WASHINGTON – Already a leap year, 2016 will drag on a bit longer. International timekeepers are adding a leap second at year’s end.
Because Earth is slowing down a tad, occasionally timekeepers insert another second or two to match Earth’s rotation and the precise atomic clocks. U.S. Naval Observatory’s Geoff Chester says the tides’ interaction with the moon and other factors, including warmer, denser waters from El Nino, cause Earth to take longer to go full circle each day.
Timekeepers announced Wednesday that on Dec. 31, at 11:59 p.m. and 59 seconds Universal Time (6:59 p.m. Eastern Time), the next second will become 11:59:60. The new year won’t start for another second.
This will be the first leap second since July 1, 2015.
Greyhound racing will be banned in New South Wales from July 1 next year, with Premier Mike Baird saying the "widespread and systemic mistreatment of animals" cannot be tolerated.
Key points:
NSW becomes first state in Australia to ban greyhound racing
Mike Baird says the Government was left with "no acceptable course of action except to close this industry down"
Detailed plans for the shutdown will be developed with industry consultation
It comes after a special commission of inquiry found overwhelming evidence of animal cruelty, including mass greyhound killings and live baiting.
In announcing his reasons for the ban, Mr Baird said the inquiry found:
Between 48,000–68,000 dogs were killed in past 12 years in NSW because they were too slow or otherwise unsuitable for racing
Live baiting is widespread, with about 10–20 per cent of trainers engaged in the practice
Greyhound Racing NSW had a policy of deliberately misreporting the number of dog deaths and injuries
The industry is not capable of reforming over the short or medium term
In his recommendation to Parliament, Mr McHugh said it should be considered whether the industry had lost its "social licence" to operate and should be shut down.
His alternative recommendation was extensive reform, including tighter regulation. But he said if the industry continued, there was a "very real risk" that live baiting would continue.
There are 6,809 registered greyhounds in NSW, which will need to be re-homed, transferred interstate or put down, the inquiry found.
'Horrific' evidence of animal cruelty heard by special commission
Mr Baird said the decision showed the State Government was making animal welfare a priority.
"As a humane and responsible Government, we are left with no acceptable course of action except to close this industry down," Mr Baird said.
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"This is the inevitable conclusion to be drawn from the appalling revelations in Mr McHugh's report and his considered view that any other measures are unlikely to protect animals from further cruelty."
Mr Baird described the evidence of animal cruelty heard by the commission as "chilling and horrific".
"As you will see when you go through the report, he has shone the light on an industry that has overseen the slaughter of tens of thousands of healthy dogs whose only crime was they weren't fast enough," Mr Baird said.
"He's also shown an industry which has turned a blind eye to the barbaric practice of live baiting. He's shown that the industry has a culture of deception.
"Indeed the commissioner has found that it is no longer entitled to the trust of the community."
In a statement, Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) said the industry was "devastated" by the decision and responded to the ban by emphasising its overhaul of integrity protocols since the live-baiting scandal broke.
"GRNSW had taken decisive action as it strived to recover community trust and believed that its reforms and strategic direction could have transformed the sport into a stronger, sustainable one in which animal welfare and integrity were fundamental to a vibrant future," they said.
"The NSW Government, after receiving the report of the special commission of inquiry, has come to a different conclusion, one that will rock industry participants and associated communities around our state, as well as the hardworking GRNSW team and its partners who have been working tirelessly to improve the industry."
GRNSW has now suspended racing for the next seven days.
'A tough day' for many in the industry
Racing Minister and Deputy Premier Troy Grant said he was sure that everyone who read the report would be horrified by it, as he was.
He said the evidence in the report went far beyond the single issue of live baiting.
"No Government wants to close down an industry and I absolutely want to acknowledge that there are many, many great people in the greyhound industry who will be devastated by this news," he said.
"But there are too many of those in the industry for financial gain or for whatever other motivation they had, chose to put animal welfare as their least consideration in their own pursuit of profit or what other motivation they had.
"This is a tough day for all those connected to the industry but I urge them not to panic."
The State Opposition said while Labor deplored animal cruelty, the Premier had jumped the gun.
"We're talking about wiping out an entire industry," Labor's racing spokesman Michael Daley said.
Welfare group calls for national ban
Animals Australia's Shantha Hamade described the announcement as "a courageous decision in line with the community expectation".
Countries that allow greyhound racing:
Australia
Mexico
Macau
New Zealand
Republic of Ireland
United Kingdom
USA
Vietnam
"We are dealing with an industry who, for more than a decade, has been founded on the practice of live baiting," she said.
"Also an industry that has happily been responsible for the slaughter of tens of thousands of dogs, healthy dogs each year and so - let's not forget the drugging of dogs for performance enhancing reasons that goes on in this industry."
Ms Hamade said other states should follow the lead of NSW.
"Everything that is going on in NSW is going on nationally and without a national approach to this problem, what we'll see happening is that trainers in NSW will start moving their dogs interstate and racing them interstate," she said.
