Scientists have listed the most intelligent representatives of the fauna – dolphins, monkeys, elephants, cats and dogs.
Each of the winners of the rating has special abilities in a certain area.
So, primates – gorillas, chimpanzees, gibbons and monkeys – perfectly understand speech and are even capable of reciprocal communication.
Dolphins are not far behind the monkeys. In the “lexicon” of marine mammals there are about 14 thousand signals with a certain meaning. And dolphins are great companions who will never leave their brothers in trouble.
Smart gray giants are also capable of communication. And elephants communicate quite noisily – stomping on the ground with their huge feet. Other animals become aware of the approach of the elephant herd by sensing the vibration.
The mind of dogs is undeniable. Faithful friends of a person can learn up to 200 commands.
Cats are also trainable, moreover, they are smarter and more cunning than dogs.
Activists of the Polish eco-organization Open Cages demanded the immediate closure of a mink farm in Bulgaria after an on-site investigation in Bulgaria.
About 100,000 animals are killed annually on the farm near Stara Zagora. The skins are exported, including to the countries of the European Union, according to the organization.
“I have been an investigative activist for many years and I have seen the worst atrocities that can be committed to animals. However, what I saw was shocking even for us,” said Bohna Viltovska, director of Investigations and Interventions of Open Cages.
“In 2021, activists from Open Cages and the Bulgarian organization Invisible Animals conducted an investigation into the last functioning mink farm in Bulgaria, where about 100,000 animals are killed annually,” said Bogna Viltovska.
The results of the investigation show the terrible conditions under which the animals are kept in Magerito. Mink live in damaged, broken and dirty cells, full of food and excrement. A significant proportion of their animals are injured or dead, and workers do not regularly remove the bodies of dead animals. It happened that the bodies of the animals were left so long that they fused with the cage.
It is worth emphasizing that the farm under investigation has a WelFur industry certificate, which should guarantee the welfare of the breeders – among other things, and adequate nutrition, living conditions and health. However, the investigation proves that this certificate is only a facade and does not provide the animals with the necessary living environment in any way.
Mink, which managed to escape from their cages, fled the farm and the surrounding area without control, posing a serious risk to biodiversity and the environment. The American mink is considered an invasive species (a species that has been introduced accidentally or intentionally into an alien habitat and occupies a dominant position over the local flora or fauna in the competition for resources).
The Open Cages Association, registered in Poland, has been operating since 2012 with the help of “people who want to change the fate of farm animals” and is associated with the Danish “Anima International”, offnews.bg reports.
Britain has announced a new package of sanctions against Russia and Belarus in response to the invasion of Ukraine, affecting trade worth 1.7 billion pounds, which aims to seriously reduce the Kremlin’s ability to finance the war in Ukraine.
The Ministry of International Trade said the new import tariffs apply to a number of goods, including platinum and palladium. The export ban affects trade in chemicals, plastics, rubber and machinery. Thus, the value of products subject to British sanctions will amount to more than 4 billion pounds.
The new import tariffs cover £ 1.4 billion worth of goods, while the export ban affects more than £ 250m worth of products in the sectors of the Russian economy that are most dependent on British goods.
International Trade Minister Anne-Marie Travelian said that “the British authorities are determined to do what is necessary to thwart Putin’s goals in Ukraine and prevent the illegal invasion that led to barbaric actions against the Ukrainian people.”
The ministry said the third round of trade sanctions, which excludes gold and energy, would affect more than 96 percent of Russia’s imports and more than 60 percent of Britain’s exports to Russia.
In 2020, Ioana Marinescu and PlushBio were the victims of a disinformation campaign through scoial media that tried – but failed – to put the company out of business.
We are talking about threats that were made to the founders, employees & influencers who were using our products. At one point, the influencer was threatened for her child’s life…” — Sinziana Ecaterina, spokesperson for PlushBio.
BRUSSELS/BUCHAREST, BELGIUM/ROMANIA, May 9, 2022 – At the prestigious Brussels Press Club, at the heart of the European Union’s decision-making centre, alongside the European Commission, the European Council, and just a stone’s throw from the European Parliament, journalists and EU political advisors specializing in corruption issues heard on the 5th of May the story of Ioana Marinescu, a pharmacist, entrepreneur, and founder in 2016 of PlushBio Cosmetics.
