Your Inner Kitten: February 2018

Thursday, February 22, 2018

World War II veteran faces eviction for lingering Hurricane Irma damage before community steps up

WWII veteran facing eviction over damaged home

Told to fix damage done to his mobile home by Hurricane Irma.

A World War II veteran who survived the lashing of Hurricane Irma as it tore through Florida last year was confronted with another struggle this month, facing eviction for not fixing the storm damage to his home - but the local community stepped up to help.

Lucien E. Lebrun, known as Chet, was recently served an eviction notice from his retirement community in Winter Haven, Fla. after the 96-year-old failed to make repairs to his mobile home, his friend Karen Bingham told Fox News on Tuesday.

"He's very upset that he's being treated this way," Bingham said. "He thought there was no way they would evict him because the government would step in."

Lebrun's mobile home was severely damaged by Irma's fierce winds, which lifted parts of the aluminum off the side of the structure and the roof, allowing water to get inside the home's walls.

Lucien "Chet" Lebrun was recently given an eviction notice from his retirement community after not fixing hurricane damage to his mobile home. (Karen Bingham)

"When he opens the front door every morning, it's wet," Bingham told Fox News. "The floor is already rotting and soft."

The 96-year-old, who is on a fixed income, applied for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the cost of repairs, but Bingham, who has power of attorney for Lebrun, said his initial request was denied and they have yet to hear about an appeal.

"I would just like to do this for him, just have him happy and live in peace without being harassed."
– Karen Bingham

His troubles got worse last week when he received an eviction notice from the Cypress Shores retirement community, saying Lebrun had to be out by Feb. 23 after not making repairs to his home.

"When they sent me that notice, 'You got seven days to fix it,' imagine fixing all that, seven days, I can't even stand up," Lebrun told FOX35.

Bingham said the management company of the community told her since Lebrun owned his mobile home, he was the one solely responsible for the repairs.

ARMED KOREAN WAR VETERAN, FACING EVICTION OVER SERVICE DOGS, KILLED BY POLICE AFTER CONFRONTATION

"They never said 'Hey what can we do to help, maybe we can have someone on the maintenance crew help out,'" she said.

In an interview with The Ledger newspaper, Lebrun said he's lived in the community since the late 1970s, and had been in his current mobile home for five years, along with his cat named Kitty.

Lebrun told the paper he served with the U.S. Army from 1941 to 1945 during World War II.

Lucien "Chet" Lebrun served with the U.S Army in World War II, and now is facing an eviction from his home in Florida. (Karen Bingham)

"I spent three years in the jungle, fighting," Lebrun said. "I never complain, but there's not much I can do about it."

The retirement community, which is listed online as a place where "residents enjoy the best of both worlds – the privacy and quiet that you find in a single-family home plus the commitment to service found in a professionally managed community," did not respond to a phone call Tuesday by Fox News.

NURSING HOME'S FAREWELL FOR VETERAN GOES VIRAL

Bingham told Fox News the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Florida Department of Health are in favor of Lebrun entering an assisted-living facility, but Lebrun said he's managed to live fine on his own and "takes pride in his independence."

Since his troubles started, Bingham has set up a GoFundMe account to help Lebrun pay for repairs. The account had received more than $14,000 as of Wednesday. And two local businessmen stepped in Tuesday offering to purchase him a new mobile home in a nearby retirement community.

"They contacted me this morning and said that the two of them would like to purchase him a new mobile home in the Hamptons here in Auburndale," Bingham told FOX35.

Lucien "Chet" Lebrun was recently given an eviction notice from his retirement community after his mobile home sustained damage during Hurricane Irma. (FOX35)

The goal now is to get Chet into a new home by the end of the week, according to Bingham, who said things are "moving along."

She also told Fox News she's been in contact with a representative from Sen. Marco Rubio's office to examine Lebrun's FEMA application.

Bingham also hopes she can use proceeds from the GoFundMe account to help Chet pay for his lot rent going forward, and replace his damaged furnishings for his new home.

"I would just like to do this for him, just have him happy and live in peace without being harassed," she said.

