———- Forwarded message ———-
From: DawnWatch – news [at] dawnwatch.com
Date: Oct 31, 2006 11:11 AM
Subject: DawnWatch: People magazine asks, “Should strays be killed?” — Nov 6 , 2006 edition

The current, November 6, edition of People Magazine includes an article by Bill Hewitt, headed, “Should Strays Be Killed?” (p99)

The subtitle is “No-kill animal shelters are catching on, but some critics — including PETA — say they can lead to greater cruelty.”

It opens with a discussion of Maddie’s Pet Adoption Center in San Francisco. Then we are told that the no-kill movement is taking off, with New York and Houston both making plans to follow San Francisco’s lead and head towards a system under which “no healthy or treatable animal would be euthanized simply because it didn’t have a home.”

We read about PETA’s resistance to no-kill:

“Although the movement has gathered steam, it has also come in for a fair amount of criticism, with some of the harshest coming from a startling source. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the hard-line animal-rights group, has argued that euthanasia is the most humane way to deal with unwanted animals. ‘It’s not a popular position, because to the average person, no-kill does sound like such a good idea,’ says Daphna Nachminovitch, the director of PETA’s domestic-animal department. ‘But it’s a sad sham.’”

We read, however:

“In New York, which received a $15 million pledge from Maddie’s Fund, the efforts are bearing fruit. Four years ago 76 percent of the animals entering the New York shelter system were euthanized; this year it will be less than 50 percent, largely by promoting adoption and spaying and neutering. ‘This is doable,’ says Jane Hoffman, president of the Mayor’s Alliance for New York City’s Animals. ‘And we’re doing it in one of the most difficult cities in America.’”

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I don’t plan on doing any blogging tomorrow, so…

Happy day-before-Halloween from Ralphie, Peedee, Rennie, Kaylee, Jaynee & Ozzy. And Shane & I, of course.

To get into the spirit of things, go send your friends, family, and loved ones – omni and veg alike – an animal-friendly eCard from one of these veg*n/green orgs: HSUS; ASPCA; PETA; WWF; or Environmental Defense.

Below the fold: some companion animal safety tips via Last Chance for Animals.

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Via the International Fund for Animal Welfare:

Protect Your Rights To Speak Out for Animals

Congress is in the midst of passing legislation that would severely hamper the rights of animal welfare advocates to voice their opinions on animal protection issues throughout the country. The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) S. 3880 / H.R. 4239 will set penalties (jail time and fines) for any action that can be linked to a loss of profit to any company classified as an “animal enterprise”. An “animal enterprise” would include anyone who produces or distributes animals or products from animals, animal entertainment – including rodeos, circuses, zoos or aquariums, research facilities, pet stores and even animal fighting. This means that legal activities such as peaceful protests, consumer boycotts, media campaigns legislative proposals, or even telling the public what happens in puppy mills, factory farms, or canned hunting facilities, could be classified as acts of terrorism.

This dangerous legislation has already passed the full Senate, and will be considered by the House of Representatives when they reconvene in November. Your voice is needed to help ensure that animal welfare advocates can continue to voice our concerns in a lawful and constitutionally protected way. Please urge your member of Congress to strongly oppose the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA).

Urge him or her to strongly oppose H.R. 4239. Let your representative know that this legislation seeks to squelch our first amendments rights of freedom of speech.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts IFAW AETA Animal+Enterprise+Terrorism+Act terrorism activism censorship free+speech freedom+of+speech

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Campaigns Department – campaigns [at] lcanimal.org
Date: Oct 27, 2006 7:13 PM
Subject: LCA Update on Federal AETA Bill

Message from Chris DeRose

The most dangerous bill facing animal rights is about to be passed. The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) will forever hurt all activities pertaining to helping animals and, not surprisingly, is being pushed by the big businesses that exploit animals.

If the AETA had been in effect a few years ago, LCA would never have been able to infiltrate and bring down C.C. Baird without being prosecuted as terrorists under this ridiculous bill.

I can’t stress it enough that the passage of this bill will mean disaster for the animals we care about so much. Even though animal activists have not caused serious injury or death to anyone, we are being singled out and branded “terrorists” by the very people committing the most heinous acts of violence against the animals we are trying to protect.

It is URGENT that you contact your federal representative and urge him/her to OPPOSE the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (HR 4239).

Click here for representative contact information and read below for quick talking points.

