Movies & TV Babylon 5 Rewatch Babylon 5 Rewatch: “Deathwalker” Sinclair has to navigate some delicate political waters, while G’Kar tries to purchase the secret to immortality… By Keith R.A. DeCandido | Published on June 3, 2024 Credit: Warner Bros. Television Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Warner Bros. Television “Deathwalker”Written by Lawrence G. DiTillioDirected by Bruce Seth GreenSeason 1, Episode 9Production episode 113Original air date: April 20, 1994 It was the dawn of the third age… Kosh commissions Winters to do a telepathy thing. Winters starts to explain all the paperwork involved, and Kosh interrupts to say he’s done all that, thanks, just show up at Red Sector at the Hour of Scampering. Winters wanders off, slightly befuddled, and goes to try to find out when the hell the Hour of Scampering is. A Minbari ship arrives in dock at the station. Na’Toth, while checking the arrivals list, recognizes a passenger disembarking from the Minbari ship, calls her “Deathwalker” and proceeds to beat the holy shit out of her. The victim’s ID says she’s Gyla Lobos, but Na’Toth insists she’s “Deathwalker,” the nickname given to Jha’dur, a war criminal from the Dilgar War. But Jha’dur would have to be much older than the woman currently being treated in Medlab. Na’Toth is insistent, however, as Jha’dur experimented on Na’Toth’s grandfather, killing him. Na’Toth’s entire family swore a blood oath against her. Sinclair recognizes her as a Dilgar—which is a neat trick, since they’re supposed to be extinct—and she has a Dilgar military uniform in her effects, as well as a vial, which Franklin takes to the lab to examine. Garibaldi confirms from visual records that the victim certainly looks like Jha’dur… G’Kar is abject in his apologies to Sinclair, and he agrees to keep Na’Toth under house arrest in his quarters while Garibaldi investigates. After they retire to his quarters, Na’Toth apologizes for embarrassing the ambassador, but G’Kar understands. However, Jha’dur was coming to B5 to meet with a Narn official, who immediately turned around and went home when Na’Toth assaulted Jha’dur. Now it’s up to G’Kar to finish the mission and get the great discovery that Jha’dur has, apparently, made and wants to sell. G’Kar reassures Na’Toth that her blood oath is merely being postponed. Once they get their hands on Jha’dur’s discovery, Na’Toth can kill her all she wants. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Winters arrives at what is apparently the Hour of Scampering to meet with Kosh and a human named Abbut, who is wearing a big-ass hat. Winters scans Abbut at Kosh’s request and can detect no thoughts at all. Kosh seems pleased by this, and their “negotiations” start, which consists of the pair of them tossing nonsense phrases and non sequiturs at each other to no obvious end. Winters remains befuddled. When it’s over, she still hasn’t sensed a single thought from Abbut and has no idea what they’ve been talking about. Kosh says they’ll resume tomorrow and buggers off. Abbut offers to buy Winters a drink, but she has a weird vision, and then goes off to take a nap. Sinclair is contacted by Senator Hidoshi, who orders Sinclair to have “Lobos” sent to Earth as soon as she can travel. He also dismisses the notion that she’s Jha’dur. Sinclair’s attempt to get more information is slapped down, as it’s classified, apparently. Sinclair heads to Medlab, pooh-poohing Mollari when the ambassador asks if the rumors about Deathwalker being on the station are true. In Medlab, Franklin declares that she’s healing at a fantastically accelerated rate. “Lobos” wakes up and angrily takes her vial back from Franklin, bitching about him messing with her stuff. She confirms that she is Jha’dur, and that she’d been granted asylum by the Wind Swords, a clan of the Minbari Warrior Caste. The vial contains an elixir that works as an antiagapic. Taking it halts the aging process and cures all disease. Now Hidoshi’s interest (and the Narns’, though Sinclair doesn’t know about that) makes sense… Credit: Warner Bros. Television Sinclair tracks down Lennier (Delenn is off-station because Mira Furlan has this episode off) and asks him to verify that Jha’dur was with the Wind Swords. Lennier is skeptical that the militaristic and honorable Wind Swords would harbor one of the most notorious war criminals in history, but he agrees to check into it. G’Kar meets with Jha’dur and offers triple the price Earth is offering for her antiagapic. Jha’dur says she’ll accept that offer on one condition: he bring her Na’Toth’s severed head within the hour. G’Kar is not willing to decapitate his aide, not even for immortality, and he leaves in a huff. Sinclair meets with Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Franklin. Garibaldi is skeptical about her claims to have discovered immortality, but Franklin—whose judgment is of more use, what with him being a doctor who’s examined the elixir and all—believes her. Ivanova points out that