Watch the trailer for Awake: “It’s not just about stopping a pipeline. This is about the survival of humanity.”

Come Earth Day, April 22, the extraordinary story of Standing Rock will hit the big screen at the Tribeca Film Festival. “AWAKE, A Dream from Standing Rock” is a documentary that captures the Native-led resistance against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Josh Fox, who shed light on the impacts of fracking in his documentary Gasland and its sequel, Gasland 2, is directing this film alongside James Spione (“Silenced”) and Myron Dewey, who owns Digital Smoke Signals, a social media film company that tells stories through indigenous eyes. Actress Shailene Woodley (“Big Little Lies”) is the film’s executive producer.

The documentary’s trailer was released Friday (March 24). “What’s going on here at Standing Rock isn’t just about Standing Rock,” one man says in the trailer. “It’s not just about stopping a pipeline. This is about the survival of humanity.”

The trailer revolves primarily around the events of November 2 where militarized police pepper sprayed, deployed tear gas and shot non-lethal ammunition against water protectors along Cantapeta Creek during a water ceremony.

“AWAKE” is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, which takes place in Manhattan from April 20-30, but the film will also be available online beginning April 22.


Viewers will be able to pay what they like to watch online. All proceeds will go toward the Indigenous Media Fund and Pipeline Fighters Fund.

Yes, poor little Milo the sausage dog was left wedged between the railings outside his home in Glasgow for half an hour this week – and he had to be saved by firefighters.

The chubby dachshund was running around in the garden while waiting for owner Sarah Jane Thompson, when his long body got stuck in the garden gate.

Looking at the pictures taken after the incident, Milo seemed to go through a number of emotions… ranging from ‘Oh no, I’m in trouble’ to ‘I’m an absolute lad’.

However Sarah initially failed to see the funny side – and became concerned that any attempt to pull Milo free would damage his back.

With the dog stuck for nearly half an hour, Sarah called a local fire station to see if someone could come round to help.Eventually, the rescuers freed Milo by turning him onto his side.

Sarah said: ‘I was pretty worried as dachshunds have very delicate backs because they’re so long, so if he had started to panic to wriggle out it could have been very serious.


‘I usually close the gate to the front garden and leave him in there while I put my daughter in the car.

‘Milo usually waits patiently but this time when I turned around he was just looking at me and then I realised his front half was all the way through the bars.


‘I never called 999 but asked my nearest fire station at Knightswood to see if they could help out. ‘They said that they’d send someone round but I didn’t expect them to arrive within minutes or with a full fire engine.


‘It was all over in about half an hour and thankfully Milo is fine though at the time he did look a bit mortified. ‘He’s not as thin as he used to be so I think that he may have underestimated his own size.’
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A water protector has performed a stirring rendition of the haka, soaking his body in black oil as he demonstrated against a petroleum conference in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

This video, shared by Greenpeace New Zealand, shows the man and another protester dumping oil over their heads before the traditional Maori war dance is initiated.

School children and grandmothers were among the 150 or so protesters outside the New Zealand Petroleum Conference in New Plymouth.

The protesters originally said they were planning a peaceful demonstration but events started getting physical when delegates tried to enter the TSB Showplace for the start of the two-day event.

Activists jumped over the barriers and linked arms directly outside the entrance, physically blocking the doorways as delegates arrived. Protesters were also present at the back entrance to the venue and police forcibly removed some protesters from both entrances.

The Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ) chief executive Cameron Madgwick said the annual conference has always attracted protests and event organisers worked closely with the New Plymouth District Council and the police in the lead up to the event.


"I'm here for the water, we want clean water so we can swim in it," a kid said.

The youngster blew bubbles as other protesters sang and cheered loudly as a group of protesters successfully stopped some delegates from entering the building.


"We don't want them here, they are trying to make our water dirty," the Waitara schoolgirl said, adding she had taken the day off school to attend the protest.

Another youngster, Frances Edwards, 8, had also taken time off from school in Auckland to attend the protest.


"I am here for the whales and dolphins because they can't speak."

When you have seen as many dog rescues as we have, you would think that, eventually, the magic fuzzy feeling that comes with seeing the happy ending would wear off.

