Page 6 The Skanner October 5, 2016
News
Colombia in Unchartered Territory with Peace Deal’s Defeat
Defying polls, voters defeat peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
By Joshua Goodman and
Andrea Rodriguez
Associated Press
AP PHOTO/ARIANA CUBILLOS
BOGOTA, Colombia —
A stunning referendum
defeat for a peace deal
with letist rebels leaves
Colombians with no Plan
B to save an accord that
sought to bring an end to
a half century of hostili-
ties.
Instead of winning by
an almost two-to-one Supporters of the peace accord between the Colombian government
margin on Sunday as and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC,
pre-election polls had follow on a giant screen the results of a referendum to decide
predicted, the accord whether or not to support the peace accord, in Bogota, Colombia,
with the Revolutionary Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Colombia’s peace deal with leftist rebels was
Armed Forces of Colom- on the verge of collapsing, with those opposing the deal leading by
bia lost by a razor-thin a razor-thin margin with almost all polling stations reporting results.
margin, 49.8 percent to
50.2 percent.
But it’s not clear how the already
Both President Juan Manuel Santos
unpopular
Santos can save the deal
and leaders of the FARC, ater four
following
the
political earthquake,
years of grueling negotiations, vowed
comparable
to
Britain’s
vote to exit the
to push ahead, giving no hint they want
European
Union.
His
chief
negotiator,
to resume a war that has already killed
“
‘I won’t give up. I’ll continue search for peace
until the last moment of my mandate.’
220,000 people and displaced 8 million.
“I won’t give up. I’ll continue search
for peace until the last moment of my
mandate,” Santos said in a televised ad-
dress appealing for calm.
Humberto de la Calle, ofered his res-
ignation Monday, assuming what he
called “complete responsibility” for the
defeat.
It’s unclear whether Santos will ac-
cept the ofer or, as he previously an-
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nounced, send him to Cuba with other
negotiators to confer with FARC’s top
leaders, who watched the results with
disbelief ater ordering drinks and ci-
gars at Club Havana, once Cuba’s most
exclusive beach club.
“The FARC deeply regret that the
destructive power of those who sow
hatred and revenge have inluenced
the Colombian people’s opinion,” the
FARC’s top commander, a guerrilla
known as Timochenko, told reporters.
The loss for the government was even
more shocking considering the huge
support for the accord among foreign
leaders, who have heralded it as a mod-
el for a world beset by political violence
and terrorism. Many heads of state as
well as U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry were present when Santos
and Timochenko signed the deal less
than a week ago in an elaborate, emo-
tion-illed ceremony in the historic city
of Cartagena.
“In Cartagena, I witnessed the pro-
found desire of the Colombian people
to end the violence,” Ban Ki-moon told
reporters in Geneva, adding that he
urgently dispatched his representative
to the peace talks to Cuba for consulta-
tions. “I count on them to press ahead
until they achieve secure and lasting
peace.”
U.S. State Department spokesman
John Kirby also expressed backing for
Santos’ plan for “a broad dialogue” in
the search for peace.
“Colombians have expressed their
commitment to settle their diferences
through institutions and dialogue rath-
er than violence,” he said.
Santos’ former boss and chief rival,
former President Alvaro Uribe, led
the grass-roots campaign against the
accord. With none of the government’s
huge PR machine, an angry Uribe gave
voice to millions of Colombians, many
of them victims of the FARC like him,
who bristled at provisions in the 297-
page accord sparing rebels jail time if
they confessed their crimes and instead
reserved them 10 seats in Congress.
Uribe, in prepared remarks from
his ranch outside Medellin ater the
results were in, insisted on “correc-
See COLUMBIA on page 10
Is it Wrong to Dress my Dog in a
Halloween Costume?
By Dr. Jasmine Shanelle
Streeter, Veterinarian
For The Skanner News
A
hhh -- the fresh
smell of fall is in
the air, and the
overwhelming
boom of pumpkin spice
everything is making its
rounds (much to the cha-
grin of those of us who
prefer chai tea and sweet
potato pie, like myself ).
With the fall comes
Halloween -- last stop
before Santa Claus and
baby Jesus make their
appearance. In Portland,
Halloween could easi-
ly be mistaken for ev-
ery day of the year, so it
wouldn’t be right to have
your pet miss out on the
festivities. Whether you
are for or against Hal-
loween, we can all agree
that seeing a Dachshund
dressed as a Chicago
Style Hotdog or a terri-
er dressed as a T-Rex is
hilarious. The fact of the
matter is, if you and your
pet enjoy dressing up, go
for it!
There are couple of
questions to keep in mind
when shopping for the
perfect princess gown
or lion costume, though.
Does it hurt? Is it scary?
Can your pet choke on it?
Even though we all feel
we know what is best for
our pets, simple observa-
tions will truly tell you
if both of you are getting
enjoyment from playing
dress up.
1. Does it hurt? Make
sure the costume its.
Pet costumes can be
Dr. Jasmine and her dog Sheba
handmade, purchased
from commercial pet
stores, local boutiques
or online. Common
sizes range from XXS
to 3X just like with hu-
mans or are sized by
weight. There is noth-
ing worse than having
shoes that are too tight
or a shirt that rubs
underneath your arm-
pits. Try your pet cos-
tumes in advance or as
soon as possible and let
your pet walk around
to see if they look com-
fortable. If they’re
moving funny, return
the costume and get
a new one. You want
your princess to glide,
not limp from pain.
2. Is it scary? You may be
thinking Halloween is
supposed to be scary.
That would be a yes
for humans but dei-
nite no for pets. Ani-
mals should be happy
in their costumes or
around people dressed
in them. Comfort can
depend on breed, age,
health and how social-
ized your animal is to
the environment. If
your dog barks inces-
santly, growls, tries to
run and hide or shows
the whites of its eyes,
take of the costume
and give the pet time to
acclimate.
3. Can they choke on the
costume? This issue
is more common for
handmade, reused, or
children’s
costumes
that have been modi-
ied to it a pet. Small
parts, loose strings
or ibers and add-on
attachments present
a choking hazard. Re-
member, never leave a
pet unattended while
in costume to decrease
the risk of entangle-
ment, entrapment, or
strangulation.
Whatever season or
holiday you choose to
celebrate, there is a dog
costume that’s just right
for you. For you cat lov-
ers, don’t feel shy about
dressing up your little
ones too. Just make sure
you to have a Howlin’/
Meowin’ good time and
take lots of pictures.
Feel free to submit
your questions and pet
costume pictures to dr.
jasmine@theskanner.
com for a chance to be
featured in the next col-
umn.
Do you have a pet topic
you’d like to learn more
about? I’d love to hear
from you! Write me at
drjasmine@theskanner.
com.