immortality is a heckuva mitigating factor, and Sinclair agrees that this might be her way of making amends. Garibaldi is still skeptical, and says the station will explode when word gets out, because word always gets out. As if to prove the point, G’Kar leaks to Ambassdor Kalika of the Abbai that Deathwalker is on the station. Sinclair asks Jha’dur why she’s doing this. Earth joining the Dilgar War is what turned the tide against the Dilgar and led to their extinction, so why give them the elixir? Jha’dur says she wants her people’s legacy to be something other than what it is now after the war. Sinclair, Garibaldi, and security lead Jha’dur to a ship that will take her to Earth, but they’re cut off at the pass by a delegation of ambassadors from the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, who demand that Deathwalker be turned over to them, and they will not move from blocking their path. Since slaughtering a bunch of ambassadors would not be such a hot idea, Sinclair agrees to stand down and call an emergency session of the station council. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Kosh and Abbut have another session, which Winters doesn’t see the point of, given that she can’t scan either of the participants, but then she gets a vision of exploding panels. Sinclair is confident that Jha’dur will stand trial for her crimes, as he intends to vote yes on the notion, as will the League (who collectively get a single vote), and he expects the Minbari to vote yes as well, so they’ll have a majority regardless of what the Centauri and Narn do. G’Kar agrees to a trial but only if it’s held on Narn. When that notion is shouted down, he votes no, as does Mollari, who has no dog in this fight, as the Centauri weren’t involved in the Dilgar War. To Sinclair’s abject shock, Lennier votes no as well. Which means Jha’dur will be sent to Earth without a war crimes trial. Lennier explains rather abashedly that the Grey Council is unwilling to admit that the Wind Swords sheltered Jha’dur, and so they can’t promote the notion of a trial, as that fact would come out during it. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a Drazi ship soon shows up, aims its weapons at B5, and demands that Jha’dur be extradited to them. Several other League ships show up as well. Sinclair decides to tell Kalika about the antiagapic, and the League ambassadors agree to stand down on the condition that Earth share the elixir with them. Kosh and Abbut have one final session of nonsense exchanges, with Winters suddenly overwhelmed by an awful memory. Abbut then removes his huge hat, revealing that he’s a cyborg. He removes a crystal from the circuitry on top of his head and hands it to Kosh. Specifics about what just happened are kept from Winters by both the enigmatic Kosh and the nonsense-spouting Abbut, but later Garibaldi recognizes Abbut as a “vicker” (a linguistic corruption of VCR) who can record anything, including telepathic communication. The theory is that Kosh wanted a recording of Winters for his own purposes. As she’s about to leave the station, Jha’dur finally explains how the elixir works: yes, it provides immortality, but only at the cost of another person’s life. (How this works, exactly, is not explained, nor are we told who died to make her immortal.) The legacy she’s shooting for is to be the cause of the various races of the galaxy killing each other to achieve immortality. Inexplicably, Jha’dur leaves the station alone on a ship without any kind of escort, which makes no kind of sense, since (a) she would be escorted by Earth ships and (b) she came in a Minbari transport, so where’d the ship come from? But as she approaches the jumpgate, a Vorlon ship comes out of the gate and blasts Deathwalker’s ship to smithereens. Kosh shows up just long enough to say, “You are not ready for immortality” and then buggers off. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Nothing’s the same anymore. Sinclair has to navigate some delicate political waters, trying to balance his orders with the greater good. He might have succeeded, too, but for the unexpected no vote from the Minbari and the unexpected homicide from the Vorlons. The household god of frustration. At no point does Garibaldi back down from his position that Jha’dur is a war criminal and should be punished. He does, however, apologize to Sinclair for yelling at him about it, and Sinclair accepts the apology, since he agrees with him, but as station commander, he doesn’t have the luxury of doing what’s right. If you value your lives, be somewhere else. Lennier is stuck having to speak for the Minbari and to help them continue to cover up that they gave asylum to a nototious war criminal. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free. G’Kar is willing to ask Na’Toth to put off her blood oath long enough for it to benefit the Narn people. He is not willing to murder Na’Toth to benefit the Narn people. Good to know that there’s a line… The Corps is mother, the Corps is father. Vorlons apparently don’t trust telepaths, so Kosh has Winters’ brain recorded. Because why not, and it gives script Lawrence G. DiTillio a chance to write all kinds of nonsense for Kosh and Abbut to speak. The Shadowy Vorlons. Kosh finally decides to participate in station business just long enough to murder someone, which, if nothing else, provides an Alexandrian solution to Sinclair’s Gordian problem. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Welcome aboard. Sarah Douglas, probably best known in genre circles as having played Ursa in the first two Christopher Reeve Superman films, plays Jha’dur. Robin Curtis, probably best known in genre circles as having played Saavik in the third and fourth Star Trek films, plays Kalika. Ardwight Chamberlain returns from “The War Prayer” as the voice of Kosh; he’ll next appear in “Believers.” Aki Aleong debuts the recurring role of Hidoshi; he’ll be back in “By Any Means Necessary.” Cosie Costa plays Abbut. Trivial matters. The role of Abbut was written for Gilbert Gottfried, but the comedian was unavailable, and so Cosie Costa was cast. The Hour of Scampering is, according to J. Michael Straczynski, around tea-time. The storyline was at least in part inspired by Operation: Paperclip, when the United States agreed to grant asylum to scientists who worked for the Nazis during World War II in order to make use of their scientific genius. Notably, Wernher von Braun’s expertise was particularly useful to NASA and the space program. The echoes of all of our conversations. “So I shouldn’t listen to rumors, eh?”“Sorry, Ambassador. We thought it best to handle it quietly.”“Great job.” —Mollari taking the piss out of Sinclair at the very loud and contentious council session to determine Jha’dur’s fate. The name of the place is Babylon 5. “Listen to the music, not the notes.” This should have been an excellent episode, and the general story is a good one, but the execution is botched on many different levels. One level is isn’t botched on is guest casting for the A-plot. If you want to cast someone whom you know is unrepentantly evil, you can’t go wrong with Sarah Douglas, who exudes menace, contempt, and nastiness as Jha’dur. In addition, Robin Curtis does superlative work as Kalika, giving the character a passion and determination that is very compelling. Also, not having Delenn in the episode works in its favor, as one simply cannot imagine Delenn going quietly along with the coverup needed here. Lennier as a low-level flunky wouldn’t have much choice in the matter but to follow orders without question. Alas, so much of the rest of the story doesn’t quite gel. For starters, the plot is catalyzed by Na’Toth recognizing Deathwalker, and a big part of why we care about what’s happening is Na’Toth’s righteous anger at how her grandfather was one of Jha’dur’s victims. But after Jha’dur’s request for Na’Toth’s head, she’s never heard from again, which is frustrating. She should have been there when Jha’dur was taken off the station. In fact, the ending would’ve worked way better if Na’Toth fulfilled her blood oath by killing Jha’dur instead of relying on a deus ex Kosh to end things. As it is, the fact that Kosh is able to murder a sentient being without due process and without any consequences is staggering, and should be met with a lot more outrage and reaction than, “Oh, well, Vorlons will be Vorlons, la dee dah.” Plus, as I said in the plot description, why is Jha’dur flying by herself to Earth? It makes no sense, but it’s a necessary plot hole, because if she was being escorted, Kosh would also have to murder innocent EarthForce personnel, and we can’t have that… The big twist about the antiagapic is an utter failure. There’s a reason why “show don’t tell” is a truism. Jha’dur sneeringly telling us that the only way the elixir works is for someone else to die does not land at all, mostly because we have no context for any of it. It’s a made-up serum that has a twist that works in a made-up and not-explained way, which renders the entire twist meaningless, except as a feeble attempt to make us not feel so bad when the Vorlons murder her. The B-plot is a whole not of nothing. For starters, the script was very obviously written for Gilbert Gottfried and just as obviously not adjusted for the much less manic Cosie Costa, who sounded completely wrong reading the lines he was given. On top of that, one thing that this being a rewatch reminds one of is that this particular subplot is never to be seen again, aside from one quick mention later. And hoo-hah has the notion of someone referred to as a “VCR” aged badly. Okay, that one’s not really anybody’s fault, but man, I can see someone under the age of thirty watching this now and wondering what the heck a VCR is, since Garibaldi uses the term as if it’s common knowledge… Next week: “Believers.”[end-mark] The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “Deathwalker” appeared first on Reactor.

