The RSPCA has released this heartbreaking footage of a man abandoning a dog from a car in Stoke-on-Trent. The CCTV, that was recorded at 5pm on Monday 17 December, is now forming part of an investigation.

The Staffordshire bull terrier type dog was ditched by the side of the road at the corner of Timor Grove and Pacific Road. A man is seen leaving the passenger side of the car carrying a dog bed, and leading a white and black Staffordshire bull terrier type dog.

The footage shows him cross the road, leaving the bed on the pavement and unclipping the dog’s lead, before running back to the car and driving away, whilst the distressed dog jumps up at the window and chases the care as it drives away.

The dog was found sitting in the bed by a passer-by during the following hour. They took him to a local vets who called the RSPCA. RSPCA inspector Natalie Perehovsky is now appealing to the public for any information, she said: “The footage has to be seen to be believed, it’s just awful.

"To see the poor dog in such obvious distress jumping up at the car as it drives away it just heartbreaking.

"I can’t understand how someone could do this.


“The vets scanned his microchip and we have traced two previous owners in the Birmingham area, but do not believe either are the current owners, and therefore not those responsible for abandoning the dog.

“One man can be seen clearly in the footage dumping the dog, and there is a second person in the driver seat of the car.


"I am very keen to hear from anyone who recognises the vehicle, the man or the dog.

“The veterinary staff have nicknamed the dog Snoop, and he is in good condition, thought to be two years old.

"He is a white Staffie with black marking, and is such a friendly, lovely boy.


"He’s currently being cared for at a private boarding kennels where he will get all the care he needs whilst I investigate further."

“It’s beggars belief that someone could abandon a dog like this at Christmas, but we are so thankful to the kind people who found Snoop sitting sadly in his bed, for taking him to the safety of a vets straight away.”


The RSPCA expect more than 10,000 animals to be taken into our care this winter. Last year, the animal welfare charity’s 24-hour cruelty hotline received 55,821 calls over Christmas.
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The city of Oakland joined the ranks of cities throughout California and the nation at their recent City Council meeting by officially recognizing the second weekend in October as Indigenous Peoples Day.

This year the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco did the same and joined about 46 other cities and some states by recognizing the holiday. The city of Berkeley was the first city to do so in 1992 and has celebrated with a city-sponsored and -funded Indigenous Peoples Day Pow Wow every year since then at Civic Center Park.

This official recognition by Oakland was initiated by the Merritt College Inter-tribal Student Union. The American Indian students at Merritt decided it was time for Oakland to officially recognize its Native American community’s contributions to the city. Most notable in the resolution was the recognition of the Inter Tribal Friendship House, directed by Carol Wahpepah and numerous student and community volunteers since its inception in 1955.

Other organizations honored during the council meeting, under the direction of council member Noel Gallo, were the Native American Health Center; American Indian Child Resource Center, directed by Mary Trimble-Norris; and the United Indian Nations. The resolution was read by Natalie Aguilera (Choctaw), the Native American Health Center’s chief administrative officer, and an inspiring hip-hop poem was performed by 15-year-old Mireya Smith-Mojica, aka “Lil Deya,” to the delight of all in attendance.

Danielle Spencer (Navajo/Filipina), the Merritt College Inter-tribal Student Union’s current president, said, “We wanted to request this from our City Council because we know that every other group of people in the U.S. recognizes their leaders and celebrates them with a special day except American Indians. The Bay Area represents the largest concentration of urban Native Americans. We think it is so important to recognize our part in the history of urban Indians who were relocated to San Francisco and the East Bay during the government’s Relocation Act of the 1950s.

“We are now the third and fourth generation of those early families. We are all still here; we are not gone or disappeared. The most important thing we want to accomplish now is to help identify and reach out within our communities and local high schools to help other American Indian students achieve higher education. We urban American Indians don’t receive the same financial support through scholarships and grants that reservation students get from the federal government. It’s really difficult for us.”


This student organization has been teaching potential college students still in high school how to enroll, among many other volunteer activities. These students have been extremely busy according to Maria Spencer (Filipina-American), Merritt College’s interim associate dean of educational services.

“They are volunteering at all of our local community organizations in order to encourage and support high school students to take every advantage and apply to and graduate from a four-year university. Many will attend Merritt College or one of the other Peralta colleges, then transfer to a UC (campus). The students have begun to harvest acorns around the hills in Oakland and now have a sage garden at Merritt, where they harvest and tie up the sage and gift it to our organizations.

“They have also organized many speakers and events at Merritt in order to continue to encourage themselves and other students at the college to succeed. Many members of their student club are not American Indian but are encouraged to join in order to learn more about our tribes and to foster a deeper understanding of diversity.”
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In one of his final acts before leaving office next week, Rep. Bob Goodlatte blocked a bill intended to improve the federal government’s response to violence against Native American women.

A spat between the Republican congressman, whose district is home to the largest Indian tribe in Virginia, and the bill’s sponsor, outgoing Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D.-N.D.), has played out publicly over the past week.