 Well, even if you have seen 1,000 different rescues in your lifetime, this video is sure to give you chills.

This rescue of nine feral puppies comes from the epic team over at Hope for Paws, an organization based in Los Angeles that is dedicated to saving stray and homeless animals.

When Hope for Paws got a call, right after the funeral of their dear friend, about a litter of puppies in need of help, they could think of no better way to commemorate their lost loved one than stepping into action. This particular rescue, however, would prove to be one of the most challenging yet.

The puppies, who were born to a feral mother who had effectively avoided all rescuers for the past five years, had wedged themselves into a cave and were very fearful of humans. Unwilling to just give up on these needy pups, Hope For Paw’s founder, Eldad Hagar literally dug his way into the cave to free the puppies.

You’ll have to watch the video yourself to believe the lengths these dedicated rescuers went to to help the puppies. But we will spoil it a bit and tell you they all get a happy ending!


If you’re interested in adopting one of these pups, check out The Dog Rescuers and The LoveJoy Foundation.
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Every year in April, thousands of Indigenous people across from North America travel to Albuquerque, N.M. for the Gathering of Nations powwow.

 Billed as the biggest powwow in the world, it also features a well-known pageant, Miss Indian World — and this year, Winnipeg's own Shanley Spence will be vying for the crown.

"I just hope that I make everyone proud and that I bring the title home to Winnipeg," said Spence, who will participate in the competition beginning April 27. Spence is Swampy Cree/Anishinaabe with roots in the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation and Lake St. Martin, Man. She went to the Gathering of Nations powwow last year but has been watching the annual powwow, and dancing, for a long time.

"I've been fancy-shawl dancing since I could walk," she said.

She started hoop dancing 10 years ago and has since performed across North America. The Miss Indian World pageant is a five-day competition, with the winner selected based on the contestants' knowledge of their people, culture and history. Spence is an in-demand hoop dancer, often invited to schools to perform and share her teachings on what the hoop dance means to her.

"I was told that it depends on where you come from — which community or nation that you come from, because there's so many different teachings and histories and meanings attached to it," she said. "The teachings that I was given though, was the healing purposes — bringing healing to yourself as a dancer."


In hoop dancing, dancers tell a story with their hoops. Each dance can have as few as five hoops or as many as 35. She has been working on her own language skills to help prepare for the public speaking portion of the competition.

"I'm meeting with elders. Working on my language so I can say certain phrases introduce myself better in the Cree language," said Spence. Volunteer, mentor, Folklorama ambassador


She also dedicates time to volunteering in her community as a mentor for Indigenous youth, teaching them self-confidence, the importance of healthy relationships and hoop dancing.

"At one point, I was doing three programs a week. But one of them had just ended, that was with the Manitoba Youth Centre. Teaching them basic powwow steps," said Spence.


She also serves as a cultural ambassador for Winnipeg's Folklorama festival, and gets invited to speak and perform at schools throughout the year — "educating wide audiences on my identity as a First Nations person and the realities that we face here in Canada and our city as well," she said.

Spence is part of the generation of Indigenous women who are educated in western society, but firmly rooted in their culture. She is a student at the University of Winnipeg and is set to graduate this spring with a major in international development.


"I really enjoy the degree that I got in school — international development. I hope to work within Indigenous communities and work through grassroots development, grassroots Indigenous development."

Be true to who you are, Spence says


Winners of the Miss Indian World title are awarded prize money and are invited to speak at events across North America. Spence said if she wins, her message will include empowering Indigenous youth, raising awareness on mental health issues, and talking about the violence that still plagues Indigenous communities. But she also hopes to continue to inspire youth on a larger platform, saying "reclaiming our culture and being proud about it … relearning the language, reclaiming those teachings," are priorities for her.


And she says the most important advice she can offer is to "[Find] out who you are and where you come from, and [be] true to that."
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Major victory: Federal Judge Rules in Favor of American Indian Plaintiffs: Natural Gas Line Ordered Removed from Land

 In a major victory for American Indian land rights, a federal judge on Tuesday, ordered Enable Midstream Partners and its affiliates to remove a natural gas pipeline from 38 American Indian land owners’ property near Anadarko, Oklahoma. A tract of the land is part of the Kiowa Tribes of Oklahoma.