The Service Employees International Union’s 2024 convention might have provided the infamously progressive union with an opportunity to refocus its efforts on workplace representation over divisive, ideologically driven politics. No such luck: The election of April Verrett as SEIU president, a set of resolutions addressing numerous hot-button issues, and a campaign appearance by Vice President Kamala Harris all made clear that SEIU remains committed to its hard-left agenda. Delegates from SEIU locals across the nation gathered in Philadelphia on May 20 for a three-day event to establish priorities that will guide union operations over the next four years. The first order of business was the election of Verrett, SEIU’s former secretary-treasurer, to succeed outgoing president Mary Kay Henry. Whether SEIU rank and file were unaware of or indifferent to Verrett’s questionable record is unclear. While serving as president of SEIU Local 2015, Verrett faced one of the largest union staff labor strikes in American history after accusations of union-busting, surveillance, assault, and intimidation. Verrett’s dedication to SEIU’s progressive politics, however, is unmatched. In the words of the union’s new leader, America’s “ugly, insidious, anti-black racist structures” inform her decision to make “eradicating structural and anti-black racism a core strategy” of union operations. Harris apparently approves. In her address to the union convention, Harris fondly described Verrett as “a phenomenal woman and a powerful fighter for justice and fairness,” ignoring past accusations against the SEIU president. Harris, who has made frequent trips to Pennsylvania in an effort to charm Keystone State voters, appealed to union members. “Our nation needs you, SEIU, to organize, to mobilize, and to make your voices heard” during the upcoming presidential election, she said. SEIU, which will spend $200 million in support of the Biden-Harris ticket between now and November to build “political power by mobilizing a cross-racial, cross-movement coalition of working-class voters,” is fully on board. But the union’s resolve to fulfill Harris’ request for votes only scratches the surface of its four-year plan, laid out in resolutions passed by delegates during the convention. SEIU’s 2024 Convention Core Resolution, for example, asserts that “unchecked corporate control and structural racism have built a North America for wealthy white people at the cost of all others.” “Racial and economic justice,” therefore, “must be central to the work of our union,” the resolution maintains. Joining a swath of labor unions in support of pro-Palestinian protests across America’s college campuses, SEIU’s Resolution on the War in Gaza expressed its opposition to “violent attacks” and “the use of severe force” against out-of-control student demonstrators, plus an end to taxpayer support for Israel. In addition, Constitutional Amendment 307 eliminates “explicit references to binary genders” throughout union documents and communications, replacing all usages of “men and women” with “people” and trading both “his and her” for “their.” For a union committed to “higher pay, better benefits, job security and a retirement we can count on,” SEIU’s guiding priorities for Verrett’s inaugural term have remarkably little to do with the workplace concerns of members. As SEIU continues to embrace the role of a progressive interest group over protector of workplace rights, union members are taking note. More than 200,000 have turned their backs on SEIU since the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Janus v. AFSCME affirmed the right of government workers to forgo union membership without losing their jobs. In Pennsylvania, the convention’s host state, SEIU’s losses are typical. SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the state’s largest SEIU local, has shed thousands of members since the Janus decision. SEIU continues to put progressive ideology over the well-being of its rank and file. Barring a change of course, the union’s insatiable thirst for political power will eventually lead to its demise. This article was originally published by RealClearPennsylvania and made available via RealClearWire. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post SEIU Brings Progressive Union Politics to Philly appeared first on The Daily Signal.

WaPo Fires Editor, Replaces With WSJ and Telegraph Alums

As part of efforts to shift towards “greener” urban areas, a city in Spain has begun installation of what’s to be the country’s largest urban solar farm in a somewhat unconventional location: cemeteries.Valencia, found on the east coast of Spain, is on a mission to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. It’s in part motivated by a barrage of intense heatwaves seen in recent years, with the city breaking Spain’s heat records last year when it reached 46.8°C (116.2°F).A popular approach to achieving climate goals has been shifting towards renewable energy and in particular, solar power – it’s even been beamed from space. But back down on Earth, where do you find room for a solar farm in a city, areas that aren’t exactly known for having a lot of room left to give?That’s where “Requiem In Power”, or “RIP” comes in, Valencia’s appropriately named plan to install 6,658 photovoltaic panels across the city’s cemeteries and help to generate 27 percent of the city's energy from renewable sources.The panels are being installed on top of crypts and other structures in five public cemeteries across the city, with the goal of creating a total capacity of 2.8 megawatts. As reported by TheMayor.EU, 810 panels have been placed in three cemeteries so far; that’s enough to produce 440,000 kilowatts of electricity per year and cut down on 140 tons of carbon dioxide annually.When completed, the number of panels would see the project become the largest urban solar farm in Spain, and would provide electricity primarily to public utilities, but also some local households.Outside of the RIP project, the city has 29 other programs in its climate mission, covering plans to reduce car use to improve air quality, transform buildings to maximize energy efficiency, and change all lighting across the city to LED.These plans could go a long way towards local authorities and the Spanish government avoiding the same fate recently seen by Swiss authorities. Arguing that climate inaction by the government had left them vulnerable to the effects of climate change-induced heatwaves, a group of older Swiss women ended up taking authorities to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). In early April, the court ruled that their human rights had indeed been violated by the inaction, marking the first time that a climate-related case had been won in the ECHR. With 97 percent of Valencia’s residents living within 300 meters (984 feet) of a green area, and the cemeteries’ residents unlikely to make a protest about the new décor, it seems unlikely officials will see the inside of that particular courtroom anytime soon when it comes to the climate.