In a tweet, Heitkamp, who lost her bid for reelection, urged people to ask their representatives to pressure Goodlatte to clear the way for the bill, which the Senate passed unanimously this month.

It stalled in the House because Goodlatte, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, declined to bring it up for a vote. House Republican leaders could directly bring Heitkamp’s measure to the floor, bypassing Goodlatte, but so far have declined to do so.

Goodlatte told the Roanoke Times that he supports the intent of the bill but objects to a provision that would give preference to certain law enforcement agencies in applying for grants from the Justice Department. Goodlatte, who did not seek reelection this year after 13 terms in office, said Heitkamp’s attempt to pressure him was “just ridiculous.”

The bill’s apparent demise comes days after another debacle for the Republican-led Congress on the issue of protecting abuse victims. Last Friday, a deadlock over President Trump’s border wall plunged the federal government into a partial shutdown, leading to the expiration of the Violence Against Women Act, the 1994 law that provides funding for programs that help victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse and stalking.


With the House adjourned until further notice, it appears unlikely that Heitkamp’s measure, known as Savanna’s Act, will receive a vote before the new session of Congress begins Jan. 3.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has said she will reintroduce it then.

“It’s disappointing that one Republican member of Congress blocked Savanna’s Act from passing this year,” Heitkamp said in a statement. “But fortunately, Rep. Goodlatte won’t be around to block it in the new Congress.”

The offices of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.


Heitkamp’s bill is named after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a 22-year-old pregnant woman killed by a woman who wanted to abduct her baby.

It would direct the Justice Department to boost data-collection efforts on crimes against Native Americans; expand tribal access to federal crime information databases; and establish guidelines for law enforcement in responding to cases of missing or killed Native Americans.

In a statement this month, Heitkamp said she aimed to “spark a nationwide call to action against the growing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls,” calling the Senate’s passage of the bill “a major step in raising awareness about this growing epidemic.”

Goodlatte told the Roanoke Times that he objects to a provision in the bill that would give preference for grants to law enforcement agencies that comply with the reporting requirements in Savanna’s Act, as opposed to other agencies that have no link to tribal communities and therefore cannot fulfill those requirements.

“The problem is that the way that law was written, it took existing funds available to law enforcement organizations and used it as a reward for people who complied with provisions of the reporting requirements of Savanna’s Act,” Goodlatte told the newspaper.


Goodlatte, who will be succeeded by Rep.-elect Ben Cline (R), has frequently raised the ire of Democrats, including when he tried to strip the House ethics office of its independence and ability to investigate anonymous claims in 2017.

Years ago, he questioned efforts to give federal recognition to six Virginia Indian tribes. But he didn’t fight the measure when it made it through Congress this year and was signed by Trump.

The change in status affected the 4,400 members of the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, the Monacan and the Nansemond tribes. The Monacan tribe is located in Goodlatte’s district, which stretches from the Shenandoah Valley to the Roanoke Valley and east to Lynchburg.

Karenne Wood, an anthropologist and member of the Monacan tribe, said Goodlatte’s decision to block Heitkamp’s bill suggests that he believes “these women don’t matter.”

Chickahominy Indian Chief Stephen Adkins echoed her concerns. “I am disappointed at his position and I hope he takes another look at his last opportunity to do the right thing for America’s indigenous peoples,” he said.
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Ask your member of Congress to tell @RepGoodlatte to stop blocking #SavannasAct & to stand up for Native women who are murdered at 10x the nat'l avg. We must stop these horrible crimes & we are so close to passing my bill in Congress. More from @NBCNews: https://t.co/BkcErauhUm

— Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (@SenatorHeitkamp) December 19, 2018

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) aims to reintroduce legislation in the next Congress to combat violence against Native American women.

Murkowski told reporters last week that she spoke to outgoing Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), who first introduced the bill in 2017 and vowed to make it a priority.

The bill "she has helped to advance, I am going to encourage every step of the way, aggressively and early,” Murkowski said, according to her office, as first reported by HuffPost.

“I’m looking for partners. I’ve already talked to Sen. [Maria] Cantwell, she’s willing to join up with me,” Murkowski added, referring to the Washington Democrat.

The bill, Savanna's Act, is named after a 22-year-old pregnant woman named Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, who was killed by a woman who wanted to abduct her baby. It is aimed at combating what advocates say is an epidemic of violence against Native American women.

Heitkamp, who lost her reelection bid in November, made passing the bill a priority during her final days in Congress. It passed the Senate earlier this month but stalled in the House under Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.). Heitkamp lost her bid for reelection and Goodlatte is retiring this month.

Murkowski was a co-sponsor of the Heitkamp bill along with lawmakers from a number of rural states.

The legislation would not reportedly cost any additional federal money and seeks to improve the government’s response to missing and murdered Native American women.

Heitkamp said that Native American women on some reservations are murdered at 10 times the national average and added that 84 percent of Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime in a press release celebrating the legislation’s passage in the Senate earlier this month.