Travis Fedschun is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @travfed

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Give tenants a right to pets, says Labour

Labour wants to strengthen the rights of tenants to keep a pet in their properties as part of a package of proposed animal welfare measures.

Some rental agreements drawn up by landlords insist on no animals.

Tenants can seek permission to keep pets but Labour wants a default right for them to do so unless there is evidence their pet will be a nuisance.

Other Labour ideas include a ban on foie gras imports and an end to the export of live animals for slaughter.

The Conservatives said Labour were "belatedly playing catch-up" with their own recent announcements on animal welfare and some of its proposals would not be possible if the UK adhered to EU rules after Brexit.

In recent months, Environment Secretary Michael Gove has proposed increasing maximum sentences for serious animal cruelty to five years in jail and said a ban on pet shops and other third parties selling puppies should be explored as part of a crackdown on unscrupulous breeders.

He has also published draft legislation which would commit the government to treat animals as "sentient beings" when it makes future laws, following a political row over the issue at the end of last year.

Despite the flurry of activity from the government, Labour is insisting it remains "the party of animal welfare", citing its backing for the 2005 hunting ban and past steps to tighten the rules on the transport of live animals.

The party is now proposing to go further by prohibiting the live export of animals for slaughter or fattening and requiring all slaughterhouses to have CCTV installed.

The 50-point draft policy document – entitled Animal Welfare for the Many not the Few – also proposes:

ending the badger cull
closing "loopholes" which permit illegal fox hunting
creating a new zoo inspectorate to draw up revised standards
expanding affordable vet care for owners on low incomes
reviewing animal testing to focus on minimising suffering and ending avoidable tests
obliging motorists to report incidents where animals are injured
phasing in a ban on all fur imports
banning intensive rearing of game birds for shooting
protecting the marine environment around the UK through "blue belt" zone

Among the most eye-catching proposals is a plan to strengthen the right of tenants to have pets in their homes, which Labour said was a recognition of the growing number of people having to rent well into their 30s.

Under the 2015 Consumer Rights Act, a landlord can only refuse permission if it is reasonable to do so, for instance on grounds of the animal's size, the damage it could cause and its impact on future rental prospects.

Image caption Labour is looking at ways of reducing vets' bills for the lower-paid

Under Labour's plans, which it says it wants to discuss with landlords and tenant bodies, there would need to be evidence that the animal was a nuisance for permission to be refused.

The National Landlords Association said its members should have the right to refuse tenants with pets as long as they justified their actions, including in cases where properties were simply not geared up for animals.

But the group's chief executive Richard Lambert added that "tenants who keep pets do tend to stay for longer periods of time, and there are a few simple steps that landlords can take in order to mitigate the perceived increased risks" – including insisting on larger deposits.

Shelter said that while it was often difficult for landlords to enforce conditions relating to pets, tenants were at greater risk of eviction if they were in breach of tenancy agreements.

Labour also envisages creating a new post of animal welfare commissioner, to ensure government policy is continually abreast of the latest scientific evidence. This would also mean animal welfare is taken into consideration in trade deals after Brexit, and in the UK's dealings with international bodies.

'World leader'

After the UK leaves the EU, Labour says future farming subsidies must reflect the need to outlaw bad environmental practice and move away from intensive rearing techniques.

"With new trade deals on the horizon and the UK no longer subject to EU-wide rules on animal welfare, we want to ensure there is a comprehensive legislative agenda in place so that the UK becomes a world leader on animal rights," said the party's shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman.

"Our vision is one where no animal is made to suffer unnecessary pain and we continue to drive up standards and practice in line with the most recent advances and understanding".

Responding for the Conservatives, MP Steve Double said "from introducing mandatory CCTV into slaughter houses to increasing the maximum sentence for animal cruelty ten-fold, the Conservatives will continue taking the action needed to ensure animals receive the proper protection they deserve."

It emerged earlier this month that the government is considering its own ban on the export of live animals for slaughter, and will launch a consultation in the spring.

