this year’s presidential election battle—but at least they won’t have to live through it twice.

So it might be appropriate to pity the Spanish voter, who heads back to the polls on Sunday for another general election after the last contest in December failed to produce a government.

Months of political deadlock and squabbling between four parties—two upstart and two traditional—have left the country in a state of political paralysis, and acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy leading a caretaker government. Investors fear that paralysis may remain after this weekend.

It is Rajoy’s Partido Popular that has the lead, according to a Metroscopia poll taken one week before the election.
Here are five important things to know about the Spanish vote:

How did we get here? Spain’s general elections last December ushered in big losses for the two dominant parties, Rajoy’s Partido Popular (Popular Party) and the Socialists (PSOE). That was as two upstart parties—left-wing and antiausterity Podemos, which literally means “we can,” and business-friendly, anticorruption Ciudadanos (citizens)—saw strong enough finishes to break the traditional hold by the established parties.

The election outcome left the two main parties unable to form a government, and King Felipe VI himself was forced to finally dissolve parliament and call new elections. It went down in history as the shortest lived parliament since democracy was established after dictator Francisco Franco died in 1975.

Now what? Much to the annoyance of the already fed-up Spanish public—the unemployment rate hovers at 20%, the highest in the European Union after a lengthy recession—another general election will take place Sunday. Results of the election should be known late that evening, local time.

Recent polls indicate that the general elections will deliver another fragmented parliament, with results similar to the December outcome, said Apolline Menut and Antonio Garcia Pascual, economists at Barclays. They expect a minority government will be formed ahead of the summer break, more than likely led by the Popular Party.

“One important factor determining which party will lead that government is whether PSOE maintains second place (as in December, when it returned 90 MPs) or comes third, with less MPs than Unidos Podemos,” as suggested by the latest polls, the analysts said in a recent note to clients.

But Unidos Podemos is a potential game-changer in the new election. The left-wing electoral alliance was formed by Podemos, an antiausterity party that’s barely two years old, the United Left (IU), Equo and allied left-wing parties in May. Led by Podemos’s popular, ponytailed leader Pablo Iglesias and IU’s Alberto Garzon, recent polls show the leftist alliance could make big enough gains to come in second behind PP.

The outcome and markets: Clearly, for many analysts and financial markets, a biggish win by those upstart parties would be a worry, with the memory of Greece and the victory of its own anti-Establishment party, Syriza, fresh in the minds of some. It’s no surprise that Rajoy has been emphasizing such concerns, arguing that a victory by the upstart parties could undermine stability.

Menut and Pascual said if the election produces another minority government, key reforms may not pass and that could weigh on Spain’s medium-term growth prospects.

The country needs action on fiscal issues and labor markets, given its long-term unemployment issues and huge youth unemployment problem, they said. The European Commission is expected to announce in July whether it will fine Spain and Portugal for not reducing their budget deficits fast enough to comply with European Union fiscal rules.

The Barclays economists expect political risks to remain elevated after the election and Spanish assets to continue to underperform relative to what economic fundamentals would justify. The Spain IBEX 35 Index IBEX, -12.35% is down 8.5% on a year-to-date basis, slightly underperforming the Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, -7.03% loss of 6.6%.

A PP minority government led by someone other than Rajoy, or a grand coalition of PP and the Socialists would make markets happy, said Predrag Dukic, senior equity sales trader at CM Capital Markets, in emailed comments. “On the other hand, a PODEMOS UNIDOS+PSOE government would be a disaster.”

The Brexit twist? The surprising U.K. exit from EU after last Thursday’s referendum could alter the outcome of the Spanish election, said UniCredit analysts Luca Cazzulani and Edoardo Campanella, in a note issued ahead of the Brexit vote.

With a leave camp victory “the heightened financial and political uncertainty that would follow would likely persuade undecided voters to lean on the more moderate traditional parties, or on Ciudadanos itself,” they said. While no party would likely win an absolute majority, the Socialist party could preserve its second-place finish and Ciudadanos could erode some support for Unidos Podemos.

Buying opportunity? Dukic said trying to determine whether Spanish stocks are attractive right now versus other European countries really will depend on the outcome of the election. “Assuming that Unidos Podemos are not part of the government, I would be looking at domestic banks, utilities and construction companies as sectors which should outperform,” he said.

European banks have had a rough year, though Spain’s giant BBVA SA BBVA, -18.85% BBVA, -16.18% has fared marginally better than Germany’s Deutsche Bank AG DB, -17.49% DBK, -13.92% with a 16% versus 32% loss respectively, year to date.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 10:13 AM 0 comments

June 24, 2016

WORLD: BREXIT STUNS FINANCIAL STOCK MARKETS, DOW FALLS 600 POINTS: Here's what you need to know...

Business Insider
written by Myles Udland
Friday June 24, 2016

Friday was a historic day in markets after the UK's vote to leave the European Union shocked global markets and sent risk assets the world over into a tailspin.

Looking just at US markets, overnight futures cratered as S&P 500 futures went limit-down - meaning that trading was halted - after falling 5%.

After a small bounce following the market open, US stocks slid through the afternoon and closed off the lows but with sharp losses that erased year-to-date gains for the S&P 500 and Dow.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell over 4% on Friday, the biggest one-day drop since 2011.

This was an absolutely manic day in markets that saw massive dislocations across asset classes - a day of market action, we imagine, many won't soon forget.

Scoreboard
  • Dow: 17,407, -603, (-3.3%)
  • S&P 500: 2,047, -66, (-3.1%)
  • Nasdaq: 4,729, -180, (-3.6%)
  • FTSE 100: 6.138, -199, (-3.1%)
  • Euro Stoxx 50: 2,779, -258, (-8.5%)
  • GBPUSD: $1.367, -8%
  • 10-year Treasury: 1.57%
  • Gold: $1,322, +4.6%
  • WTI crude oil: $47.70, -4.8%
Brexit

It happened.

