Latest news with #BFP
Newsweek
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Tears As Dogs Rescued From Animal Testing Center Touch Grass for First Time
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A major operation to rescue dogs from an overseas animal testing center came to an end with dozens of rescued beagles experiencing freedom for the first time. The Beagle Freedom Project helps to rescue and rehome animals used in experimental research, and since 2010 has saved thousands of animals in their fight for "a world where animals are no longer treated as disposable tools for testing." A recent rescue has seen dogs taken from abroad to find new homes in the United States, with a video of their first taste of freedom going viral online. Jason Bayless, vice president of the BFP, explained to Newsweek: "These dogs came from a non-U.S. animal testing laboratory, where they were born into a life of confinement and pain, just like most laboratory animals around the world. "While we don't know the exact facility or the specific tests they endured, details often hidden due to the secrecy and lack of transparency in animal testing, we do know this: when they weren't being used for experiments, they were confined to cramped metal cages, with multiple dogs per cage, stacked one on top of the other. "They were denied everything a living being deserves: no sunlight, no fresh air, no gentle touch. Their bodies were treated as tools, their lives reduced to test results." Content creator and animal rescuer Nathan Kehn, 35, who posts to social media under the name @nathanthecatlady, posted a video of the dogs' first taste of freedom to TikTok on June 1, where he wrote: "If this doesn't make you feel good I don't know what will." The rescued Beagles prepare to take their first steps on grass, after being brought to the US by the Beagle Freedom Project. The rescued Beagles prepare to take their first steps on grass, after being brought to the US by the Beagle Freedom Project. TikTok @nathanthecatlady In the clip, he showed multiple dog carriers in a garden, which held beagles rescued from testing centers overseas, and who were about to "come outside for the first time." One by one, the doors were opened, and the dogs—who had "never walked on grass"—were given the freedom to explore. Some were cautious, unsure of what to make of the great outdoors, while others sprinted onto the grass and began running, exploring and sniffing, their tails wagging furiously. Some didn't seem to know what to make of the feel of the grass under their paws, but it didn't take long before they joined the others playing and getting cuddles from volunteers. Kehn, who volunteers with animal rescue groups around the world to raise funds for supplies and "bring attention to the awesome work they are doing," told Newsweek he was "so excited" to learn the BFP had secured the beagles and were bringing them to safety. "I've seen firsthand how miserable these poor beagles are when they come out of the lab," he said. "Getting to see their first steps on grass and then watch the spark in their eye when they realized they can play was amazing. It's days like that that give me motivation to keep doing the work I do." Nathan Kehn with some of the rescued Beagles. Nathan Kehn with some of the rescued Beagles. TikTok @nathanthecatlady TikTok users went wild for the video, viewed close to 5 million times, with one commenter asking: "Why in 2025 is animal testing still allowed?" and another describing it as "beyond belief that animal testing is still allowed in our times." "I am crying," another said. "Animal testing is so wrong. And as a beagle owner and lover this just breaks my heart thinking of what they endured. THANK YOU for rescuing these babies." Multiple commenters attributed the rescue to President Donald Trump: in April, the National Institutes of Health—a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Humane Services—adopted a new initiative to reduce animal use in their research. It cited new technologies that allows researchers to study health and disease using human information. However, Bayless told Newsweek that in this case, the beagles came from a facility outside the U.S., so any American policy changes "have no jurisdiction over their treatment." He said that getting the dogs to safety in the U.S. took "months of urgent coordination, international effort, and behind-the-scenes advocacy." But it was worth it—as, "for the first time, these dogs are now learning what it means to live—to feel grass under their paws, to receive affection, to play, to rest without fear." "Today, they're either in loving forever homes or with fosters who are helping them adjust to life outside a cage. We've watched them discover toys, form bonds, and slowly heal from the trauma they endured," he said. "Despite everything, they wag their tails. They're learning to trust. It's powerful."
