Stimulus Package Failed Black & Latino-Owned Small Businesses: Cocaine For Monkeys

"Power Corrupts & Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely."
Winston Churchill

Due to some of my recent statements about the Obama Administration, several of my Facebook Friends think that I'm beating up on Pres. Obama & the Democrats in Congress.

I'm not. However I am disappointed.

I still plan to give Pres. Obama another chance by voting for his re-election this Fall but Congress will NOT receive that same level of my support.

Hopefully this Blog post provides an explanation for my disappointment.

While it is true GOP Congressional Members Chose NOT to Work with Pres. Obama during his first 2 years in Office, the GOP's inaction is NO Excuse for Inaction on behalf of Democrats.

Here's Why.

For almost 2 Years after Pres. Obama's Election, Democrats had Full Control of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate & the White House.

i.e., ABSOLUTE POLITICAL POWER!

They could have used this ABSOLUTE Power for Good & to enact Real CHANGE.

For Example:

The First legislation Democrats Should have passed are Comprehensive Jobs Bill, Comprehensive Small Business Bills & Included More Funding in the Stimulus Bill for Minority-Owned Small Businesses (BLACK & Latino-Owned Small Businesses).

Than they should have passed an Affordable Health Care bill with a Public Option, Single Payer Option or a REAL Health Care Insurance Exchange.

Instead they wasted it on a Stimulus Bill which turned out to be Nothing more than a Campaign Favor Payback bill.

The Stimulus Bill included less than 1% of Funding for BLACK & Latino-Owned Small Businesses.
Less than 1%!

And most of that Stimulus Money was Wasted versus Invested Wisely to Save the Jobs of Teachers & First Responders.

In North Carolina some of the Stimulus Money was even used by Gov. Bev Perdue to fund Stupid Projects like Studying the Effects of Cocaine on Monkeys.

That's Right!

Researching the effects of Cocaine on Monkeys!

That money could have been used to Save Teacher Jobs & Fund Minority-Owned Small Businesses.

Did the Obama Administration say anything about such Wasteful Spending?
NO because Bev Perdue is a Democrat!

I'm Sorry but that's Wrong!

During the 2008 General Election Democrats received 97% of the BLACK Vote, 67% of the Latino Vote.

How did they repay us?

By including less than 1% of Stimulus Funding & Gov't Contracts for Minority-Owned Small Businesses in the Stimulus Bill.

Thanks a Lot!

Congress seemed to have NO problem including Money for Food Stamps & Welfare Programs but less than 1% of Stimulus Funding for BLACK & Latino-Owned Small Businesses.

So its okay for BLACKS & Latinos to receive Food Stamps & Welfare but NOT okay for Us to Open Small Businesses?

Can any of the Democrats in Congress explain why?

And......

They passed an Affordable Health Care Bill minus a Public Option in Exchange for 2 GOP Senator Votes who demanded that an Individual Mandate be included in the bill. i.e., Another Tax!

Now the Affordable Health Care Law is up for Review by the U.S. Supreme Court which may Strike it down due to the Individual Mandate possibly being Unconstitutional.

So please don't blame the GOP for EVERYTHING that the Democrats did NOT do for American BLACK & Latino Communities since Pres. Obama's Election.

Democrats Must Bear Some Of The Blame for Demonstrating Complacency & Ingratitude to BLACK & Latino Voters.

I'm NOT siding with the GOP, however the Democrats are NOT Blameless either.

Its time the Democrats, especially BLACK Congressional Caucus Members, Accept Responsibility for Wasting an Historic Moment doing NOTHING!

So while I DO plan to cast My Vote for Pres. Obama again, I will NOT cast My Vote again for Democrats to Control both Chambers of Congress.

Just my opinion. You don't have to agree.





Minority Business Receiving Fewer Stimulus Contracts


Hispanic and black businesses are receiving a disproportionately small number of federal stimulus contracts, creating a rising chorus of demands for the Obama administration to be more inclusive and more closely track who receives government-financed work.

Latinos and blacks have faced obstacles to winning government contracts long before the stimulus. They own 6.8 and 5.2 percent of all businesses, respectively, according to census figures. Yet Latino-owned business have received only 1.7 percent of $46 billion in federal stimulus contracts recorded in U.S. government data, and black-owned businesses have received just 1.1 percent.

That pot of money is just a small fraction of the $862 billion economic stimulus law. Billions more have been given to states, which have used the money to award contracts of their own.

Although states record minority status when they award contracts to businesses, there is no central, consistent or public compilation of that data, according to Laura Barrett, director of the Transportation Equity Network. She and other minority advocates are calling for complete and publicly accessible demographic information on all contracts and jobs financed by the stimulus.

Minority businesses are often too small to compete for projects; do not have access to the necessary capital, equipment or bonding requirements; or lose bids to companies with well-established relationships. There also has been an emphasis on spending stimulus money quickly, which favors businesses that have won past contracts.

But minority advocates say that blacks and Latinos have been harder hit by the recession, and getting a fair share of stimulus contracts is key to the recovery of these communities.

Unemployment among blacks and Hispanics is much higher than among whites. And although unemployment among whites increased at a faster rate during the worst of the recession than among minorities, rates of those considered underemployed — including people who have given up looking for full-time work or people working part-time because there is no full-time work available — increased faster among minorities than whites.

Figures from the Transportation Department on highway stimulus spending — at the heart of the government’s effort to lift the economy — have further concerned advocacy groups.

Six percent of the $16.9 billion in Federal Highway Administration contract money spent by states has gone to disadvantaged business enterprises, which includes companies owned by minorities as well as women, veterans and the disabled, according to department press secretary Olivia Alair.

Out of $1.1 billion in state-spent Federal Aviation Administration contract money, 7.8 percent has gone to disadvantaged businesses, Alair said, and 8.6 percent of direct Transportation Department contract dollars have gone to those companies.