In 2020, Ioana Marinescu and PlushBio were the victims of a disinformation campaign that tried – but failed – to put the company out of business. In April of that year a Facebook group was created, with social media “influencer” Nicoleta Dragne apparently alleging that ”PlushBio destroyed my face”. The group was created around 9 girls who had “troubles” with PlushBio products. Some 150 influencers stopped promoting the products, some allegedly having received threats. We are talking about threats that were made to the founders, to the employees, to the influencers who were using our products. We even had a case at one point where the influencer was threatened for her child’s life…Sinziana Ecaterina, spokesperson for PlushBio.
Rapid response? Delegates at the high-level conference heard that social media platforms are hot-beds of fake news. “Social order and democracy are under threat from fake news, that is a well-proven fact,” said EU Today journalist Chris White, adding that some 3 billion people use social media. “I have heard that if you complain the platforms will take stuff down, but it’s already spread to tens of thousands of people before it’s taken down.” PlushBio spokesperson Sinziana Ecaterina, however, stated that attempts to communicate with Facebook over libellous postings had, unfortunately, proved fruitless. “Social order and democracy are under threat from fake news, that is a well-proven fact,” said EU Today journalist Chris White, adding that some 3 billion people use social media. “I have heard that if you complain, the platforms will take stuff down, but it’s already spread to tens of thousands of people before it’s taken down.”
Online reputation management Andy Vermaut, prominent European journalist and online reputation manager, suggested that legislation is required to force social media platforms to respond more quickly when fake news is reported. He also introduced the concept of a ‘digital identity card’ that would make it possible to identify the purveyors of fake news, libel, and slander. In the first move of its kind, the UK government is currently working on an Online Safety Bill: “It will determine whether social media remains a wild west saloon or whether it becomes a more curated space… Tweets, blogs and videos would be reviewed and scanned for ‘harmful’ content,” wrote James Forsyth in The Times (May 6th). “For sure,” Crisis Management Consultant Radu Turcescu said: “we need some protections from social media, because social media really can destroy a company and someone’s life. All relevant Romanian control institutions gave PlushBio an OK regarding their factory and products. No one had found anything wrong. After 2 years, no investigation bodies found any merit to the complaints, therefore no charges were formally brought against either the company or the founder. All PlushBio products conform to current Romanian laws and regulations.”
The conference at the Brussels Press Club attracted a great deal of interest. People with bad intentions can really destroy a company.
On Monday 9 May 2022, on Europe Day, COMECE President Cardinal Hollerich praises the Conference on the Future of Europe and expresses hopes for further initiatives promoting citizens’ participation in shaping the EU. The Cardinal restates the Catholic Church’s commitment to continue being a faithful and honest companion of the EU project. On future EU membership: “Ukraine and all other European countries that have applied, need a credible accession perspective”.Statement
On the occasion of the closing event of the Conference on the Future of Europe, H. Em. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ, President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conference of the European Union (COMECE), restates the commitment of the Catholic Church in Europe to continue being “a faithful and honest companion of the European unification process”.
In his statement, Cardinal Hollerich recalls the timeless values promoted by the Schuman Declaration released on this day 72 years ago, highlighting the need to preserve peace and security, achieving sustainable growth and prosperity through exercising parts of national sovereignty together.
The President of COMECE praises the Conference on the Future of Europe as “an audacious experiment in citizens’ participation across cultural, linguistic and political borders”. He also expresses hopes for new participatory EU initiatives building upon the Conference, making the EU citizens active protagonists of the European project.
Referring to the tragedy of war returning to European soil with the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Cardinal Hollerich hopes that “peace in Europe and the world will become less fragile” and the use of weapons less frequent.
In this context, the President of the EU Bishops urges the institutions of the European Union and the Member States to offer “a positive and realistic response” to Ukraine’s request for future EU membership, while giving “a credible accession perspective” to all other European countries that have submitted their application.
Throughout the Conference on the Future of Europe, whose idea was launched at the end of 2019, COMECE actively contributed offering a Catholic perspective on today’s key challenges and citizens’ concerns, such as demographic, digital and ecological transitions, youth empowerment and the role of the EU in the world.
The specialist of mixed genre music and Brooklyn-native artist, Lono Bristol, is ready to take things to the next level this year.
