Action Alerts

Center for Biological Diversity: Speak Up For the Gray Wolf Today
The next administration will be more friendly toward wolves (how could it be worse?). Please help us show the Department of the Interior that tens of thousands of Americans want the killing to stop. More than that, they want wolves to be allowed to freely spread from the Northern Rockies to Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. Please sign our petition today, and then pass it on to a friend. Fill out the form below and let Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne know that you support real and lasting protections for the Northern Rockies gray wolf today.

League of Conservation Voters (LCV): We can’t drill our way out
Spread the word that we cannot drill our way out of this energy crisis. Send a letter to your local papers today.

The Ocean Conservancy: Tell the Gulf Council to End Overfishing of Gag Grouper
In mid-August, the Gulf Council will meet in Key Largo, Florida where they will vote on proposed rules to end overfishing of gag grouper, sometimes sold as black grouper. In order to succeed, the Gulf Council – now more than ever – needs to put fishery politics aside and follow the science. Your help is urgently needed to make this exciting opportunity a reality.

The Sierra Club: Protect Appalachia’s Mountains and Streams from Destruction
Mountaintop removal mining is exactly that, instead of digging tunnels to mine for coal, the tops of whole mountains are blown off with explosives to expose the seams of coal hidden underneath. Beautiful mountain ranges are reduced to leveled worksites while the dirt, rock, trees and other debris are bulldozed into the surrounding valleys, blocking and contaminating local rivers and streams, flooding and polluting the water in local communities, and threatening countless animals and plants. This practice was banned for over a quarter of a century until President Bush legalized mountaintop removal mining again in 2002.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Boycott Mediterranean bluefin tuna
Mediterranean bluefin tuna – prized around the world for the quality of its flesh – is under massive pressure from unsustainable fishing. Scientists tell us that the species is on the verge of collapse, yet fisheries decision-makers keep refusing to take action.

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This is how Anthony Pagor, Dale Meyer, Brandon Meyer and Justin Williams of Eldorado, Wisconsin like to spend their weekends:

That’s right, torturing pigs. Fucking awesome, isn’t it, the way her eyes bulge out of her sockets and her tongue lolls out of her mouth as you squeeze every last bit of air out of her porcine lungs, isn’t it? What can be cooler than inflicting some unnecessary hurt on a “lower” life form, eh? Bet it makes y’all feel like quite the menz. Tomorrow you can haul her off to the slaughterhouse and come back with a freezer full of pork chops. You know, a MANLY MEAT!!!!! “Real food for real guys,” indeed.

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Action Alerts

Consumers Union: Don’t let Bush veto our kids’ safety!
You’ve worked so hard to get Congress to pass a good product safety bill. Make sure the President or industry doesn’t take that away! This week the final product safety bill is expected to pass Congress, and it includes important new protections: a ban on lead in children’s products, a public database of problem goods, and tougher fines and enforcement.

Defenders of Wildlife: Will Your Representative Stand Up to Fat Cats?
The House of Representatives is poised to take a stand against the wealthy speculators who are driving up prices at the pump. The House will vote as early as today on H.R.6604, the Commodity Markets Transparency and Accountability Act of 2008 — legislation to stop the wealthy speculators who economists say are driving up the price of gas. This legislation will resist Big Oil’s call for harmful new drilling off our coasts that would risk our shores and the dolphins, sea turtles and other wildlife that depend on them.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): IDA Joins UK Group to Expose More Cruel Animal Tests by P&G
Despite claims from corporate giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) that it tests products on animals only as a last resort and only when required by law, published scientific papers show that P&G took an already approved ingredient in Herbal Essences shampoo – butylparaben – and force-fed it in massive doses to pregnant animals. The experiment killed 1,300 animals (100 pregnant mothers and their 1,200 newborns) subjecting the adult animals to stressful force-feeding for approximately three weeks, after which the mothers were killed in carbon dioxide gas chambers. Experimenters then removed the slowly dying babies from their mothers’ bodies and killed them.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Don’t let the NRA open our national parks to poaching!
National parks are among the few remaining safe havens for wild animals. Unfortunately, poaching in national parks has reached epidemic proportions and with declining resources, rangers are struggling to stay one step ahead of poachers. In a reckless about-face, the National Park Service is considering a change in the law which would allow visitors to carry loaded weapons in the park. Allowing loaded weapons will not only encourage some visitors to take aim at park wildlife, it will also make it more difficult to stop poachers.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): CONTACT DALLAS MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL AND DEMAND A PUBLIC HEARING FOR JENNY
The Dallas Zoo intends to send Jenny, a 32-year-old African elephant who requires special handling and care, to Africam Safari, a drive-through tourist attraction in Mexico. Jenny is a high-risk elephant with a serious history of aberrant behaviors at the zoo, including self-mutilation and aggression. Jenny’s problems were sparked by some of the very same conditions she will be exposed to at Africam, including loud noises and vehicles.