"It's an issue where there's been a complete lack of national awareness and attention," Heitkamp told NBC News at the time.

"When we came back here into the lame-duck session, being a lame-duck senator, this was, along with the farm bill, my highest priority and I'm not going to give up on this until the gavel goes down on this session,” she added.
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As we come together for holiday events, let’s be thankful for our health, our meals and the warm fireplaces that bring our families together. The true spirit of the season lies within sharing family time.

Let’s remember to check on our elderly relatives living in rural areas and who might need firewood or just some companionship. Bring everyone to the table when having your family dinner and encourage each other to share stories from the past year. This season is a time of storytelling and listening.

The winter solstice is a spiritual time for our people as the sunlight extends our days to grow longer. It’s a time of blessing and thinking forward in preparation for the spring. We should think about ways to improve the quality of life of our families and our communities.

As President of the Navajo Nation, I would like to wish each and every one of you a blessed and joyous Christmas and very happy new year. The Office of the President and Vice President greatly appreciates the effort of all Navajo departments and staff in strengthening the greatness of our nation.

United, we maintain a path to prosperity.

This message serves as notice for eight hours of administrative leave for all Navajo Nation Executive Branch employees, permanent and temporary, on Monday, Dec. 24, 2018.


For 15 years, President Begaye worked extensively with the Navajo government, neighboring Native American tribes, and organizations to build collaborative partnerships. He has worked with tribal leaders on developing communities and growing businesses by utilizing business techniques that harmonize with the natural world. He helped to develop a worldwide consultation network with tribal leaders and Indigenous Peoples. He assumed a leadership role through the United Nations and Homeland Security to aid refugees who immigrated to the United States. He also worked closely with native youth to create an annual youth conference for Native American students across the United States and Canada.

Laughter and excitement filled the morning air on Monday as more than 3,000 disadvantaged children from across Inland Southern California took part in the annual Christmas Cheer All Year Shopping Spree, sponsored by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.

Throughout the morning, smiling children emerged from the Target Store in Rancho Cucamonga, CA happily clutching superhero action figures, dolls, stuffed animals, Lego sets, soccer balls, books, board games and other toys that they picked themselves during the three-hour shopping spree.

“The Morongo Band of Mission Indians is excited to be partnering once again with Christmas Cheer All Year to brighten the holidays for thousands of children in need,” said Morongo Tribal Chairman Robert Martin. “For some of these children, this will be the only present they receive this holiday. We really enjoy helping put smiles on all these happy young faces.”

Morongo served as title sponsor for the annual shopping spree for a ninth year, donating $100,000 to the nonprofit Christmas Cheer All Year organization. Children from across the Inland Empire, including more than 600 youth from Banning, Beaumont and Cabazon benefited from the program.

“It means a lot,” Joshua Dominguez, 9, of Beaumont said of being able to take part in the shopping spree. “I am really happy that they do this for us.”

Nearby, a beaming 7-year-old Savannah Buzoff of Cabazon sat cross-legged in a shopping cart as she eyed the brightly packaged L.O.L. Surprise dolls she was buying. “I just love LOL dolls,” she proclaimed, her arms stretched skyward. “You can dress them up different ways and play with them.”


Her mother, Shannon Linton, said the shopping spree would help her daughter enjoy the holidays. “It’s amazing. She has really been looking forward to getting this toy for Christmas, and now she can.”

Since 2010, Morongo has donated $850,000 to the annual shopping sprees organized by Rick Lozano, founder of Christmas Cheer All Year and a longtime Fox 11 News journalist.

“Every year, we can count on the generosity of the Morongo tribe to help bring joy to children and families in need during the holidays,” said Lozano, who credits Morongo with raising over $1 million for the non-profit group through direct donations and support of an annual golf tournament fundraiser.


As in past years, dozens of children in protective care with the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services were involved in the shopping spree.

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians contributes more than $1 million annually to support communities and nonprofits across Southern California.
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The zoo, which has since been closed down, was partly destroyed by bombs during the conflict between Israel and Gaza.

It was dubbed the ‘worst zoo in the world’ after photographs of the starving animals were released to the global media. Laziz was relocated to LionsRock – a sanctuary for big cats – in South Africa and has settled in well.

Four Paws veterinary surgeon, Dr Amir Khalil, said: “So many people have followed the progress of our mission eagerly and shown their solidarity with Laziz and the other animals.

“We are happy that we were finally able to close down Khan Younis Zoo.

“Laziz settles into life at LionsRock.

“Laziz was subjected to mortar and grenade strikes that wiped out almost all the zoo’s inhabitants and survived nearly two months without food.


“And in a particularly macabre turn of events, his partner was even mummified when she died and was kept in Laziz’s enclosure.

“It’s safe to say that few animals on earth have been through as much as this tiger has.

“Laziz is now settling into life at LionsRock and whilst he is still traumatised by his past life, he is doing well.”