As a science website, it is easy to get caught up in the mysteries of vanishing stars and the crisis in cosmology, while people out there on the Internet are struggling with why flying against the planet's rotation doesn't decrease flight times, and why we can't power our trucks with magnets.This week, it appears that people are struggling a little with straight lines. Late last week, X (Twitter) account Latest in Space shared a pretty uncontroversial post explaining that you can travel from India to the USA in a straight line.         IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Despite the line clearly being straight, people were not convinced.        IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Representing a 3D world on a 2D map is always going to end up with some issues and some compromises. No matter how accurate you try to make it, you will end up with stretched areas, squashed countries, or else parts of the map cut out altogether.The map you are likely familiar with is one based on the Mercator projection, published by cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It's a cylindrical map projection, in which you place the globe into a cylinder and then project each point of the map onto a corresponding point on the cylinder. Meridians (imaginary vertical lines going through the Earth from the North to the South Pole) are mapped onto vertical lines equally spaced apart on the map, and circles of latitude (imaginary horizontal lines from east to west) are mapped onto equally spaced horizontal lines.     The Mercator projection is good for navigation because it represents courses of constant bearing as straight segments, meaning ships have to course correct for the curvature of the Earth less frequently. However, it also results in distortions of size and shape. In cylindrical maps – as is the case with the Mercator projection – areas around the equator remain roughly accurate, but the further you move from the equator, the more distorted and inflated landmasses become. In short, straight lines that don't follow one line of latitude or longitude on a globe do not necessarily appear as straight lines on a flat map.      IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Which is why in the actual world, if you wanted to travel to India from the USA, you wouldn't have to do much steering.

North Korea launched a second wave of trash-filled balloons toward South Korea after a similar campaign just a few days earlier. It might seem like the North is simply trying to irritate their rival neighbors – and that’s no doubt a factor – but the balloons have a deep historical context in Korea.Over the past weekend, around 600 balloons flown from North Korea have been found in various parts of South Korea, as reported by the Associated Press. No dangerous substances were found in the balloons – just a collection of cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste paper, plastic, and other day-to-day garbage. The news comes less than a week after 260 balloons filled with manure and other trash were sent from North Korea to South Korea on Tuesday night.North Korea has confirmed they are behind the balloon launches, which they claim is in response to South Korea’s long-running campaign of sending balloons across the border loaded with anti-Pyongyang propaganda.“Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior [of South Korea]. It will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them,” Kim Kang Il, a vice defense minister of North Korea, said in a statement on Saturday, according to the New York Times.North Korea has said it will now stop sending trash-filled balloons across the border to South Korea, but it has threatened to resume the operations if South Korean dares to send any.Balloon propaganda campaigns have been used in Korea since the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, the civil conflict-come-proxy war that divided the nation in two. For decades, South Koreans have sent across material about the outside world and the realities of North Korea’s authoritarian regime, as well as Bibles, dollar bills, and USB drives containing South Korean TV shows. Meanwhile, the North would respond with anti-South Korean material, such as cartoons of their leaders cozying up to Americans.In 2020, the South Korean government banned people from sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets to North Korea as part of a wider push towards inter-Korean engagement after decades of hostility. However, in recent years, some of Seoul’s top courts have pushed back against the law, claiming it infringes on free speech.In the past few years, inter-Korean relations have arguably been at the lowest since the Korean War – and the latest flurry of balloons from North Korea isn’t helping. In response to the latest load of balloons, the South Korean National Security Council fully suspended the 2018 inter-Korean reduction pact “until mutual trust between the two Koreas is restored.” 

