Hasta La Gadget!

Man’s best friend just became man’s biggest mystery.

At least 40 dogs have vanished from Wise County, Texas since November, and authorities say they have few leads for the missing canines.

Wise County Sheriff David Walker could only speculate what’s happening to the pooches in his jurisdiction north of Dallas.

“Could they be using them in dog fights? It’s possible,” he told WFAA. “This is not normal, and it feels like something is wrong. It leads you to believe someone has taken our dogs.”

Police say there’s currently no physical evidence — let alone a suspect — proving that the dogs were stolen, NBC-DFW reports. At this point, there are only heartbreaking stories from worried owners.

WFAA reports:

Jack, a two-year-old black lab, has been missing from the Lewis family’s backyard since Dec. 27. His bright blue collar still hangs above his kennel.

“It makes me think of him,” said Robin Lewis.

But it wasn’t until Robin turned to Facebook that she realized there may be much more to his disappearance. Two dogs from her neighbor Jana’s yard went missing on the same day.

Around the same time, Cassidy McKibben’s four-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Lily, disappeared.

Walker appealed to area residents to be on the lookout for suspicious behavior, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether the department was putting any extra resources into the case. The sheriff didn’t immediately return HuffPost’s calls for comment.

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The recently released GoDaddy 2015 Super Bowl ad generated a whole lot of outrage from animal advocates and was quickly retracted Tuesday.

The ad, called “Journey Home,” features a golden retriever puppy named Buddy who bounces out of the back of a truck before traveling through a series of harrowing environments to get to a bright red barn.

“Buddy! I’m so glad you made it home!” a curly-haired blonde exclaims. “Because I just sold you on this website I made with GoDaddy.”

The last scene shows Buddy loaded in a box in the back of a van — driven by GoDaddy spokeswoman-racecar driver Danica Patrick — being dispatched to his new owner. As the door slams shut, the woman commands, “Ship him out.”

In a statement titled “We’re Listening, Message Received,” GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving touched on the intention of the ad but acknowledged things didn’t go quite as planned.

At the end of the day, our purpose at GoDaddy is to help small businesses around the world build a successful online presence. We hoped our ad would increase awareness of that cause. However, we underestimated the emotional response. And we heard that loud and clear.

Among those who didn’t find this ad to be quite as hilariously saucy as GoDaddy might have hoped is Steffen Baldwin, president and CEO of the Animal Cruelty Task Force of Ohio.

“Every year animal are euthanized across America, over 7 million each year because lifetime commitments are seen as disposable commodities, able to be bought, traded and sold like an X Box,” says Baldwin.

“The callous, careless and disposable way these animals are portrayed in the GoDaddy commercial shows everything that’s wrong with the puppy industry in less than 60 seconds and minus the rows and rows of stacked cages on top of stacked cages and breeding dogs that are unable to walk on grass after living a life in a crate being bred until they no longer serve a useful purpose to the owner.”

Alan Braslow, a New Jerseyan who is deeply enmeshed in the animal welfare world, also described the ad as “extremely offensive and socially irresponsible.”

“I spend my spare time rescuing dogs and fighting to eliminate puppy mills. To see GoDaddy place an ad in the Super Bowl venue that promotes puppy mills, whether it was their intention to do so or not, is inexcusable,” he says.

As of Tuesday evening, more than 35,000 people who share these concerns had signed an online petition calling for GoDaddy to pull its 2015 Super Bowl ad.

Earlier in the day, a representative for Change.org told The Huffington Post it was the site’s fastest-growing petition, gaining more than 1,000 new signatures per hour. Twitter and Facebook, too, also blew up with the hashtag #NoDaddy. And many on social media and elsewhere were saying if GoDaddy didn’t pull the ad, they’d pull their business.

“I’m almost certain that I will move my websites and services to another provider,” said Nashville-based photographer Brian Batista. “As a pet photographer and huge rescue advocate I cannot justify my business being hosted by a company that would conceive of this type of marketing. The lack of respect for Buddy in the ad is what disturbs me the most, millions of pets die every year because of that simple fact.”

On Tuesday afternoon, AdWeek reported that Irving had announced the ad wouldn’t run during the Super Bowl. Irving shared the news on Twitter.

