Fiona Adams, an Australian farmer, holds a rat that was killed by her dog. Photo: Sydney Morning Herald. As cats give up chasing mice and dogs risk death from ingesting rat bait, farmers across Australia have no choice but to improvise to deal with the raging rat disaster. For Eris Fleming, an artist and rancher on her family farm near Bakers Swamp in New South Wales, Australia, the creative approach was to create mini water traps – 15 – everywhere around my house. Mr. Fleming, 78, has seen the current large population of rats once before, in 1984. Although he initially tried placing rat baits like his neighbors, his German Shepherd “started eating the bait faster than the mice.” His dog started bleeding and needed urgent and expensive care to stay alive at the local veterinary clinic. “Vets are going to make a lot of money in this short time,” he said. Rats that have eaten bait will eventually decompose on the ceiling, in the walls and under the floorboards. “The stench is unbelievable,” he said. And so, buckets of water, narrow curtain rods coated with PVC and a layer of canola oil, and some peanut butter decoys, all designed to trap and kill rodents relentlessly. . Just like that, every morning, Mr. Fleming started by collecting dead mice, at least 300 a day. They will then be buried away from the house. It took him three hours a day to clear the bucket of dead rats, dig, bury the rats and reset the trap. However, he also saves time from having to clean every surface, such as clearing rat droppings off the table, and getting rodents out of bed or even out of the refrigerator. Several of Fleming’s neighbors followed his method, and they all reported massive exterminations of rats. Fleming currently counts only a handful of dead rats each morning, but the significant and welcome drop is probably more related to the fact that the rat population is turning to forage elsewhere, such as near Sydney than. Other techniques used by people in his county include a woman mixing powder with plaster to trick rats, although that still risks the rat decomposing in hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Elsewhere, many people prefer to use traps made of expandable latex rings – like those used to castrate pets. Rats were killed by traps made of expandable rubber latex rings. Photo: Sydney Morning Herald. Improvisation will probably still be required as the supply of rat bait and rat traps continues to be strained. Rat-killer retailer Bunnings says demand started picking up in December and accelerated even further after April. “We have seen an increase in customer demand for rat control products across New South Wales,” said Belinda Rakers, Bunnings product manager. “Due to high demand, supplies are currently at a low level. However, we are continuing to work closely with our suppliers to get more stock in stores as soon as possible,” she said. In Neurea, near Wellington, Fiona Adams is using rat bait to at least keep the rats under control, but they still rummage through her barn at night. Her dog killed one even as she was talking to guests from the Herald visiting the farm on May 20. “I certainly don’t like them, but unfortunately, you have to get used to them,” she said. “They have cute little faces, but they are stinky little animals. Driving along the road at night, they are like toy cars.” Although the cold weather has begun to slow their growth, that hasn’t stopped them from eating all of the lupine beans Fiona planted on May 19, leaving only empty husks. For Fiona as well as Fleming, the scale of the epidemic was hard to imagine for many in Sydney and elsewhere. Rats can breed after just six weeks and then lay multiple litters within three weeks, triggering a population explosion. Farmers in the area who sold their livestock turned to hay production to take advantage of the bountiful rains, but only saw entire haystacks eaten by rats within a few months. After all, it will be up to science rather than temporary or other methods to control such a massive rat population explosion. “The only way you can prevent this is by doing research,” Mr. Fleming mused.