On Thursday, Britons took to the polls in the UK's EU referendum, voting to leave the EU in a vote that went against betting markets and the financial market's conventional wisdom.

Following this result, financial markets were sent into a tailspin with futures diving overnight, the British pound collapsing, and US stocks, after finding some stability early in the day on Friday, tumbling into the close as the Dow and S&P 500 wiped out all of their gains for 2016 in one fell swoop.

Amid this frantic risk-off market action, gold and US Treasurys rallied.

The most jittery part of the business world following this result was the financial sector, with a number of Wall Street banks sending around memos to reassure staff who, in turn, you'd imagine will seek to reassure nervous clients. Portia Crowe has the rundown of bank memos here.

Clinton, Trump, Obama

As expected, the three biggest players in US politics right now, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as well as the actual president, Barack Obama, were out saying their piece on the Brexit vote.

Clinton said simply that she respects the choice that the UK's citizens made and added that, "Our first task has to be to make sure that the economic uncertainty created by these events does not hurt working families here in America." This statement wasn't all that different from Obama's statement.

Trump used the decision to take something resembling a victory lap, saying at a press conference at one of his golf courses in Scotland: "It's always the will of the people. Ultimately, that wins out. They've taken back their independence. And that's a very, very important thing."

In the run-up to the Brexit vote, the easy parallel to make from an American point of view is that the Leave camp shared many similarities with the Trump campaign. And here we are.

Much as the conventional wisdom ahead of the Brexit vote held that eventually the Remain camp would prevail, right now the same elite consensus has coalesced around the idea that Clinton will most likely be our next president. Josh Barro argues that there are three reasons to be sanguine about Clinton's chances and just one reason - basically a recession - to worry that he could win.

The polling gap between Clinton and Trump right now is a bit wider than final polling between the Leave and Remain camps showed, but after a shock vote like this, it is worth keeping your guard up ahead of the actual vote.

Or, as Brett LoGiurato wrote on Friday, all bets are now off.

Reaction, commentary, everything else

The Federal Reserve said in a statement on Friday morning that it was monitoring the situation in global markets closely and stood ready to provide liquidity if needed.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 1:31 PM 0 comments

ENGLAND: David Cameron Is A Historic Failure, A Terrible Strategist, And A Worse Tactician. Excellent Piece! #Brexit

Foreign Policy
written by Alex Massie
Friday June 24, 2016

The prime minister wanted to modernize the Tory Party and unify the United Kingdom. He accomplished exactly the opposite.

This is how a political life ends: with a crash, not a whimper. David Cameron’s place in history is now assured. He is the man who took the United Kingdom out of the European Union. As we wait for the full impact of Thursday’s referendum to be felt, he may be remembered as the prime minister who presided over the beginning of the end of the United Kingdom, too. Scottish independence, defeated as an idea just two years ago, is back on the table.

Cameron’s ten years as leader of the Conservative party and six as prime minister now boil down to these solitary facts. Nothing else matters; nothing else will be remembered. Cameron gambled everything on one roll of the dice and lost it all.

No prime minister in living memory has suffered a defeat of such cataclysmic proportions; none has been so thoroughly humiliated by his own electorate. Cameron lost control of his party and then his country. The consequences of that carelessness will be felt, in Britain and internationally, for years to come. Future political historians will ponder a melancholy question: what was the point of David Cameron? And their judgment is likely to be severe.


It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Cameron was to be a different kind of Tory, one comfortable with the face and reality of modern Britain. He was elected leader on a modernizing platform that stressed the party’s need to change. He would lead a gentler, more inclusive, Conservative party that would be economically conservative but socially liberal. Tax cuts and gay marriage; welfare reform and a marked increase in spending on international aid for the world’s poorest countries.

Above all, he insisted, the Tory party would have to stop “banging on” about Europe. The EU, he recognized, was a distraction from more immediate and pressing concerns. Besides, Cameron appreciated that Tory divisions over Europe helped bring about Margaret Thatcher’s demise and crippled John Major’s premiership.

A year ago, Cameron didn’t even expect he would have to honor his party’s platform promise to hold a referendum on EU membership. But that was before he won a surprising majority in last year’s general election. Suddenly he found himself trapped by his own manifesto promises — promises made to placate the Euroskeptics in his own party and see off the threat posed to his right flank by the virulently anti-European UK Independence Party. A referendum would have to be held.

Even so, Cameron was confident — or complacent — enough to think winning it would be an easy task. After all, most of the British establishment was firmly in the pro-Europe camp and so, overwhelmingly, was British business. Economic self-interest would surely persuade voters to set aside their concerns about the EU and endorse the status quo. They might not do so with any great measure of enthusiasm but a reluctant vote Remain was all Cameron, and his government, needed.

But, if Cameron understood that there was anti-establishment sentiment in his country, he was entirety too confident he could placate it. Cameron’s attempt to win over Euroskeptics by renegotiating the terms of British membership was an embarrassing, even humiliating, flop. He had disastrously misjudged his room to maneuver. Britain was already a semi-detached member of the EU, granted exemptions from the single currency and the common Schengen travel area; there was not much further autonomy for Britain to win within the confines of the EU. Cameron’s attempt to do so was an inevitable failure, and an unforced strategic blunder.

