Taiwan bans euthanasia of stray animals, but agriculture council warns of risks.

Taiwan bans euthanasia of stray animals, but agriculture council warns of risks.Taiwan has banned euthanising animals in shelters, which follows the tragic suicide last year of a vet burdened with the task of putting down animals. The law came into effect Saturday, two years after it was passed by parliament – a period meant to prepare shelters for the ban.But during the wait, animal lover Chien Chih-cheng took her own life with euthanasia drugs, reportedly upset at having to kill animals at the shelter she worked at. Reports at the time said Chien was called a “butcher” by activists. Her death sparked calls for authorities to improve conditions for animals and staff at shelters. An animal welfare group, Life Conservationist Association, estimated more than 1.2 million animals not adopted from shelters have been put down since 1999. “Animal protection in Taiwan has moved towards a new milestone,” the association’s executive director Ho Tsung-hsun said in a statement. But Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture warned the ban would lead to a deterioration in the quality of shelters through a surging intake or it may discourage the capture of strays. “It’s impossible for there to be no problems,” said Wang Chung-shu, deputy chief of the animal husbandry department, according to The China Times. He said Taiwan’s ban was “quite idealised”, adding that manpower was a problem because the vet’s suicide had had a “chilling effect” on the sector, according to the report. continue

Children bond more with their pets than siblings.

A new research has shown that children bond more with their pets than siblings.Children get more satisfaction from relationships with their pets than with their brothers or sisters and appear to get on even better with their animal companions than with siblings. The study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology shows that household pets may have a major influence on child development, and could have a positive impact on children's social skills and emotional well-being. The research was carried out by a survey involving 12 year old children from 77 families with one or more pets of any type and more than one child at home. Children reported strong relationships with their pets relative to their siblings, with lower levels of conflict and greater satisfaction in owners of dogs than other kinds of pets. The researchers found out that the fact that pets may not fully understand or respond verbally, the level of disclosure to pets was no less than to siblings and the fact that pets cannot understand or talk back may even be a benefit as it means they are completely non-judgmental.

Farmers dictate market prices with mobile phones.

A mobile phone revolution is redefining how small holder farmers buy and sell their produce, and shielding them from the unscrupulous middlemen who fix prices for their own benefit, with farmers recording tripling of yields by accessing market and comparing market prices on their own.

 The mobile phones send market prices information from different markets allowing farmers to compare and target the ripe time to dispose their produce. 

This has also meant that farmers can time when the supply of certain commodities is scarce, and cash in on the scarcity to sell their produce earning a decent income.continue

World Cancer Day: W.H.O Calls For Support To Fight Disease.

World Cancer Day: W.H.O Calls For Support To Fight Disease. In a statement by the W.H.O Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, “The W.H.O says February 4, 2017 is a day to reflect on how cancer affects everyone in different ways, and how everyone can be part of the effort to reduce the impact on individuals, families and communities. He adds that it is urgent to do so because cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with approximately 8.8 million cancer-related deaths in 2015. This figure is expected to double within the next 20-30 years, and African countries are likely to be the most affected.source

How to Practice Self-Love and Be Happier.

The process of self-awareness includes loving ourselves enough to live our dreams and create our own reality. We are “pure love” when we are born. Early conditioning and life experiences cause us to believe we are unlovable; there is something wrong with us. The more we work on integrating past experiences and improving our self-esteem, the stronger our self-concept becomes. The more we love ourselves, the more enthusiastic we become about life. We develop the courage to be authentic and true to our ideals. And yet, self-love is one of our biggest challenges. Loving ourselves has negative connotations because people often confuse it with selfishness, self-absorption and egocentric behavior. It is often easier to love another person than our self. We don’t realize that, when we take care of ourselves and treat ourselves in a loving manner, we have more love to give. The biblical expression “my cup runneth over,” means I have more than enough for my needs. We love our self in some of the following ways: 1) Accept and own all parts of ourselves. Being true to ourselves, and living our lives authentically, includes recognizing our strengths and weaknesses; our good qualities and faults; our suffering and joy; our fears and courageous acts; etc. These dualities coexist in all of us. Recognizing and accepting them helps us integrate them into the totality of who we are. 2) Believe we have the ability to change any aspect of ourselves. self-awareness means taking an inventory of our personalities, behaviors, attitudes and principles we live our lives by. We have the ability to change any aspect that does not conform to our self image. We empower ourselves by making the commitment to do so, having patience for our process, and looking at ourselves with the eyes of understanding and love. continue

AGRIBUSINESS: Veggies for livestock.

AGRIBUSINESS: Veggies for livestock. AGRIBUSINESS: Veggies for livestock. These cattle get a home delivery three times a week from the local supermarket, fruit, vegetables and breads that don't make the grade for two legged customers.Turning waste to food for cattle.source

Yellow fever killing people and monkeys in Brazil.

Brazil has ramped up an emergency yellow fever vaccination campaign as the worst outbreak in decades spreads towards major population centres, killing dozens of people and decimating wild monkey populations. The uptick comes exactly a year after the Zika virus – another mosquito-borne disease – was declared a global health emergency, and as during the previous epidemic Brazilian authorities are struggling to calibrate an appropriate response. Because there is a vaccine, yellow fever should, in theory, not cause as much of a panic but global vaccine stocks are dwindling, and the disease is far more deadly than Zika. Of the 107 confirmed cases in the state of Minas Gerais, 40 ended in death. Three patients have also died in São Paulo state and one in Espírito Santo. Although the disease has a more than 200-year history in Brazil, concern has picked up steadily in recent months as it moved to areas of the south-east, such as Espírito Santo, where it is not normally found. As a precaution, the health ministry has expanded production of vaccines and administered 3.3m doses in Minas Gerais, where the outbreak is concentrated. So far, it has been spread by Haemagogus and Sabethes mosquitoes in rural areas. Monkeys have also suffered. More than 400 were found dead in Espírito Santo after farmers reported an unusual silence in the forest. Biologists warn that endangered species, such as the muriqui, could be wiped out as the vaccination only works on humans. continue