Ms. Rachel is a famous YouTube creator with 10 million subscribers who creates content for babies and toddlers. Now, she's come under fire after she posted a TikTok video to celebrate Pride Month - because babies and toddlers should really hear about what it means to be queer. Ms. Rachel's typical content includes lessons on things like learning to read, rhymes for babies, verbal skills, and learning colors and numbers. All of her videos are geared toward kids ages five and younger, with some specifically for babies.  Which, not, includes shout-outs for "Pride," which is all about celebrating deviant sexual preferences and gender "identities" and none of which should include children. Even still, Ms. Rachel posted a video on her TikTok page titled "MsRachelforLittles" on June 1, which currently has more than 3 million views. In her squeaky voice, she says, “Happy pride to all of our wonderful families and friends. This month and every month I celebrate you.” Ms. Rachel is an extremely popular YouTuber who makes content for babies and toddlers. She just posted a video celebrating Pride Month. This is a message to conservatives parents. She doesn’t want your business. You should respond accordingly. pic.twitter.com/1YE5ZAs8mR — Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) June 2, 2024 It seems like Ms. Rachel knew her video could be controversial given her audience demographic.  “To those who are going to comment they can’t watch the show anymore because of this support, no worries and much love your way. God bless and I am not chasing fame or views. I’m standing strong in love,” she said in the video. Well, she was right about people not agreeing with her post honoring a month that celebrates nothing but utter confusion and delusion. The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh wrote, “Ms. Rachel is an extremely popular YouTuber who makes content for babies and toddlers. She just posted a video celebrating Pride Month. This is a message to conservatives parents. She doesn’t want your business. You should respond accordingly.” Related: NBC's 'Today Third Hour' Praises New Peacock Show About Pride May Mailman, director of Independent Women’s Law Center wrote, “Don’t let Ms. Rachel sexualize your babies. A different user posted a really solid analysis on the situation and Ms. Rachel’s comments: There's a special brand of liberal that assumes they are the loving one, while anyone who disagrees with them is, of course, hateful (this is the only possible reason they could disagree).  Ms. Rachel embodies this. At the end of her video, she addresses the people who wouldn't watch her content due to this post and says "that's okay, I stand in love". This statement is meant to suggest that these other people are not "standing in love".  Instead of hearing what these people might say regarding the matter and how they love their children and want to protect them from politicizing or sexually suggestive content, she calls them hateful (by making everyone assume it). She embodies a brand of liberalism I have grown to really distaste. It is lazy and unintelligent and in fact quite close-minded. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Ms. Rachel has shown that she has an agenda, and it isn’t to teach your kids valuable and educational lessons. Ms. Rachel has previously had "non-binary" guests on her show. In addition, some months ago, Ms. Rachel commented on transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney’s account, inviting him on to her program. "Sometime when you’re in NYC you should be on our show, Songs for Littles! We love you & your singing,” Ms. Rachel wrote online.  Ms. Rachel wants a transgender freak who is living a complete and utter delusion to help her talk to and teach lessons to two-year-olds? This is textbook groomer behavior. This should be a reminder to parents that they need to monitor what their kids are consuming for entertainment and learning. Even people like Ms. Rachel, who seem completely harmless and kind, have an agenda. Follow us on Twitter/X: Go woke go broke pic.twitter.com/ytIQdhQx99 — MRCTV (@mrctv) June 3, 2024

Click to Skip Ahead Tips for Preventing Poop-Eating Reasons Why Dogs Eat Poop However revolting the idea of coprophagia—poop eating—is to us humans, it’s a natural and common behavior in some dogs. To put this into perspective, a 2012 study revealed that 16% of dogs observed were seen eating poop more than six times, while 23% of the dogs observed ate poop at least once.1 Poop-eating is especially common in curious puppies and mother dogs cleaning up after their pups. All that said, though it’s a natural behavior, poop-eating is something you’ll want to nip in the bud due to the risk of bacterial infections or parasites like roundworms, hookworms, or whipworms. In this guide, we’ll share some tips on curbing your dog’s poop-eating habit and explain why dogs do this. The 9 Tips for Preventing Poop-Eating If you regularly catch your dog chowing down on unmentionables, stay calm no matter how grossed-out you feel. Avoid getting angry or punishing your dog. Remember that this behavior is normal for them, and they don’t perceive it as disgusting like we do. Instead, try out some of these tips. 1. See Your Vet Image Credit: LightField Studios, Shutterstock The first and most important thing to do is to get your serial poop eater checked out by a vet to make sure a medical issue isn’t causing the behavior. A nutritional deficiency is an example of a potential cause, and your vet may prescribe some supplements to help improve the situation if a deficiency is diagnosed. Other potential underlying triggers could include conditions related to malabsorption, dementia, certain medications, diabetes, parasites, thyroid issues, or Cushing’s disease. 2. Limit Access to Poop Pick up poop as quickly as possible—whether that’s from a cat’s litter box or your yard—to prevent your dog from getting to it. It’s wise to do a quick check of your yard before you let your dog out to play, too. If your dog is obsessed with your cat’s litter box, try putting it in a dog- inaccessible area. 3. Consider a Muzzle Image Credit: Reshetnikov_art, Shutterstock Some people muzzle their dogs to prevent unpleasant incidents from occurring when out on walks. Popular choices for this purpose include basket muzzles, which are nice and roomy but bar the dog from scavenging, and field guards, which also protect your dog’s eyes, nose, and ears from foxtails. 