Any remaining hope the Remain side might cruise to a comfortable victory evaporated when Boris Johnson, Cameron’s most probable successor and arguably the most charismatic and popular politician in Britain, declared he would campaign for Leave. Worse still, the temper and character of the times offered Cameron little encouragement. Populism is the currency of the age and “elites” are fair game everywhere. The EU, which has never inspired much enthusiasm in Britain, was easily depicted as an unaccountable undemocratic, and out of touch. More relevantly, though perhaps less fairly, the same held true Cameron, with his privileged background and aristocratic manner. The would-be “One Nation conservative” came to be dismissed by his countrymen as a hapless toff.

It did not help matter that all Cameron could offer, in response to the Leave campaign’s promise to “take back control” and restore British parliamentary sovereignty, was a parade of “experts” — ranging from the World Bank and the IMF to Barack Obama — all of whom warned against leaving the EU. Experts, too, are out of fashion in Britain. “We are about democracy, they are about economics” said Johnson, while Michael Gove, a former key Cameron ally turned impassioned Leave campaigner, remarked that “I think people in this country have had enough of experts”.

Above all, the Leave campaign concentrated its fire on the issue of immigration. Cameron once promised to cut net inward migration to Britain to less than 100,000 people a year. It is a promise he has had ample cause to regret, not least since figures released just before Thursday’s vote revealed that, in 2015, immigration increased the UK’s population by 330,000 people. Half of that figure was accounted for by EU citizens traveling from elsewhere in Europe to live and work in Britain.

Cameron hoped rhetorical feints against immigration — warnings about “swarms” of migrants from a refugee camp in Calais and the like — could purchase him the credibility his policies would not. He was, again, mistaken; his rhetoric was dismissed by true migration skeptics as just that. Enough is enough, the Leave campaign insisted, only leaving the EU can give Britain the power to control its own borders.

So this morning Cameron finds himself the laughing-stock of Europe. His reinvention of the Conservative party, reviving it in the aftermath of three shattering election defeats at the hands of Tony Blair, counts for nothing. His party is split in two; his country faces an impossibly uncertain future as the full impact of Thursday’s extraordinary vote begins to be felt.

Most of all, Cameron must reflect on the manner in which he lost the confidence of the British people. The roots of this crisis run long and deep but they are connected to the ongoing impact of 2008’s financial crash. The British people have put up with six years of “austerity” government but have never done so enthusiastically.

We used to think Cameron was a lucky politician at his best in a crisis. He had the good fortune to face two Labour leaders — Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband — who were in their different ways almost heroically unpopular. In 2014 he saw off the threat of Scottish independence and, until just a few weeks ago, looked like seeing off the threat of Brexit too.

That analysis no longer holds. This plebiscite was a revolt against Westminster just as much as it was an expression of anti-European animus. The British people have tired of the governing officer class and gleefully took the opportunity of kicking Cameron in the shins.

The referendum result revealed a picture of a sharply polarized Britain. Older voters voted to Leave while their grandchildren overwhelmingly voted to Remain. Middle-class university graduates voted to Remain but working-class high-school graduates voted to Leave. London and Scotland endorsed the EU, the so-called “heartlands” of “middle England” backed Leave. Britain this morning is a country divided by class and geography as almost never before. That too is part of Cameron’s legacy; the proof of a failed premiership.

At some point and eventually, even lucky generals find their good fortune runs out. Cameron has proved no exception to that immutable law of politics. Almost all political lives end in failure but few in quite such a devastating fashion as this. This is a shipwreck and Cameron is the captain who drove HMS Britain onto the rocks. That is his legacy; that is what he will be remembered for. And deservedly so.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 1:21 PM 0 comments

ENGLAND: Conservatives Cheer #BrexitVote's Blow Against Bureaucracy, But Liberals Fear Anarchy

The Washington Examiner
written by Pete Kasperowicz
Friday June 24, 2016

Washington, D.C., politicians had sharp disagreements Friday over what the British vote to leave the European Union really means, as conservatives called it a welcome shaking off of an international bureaucracy, while liberals denounced it as a step toward global anarchy.

Republicans were far more likely to defend the vote, and many cheered both the right of British citizens to hold the vote, as well as the result. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, went further by saying the vote should be seen as a "wake-up call" for "internationalist bureaucrats."

"The British people have indicated that they will no longer outsource their future to the EU, and prefer to chart their own path forward," Cruz said. "The United States can learn from the referendum and attend to the issues of security, immigration and economic autonomy that drove this historic vote."

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., not only praised the vote, but said the U.S. should also get ready to eschew "global powers."

"Now it's our time," Sessions said. "Just as in the U.K., our November presidential election presents a stark contrast. The establishment forces, the global powers, are promoting their values and their interests."

Sessions is advising Donald Trump's campaign, and while Trump didn't cheer the result as much as Sessions, he and others were clearly comfortable with the idea of British citizens deciding their own fates.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., also defended the vote, and offered assurances that the "special relationship" between the U.S. and U.K. will continue.

"A free people should choose their own way, and we respect the British decision to leave the European Union," he said. "That close partnership will endure, and we will continue to work together to strengthen a robust trade relationship and to address our common security interests."

Democrats, however, were more likely to see the vote as a global governance disaster that will undermine decades of integration in Europe.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said the vote "engenders economic and geopolitical uncertainty that will play itself out in the months and years ahead."

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., cast the vote as a devastating turn of events that is already proving to be one that could destroy the U.K.'s market.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has yet to drop out of the Democratic presidential race, indicated he's worried it could lead to a deeper destabilization of Europe.

"What worries me very much is the breaking down of international cooperation," he said on MSNBC. "Europe in the 20th century, as we all know, the kind of blood that was shed there was unimaginable. You never want to see that again."

And Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said the vote was the result of "xenophobia" that could spread throughout Europe.

