PC Rubbish Strikes again

Normally I'd be writing something else but this one I just HAD to blog about. If there was ever an act of PC stupidity leveled against a group of harmless people then this one just has to be it.

I like getting our once a month free copy of the Northern Advocate on the front page was a big photo of some tandem sky-divers with the heading "Would you call this air pollution? Blondes set to go ballistic over attacks on business"
Then underneath a photo of a group of very unhappy members of Skydive Ballistic Blondes Ltd holding up sign that had painted on it

SKY-DIVING PLANE
POISONS
OUR BEAUTIFUL
SKY
WITH NOISE!!!!!

The sign according to the Northern Advocate (April 17), was erected by an unknown member of the public, dead set on making their feelings well known to the company. The sign advertising the Sky Diving Company belonged to the Whangarei District Council, was then stolen over the Easter Weekend, and replaced with the critic's alternative. As well, a complaint was laid to the Whangarei District Council, about the company's van that sells coffee at Kissling Point (Whangarei) on weekday mornings. Seems the complainant was plain out of luck - the van had a licence.

I'll put this to the anonymous critic. They had to drive in their NOISY car along a NOISY road in order to take the council sign, then use a NOISY hammer to put up their version in place of the original. How's that for polluting our lovely blue sky which of course turns grey once in a while. Nothing better to do than to spoil the enjoyment of some fun loving people that use a plane that flies for only a few minutes at a time. Try living at my farm when fertiliser season is nigh. I have good old Ralph's Chopper buzzing our house several times a day and our local top dressing plane doing the same and it can last for several weeks. Do I go around stealing their signs and putting up like the above? Of course not - it's part of the rural scene. My kids and I ended up dusted white yesterday when our neighbour across the road was out with the spreader on his paddocks. Maybe we'll grow a little taller with all that super-phosphate we got covered in. I wonder if we'll be need to go and by longer clothes now...

My question I'll put is my opinion right or am I talking through a hole in the top of my head. Is the critic right or are they a busy body with nothing better to do but to cause the Skydivers unwanted trouble.

Introducing The new improved Mad Bush Gossip Call Centre Team

Of course every farmyard and rural town needs its gossips. These two are the best in the business. Dr Frankenstein did a wonderful job to help Amy and Liz blend in with the locals. If you have someone you really need to talk about and make it all up as you go along then call the Mad Bush Gossip Call Centre team. We're there to spread the rumours....0800-madbush-2-gossip. Oh and do you like our up to the minute brand new call centre. Guaranteed to fall down around your ears in the next strong wind. Go on don't hesitate call the gossips now...

On the Positive side of life- and a personal thank you to all my friends

UR TONGUE IZ SANDPAPER!

Firstly a HUGE THANK YOU to my great and special friends I have had the privilege of coming to know through blogger. I've left a reply to each of you on the previous post. I know Yowie would say thank you too. She's no doubt in a wonderful place chasing butterflies and hopefully not eating them as well.LOL. Yowie loved eating White Butterflies..yuk.

I got up this morning looked outside to where little Yowie has been buried. The Olive tree there we put in next to her grave seems to have become greener. It's a little quieter here without the little kitten on my lap but Sasquatch is making sure I take lots of notice of him. Life has to go on that's how it is.

I like to keep track of what's happening out in the world with the wildlife and what has been happening with conservation. As you can see I have the Snow Leopard Trust Blog on my side bar. It's worth visiting to read about the incredible work the Trust is doing to save these beautiful and now increasingly rare big cats. I'll probably never see one up close or in real life but I love them any way. The Trust were monitering a Snow Leopard named Long Tail in Mongolia. Long Tail was the subject of a Discovery Documentary some years back. Sadly dear Long Tail was shot by a Mongolian Herder a few months ago. The Trust have just published their report on their blog. The link for it is there.

Also a new population of Orangutans has been discovered by Conservationists in Borneo. The popuation estimate could be as high as 2000 individuals. The great apes were discovered in a mountainous region where because of the poor soil and difficult terrain the rainforest has been spared the fate of other parts of the country where logging and now Palm Oil plantations have all but wiped the forests and their wildlife out. This is an example of where farming can clash with the environment and create devastation. You can read more here

On the Marine side of things a very rare Megamouth shark has been found off the Philippines. These sharks are so rare that they assigned a number this is shark 41. You can read more here

Well more to blog about but I'll do that later. No rest for the wicked I must obey the Kitteh!

