Current Event: Walmart takes stand against animal cruelty and overuse of antibiotics on farms

Walmart has announced that it wants its food suppliers to stop inhumane treatment of animals and overuse of antibiotics. Walmart, the largest food retailer in the US, said today that it would urge its suppliers to to support a new set of rules known as the "five freedoms" of animal welfare. The rules detail raising animals in environments that keep free from fear, hunger, discomfort, sickness, and confined spaces. It also urges suppliers to stop using antibiotics for growth purposes and to adopt voluntary FDA guidelines that limit the use of medically important antibiotics. :we believe that farm animals in our supply chain should be treated humanely throughout their lives and that the welfare of farm animals should be considered in selection of all production systems, practices, and technologies," Walmart wrote on its website. Walmart, one of the largest food retailers in the US, has made a major step forward towards the humane treatment of animals and the proper usage of antibiotics. Walmart follows McDonald's and Chick-fil-A in setting timelines for removing some or all antibiotics use.

The five freedoms are as following:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst - by providing ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.

2. Freedom from discomfort - by providing appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.

3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease - by ensuring prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

4. Freedom to express normal behavior - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind.

5. Freedom from fear and distress - by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.

Free Post: What flag should humanity plant on other planets?

The idea that one day Earth will finally be at peace and united under a single government is something that interests a great many people. If such event were to happen, what would be the flag that humanity would plant on newly discovered planets as we spread throughout the stars? A graphic designer named Oskar Pernefeldt designed an interesting idea of one flag. His design is a blue field with a series of intersecting white circles. The design looks similar to the Olympic flag if you look at it at a certain angle. Pernefeldt chose the color blue to represent the ocean that covers the majority of Earth's surface. The rings interconnecting are supposed to represent all life on Earth and how everything is connected to each other in some way. This idea isn't something new, since people have been making imaginative flags since it possible to do. Now, some people believe that should the Earth be united, that we shouldn't have flags anymore, as flags are indicative of separate groups of people divided by social constructs. Basically, if we're united as one people, we shouldn't have a flag because flag in this case represents countries. I personally feel that if there was one human nation, then we should have one united flag, as this new flag will represent everyone on Earth. In any case, the future of Earth being united under one flag is still something that hopefully is attainable in the future. When humans start (hopefully we do) spreading throughout the stars, we need a flag to plant to represent humanity extending our reach. For the flag design, I like Pernefeldt's design, but I feel like it should have more symbolism.


Link to the article with Oskar Pernefeldt's flag design.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/18/8622411/international-flag-planet-earth-design-mockups

Current Event: European cars will automatically call emergency services after a crash

Cars in member countries of the European Union will now have an emergency call feature installed in them beginning in March 31st, 2018. The emergency system is known as eCall and would automatically contact emergency services in the event of a crash. In-car sensors, such as the car's airbags being triggered, would activate eCall and contact emergency services. eCall will be free of charge but would cost manufacturers 100 euros per car to have it installed. The EU expects eCall to lower emergency response time by 40 percent in areas with large amounts of traffic and 50 percent in rural areas. Several member states of the EU have voiced their objection to making eCall compulsory, believing that, ' the benefit of making eCall mandatory in all new cars does not justify the cost of implementing it." In any case, Erick Jonnaert of the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association has voiced that, "the industry feels that the final text strikes a good balance between saving lives and protecting data."

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/29/8512845/ecall-europe-emergency-call-2018