"This is a very bad thing for the United Kingdom," he said. "This risks turning a major global power into a more provincial country that can't exercise its desperately needed leadership in Europe."

"This is where that xenophobic, angry, right-wing dark instinct takes you," he added.

Hillary Clinton had a relatively muted reaction that seemed designed to enhance U.S. voters' view of her as a presidential candidate. "This time of uncertainty only underscores the need for calm, steady, experienced leadership in the White House," she said.

And there were some who admitted they aren't quite sure what it all means.

"Where do you start?" Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., told the BBC. "Hell! I am worried. It's just an unknown."

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 1:16 PM 0 comments

ENGLAND: Britain Has Voted Narrowly To Leave The EU. David Cameron, The Gambler, Has Finally Lost #Brexit

The Economist
written by Staff
Friday June 24, 2016

HOW quickly the unthinkable became the irreversible. A year ago few people imagined that the legions of Britons who love to whinge about the European Union—silly regulations, bloated budgets and pompous bureaucrats—would actually vote to leave the club of countries that buy nearly half of Britain’s exports. Yet, by the early hours of June 24th, it was clear that voters had ignored the warnings of economists, allies and their own government and, after more than four decades in the EU, were about to step boldly into the unknown.

The tumbling of the pound to 30-year lows offered a taste of what is to come. As confidence plunges, Britain may well dip into recession. A permanently less vibrant economy means fewer jobs, lower tax receipts and, eventually, extra austerity. The result will also shake a fragile world economy. Scots, most of whom voted to Remain, may now be keener to break free of the United Kingdom, as they nearly did in 2014. Across the Channel, Eurosceptics such as the French National Front will see Britain’s flounce-out as encouragement. The EU, an institution that has helped keep the peace in Europe for half a century, has suffered a grievous blow.

Managing the aftermath, which saw the country split by age, class and geography, will need political dexterity in the short run; in the long run it may require a redrawing of traditional political battle-lines and even subnational boundaries. There will be a long period of harmful uncertainty. Nobody knows when Britain will leave the EU or on what terms. But amid Brexiteers’ jubilation and Remain’s recriminations, two questions stand out: what does the vote mean for Britain and Europe? And what comes next?

Brexit: the small print

The vote to Leave amounts to an outpouring of fury against the “establishment”. Everyone from Barack Obama to the heads of NATO and the IMF urged Britons to embrace the EU. Their entreaties were spurned by voters who rejected not just their arguments but the value of “experts” in general. Large chunks of the British electorate that have borne the brunt of public-spending cuts and have failed to share in Britain’s prosperity are now in thrall to an angry populism.

Britons offered many reasons for rejecting the EU, from the democratic deficit in Brussels to the weakness of the euro-zone economies. But the deal-breaking feature of EU membership for Britain seemed to be the free movement of people. As the number of new arrivals has grown, immigration has risen up the list of voters’ concerns.

Accordingly, the Leave side promised supporters both a thriving economy and control over immigration. But Britons cannot have that outcome just by voting for it. If they want access to the EU’s single market and to enjoy the wealth it brings, they will have to accept free movement of people. If Britain rejects free movement, it will have to pay the price of being excluded from the single market. The country must pick between curbing migration and maximising wealth.

David Cameron is not the man to make that choice. Having recklessly called the referendum and led a failed campaign, he has shown catastrophic misjudgment and cannot credibly negotiate Britain’s departure. That should now fall to a new prime minister.

We believe that he or she should opt for a Norwegian-style deal that gives full access to the world’s biggest single market, but maintains the principle of the free movement of people. The reason is that this would maximise prosperity. And the supposed cost—migration—is actually beneficial, as Leave campaigners themselves have said. European migrants are net contributors to public finances, so they more than pay their way for their use of health and education services. Without migrants from the EU, schools, hospitals and industries such as farming and the building trade would be short of labour.

Preventing Frexit

The hard task will be telling Britons who voted to Leave that the free having and eating of cake is not an option. The new prime minister will face accusations of selling out—for the simple reason that he or she will indeed have to break a promise, whether over migration or the economy. That is why voters must confirm any deal, preferably in a general election rather than another referendum. This may be easier to win than seems possible today. While a deal is being done, the economy will suffer and immigration will fall of its own accord.

Brexit is also a grave blow for the EU. The high-priesthood in Brussels has lost touch with ordinary citizens—and not just in Britain. A recent survey for Pew Research found that in France, a founder member and long a strong supporter, only 38% of people still hold a favourable view of the EU, six points lower than in Britain. In none of the countries the survey looked at was there much support for transferring powers to Brussels.

Each country feels resentment in its own way. In Italy and Greece, where the economies are weak, they fume over German-imposed austerity. In France the EU is accused of being “ultra-liberal” (even as Britons condemn it for tying them up in red tape). In eastern Europe traditional nationalists blame the EU for imposing cosmopolitan values like gay marriage.

Although the EU needs to deal with popular anger, the remedy lies in boosting growth. Completing the single market in, say, digital services and capital markets would create jobs and prosperity. The euro zone needs stronger underpinnings, starting with a proper banking union. Acting on age-old talk of returning powers, including labour-market regulation, to national governments would show that the EU is not bent on acquiring power no matter what.

This newspaper sees much to lament in this vote—and a danger that Britain will become more closed, more isolated and less dynamic. It would be bad for everyone if Great Britain shrivelled into Little England and be worse still if this led to Little Europe. The leaders of Leave counter with the promise to unleash a vibrant, outward-looking 21st-century economy. We doubt that Brexit will achieve this, but nothing would make us happier than to be proved wrong.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 1:10 PM 0 comments

WORLD: Sorry ISIS — 5 European LGBT-Friendly Cities You Can’t Scare Visitors From


NY Post
written by Jennifer Ceaser
Tuesday June 21, 2016

Despite the recent terror attack in Orlando, LGBT Pride events will continue as planned across the globe throughout the summer months.
(For one, New York City’s massive PrideFest is this coming weekend.)

