"Labor MPs have backed down on a demand that Indonesian abattoirs comply with Australian standards, paving the way for the return of live cattle exports to slaughterhouses that do not require animals be stunned before they are killed."
Of course you have. You spineless jerks.
You and your great moral imperatives that you forget as soon as someone somewhere whinges about them.
Now how are we going to believe you when you tell us you have assurances that refugees sent to Malaysia will not be caned?
Where's your fucking "resolve" now???
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Friday, December 3, 2010
The Old Cattle Dog by Frank Yeats
A poem from about man's best friend...
The two-hour muster took six, when the old dog slipped his chain,
For a wild and loyal moment he thought he was back working again.
His memories took him back to those days when he dodged the bullock's heels
And how he waited in smoke-filled camps for his share of campfire meals.
He puffed and panted behind the riders, sounding like an old steam train,
But his gleaming brown eyes show he's happy to be on a muster again.
His Cattle Dog senses and courage kept him going when walking alone,
I'm sure he knows he'll get a special welcome when he limps to his master's home.
His working days are now long gone, his black muzzle now turning grey,
And his calloused pads cannot take the miles of the lonely droving way.
No longer can his stiff, sore body hold its own on a brumby chase,
For he is usually left tied to his kennel while the younger dogs take his place
But when the sun draws over the dawning peaks, the riders and dogs get ready,
For today the mountain-top ranges are to be mustered where rider and horse go steady.
The old dog stays, doubled chained now, when the others head off down the track.
Yes, the old dog whiles away the hours, waiting for them to come back.
The two-hour muster took six, when the old dog slipped his chain,
For a wild and loyal moment he thought he was back working again.
His memories took him back to those days when he dodged the bullock's heels
And how he waited in smoke-filled camps for his share of campfire meals.
He puffed and panted behind the riders, sounding like an old steam train,
But his gleaming brown eyes show he's happy to be on a muster again.
His Cattle Dog senses and courage kept him going when walking alone,
I'm sure he knows he'll get a special welcome when he limps to his master's home.
His working days are now long gone, his black muzzle now turning grey,
And his calloused pads cannot take the miles of the lonely droving way.
No longer can his stiff, sore body hold its own on a brumby chase,
For he is usually left tied to his kennel while the younger dogs take his place
But when the sun draws over the dawning peaks, the riders and dogs get ready,
For today the mountain-top ranges are to be mustered where rider and horse go steady.
The old dog stays, doubled chained now, when the others head off down the track.
Yes, the old dog whiles away the hours, waiting for them to come back.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Like snakes?
"A Malaysian man pleaded guilty to wildlife smuggling after his bag bursting with 95 live boa constrictors broke open on a luggage conveyer belt at Kuala Lumpur International Airport"
- The Associated Press
- The Associated Press
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Unsinkable Sam
Do you hate those movies where whole cities get blown up but the narrative manages to focus on the family pet?
Well I do. "Civilisation might be ending but the dog's okay... hooray, pass the popcorn." Annoys me no end. And yet...
It's an impressive story of survival when it happens for real (and I want to preface this tale by saying I don't want to trivialise the fact that bloody events surround it, it's just a remarkable story).
It begins - as far as we know - in the port of Gdynia in Poland, then a German naval base which the Germans called Gotenhafen. From there the much feared German battleship Bismarck left port on March 18th 1941, accompanied by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.
The Bismarck was sunk in the mid Atlantic after a frantic mobilisation and much loss by the Royal Navy on March 27th. Only 115 men out of over 2000 survived the sinking.
Heading back to base, the British destroyer HMS Cossack picked up one more survivor - a black and white cat.
It had belonged to an unknown member of the Bismarck's crew and was found clinging to a bit of debris. The Cossack's crew named him "Oscar" and made him the ship's mascot.
HMS Cossack served as a convoy escort in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, and Oscar remained aboard. Presumably he looked for mice and played with the crew. On October 24th 1941 the German submarine U-563 torpedoed HMS Cossack. The hit caused a massive explosion in the forward section which killed 159 of the crew. Oscar was rescued with the crew who were transfered to HMS Legion, and taken to the British base at Gibraltar.
By now this cat had a reputation, and started to be known as Unsinkable Sam.
The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal had been a key vessel in the hunt for the Bismarck, and it became Unsinkable Sam's new home. It is my guess that Unsinkable Sam would rather have remained at Gibraltar.
On November 14th 1941 the Ark Royal was torpedoed by another German sub, U-81, on the way back from Malta. The sinking was slow and nearly all the crew survived, and... found floating on a plank in the middle of the sea... was one supremely pissed-off cat.
Unsinkable Sam was described as "angry but quite unharmed".
Sam was transfered to HMS Lightening and then HMS Legion (again). Both were later sunk.
Someone took pity on this poor feline, who had presumably started life in Poland, had travelled the Baltic, North Sea, North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, been as far east as Malta, and had had three ships blown up under him and ended up floating in the sea twice, and he was sent to the office buildings of the Governor General of Gibraltar to do mouse-hunting work.
Sam survived the war and was sent to the United Kingdom, living out his days in a seaman's home in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He died in 1955.
For all we know... he might have just been picked up on a whim off a street in Poland by a German sailor all those years previously.
The portrait is a pastels painting of Unsinkable Sam, called "Oscar, the Bismarck’s Cat". It is at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich England.