Alair said some minority companies might not be included in those figures because they are not small businesses or choose not to classify themselves as disadvantaged. Minority businesses also are eligible for stimulus grants, but those are not tracked by race.

Still, “these numbers are far too low,” especially when compared with state and federal goals,” Barrett said. “The businesses and communities that need federal dollars most are seeing the least.”

The Obama administration has taken steps to address minority concerns. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote governors in December urging them to work with disadvantaged businesses. LaHood suggested unbundling large contracts to make them more accessible to small businesses, and emulating a Missouri contracting project that made community groups and openness part of the process.

LaHood’s department has pledged $20 million in subsidies to help disadvantaged businesses pay bonding premiums and fees, and has established a short-term loan program that lent $4.9 million in 2009. Last month, LaHood announced $9.9 million in grants to help businesses owned by minorities and women compete for federal contracts.

Federal agencies held more than 300 events nationwide to educate minority businesses about stimulus opportunities, said White House spokesman Corey Ealons. He also said there is a backlog of awarded contracts that have not yet been entered into the tracking database.

The White House also pointed out that about $21 billion of the $46 billion is guaranteed, and the rest are options. Latino-owned businesses have received 3.7 percent of the guaranteed total, and black-owned businesses 2.4 percent.

The founder and chief executive of one of the nation’s largest black-owned construction companies, Richard Copeland of THOR Construction Inc., said minority-owned companies usually employ 60 percent minorities.

“If we can’t get on these jobs,” he said, “we can’t hire our people from our community, so poverty and drugs and crime and unemployment and welfare become habitual.” His company has done a small amount of weatherization work through Minnesota stimulus contracts.

He said many minority businesses can’t develop the capability to do government work because a “good old boy” network shuts them out of contracts.

Copeland’s company has its headquarters in Minneapolis, and has 200 full-time employees and offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Atlanta. He said he abandoned highway work years ago to focus on erecting buildings.

“These big highway contractors try to keep you off the project, and when you get on, they try to make sure you don’t come back,” he said. “We hear about this all across the country.”

That’s what Samuel Foley Jr., a lawyer for the black-owned construction company Holley Enterprises, says happened to his client.

Holley was subcontracted by James J. Anderson Construction to perform demolition and salvage operations on a subway station repair project in Philadelphia. This enabled Anderson to meet contract guidelines for minority participation, but about two months later Holley’s contract was unfairly terminated, Foley said.

Anderson Construction said in a statement that Holley violated the terms of the contract. Anderson said it did not perform any of the work itself and gave the contract to another disadvantaged business.

Foley, chairman of the National Black Chamber of Commerce Construction Committee, said many companies “play games to get rid of the minority contractor.”
“This is not a unique situation,” he said. “For the past 30 years in Philadelphia it’s been this way.”





Stimulus funds pay for monkey research in N.C.


Monkeys are getting high for science in North Carolina.

An analyst at the Civitas Institute seized on that image when selecting a cocaine addiction study at Wake Forest University Medical School as No. 1 on a list of the "10 worst federal stimulus projects in North Carolina." Civitas' Brian Balfour takes swipes at projects, writing that they "seem completely unrelated to avoiding an economic 'catastrophe,' but rather an ad hoc satisfaction of countless dubious wish lists."

So, what is the $71,623 federal stimulus grant paying for?

Well, a job, said Mark Wright, a spokesman for the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

"It's actually the continuation of a job that might not still be there if it hadn't been for the stimulus funding. And it's a good job," Wright said. "It's also very worthwhile research."

The study is examining the effects of cocaine on a particular neurotransmitter among monkeys who have had a long-term addiction to cocaine.

The medical school boasts a significant body of work studying addiction. Ultimately, the study could lead to better treatment for recovering cocaine addicts.

Balfour also cited another Wake Forest study. This one is studying whether yoga and other non-pharmaceutical therapies such as wellness classes can help alleviate hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.

"How does this study help revive the economy?" Balfour asked.

Well, again, jobs, said Nancy Avis, a professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health policy at the medical school. The funding, more than $147,000 over two years, will contribute to the salaries of six people.


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Sources: CBS News, Fox News, McClatchy Newspapers, Nationalbcc.org, Newsone, The Grio, Youtube, Google Maps

Richard Cebull: Judge Nominated By Bush Sends Racist E-mail Calling Pres. Obama's Father A Dog!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Federal Judge Richard Cebull Nominated by George W. Bush, admits to Forwarding an extremely Racist e-mail about Pres. Obama.
The e-mail explains a "Joke" which suggests that Pres. Obama's Mother had Sex with a Dog.
OMG!

Can Federal Judge Richard Cebull be forced to Resign for Speaking out & using Incendiary Racist language against a Sitting U.S. President?

Unfortunately Federal Judges can NOT be Fired or Forced to Resign.
They can ONLY be Impeached by Congress.

Federal Judges can't be Fired or asked to Resign even when using Incendiary Racist language against Sitting U.S. Presidents.
A Complaint can be Filed against Federal Judges but its highly unlikely they are ever Impeached.

The subject line of the email, which Cebull sent from his official courthouse email address on Feb. 20 at 3:42 p.m., reads:
"A MOM'S MEMORY":

"Normally I don't send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine.

"A little boy said to his mother; 'Mommy, how come I'm black and you're white?'" the email joke reads. "His mother replied, 'Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!'"




Chief U.S. District Judge sends racially charged email about President Obama


Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull on Wednesday admitted to sending a racially charged email about President Barack Obama from his courthouse chambers.

Cebull, of Billings, was nominated by former President George W. Bush and received his commission in 2001 and has served as chief judge for the District of Montana since 2008.

The subject line of the email, which Cebull sent from his official courthouse email address on Feb. 20 at 3:42 p.m., reads: "A MOM'S MEMORY."