LionsRock has rescued more than 90 big cats from all over the world. Photographer, Aaron Gekoski, 38, who took the most recent images of Lazis, said: “Laziz is settling into life at LionsRock and, despite bearing the scars of his past, is doing well.

“He is healthy and has put on a significant amount of weight since arriving here.

“Whilst many animals are scared of loud noises, Laziz – so accustomed to the sounds of war – gets spooked by silence.

Dozens of Lakota and other Native American allies are about to converge on Bridger, South Dakota, for a pilgrimage they've made every December for the last 32 years: a 300-kilometer journey on horseback, retracing the historic journey, of a Lakota chief and 350 of his followers

This year's ride begins Sunday. White Plume and dozens of riders, old and young, will saddle their horses for the seven-day ride across the frigid Plains, stopping, saddle sore, to camp at night.

It's an arduous journey, but White Plume said he doesn't feel the cold or the pain of hours in the saddle. "You just get into this spiritual realm I can't describe. ​It's a beautiful, peaceful feeling. I have a hard time breaking away from it to come back to reality."

Participants also walk and ride to help heal the area’s increasingly polluted waters and raise awareness about the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous people. This spiritual journey started at Sisseton on December 10 and follows a route the Dakota people took as they attempted to escape along the Minnesota River.

“On last year’s ride, I was going to provide support for just a few days, but ended up going all the way,” said Jessie Neeland of Sisseton. “I had no idea how healing it would be, but I really needed it. Last year I drank a lot because I lost my aunt. I tried to go three times but I kept being brought back. When I got on the ride, I just took care of my horse and she took care of me. I can’t put what happened into words—it’s an unknowable part of healing—but it brought my spirit back to me.”

“On the walk, I know I can help, I can bring something good,” Neeland said. “There are many people out there that are feeling what I felt. Maybe they think no one cares for them or prays for them, but we do. We also educate people along the way—I talk to everyone about why we’re walking, even hotel clerks and gas station cashiers. A lot of people haven’t heard about this history or what is happening today but now they will know.”


By the late 20th century, Pine Ridge was one of the poorest spots in the United States. Unemployment hovered at 80 percent, housing was substandard, and life expectancy was the second lowest in the Western Hemisphere. Lakota language, culture and spiritual beliefs were all but lost, and the Nation lived in a state of grief and despair.
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“I am hopeful that the new Secretary of the Interior will take a more responsible stance in consulting with American Indian/Alaska Natives and protecting cultural and environmental resources that are important to all tribes,” stated Keeler.

Now that Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI), will depart the agency he led, Utah Diné Bikéyah Assistant Director Honor Keeler (Cherokee) hopes his replacement will not marginalize Indigenous voices, will work to protect the public lands that have been managed by Native Americans since time immemorial, and will not place the interests of destructive industry over the interests of the American people.

As we saw in 2016, there was overwhelming support among the American public for the 1.35 million-acre boundary of the Bears Ears National Monument and its collaborative management with tribes.

Secretary Zinke was the DOI official responsible for making the recommendation to shrink Bears Ears National Monument and put into motion an expedited planning process that failed to meaningfully consult with tribes and conduct the proper environmental reviews and cultural surveys. Keeler’s comments come after Trump announced that Zinke will be leaving the Department of the Interior.

“Tribes have thousands and thousands of years of history in managing public lands. The next Secretary should visit the Bears Ears National Monument with tribes and traditional leaders to understand its cultural and religious significance and how best to manage the land. Native Americans, as experts of their own culture, should not be silenced and excluded from deciding how best to protect their sacred places and the burials of their Ancestors.”

UDB Board member Mark Maryboy is hopeful for an appointee that works with tribes in land conservation and preservation, but knows that is unlikely. “I will not be surprised to see a replacement that is just as bad or worse as Zinke,” Maryboy said, before adding, “Looking at possible replacements, I think it is time we confirm a Native American Secretary of Interior.”


Maryboy prefers an appointee who knows the land and supports the democratic process. “We need the next Secretary to be familiar with Native American/Alaska Native tribes and a secretary that will protect objects of historic and scientific interest.”
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This full moon is the last of the year, and is nicknamed the 'Full Cold Moon', since it occurs at the beginning of winter.

Today, December 21, 2018, is winter solstice in North America, officially the shortest day of the year. As we celebrate the increasing daylight hours to come, look to the sky tonight and mark the occasion with the spectacular Ursid meteor shower and a full Moon.

Winter solstice comes and goes every year, marking the rhythmic tilt of Earth both toward and away from the Sun. However, this year it will be accompanied by an astronomical show. Below we'll cover how to watch the Ursid meteor shower, where the full Moon is best viewed and how common or uncommon it is for these events to align.

Winter solstice is the point at which Earth's axis is tilted as far from the Sun as it will be all year. The maximum tilt away from the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere means the shortest day of the year and longest night of the year in 2018.