4. Use Distraction Techniques If you see your dog heading for some poop, call their name and distract them with their favorite toy, like a tug-of-war toy or a ball. Better yet, if your dog likes to carry items, give them a toy to carry when out on walks. Just be careful doing this if your dog is very protective of their toys, as they may not take kindly to other dogs approaching while they’re carrying their treasured possession. 5. Leash Your Dog Image Credit: N K, Shutterstock Keeping your dog on a leash when out and about is the best way to stay in control of the situation. If you’re in a park or forest, longer leashes offer your dog more room to roam while making sure you maintain an element of control. 6. Check Your Dog’s Diet Check that your dog is eating the right amount of food recommended for their body weight. You’ll find this information on the food’s packaging. If they’re not eating enough or the diet consists of low-quality food, the dog may scavenge to compensate. Feeding small, frequent meals from a quality brand may help with this. If you want to change to a more filling formula, get the green light from your vet first. 7. Mentally Stimulate Your Dog Image Credit: Masarik, Shutterstock It’s not uncommon for dogs to eat poop out of boredom or as an attention-seeking measure. If you think your dog may be doing this to get your attention, don’t react. This shows the dog that their behavior gets no response from you. Instead, make sure your dog is getting enough physical and mental exercise throughout the day, as this will tire them out, release pent-up energy, and make poop-eating a less attractive prospect. 8. Teach a “Leave It” Cue Sure, it’s not easy to condition dogs not to scavenge, as it’s an instinctive behavior for them. Nevertheless, it can help to work on a “leave it” cue you can use whenever your dog approaches something stinky or dangerous. There are various ways to teach this command, but one method is to take a treat in your hand, make sure your dog knows it’s there, put your hand out to the side, and put the arm behind your back every time the dog tries to jump for the treat. When your dog can break from trying to get the treat or staring at it in your hand to look elsewhere instead, they get rewarded with a “yes” or a click from a clicker and a treat from your other hand. After practicing this for a while, you can add the verbal cue “leave it.” Again, there isn’t only one way to teach a command, so you can always try other things if this doesn’t work for you. 9. Add Certain Foods to the Diet Image Credit: LightField Studios, Shutterstock Some theorize that adding certain foods—like pineapple—to their diet can make poop less appetizing and may work as a way to prevent poop eating. There are even supplements in chew and powder form designed specifically for dogs who engage in coprophagia. There’s no guarantee these will work, though—some dogs can be pretty persistent– but it may be worth a try. Just be sure to speak to your vet before adding any foods or supplements to your dog’s diet. Why Do Dogs Eat Poop? The most basic reason some dogs may like to eat poop is that they like how it tastes. Gross as that sounds, a dog’s idea of what tastes and smells good isn’t the same as ours. Moreover, dogs use their noses and mouths to navigate the world around them and get information about things. Other reasons your dog may be eating poop include: Puppy Behavior Puppies have an extra keen sense of curiosity and spend a lot of time exploring their big and strange new world, which may lead them to “experiment” with poop-eating. They may also do it because they’ve seen their mother doing it, and it’s normal for puppies to mimic their mom’s behaviors. Motherly Behavior One of the ways a mother dog keeps her puppies and their environment clean is by eating their poop. This behavior also stems from a dog’s wild ancestors who use it as a survival technique: If there’s no poop around, there’s a reduced risk of bacteria and parasites that could make puppies sick. Furthermore, if puppies smell poop on their mother’s breath, it can make it hard for them to tell the difference between poop and food. This is referred to as “appetitive inoculation” by Steven R. Lindsay, an animal behaviorist who wrote the Handbook of Applied Behavior and Training. Image Credit: MDV Edwards, Shutterstock Hunger or Greed Some dogs are simply greedier than others. According to the 2012 study we mentioned in the introduction, dogs reported as being particularly greedy were among the more prolific poop eaters. Likewise, a dog that’s underfed or eats low-quality food may scavenge for poop to redress the balance. Boredom or Anxiety If a dog is understimulated, they may eat poop as a way of entertaining themselves or getting attention from you. Separation anxiety is another potential cause, which, in addition to triggering a dog to eat things they shouldn’t, can also trigger destructive behaviors like chewing or scratching furniture or going to the bathroom inside the house. Illness As we touched on further up, dogs with certain medical conditions or nutritional deficiencies may be driven to eat poop. Conditions that cause an increase in appetite are particular risk factors, but various conditions could be behind the behavior. Image Credit: Renko Aleks, Shutterstock Breed, Type, or Sex One of the findings in the 2012 study into canine coprophagia was that hounds and terriers are more likely than other breeds to eat poop. As for whether sex plays a role, the study revealed that spayed female dogs are the biggest poop eaters, whereas intact males are less likely to engage in this behavior. Multiple-dog Households The same 2012 study mentioned above also found that multi-dog households are more likely to contain poop-eaters. This is most likely because there is additional feces available to them. Final Thoughts While your dog eating poop isn’t the most delightful scene to witness, the good news is that there are ways to turn things around for the better with a little patience and consistency. To reiterate, it’s wise to get a vet checkup first to rule out health conditions and pick up some expert advice on how to remedy the situation. Sources https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/dog-behavior-problems-coprophagia#:~:text=Feeding%20a%20poorly%20digestible%20diet,appetite%20and%20possibly%20stool%20eating Featured Image Credit: Monika Wisniewska, Shutterstock The post How to Stop Dogs From Eating Poop: 9 Vet-Verified Tips appeared first on Pet Keen.