The Order was entered today in the Davilla v. Enable Midstream Partners, L.P., et al., Case No. CIV-15-1262-M (Western District of Oklahoma) case. The 38 Native American land owners are represented by attorneys David C. Smith, Dustin T. Greene, and Catherine F. Munson of Kilpatrick Townsend.

Plaintiffs are enrolled members of the Comanche, Caddo, Apache, Cherokee, and Kiowa Tribes of Oklahoma.

Between 1980 and 2000, Enable operated the pipeline on Plaintiffs’ land pursuant to an easement granted to it by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (“BIA”). The Court found that Enable’s easement expired in 2000, yet Enable continued operate the pipeline without an easement, putting it in trespass and leading to the filing of Plaintiffs’ lawsuit.

On Plaintiffs’ Motion for Partial Summary Judgment and for a Permanent Injunction, the Court found that “plaintiffs have objected to the renewal of the easement and defendants’ continued use of the pipeline from the time defendants first sought the renewal of the easement,” and that Enable and its predecessor, Enogex, had failed to comply with any of the federal statutes under which they could have secured a valid easement.


The Court also noted that “on March 23, 2010, more than five and a half years before the instant action was filed” the BIA instructed Enogex that “[i]f valid approval of a right of way for this tract is not timely secured, Enogex should be directed to move the pipeline off the subject property.” Yet, “defendants have done nothing to move the pipeline off the tract ….”


With the entry of this Order, the only issue that remains in the case is damages for Enable’s trespass since 2000. This decision marks a significant victory for Native American land rights.
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Even when she was still a kitten, Pixel was larger than most average adult felines. Now that she’s fully grown, there seems to be no end to her luscious fur.

Meet Pixel, the Maine Coon cat with one of the fluffiest furs in the world. She came into the life of her owners while still being a kitten, but even back then she was larger than most average adult felines. Now that she’s fully grown, there seems to be no end to her luscious fur.

Pixel’s humans keep her coat neat with regular brushing. And yes, you are right if you think she leaves a lot of her fur in the house because of shedding, but her owner responds that: “(It’s) an humongous amount but it’s totally worth it!”

Just like many other cats, she likes to play with toys and jump on the laptop’s keyboard once her human is about to do some serious work on the computer.

The only problem is, Pixel is so huge and fluffy that the entire device gets buried under her coat.

Maine Coons are the largest felines from all the domestic cat breeds. They have big bones and strong muscles. Male Coons can weigh up to 18 pounds and be up to 40 inches in length.


Also known as the American Longhair, they come in 75 different color combinations. Due to their social, loyal, and friendly character, they’re sometimes called ‘dogs of the cat world.
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When it comes to implementing community clean energy projects, Henderson says First Nations are Canada's leaders.

"When you live in a place like Haida Gwaii, you're very aware of climate change issues because the sea levels are coming up on us," said Disney. "The environment is front and center."

Disney came across a boiler that generates electricity via wood waste left from logging. The piece is now being installed, and when the project is complete, it will reduce carbon emissions to 10 tonnes annually — with enough power leftover to heat a new community swimming pool that's in development.

Disney says similar projects could be adopted by different First Nations across the province to make them more self-sufficient, while also creating jobs and enhancing the economy. In fact, clean energy projects are on the rise in Indigenous communities across the country.

"There's about 165 Indigenous communities that own part, or all-of, clean energy projects," said Chris Henderson, president of Lumos Energy.

"In the last five years, Indigenous communities have been partners in projects [totalling] $30 billion of investment in clean energy ... and almost half of them are in B.C."


"There are way more Indigenous communities that are equity owners in a clean energy project in Canada than there are municipalities doing the same."

Henderson recently helped launch the Indigenous Clean Energy Network (ICEN), a collaborative network of First Nations dedicated to growing clean energy projects on their territories. He says it's a way for communities to learn from one another, and encourage new developments by connecting them with financiers, energy companies and governments.


"[The shift away from diesel is] not just about self-sufficiency — it's actually making clean energy an economic development source for the community." Some communities are already at the forefront of the economic potential that clean energy provides.