The forwarded text reads as follow:

"Normally I don't send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine.

"A little boy said to his mother; 'Mommy, how come I'm black and you're white?'" the email joke reads. "His mother replied, 'Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!'"

Cebull admitted Wednesday to sending the email to seven recipients, including his personal email address.

The judge acknowledged that the content of the email was racist, but said he does not consider himself racist. He said the email was intended to be a private communication.

"It was not intended by me in any way to become public," Cebull said. "I apologize to anybody who is offended by it, and I can obviously understand why people would be offended."

Cebull said his brother initially sent him the email, which he forwarded to six of his "old buddies" and acquaintances.

He admitted that he read the email and intended to send it to his friends.

"The only reason I can explain it to you is I am not a fan of our president, but this goes beyond not being a fan," Cebull said. "I didn't send it as racist, although that's what it is. I sent it out because it's anti-Obama."

Travis McAdam, executive director for the Montana Human Rights Network , said the email contained highly racist rhetoric unbecoming of a federal judge.

"It's one thing if the judge is not a fan of President Barack Obama, but you would think someone in his position would articulate that in a way that criticizes his policy decisions or his position on issues," McAdam said. "We have a hard time believing that a legitimate criticism of the president involves distributing a joke that basically compares African Americans with animals."

Cebull said he does not consider himself prejudice against people of other races or ethnic backgrounds, and that his actions in his courtroom have demonstrated that.

"I have never considered myself that way," Cebull said. "All I can emphasize is I've treated people in my courtroom all these years fairly. I don't think I've ever demonstrated racism. Nobody has ever even implied it."

Montana immigration attorney Shahid Haque-Hausrath was on the receiving end of a racially charged email sent by a top Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official last fall. That official was suspended after sending Haque-Hausrath an email implying that Muslim Americans must prove their allegiance to the United State.

Haque-Hausrath, who is in an interracial marriage and recently fathered a child with his wife, said Cebull's e-mail was "deeply troubling."

"Another federal official who is entrusted to do his duties fairly and impartially has yet again sent an email from his work account during work hours that espouses deeply racist and bigoted views," Haque-Hausrath said. "The reason why I think it's so troubling, is it espouses the deeply racist view that interracial sex is equivalent to bestiality. For a federal judge to be equating the two, and say since Barack Obama is of mixed racial background, that his mother was somehow committing acts of bestiality is incredibly racist and troubling.

One of the recipients of the email Cebull sent forwarded it to another person, who in turn forwarded it to another person. The email was eventually pass along to the Great Falls Tribune, who contacted Cebull. Cebull said he was surprised the recipients of the e-mail passed it along with his name on it.

"This is a private thing that was, to say the least, very poor judgment on my part," Cebull said. "I did not forward it because of the racist nature of it. Although it is racist, I'm not that way, never have been."


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Sources: Billings Gazette, Great Falls Tribune, MSNBC, TPM, Wikipedia, Google Maps

Charlotte Police Officer Puts Dog Feces In BLACK Citizen's Mailbox! Brutality & Harassment!

Whenever a BLACK citizen tries to assert their Legal rights with a Charlotte Cop, that citizen ends up DEAD Or in a Coma.
But get this!
Charlotte has both a BLACK Police Chief & a BLACK Mayor!
So what's going on?
Is this some kind of local Conspiracy to run many of Charlotte's BLACK residents out of Charlotte? i.e., Mayor Bloomberg style in NYC?
There have even been instances where BLACK College students have tried to assert their legal rights in a Civil manner with Charlotte Cops & those citizens were STILL Arrested!
This is being done from the Top down!
Its almost as if Charlotte's City Leaders & Charlotte Police Chief Actually HATES most of Charlotte's BLACK Citizens.
Something sure smells fishy!




Teen says police officer put dog feces in mailbox

A teen charged with assaulting Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Captain Charles Adkins says he caught Adkins putting dog feces in a friend’s mailbox and that’s what started the fight.

CMPD is now investigating Capt. Adkins and his actions before that confrontation, as well as conducting a criminal investigation into his assault. Adkins was off-duty at the time.

Captain Adkins suffered severe lacerations, plus ended up kicked and punched. He is now on sick leave as a result of the injuries.

Jamel Williams, 16, says he looked out a window Wednesday in the Reedy Creek neighborhood and saw Adkins putting dog poop in friend Kendrick Neely's mailbox.

That is when Williams and Neely both went outside to confront him.

"He knew I knew it was him and he tried to walk away,” Williams said. "He just got all nasty and all angry and we were asking why he'd put it in the mailbox."

Williams claims Adkins admitted putting the dog poop in Neely's mailbox that day, plus several times over the last two weeks. Williams claims Adkins blames him and Neely for recent neighborhood crimes.

Neely was arrested January 10 on three counts of possession of stolen goods. Neely was also arrested January 16 for assault and battery, communicating threats and disorderly conduct.

Williams, meanwhile was arrested last December for breaking and entering, larceny and possession of stolen goods. Williams says he found a bag of stolen items in the woods and was arrested while looking through it but says he didn’t steal it.

Both of their pictures are on flyers distributed in the Reedy Creek neighborhood with the headline "Community Safety Alert." It’s unclear who distributed the flyer.

"He said we'd been doing things in the neighborhood that we haven’t been doing,” Williams said.

Williams says he asked Adkins several times if he was a police officer but didn't get an answer.

That's when Williams says he decided to follow Adkins home and told him he was going to call police on Adkins about the dog poop in the mailbox.

"When I said we were going to follow him to his house, that's when he punched me,” Williams said.

Williams has a swollen lip and bruised arm from the fight.

"He didn't want us to find out he was a cop and that's why he started this whole big thing,” Williams said.

Williams says he had a knife on him and showed it to Adkins but didn't use it in the fight. Williams was arrested and charged with assault and battery.