Well I do. "Civilisation might be ending but the dog's okay... hooray, pass the popcorn." Annoys me no end. And yet...
It's an impressive story of survival when it happens for real (and I want to preface this tale by saying I don't want to trivialise the fact that bloody events surround it, it's just a remarkable story).
It begins - as far as we know - in the port of Gdynia in Poland, then a German naval base which the Germans called Gotenhafen. From there the much feared German battleship Bismarck left port on March 18th 1941, accompanied by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.
The Bismarck was sunk in the mid Atlantic after a frantic mobilisation and much loss by the Royal Navy on March 27th. Only 115 men out of over 2000 survived the sinking.
Heading back to base, the British destroyer HMS Cossack picked up one more survivor - a black and white cat.
It had belonged to an unknown member of the Bismarck's crew and was found clinging to a bit of debris. The Cossack's crew named him "Oscar" and made him the ship's mascot.
HMS Cossack served as a convoy escort in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, and Oscar remained aboard. Presumably he looked for mice and played with the crew. On October 24th 1941 the German submarine U-563 torpedoed HMS Cossack. The hit caused a massive explosion in the forward section which killed 159 of the crew. Oscar was rescued with the crew who were transfered to HMS Legion, and taken to the British base at Gibraltar.By now this cat had a reputation, and started to be known as Unsinkable Sam.
The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal had been a key vessel in the hunt for the Bismarck, and it became Unsinkable Sam's new home. It is my guess that Unsinkable Sam would rather have remained at Gibraltar.
On November 14th 1941 the Ark Royal was torpedoed by another German sub, U-81, on the way back from Malta. The sinking was slow and nearly all the crew survived, and... found floating on a plank in the middle of the sea... was one supremely pissed-off cat.
Unsinkable Sam was described as "angry but quite unharmed".
Sam was transfered to HMS Lightening and then HMS Legion (again). Both were later sunk.
Someone took pity on this poor feline, who had presumably started life in Poland, had travelled the Baltic, North Sea, North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, been as far east as Malta, and had had three ships blown up under him and ended up floating in the sea twice, and he was sent to the office buildings of the Governor General of Gibraltar to do mouse-hunting work.
Sam survived the war and was sent to the United Kingdom, living out his days in a seaman's home in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He died in 1955.
For all we know... he might have just been picked up on a whim off a street in Poland by a German sailor all those years previously.
The portrait is a pastels painting of Unsinkable Sam, called "Oscar, the Bismarck’s Cat". It is at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich England.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Kawaii!
From Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan....
Yes, it is real.
No it is not a cute anime creation.
It's a Siberian Flying Squirrel.
It feeds on seeds, nuts, buds and berries, and makes nests in holes in trees.
No you can't have one.
Yes, it is real.
No it is not a cute anime creation.
It's a Siberian Flying Squirrel.
It feeds on seeds, nuts, buds and berries, and makes nests in holes in trees.
No you can't have one.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Entrepreneurial crocodile - not socialist at all
Park rangers have been moved to lament the loss of the work ethic of the average Australian crocodile.
As reported by APP:
“Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers have nabbed a lazy crocodile intent on nicking the catch of the day from fishermen on Cape York. The four-metre croc had started venturing onto the banks of the Mungkun River at Pormpuraaw in search of a free fish lunch.”
Good heavens... crocodiles attempting to eat things in their own habitat... who'd have thought it?
“Environment Minister Kate Jones said the croc had also been trying to pinch fish from fishing lines,” the report states.
...in rivers inhabited by his species for millions of years.
As reported by APP:
“Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers have nabbed a lazy crocodile intent on nicking the catch of the day from fishermen on Cape York. The four-metre croc had started venturing onto the banks of the Mungkun River at Pormpuraaw in search of a free fish lunch.”
Good heavens... crocodiles attempting to eat things in their own habitat... who'd have thought it?
“Environment Minister Kate Jones said the croc had also been trying to pinch fish from fishing lines,” the report states.
...in rivers inhabited by his species for millions of years.
The loss of Bjelke-Petersen's control over the state after 1987 has clearly eroded his reptilian conservative morals among its wildlife.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Somebody help that dog...!
It's late at night on Saturday and it's been hailing and thundering after a muggy early autumn day.
Magpie the hard man - tall, bald and bad - is actually a complete softie. This pic is all over the net and it breaks him up...
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Taiga Tiger
A Siberian tiger viewed from behind. Note the "eyes" on the back of its ears, to ward off being snuck up on. Can't be many creatures that would try it.
Found this in one of three articles written by Patrick Evans for the The Japan Times Sunday feature... collectively part travelogue, part wildlife, part conservation tale about the Siberian tiger and life in Eastern Russia. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20100214x1.html
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The King of Rohan's horse
Recently I took some leave in New Zealand.
I've been to quite a few places but let me tell you... there can't be many places as unspoiled, as peaceful and as spectacular as this. Some have wondered whether we might join some day, as The Republic of Australia and New Zealand, so close are we socially and culturally, and I can't really fault the idea.
Anyway I went horse riding with my tribe, and our companion happened to indicate this particular horse. His name is Percy. He is the horse that King Theoden of Rohan died with after being mauled by the Nazgul in The Lord of the Rings - Return of the King. He was made up whiter for the film. A beautiful prop that won't be around forever...
I had to go back and take a pic.
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