So I’m back, mostly at least. The surgery went well; the laughing gas and sedatives knocked me on my arse more than anything else. The whole first day I couldn’t keep much of anything down, not even liquids and Vicodin, and so I spent all of Thursday alternating between napping and puking. (A stomach empty save for Dr. Pepper makes for surprisingly interesting vomit. No, for reals.) By Friday my back was seized up from laying around, but I was too dazed to do much of anything else. Same for Saturday. Yesterday I was restless enough that I dragged my but into the office and slogged through my email. Not fun, but at least I got to sit upright for a bit. Yoga felt soooo goood this morning, I almost did it twice.

All in all, the whole experience was not as fun as I’d hoped. I’d had grandiose visions of spending a weekend catching up on Netflix movies, reading a book or two, and just generally milking the sympathy. Not so much. And the caffeine withdrawal (there was a 36 hour stretch where I couldn’t eat *at all*) sure didn’t help matters.

Aside from the four gaping holes in my mouth, I’m good. Good enough to make some lolz, anyways. Here’s a Kaylee series, after she had six teeth removed last March. Her old “owners” sucked ass, but the only thing we can do about that now is love on her and laugh about it as best we can. And edumakate others. So, take your animals to the vet, people, otherwise this is what happens.

Such a sweet face, even with those crazy teefs!

(Crossposted from.)

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Tagged: my furbabies lol lolz loldog kaylee rat terrier jack russell terrier teeth dental dental surgery your featherhead dental extractions dentist neglect flickr photos

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Tue, Apr 8, 2008 at 8:32 PM
Subject: UPDATE/ Demand Haven For The Lehman 6

UPDATE: Victory! Reprieve for NYU Monkeys

This update is from PETA — NOT Kinship Circle:

blog.peta.org/archives/2008/03/victory_repriev.php

Kinship Circle has no further information at this time.

“After asking some pointed questions of both institutions, PETA received confirmation last week that Lehman College had thought better of their decision to sell these animals to NYU where they may have had their brains butchered. They’re now working with NYU to get them transferred to a sanctuary instead.

Last month, a whistleblower contacted PETA about six monkeys who were about to be retired to a sanctuary from City University of New York’s Lehman College — but instead were sold to New York University for invasive neurological experiments…”

blog.peta.org/archives/2008/03/victory_repriev.php

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 3:18 PM
Subject: ACT/ Demand Haven For The Lehman

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN

Be counted. Send a letter.

3/30/08: Demand Haven For The Lehman 6

www.KinshipCircle.org

Wanda (left) and Jada (right)…and the rest of the Lehman 6 — Holly, Sophie, Samantha, Lilly — were sold to New York University for brain experiments, despite the wishes of the original Lehman College researcher who sought their retirement at a sanctuary.

EMAIL kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net FOR WORD DOC OF A FORMATTED LETTER.
Easily modify letter and copy/paste it into an email or print out to fax or mail.

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Photo via yeimaya

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Heather Sullivan – hsullivan [at] hsus.org
Date: Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 1:05 PM
Subject: Canadian Cruelty Cover-Up ?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canadian Cruelty Cover-Up?

As Canadian lobbyists attempt to sway European Commission not to ban seal product trade, Canadian government denies journalists and animal welfare groups permits to document slaughter

(March 27, 2008) — Canada’s commercial seal slaughter will begin half an hour before dawn on Friday, March 28. However, at this time, Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials have refused to confirm they will issue permits to observers to document the killing for the opening day of the hunt. The Canadian government has authorized a slaughter of 275,000 seals in 2008.

Observation of the seal hunt is a right guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The commercial seal hunt occurs in public space, and journalists and citizens have the right to bear witness to it and document what happens.

“This is another attempt by the DFO to cover up the cruelty of the commercial seal hunt on the eve of the European Union deciding if it will ban seal products,” said Rebecca Aldworth, director of Animal Programs for Humane Society International/Canada. “Notably, observers from the European Commission were prevented from properly observing the commercial seal hunt in 2007 when they attended it with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.”

As officials deny journalists full access to the seal hunt, media accounts report a delegation of sealing industry lobbyists funded by the Canadian government is in Brussels to convince the EU not to ban the import of seal products. In 2006, the European Parliament passed a historic resolution calling on the European Commission to immediately draft legislation banning the trade in seal products, regardless of the age of the seal.

“Just two days ago we stood on the ice with baby seals almost entirely covered in white fur—tomorrow those pups will be brutally clubbed, shot and skinned. Those are the images the DFO is desperately trying to conceal from the public,” said Mark Glover, Director of Humane Society International/UK.