During the same time, the Southern Hemisphere is experiencing their summer solstice, marking the longest day of the year. In June of 2019, the roles will reverse and thus continues the ever marching seasons. As you can imagine, the higher latitudes (New England, Canada, Alaska, etc.) will experience a much more pronounced winter solstice. Some places in the very high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere will experience little to no sunlight at all.

The moon will appear to be a full moon tonight, however, the technical full moon of December isn't until Saturday, December 22. The Full Cold Moon, named after the full moon marking the beginning of the coldest part of the year, will add to the overall experience tonight.


While the full moon may make it more difficult to see the Ursid meteor shower, it will, in its own way, create a unique imprint on the winter solstice.

December Full Moon Names From Native American Tribes

Kaitvitjuitk (Inuit). Cold Moon (Celtic). Night Moon (Taos). Respect Moon (Hopi). Bitter Moon (Chinese). Peach Moon (Choctaw). Twelfth Moon (Dakotah). Big Winter Moon (Creek) Real Goose Moon (Kiowa). Cold Time Moon (Mohawk). Ashes Fire Moon (San Juan). Oak Moon (Medieval English). Big Bear’s Moon (Winnebago). Long Night Moon (Neo-Pagan). Popping Trees Moon (Arapaho). Running Wolves Moon (Cheyenne). Frost Fish Moon (Passamaquoddy). Cold Moon, Long Nights Moon (Algonquin). Snow Moon, Before Yule Moon (Cherokee). Oak Moon : Full, : Snow Moon Dark (Janic). Popping Tress Moon, Deer Horn Shedding Moon (Sioux).


Other moon names : Wolf Moon, Turning Moon, Heavy Snow Moon, Aerra Geola, Under Burn Moon, Big Winter Moon, Winter Maker Moon, Yellow Leaves Moon, Little Finger Moon, Mid-Winter Moon, Wintermonat, Small Spirits Moon.

Why is the full cold moon special this year?

This year’s full cold moon falling almost exactly in line with the December solstice on the 21st, with its peak around midday on the 22nd. The longest night of the year coincides with a big, beautiful full moon. It’s the first time since 2010 since the two have been less than 24 hours apart, and the last time until 2029.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke will resign his post at the end of the year, part of a wave of high-profile departures from the Trump administration after the midterm elections.

President Donald Trump announced this latest departure in a pair of tweets Saturday morning, saying his administration will name a replacement next week.

Until that person is named and confirmed, Zinke’s deputy David Bernhardt, a former oil executive, will likely take over the agency.

Zinke, 57, dutifully advanced Trump’s promise to boost coal, oil, and natural gas production since taking office in March of 2017. He has presided over the largest rollbacks in federal land protections in US history and opened up unprecedented swaths of coastal waters for drilling.

Some of Trump’s other cabinet picks were openly disdainful of their agencies. Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt sued the EPA 14 times as Oklahoma’s attorney general.

But Zinke, a former Navy SEAL and Montana Congressman, billed himself as an outdoorsman who believed in protecting public lands. He also racked up a long list of indiscretions, triggering at least 17 federal inquiries, probes, and investigations into his conduct, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.


Yet he managed to stay on Trump’s good side, avoiding much of the negative attention that seemed to follow former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt everywhere during his last days in office.

Zinke’s also been one of the more impactful cabinet members, making decisions that will have lasting consequences for energy development and environment.

The Department of the Interior manages federal lands, natural resources, and administers programs for Native Americans. This includes operating national parks, leasing drilling rights, and preserving wildlife habitats.

Under the Trump administration, the department made a priority of encouraging fossil fuel development on federal lands in pursuit of “energy dominance.” During his time in office, Zinke made it abundantly clear who he wanted to protect and who he saw as the villians. He told the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association that “our government should work for you,” a remark that earned him a standing ovation.


On the other hand, he blamed California’s massive wildfires on “environmental terrorist groups” and waffled as to whether climate change played a role in the blazes.

One of Zinke’s first actions in office was to lift an Obama-era moratorium on new coal leasing. In January this year, the Interior Department proposed opening up nearly all US coastal waters to offshore oil and gas drilling, reversing the protected status of these regions and teeing up the largest mineral rights lease sale in US history.

The Trump administration has also made point of undoing environmental regulations and Zinke has presided over some of its most impactful rollbacks.

Zinke recommended and the White House approved shrinking the size of 10 national monuments, areas in federal lands protected from development. The list included the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in Utah, together rolling back protections on 2 million acres of federal lands. The move marked the largest loss of federal land protection in US history.

Emails showed that facilitating oil drilling was a key reason behind the Interior Department’s decision to undo federal protections.

The White House also rolled back regulations on offshore drilling that were put in place by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management at the Interior Department after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill killed 11 workers and sent 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

In addition, the Interior Department loosened restrictions on methane produced from oil and gas drilling on federal lands.

