Category: MARYLAND

Rescue Puppy Named New Voice Of The TurfMutt Foundation

(NAPSI)—A puppy named Mulligan has big paws to fill, but the mixed breed rescue dog is up to the challenge of becoming the new voice for the TurfMutt Foundation, says his new owner and guardian, Kris Kiser, President of the organization.

Since 2009, Kiser’s rescue dog, Lucky, “pawed it forward” by leading the Foundation’s environmental education and stewardship program for students in grades K to 8. Sadly, Lucky passed away recently, but his superhero cape is being picked up by perky Mulligan, who was found by Kiser last month during Lucky’s Mutt Madness, a national pet adoption event organized by the Foundation during GIE+EXPO, the nation’s leading trade show for outdoor power, landscaping and hardscaping industry professionals, held each October in Louisville, Ky.

Mulligan was not the only rescue pup to find a new home. Fifteen other dogs from the Kentucky Humane Society also went home with new owners.

Carl Bennett and his family brought home a beagle mix puppy, named Jovial. “She is completely living up to her name. She’s happy and sweet and loves everyone. She’s very smart and is already learning tricks,” said Bennett.

Bennett admits they weren’t planning to bring a puppy home but added, “When we saw her sweet little face and floppy ears we all fell in love. We never expected to adopt but something told us she needed to be a part of our family.

A ten-year-old dog named Mama went home with Mark Potocki. He was concerned she wouldn’t get the love she deserved because she was older. “Once I had the chance to hold her, she curled up in my arms and my decision was made,” said Potocki.

He said Lucky’s Mutt Madness was a wonderful experience. “What a great event. The vibe of the afternoon was fun and drew attention to the need for pet adoption,” said Potocki.

Kiser is deep into puppy training for Mulligan. “As a spokesdog, TurfMutt has to visit schools, and sometimes goes with me for public appearances and on TV sets, so Mulligan needs to be well-socialized and know how to behave.”

“Mutt Mulligan” marks a new page in the TurfMutt platform, which grew from a youth education program launched in 2009 in a handful of Sacramento and Washington, D.C. schools to reaching 70 million students, teachers, and families with its message that everyone can help save the planet, starting with their backyard.

Kiser added, “People can understand the value of a living landscape, when they see it through the eyes of a dog. You suddenly realize that soft grass is kinder to paws than hard concrete and that you need shade and a variety of plants in your yard.”

The TurfMutt program has become a national platform, appearing on every major television network, The Hub, Animal Planet and more, including the award-winning show, “Lucky Dog,” for three seasons; being featured in Parade magazine’s Earth Day issue; and winning awards. TurfMutt is an official USGBC Education Partner and part of its global LEARNING LAB, and has been an education resource at the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Green Apple, the Center for Green Schools, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids, the National Energy Education Development (NEED) project, Climate Change Live, Petfinder and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

More information on Lucky’s Mutt Madness event and the program is at

www.TurfMutt.com

.

Differences Between Motorized and Non-Motorized Whitewater Rafting Trips in the Grand Canyon

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(January 22, 2020)–In this day and age, we live most of our lives following our usual routines. We get up early, prepare for the day ahead, head on to school or work, take some few breaks, get to work again, before we finally go home and drag ourselves to bed so we can rest and prepare to do the same routine the following day. Of course, leading a healthy life is necessary but don’t you think following a strict routine could be monotonous and boring at some point?

This is why we seek adventure. We try to find ways to do unique and once-in-a-lifetime experiences to tick off that bucket list. We feel a different sense of accomplishment if we’re able to do something out of the box, something that we once thought of as unachievable.

If you’re prepared to take the big leap of experiencing the adventure outdoors, one of the many little thrillers to get you started is the white water rafting. This is a kind of water sport where you get to dodge whirlpools and rocks while rushing down a wild rapid river on board a rubber boat. And if isn’t enough of an adventure, imagine wearing only a life jacket and no seatbelts. Now that is thrilling!

The

Grand Canyon

is one of the best places to experience white water rafting. If you’re planning for an adventure at the canyon, it’s best that you learn all the basic things necessary about water rafting.

First thing to learn is the

boat type for the rafting

. There are several types you can consider: non-motorized rafts like the oar rafts, dories, and paddle raps, and the motorized rafts. A lot of people see themselves paddling thru the 225-mile whitewater rapids of the Grand Canyon. However, this can be quite tiring especially it is common to see upstream winds in the water. Thus oar trips are better options. This will give you ample intimacy and pace of the rapids, without the strain. It’s been noted that guests have successfully manned their whitewater adventures using oar rafts with the careful instructions of professional guides.

