Dead Puppies
OK, this will not directly lead to our goal of One planet, One species, One Genotype, but still...it warms my black little heart to read this:

AP: A trailer carrying dozens of puppies to Northeast pet stores caught fire just off an interstate, killing all of the estimated 60 dogs inside, authorities said. The driver first noticed smoke coming from his trailer just before 5 p.m. Monday, state police said. He pulled over, and the Lowell Fire Department put out the flames that engulfed the trailer, but they couldn't save the puppies.

The puppies were a variety of breeds between the ages of 8 and 12 weeks, according to a state police news release. Neither the driver, identified as Joseph Price, 40, of Joplin, Mo., nor his passenger, William Iriarte, 50, of Nesho, Mo., was injured.

A preliminary investigation indicated that a malfunctioning fan in the rear of the trailer may have started the fire, police said. No charges have been filed. The truck was owned by the Hunte Corp. of Goodman, Mo., a major puppy supplier for pet stores.

"The puppies were all beautiful, healthy purebreds that were on their way to quality retailers in the northeast and eventually to loving New England families," the company said in a statement. The company said it has a near-perfect safety record.
- nostradamusfunkadelic, 2:37 PM | (0) comments |

 
Sign of the Times
OSLO (Reuters) - With signs that the world is warming, even Inuit peoples of the far north are ordering air conditioning. Better known for building igloos during hunts on the polar ice, Inuit in the village of Kuujjuaq in Quebec, Canada, are installing 10 air conditioners for about 25 office workers.

"These are the times when the far north has to have air conditioners now to function," said Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a leading campaigner for the rights of 155,000 Inuit in Canada, Alaska, Russia and Greenland.

"Our Arctic homes are made to be airtight for the cold and do not 'breathe' well in the heat with this warming trend," she said. Temperatures in Kuujjuaq, home to 2,000 people, hit 31 Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) in late July.
- nostradamusfunkadelic, 11:31 AM | (0) comments |