Endangered species protections were also eroded. The US Fish and Wildlife Service at the Interior Department this summer proposed weaker rules for adding animals and plants to the endangered species list as well as making the government weigh the economic costs of protecting wildlife under the Endangered Species Act. Many organisms in danger of dying out forever live on public lands and environmental activists have long used the Endangered Species Act to block mining and development in vulnerable habitats.

Many of the big policy changes Zinke has made aren’t set in stone. Outdoor recreation groups, conservationists, and Native American tribes have already sued to block many of these rollbacks and in some cases, courts have ruled against Zinke. But the changes that do survive will serve to increase fossil fuel emissions, shrink pristine natural environments.
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On Tuesday the Trump administration offered more than 150,000 acres of public lands for fossil-fuel extraction near some of Utah's most iconic landscapes, including Arches and Canyonlands national parks

Dozens of Utahns gathered at the state Capitol to protest the lease sale, which included lands within 10 miles of internationally known protected areas. In addition to Arches and Canyonlands, the Bureau of Land Management leased public lands for fracking near Bears Ears, Canyons of the Ancients and Hovenweep national monuments and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

"Utahns have demonstrated their commitment to transition away from dirty fossil fuels through clean energy resolutions passed in municipalities across our state. Yet, these commitments continue to be undermined by rampant oil and gas lease sales, which threaten our public health, public lands, and economy. While Utah's recreational and tourism economies continue to flourish, these attempts to develop sacred cultural, environmental, and recreational spaces for dirty fuels remain a grave and growing threat." said Ashley Soltysiak, director of the Utah Sierra Club. "Utah is our home and the reckless sale of our public lands with limited public engagement is simply unacceptable and short-sighted."

Fracking in these areas threatens sensitive plants and animals, including the black-footed ferret, Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker and Graham's beardtongue. It also will worsen air pollution problems in the Uinta Basin and use tremendous amounts of groundwater. Utah just experienced its driest year in recorded history.

"This is a reckless fire sale of spectacular public lands for dirty drilling and fracking," said Ryan Beam, a public lands campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. "These red-rock wonderlands are some of the West's most iconic landscapes, and we can't afford to lose a single acre. Fracking here will waste precious water, foul the air and destroy beautiful wild places that should be held in trust for generations to come."

This lease sale is part of a larger agenda by Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to ramp up fossil fuel extraction on public lands, threatening wildlife, public health and the climate. This year the BLM has offered more than 420,000 acres of public land in Utah for oil and gas extraction. The agency plans to auction another 215,000 acres in March. The Trump administration also has issued new policies, which are being challenged in court, to shorten public-comment periods and avoid substantive environmental reviews.


"BLM's shortsighted decision threatens Utah's red rock wilderness as well as significant cultural and archaeological resources," said Landon Newell, staff attorney with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "BLM's 'lease everything, lease everywhere' approach to oil and gas development needlessly threatens iconic red-rock landscapes and irreplaceable cultural history in the ill-conceived push for 'energy dominance.'"

Fracking destroys public lands and wildlife habitat with networks of fracking wells, compressor stations, pipelines and roads. Injecting toxic wastewater into the ground pollutes rivers and groundwater and causes earthquakes that damage infrastructure and property. Oil industry activities also pollute the air with dangerous toxins linked to human illness and death. The federal government's own report shows that oil and gas production on public land contributes significantly to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
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This adorable set of pictures shows a pride of lions cuddling up for a family photo at a wildlife park in South Africa.

In one of the cute images the largest male lion is lying with his eyes closed while a female and another male rub their faces against him and a younger animal climbs on top.

Meanwhile in another picture the animals strike a more menacing pose with the leading male baring his teeth while the female gazes watchfully ahead.

Jihad Adnan, the Lebanese photographer who took the pictures, said he was expecting the big cats to fight but was delighted by the heartwarming display he saw.

The 37-year-old, who has been a nature photographer since 1999, snapped the images at a lion park in Johannesburg, saying: 'I saw the lions getting close to each other so I thought they would fight.

'But suddenly, after the lioness came with her cub, they started licking each other. I felt the love between them - the lion in the middle is the one saving this family.'


The lion lives in groups of related individuals with their offspring. Such a group is called a "pride". Groups of male lions are called "coalitions". Females form the stable social unit in a pride and do not tolerate outside females. Membership only changes with the births and deaths of lionesses, although some females leave and become nomadic.


The average pride consists of around 15 lions, including several adult females and up to four males and their cubs of both sexes. Large prides, consisting of up to 30 individuals, have been observed. The sole exception to this pattern is the Tsavo lion pride that always has just one adult male. Male cubs are excluded from their maternal pride when they reach maturity at around two or three years of age.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) has announced more than $5 million in donations to 11 tribes and 13 nonprofits in Minnesota and across the United States.

The SMSC grants will support a variety of projects, including the new Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., a playground at a Northern Minnesota reservation, and the restoration of historical structures, among other projects.