The downside also of oar trips (as well as the other non-motorized rafts) is that it can be tough for people. The whole trip takes about 13 days; plus the hiking in and out of the canyon along the way, may cause physical strain to some.

Motorized trips therefore are more convenient options. Guests can enjoy a full canyon trip in just seven days. Most motorized rafts run on 30 horsepower, averaging about 8 mph. That’s a far cry from the 4mph average speed you get when taking the non-motorized options.

Another consideration you need to note are the canyon trip terms. A full canyon trip runs between 188 and 280 river miles. This trip allows you to experience the most amazing side hikes and the biggest rapids in the river. The upper canyon trip, on the other hand, runs about 87-89 miles. You need to be physically prepared for this trip since this will involve intense hiking

out of the Grand Canyon. Trails are rocky and steep and offers very little shade along the way. This is ideal only for the experienced hikers.

The cost is also one thing to check out for a Grand Canyon whitewater rafting adventure. Depending on the type of trip you want, you have several options to consider: from the transportation to lodging, and even the cost of the camping gears. The final cost will generally vary. It is always wise to do your research before you book for that Grand Canyon adventure.

Impact Of Climate Change on Humans and Forests

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(January 22, 2020)–Eight is coming down to seven, with half the planet already having been destroyed. How long do you think the earth can sustain the weight of negativity? With the current conditions, probably not for long. While life ebbs out of people, authorities are still abstracted of the fact that earth is on the verge of annihilation. The conniving deeds of humans have paved half the way to oblivion, while the foundation to the other half has already been laid.

Glaciers are melting into the rivers of a dark future where an evolutionary reversal is bound to happen. With the world having already stepped into an unforgettable age of greed and savagery, more is undoubtedly taking form. Do any of you know for certain every little event that is pushing the world towards a collapse? The answer would be a straight-out \’NO\’ since more than half of what is happening around us stays unrevealed.

Levels of Climate Change Impact

A rise in temperature all across the globe.

Destruction of several resources affect the growth of crops, production of food, and further leads to the outbreak of diseases.

Death of flora and fauna.

Impacts on Forests

While the impeachment and potential world war updates took over the television screens and front pages of every newspaper, brutally trivialized natural disasters burnt the green face of the earth. The Amazon rainforest wildfires and the Australian bushfires were warnings from the substrates of an imminent cataclysm. It is only when the fire consumes one of us that we get cautious and move stealthily towards a secure future. But this time the planet isn\’t giving humans another chance to live through the disaster and beyond. Sighs of exhaustion have already taken the form of floods, meltdowns and forest fires, which if not addressed with concern at the earliest, can take down the entire planet.

Changes in temperature, weather, and rainfall are just a few factors that affect the productivity and growth of forests. A surge in the levels of carbon dioxide can also harm the prolific trees and animal inhabitants.

The growing season gets prolonged with the warming temperatures, and this would further lead to the shift of geographic ranges of some tree species. Local or regional species could also be at risk if the conditions in the present habitats are unfavorable for growth. Make sure that you clear all the unwanted overgrown trees and plant new ones, as the earth pleads for it. A

tree company

can help you uproot the trees and free your plots of the redundant greenery.

Chances for floods, droughts and excessive precipitation is likely to increase with the changing climatic conditions. The availability of water can also get affected by the alter in the timing of snowmelt. With the increasing temperatures, droughts are likely to be more adverse than it was in the past. They can impose a huge risk since dry shrubs and trees are potential detonators of wildfires.

Impacts on Human Beings

With the rise in temperatures, dehydration within humans will also increase. Deaths resulting from such adverse climatic conditions would be countless and can keep on rising until obliteration occurs. Humans are likely to be afflicted with sunstrokes and diseases related to the cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular systems if they are exposed to extreme heat. Populations in the northern latitudes could get severely affected by the excessive heat.

Athletes, outdoor workers, and homeless people spend most of their time in the sunlight, and the heat could ebb all their energy and gradually lead to death. People with certain medical conditions, pregnant women, children, and older adults could be more vulnerable to the heat. People from urban areas could get affected more by the heat waves since rural areas have recorded relatively lower temperatures in the past years.

Conclusion

Earth is rolling down the slope towards destruction; there is no denial. All living beings, from humans to animals to trees, are going to be affected by the changing climatic conditions. Reversal of catastrophes isn\’t possible, so take immediate necessary steps to stop it before the deluges subdue the whole planet.

(Video) Kansas City Fans Wounded by Gunman, Two Dead

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI (January 20, 2020)—-41Action News reports that two people are dead and 15 wounded after a gunman opened fire outside a Kansas City bar in a \”chaotic scene\” as the city celebrated its

football team\’s big victory

on Sunday night after the game.