But while Manhattan’s parade may be among the world’s largest, Gotham is hardly the only LGBT-friendly town worth visiting.

Europe, with its long tradition of LGBT acceptance, also knows a thing or two about celebrating pride — even in the face of adversity — and these five cities do it best.

Stockholm

Scandinavia’s biggest LGBT party, Stockholm Pride (July 25-31) stretches a full week, with much of the action taking place in Tantolunden, a huge green space in the city center.

The festivities culminate in a 50,000-strong parade that draws half a million spectators as it winds through Stockholm’s narrow cobblestone streets.

The first Stockholm Pride took place in 1998, but the Swedish capital has long been a leader in LGBT rights: in 1944, homosexual relationships were declared legal in Sweden, and in 1972, it became the first county in the world to allow legal gender change for transsexuals.

Such progressiveness meant that Stockholm never established a true “gayborhood” — though you can find a large number of gay clubs in Gamla Stan (Old Town) and the hip Södermalm neighborhood.

Amsterdam

It doesn’t get much gay-friendlier than the Netherlands: It was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage and to legally marry a gay couple.

(The ceremony, in April 2001, took place in Amsterdam, officiated by then mayor Job Cohen.)

The capital boasts hundreds of LGBT-oriented venues — hotels, clubs, bookstores, bathhouses — as well as Pink Point, a kiosk that provides information about the city’s gay community.

So it’s no surprise that Amsterdam hosts one of the globe’s biggest gay pride celebrations, EuroPride (July 23-Aug. 7), which spans two weeks and attracts 500,000-plus visitors.

Among this year’s highlights: a human rights concert on July 24 at the famed Dam Square with a performance by Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst.

But what makes EuroPride truly unique is its Canal Parade, which takes place entirely on water.

Eighty boats carrying drag queens, muscled men in body paint (and little else) and flamboyant, rainbow-hued supporters of all kinds sail through miles of the city’s waterways, as crowds gather along the canal banks to cheer them on.

Zurich

The only Swiss city to have an openly gay female mayor, Corine Mauch, Zurich is known for its tolerance and open-minded stance on civil rights — including LGBT rights.

Which means being gay here is a non-issue; in fact, in many of the so-called “gay” venues you’ll find a mixed crowd.

That said, the Niederdorf quarter is a popular area for the LGBT community and is home to Predigerhof Bistro Bar, one of the city’s top gay bars.

While Zurich Pride is still growing — the three-day event just wrapped up its seventh year, with around 30,000 visitors — the city is better known as the site for the world’s largest techno party, Street Parade (Aug. 13), which attracts nearly a million people.

Though not officially a gay event, the lakeside festival, which preaches “peace, tolerance and unity,” is hugely popular among the house music-loving LGBT crowd.

Barcelona

Looking at the fun, freewheeling, gay-friendly Barcelona of today, it’s hard to believe that its LGBT movement is only a few decades old.

Because homosexuality was illegal under dictator Francisco Franco’s regime, it wasn’t until after his death in 1975 that Spain’s gay scene was allowed to flourish.

The country’s first gay disco didn’t open until 1980 — in Sitges, a gay seaside resort community just outside of Barcelona.

But the Catalonian capital quickly made up for lost time and now has one of Europe’s top LGBT scenes, with much of it concentrated in the Eixample (pronounced Eh-hem-play) district — nicknamed “Gaixample” for its many gay bars, clubs, bookstores and hotels.
Coming up is Pride Barcelona (June 28-July 9) whose highlights include a daylong celebration at the water park Illa Fantasia, a “High Heels” race, the biggest foam party in Europe and a parade through Barcelona’s main streets. Circuit Festival Barcelona (Aug. 2-14), meanwhile, attracts more than 70,000 gay men with its DJs and pool-party events.

Milan

Italy approved same-sex civil unions last month, so this year’s Milano Pride week (June 18-25) promises to be a truly celebratory.

It concludes with a parade through the ancient city.

Even as the country inches toward being more gay-friendly, Milan has been so for some time — due in large part to its standing as a global fashion capital.

Nevertheless, a membership card is necessary to enter gay clubs and saunas here — but it’s easy to obtain at any gay venue.

While Via Sammartini is considered the main “gay street,” Milan’s gay bars are scattered throughout the city.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 11:11 AM 0 comments

TURKEY: Authorities Have Banned Gay Pride Scheduled For This Sunday, June 26th. Please Sign Amnesty Int'l Petition To Lift Ban. ♥

Amnesty International
written by Staff
Tuesday June 21, 2016

For people who support LGBTI rights in Turkey, Istanbul Pride is a valuable and rare event. The message of acceptance and equality rights for LGBTI people is in stark contrast to the discrimination faced by many LGBTI people in the country.

LGBTI people are not afforded the same protections and rights as heterosexual people in Turkey, and there is no law that prevents someone being discriminated against on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, for example.

The decision by authorities in Istanbul to ban Pride instead of protecting the tens of thousands of people who were due to march is a cowardly move that reinforces that discrimination, instead of taking the opportunity to challenge it and stand up for equal rights.

Trans Pride a warning of things to come?
On Friday 17 June, Istanbul city authorities banned both Trans Pride and Pride marches – but Trans Pride went ahead anyway on Sunday 19 June. Yet the collective gathering of people standing for trans rights was met with zealous force from the police force, who used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to break up the march.