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Google Maps

Fox News Reports On North Carolina's "Stimulus" Cocaine Monkey Project

The 10 Worst Federal Stimulus Projects in North Carolina: Hot Flashes, Dead Bugs, and Cocaine for Monkeys


Prior to signing his Federal “Stimulus” bill in early 2009, President Obama warned, “If we do not move swiftly to sign (the act) into law, an Economy that is already in crisis will be faced with catastrophe.”

Here in North Carolina, Governor Perdue similarly declared that we were “facing the consequences of the national economic crisis,” and that failure to pass the stimulus bill would “jeopardize the education of our children and the health care of our citizens.”

She further noted that the stimulus will help “Create Jobs, Stimulate the Economy, and provide relief to North Carolina's families.”

However one year later, the debate over the stimulus bill’s effectiveness rages on.

A close inspection of stimulus grants and contracts awarded to North Carolina reveals a rather questionable strategy for the disbursement of stimulus funds. Many projects seem completely unrelated to avoiding an economic “catastrophe,” but rather an ad hoc satisfaction of countless dubious wish lists.

The Civitas Institute poured through the Federal Recovery Act website charged with tracking stimulus spending, and created the following list – The 10 Worst Federal Stimulus Projects in North Carolina:


1.) Study of monkeys using cocaine: $71,623


Wake Forest University was granted money to “study the effects of self-administering cocaine on the glutamate system on monkeys.” Well, at least the monkeys will be stimulated.

2.) North Carolina Dance Theatre: $50,000

This grant is used to retain four professional dancers from the North Carolina Dance Theatre’s second company. Nice for them, but why are tax dollars financing what should be a privately-funded philanthropic organization?

3.) Reducing Hot Flashes through Yoga: $147,694


Funds granted to Wake Forest University to study “preliminary data on the efficacy of integral yoga for reducing menopausal hot flashes.” The President warned us that the stimulus plan was needed to avoid an economic “catastrophe.” How does this study help revive the economy?

4.) Collecting, Researching and Reporting on the Stimulus Act: $115,000; $150,000; $227,940
Total: $492,940


Nearly half a million taxpayer dollars will go toward funding more propaganda selling the “benefits” of the stimulus plan. The federal government created the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, while North Carolina established the Office of Economic Recovery & Investment for these very purposes. Apparently, that’s just not enough propaganda.


5.) Create Interactive Dance Performance Technology: $762,372

This grant to UNC-Charlotte will fund the development of computer technology to digitally record the dance moves of performers. The recorded movements can then be reviewed and manipulated by a computer program. Although creating virtual-reality type technology for dance movements may be interesting to those involved, how does this serve to “protect the education of our children”? At an average salary of roughly $47,000, this money could have saved 16 North Carolina teacher jobs.


6.) American Dance Festival, Inc: $50,000


A graphic designer and archivist will retain their jobs thanks to this grant. The American Dance Festival hosts dance classes, workshops and engages in other charitable activities to help support dancers. How will this help reverse a major international financial crisis, exactly?

7.) Construction of a New Town Hall in Bladenboro: $200,000; $100,000
Total: $300,000


Why are taxpayers from across the country forced to finance construction of a local government office? This is a classic case of earmark pork spending.

8.) North Carolina Folk Life Institute: $25,000


With the help of this grant, the Institute was able to retain its executive director. Will this help “provide relief to North Carolina’s families”?

9.) Preservation of an Dead Insect Collection at North Carolina State: $253,123


We were promised that the stimulus was going to “save jobs.” We were never told it would also help preserve dead bugs.

10.) Greensboro Symphony Orchestra: $50,000


These funds are used to retain the GSO’s director of marketing and education manager. More bailouts of what should be a privately-funded organization.


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Sources: J.W. Pope Civitas Institute, Fox News, Recovery.gov, Politisite, Youtube, Google Maps

Dawn Brancheau's Chicago Funeral

Hundreds Turn Out For SeaWorld Trainer's Funeral


Hundreds of mourners turned out Monday for the funeral for a veteran SeaWorld trainer killed by one of the park's orcas.

Some of the grieved didn't even know 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau but felt a connection after the story of her death shocked the nation.

Family and friends were joined by dignitaries like Comptroller Dan Hynes and Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to wish her farewell at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel.

The scene was similar to her wake, when more than 1,200 mourners and well-wishers lined up for Brancheau's at the Chicago church.

Brancheau died Wednesday in Florida after rubbing a 22-foot, 12,000-pound orca named Tilikum. The animal grabbed her ponytail and pulled her into the water in front of about 20 spectators.

Family members say she died doing what she loved.

"It was her dream job since she was 9 years old," her sister Diane Grosstold the Northwest Indiana Times.

The medical examiner says Brancheau likely died of traumatic injuries and drowning.

Brancheau was married and didn't have children. She will be buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Alsip, Ill.


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Sources: NBC Chicago, Youtube, Google Maps

Sea World Holds Press Conference, Addresses Dawn Brancheau's Death

SeaWorld CEO Says Shows With Killer Whales Will Resume Saturday


After the death of a whale trainer at Florida's SeaWorld Orlando, Jim Atchison, president and chief executive officer of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, said SeaWorld's shows with killer whales will resume Saturday.

At a news conference Friday, he also said that a charitable foundation is being formed in the name of Dawn Brancheau, the trainer who was pulled underwater and killed Wednesday when a whale named Tilikum grabbed her ponytail.

Also Friday, spokesmen for the Labor and Agriculture departments said the federal agencies were looking into Brancheau's death. The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are investigating.

Atchison on Wednesday called Tilikum "a wonderful animal" who "will remain an active and contributing member of the team despite what happened." He said that though SeaWorld's shows with killer whales will resume, trainers won't get into the water with the animals.