Theresa May, meanwhile, has ruled out a Commons vote on repealing the ban on hunting with dogs during the current Parliament, reversing a manifesto commitment for a free vote.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Dogs Demonstrate 5 Different Hugs for Valentines Day

Friday, February 2, 2018

Baltimore cops reportedly kept toy guns to plant as fake evidence

Last week, an ex-detective testified that members of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force have committed armed robberies and forged records. Another disturbing detail: The task force was instructed to use toy guns as an evidence plant, just in case they found themselves "in a jam," the Root reports.

The use of toy guns came to light after task force Officer Maurice Ward was arrested and a toy gun was found in his glove compartment. This left federal authorities puzzled-until it was uncovered that the unit's supervisor, Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, had reportedly instructed the task force officers to keep toy guns with them just in case they needed to plant evidence at a scene.

Jenkins himself "kept a collection of BB guns on hand" so he could "plant them on people in the case of officer-involved shootings," Vibe reports. Almost a dozen officers from the task force were arrested and indicted on various charges, from racketeering to robberies, and Ward pleaded guilty to racketing charges in July 2017 after saying that he was part of four different robberies that took place during 2016.

Testimony suggests the task force operated more like a gang than a police force, targeting both drug dealers and local residents and selling obtained drugs and guns back on the streets for a profit.

"The fallout from the indictments has included hundreds of dropped court cases that relied on the word of the officers, with the public defender's office saying thousands of cases have been compromised," the Baltimore Sun reports. "Notices for dozens of civil claims also have been filed with the city."

The case also raises larger questions about whether the Baltimore police-and police departments across the U.S., for that matter-regularly use false evidence in order to protect officers. Body cams, which are used in part to protect civilians and hold officers accountable, have also caught police planting drugs and reenacting investigations.

"It is not just Baltimore cops. It is cops," the Root's Michael Harriot writes. "They will shoot you in the face in front of your infant daughter. They will choke you to sleep for selling cigarettes. They will shoot you in the back for walking away. And they will get away with it so often that we are shocked when they are indicted."

Read the full report from the Root here.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

People can't believe this United Airlines customer wanted to fly with her emotional support peacock

BTW

Most react to emotional support animals with coos and adornment, but for Dexter the peacock, reactions were far from welcoming.

Dexter arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport last week alongside his owner, a Brooklyn artist named Ventiko, ready to jet set to Los Angeles. While Ventiko claimed she had a ticket for her emotional support peacock to accompany her on the flight, Dexter's travel plans went array as United Airlines reportedly denied the request.

Posted by The Jet Set on Sunday, January 28, 2018

According to Fox News, a spokesperson for United Airlines said Ventiko was told three times before arriving that the animal did not meet guidelines for a number of reasons, specifically weight and size.

However, according to the Emotional Support Registration of America, birds can qualify as emotional-support animals, and there is "no size discrimination allowed when it comes to Service Dogs and ESA's."

Even so, few on social media provided empathy.

*wakes up, opens yahoo news*
'Woman denied emotional support peacock on United flight.'
*SMDH, closes yahoo news, goes back to bed*
- Dana Goldberg (@DGComedy) January 30, 2018

Just an observation….
In 2017, Trump became President.
In 2018, Americans started snacking on Tide-pods and flying with emotional-support peacocks. https://t.co/Yst35OmsjM
- Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) January 30, 2018

free band name: emotional support peacock
- NOISEY (@NoiseyMusic) January 30, 2018

Does Emotional Support Peacock have his own Twitter account yet?
- Radley Balko (@radleybalko) January 30, 2018

Washington Post opinion journalist Radley Balko asked the Twitter-sphere if the emotional support peacock had his own Twitter account yet-and yes, parody handle @UnitedPeacock is up-and-running.

As for Dexter (and Vertiko's) current whereabouts, his official Instagram page shows the two decided to fulfill their California adventure via car. Their most recent post, posted earlier today, was taken in Miami, Oklahoma.

In Miami, Oklahoma there are little immigrations of me! #dexterthepeacock #plushies #celebritypet #ultimateroadtrip
A post shared by Dexter The Peacock (@dexterthepeacock) on Jan 30, 2018 at 12:44pm PST

Vertiko did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot's request for comment.

H/T Mashable

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