2015 march marred by police violence
It should be an opportunity to meet together and celebrate LGBTI rights. And for years, Istanbul Pride was a chance for people to do just that. Then last year, for the first time in the event’s 12-year history, Istanbul Pride was banned by the city’s authorities.

The city’s governor cancelled Pride as he claimed there hadn’t been a formal application for the event to go ahead – and feared that there could be clashes between Pride participants and anti-LGBTI demonstrators targeting the march. One major problem: the authorities did not tell Pride organisers it had been cancelled.

Demonstrators gathered in June 2015 as planned, only to be met with violence from the police who should have been there to protect them. Instead, they came under fire from water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray as police tried to disperse demonstrators and counter-demonstrators.

The day after the march, Istanbul’s governor justified police action, saying that attendees had turned up despite the event being cancelled, and police were trying to disperse them from gathering.

What we’re calling for
Quite simply, we want people to be able to use their freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, as is their right, to meet and peacefully enjoy Istanbul Pride.

Instead of shutting down the event, we’re asking city authorities to protect those marching from any potential violence from counter-protestors.

City authorities must also make sure that the police protect marchers instead of targeting them with force, simply for turning up to peacefully meet and celebrate LGBTI rights.

We met with the Governor of Istanbul last week to ask him to let the Pride marches go ahead safely and securely. Please support our calls and sign the petition to the city authorities. We’ll fax over petitions so they can see the international support for peaceful celebration of LGBTI rights from people around the world.

***********

Tens of thousands of people who were due to march peacefully in Istanbul in celebration of LGBTI rights this Sunday, 26 June, are being stopped from meeting and demonstrating.

City authorities have banned Pride, citing potential security risks. But the authorities should protect those attending the march, not deny them their right to celebrate it. Pride is a time to exercise free speech and freedom of assembly. Call on city authorities to let Istanbul Pride go ahead safely.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 11:07 AM 0 comments

SWITZERLAND: Now Switzerland WITHDRAWS Its Application To Join The EU Just A Week Before British Vote On June 23rd. Sorry I'm Late With This News.

Express news, UK
written by Charlie Peat
Thursday June 16, 2016

SWITZERLAND has withdrawn its application to join the European Union just a week before Britain votes on its own EU membership.

The vote came from the Government's lower house as the Swiss foreign minister Didier Burkhalter told the bloc to "consider the application as withdrawn".

Mr Burkhalter said the motion is "unnecessary" because Switzerland does not intend to join and should be considered an "independent sovereign nation".

Independent Swiss MP Thomas Minder said he wanted to the debate to be "short and painless" as the country dropped its 24-year-old dormant application.

Switzerland has never been a member of EU but has accepted free trade with the union since the 1970s as well as accepting free movement of people as a member of the Schengen zone.

Two years ago the Swiss public voted in a referendum to impose immigration quotas but Brussels refused to grant the request, threatening to block its free trade access if it wanted to curb free movement.

The move comes as Britain casts doubts over its membership to the bureaucratic Brussels club.

Speaking on a special Question Time show, Michael Gove dismissed the Remain campaign’s doom-laden warnings about the economic impact of Brexit, saying it would be a "win-win economically".

The Brexit campaigner also refused to back George Osborne's controversial proposals for an "emergency Budget" of tax hikes and NHS cuts.

He said: "If we vote to leave, we'll be able to take back some of the money we give to the EU and invest that money in our priorities.

"We can start negotiating trade deals with countries like India, China and Japan which can create hundreds of thousands of jobs."

Britons will go to the polls on June 23.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 12:58 AM 0 comments

WORLD: Twitter Trolls Are Reporting Pro-LGBT Muslim Women to Their Governments, Where Punishment Can Mean Death

The Daily Beast
written by Ben Collins
Monday June 20, 2016

In Kuwait, the penalty for blasphemy can be as severe as death. That’s why a new campaign to dox young Kuwaiti women with independent minds is so dangerous.

A band of Twitter trolls alleging to be from the Middle East spent Sunday and Monday repeatedly reporting “atheist” and pro-LGBT girls and women to the local authorities in places where blasphemy laws allow for punishments as severe as death.

Stories of social media harassment have become increasingly common in recent years, but the consequences of this trolling campaign could be far more serious than most. Twitter users in Kuwait have already spent years in jail for tweets similar to the ones trolls unearthed on Sunday and Monday, as repeated requests to Twitter to ban those doxing young women have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Late Sunday night, Twitter user @old_gaes tweeted a screenshot of one of @Pharaohoe’s tweets from February, which had replaced the word “domain” in a verse from the Quran with a slang word for vagina.

“This is the end of another atheist and we should continue exposing every Arab atheist child to their parents who do not know of their atheism,” @old_gaes wrote in Arabic above the tweet.

Several friends of @Pharaohoe on Twitter told The Daily Beast that she is 16 years old and lives in Kuwait.

@Old_gaes urged his followers to report her tweets to authorities after tracking down and disseminating appropriate government email addresses.

Dubai’s verified police account tweeted back to @old_gaes on Monday morning, asking him to “kindly send the details” about potential blasphemy along to a specific email address.

“His entire account is of him reporting LGBTQ and ex-Muslims, or harassing them until they deactivate,” said Dubai-based Twitter user Afra, who declined to give her last name because “it could really affect my safety.”

On Monday, @Pharaohoe tweeted “they fucking found me,” “im gonna puke,” then “i’m deactivating guys.” She then deleted her account.

@Old_gaes deactivated his own account late on Monday after users threatened to report a tweet critical of the UAE to Dubai Police, but he first gloated about his crusade when @Pharaohoe’s account went dark.

“They live in our safety and eat from our God given bounties, but when they disrespect our faith you think they deserve mercy or forgiveness?” he wrote in Arabic.