Recipients include:

Ain Dah Yung Center (MN) – $100,000 to sponsor four units of supportive housing in the Mino Oshki Ain Dah Yung

American Indian College Fund (CO) – $100,000 contribution to the Sovereign Nations Scholarship Endowment Fund

American Indian Graduate Center (NM) – $100,000 to start an endowment for Native American graduate students


A:Shiwi College and Career Readiness Center (NM) – $120,000 matching grant for construction of a modular building

Bemidji Community Arts Council (MN) – $25,000 grant for Miikanan Gallery renovations
Blackfeet Community College (MT) – $55,000 to upgrade simulators and computers
Minnesota Zoo Foundation (MN) – $30,000 grant for buffalo exhibit
Northwest Indian College (WA) – $200,000 contribution to its capital campaign
Ogema Area Firemen’s Association (MN) – $60,000 matching grant to purchase firefighting equipment
Ohkay Owingeh Housing Authority (NM) – $200,000 grant for restoring historical housing structures
Ponca Tribe of Nebraska (NE) – $150,000 grant for closing costs on land purchase
Red Lake Band of Chippewa (MN) – $200,000 grant for affordable housing, with an additional $300,000 pledged for fiscal year 2019
Santee Sioux Nation (NE) – $500,000 grant
Sisseton Wahpeton College (SD) – $200,000 grant for new fire sprinkler system for student dorms
Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota Language Institute (SD) – $100,000 grant for Dakota language curriculum development and documentation
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian(Washington, D.C.) – $500,000 grant for the Native American Veterans Memorial, with an additional $500,000 pledged for fiscal year 2019
Solen Public School District (ND) – $180,000 matching grant for Cannonball Elementary School
Spirit Lake Tribe (ND) – $500,000 grant
Standing Rock Institute of Natural History (ND) – $75,000 for roof repair and equipment
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SD) – $300,000 for the Child Support Office Building and the Rock Creek District Cattle Operation
White Earth Reservation Housing Authority (MN) – $75,000 grant to purchase and install 20 new furnaces
White Earth Nation (MN) – $50,000 grant for the Mahnomen Head Start playground
Wind River Family & Community Health (WY) – $200,000 for health and dental equipment
Yankton Sioux Tribe (SD)– $100,000 grant for Yankton Sioux Housing Authority to rehabilitate houses


“Our tribe is guided by the Dakota tradition of sharing our resources for the greater good,” said SMSC Chairman Charles R. Vig. “We’re proud to support meaningful projects like these that will benefit Native American communities here in Minnesota and across the country.”

The SMSC has donated more than $350 million to organizations and causes in the past 25 years and is the single-largest philanthropic benefactor for Indian Country nationally.
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Native American students at Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) have been fighting a battle with the district for some time now.

They want to be allowed to wear their regalia proudly for graduation, but not all TUSD schools allow it. Regalia is clothing and ornaments worn at formal occasions. It is a sacred part of Native American culture. Pueblo High School senior, Lourdes Pereira, wants to be allowed to wear her regalia when she graduates in May.

“It’s who we are. It’s part of our heritage,” said Pereira. “We wear our regalia for ceremony events. You kind of earn it along the way. You get your shell necklace, you get your bracelet, and certain tribes have different meanings for their regalia and it’s an honor to have it.”

TUSD says right now some schools allow it and some do not. Tuesday, the TUSD board will discuss a district-wide policy that will allow every student across TUSD to wear their regalia at graduation.

“TUSD is always promoting diversity and telling their students to reach for the stars and their always trying to be there for their students, but then something like this happens and it makes you question why they are overlooking their Native American students,” Pereira said.

Madeline Jeans is also a part of the Tucson Native Youth Council. She graduated last year and was able to get special permission to wear her regalia, but she said other Native students had to hide it.


“They have significance to them,” said Jeans. “They’re not just decorations, they’re sacred adornments and religious items.” The TUSD board is set to vote on the policy Tuesday. The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. at Duffy Elementary School. “I hope they pass it,” said Jeans. “I really want them to vote yes. This has been something I’ve been trying to work on since I was a senior and something I’ve been talking about since I was a sophomore.”
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This is Madeline Jeans. She graduated from Pueblo HS in 2017. She had to go through TUSD to be allowed to wear her regalia. She’s hoping future generations won’t have to fight to wear theirs. Details on a possible policy change on @KVOA this morning. #NativeAmerican #Regalia pic.twitter.com/QXZUzjWAdC

— Kendra Hall (@kendrahallTV) December 11, 2018

During the premiere for his new movie, Aquaman, Momoa performed the haka (an ancient ceremonial dance of the Māori) alongside his children and local New Zealanders he met while filming the movie.

He's one of Hollywood's fastest rising stars and stands tall at 6ft 5" inches tall. And Jason Momoa, 39, was the star attraction at the Aquaman premiere where he broke into a performance of the haka with his children on the red carpet at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Wednesday.

The Game Of Thrones star commanded attention at the premiere when he arrived carrying a golden trident which he snapped across his knee, ferociously.

Jason was quickly joined by a large group, including his children Lola, 11, and Nakoa-Wolf, nine, who also took part in the Maori ceremonial dance of New Zealand.