Harare | The Zimbabwean authorities have confirmed that 5 men were killed and 3 others were severely injured when attacked by a pride of lions in the Hwange National Park, in the Matabeleland North province.
The victims are local poachers who were illegally hunting for elephants inside the boundaries the national park, when they were surprised by a group of almost twenty adult Southwest African lions, the same species as Cecil the Lion, who died a few kilometres from the site in July 215.
The felines’ attack was so sudden and violent, that five of the ten men were killed, three severely injured and two were only lightly injured, while the animals were mostly unhurt. The survivors abandoned their dead comrades on the site and hurried back to a nearby village for medical care, where they were rapidly arrested.
Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner-General, Augustine Chihuri, told reporters that the poachers were visibly terrified by their experience and he hopes this incident serves as a lesson to other poachers.
“The men were visibly traumatized by the attack,” said Commissioner-General Chihuri,“and after seeing their injuries and the remains of their dead comrades, I can see why. These guys tough criminals carrying ak-47s, but they were literally shred to pieces and devoured by the lions. I have never seen an animal attack reach this level of violence, and I have seen a lot!”
The Commissioner-General of Zimbabwe Republic Police, Augustine Chihuri, described the scene as “a horrible blood bath”, with many bones and bits of flesh scattered over hundreds of square metres.
The surviving poachers will now face a wide array of criminal charges if they survive their injuries. The charges brought by prosecutors include illegal-hunting, possession of illegal weapons and contravening the Parks and Wildlife Act.
Their first appearance in court is expected to take place on April 4th, when they will be facing sentences of up to 25 years in jail and fines of up to US$100 000.
WATCH Transgender Terms: Breaking Down Definitions and Dos & Don'ts
One of the nation's oldest fraternities has voted to allow transgender men with legal documentation to pledge -- saying that "one change is never a stopping point" and saying it hopes "this opens the door to further discussion about inclusivity."
Chi Phi, which was founded at Princeton University in 1824, changed its membership policy to be more inclusive following a student-run initiative at its 151st congressional meeting, the fraternity announced last week.
"We felt thisamendmentto Chi Phi's Constitution would change the conversation surrounding transgender men and their ability to join the Fraternity," said Sam Borchart, the undergraduate chairman of the Committee of Membership. "One change is never a stopping point, and we hope this opens the door to further discussion about inclusivity, particularly for transgender men who want to join us in this fraternity."."
The recommended treatment for chronic alcoholism is abstinence. But at the Oaks - a permanent home for those who once lived on the streets - residents are given a measure of wine at hourly intervals. It is called the Managed Alcohol Program, and aims to change the drinking behaviour of inveterate addicts.
In a converted hotel in the west of the city of Ottawa, a quiet, orderly queue snakes around the reception area. The men and women are mostly middle-aged or older. Some of them use sticks, walkers or wheelchairs, their health fragile after a lifetime of booze. But it is their hands that stand out - scarred, bruised or swollen, their fingernails chipped or bitten to the quick. All clutch a cup, mug, glass or flask. Any receptacle will do.
At exactly half past the hour, what's known as "the pour" begins. A measure of Californian white - 13% alcohol, made on the premises - is measured into a jug from a draft tap behind the counter. One at a time, the wine is dispensed to nearly 50 alcoholics. For the first pour at 7.30am, most residents get a kickstarter of 7oz - nearly 200ml, a larger-than-average sized glass of wine in Europe. For the rest of the day until 9.30pm, they are given 5oz - just over 140ml.
Elisa Pewheoalook is next in line, a white ceramic cup at the ready. He is from Pond Inlet, an Inuit town in Canada's north, and has been drinking for 40 of his 53 years - a life blighted by alcohol.
"It's not bad, the wine here," he says. "Out on the streets I was drinking mouthwash, hairspray. It didn't taste good, but all I wanted was the effect. I don't drink that stuff anymore - it makes me feel sick to think of it. And I drink much less here."
Image captionWine is brewed at the Oaks
If anyone shows signs of intoxication, they will not be served.
"It doesn't happen very often, but if they're drunk, I ask them to go to their room and take a nap," says Lucia Ali, one of the frontline staff at the Oaks who works the bar.
Ottawa's Managed Alcohol Program - or MAP - was designed to address the needs of homeless people who had tried to stop drinking and failed. The scheme was the brainchild of a group of health professionals around 15 years ago.
"The thought was that if we could stabilise the craziness of their lives, the day that begins with the search for alcohol and all the complications that occur with that, then maybe we could make inroads with their mental health, addiction to alcohol and their physical illnesses," says Dr Jeff Turnbull, one of those early innovators, and the chief of staff at Ottawa Hospital.
Image captionBingo on a Sunday afternoon
The catalyst was a chronic alcoholic called Eugene.
"We found him outside with frostbite. He wouldn't stay inside during that freezing weather because of his addiction to alcohol. So we said, wouldn't it be safer if we just got him some wine and allowed him to drink that? Eugene responded very quickly. He stayed inside the shelter, his frostbite got better and we saved his toes."