1. AETA needs hearings to ensure fair and adequate debate.

2. Laws should be fairly applied to all citizens without singling out animal advocates.

3. Advocating for animal protection should not be equated with terrorism.

4. More than 100 animal protection and social justice organizations oppose this act.

Please click here for more information on how you can help.

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Satya Magazine – satya [at] satyamag.com
Date: Oct 27, 2006 2:39 PM
Subject: SATYA’s November Issue Now Available – Thanksgiving: Who’s Behind the Meal?

The SATYA November Issue is Now Available!

See highlights at: www.satyamag.com

Thanksgiving: Who’s Behind the Meal?

Talking Turkey with Karen Davis, Jenny Brown, Rae Sikora, Christine Morrissey and Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, with special holiday recipes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

This issue features a guest editorial by Will Potter calling on all activists to counter the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act currently pending in the House. Be sure to download the action alert and distribute widely.

Satya honors turkeys this holiday season with profiles by Karen Davis, Jenny Brown, Christine Morrissey, Lauren Ornelas and Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, who bring their special qualities to light.

Learn about some of the abuses turkeys endure: PETA’s expose of a Butterball slaughterhouse; Farm Sanctuary’s investigation of artificial insemination; and Rae Sikora’s eye-witness account of “humane” slaughter.

This issue is packed with vegan recipes to be thankful for, including a full menu prepared by Post Punk Kitchen’s Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Plus, Worldwatch Institute’s Danielle Nierenberg has some eye-opening facts on global meat production and Monica Engebretson uncovers the cruelty in long distance livestock transportation.

All this and more!

Join the Discussion!

We encourage readers to participate in our new online discussion forum at www.satyamag.com.

Do you Love Satya?

Subscribe today and get Satya delivered to your door or email inbox–only $20! Satya makes a great gift and is available in print or as an electronic PDF. See satyamag.com/subscribe.html.

Single issues also available for only $4.

Special Offers for Satya Readers!

When shopping with our advertisers make sure to let them know you saw their ad in Satya Magazine. Check out valuable reader discounts and specials including:

Downbound.com- Save $5 using coupon code: satya.

Road’s End Organics-15% off with coupon code in Satya – www.chreese.com.

Blossom Organic Vegan Cuisine- Mention Satya for 10% off your lunch order – www.blossomnyc.com.

Imhotep’s Vegan Restaurant- Mention Satya for a free, fresh pressed, organic carrot juice with any meal.

Jivamukti Yoga School- Mention ad in Satya for a free class at the new Jivamukti Yoga School.

Satya is a monthly magazine that focuses on animal advocacy, environmentalism, social justice and vegetarianism. “Satya” means “truth” in Sanskrit, and is derived from and inspired by Mohandas Gandhi’s nonviolent Satyagraha or “truth action” movement for social change. Now twelve years old, Satya Magazine is committed to continuing Gandhi’s legacy by increasing dialogue among activists from diverse backgrounds and engaging readers in ways to integrate compassion into their daily lives.

Satya Magazine, 539 1st Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215; Tel: (718) 832-9557; email: satya [at] satyamag.com; Web: www.satyamag.com.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights satya satya+magazine Thanksgiving turkey vegan veganism activism

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: DawnWatch – news [at] dawnwatch.com
Date: Oct 29, 2006 4:17 PM
Subject: DawnWatch: NY Times on hog hunting — 10/29/06

The Sunday, October 29, New York Times includes a story, by Tim Eaton headed, “With Hands and Hounds, Stalking Feral Hogs in Texas.” (A16.)

It describes the capture of a wild hog as follows:

“Four of his short-haired scent hounds, which had been released earlier, began to bark from the darkness. Mr. Richardson jumped out of the truck and freed a black pit bull from a cage on the truck’s flatbed. He chased after his pit bull into the darkness toward the barking hounds.

“He tripped in a wet ditch but kept running through the milo stalks. When he got to the baying dogs, the light on his miner’s hat revealed that the pit bull, trained for just this purpose, had clamped onto the face of a feral hog.

“As he had done thousands of times before, Mr. Richardson, 58, pounced on the snorting beast and tied its feet together, immobilizing it. Within minutes, he had loaded the animal barehanded into a cage.”

On the website we can see a close-up photo of Richardson loading a terrified struggling hog into his truck. That photo is not included in the hard copy of the paper.

We read:

“A lot of people in rural Texas catch wild hogs, which can grow to several hundred pounds, and Mr. Richardson traps them like most others. But there is sometimes a twist to Mr. Richardson’s hunts — he spends a few nights a week cruising the dirt roads of Stonewall County, a place with more hogs than people, to run down the wild animals using only his dogs and his bare hands.