Many of his followers voiced agreement and pledged to help.

“Arab gays and atheists live amongst us, but if every person got up and defended his faith and spread Dawah (education) to every gay and atheist, they would disappear from Twitter,” @iBxdr responded in Arabic.

“Now when a man defends his religion by utilizing the laws of the country he is being hateful but when a girl disrespects our religion it is nothing! strange world,” wrote @TheAmazingMK in Arabic.

@Old_gaes and some of his followers then began reporting users like Afra who came to @Pharaohoe’s defense.

“He’s using scare tactics to silence people,” said another user who had been harassed by @Old_gaes’s followers, but asked her name be withheld in “fear for her safety.” “This tactic is not new at all. Many Arab atheists, political dissenters, and LGBQT (users) are doxed into silence. That’s why you find many of these accounts are anonymous, so that if they are targeted, their identity won’t be revealed.”

@Old_gaes continued doxing and reporting more young women on Tuesday.

Above a tweet by the user @holyvag that reads, “Where is God? Why isn’t he shaking the ground of every person who makes fun of him?” in Arabic, @Old_gaes wrote, “I’m reporting her and I don’t wanna hear the excuse that she’s too young.”

The persistent doxing is leaving many women, who have repeatedly reported the users to Twitter, wondering how to make it stop.

“Twitter is absolutely useless. They don’t take this sort of thing seriously,” said the woman who asked to remain anonymous. “I don’t know what the solution is.”

“He’s so dangerous,” said Afra. “I don’t know how his account is still up.”

Last year, Twitter’s then-CEO Dick Costolo made reining in abuse a priority for the social network and expanded its safety team to “act against accounts that don’t follow the rules.” In February, the company hired a group of experts to launch the Twitter Trust & Safety Council, which would “provide more tools and policies” to “express themselves freely and safely on Twitter.”

When The Daily Beast reached out to Twitter to ask how accounts like @Old_gaes were allowed to remain active despite consistent reports of harassment, a spokesperson said that “we do not comment on individual accounts, for privacy and security reasons.”

When asked to “better outline how Twitter assesses threats to personal safety” after a violation of the rules that could leave its users in danger, the company did not respond to repeated requests at press time.

In 2012, a Kuwaiti man was jailed for 10 years for insulting Muhammad and Saudi and Bahrainian officials on Twitter. Another man was sentenced to five years for “a Twitter comment about Sunni/Shia theology” a year later, according to Human Rights Watch. Kuwait passed an amendment allowing for the death penalty for “Muslims who curse the God or the Quran” in 2012.

On Monday night, @Old_gaes bragged to his newest target above a screenshot of @Pharaohoe’s tweets.

“@Holyvag I was joking before, but now I’m serious. You’ll be with her soon,” he wrote.

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 12:33 AM 0 comments

USA: US Attorney General Loretta Lynch Admitted That The FBI Is Unaware Of The Whereabouts Of Omar Mateen's Wife. >:/

Grabien news
written by Staff
Monday June 20, 2016

Attorney General Loretta Lynch admitted today that the FBI is unaware of the whereabouts of Omar Mateen's wife, Noor Salman.

Salman has indicated she suspected Mateen was about to commit a terrorist attack, and even accompanied him to buy the weaponry he used to carry out the massacre. She insists, however, that as he left she tried to hold onto his arm so he wouldn't leave.

If the FBI believes she was aware of the impending attack, she could be prosecuted.

"Has the shooter’s wife left the state of Florida?" a reporter asked Lynch during her press conference Tuesday.

"Right now, I don’t know exactly the answer to that," Lynch candidly replied. "I believe she was going to travel but I do not know exactly her location now."

JUST 6 DAYS PRIOR

kdvr.com FOX31, Denver
written by CNN newswire
June 14, 2016

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The wife of the Orlando nightclub shooter told the FBI that Omar Mir Seddique Mateen said he wanted to carry out a jihadist attack, though she denied knowledge of his plans to launch the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.

FBI investigators don't believe Noor Salman was a co-conspirator in the attack that killed 49 people Sunday morning at Pulse, the source said.

But authorities are looking into whether she should face charges for what she might have known of his intentions and possibly failed to report to law enforcement.

The development comes as investigators try to understand what motivated Mateen to carry out the devastating attack. Forty-nine people were killed early Sunday and 53 people were wounded. Officials said 28 victims are still hospitalized, including at least four people who are in critical condition.

Salman, Mateen's second wife, has been cooperating with various law enforcement agencies. The couple has been married since 2011. They have a 3-year-old son.

The couple lived in Fort Pierce, Fla., about an hour from the club. Salman told the FBI she had noticed changes in her husband's behavior and tried to dissuade him from doing anything violent, the official said.

When he left their home Saturday, hours before the mass shooting, Mateen lied about where he was going, Salman told federal investigators. A separate source said Salman had some prior knowledge of her husband's intention to launch an attack.

Law enforcement officials said Salman accompanied Mateen on trips to scout potential targets, though it is unclear how much she knew about his intentions. She was with him when he visited Pulse and Disney Springs -- an entertainment and shopping complex -- apparently in early June.

She also accompanied him on an April 26 visit to Disney World. Disney security officials have told the FBI that they believe the visit was to conduct reconnaissance.

The early June visits took place during the same period Mateen was purchasing the weapons used in the devastating attack.

Maine Sen. Angus King, who as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee was briefed on the investigation, said he doesn't know whether Salman went with her husband to purchase the guns.

Hours before the carnage, Mateen made one last trip to Disney Springs, law enforcement officials said. That time, Mateen was alone.

Justice Department prosecutors and FBI investigators are reviewing Salman's account and other evidence to determine whether to bring charges against her for allegedly failing to report her knowledge of his general plans to carry out some kind of attack.