Donald Trump told UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov at an event in New Jersey that he will end the war in Palestine.The 45th president attended UFC 302 at Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center and entered the arena to a raucous crowd at the start of the main card.Trump was one of many celebrities attending the event, including the likes of comedians Joey Diaz, Theo Von, and NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers.As usual, Trump was a favorite post-fight stop for many UFC fighters. Middleweights Sean Strickland and Kevin Holland both went to the president right after their victory, which in Holland's case was mere moments after breaking his opponent's arm.'We're gonna stop it. I'm gonna stop it.'Following the main event where lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defended his title, Trump was pictured with Nurmagomedov, who is a trainer and friend of the champion.A closer angle of the president and the UFC Hall of Fame member revealed that the two had a brief conversation about the war between Israel and Palestine."I know you're gonna stop all this Palestine war," Nurmagomedov said to Trump."We're gonna stop it. I'm gonna stop it," Trump was heard saying.Cameras cut to the president several times during the event, with the crowd garnering a reaction from Trump while chanting, "F*** Joe Biden," at one point. The recently convicted politician raised his fist high in the air during the chant.The last time Trump's appearance at a UFC event created this much news, although it typically creates some buzz, was when NFL star Travis Kelce was caught "liking" photos from UFC 299 posted by former ESPN host Sage Steele.Kelce, who has become a media darling for his relationship with Taylor Swift and his promotion of Pfizer vaccines, apparently went too far according to many when he liked Steele's photos.The broadcaster had pictures that showed her shaking hands with President Trump, as well as posing with several personalities that included entrepreneur Patrick Bet-David, political commentator Candace Owens, influencer SteveWillDoIt, and podcaster/actor Vincent Oshana.It took a month after the images were posted for anyone to notice that Kelce had liked the post, which caused an uproar among left-wing followers and fans of Taylor Swift. There was even outrage over Kelce choosing to follow Steele's page.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Of all the debates raging between the left and the right, whether or not children should be allowed to medically transition is arguably one of — if not the — most important one. Allie Beth Stuckey of "Relatable" has been unwavering in her position that children should not be allowed to medically transition, and she made her case during a recent debate with Desmond Fambrini on "The Ellen Fisher Podcast." When Fambrini cites approval for puberty blockers from the American Psychiatric Association and the Trevor Project, Stuckey is ready. “I would say, unfortunately, a lot of those institutions and the people in those institutions are captured by a particular ideology that really sacrifices the well-being of kids, so my answer to that question would be unequivocally no,” Stuckey says. “If you’re thinking about puberty blockers, 10, 11, 12 years old, you certainly do not have the ability yet to understand the long-term consequences of what you’re putting your body through. Not only your body, but also your mind actually requires puberty to be healthy,” she adds. Stuckey explains that these are “irreversible procedures and processes that kids cannot consent to because they do not have the mental ability to understand the long-term repercussions.” One of those long-term repercussions is fertility, which Stuckey believes is one of the more important reasons not to medically transition children. “Not everyone’s focus is fertility,” Fambrini fires back, before Stuckey explains that children don't know whether or not they’re going to want kids when they’re young — so to take that away from them is cruel. “Also, for example, the decay of the uterus when you have too much testosterone in your body as a woman. All different kinds of physical maladies that come with trying to change your body into what it can never be,” Stuckey adds. Not only are there physical maladies, but the pain of detransitioners around the world is hard to ignore. “Not only did they detransition and realize, ‘Oh, I want to be a mom,’ they realized, ‘Oh, I really want to breastfeed. Now, I can’t do that.’ And unfortunately, the adults in their life had the same mentality that kind of you just expressed, that, ‘Well, if you can drive a car, you can decide to cut your healthy breasts off.’ And now they’re living forever with that guilt,” Stuckey explains to Fambrini. When Fambrini notes that the stats reflect that individuals are happier after medically transitioning, Stuckey again disagrees. “I am not basing my disapproval of and disagreement with transition on the rates of regret or not. I think it is objectively, morally, ethically wrong to mutilate your body, in particular as a child,” she explains. “I am never going to be for the blocking of puberty or the chemical castration of a young person.” Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.