“‘It’s for fun,’ he said.”

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Animal Abuse

BESTIALITY CASE IN WA, PLEASE VOICE YOUR OUTRAGE!

Tacoma, Washington (AHN) – A man has been charged with having sex with the family dog. He will be accused of a felony due to bestiality under the state’s new animal cruelty law. Michael Patrick McPhail, 26, pleaded not guilty to the count of first-degree animal cruelty in Pierce County Superior Court. Assistant Pierce County Prosecutor Karen Watson said McPhail was the first case of the new bestiality offense in Pierce County. She said McPhail’s dog is now under animal control. [Read more...]

Animal Abuse -Tell Alberta to harden its laws!

A dog was abused in Didsbury, involving 2 teenage boys beating it up, duct taping the legs together and dragging it behind a car. The dog was SO badly injured that it had to be put down on the spot. It was the worst crime against an animal that a vetrian RCMP officer had ever seen. The 2 boys that did it will probably get minimal fines and a very short stint in jail. Just don’t think that it is fair…..please sign this petition and forward on to your friends and family, and we’ll see if we can make an example of these boys. [Read more...]

Enforce & Strengthen Animal Abuse Laws

I would like to start a petition to inform Prime Minister Harper that the world wide public is outraged by the following example of animal abuse and that we seek both the enforcement and the strengthening of animal abuse laws. The cruelty sustained by this dog deserves more than the possibility of a fine or 6 months in jail. These light threats do nothing to disuade would be abusers. Statistics prove that violent criminals of all kinds are or were abusive to animals as children or teenagers. [Read more...]

Animals As Food

Tell Australian PM to say NO to Japanese whaling in Australian Antarctic Territorial waters

Japan is resuming illegal commercial whaling of humpback, minke and fin whales from the Whale Sanctuary in these waters under the loose guise of ‘scientific research.’ The Japanese whaling fleet is preparing to leave its home port within a month for the Southern Ocean to commence their horrific and inhumane slaughter of these highly intelligent mammals. These whales are near the brink of extinction and it is unnecessary to kill 1 whale for scientific research purposes as successful non-lethal methods for whale research are in use today. In July 2000 The Australian Whale Sanctuary was created under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999, and includes the waters within Australia’s 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone adjacent to the Australian Antarctic Territory. Under the EPBC Act hunting whales in the Australian Whale Sanctuary is a serious offence attracting heavy penalties. [Read more...]

Stop Icelandic Whaling

Iceland´s Ministry of Fisheries granted permission to resume fin and minke whaling on October 17, 2006. This was in defiance of international agreements for the conservation of cetaceans. Fin whales are listed as endangered species by the International Conservation Union (IUCN). The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species bans international trade in both minke and fin, as well as listing the fin whale as endangered. Research shows a very limited market for the meat in Iceland and that the Japanese market is closed. Iceland will gain more economically if the government withdraws the whale-hunting decision. Whale-watching earns more than does commercial whaling. Already, reports are coming in of tourists cancelling their vacations here in protest to these inhumane killings. Whale-watching companies are now afraid of going under due to potential tourist loss. There is no viable reason to continue this futile exercise. Let´s call on the Icelandic government to stop whaling immediately. [Read more...]

Animals As Pets

Don’t Let Another Dog Get Chained Up in Your Town

Walk around your city streets and you’ll see them — dogs left to spend their entire lives in “solitary confinement,” trapped at the end of a chain or in a small pen. For a social pack animal, there’s no crueler punishment. The practice of chaining, also called tethering, is not only an inhumane way to treat these trusting, loving companions; it’s a danger to the public. Chained dogs are nearly three times more likely to attack than dogs not tethered, and children are most often the victims of these attacks. [Read more...]

Conservation

Campaign To Red List the Kermode Bear

The Kermode bear (Ursus americanus kermodei) is a rare and elusive subspecies of the North American black bear in which approximately one in every 10 bears is white or cream-coloured. The kermode bear is endemic only to the unique temperate rainforest region off the Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. Biologists estimate a population of 1,200 kermode bears, of which less then 400 are white phased. The kermode bear faces extinction due to habitat loss, restricted range, and hybridization with mainland species of black bear which do not carry the unique genetics that produce the rare white “spirit” bear. [Read more...]