UNITED STATES, May 9, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Lono Bristol is a Brooklyn-based Music Artist. This May, he is gearing up for releasing his latest single, ‘No Religion’ ft. reggae legend Beenie Man. Lono Bristol creates his music and has previously recorded albums. He is also the founder of Sov Music Group, an entertainment agency based out of Brooklyn, NY, built with the idea based on Sovereignty.Many Millennial and Generation Z American singers like fusion music. America is a melting hotpot of various cultures, nationalities, and people from all walks of life. It has allowed the Music Industry to change constantly. This new collaboration of Lono Bristol with Beenie Man has allowed for a mix of Jamaican-American music. Lono likes to mix and match, creating new genres of music. He brings the much-needed creativity to the otherwise monotonous music being produced lately. The song’s central theme is about love, and Lono has always believed that love is unbounded by laws and constraints. Love is just something that is nourished through time to reach its full potential. Lono’s perspective on a limitless love song is No Religion for Love. Love knows no boundaries; religion, race, ethnicity, or cast is at the core of this song. Lono Bristol’s Manager Apollo Rome shared his views on the song, ‘I think this song showcases Lono’s talent & creates a unique summer vibe.’
Lono Bristol’s music journey is inspiring for all who share a feverish passion for music. Born and raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Lono began learning to play the piano at the age of 13 and generate beats at 14. After a year of attempting to balance the two, Lono started to write and record his music while studying engineering at The City College of New York. After a few years of trying to balance his college career and love for music, Lono decided to focus on pursuing his obsession with music. Soon after, Lono’s sound began to influence the Brooklyn hip-hop movement. Lono produced tracks for the Brooklyn rap trio “The Underachievers” on their first mixtape Indigoism under the identity “Mr. Bristol,” marking the first important milestone in Lono’s artistic path.
‘No Religion’ ft. reggae legend Beenie Man’ will be available on all leading music platforms. To follow Lono Bristol’s Instagram, visit @lonobristol
Support Sov Music Group info@sovmusicgroup.com Visit us on social media: Other
EIN Presswire does not exercise editorial control over third-party content provided, uploaded, published, or distributed by users of EIN Presswire. We are a distributor, not a publisher, of 3rd party content. Such content may contain the views, opinions, statements, offers, and other material of the respective users, suppliers, participants, or authors. Submit your press release
The evolution of infrared astronomy, from Spitzer to WISE to JWST. Credit: Andras Gaspar
The images released by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) team last week aren’t officially ‘first light’ images from the new telescope, but in a way, it feels like they are. These stunning views provide the initial indications of just how powerful JWST will be, and just how much infrared astronomy is about to improve.
The images were released following the completion of the long process to fully focus the telescope’s mirror segments. Engineers are saying JWST’s optical performance is “better than the most optimistic predictions,” and astronomers are beside themselves with excitement.
“It hasn’t broken the laws of physics, but does lie at the very best end of possibilities thanks to the extraordinary efforts of many over decades,” said Mark McCaughrean, the European Space Agency’s Senior Advisor for Science & Exploration and part of JWST’s Science Working Group, on Twitter.
In their excitement, astronomers began posting comparison images — from previous telescopes to JWST in the same field of view — showing the evolution of improvement in resolution.
Astronomer Andras Gaspar, who works with JWST’s mid-infrared instrument, MIRI, compiled images from the WISE (Wide Infrared Survey Explorer) telescope to JWST’s image of the same field of view, the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.
How awesome is JWST/MIRI? Well, let’s compare the latest press release image to that of the WISE all-sky survey at 4.6 microns. This is the closest wavelength image I could find. Spitzer IRAC would have been better (slightly higher resolution and similar wavelength). https://t.co/EXqP57sULt
Then he realized Spitzer also has taken an image of the LMC, and then created the comparison of the three telescopes, seen in our lead image.
“To be fair, WISE with its 40 cm diameter telescope was only half the size of Spitzer’s [85cm primary] but both of them are tiny compared to JWST [6.5 meter primary]” Gaspar said on Twitter. “This is what you get with a large aperture! Resolution and sensitivity. And MIRI gives mid-IR! HST [Hubble Space Telescope}] can’t get this wavelength.”
And there’s more:
Not quite enough distant background galaxies for my taste, but #JWST is looking ever more awesome! https://t.co/pyJ8VH4fUo
Since #JWST’s MIRI is getting lots of before-and-after love, I thought I’d do the same for the Fine Guidance Sensor: here’s one of its two fields in the Large Magellanic Cloud as previously imaged in the near-IR by @eso’s VISTA survey telescope. 1/ https://t.co/G4yfhPWTqQ
The astronomers and engineers actually seem astounded how good JWST’s resolution is turning out to be. You may find that surprising. I mean, don’t they do tests on the ground to know the capabilities of telescopes before they launch? Yes, but ground tests don’t always tell the whole story, as Marshall Perrin, deputy project scientist for Webb at the Space Telescope Science Institute explained on Twitter.