The MAP started in 2001 and is run by a partnership of two NGOs - the Shepherds of Good Hope, and Ottawa Inner City Health. It began in the Shepherds' homeless hostel downtown, and the Oaks opened in 2010. But the approach was controversial.
"I got death threats," remembers Dr Turnbull who continues to be the physician in charge at the Oaks.
"The addiction community is very divided about harm reduction. There are some proponents who feel so strongly about abstinence as the only treatment for alcoholism, they just couldn't see an alternative."
The Oaks' residents contribute to the cost of their keep - and the wine - through pensions and state benefits. After collecting their drinks from the counter, they amble into the common area, or take their drinks to the courtyard outside and light up a cigarette.
They chat with their friends, play cards - or sit, sipping and staring into space. There is a TV room, and a computer. There are outings and shopping trips. One of the staff runs a gentle keep-fit class. It is a calm, stable environment, and it has enabled many to flourish. Some have re-established contact with their families; others are hoping to volunteer or even go back to work. And the Inuit residents have formed a task force to compile information for homeless people like them.
Image captionMembers of the Inuit task force
It is a world away from the chaotic lives many led on the streets. Downtown Ottawa is edgy. Every block or so, there are addicts. Those looking for drugs walk as if hunted - fast and purposefully. The alcoholics sway unsteadily, or doze on the sidewalk, chins resting on chests.
Police Sgt Steve Boucher regularly patrols these streets. On a Sunday afternoon he is called to assist paramedics in Ottawa's Byward Market area. An unkempt man in his 40s is slumped heavily on a bench in front of a restaurant. He is conscious and breathing, but a small plastic bottle of rubbing alcohol - 50% proof - is on his lap.
"I'd say a minimum of half a dozen times a shift we get calls like this one," says Sgt Boucher. "It's sad that this man's life has come to this, but alcohol is a demon he's going to have to deal with all his life."
Lifelong alcoholics are an enormous drain on public resources.
"One of our clients was in the emergency department 191 times in the six months preceding coming onto the MAP," says Dr Turnbull. "And that was just in our hospital. He could've been in other healthcare facilities during that time as well."
Image captionDr Jeff Turnbull
No one study about the MAP has crunched the numbers fully, but it is not unrealistic to assume that the city of Ottawa has saved millions of dollars.
"There's a profound reduction in 911 calls, hospital emergency visits, paramedic and police encounters," says Dr Turnbull.
The Oaks has a waiting list. Before being accepted, potential residents must prove they can live within the rules of the Managed Alcohol Program. The Shepherds' hostel downtown is a 12-bed unit, but the atmosphere is far less benign than at the Oaks.
Michael is 36, and struggling. At 3pm he is unsteady on his feet - a messy, weeping wound under one eye. This is the seventh time he has tried the MAP.
Hearing of the death of someone from alcoholism had been a wake-up call. "So I came back," he says. "I don't want to get kicked out of here again. I can't be out there on the streets any more, man."
Michael is a desperate man. But David McConnell is hoping he might be one of the next to graduate to the Oaks after 14 months at the MAP downtown. At 64, his alcohol intake has dropped, and he is resisting the temptation to drink outside.
"I used to drink all day and now I just drink once every hour," he says.
David's family is in the United States, but he was deported back to Canada after a prison term.
Image captionDavid McConnell
"I was prosecuted for unintentional manslaughter. I got in a car wreck, and unfortunately I ended up killing a woman. It stays with me every day."
Too often, regret and shame cast a shadow over alcoholic lives. But there is also hope.
Back at the Oaks, another queue forms for the hourly "pour". Corinne Jackson has lived here for nearly six years, but she is not waiting in line. It is three months since she had the hourly glass of Californian white.
"I started to get sicker and sicker. And I thought - I just don't want to do that anymore. I turned 50 last year, and I don't want to be another person that dies here too young."
Image captionCorinne Jackson
After 18 years of heavy drinking, Corinne put the brakes on.
"Alcohol ruined many of my relationships. I had a job at one of the nicest hotels in Ottawa - I lost that," she says.
Corinne's partner lives at the Oaks with her - he stopped the hourly pour last year. But the couple have not stopped drinking altogether.
"When we have money, my boyfriend and I pick up a couple of beers and we go visit friends," says Corinne. "But I don't get polluted. It's nice having a clear head. You know, the fog that was suffocating me for 18 years gets clearer and clearer. I'm just embracing every day as a new gift."
Her love life has been transformed.
"When you're drunk, you just go with the flow, and you don't remember anything. That was a mess, but it's much better now. I feel very lucky."
Corinne is delighted with her sobriety, but if she is judged on the criteria of abstinence, hers is not a success story.
"I'd love them all to be abstinent," says Dr Turnbull. "But is that feasible or possible? Perhaps not. We do try and reduce their alcohol on a daily basis. At least they're stable here at the Oaks. They're happy, and they have a reasonable standard of living."