A Very Sad End to the Day

IN MEMORY OF YOWIE 20.11.08 - 16.04.09

This morning I wondered where Yowie was. She hadn't shown up like she did every morning for her breakfast. Yesterday I had a bad feeling I wouldn't be seeing my little motor kitten the next morning. Why I don't know but sometimes we can have a connection to even the animals we have as pets. I had a special connection with Yowie. I miss her sitting on my lap and getting in the way when I'm trying to write something on the keyboard. By lunchtime that dreaded feeling had come that all was not well with little Yowie and that she would not be returning alive. The kids searched the farm for her and the side of the road but no Yowie. She didn't come when we called and there was no sign of her - anywhere. Tonight we had to go and check up on the old man who is off the farm at the moment and grazing on a neighbours 5 acres just down the road. I went into Maungaturoto first then on the way back towards our farm I slowed the car down and looked carefully along the road verges to see if Yowie was hurt or dead. Sadly I spotted Yowie just opposite our farm gate - dead. I had to drive down the road and sort out the horse then once we were done I returned home with the kids and stopped by the gate so we could retrieve Yowie's body. She had been hit by a car or a truck - we don't really know but fortunately she was intact which spared the kids seeing a horrible sight. I picked little Yowie up and gave her to Inaya who took her through the gate on a feed sack I had in the car. I won't pretend that the tears weren't real. I love my animals deeply sometimes too much but in this case that love was justified and right. We buried little Yowie just behind the house with an Olive tree along side to remind us of that little tabby kitten and her motor-like purr. She had a short life just five months old. Tomorrow I will have to tell our vet that Yowie won't be returning to be speyed in two weeks time. Yes it's part of life but also animals can touch our hearts in so many ways. I'll miss her very badly and no kitty will ever replace her I know that. I have lots of photos but I would rather have her here right now on my lap purring like the little motor she was. Bye Bye Yowie we'll miss you.

Dear Mr Kiwi Sheep Farmer Please use rattles - sincerely Tesco's UK

Sometimes I think stupidity can come in the form of a Tesco's Supermarket representative visiting Silver Fern Farm's Meat Processing facility, and for some strange and bizarre reason, that can only be known to those that are Tesco's Supermarket Executives (obviously it is top secret) make a dictum so ridiculous - it's beyond the realms of sane normal belief.

The pushers of Political Correctness are rubbing their hands with glee right now as men with rattles and waving arms herd sheep to their doom within the dark bowels of the Silver Fern's abbatoir. Yes you read right I said Rattles and waving arms. Dogs it seems aren't in vogue anymore because and I quote "no dogs should be used to muster animals destined to slaughter."

Excuse me? No dogs? In a letter to the Daily Telegraph by C.S Waddington of Canterbury this is exactly what happened. Waddington writes

People here are astounded. The relationship between a trained working dog and sheep is so customary and understood as to be almost symbiotic. For centuries dogs have been used to protect sheep, even in the absence of a shepherd. A sheep will happily graze next to a dog.

Now the shepherds and their dogs have been dismissed and replaced by men with rattles, waving their arms. It is difficult to imagine a more demeaning occupation.

C. S. Waddington
Canterbury, New Zealand

Tescos have told Silver Fern Farms to stop using the dogs unless they can be retrained to be "more considerate" towards the flock.

Come again? More considerate? As in inviting the sheep to tea and cucumber sandwiches perhaps. Or maybe a nice meal of sheep nuts as a cherry farewell before the butcher's knife cuts their throats. In the end that is exactly what happens and I won't be politically correct about that fact or that I think our friend Mr Supermarket Executive is a complete and utter idiot. Being considerate to a sheep? Consideration in my eyes is a good working dog, quiet handling and a bit of good old stock know-how not applying some stupid pc crap in a real world situation. How often has this guy been on a farm - probably never. Dogs are dogs and a good working dog is worth ten bad dogs and a good shepherd is worth ten Tesco's Supermarket Executives. Well the dogs and the shepherds are now going to lose their jobs - that stinks.

The shepherds have reacted with outrage, and claimed up to 60 dogs have now joined the ranks of the unemployed.

My neighbour Rex would have some good words to say to Tesco's about their so-called rule. He'd call them a bunch of thick-brained idiots - the sheep he farms would be more intelligent. I agree. The animal welfare experts it seems were baffled by Tesco's stand

Welfare experts expressed bafflement that the centuries-old tradition of moving sheep around with the use of a scurrying, yapping dog could upset the sheep.

Massey University Animal Physiology Lecturer Ngaio Beausoleil had this to say about Tesco's dictum

Absolute baloney! came the chorus of derision. In fact, says Ngaio Beausoleil, a lecturer in animal physiology at Massey University, we don't know what is more stressful to lambs to the slaughter: rattling, waving, shouting humans or barking dogs.

And baloney it is. Some good shepherds and some good dogs are going to be out of a job and all because they aren't being considerate - enough.

I think I had better go and get out those cucumber sandwiches now - the sheep across the road are getting hungry.... or I'll give the sods a good shove in the rear with my gumboots. Oh that's right that's not being....considerate.

Photo Essay - Farm Cats

Would You Eat A Lion? U.S Exotic Meat Trade

A Siberian Tiger by John and Karen Hollingsworth
http://fohn.net/tiger-pictures-facts/

You would think in a civilised western society the trade in exotic animal meats would be a thing of the past, particuarly in the matter of critically endangered species. It isn't.