Officers who arrived at the scene outside 9ine Ultra Lounge just before midnight Sunday found the bodies of a man and a woman, police said in a statement. Fifteen other people were treated at hospitals, and three were listed in critical condition, police said.

2020 Symposium on the Future of Libraries Saturday

PHILADELPHIA PA (January 21, 2020)–Philadelphia leaders and innovators will share their visions for the future at three Libraries Transform sessions during the

Symposium on the Future of Libraries

at the

2020 ALA Midwinter Meeting

.

Libraries Transform: Civic Innovation

, on Saturday January 25th from 8:45 – 10:00am in the Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 201-ABC, considers the future of place, for both

established cultural institutions and for new civic spaces activated throughout communities. Anuj Gupta, General Manager of the

Reading Terminal Market

, will share his experience leading one of the nation’s oldest and largest public markets, keeping pace with the changing needs of customers while staying true to its service to the community. Ariel Ben-Amos, Founder of

StreetBoxPHL

, promotes a vision for placemaking in cities, creating green spaces, parklets, and pedestrian areas that foster development and make neighborhoods healthier and more vibrant.

Libraries Transform: Social Innovation

, on Sunday January 26th from 8:45 – 10:00am in the Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 201-ABC, shifts the focus to the human scale, exploring the societal changes required to create more just and equitable communities. Mariana Chilton, Professor of Health Management and Policy and Director of the

Center for Hunger-Free Communities

at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health, will discuss her organization’s community-engaged approach to research, service, and advocacy, engaging those who have experience with poverty as full partners in developing solutions to hunger and economic justice. Joanna Visser Adjoian, Co-Director of the

Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project (YSRP)

, focuses her organization’s work on mitigation, reentry planning, training, and policy reform to help keep children out of adult jails and prisons and bring home those who were sentenced as children to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Libraries Transform: Education Innovation

, on Monday January 27th from 8:45 – 10:00am in the Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 201-ABC, explores the future of education access, highlighting two programs that provide new opportunities to their communities. Malik Brown, Executive Director of

Graduate! Philadelphia

, will share Graduate! Philadelphia’s model for engaging business, higher education, government, organized labor, and community-based organizations to remove barriers and create new pathways for adults to complete a college degree. Dara Ruiz-Whalen, Chief Learning Officer and Executive Director of the

eCLOSE Institute

, leads a network of scientists, teachers, and students working as scientific investigators in their classrooms, offering students training in professional laboratory research and the problem solving, collaboration, communication, and networking skills for career success.

Sponsored by

ALA’s Center for the Future of Libraries

, the

Symposium on the Future of Libraries

features forty sessions exploring the near-term trends already inspiring innovation in libraries and the longer-term trends that will help libraries adapt to the needs of communities. The Symposium on the Future of Libraries is included with full registration for the 2020 ALA Midwinter Meeting and Exhibits.

Trees Not Tombstones: New Options For End-of-Life

(NAPSI)—The vast majority of Americans have not completed their end-of-life planning. In fact, over half of those age 45-plus have done no end-of-life planning at all, according to a recent survey conducted by Better Place Forests, the country’s first sustainable alternative to cemeteries for families that choose cremation.

A beautiful forest can be a final resting place that brings comfort to family and friends.

Better Place Forests hopes the idea of a beautiful, sustainable final resting place will encourage people to create those plans. Instead of tombstones, the company incorporates ashes into the base of beautiful trees in permanently protected forests. The company performs spreading ceremonies in the forest, where families can gather to say goodbye. Currently, there are two forests in California, in Point Arena in Mendocino County and in Santa Cruz, and the company plans to open more across the country.

There is a growing trend toward greener burial options in the United States. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, nearly 54 percent of Americans are considering a green burial and 72 percent of cemeteries report an increased demand for green burials. Thousands of people have already reserved trees for themselves.

“Making plans and establishing guidelines for the end of your life means that loved ones don’t have to guess about your wishes and you can give them the experience you’d like them to have when you pass,” explained Sandy Gibson, CEO of Better Place Forests. “At Better Place Forests, we talk to people every day who find peace in knowing they have created a beautiful experience for their loved ones by selecting a family tree.”

Beyond providing a more beautiful final resting place, choosing a tree in one of these memorial forests means you are leaving a legacy of conservation. The company performs spreading ceremonies in the forest, where families can gather to say goodbye and continue to visit—a feature current cremation options can’t provide. The trusts also actively manage the land to ensure that it’s less susceptible to forest fires. They hire forestry experts to keep the trees healthy and the forests free of invasive species. In addition, more trees are planted in areas in need for every tree a customer chooses. Thousands of trees have already been planted in forests devastated by the California wildfires.