He also promised improvements and changes at SeaWorld, saying that in light of Brancheau's death, SeaWorld is "reviewing everything we do related to" Tilikum and the other whales at the facility.

"This incident is a terrible, terrible incident for us," he said. "We are looking at every piece of information we have."

Atchison said video images of the trainer's killing have been given to appropriate authorities.

Brancheau died from multiple injuries and drowning after interacting with the 12,000-pound whale in front of shocked onlookers at Shamu Stadium, the Orange County Sheriff's office said Thursday.

She was "pulled underwater for an extended period of time," Chuck Tompkins, SeaWorld's curator of zoological operations, told CNN's "American Morning."

Labor Department spokesman Mike Wald said the agency is looking into whether OSHA workplace standards were violated in the incident. It will complete a report within six months, he said.

If workplace infractions are found, OSHA will propose financial penalties, Wald said. If that happens, the company could accept the penalties and make any necessary workplace changes, or appeal proposed penalties before an OSHA review commission.

David Sacks, an Agriculture Department spokesman, said inspectors are looking into the incident from the animal welfare perspective.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service wants to know if there were any violations of the Animal Welfare Act, a federal set of minimum-care standards for entities that get USDA licenses, including facilities that exhibit warm-blooded mammals to the public.

Sacks said the incident will trigger a "focused" investigation, in which inspectors will go to SeaWorld to gather facts. If they think any welfare act violations contributed to the incident, a formal investigation will begin.




Such violations could trigger fines and even license suspensions and revocations.

"If we feel animals are suffering, we can confiscate the animal," Sacks said. He said SeaWorld Orlando has never been the object of a penalty enforcement.

Tompkins, head of animal training for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, mourned Brancheau's death in a video posted on Sea World's blog and raised the issue of safety standards.

"We need to evaluate our safety procedures and how we interact with these animals," he said, and he stressed that it's "extremely important that we continue to take care of these animals the best way possible."

The same whale was linked previously to two other deaths.

Tilikum and two other whales were involved in the drowning of a trainer at a Victoria, British Columbia, marine park in 1991. The trainer fell into the whale tank at Sealand of the Pacific and was dragged underwater as park visitors watched.

In 1999, Tilikum was blamed for the death of a 27-year-old man whose body was found floating in a tank at SeaWorld, the apparent victim of a whale's "horseplay," authorities said then.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said the man apparently hid in the park until after it closed, then climbed into the tank.

Nancy Black, a marine biologist who has studied whales for 20 years, said Tilikum could have been trying to play with Brancheau or get her attention or companionship.

Such whales play with seals and sea lions in the wild, tossing them in the air, she said, but end up letting them go. But she said the whale could also have been frustrated for some reason.

The incident raises larger questions about captivity of wild animals. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said dolphins and other sea animals in aquariums "routinely die prematurely of stress and other captivity-related causes" and human casualties also occur.

A PETA spokesman called the death "a tragedy that didn't have to happen."

Jaime Zalac said the organization had called on SeaWorld "to stop confining oceangoing mammals to an area that to them is like the size of a bathtub, and we have also been asking the park to stop forcing the animals to perform silly tricks over and over again. It's not surprising when these huge, smart animals lash out."

iReport: Photo taken moments before attack

The incident occurred about 2 p.m. Wednesday. Tompkins said the whale had just finished a session with Brancheau, who was leaning over and rubbing his head. They were in knee-deep water, he said.

"She had a long ponytail that brushed in front of her and apparently got in front of his nose," Tompkins said. "He probably felt it."

Tilikum grabbed the ponytail and pulled Brancheau into the water, he said. Rescuers were not immediately able to reach her because the whale was too aggressive, the sheriff's office said.

She was recovered by SeaWorld staff members after Tilikum was coaxed into a smaller pool and lifted out of the water by a large platform on the bottom of the smaller tank, authorities said.

"While this incident remains the subject of an ongoing death investigation, there are no signs of foul play," the sheriff's statement said. "All evidence and witness statements indicate that the death was a tragic accident."

Brancheau wanted to be an animal trainer from the time she visited SeaWorld as a 9-year-old, her sister Diane Gross said.

"It was her dream job," Gross said. "She loved the animals like they were her own children ... She loved what she did."

Because of Tilikum's history, as well as his size, trainers did not get into deep water with him, Tompkins said. Specific procedures were in place for working with him, he said, although "obviously, we need to evaluate those protocols."

iReport: Dawn Brancheau performing at SeaWorld in June 2009

"He's just a really, really large animal," Tompkins said, noting that female killer whales weigh 6,000 pounds -- half of Tilikum's weight.

"Just because of his size alone, it would be dangerous to get in the water with him."


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Sources: CNN, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps

Dawn Brancheau's Death, Tilikum Becomes PR Nightmare For Seaworld

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SeaWorld Decides To Keep Orca Killer Whale After 3rd Death



Despite calls to free or destroy the animal, SeaWorld said Thursday it will keep the killer whale that drowned its trainer, but will suspend all orca shows while it decides whether to change the way handlers work with the behemoths.

Also, VIP visitors who occasionally were invited to pet the killer whales will no longer be allowed to do so.

"We're going to make any changes we have to to make sure this doesn't happen again," Chuck Tompkins, chief of animal training at SeaWorld parks, said a day after a 12,000-pound killer whale named Tilikum dragged a trainer into its pool and thrashed the woman to death as audience members watched in horror.

Talk-radio callers, bloggers and animal activists said Tilikum — which was involved in the deaths of two other people over the past two decades — should be released into the ocean or put to death like a dangerous dog.

Tompkins said that Tilikum would not survive in the wild because it has been captive for so long, and that destroying the animal is not an option either, because it is an important part of the breeding program at SeaWorld and a companion to the seven other whales there.

Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old veteran trainer who adored whales, was rubbing Tilikum from a poolside platform when the 22-foot creature grabbed the woman's ponytail in its jaws and pulled her in. Witnesses said the whale played with Brancheau like a toy.