The French Mastiff is a breed of dog that originated in France. They have an impressive appearance with a large, heavy, wrinkled head. Although very loyal and brave, they are the dog with the shortest life expectancy in the world because the intestines are very sensitive, so it can easily lead to death. Average life expectancy: 5-7 years 2. Chinese Hound – Pastoral dog Chinese Hounds have appeared for a long time in China and Southeast Asia, they are often kept in rural areas for the purpose of looking after the house and protecting the property of the owner. They are also very loyal and courageous, often accompanied by their owners to hunt, and can even help look after livestock. In fact, if cared for carefully, the life expectancy of this breed is very long, but many people do not care to protect them, plus dog theft rages in the countryside, so their lifespan is usually only a few years. Average life span: About 7 years 3. Great Dane (Germany) Different from the current characteristic that the breed has an extremely gentle personality, very shy, even afraid of plastic bags, in the past, the Great Dane dog was used to pull carts, protect, track traces. patch. Although considered very healthy, they often suffer from inherited diseases of the bones, lungs, heart and eyes. Average life expectancy: 6-7 years 4. Irish Wolfhound True to its name, the Irish wolfhound originated from its breeding purpose of hunting wolves, developed from hunting dogs in war and in everyday life. They are the tallest dog in the world, very similar to the Greyhound and very brave. However, because they often suffer from bone and cardiovascular diseases, especially gastric torsion, which is common in this breed, their life expectancy is usually not high. Average life expectancy: 6-8 years 5. Borzoi Dog The Borzoi is a Russian breed of hunting dog that specializes in hunting wolves, bred from a long-haired sheepdog. They were once loved by the Russian nobility and were often seen as gifts among the nobility. In Vietnam they are called poodles. This is a quite special dog in terms of personality, they are proud and especially loyal to their owners, quite discreet, quiet but also love to run. Average life expectancy: 7-8 years 6. Bern Mountain Dog The Bern Mountain Dog is a breed of dog originating from Switzerland, descended from wolves that were raised on farms to guard and pull carts. Unlike other hunting dogs, Bern mountain dogs are active but not too naughty, very friendly with people and other domestic animals. Average life expectancy: 6-8 years 7. Newfoundland Dog The Newfoundland dog originated in Eastern Canada, used for many different purposes such as pulling carts, carrying goods, and rescue. Therefore, they are considered “the most desirable dog breed in the world” and are also nicknamed “rescue dogs”. Although the Newfounfland dog has a massive, large body that easily scares others, the Newfounfland dog is extremely friendly and gentle. They also love to swim and are extremely fond of children. Average life expectancy: 8-10 years 8. Rottweiler The Rooster belongs to the Italian mastiff breed, often trained to become a working dog because of its strong health, intelligence, endurance and good fighting ability, and also has its own independence in character. In Vietnam, the Rooster is a favorite military dog. Average life expectancy: 8-10 years 9. Labrador retriever The Labrador (commonly known as the Lab), is a popular hunting dog in the United States and is often used to bring back prey to the owner during hunting. Their name is derived from the Portuguese word “labor”. On the body of this breed, there are still many characteristics of hunting dogs, such as very strong teeth, very large nose, sensitive to odors. They are very sensitive to eating, if the diet is not reasonable, they will lose a lot of hair. Their average lifespan is 8 – 12 years. The above is only information about the average life expectancy that these dogs usually reach. In fact, the true lifespan of a dog depends on the training, nutrition and care that people give them. According to Sohu

Lee MacMillan, the star on the social network Instagram, recently ended his life in tragedy. She is one of the victims of online bullying, an extremely dangerous flip side from social networks.

Lee MacMillan is a blogger with 74,000 followers on Instagram. The 28-year-old girl, famous for her van adventures with ex-boyfriend Max Bidstrup. Both have traveled from Canada to the Americas, South Africa … with the shepherd dog. At the end of January 2020, the couple announced the way everyone went, making many fans feel regretful.

At that time, in addition to words of comfort and encouragement, Lee also became the subject of some fans blaming and stoning. Gradually, the young girl fell into a state of depression before taking her own life. According to Lee’s family, the people who are always trying to bully Lee online are a small group of 74,000 fanpage followers.

They let go of her disparaging words for a long time. “Unfortunately, Lee has faced some sort of criticism and they have deeply influenced her. Our help was not enough for her to overcome the negative emotions they caused“The father of the Instagram social network star,” said Wil, sadly.

According to Daily Mail Australia, the Lee family hopes their daughter’s story can shed light on the devastating effects of cyberbullying can have on a person’s psychological health.

A global issue

Ipsos survey of cyberbullying in several countries. Photo: Statista

The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) defines “cyber bullying” as bullying using digital technology. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms, and mobile phones. It is repetitive behavior, intended to frighten, anger, or embarrass the targeted people.

There are various forms of bullying on the Internet, such as the spread of lies, malicious rumors, and offensive comments; Post embarrassing photos of someone on social media; Sending harassing or threatening messages through messaging platforms; Impersonating someone online to send malicious messages to others …

In fact, bullying has always been a headache for many people and society for a long time. Now, with the use of social media becoming ubiquitous around the world, bullies are taking advantage of the “high-tech path” to commit these evils. There are no age or gender restrictions on victims of cyberbullying.

In September 2020, Microsoft released the results of an online bullying study, which found that 38% of people in 32 countries said they had been involved in a bullying case, as victim, bully or bystander.