Learn More

For further facts, visit

www.betterplaceforests.com

.

Another One Bites the Dust

Source NRA-ILA

Actually, that headline is a little misleading, as we are referring to U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) abandoning his bid to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election. But when we

last reported

on the Democrat clown-car that is the field of candidates who wished to challenge Trump for POTUS, there were 19 active campaigns.

With the departure of Booker, Democrats now have “only” a dozen candidates from which to choose.

In fact, our last posting on the field proved to be quite prescient. We suggested that promoting the extreme anti-gun position of confiscating firearms from American citizens may be the new

“exit strategy”

for foundering campaigns poised to leave the race. At the time, we opined that U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) seemed to be positioning herself to drop out of the race by reiterating her support for banning and confiscating semi-automatic firearms. She threw in the towel the following week.

Booker, like Harris, promoted the euphemistically named

“mandatory buyback”

policy, which is a more innocent sounding name for confiscation. Now that he has announced he is quitting, every Democrat candidate who had been vying to be President and has also openly advocated for confiscating firearms from American citizens has now deserted the race. Before Booker and Harris, we saw the campaigns of failed candidates

Eric Swalwell

and

Robert Francis O’Rourke

give up the ghost.

Of course, those candidates that remain are all still stridently anti-gun.

They all want to ban the future manufacture and sale of

semi-automatic firearms

like the AR-15.

They all want to set arbitrary limits on how many rounds of ammunition

a magazine can hold

.

They all want to prohibit the private transfer of firearms between law-abiding citizens by imposing so-called

“universal” background checks

.

Virtually every proposal that has been introduced by anti-gun extremists over the last few decades has been met with support by most, if not all, of the candidates that are still in the race.

Sadly, two candidates that appear likely to stick around for a while have taken arguably equally extreme positions on another gun issue, using firearms to save lives.

The first, former Vice President Joe Biden, has a modest lead in most polls, but a commanding lead in

gaffes

. In 2017, after

Stephen Willeford used an AR-15

to bring an end to the rampage of a crazed murderer at a Texas church, Biden ignored the idea that lives were likely saved by the heroic act. Instead, when asked about the use of an AR-15 by Willeford, he stated, “Well, first all, the kind of gun being carried, he shouldn’t be carrying.”

Last December, after another Texas church attack was also stopped by an armed citizen, it was pointed out by many that

Biden had criticized the very law

that allowed law-abiding gun owners to carry firearms for self-defense into houses of worship.

After Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the NRA-supported law in September, Biden said, “It’s just absolutely irrational. It’s totally irrational.”

Granted, Biden cannot see into the future, so he had no idea that his words would come back to make him look so foolish, so quickly. Then again, some might argue that he has a long track record of past statements causing future problems.

The other Democrat candidate who has staked out a position against firearms being used by law-abiding citizens to save lives cannot use the excuse of not being able to foretell future events, as his comments were made after the fact.

Anti-gun billionaire

Mike Bloomberg spoke out against not just the Texas law

, but, presumably, against any use of a firearm by any citizen to defend themselves or others.

Although most acknowledge that Jack Wilson—the 71-year-old church congregant who brought an end to the violent attack at West Freeway Church of Christ—acted heroically, Bloomberg didn’t see things that way.

At a campaign stop in Alabama, Bloomberg commented on Wilson’s action, stating, “[I]t’s the job of law enforcement to, uh, have guns and to decide when to shoot. You just do not want the average citizen carrying a gun in a crowded place.”

So, now that all of the Democrat candidates who openly advocated for gun confiscation have been shown the door, it appears that Biden and Bloomberg hold the most extreme anti-gun position—opposing law-abiding citizens using firearms to stop violent assaults and save lives.

Biden will be in the race for the foreseeable future due to his lead in the polls. Bloomberg, on the other hand, is polling in the single digits. But with a personal fortune that could underwrite several Presidential campaigns, and a driving desire to impose his anti-gun ideology on America, expect Bloomberg to remain in the race for at least several months.

Unless, of course, the curse-of-the-most-extreme-anti-gun-positions strikes again.

We can certainly hope.

https://www.nraila.org/a

Hawaii: Gun Control Measures Introduced With More on the Way

SOURCE: NRA-ILA

The Hawaii Legislature opened on Wednesday and an onslaught of bills targeting your Second Amendment Rights have been introduced. Below, find a brief description of the more significant anti-gun bills that were introduced this week.