T'Sou-ke First Nation on the southern tip of Vancouver Island currently runs off solar powered micro-grids that have drastically reduced their reliance on diesel energy. The benefits extended well-beyond the much-enjoyed cheaper energy bills. "You have to bring down that footprint — but at the same time you're building capacity, you're creating jobs, you're creating education and outreach," said Chief Gordon Planes, who is also an ICEN advisor.



Now, the First Nation is working with other communities to share their progress.

"We're putting in a micro grid system in a native village up on the island and it displaces over 40 per cent of the diesel." "If you can eliminate 40 to 50 per cent of the diesel that has to be trucked up into those communities, that's a huge improvement — I think that's where we need to get because the technology is here."
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Every day, Thor walks the same route he and his owner, Claudio, used to do every day before he died, walking along the streets of Capaçava do Sul in south east Brazil.

He’s become a local celebrity thanks to his daily tribute to Claudio. News of his daily walk spread last week when a local vet highlighted his case, explaining that when Claudio died at the age of 58 in 2015, Thor missed his friend so much he became sick with grief.

Claudio’s neighbour, Saionara Freitas, adopted Thor after seeing just how miserable the dog had become. ‘Thor stopped eating when Claudio died,’ she said. ‘He would lie in the courtyard of his house without moving for days on end.

‘It was obvious he was depressed and missing his lifelong friend. I was so upset to see how sad he was I asked Claudio’s family if I could look after him. ‘Because Thor was already used to me he came to stay without any problems. ‘But while I care for him every day, his heart still belongs to Claudio.’

Two years after Claudio’s death, Thor is slowly getting over his grief. But he still remembers Claudio with his daily walk along the route he walked with Claudio for over a decade. ‘He always follows the same route that Claudio used to take with him,’ said Saionara.

‘I have followed him many times to see where he goes and to see if he takes a different road but he never changes it.


‘His journey always takes him past the vet’s clinic, the lottery, along the high street and past the diner where Claudio used to have his lunch.’

When Thor reaches the lottery office, he always pauses to sit in the same spot outside the building, where his owner always popped in to place his bets, and wait for his friend. ‘I have watched as he lies down outside the clinic where Claudio would stop and chat and sits and waits outside the lottery,’ says Saionara. ‘He looks like he’s hoping Claudio will turn up and I swear I have seen tears in his eyes.


‘Every morning I get up early and give him his food, then I open the gate and let him out and off he goes. Since he started his daily journeys on his own, Thor has got better and he isn’t as sad as before. ‘His walk takes him all morning and then he returns at noon to eat. He rests a little as he is now quite an old dog and then goes out for a stroll again.’


Thor still misses Claudio, but thankfully, he’s found a loving home with Saionara. ‘Thor is like a son to me, I adore him,’ she said. ‘When Claudio was dying, he talked about missing his dog so much. I’m glad for his sake, even though I am old, I’m able to take care of Thor for him.’

"I was sitting by my computer and the balcony door was open. My dog, Tigull, came whimpering to me and wouldn't stop until I followed him onto the balcony.

"Tígull was trying to point out to his owner that a small bird was lying unconcious on the balcony.

Owner Gunnar Kr. Sigurjónsson says that he spotted a small redpoll lying motionless on the balcony floor. He picked up a straw paper basket and placed it over the bird who didn't move. "I thought it was dead but then it started fluttering about and sat down.

I took it inside and gave it a bit of water and some seeds. After a while he began tweeting so I realised him."

Sigurjónsson then placed the bird in his palm and took a few photographs of Tígull the dog sniffing the bird. "The bird then proceeded to fly in a large circle around the living room, and then sat down on the dog's head! Then Tígull licked the bird and we took it to the balcony."

He placed the bird on the railing and went back inside. An hour later he saw the bird sitting in the same spot.


"It was pretty cold outside so I decided to bring it back inside for the night. He spent the night in the basket and the next morning he was really lively. I think he knocked himself out on the window so he was probably feeling a bit groggy before. I released him back outside at noon and he was fine. I was happy that I had kept him inside for the night to recover."
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A millennium after it was banned in exchange for Christianity, Icelanders are returning in their thousands to the Heathenism of their Viking ancestors.