The European Commission initiated a study on the animal welfare aspects of commercial seal hunting, the results of which should provide the foundation for a ban. That study found evidence that seals may be “skinned whilst conscious, resulting in avoidable pain, distress, fear and . . . suffering.”

(more…)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Tammy Grimes, Dogs Deserve Better – tammy [at] dogsdeservebetter.org
Date: Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 8:45 AM
Subject: Dognamic Duo’s 12/12/120 Tour: 12 Days, 12 States, 120 Dogs

The Dognamic Duo’s 12/12/120 Tour: 12 Days, 12 States, 120 Dogs

March 27, Altoona, PA – What if someone wanted to prove that they could drive to any state and in the space of a few hours easily find, photograph, and videotape a minimum of 10 dogs spending their lives at the end of a chain? And what if they decided to test this theory by going on the road on a whirlwind 12 state tour, spending only 1 day per state, including finding the dogs, driving to the next state, securing lodging, possibly speaking, meeting media, and creating videos? And what if at the end of each day they uploaded pictures and videos of their findings in that state on that day for the nation to share in the truth of what is going on in our country’s backyards?

And what if one day two women decided to make all these ‘what ifs’ a reality? The result is The Dognamic Duo’s 12/12/120 Tour.

The brainchild of DDB founder Tammy Grimes, the road tour idea has been festering for over a year; now she and DDB public liaison director Dawn Ashby have decided to put the plan into action under the tour name of The Dognamic Duo’s 12/12/120 Tour!

April 5th Grimes will fly to St. Louis, Missouri, where she will meet up with Ashby. There they will pick up a car, drive into Missouri to a likely location, and commence the 12 state tour bright and early the morning of the 6th.

The intention of the tour and the subsequent pictorial and video footage is to show how prevalent chaining and penning are in the U.S., educate the nation that it is common in all states, and put forth the idea that it is indeed something that must be stopped; that it is not humane and not an acceptable way to house and train Man’s Best Friend. They will be speaking to caretakers of chained and penned dogs, passing out treats, collars and leashes, educational materials and fencing applications, and seeking local help for situations that appear to be illegal, as well as engaging the public through speaking and media alerts.

(more…)

FYI: SFAI has apparently canceled the exhibit; according to this article, “a public forum [SFAI] had scheduled to address the controversy” has been nixed as well. I’m assuming that it’s the same forum IDA is referring to in this alert; I don’t think it was canceled until Saturday or Sunday, after the alert was released. Either way, I’m crossposting it as an update. (Sorry for the delay, I still haven’t quite recovered from Thursday’s dental surgery.)

The SF Chronicle article also provides some additional info about Abdessemed and the exhibit:

Art Institute officials said Saturday that Abdessemed had shot the videos at a farm in rural Mexico that routinely slaughters animals in the way he depicted. They said the videos were part of a social critique. “One of the things this exhibition was pointing to was the difference in production of food resources between industrialized production in the U.S. and in poorer countries,” said Bratton.

But the exhibition was a far cry from straightforward exposes like Upton Sinclair’s classic muckraking book, “The Jungle,” or the Humane Society’s video footage.

The show did not mention that the videos were shot in Mexico or provide any historical context. Other parts of the exhibition included large neon sculptures and a video of Abdessemed hanging upside down from a helicopter while creating a drawing based on a 19th century French painting.

“Those killings were done gratuitously, not like someone documenting a slaughterhouse,” Katz said. “It sends a terrible message to Art Institute students that it’s OK to go out and do similar things.”

So I still don’t buy this bullshit about “Don’t Trust Me’s” grand social goals. If Abdessemed wanted to draw attention to animal cruelty, he would have provided some contextual info. A half dozen animals, bludgeoned to death against a quaint brick background, played on a loop with no commentary, is a snuff film. These deaths were staged for the camera, in stark contrast to the thousands upon thousands of undercover videos taken by animal rights advocates over the past few decades. If you want to draw attention to animal cruelty, you use existing footage. If it’s not purty enough for you, rework it. But if you go stage a few cases of animal abuse specifically for your exhibit, you’re an animal abuser, not some kind of visionary.

(You can read the previous alert here.)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: In Defense of Animals – takeaction [at] idausa.org
Date: Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 1:14 PM
Subject: In Defense of Animals Denounces Snuff Video at Art Exhibition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

In Defense of Animals Denounces Snuff Video at Art Exhibition

Animal Protection Organization calls for public to attend Monday’s SFAI Forum

San Francisco, Calif. – Following an overwhelming public response to an action alert from In Defense of Animals (IDA), the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) has suspended the Adel Abdessemed exhibition of animal torture videos entitled, “Don’t Trust Me.” IDA’s President Elliot M. Katz characterized the exhibit, depicting the bludgeoning deaths of tethered animals, as a snuff video.