Today I was reading a post on Omer's blog Of Cats and one particular item in amongst the many interesting pieces of news Omer had posted up was a very disturbing and unbelievable U.S website that sells exotic meat for human consumption. Included in their list of meats for sale were Lion, and a plan after USDA approval to sell Tiger and Zebra meat. According to this website the tigers, lions and zebras are bred on ranches. Something is terribly wrong here. The U.S.A are party to the Convention to the International Trade of Endangered Species and have been since 1975. From my research 23 or so U.S States have banned the sale and trade of exotic species and yet there is a website promoting openly the future sale (after USDA approval) of Tiger meat. Since writing this post I have discovered that orginally the Lion meat was advertised as being sourced from South Africa. This quotation came from the Born Free Blog

“Lion meat to be a much better quality cat meat than tiger meat. Lion meat is unique and a little more expensive meat but we like to respond to customer requests so here it is! If you are looking for something completely different, this is the product for you. Lion meat will definitely give the neighbours and friends something to talk about! Why not take the plunge and try our most unusual meat. Farm-raised in South Africa.”

And this interesting piece from Monstrous.com

The meat was advertised on the company's website as originating from lions farmed in South Africa.

But within 24 hours of the activists being alerted last week, the wording was changed and now reads: "Our Lions are ranch-raised in the United States of America."

The national Environment Department confirmed that both a Cites (Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species) permit and veterinary health permit would be required to export lion meat.

It said no permit applications had been received by any of the provinces and no permits had been issued.

"We encourage anyone who has information about this to contact us and we will contact our counterparts in the US to look into the matter," said spokeswoman Roopa Singh.

Allan Perrins, chief executive of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, is among those slamming the practice.

"We are sickened and re-pulsed to know that one of our 'Big 5' is being exploited through commercial farming, to please and tempt the palates of a rich and greedy, indifferent minority who are obviously too short-sighted to see the potential harm that their support of this in-vogue bush-meat trade will cause," he said.

The trade in Tiger meat and parts has the focus of an international campaign for some years. With fewer and fewer animals now in the wild the thought that in a member country to the C.I.T.E.S Convention would not allow the farming of either Lions or of Tigers for the sole purpose of human consumption. The focus on the trade of tiger parts and meat as well the issue of Tiger Farming has mainly been on China and yet this is happening in a western country that seems to be turning a blind eye to what's happening in their own back yard.

The World Wildlife Fund considers Tigers as a priority species. The world population of the remaining six subspecies is declining. They are all on the ICUN Red List and on the C.I.T.E.S Endangered Species List. I have contacted the World Wildlife Fund, as well as P.E.T.A, and now the Save the Tiger Fund asking them all why Tiger meat and farming has been allowed to exist in the U.S.A or if not why is Lion meat and potentially tiger meat being allowed to be sold at all?. I'll let you know the answers. I had also emailed the Company concerned but I keep getting a Fail to send notification....food for thought there (excuse the pun)

I encourage everyone who reads this post to go over to Omer's blog and read the details. The link for this Exotic Animal Meat Website is also there. Also I have linked to two other sites read the comments and the article it explains my email was being returned. Your thoughts please.

And an update on this post. Patricia has kindly provided this link concerning Brentwood Trading Group and its owner Anshu Pathak being involved in a courtcase. Thank you Patricia much appreciated. Patricia also tells me she's now spreading the word as well. Awesome!

RELATED ARTICLES

FLORIDA RESTAURANT SELLS LION MEAT - From Wildlife Extra

LION MEAT RESPONDS TO ROAR - The Food Channel USA

STOP SELLING LION MEAT AT AMAZON PETITION - From the Petition Site

BUYING LION MEAT - WHY IT'S OKAY - From the Rule .303 Blog

INTERNATIONAL DEMAND FOR LION MEAT ON INCREASE - Eyewitness News

The Mad Bush Guide to Impractical Farming Rural Safety Rule 1 Thunderbox Safety

THUNDERBOX SAFETY RULE

THUNDERBOX SAFETY SHOULD BE OBSERVED AT ALL TIMES. BEFORE LEAVING YOUR THUNDERBOX PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE LET OFF A SHOT GUN INSIDE THE THUNDERBOX IN AN UPWARDS POSITION THROUGH THE ROOF. THIS WILL ENSURE THE ABOVE WILL NOT HAPPEN TO YOU.

ANOTHER STUPID SAFETY MESSAGE FROM THE MAD BUSH HEALTH & SAFETY AUTHORITY - RURAL DIVISION.

Revenge is best served with sharp claws..hooman

NOW U PAY HOOMAN!

He got me. Ouchy ouchy ouchy ouchy. The mean hooman has scratches on their skinny arms. Jumper waz noo protectshun against the wrath of the Sasquatch claws....Soo unfair...