Environmental Issues

Campaign to Protect the Great Bear Rainforest

In February 2006, the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement was announced to the world by B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell. The agreement had two cornerstones: a protected areas package and a commitment to bold new logging practices, known as Ecosystem-based Management. Under the deal, 4.4 million acres (1.8 million hectares)—nearly twice as large as Yellowstone National Park—is off limits to loggers and largely closed to mining exploration. This agreement is now at risk and provisions are not being met ,making the future of the Great Bear Rainforest far from being secure. Currently, much of the Great Bear Rainforest is still subject to clearcutting, sport hunting, fish farming and mining. Increased protection will be required on the central and north coast if biodiversity is to be safeguarded in this globally significant region. [Read more...]

Better Transit, Not Freeways

The Province of British Columbia has announced plans for a major highway expansion project in BC’s Lower Mainland, called the Gateway Programme. Part of that programme involves expanding Highway 1 from Langley right through Vancouver, and twinning the Port Mann Bridge. This programme is completely contrary to the Vancouver region’s strategic plan for managing growth. The success of the Livable Region Strategic Plan has earned Vancouver an international reputation for livability–even while the region has grown dramatically! [Read more...]

Miscellaneous

Please Consider Donations To Animal Rescue Groups

This petition is a written request to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to consider donating to some animal rescue groups. Thank you to everyone who provided me with organization names and contact information. Please sign to show that you are an animal lover. [Read more...]

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Tagged: animals animal+rights environment environmentalism petitions the+petition+site animal+abuse conservation

Lame, yes, but it’s awfully hard to convince Ralphie to let me dress him up like a buhbie. (Sadly, he’s not as patient as these lovely weiner dogs.) So, this is all I get: NRA Ralphie.

And, for your reading pleasure:

* Carnival of Empty Cages 4 (Yay, it’s finally up! All praise the Great Pumpkin!)

* Carnival of the Green 50

* Carnival of Hurricane Relief 61

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Tagged: friday+random+cuteness my+furbabies carnivals

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: DawnWatch – news [at] dawnwatch.com
Date: Oct 27, 2006 5:34 PM
Subject: DawnWatch: Huge Wall Street Journal Weekend article on animal intelligence — 10/27/06

The Friday, October 27, Wall Street Journal has huge article on the front page of the Weekend Journal section (W1) headed, “What Your Pet is Thinking.” The article, by Sharon Begley, actually focuses not on “your pet” but on nonhuman intelligence.

It opens with the description of a dog who hated the sound of the ringing telephone so would pick up the receiver and put it back down again to shut it up.

We read about research animal intelligence are told:

“The research is also coloring thinking about everything from science labs to farms and food-production facilities.”

I will share the passage on the test of primate awareness:

“At the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta, Robert Hampton, who has made some of the field’s most significant findings, studies whether rhesus monkeys know if they know something. In one series of experiments, he gave the monkeys memory tests over a period of weeks. After seeing four images on a monitor, the monkeys would be asked to choose which one they had seen before. But before taking the test, the monkeys had a choice of pressing one of two icons whose meaning they already knew. One meant, ‘Yup, I’m ready to take the test.’ The other meant, ‘No test for me, thanks.’ They had an incentive to take it only if they remembered the target image: Failing the test brought them no reward, passing it got them a handful of peanuts, and declining to take the test got them monkey-chow pellets, which they don’t like as much as peanuts but are better than nothing.

“When the monkeys chose to take the test, they passed more than 80% of the time, apparently declining to take the test when their memory was poor. When they weren’t given a choice and Prof. Hampton gave them the test anyway, they chose the correct image much less often. That suggests they knew the contents of their memory and assessed it before deciding whether to take the test — a sign of self-reflective consciousness. ‘The monkeys know whether they remember something,’ says Prof. Hampton, who reported his latest monkey findings in May in the journal Behavioural Processes.”

It is disturbing to read about monkeys held captive in facilities nothing like their native jungles, just so that we can perform tests that satisfy our curiosity about their thinking. But given that primates are still used in lethal tests for new household products, or for studying illegal drugs such as ecstasy, perhaps we have to be willing, for now, to accept the tests that bring knowledge that we hope will make those lethal tests illegal.

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PETA’s weekly eNews (10/27/06) is now online; you can view the entire newsletter here.

Action alerts from this edition include the following:

An Unprecedented Opportunity to Help Captive Elephants

Urge Prosecutor to File Charges Against Allegedly Abusive Dog Trainer

Monthly Action for Animals in Labs

And, as always, you can find more action alerts online, via PETA’s action center.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts PETA animal+abuse elephants circuses zoos animal+research vivisection