by Amanda Froelich, True Activist

Taiwan’s parliament approved a bill that bans the selling, purchasing, consumption and/or possession of dog or cat meat. Offenders face up to two years in prison.

On Tuesday, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan approved a landmark amendment to the country’s Animal Protection Act which bans the selling, purchasing, consumption and/or possession of dog or cat meat. Offenders face fines of between NT$50,000 (US$1600) to NT$250,000 (US$8100), may face up to two years in prison, and risk having photos of themselves publicized, reports the Shanghaiist. The bill also prohibits citizens from using a car or motorbike to pull the pets alongside their vehicle as they travel.

The amendment was sponsored by Kuomintang legislator Wang Yu-min and is the first of its kind in Asia. In 2001, Taiwan passed legislation banning the sale of meat and fur of pets such as cats and dogs. The legislation was supposedly passed for “economic purposes.”

Before the change takes effect, the amendments still need to be signed into law by the Cabinet and Presidential office. According to the BBC, this could take place as soon as the end of April.

Backed by Murdoch, Cheney, Rothschild, and others, Genie Energy has been granted drilling rights in Syria's Golan Heights region.

By: Claire Bernish / The Free Thought Project

After concluding the flow testing phase, Afek Oil and Gas will now begin analyzing samples drawn from the Ness-2 drilling site, euphemistically dubbed “Deborah’s Well,” in the Israeli-occupied region of Syria known as the Golan Heights. New Jersey-based Genie Energy, Ltd., Afek’s parent company, claims a dubious cadre of investors cum war profiteers, including Rupert Murdoch, Dick Cheney, Lord Jacob Rothschild, James Woolsey — as well as a number of current and former U.S. politicians.

Prior testing at a separate Afek site did not meet expectations, so the company sought other “sweet spots” in the area. Analysis of samples from additional wells will be performed by Afek scientists in conjunction with “external international experts.”

To understand U.S. involvement in the quagmire in Syria, Afek’s oil exploration is of critical import.

by Amelia Kinney, True Activist

Inspired by the gift, President Michelle Bachelet agrees to place 10 million acres under environmental protection.

In the largest ever private land donation to a government in Latin America, the one million acres composing Parque Pumalín has been given to Chile. Inspired by the gift, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed an agreement to place Parque Pumalín, as well as 10 million acres of federal land under environmental protection.

The massive area (three times the size of Yellowstone and Yosemite put together) will now be designated for national parklands. “Today, we are bequeathing to the country the greatest creation of protected areas in our history,” said Bachelet in a speech.

by Jessica Murray, True Activist

His original ideas are being taught to thousands of people worldwide.

Farmer, author, speaker, and consultant, Curtis Stone, has created a new method of farming where the focus is on quality of life and profitability co-existing. Established in 2010, his farm, named Green City Acres, is located in Kelowna BC Canada, and generates over $100,000 per year on only one-third of an acre. Having always had an interest in geopolitical issues, Stone wanted to take his life into his own hands and gain a sense of independence through being a producer rather than a consumer. In time, with a lack of funds, and a lot of research showing that a lot can be done in backyards, he set to work with no experience, and yet boomed into being a commercial grower in a very short space of time. He claims that a lot of his success is down to modern technology, and accessibility to resources such as YouTube, which provide valuable and free information.

By: Darius Shahtahmasebi, AntiMedia

Who is to blame for the current state of chaos in Iraq? An oversimplified and misguided, if not dishonest course of action would be to blame Iraqis for being radical, death-cult worshipping fanatics and ignore America’s foreign policy decision-making, which led to the current situation. In turn, one could place Iraq on a travel ban list of nations that doesn’t include any of the countries that created and support al-Qaeda (and then nonsensically remove them from your revised list some weeks later).

Of course, a more honest and fruitful venture would be to examine the events that led to the current situation engulfing Iraq. As American airstrikes continue to massacre the Iraqi civilian population by the hundreds, we owe it to the Iraqi people to get to the bottom of this story. From there, we could ostensibly create a future path that might bring peace to the war-torn nation as opposed to blindly continuing the same policies Iraq has been victim to for decades.