Thank you @animalrescuers for the candid feedback. What should have been a fun and funny ad clearly missed the mark and we will not air it.

— Blake Irving (@Blakei) January 27, 2015

Buddy, himself, was adopted by the company after his two-day shoot for this commercial. Details surrounding his rescue were initially unclear, but in his statement Tuesday, Irving said the dog came “from a reputable and loving breeder in California” and has “been adopted permanently by one of our longtime employees.”

GoDaddy had previously issued a press release touting a company-wide effort to encourage employees to volunteer at animal shelters. They also released another video, again with Patrick and Buddy, this one touting the many benefits of pet adoption.

One animal advocate has a suggestion on how the company can make amends.

“Since the spirit of the commercial is to show the struggle of small business owners,” says Baldwin, “Maybe they should ante up and offer some corporate support to the many small startup animal rescue organizations that take in the animals dumped at shelters nationwide after being bought, sold and then discarded.”

Have an animal story to share? Know a rescue group doing great work? Get in touch at arin.greenwood@huffingtonpost.com!

January 2015 is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. In a proclamation commemorating the month, President Obama explained:

Stained from a history of slavery and shaped by ancestors brought to this country in chains, today, America shines as a beacon of hope to people everywhere who cherish liberty and opportunity. Still, our society remains imperfect, and our Nation has more work to do to uphold these values.

Sex trafficking is the fastest-growing business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world, according to the FBI. In 2013, nearly 5,000 cases of human trafficking were reported to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. Today, as many as 300,000 American youth are at risk of becoming a victim of sex trafficking. The enactment of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) in 2000 made child sex trafficking in interstate commerce a federal crime. The TVPA authorized services to victims of trafficking and was most recently reauthorized in 2013. (Source: House Judiciary Committee)

Last year, the Dept. of Homeland Security re-launched their Blue Campaign, which works in collaboration with law enforcement, government, non-governmental and private organizations to combat human trafficking. To report suspected human trafficking, call 1-866-347-2423. Or to get help from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, call 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733).

Human Trafficking Prevention in Congress
This week, the House will be voting on a series of bills related to human trafficking prevention. These bills all have bipartisan support in the House. Here’s a look at their proposals:

– Human Trafficking Prioritization Act (HR 514): To prioritize the fight against human trafficking within the Department of State according to congressional intent in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 without increasing the size of the Federal Government.

– International Megan’s Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking (HR 515): “A serious attempt to mitigate child sex tourism by noticing countries of destination concerning the travel plans of convicted pedophiles. And to protect American children, the bill encourages the President to use bilateral agreements and assistance to establish reciprocal notification so that we will know when convicted child-sex offenders are coming here,” according a floor statement by the sponsor in 2014. “In 1994, a young girl in my home town and district was lured into the home of a convicted pedophile who lived across the street from her home. Megan Kanka, seven, was raped and murdered. No one, including Megan Kanka’s parents, knew that their neighbor had been convicted and jailed for child sexual assault. The combination of concern for children and outrage towards those who abuse led to enactment of Megan’s Laws — public sex offender registries — in every state in the country.”

– Human Trafficking Prevention Act (HR 357): “Requires additional training for Department of State officials related to human trafficking,” according to the bill sponsor.

– Improving Response to Child Sex Trafficking (HR 246): To improve the response to victims of child sex trafficking.

– Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act (HR 398): “Trains healthcare workers to recognize the hallmark signs of human trafficking, thus allowing professionals to intervene on a patients’ behalf. This legislation trains healthcare workers to recognize the hallmark signs of human trafficking, thus allowing professionals to intervene. This legislation requires the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award a grant to a medical or nursing school within each of the 10 administrative regions to develop best practices for health care professionals. These best practices will allow for them to recognize, respond, and intervene on behalf of human trafficking victims,” according to the bill sponsor.

– Human Trafficking Detection Act (HR 460): To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to train Department of Homeland Security personnel how to effectively deter, detect, disrupt, and prevent human trafficking during the course of their primary roles and responsibilities.

– Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act (HR 398): To provide for the development and dissemination of evidence-based best practices for health care professionals to recognize victims of a severe form of trafficking and respond to such individuals appropriately.

– Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act (HR 350): “Launches a review that will look into federal and state trafficking prevention activities in order to identify best practices to stop human trafficking; requires an inventory of existing federal anti-trafficking efforts to make sure all federal agencies and programs work together and that federal resources are being targeted where needed; and improves existing Department of Justice grants, ensuring that the grants also support shelters for survivors, according to the House Judiciary Committee.

– Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act (HR 159): “Provides incentives to states to adopt safe harbor laws that treat trafficked children as victims, rather than as criminals or delinquents. The bill also provides an avenue for victims to access job skills training so that they can begin to rebuild their lives,” according to the House Judiciary Committee.

– Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (HR 181): “Boosts support and protection for domestic human trafficking victims by increasing and streamlining law enforcement resources, enhancing victims’ services, and strengthening our laws to ensure that both buyers and sellers engaged in sex trafficking are held accountable for their crimes,” according to the House Judiciary Committee.

– Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act (HR 285): “To criminalize those who knowingly advertise or profit from advertisements that offer the commercial exploitation of children and trafficking victims,” according to the House Judiciary Committee.

– Enhancing Services for Runaway and Homeless Victims for Youth Trafficking Act (HR 468): Would “improve support provided specifically to runaway and homeless youth who are victims of sex trafficking,” according to the House Education and Workforce Committee. Enable the Secretary of Health and Human Services to apply existing grant resources to train relevant staff on the effects of human trafficking in runaway and homeless youth victims, and for developing state-wide strategies to serve such youth. Allow the secretary to utilize the Street Outreach Program to provide street-based services for runaway and homeless youth who are victims of trafficking.

– Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act (HR 469): Would “improve practices within state child welfare systems to identify and document sex trafficking victims,” according to the House Education and Workforce Committee. Direct states to have procedures to identify and assess reports involving children who are victims of sex trafficking, and train child protective services workers on how to do so. Require states to identify services that address the needs of children who are victims of sex trafficking.

POPVOX.com is a neutral, nonpartisan platform that connects people with their lawmakers. Highlighting a bill doesn’t imply a POPVOX endorsement in any way. Rather, we’re simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of a complex legislative system.

Satechi has unveiled their BT Button series over at CES 2015, that enables users to enjoy absolute wireless accessibility – all using a single press of a button. This particular trilogy series would comprise of a BT Shutter Button, a BT Media Button and a BT Home button, where users can then tote on their key chains, steering wheel or dashboard in a jiffy so that one can easily access several aspects of their smart devices – and this would include the likes of photos, music and GPS directions.

The Satechi BT Button series would boasts of a sophisticated slim aluminum metal design, where it will play nice with most iOS devices which support Bluetooth and Android 4.4.4 KitKat or newer. Each of the plug and play buttons will arrive packaged with a mount, audio port keychain attachment, an integrated 3M sticker for easy attachment, and a CR2016 battery, which is said to be able to last for up to a couple of years.

Such a perfect blur-free selfie would become achievable thanks to Satechi’s BT Shutter Button. Imagine snapping group photos and video recordings being no longer that awkward, as all that one needs to do is tap the Shutter Button, where you can then see the paired smart device to begin recording or taking photos immediately. This would make it the perfect tool to capture every single one of life’s moments, the Shutter Button did not miss a beat, or a perfect photo.

Satechi’s BT Media Button lets one control the soundtrack of their lives sans wires without the need of their smart device to be nearby. This media button will be used to remotely control volume, fast forward, rewind, and play/pause music or videos, and it is ideal for listening to music and controlling video play hands-free, all without the need to get up or even to reach for your device.

Last but not least, there is the Satechi BT Home Button, letting one access the likes of Siri and any other phone assistant in a jiffy, regardless of whether it is through a smartphone’s speakerphone or a user’s car microphone. The Home Button would offer users with a safe, hands-free approach in order to make and receive phone calls, to access Siri or to follow GPS directions as one drives.

Press Release
[ Satechi intends to enhance safety using BT Button Series copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Though the technology is ludicrously outdated, Nixie tubes have actually remained a popular alternative to LEDs and LCD displays—at least in devices where function follows form. So it’s no surprise that MB&F, known for its over-the-top watches and music boxes , has embraced them on its new Nixie Machine clock that people won’t be staring at just to read the time.

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