“Yes, we had tested the whole optical train in cryo in Houston – but that didn’t actually tell us the ultimate performance,” he wrote. “Not fully. In many ways, the ground test environment was challenging and different from space.”
Perrin explains how gravity plays a role, in that JWST’s mirrors are designed to have a certain shape in Zero-g, but in all ground tests they were inevitably deformed by gravity, requiring numerical models to compensate.
Then, there’s no way to test on the ground how the telescope might work in Zero-g, as far as stability or if there will be any vibrations from the spacecraft. And while the ground test at Johnson Space Center’s thermal vacuum chamber could match the temperatures JWST would experience in space, Perrin said certain effects in the test chamber induced optical instabilities.
“A performance prediction must be not just a handwave or a wish, it has to be based in quantitative numerical models and budgets including assessing risks and uncertainties,” he wrote.
So, while predictions are useful, there are always uncertainties. For now, let’s savor the joy and wonder JWST is already providing.
The official first light images are predicted to come in July.
Pope Francis welcomed a group of religious of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, commonly known as Mercedarians, on Saturday on the occasion of their General Chapter.
The Order was established in the XIII century in Barcelona by Peter Nolasco , a Spanish merchant, for the redemption of Christian captives. With over seven hundred members in twenty-two countries, the Friars have continued the same redemptive spirit of their founder.
In his address, the Holy Father dwelled on the motto chosen for the Chapter “Do whatever He tells you!” (Jn, 2.5), drawn from the Gospel of Jonn on the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus performed the water-into-wine miracle.
He remarked that the choice is particularly significant as it implies the idea of service which is at the core of religious life and calls attention to the importance of listening to God.
He noted that the current world situation can be compared to that described by John’s Gospel when Mary says to Jesus: ‘They have no more wine’: “Many realities that we can see today in the world, in the Church, speak to us of this shortage, of the lack of hope, motivation, and solutions”, he said.
“Faced with this, the Virgin challenges you to listen”, Pope Francis stressed. But, “what should we listen to?”, he asked. Recalling the episode of the Wedding at Cana, he said that Jesus “proposes something that certainly no servant would have thought of”: to fill the jars for purification with water.
Pope Francis, therefore, insisted on the importance of listening to God’s voice: “You don’t go to the General Chapter to say the right thing”, but “to listen to God with simplicity, gratitude and abandoning yourself to Him”, he said.
What the Miracle at the Wedding of Cana tells us
He went on to stress that the jars for purification in the Wedding of Cana invite “us to return to our first love, to the source, to recover the innocent and hopeful attitude of our first years of consecrated life. The jars that have been emptied must be filled again with the same joy with which they were filled before the banquet began”, he said.
“The Lord asks us to start again every day, in every project. Do not get tired, do not be discouraged”.”
Reminding that the vocation of the Church is to evangelize, Pope Francis insisted on the need “to welcome the surprise that Jesus brings us”, to “listen to Mary”, to be consumed by “concrete and simple service”.
The challenge of modern slavery
We must learn how to be like Mary, “next to Christ at the foot of the Cross, in the suffering flesh of the poor and the prisoner”, Pope Francis concluded calling attention to the many captives of our time, who are victims of modern forms of slavery spreading inidiously in our societies.
“Probably, we can say that there are more slaves today than at the time you were founded. And this must be a challenge for you. They are disguised, unknown, hidden, but they are many, even in big cities like Rome, London, Paris. Look for them and ask the Lord: what do I do?”
On the occasion of his greetings on May 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin assured that “as in 1945, victory will be ours,” multiplying comparisons between the Second World War and the conflict in Ukraine.
He made the comments on Sunday in a message to former Soviet-bloc countries and the separatist regions of eastern Ukraine.
"Today our military, like their ancestors, are fighting shoulder to shoulder for the liberation of their homeland from Nazi filth, with the confidence that, as in 1945, victory will be ours," said Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president added that "Unfortunately, today, Nazism raises its head again", in a passage directed at Ukrainians.
“Our sacred duty is to prevent the ideological heirs of those who were defeated” in what Moscow calls the “Great Patriotic War”, from “taking their revenge”.
Meanwhile, 60 people sheltering in a school in Luhansk region are missing in a Russian strike on the building.
“The bombs hit the school and, unfortunately, it was completely destroyed,” the governor said on his Telegram account, as quoted by Le Monde. “There were a total of ninety people. Twenty-seven were saved (…). Sixty people who were in the school are most likely dead,” the governor says.