House Bill 1599

,

House Bill 1734

, and

Senate Bill 2152

would change the permitting system for the purchase of rifles and shotguns (long guns) to match the procedure currently in place for handgun purchases. This would require an individual to obtain a permit from the police each and every time they wished to purchase a long gun that would only be valid for 10 days. Whereas now, only one permit is required to purchase any number of long guns, and is valid for a year. It goes without saying that these bills create an onerous and unnecessary new burden on law abiding citizens who wish to purchase long guns for sport, hunting, or home defense.

House Bill 1733

and

Senate Bill 2151

would prohibit the purchase and manufacture of certain firearms parts by private individuals in an effort to ban home built firearms.  The legislation is vague and overly broad as to what exactly could constitute a part or parts that could subject a person to felony penalties. This legislation fails to recognize that prohibited persons already cannot lawfully possess any firearm, whether home built or produced by a licensed manufacturer.

House Bill 1736

and

Senate Bill 2154

would prohibit possession of magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds. These so called “high capacity” magazines are in fact standard equipment for commonly-owned firearms that many Americans legally and effectively use for an entire range of legitimate purposes, such as self-defense or competition. The bill recognizes the utility of these magazines by carving out an exemption for law enforcement, but would still violate the rights of ordinary citizens. It contains no “grandfathering” provision for affected magazines lawfully acquired prior to the ban, so citizens would be forced to dispose of their property, alter it, or surrender it to the government.

Continue to check your inbox and

www.nraila.org

for updates on issues impacting your Second Amendment Rights and hunting heritage.

FBI Announces New Policy for Notifying State and Local Election Officials of Cyber Intrusions

Affecting Election Infrastructure

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced a new internal policy to clarify and guide the timely federal notification of appropriate state and local officials of cyber intrusions affecting election infrastructure.

Protecting the integrity of elections in the United States against criminal activity and national security threats is among the top priorities of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI. Cyber intrusions affecting election infrastructure have the potential to cause significant negative impacts on the integrity of elections. Understanding that mitigation of such incidents often hinges on timely notification, the FBI has established a new internal policy outlining how the FBI will notify state and local officials responsible for administering election infrastructure of cyber activity targeting their infrastructure.

The FBI’s new policy recognizes the necessity of notifying responsible state and local officials of credible cyber threats to election infrastructure. Each state has a designated person to serve as its chief state election official with ultimate authority over elections held in the state, which often includes certifying election results. However, most election infrastructure is owned and operated by local governments. Likewise, the local election process is overseen by local election officials. The FBI’s interactions regarding election security matters must respect both state and local authorities. Thus, the FBI’s new policy mandates the notification of a chief state election official and local election officials of cyber threats to local election infrastructure.

The new policy is informed by existing FBI policies surrounding cyber incident notification thresholds and cyber victim notification in general. The new policy, however, provides updated and additional guidance on the timely dissemination of notifications and/or threat reporting; the protection of victim information and disclosures; and coordination between FBI and other agencies in regard to election security for maximum impact. Decisions surrounding notification continue to be dependent on the nature and breadth of an incident and the nature of the infrastructure impacted.

It is the intent of the FBI that this new policy will result in increased collaboration between all levels of government for the integrity and security of U.S. elections.

Looking for a Forever Home: Meet Millo

Millo happens to be a very special girl. She came to Husky House with brain trauma which has resulted in some neurological issues. In short, she is a special needs dog and can’t do some things a normal dog can do. For example, she freezes and will not walk on a leash and she can’t climb stairs. It’s possible that with time she could walk on a leash but may be not. Due

to this, she would do best in a home with a secure, fenced in area where she can run and play. With that said, she loves to play, knows her name and she’s nothing but a love! Interested in adopting Millo? Please visit www.huskyhouse.org today to fill out an application.

More about Millo

Up-to-date with vaccinations

Has special needs

Available date: 8/14/2019

Birth date: 8/14/2018 (not exact)

Adoption and Rescue

Husky House\’s goal is to place our orphans in permanent loving homes as they already have been abandoned once before by their former owners. We strive to match the right dog with the right family based on the families needs and experience. All former Husky House orphans will receive a lifetime discount at the

Snowdog Lodge

.

Please visit our

Facebook page

for regular updates on Adoption Days at our facility in Matawan, NJ.

How do I adopt from Husky House?

We ARE NOT a walk-through facility. Adoptions are by approved appointments only.

Fill out a non-binding application

We will be checking your vet and personal references

Phone interview

Homevisit

Upon completion and approval of application & homevisit, come meet the dog(s)!

If you have any other questions regarding adoption please email us at

huskyhouseinc@gmail.com

.

Matawan, New Jersey

hh.applicationreviewboard@gmail.com

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