IDA and its members will also speak up at SFAI’s public forum, scheduled for Monday at noon, and IDA is encouraging the public to attend and speak.

What: Public forum to discuss this exhibit
When: Monday, March 31st, Noon
Where: San Francisco Art Institute Main Campus (in the lecture hall), 800 Chestnut Street, San Francisco

(more…)

Action Alerts

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Tell Your Representative: Stop Compromising With Bush; Start Defending the Constitution
We still have a chance to stop Congress from passing FISA legislation that shreds the Constitution. With your help, we need to push Congress again. Tell your representative and Speaker Pelosi that “the Constitution Comes Before Compromise.”

Born Free USA / Animal Protection Institute (API): Let TNT Know What You Think of Its Ringling Bros. Reality Show
Recently, cable station Turner Network Television (TNT) announced plans to air a reality show featuring Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The show will send TNT’s cameras inside the Ringling train as it travels from city to city, in what will likely amount to nothing more than a lengthy Ringling commercial.

Conserve Our Ocean Legacy: Tell NMFS: End Overfishing
In the next few months, NMFS will present new annual catch limits and environmental review rules. We need your voice to remind NMFS that it’s not just a good idea to set rules that will help fish like bluefin tuna survive, it’s the law.

DawnWatch: Seal slaughter starts today — Canada’s National Post, Aussie papers 3/28/08 — 3/29
Canada’s annual seal slaughter began today, Friday, March 28, at dawn. Canada’s National Post today includes an article by Marianne White headed, “Activists allege cover-up in seal hunt; ‘This says to the world that there is something to hide.’”

DawnWatch: CBS Evening News — homeless pets and starving horses 3/25 -3/26/08
CBS Evening News has been focusing on animal issues this week. Last night, Tuesday, March 25, they covered the foreclosure crisis and the effect on animals.

(more…)

After 15 years (15 years! that’s, like, half my life!) of pissing and moaning, I’m finally getting my wisdom teeth yanked out tomorrow. I have no idea how long I’ll be out of commission, but Monday sounds about right. Of course, I’m probably just being a big whiny tittybaby.

Either way, I’ll see ya when I see ya.

——————

Tagged: your featherhead dentists lol lolz lolcat site admin

Action Alerts

DawnWatch: USA Today on foreclosure and pet crisis — 3/25/08
USA Today includes an article, by Sharon L. Peters, headed, “Foreclosures slam doors on pets, too; Shelters in hard-hit areas report a surge in animals being abandoned.”

Dogs Deserve Better: Please take Animal Advocacy Background Survey: Only Takes 5 Minutes!
I’m working on a book for animal advocates, and I’d dearly love your input. I’m striving to find out what different backgrounds animal advocates come from, and ascertain if there are family patterns or other factors that seem to lead us in the direction of advocating for animals. (More info here.)

Earth Day Network: The Sky Belongs To All Of Us.
To stop global warming and to reverse the extraordinary environmental destruction that is taking place around the world, we must tell Congress that if they want to keep their jobs they must take stronger and immediate action.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Update: Calves Reportedly Caged in Excrement and Denied Food and Water!
PETA received several recent complaints from individuals who claimed to be affiliated with a transport ship carrying four containers of cows to Oakland, Calif. Our sources allege that the ship—the Mokihana, which is owned by Matson Navigation Company, Inc.—transported these animals in extraordinarily inhumane conditions.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Urgent: Tell Schuylerville Jr.-Sr. High School to Nix ‘Donkey Basketball’ Game
Schuylerville Jr.-Sr. High School in Schuylerville, New York, plans to host a cruel “donkey basketball” game this Friday, March 28.

(more…)

(Crossposted from.)

Note to those who carelessly toss out some variation of the complaint that “animals are treated better than people” (usually taking the form of a lamentation that ‘x’ minority group is treated worse even than mere animals; e.g., “women are treated worse than animals” or “dogs are treated better than women!”): Does this mean that I can, say, fillet a baby and get away with my crime, just so long as I videotape it and call it “art”? No? Then STFU.

And for Chrissakes, it’s not as though Abdessemed has to go out and slaughter another six animals to make such an exhibit; animal abuse is everywhere. She could have aired any six of the hundreds (thousands?) of undercover investigations conducted by animal activists. How is exhibiting something you can find on YouTube with distressing frequency “innovative” or “art”, even? Yawn. She’s not an artist, she’s a sadist.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: In Defense of Animals – takeaction [at] idausa.org
Date: Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 1:27 PM
Subject: Tell San Francisco Art Institute to remove snuff video exhibit from gallery

The “Art” of Animal Cruelty

Tell San Francisco Art Institute to remove snuff video exhibit from gallery

Walk into the Walter and McBean Galleries in San Francisco’s posh Russian Hill neighborhood, and you may be shocked to see what passes for contemporary “art” these days. Six televisions display video images of six different animals — a doe, a goat, a horse, an ox, a pig, and a sheep — being bludgeoned to death with a large sledgehammer by “artist” Adel Abdessemed of Paris. Entitled “Don’t Trust Me,” this sick exhibit is Abdessemed’s and the Institute’s self-serving attempt to pass off the brutal abuse and killing of animals as legitimate artistic creation.