That same day the Ukrainian military entrenched for many weeks in the underground galleries of the huge Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol announced on Sunday that they would not surrender.
“Capitulation is not an option because Russia is not interested in our lives. Leaving us alive does not matter to them,” said Ilya Samoilenko, a Ukrainian intelligence officer during a press conference broadcast by video.
“All our food is limited. We have water left. We have ammunition left. We will have our weapons with us. We will fight until the best outcome of this situation,” he added from the basement of the industrial site.
“We have about 200 wounded here. We have a lot of wounded, people we can’t leave here. We can’t leave our injured, our dead, these people deserve proper treatment, they deserve a proper burial. We will not leave anyone behind,” he continued.
“We, military personnel of the Mariupol garrison, have witnessed the war crimes committed by Russia, by the Russian army. We are the witnesses”, added Ilya Samoilenko, who spoke sometimes Ukrainian and sometimes English during the conference.
George Pérez, the beloved and influential comic book artist and writer known for his vital work on titles like Wonder Woman and The New Teen Titans, has died at the age of 67.
The prolific penciler’s death Friday was confirmed in a statement on his Facebook page, noting that complications stemming from his lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer as the cause of death.
“He was not in pain and knew he was very, very loved,” the statement on Pérez’s Facebook page read. “We are all very much grieving but, at the same time, we are so incredibly grateful for the joy he brought to our lives. To know George was to love him; and he loved back. Fiercely and with his whole heart. The world is a lot less vibrant today without him in it.”
A marquee artist at both DC and Marvel Comics, Pérez began working with the latter in the early 1970s, illustrating titles such as Astonishing Tales and The Avengers. Early on, Pérez was applauded by fans for the complexity of his packed panels and the realistic style in which he drew the characters.
George Perez never went half way, in art or life. He pushed the limit of what a comic could do: his style was somehow, impossibly both overwhelmingly powerful and subtly graceful. He matched his passion for his trade with his passion for his fans and friends. RIP breaks my heart. pic.twitter.com/TPp78JC38d
In the early Eighties, Pérez kicked off his long association with DC Comics by working on their stalwart Justice League of America and, more notably, helping to launch their New Teen Titans line, which soon became one of DC’s most successful franchises; the franchise also created now-DC fixtures like Cyborg, Starfire and Nightwing. Pérez took leave of that comic in 1985 in order to draw on DC’s iconic Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries. Soon after, he helped breathe new life into the Wonder Woman franchise when that character was rebooted in 1987.
“DC joins fans from all over the world in mourning the passing of George Pérez,” DC Comics said in a statement Saturday. “As a writer, co-plotter, penciller, and inker, George Pérez left an indelible mark on the world of comics, bringing pleasure to a legion of fans and influencing a whole generation of creative talent.”
DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee added, “George Pérez had an art style that was both dynamic and incredibly expressive. His art was the perfect storytelling canvas for some of the most important events in DC history. While he will be sorely missed, his work will live on with a countless number of fans, as well as all the talent he’s influenced over the years.”
George Pérez was an artist, a writer, a role model, and a friend. His work paved seminal stories across comics, and his legacy of kindness and generosity will never be forgotten. Our family at Marvel mourns his loss today, and our hearts are with his family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/Z61gXE1zk4—
During his on-off tenure at Marvel, Perez served as an artist on acclaimed mid-Seventies runs of both The Avengers and Fantastic Four, and was the pencilerson the first half of the legendary Infinity Gauntlet miniseries that shaped the trajectory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“George Pérez was an artist, a writer, a role model, and a friend,” Marvel Comics said in a statement Saturday. “His work paved seminal stories across comics, and his legacy of kindness and generosity will never be forgotten. Our family at Marvel mourns his loss today, and our hearts are with his family and loved ones.”
While Pérez continued to work into the 2000s, his production slowed over the past decade as he continued to deal with health issues, which ultimately forced him to retire in 2019.
Pérez’s death comes just a week after Neal Adams, another renowned DC artist, died at the age of 80. Like Pérez’s work on Wonder Woman, Adams was credited with revitalizing Batman.
A memorial service honoring Pérez will take place May 22 at the Megacon convention in Orlando. Pérez’s Facebook page added Saturday, “Today is Free Comic Book Day. A day George absolutely loved and a fitting day to remember his contributions to comics and to our lives. I hope you’ll enjoy your day today with him in mind. He would have loved that.”