Jason, from Hawaii, has long been a fan of the New Zealand All Blacks and looked right at home alongside New Zealand's Temuera Morrison who plays Aquaman's father in the film.

The haka is a ceremonial dance or challenge in Māori culture. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment. Although commonly associated with the traditional battle preparations of male warriors, haka have been performed by both men and women, and several varieties of the dance fulfil social functions within Māori culture. Haka are performed to welcome distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements, occasions.


Jackson and Hokowhitu state, "haka is the generic name for all types of dance or ceremonial performance that involve movement." The various types of haka include whakatū waewae, tūtū ngārahu and peruperu. The tūtū ngārahu involves jumping from side to side, while in the whakatū waewae no jumping occurs. Another kind of haka performed without weapons is the ngeri, the purpose of which was to motivate a warrior psychologically. The movements are very free, and each performer is expected to be expressive of their feelings. Like the ngeri they were performed without weapons, and there was little or no choreographed movement.

A dog guarded the ruins of his home for almost a month until his owner returned after fleeing California’s wildfires.

Dogs' loyalty to their masters and homes are the stuff of legend. And here's more heartwarming proof. It's a dog story with a happy ending from the site of California's Camp Fire, which started November 8 and eventually killed 85 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Andrea Gaylord of Paradise, the town all but lost to the blaze, was among those who had to flee, leaving behind her two dogs, blond shepherd brothers Madison and Miguel.

The fire was contained November 25. After that, Shayla Sullivan, a pet lover from Brownville, California, was allowed into the devastated area to hunt for lost pets, while the evacuation order was still enforced.

Another rescuer already had found Miguel, so Sullivan kept up the search for Madison. She left food and water around the charred remains of the Gaylord house. Then she rubbed clothes on Miguel and put them at the site, figuring the dog's scent would lure Madison back home.

Finally, the evacuation was lifted, and Gaylord, Sullivan and Miguel went to the homesite to check. Sure enough, they found Madison sitting there waiting for them.


The two dogs greeted each other as Gaylord and Sullivan watched on Friday.

"You are the best dog," Gaylord said, her voice breaking as she cried on Sullivan's shoulders. "Reuniting Miguel and Madison was amazing," Sullivan wrote on Facebook. "They said their HELLOS and then went back to work. Miguel took guard over the lower part of the property and Madison took the top. It must be such a RELIEF for Madison to have his partner back."
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An abandoned dog is safe after trying to survive on her own in the California desert. Hope For Paws received a call from a Good Samaritan to let them know about a Labrador Retriever who was abandoned in the desert.

Luckily, she was being fed by a tire shop because food and water was nowhere to be found. Worried that she might be hit by a car, Eldad Hagar and Loreta Frankonyte drove out right after getting the call.

They found Kira lurking around a property. She was very suspicious of them so she kept her distance.

They figured they might try a trap to see if it would work, but after trying to lure her into it, they decided to drive 30 yards away and make her less suspicious.

Now safe with Hope For Paws, Kira was taken to the vet. After a nice bath, Kira hung out with Loreta and Eldad. It didn’t take her long to be all cuddles.

And wouldn’t you know, their friends at Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue found her a fantastic home!


Hope for Paws is a 501 C-3 non-profit animal rescue group based in Los Angeles, California, that gives homeless and injured animals the chance of a good life. Founded by Eldad and Audrey Hagar in 2008, Hope for Paws rescues animals facing death or danger through abuse or abandonment.
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Smoke Signals is a Canadian-American independent film released in 1998, directed and co-produced by Chris Eyre and with a screenplay by Sherman Alexie, based on the short story "This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" from his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (1993).

The film is unique as an all-Native American production: producers, director, screenwriter (Alexie), actors and technicians.

The film won several awards and accolades, and was well received at numerous film festivals. In 2018, Smoke Signals was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

The National Film Registry is turning 30 and will bring in a new crop of films ranging from dinosaurs' return from extinction, and stories showcasing Native Americans.

Several films showcased the ethnic diversity of American cinema: "Smoke Signals" (1998) and "Dixon-Wanamaker Expedition to Crow Agency" (1908) explored the culture of Native Americans.

The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) selection of films deserving of preservation. The NFPB, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008. The NFPB's mission, to which the NFR contributes, is to ensure the survival, conservation, and increased public availability of America's film heritage. The 1996 law also created the non-profit National Film Preservation Foundation which, although affiliated with the NFPB, raises money from the private sector.


The NFPB adds to the NFR up to 25 "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films" each year, showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation. A film becomes eligible for inclusion ten years after its original release. For the first selection in 1989, the public nominated almost 1,000 films for consideration. Members of the NFPB then developed individual ballots of possible films for inclusion.

The ballots were tabulated into a list of 25 films which was then modified by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and his staff at the Library for the final selection. Since 1997, members of the public have been able to nominate up to 50 films a year for the NFPB and Librarian to consider.