In Vietnam, 51% of internet users, including 48% of adults and 54% of teenagers, said they had been involved in a “bullying case”, 21% said they had been a victim and 38 % are bystanders or witnesses bullying or harassment.

Rates of online bullying among Vietnamese students through studies from 2015 to 2017. Photo: UED Media

The study also surveyed adults about bullying, also known as “harassment”, both inside and outside the workplace. In Vietnam, 15% reported seeing bullying at their workplace and 44% reported having experienced bullying outside of their workplace.

According to another survey by Unicef ​​and the special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Violence against Children, published in September 2019, one-third of teenagers in 30 countries said they were once victims of cyberbullying, of which one in five said they had dropped out of school because of cyberbullying and violence.

Surveys via anonymous messages are conducted through U-Report. More than 170,000 U-Report users aged 13-24 participated in this survey, including teenagers from Albania, Bangladesh, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, France, Gambia, Ghana , India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam …

“Today, the classroom space connecting with the outside world also means that school hours no longer end by the time students leave the classroom, and sadly, bullying doesn’t stop there.“, Ms. Henrietta Fore, CEO of Unicef ​​organization said.

With the Covid-19 epidemic still going unpredictable, when measures are taken, children and adolescents have used online platforms more often as they have to learn from far. And as a result, the number of online bullying cases is certainly increasing.

The level of bullying among high school students, according to a 2018 survey of the Department of Psychology – Education, Da Nang Pedagogical University on cyberbullying, with the participation of more than 500 high school students. In the city.

Virtual bullying, real impact

Mr. Pham The Truong, General Director of Microsoft Vietnam, commented: “Cyberbullying has real-world consequences. In the case of cyberbullying, victims can be harmed at any time of the day by anonymous sources, and it is likely that the incident will be spread to a large number of people. People of all ages can be affected by online abuse, cruelty and abuse“.

Globally, when asked about the effects of workplace bullying, survey participants reported feeling humiliated (58%) globally, according to a Microsoft survey. ), followed by mental loss (52%) and loss of confidence (51%).

The effects also vary between generations. 53% of respondents aged 18-24 reported feeling isolated and depressed, while Gen X generation (those born between the 1960s and early 1980s) were underperforming. more fruit (58%). People who experience online bullying or harassment at work also reported feeling “unbearable or severe” pain.

When it comes to online bullying or harassment, Microsoft says, most people in Vietnam block bullies (63%) or share with friends about what happened (58%). , the rest ignored the bully (43%). 50% of survey respondents said that they reported behavior to social media companies or other providers.

Rate of bullying online in the world from 2008 to 2018. Photo: UED Media

In its report, Microsoft encourages people of all ages to report any online threats or harassment to the relevant online service provider. User reports play a key role in providing everyone with a safe and reliable online experience.

In the third quarter of 2020, the artificial intelligence (AI) system of Facebook discovered and removed 94.7% of the 22.1 million content that provoked hate on social pages; increased from 80.5% out of 6.9 million content over the same period of the previous year. Facebook is taking steps to use AI to remove these content from its platform.

“Online bullying is out of control in the world, and it needs to be stopped. People involved in this behavior must understand that their actions have real consequences. We need to find a way to stop them and the platforms for this to happen accountable“Lee MacMillan’s father said.

According to Mr. Luu Dinh Phuc, Director of the Department of Information and Communications (Ministry of Information and Communications), Vietnam has specific regulations on behavior on domestic websites. For overseas social networking platforms, offended persons can immediately report such platforms so that they can take measures to remove them, or send information to regulatory agencies such as the Department of Information and Communications, media information and local authorities.

The Department of Information and Communications has now established channels to request cross-border platforms to remove bad and malicious information. The Department has also set up a center to receive and process fake news at the address tingia.gov.vn and the introduction of prefix reception reflecting fake news 18008108. This center has the role of receiving, assessing and publishing fake news about information that may cause negative effects on the community, and offend the honor and dignity of individuals.

Information given by the fake news processing center will be shared on social networking sites, forums and newspapers for the community to understand, thereby reducing the disadvantages. In addition, when the center has announced fake news, the functional forces will base on that to investigate whether the objects spread inside or outside the country to handle. Mr. Phuc also added that in the coming time, the department will set up a specialized room dealing with fake news.

Le Minh

Lee MacMillan is a star on the social network Instagram. Photo: People