GMA Network
5 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
BFP warns vs fake job postings
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) on Wednesday warned the public on fake job postings for professional teachers for the Fire Inspector position. 'The BFP would like to clarify that the information currently circulating on social media regarding the hiring of professional teachers for the position of Fire Inspector (Lateral Entry) with a monthly salary of ?49,528 is unofficial and inaccurate,' BFP said in a social media post. The BFP found these fake job postings on two Facebook pages. The agency noted that the job postings did not come from its official social media platforms and should not be regarded as reliable. 'We do not support or endorse the sharing of unofficial information related to our recruitment, promotion, or placement processes,' BFP said. The BFP added that legitimate recruitment can be found on BFP's official Facebook pages. — BAP GMA Integrated News
BBC News
08-02-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Maths: Derry festival tackling 'anxiety' around school subject
A festival in Londonderry is helping to alleviate the '"fear of maths" for both children and parents, organisers have two-day event in the Guildhall, which is billed as the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, is for both primary and secondary students and has more than 15 schools from across the north west taking part. Secondary school students have also received help with understanding money management and how maths can factor into their future career Sumeeta Gupta, who is founder of the NI Maths Fest, said she wants the festival to help break down the idea of "maths anxiety". 'Maths can actually be fun' "The fear around maths is inherent in all of us, right from a young age," Dr Gupta told BBC News NI."In my time in education, I've seen a lot of families come to me and don't know how to help their children, but that fear of maths can then be passed down and children grow up thinking maths is hard."Maths is all around us, we can never escape it."The festival is an opportunity to tell children that maths can actually be fun." According to research carried out in 2019 by Cambridge University's Faculty of Education and its Centre for Neuroscience, one in 10 children can suffer from despair and rage when faced with the research was conducted by surveying 1,700 pupils, aged from eight to 13. Emer O'Donnell, who is a teacher at Steelstown Primary School in Derry, said the event is an amazing way to change young people's perceptions around maths. "It's making maths more current and helping them with their skills, they loved the activities and its great they can take part in their home city," she said. Gerry, who is a 17-year-old student, said he enjoys maths and was happy to encourage younger students in seeing its value."We've been helping the children understand times zones and the way the sun affects the day and night cycle," he said."The festival shows children how maths is both fun and practical and how it might help them get a job when they're older." 'Financial Education' Benchmark Financial Planning (BFP), who are one of the partners in NI Maths Fest, does outreach work in schools and helps children to understand personal finances and dealing with money."Most people leave school, and they are dealing with money before they are actually taught to do it," BFP's planning director Sinead Meenan said. "It's important to teach how you read a payslip, debt and how you budget," she said."Research shows children start to have a relationship with money from around the age of seven."It's important we are doing it earlier and initiatives like the festival really help."Organisers have said they hope that the festival can become an annual event and help more students find the fun in maths.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Yahoo
Former FDNY chief pleads guilty to conspiring to receive bribes to speed up building inspections
Former FDNY Chief Anthony Saccavino pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiring to accept thousands of dollars in bribes for speeding up inspections for businesses with matters before the department. Saccavino, 59, is accused of expediting fire inspections for building owners who could pay up in a scheme that saw him and his co-conspirators rake in nearly $200,000 in illegal kickbacks. 'I accepted cash in exchange for preferential treatment for entities with business before the Bureau of Fire Prevention,' he admitted in Manhattan Federal Court on Wednesday morning. Saccavino, former chief of the bureau, and another chief, former Deputy Assistant Chief Brian Cordasco, were charged with the crimes in September. Cordasco, 49, pleaded guilty a month later to charges he raked in upwards of $5,000 in bribes between 2021 and 2023. Bureau of Fire Prevention, or BFP, is responsible for greenlighting the installation of fire safety and suppression systems in both commercial and residential buildings, and without a passed inspection by the BFP, a building may not be allowed to open. A retired FDNY inspector, Henry Santiago, Jr., who has also pleaded guilty to related charges, helped funnel the ill-gotten gains to them as they stepped in to speed up inspections after the pandemic, when a backlog of requests had built up, according to prosecutors. Saccavino confessed to just one of the five counts he is charged with — still denying charges of bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud. Saccavino also still denies that he lied to FBI agents in an interview. Outside the courtroom, Saccavino's lawyer, Joseph Caldarera, called his client, who was a first responder on 9/11, 'an American hero,' and said that the guilty plea meant Saccavino 'put his family first,' adding that not 'everything' in the indictment was correct. Saccavino must pay back the $57,000 bribes from the scheme, according to his plea agreement. While the maximum sentence for his crime is five years behind bars, the former chief agreed not to fight any prison time of less than 60 months. This scheme happened at the same time Mayor Adams' City Hall allegedly worked to fast-track FDNY inspections for real estate developers who were cozy with the administration, using the so-called 'Deputy Mayor of Operations list' — named before it fell under the purview of that official. The unrelated case against Adams alleges in part that he accepted bribes from associates of the Turkish government to circumvent fire safety checks at the country's Manhattan consulate. 'Anthony Saccavino betrayed the City agency he was chosen to lead by repeatedly selling access to the Bureau of Fire Prevention's services in a pay-to-play bribery scheme,' acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sasson said in a statement. 'This Office will continue to ensure that City officials who place their own interests above those of the public will be held accountable.' Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Greenwood said that if he were to stand trial for this count, prosecutors would have brought a bevy of evidence including cell phone records, FDNY internal email and financial records.