"He kept pushing her and poking her with his nose," said Paula Gillespie of Delaware, who saw the attack from an underwater observation point. "It looked like she was just totally caught off guard and looked like she was struggling."

She added: "I just felt horrible because she's someone's daughter, mother. I couldn't stop crying."

The killer whale shows have been put on hold at SeaWorld's three parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego. Tompkins said they will not resume until trainers understand what happened to Brancheau. He also said trainers will review safety procedures and change them as needed.

He would not give details on what might be changed, but he said he does not expect visitors to the theme park to see much difference in the killer whale shows, in which trainers swim with the animals, ride on their backs and jump off of them.

Close encounters

There is virtually no contact between visitors and the orcas at SeaWorld shows, said Fred Jacobs, a spokesman for the SeaWorld parks. But in the past, VIP guests occasionally were allowed to come down to the edge of the pool and touch the whales. That will no longer be permitted, Jacobs said.

Because of Tilikum's size and history of aggressive behavior, visitors were not allowed to get close to the whale, and trainers were not permitted to climb into the water with the animal. They were only allowed to work with him from a partially submerged deck.

Tompkins defended SeaWorld's use a whale that had already been blamed in the deaths of two other people.

"We didn't ignore those incidents," Tompkins said. "We work with him very, very carefully. We did not get in the water with this animal like we do with other killer whales because we recognized his potential."

Brancheau's older sister, Diane Gross, said the trainer would not have wanted anything done to the whale. "She loved the whales like her children. She loved all of them," said Gross, of Schererville, Ind. "They all had personalities, good days and bad days."

In a profile in the Orlando Sentinel in 2006, Brancheau acknowledged the dangers, saying: "You can't put yourself in the water unless you trust them and they trust you."

One of SeaWorld's most popular shows — about a child who wants to grow up to be a killer whale trainer — could have been inspired by Brancheau herself.

A trip to SeaWorld at age 9 instilled a desire in her to work with marine animals. She attended the University of South Carolina and majored in psychology, but got a job at a New Jersey park after graduation, working with dolphins and sea lions. She was hired at SeaWorld in Orlando in 1994.


Previous deaths

Tilikum was one of three orcas blamed for killing a trainer in 1991 after the woman lost her balance and fell into a pool at a Sealand theme park near Victoria, British Columbia.

In 1999, the body of a naked man was found draped over Tilikum at SeaWorld in Orlando. Officials said the man had stayed in the park after closing and apparently fell into the whale tank. An autopsy found he died of hypothermia. Officials also said it appeared Tilikum bit the man.

A few months after the 1991 death in Canada, SeaWorld asked the National Marine Fisheries Service for permission to "import and temporarily house" Tilikum in Orlando, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

In a 1992 letter, the federal agency said SeaWorld wanted to move Tilikum to Orlando "for the purpose of providing medical treatment and care that is otherwise unavailable in Canada at this time."

The letter did not mention the whale's role in the deadly attack. But the agency criticized the theme parks, saying "prudent and precautionary steps necessary for the health and welfare of Tilikum were not taken by Sealand or SeaWorld."

Periodic Inspections

Animals parks are inspected at least once a year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make sure the animals are being treated humanely and getting proper nutrition and veterinary care. Online records for the three SeaWorld parks going back to 2007 show only minor violations, such as paper feeding trays accidentally dropped into an exhibit.

None of the violations had anything to do with the park's whales.

"For the most part, they run a top-notch facility, and they take very good care of their animals," USDA spokesman Dave Sacks said.

Howard Garrett, co-founder and director of the Washington-based nonprofit Orca Network, has studied killer whales for nearly 30 years and said the creatures are not considered dangerous to humans, even though they are highly efficient predators in the wild.

"In their natural habitat, there is no record of any harm to a human anywhere," Garrett said.

He said Tilikum was probably agitated before Wednesday's attack, possibly from some kind of clash with the other whales.

Gary Wilson, a professor at Moorpark College's exotic animal training program, said it can be difficult to detect when an animal is about to turn on its trainer.

"One of the challenges working with any animal is learning to read its body language and getting a feel for what's going on in its mind," he said.






Killer Whale Kills Trainer Dawn Brancheau


After the terrible tragedy involving a whale trainer that lost her life earlier this week, many are trying to figure out exactly what happened. Many reports are saying that the whale has a history of a bad temperament, and that he has been violent in the past.

Dawn Brancheau, a whale trainer at SeaWorld, was pulled into the tank Wednesday after a show and tragically killed. Dawn’s sister Diane Gross said that her family considers the incident to be an accident, rather than an oversight on SeaWorld’s part.

“She loved all of them,” said Diane. “They all had personalities, good days and bad days.” Diane said that Dawn was inspired to become a trainer after taking a family trip as a 9-year-old.

Reports say that the whale has been considered dangerous by staff, and only certain trainers were able to work with him. This leads to the question – why was he there? The 12,000 pound whale pulled Dawn under the water after a regular performance, as she was rewarding him. Onlookers that witnessed the horrible event said that the whale was acting violently with the trainer.

This isn’t the first death that has been connected with the killer whale. Tilikum and two other whales drowned another trainer, Keltie Byrne, in 1991 at a park in Canada. In 1999 at SeaWorld, a man snuck into the whale tank to swim with them. He was also killed.


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Sources: CBS News, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps

Dawn Brancheau 3rd Employee Killed By Same Orca Whale

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Orca Drowned SeaWorld Trainer


A veteran SeaWorld trainer was leisurely rubbing a killer whale from a poolside platform when the 12,000-pound creature reached up, grabbed her with its mouth and dragged her underwater.

Horrified visitors who had stuck around after a noontime show watched the animal charge through the pool with the trainer in its jaws.