Teresa Drofn, a 25 year old student of ancient Icelandic manuscripts, has been a Heathen since she was 16 years old. For Teresa, Heathenism takes its supernatural stories less literally than monotheistic religions often do. Instead she describes the appeal of unique spiritual relationship with nature.

The story of how Christianity arrived in Iceland, according to Nordic lore, reads like a scene ripped from “Game of Thrones.” A millennium ago, Christianity had just taken over Norway. So the Norwegian king dispatched a mighty warrior missionary named Thangbrand to Iceland to spread the good news. Thangbrand did, along the way spearing dead a great many heathens. Then came a test that would decide whether the icy island would accept Christianity or stay faithful to Thor and the other Norse gods.

But now the old Norse gods have once again emerged from the clouds to claim a people once theirs. For the first time in more than 10 centuries, thousands of Icelanders soon will be able to worship Thor, Odin, Frigg and others at a temple on which construction begins this month.

Not since the collapse of the Viking age has anyone overtly worshiped at the altar of a Norse god in Iceland, which banned such displays of reverence at the rise of Christianity.

Indeed, even as Christian governments authored increasingly restrictive measures on non-Christian faiths, the old ways glowed.


Even today, when walking the streets of Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik, pedestrians will find many streets named after Norse gods. And “a very large number of Icelandic personal and surnames are formed from ‘Thor,'” wrote Strmiska.
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The majority of Americans oppose drilling for oil on federally protected lands, a new poll showed Friday.

The results is the first time most American are against the idea since the Gallup polling company began asking about the subject.

The report comes the same day President Donald Trump approved plans for the Keystone XL Pipeline that has been heavily criticized by environmental groups and Native American tribes.

If constructed, the pipeline would stretch 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) from Canada to the Texas coast and carry 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Of the 1,000 people surveyed earlier this month, 53 percent opposed opening federal lands for oil exploration. Five years ago, 65 percent of Americans supported the idea.

Instead of a reinvigorated commitment to environmental sustainability, however, Gallup believes the shift is due to declining fuel prices.


“Declining gas prices are likely a key reason Americans' concerns about energy have waned in recent years,” Gallup pollster Jeffrey Jones wrote in a statement.

Five years ago, the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. was $3.91, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Last month, the average price was $2.42.

Trump’s decision Friday reversed one made by his predecessor, former President Barack Obama.


While the Republican Party championed the Keystone XL Pipeline as a crucial jobs creator, opponents raised questions about potential spills, ecological effects and whether Republican enthusiasm about new employment was inflated.

Obama killed the pipeline’s plans in 2015, but they were revived two years later.

"It's gonna be an incredible pipeline — the greatest technology known to man or woman,” Trump said in the Oval Office after approving the plan. “And frankly, we're very proud of it."

Pouring over survey results, Gallup suggested Americans may not be on board with Trump’s friendliness with the oil industry.
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Shailene Woodley is taking a plea deal in the criminal case surrounding her peaceful protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

As Gossip Cop reported, Woodley was arrested for trespassing in October as she and many others peacefully demonstrated against the proposed pipeline in North Dakota. She complied with orders to leave the area, but was still taken into custody. Amazingly, though, she was able to capture the ordeal on Facebook Live as the arrest went down.

She and more than 20 other people were booked for trespassing and engaging in a "riot". Now, however, she has worked out a deal with prosecutors that will remove both those charges. Instead, Woodley plans to plead guilty to one count of disorderly conduct, and will be sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation, according to TMZ.

It’s unclear when the plea agreement will be made official. But provided Woodley stays out of trouble for the following year, the case should then be closed. Despite the situation, the actress hasn’t shied away from supporting the cause.

Days after the incident, she penned a column for Time about the awareness her arrest had brought to the Standing Rock controversy. And just last month, during an appearance on “The Late Show,” Woodley actually joked about her mug shot.

The news about her plea deal comes on the same day the Keystone Pipeline, another controversial project, was approved by Donald Trump’s administration, despite being previously blocked by former president Barack Obama.


Woodley and 27 others were arrested on October 10, while peacefully protesting the controversial North Dakota Access Pipeline project that will desecrate sacred lands and endanger the clean water of Standing Rock