What such “artists” and their patrons overlook is that animals are living beings who feel and suffer just like we humans — and we are no more justified in taking their lives at will than we have the right to kill another person. Such abuse of animals may elicit horror and disgust in viewers, but that does not qualify it as art. Far from it — in fact, “Don’t Trust Me” represents the very worst impulses of the human imagination.

It takes no artistic talent or ability to kill animals, and Abdessemed should have never been given a venue for his sickening “work” in the first place. To their great discredit, the San Francisco Art Institute agreed to sponsor this exhibit, lending it an air of credibility, but what makes matters worse are the obscene rationalizations this venerable institution of learning and culture offers in defense of the sleazy snuff films. These include pedantic claims that such killings “regularly take place…in the real world, on a regular basis,” and that the installation “(makes) typical moral and cultural constraints seem beside the point.”

Such statements betray not only a lack of compassion and basic human decency, but also a fundamental confusion of true artistic creation with the destruction of life. Abdessemed’s work is of no artistic value, and rather than raise people’s consciousness about the cruelties committed against animals every day, it will encourage them to accept animal abuse as a way of gaining attention and notoriety.

To call someone who murders animals an “artist” is an insult to every real artist who refuses to rely on violence and shallow, sensationalistic gimmicks to express his or her vision. While the work of such murderers will surely not endure, their antics may encourage and incite others to torture and kill animals, so it is crucial that people of conscience voice our outrage over this monstrous display of cruelty.

Please Take Action to urge the San Francisco Art Institute to remove Abdessemed’s disgusting exhibit immediately, and implement a policy explicitly prohibiting exhibits for which animals were exploited or killed.

(more…)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Sun, Mar 23, 2008 at 4:20 PM
Subject: UPDATE: Justice For Downer Cows? Plea Deal Softens Penalty

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

UPDATE, 3/23/08: Justice For Downer Cows? Plea Deal Softens Penalty

ORIGINAL ALERT, 3/2/08: No Plea Deal For Hallmark Animal Torturers

KINSHIP CIRCLE feels Hallmark Meat Company workers videotaped electrically prodding cows crumpled on concrete…dragging them in heavy chains and hoisting them on forklift prongs…deserve maximum penalties for cruelty.

In our 3/2/08 letter-writing campaign, we asked District Attorney Michael A. Ramos to NOT strike a deal for Luis Sanchez who faced three years behind bars. But DA Ramos negotiated a plea deal at the hearing and Sanchez instead got 6 MONTHS in jail and deportation to his native Mexico thereafter.

It is still significant he was punished at all. Criminal charges against Sanchez and one-time pen manager Daniel Ugarte Navarro, may mark the
nation’s first felony charges for animal cruelty at a slaughterplant.

In the end, however, Sanchez walked away with a relative slap-on-the-wrist. Navarro’s arraignment was originally scheduled for tomorrow (3/24/08). If you sent our original letter (SEE BELOW) we asked that maximum penalties also be sought for Navarro — who faces jail time of eight years and eight months if convicted of five felony and three misdemeanor cruelty counts.

USING CONTACT INFORMATION IN PAST SAMPLE LETTER BELOW, you may wish to:

1. Thank District Attorney Michael A. Ramos for prosecuting former Hallmark Meat worker Luis Sanchez at all…
2. But express disappointment in his reduced sentence under a plea deal.
3. Reiterate your hope that no deals are sought for Daniel Ugarte Navarro and that he is prosecuted to the full extent allowed by law.

Abusing Cattle Gets Man Six Months In Jail And Deportation

Cicno, Calif. — One of two men caught on videotape apparently abusing cattle at a California slaughterhouse has been sentenced to six months in jail.

Rafael Sanchez Herrera pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of animal abuse in a San Bernardino County Superior Court on Friday. Under the plea deal the 34-year-old Sanchez will be deported to his native Mexico after serving jail time. A conviction on the three charges might have meant 3 years in jail.

The video shows Herrera and other workers at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company dragging sick cows with metal chains and forklifts, shocking them with electric prods and shooting streams of water in their nose and faces. It led to the largest beef recall in U.S. history.

Source: Associated Press

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