Workers rushed to help her with nets as an alarm sounded, but it was too late. Dawn Brancheau had drowned. It marked the third time the animal had been involved in a human death.

Brancheau's interaction with the whale appeared leisurely and informal at first to audience member Eldon Skaggs. But then, the whale "pulled her under and started swimming around with her," Skaggs told The Associated Press.

Some workers hustled the audience out of the stadium while the others tried to save Brancheau, 40.

Skaggs said he heard that during an earlier show the whale was not responding to directions. Others who attended the earlier show said the whale was behaving like an ornery child.

Skaggs left with his wife and didn't find out until later that the trainer had died. The retired couple from Michigan had been among some stragglers who stayed to watch the animals and trainers when the accident occurred.

"We were just a little bit stunned," said Skaggs' wife, Sue Nichols, 67.

'Grabbed the trainer by the waist'

Another audience member, Victoria Biniak, told WKMG-TV the whale "took off really fast in the tank, and then he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing around, and one of her shoes flew off."

Two other witnesses told the Orlando Sentinel that the whale grabbed the woman by the upper arm and tossed her around in its mouth while swimming rapidly around the tank. Brazilian tourist Joao Lucio DeCosta Sobrinho and his girlfriend were at an underwater viewing area when they suddenly saw a whale with a person in its mouth.

The couple said they watched the whale show at the park two days earlier and came back to take pictures. But on Wednesday the whales appeared agitated.

"It was terrible. It's very difficult to see the image," Sobrinho said.

NBC News' Orlando affiliate WESH confirmed Thursday the existence of a home video that supposedly shows the attack. Another home video reportedly shows the whale and trainer, but does not show the actual incident.

Park officials confirmed that Tilikum grabbed Brancheau and pulled her in, drowning her.

Tilikum's previous kills

Because of his size and the previous deaths, trainers were not supposed to get into the water with Tilikum, and only about a dozen of the park's 29 trainers worked with him. Brancheau had more experience with the 30-year-old whale than most. She was one of the park's most experienced trainers overall.

"We recognized he was different," said Chuck Tompkins, head of animal training at all SeaWorld parks. He said no decision has been made yet about what will happen to Tilikum, such as transferring him to another facility. SeaWorld has also suspended the killer whale shows at all of its parks, which also include locations in San Diego and San Antonio, to review procedures.

A SeaWorld spokesman said Tilikum was one of three orcas blamed for killing a trainer in 1991 after the woman lost her balance and fell in the pool at Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia.

Steve Huxter, who was head of Sealand's animal care and training department then, said Wednesday he's surprised it happened again. He says Tilikum was a well-behaved, balanced animal.

Tilikum was also involved in a 1999 death, when the body of a man who had sneaked by SeaWorld security was found draped over him. The man either jumped, fell or was pulled into the frigid water and died of hypothermia, though he was also bruised and scratched by Tilikum.

Brancheau's older sister, Diane Gross, said the trainer wouldn't want anything done to the whale because she loved the animals like children. The trainer was married and didn't have children.

"She loved the whales like her children, she loved all of them," said Gross, of Schererville, Ind. "They all had personalities, good days and bad days."

Gross said the family viewed her sister's death as an unfortunate accident, adding: "It just hasn't sunk in yet."

Dawn was the youngest of six children who grew up near Cedar Lake, Indiana. Her passion for marine life began at the age of nine, Gross said, on a family trip to Sea World.

According to a profile of Brancheau in the Sentinel in 2006, she was one of SeaWorld Orlando's leading trainers. Brancheau worked her way into a leadership role at Shamu Stadium during her career with SeaWorld, starting at the Sea Lion & Otter Stadium before spending 10 years working with killer whales, the newspaper said.

She also addressed the dangers of the job.

"You can't put yourself in the water unless you trust them and they trust you," Brancheau said.

Inherent dangers of the job

Billy Hurley, chief animal officer at the Georgia Aquarium— the world's largest — said there are inherent dangers to working with orcas, just as there are with driving race cars or piloting jets.

"In the case of a killer whale, if they want your attention or if they're frustrated by something or if they're confused by something, there's only a few ways of handling that," he said. "If you're right near pool's edge and they decide they want a closer interaction during this, certainly they can grab you."

And, he added: "At 12,000 pounds there's not a lot of resisting you're going to do."

Mike Wald, a spokesman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Atlanta, said his agency had dispatched an investigator from Tampa.

Previous attacks

Wednesday's death was not the first attack on whale trainers at SeaWorld parks.

In November 2006, a trainer was bitten and held underwater several times by a killer whale during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park.

The trainer, Kenneth Peters, escaped with a broken foot. The 17-foot orca that attacked him was the dominant female of SeaWorld San Diego's seven killer whales. She had attacked Peters two other times, in 1993 and 1999.

In 2004, another whale at the company's San Antonio park tried to hit one of the trainers and attempted to bite him. He also escaped.

Wednesday's attack was the second time in two months that an orca trainer was killed at a marine park. On Dec. 24, 29-year-old Alexis Martinez Hernandez fell from a whale and crushed his ribcage at Loro Parque on the Spanish island of Tenerife. Park officials said the whale, a 14-year-old named Keto, made an unusual move as the two practiced a trick in which the whale lifts the trainer and leaps into the air.


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Sources: MSNBC, AP, Google Maps

PETA's Bare-It-All 2010 State Of The Union "Undress" (WARNING! GRAPHIC!)

PETA Takes It All Off In Their 2010 State of the Union "Undress"


This is one State of the Union you won’t want to miss.

In anticipation of Wednesday's presidential address, PETA has released its own “State of the Union Undress,” and the speech is as racy as the title suggests.

A voluptuous female states PETA’s goals to “turn Americans on” to a kinder way of living and urges Americans to “take matters into their own hands” with a healthy vegan diet.