Such charges could include misprision, a deliberate concealment of knowledge of a pending crime. King said Salman is being interviewed by the FBI.

"It appears she has some knowledge of what was going on, visiting some of the other sites. We don't know whether she was involved and knew about the purchase of the guns, which took place only about a week before the attack," King said.

"But she definitely is, I guess you would say, a person of interest right now and appears to be cooperating and can provide us with some important information on who this guy is, what his motivations were and what his plans were."

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 12:11 AM 0 comments

USA: Philadelphia Muslims Assault Restaurant Patrons: “We belong to ISIS”. They Know Obama And FBI Will Defend Them. >:/

JihadWatch
written by Robert Spencer
Tuesday June 21, 2016

UPDATE: More cover-up of Muslim crime by U.S. authorities? The video showing the perpetrators has been taken down. Portions of it, however, are in this news report:


Genuine jihadis or louts admiring the strong horse? No way to tell at this point.

“Police seeking information in assault at Geno’s Steaks,” by Mari A. Schaefer, Philadelphia Inquirer, June 20, 2016:

Philadelphia police are looking for five men in connection with an assault outside Geno’s Steaks on June 11.

The men, all caught on surveillance video, fled in two cars – a dark colored pickup truck and an SUV – both with New Jersey license plates.

Police are also looking for one woman described as a getaway driver.

Police did not provide information about the assault, but said the video of it was “too graphic” to release.

Patrick Kane, a victim of the attack, provided this account.

He said he and his wife, Brooke Kane, had spent the night at a friend’s wedding and then at an after hours club with another couple, when they all decided to grab a bite to eat at Geno’s.

They were just finishing up their cheese steaks when Brooke Kane’s girlfriend asked another group of patrons if she could bum a cigarette, Patrick Kane said.

“That is when the guys just lost their minds,” said Patrick Kane, 31 and a maintenance supervisor at an apartment building.

In seconds one man stood up, put his hand over the face of the woman and pushed her across the sidewalk, said Patrick Kane.

“‘Don’t mess with us, we belong to ISIS,'” Kane said the man shouted at them.

Brooke Kane, a daycare teacher, stepped in to help her friend. The ISIS comment was not a joke she told them before she too was struck, Patrick Kane said.

At that point he and the other man stepped in to try and help the girls with the intention of leaving.

“What went from putting hands on two girls became five guys attacking us,” said Kane.

Patrick Kane said one man punched him in the nose, which started bleeding. He was then punched in the back of the head by another man and hit twice in the eye. He remembers Brooke screaming at bystanders for help and to call police, the five men running off, someone from Geno’s giving him a bag of ice and police and EMTs arriving on the scene.

Patrick Kane said he declined further medical treatment for what he called a black eye and small cut. The couples spent until 5 a.m. at a police station giving their statements, he said….

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 12:03 AM 0 comments

June 23, 2016

CHINA: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016: 10,000 Dogs To Be Killed And Eaten At China's Annual Food Event


The Independent, UK
written by Emma Henderson
Wednesday June 22, 2016

China’s annual Yulin festival, in which thousands of dogs and cats will be murdered and eaten, has begun despite widespread international condemnation.

An estimated 10,000 dogs and cats are expected to be used for meat during the 10 days of the festival, which takes place at Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in the south-east of the country.

Campaigners say the practice is cruel and a petition has amassed 2.5 million signatures calling for it to be banned, but local government officials say it is organised by private businesses and they are unable to prevent it.

Vendors of the dog meat say the animals are killed in a humane way, but those who oppose the event say dogs are caged with other animals and are either skinned alive or bludgeoned to death in public before being turned into meat and sold on the street.

There have been reports of seeing caged dogs wearing collars, suggested they might be stolen pets.

Some dogs are also transported more than 1,000 miles to the location of the festival in cramped conditions meaning many become ill and infections and diseases spread, which cause some to die.

The Stop Yulin Forever organisation, which led the petition, claims the animals even go days without food and water.

Critics say the festival has no cultural relevance while advocates say the tradition of eating dog meat dates back 500 years in China and other Asian countries, believing it would ward off heat in the summer.

But the festival, which coincides with the summer solstice, is a relatively new concept and only began in 2009, misrepresenting the idea it is a Chinese tradition.

The consumption and selling and buying of dog meat is legal in China and at its height of consumption in the third century AD was considered a delicacy. But dog theft, which is reported to fund much of the dog meat industry, is against the law.

Stop Yulin Forever also says that because of the festival, around 10 million dogs are killed for their meat evstop yulery year in China. But found that as more people are educated on the issue, numbers are declining.

But polls suggest the general Chinese community would agree to end the festival permanently, as 64 per cent voted in the state agency news Xinhua’s results.

In 2015, the organisation found 20 per cent fewer dogs were killed for the Yulin event.

People for the Ethical Treatmenf of Animals (PETA) Director Mimi Bekhechi says: “The Yulin dog-meat festival is condemned internationally and by many people in China itself these days because, for most of us, the idea of killing, cooking and eating dogs – animals we know and love – is revolting.

"Of course, there's no rational reason why the idea of dismembering and devouring any animal shouldn't elicit the same revulsion – especially when animals killed for the table in Britain face horrors just like those the dogs in Yulin experience.

"During the festival, which lasts 10 days, up to 15,000 dogs will be bludgeoned and gutted, while during the same 10-day span, nearly 29 million terrified animals will be killed here to satisfy British appetites.

"Whether a dog, a pig, a chicken or a fish, no animal wants to suffer and die for our plates, and we urge everyone to condemn the slaughter of animals for meat.”

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 11:55 PM 0 comments

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