While the camera cuts away to the Senate chamber the sexy PETA spokeswoman slowly strips down to the bare essentials.

There are some comical cut-away shots to the chamber, such as a smiling 83-year-old Congressman John Dingell and an affirming nod from First Lady Michelle Obama.

The PETA “Undress” promises to “show people as much as they need to see in order for them to stand at attention.”

Mission accomplished.


Sources: PETA, NY Daily News, Youtube

Puppy Revived After Receiving Mouth-To-Mouth Resuscitation

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Rescued Puppy Given CPR After Fire


Three dogs are safe after being rescued during an apartment fire in Southwest Houston overnight.

The flames sparked around 1am on Gustine near South Gessner. All of the residents were able to get out safely.

Residents say the fire broke out in a downstairs unit.

"By the time we got our water supply established, and there was a slight delay in that because of distance to the attic, there was a heavy fire in the attic," said Houston Fire Department District Chief Curtis Seamans.

Firefighters took action once they realized three dogs were stuck in one of the units. After the dogs were rescued, their owner gave a dog mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Emergency personnel placed a special oxygen mask on a dog to help it breathe. All of the dogs survived and no people were injured.

Four units suffered fire damage. Four others have smoke and water damage. It's unclear what started the fire.



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Sources: MSNBC, ABC News, Google Maps

Zhu Zhu Hamster Pet Toy May Be Extremely Dangerous...High Metal Levels

Are Zhu Zhu Pets Dangerous?


One of the hottest toys this holiday season is a mechanical hamster called "Zhu Zhu", but some new information calls into question the safety of Zhu Zhus. GoodGuide.com, a California company that tests the health impact of hundreds of products, says Zhu Zhu pets have high levels of a toxic chemical.

"The Zhu Zhu we found a chemical called antimony which is a metal which has potential health hazards related to it which if ingested in high enough levels can lead to cancer, reproductive health, and other human health hazards," says Dara O'Rourke of GoodGuide.com. O'Rourke says the federal limit is 60 parts of antimony per million but the Zhu Zhu pet has 93 parts per million in the fur and 103 in the nose.

GoodGuide.com says the danger comes when kids touch the toy and then touch their mouths or put the toy directly in the mouth. The toy is made in China for a company called Cepia LLC headquartered in St. Louis. The company insists the toy has passed rigorous tests and it is safe.

Most kids don't care about the GoodGuide.com warning. They still want Zhu Zhu pets. "It's a pet that runs around. It has a car. It has a ball," says a local young girl named Sarah who's hoping to get a Zhu Zhu hamster for Christmas.

"It's like a toy but it's like a real hamster. It's like a hamster without the mess," says Christopher in Orchard Park who says his little sister wants a Zhu Zhu pet.

Some parents who talked with Eyewitness News on Sunday though said they're less likely to buy Zhu Zhu pets now. "I think they should be recalled actually," said Patricia Quinn.


Sources: MSNBC, WKBW-TV, Topix

Tai Shan Is Leaving!...China Suddenly Demands The Panda's Return

Panda-monium: Cub heads home to China. Washington's National Zoo is sending its popular 4-year-old panda, Tai Shan, back to China under the terms of a custody agreement that's causing an uproar. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

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Beloved National Zoo Panda going to China


A young giant panda who became a major draw after his birth at Washington's National Zoo will leave for China early next year for breeding.

Zoo officials announced Friday that Tai Shan (pronounced "ty shawn") will be leaving the Smithsonian Institution park as soon as January or February.

Panda mother Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) and father Tian Tian (tee-YEN tee-YEN) are on a 10-year, $10 million loan to the zoo until December 2010.

Under the Smithsonian's panda loan agreement, any cub born at the zoo must be returned to China for breeding. Tai Shan was born in 2005 and was granted a two-year extension in 2007.

Panda cubs are also slated to leave the zoos in Atlanta and San Diego.


14 Pandas on loan

There are a total of 14 pandas on loan from China in U.S. zoos in Atlanta, Washington, San Diego and Memphis, Tenn. Under its agreements with the zoos, China loans panda pairs for breeding and conservation research. Any cubs those pandas produce are also property of China and must become part of the country's breeding program.

The National Zoo asked to keep Tai Shan until the loan agreement for his parents' stay expires, but a panda conservation group decided he should become part of their breeding program, according to Acting Zoo Director Steve Monfort.

The zoo hopes they can translate the attention Tai Shan generated into action to sustain the panda population, Monfort said. Giant pandas are endangered in the wild.

"While we're very, very sad Tai Shan is leaving, we take enormous pride that he is a normal, healthy cub," Monfort said.

"He is an ambassador," Monfort said. "He provides hope for the conservation ... of an iconic species."

Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy, said he has often visited the zoo with his 4-year-old son to see Tai Shan and he'll have to explain why the panda is leaving.

"It's not an easy thing for the Chinese side," he said. "Parting is a sad thing."

Wang said the Chinese want to assure the American people that Tai Shan will be given very good care. He said China will continue its partnerships with U.S. zoos on breeding programs.

The Smithsonian is expected to begin negotiations next year on whether to extend the agreement for Tai Shan's parents' stay. Monfort said they will agree to whatever is best for the panda breeding program.

"I'm very optimistic that pandas will be at the National Zoo for as long as the eye can see," he said.

Tai Shan represents the plight of the endangered species around the world, said Lisa Stevens, the panda curator.

"As zookeepers we're very attached to him. We've watched his every move," she said. "Now it's time to say goodbye."

Stevens said Tai Shan is very confident and more flexible than his parents when it comes to change and she doesn't think the change in language from his handlers will be a problem. His training records and documents will be translated into Chinese for his departure, she said.

Giant pandas at the National Zoo date back to President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China. The first panda couple, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, arrived in 1972 as a gift to the American people. They produced five cubs, but none of them survived.



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Sources: MSNBC, Google Maps