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UPDATE, 7/30/08: Regarding item #2, ‘Race Track Closing. Don’t Let Greyhounds Die’, please also check out this post I wrote about Woodland’s soon-to-be-ex-racing dogs for the Kansas City Freecycle blog.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 11:05 PM
Subject: #1/ KC DIGEST: Jenny, Greyhounds, Gas Chambers, Prop. 2…

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

Every 1 to 2 months, Kinship Circle forwards alerts from supporters in KC Digest. We did not write or research any of these alerts. Please DO NOT HIT REPLY. Respond directly to contacts in each alert.

PART 1: JULY KC DIGEST – Alerts From Kinship Circle Supporters

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/

PART 1: JULY KC Digest

1. Jenny Still Needs Your Voice
2. Race Track Closing. Don’t Let Greyhounds Die
3. NC Gas Chambers: Explosion With 10 Dogs Inside
4. Help Proposition 2 Win Relief For Animals In Calif.
5. Brutal Torture Of Dog At JNU Campus
6. Help End The Namibian Seal Slaughter

PART 2: JULY KC Digest
PLEASE RESEND ME PART #2: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net

7. Please Post Our Carriage Horse Flyer
8. U.S. Government Sends Tigers to a War Zone
9. Help Animals In EU Laboratories
10. Ask PetSmart to Stop Selling Live Animals
11. Brazil: End Animal Tests – Federal Univ. Of Goias

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Tue, Jul 29, 2008 at 4:32 PM
Subject: ACT/ Bill To (Finally?) End Horse Slaughter

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN

7/29/08: New Bill To (Finally?) End Horse Slaughter

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.

Horses Spared in U.S. Face Death Across the Border

www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/us/11horse.html

Every 5 Minutes An American Horse Is Slaughtered For Human Consumption

www.awionline.org/legislation/horse_slaughter/death_clock.htm

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I’m hooked on the Near East CousCous – the Roasted Garlic flavor, to be exact.* But it’s not really widely available on local grocery store shelves; doubly so since we moved from 45 minutes south of Kansas City to 45 minutes north. The only store ’round these parts that seems to carry the Near East Line is Whole Foods, and it’s uber-expensive there. I was ordering it by the case from Amazon, but alas! – it’s currently out of stock.

Finding myself with a craving for couscous and couscous-free cupboard (o what a quandary!), I decided to improvise and make my own couscous concoction. After my initial plate of FAIL!, I came up with a totally easy, totally veg*n, totally yummy recipe. And only on my second try. Yay me!

DIY Sundried Tomato CousCous

Ingredients

Plain Couscous
Water
Sundried tomatoes (the semi-dried stuff that comes in a bag or bulk; not the stuff pickled with oil in a jar)
A little dab o’ olive oil
A few dashes each of garlic and onion powder

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Action Alerts

Corporate Accountability International: Is Dasani the Real Thing?
This spring the new Aquafina labels spelling out “public water source” hit shelves. Thanks to your phone calls and letters, Pepsi agreed to this change one year ago this week. Rather than follow Pepsi’s lead, Coke denies that people want easy access to this information. Call Coke and tell them it’s time to come clean. Let them know that you want to know the truth behind its marketing.

Ecological Internet / Forests.org: Clayoquot Sound, Canada’s Ancient Temperate Rainforest Valleys to Again Fall to Logging
These ancient forests must be fully protected and all industrial development ended to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem health, focusing upon employment from standing trees and fully intact ecosystems, and failure to do will lead to a renewed “War of the Woods” and global anti-B.C. markets campaign.

Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF): Track Animal Cruelty at the Department of Justice
The Animal Cruelty Statistics Act of 2008 (H.R. 6597), introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.), with Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA), requires the collection of data on all animal cruelty crimes.

Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF): Help End Horse Slaughter
Even though all three foreign-owned slaughter plants in the U.S. have closed, our horses are still being subjected to intense suffering and abuse through transport and slaughter across our borders. Similar to the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 311), a new bill introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), with Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN), would put a stop to this brutal practice. Recognizing the cruelty of this industry, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 (H.R.6598) would both end the slaughter of American horses for human consumption and prevent their export for slaughter in other countries.

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): Tell your senators to vote Yes for clean, renewable energy
The Senate will vote soon on a critical bill that would reduce high energy bills, fight global warming pollution and create high-tech jobs by extending federal tax incentives for clean and renewable energy sources. Tell your senators to vote Yes for clean, renewable energy today.

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Dennis Kucinich! On Air America! Tomorrow night! At 9 PM EDT!

Here’s PDA with all the juicy details.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Mimi Kennedy for PDA and Air America
Date: Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 6:53 PM
Subject: Kucinich on Air America! Tuesday July 29

Tuesday July 29’s PDA edition on Richard Greene’s “Clout” on Air America features:

Congressman Dennis Kucinich and House Candidate, State Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald

Please join me on Richard Greene’s Clout on Air America this Tuesday, July 29–I’ll be co-hosting with Tim Carpenter. Keep us on the air by listening to the live-stream on your computer, and by calling into the show.

Click here to listen in at 9:00 PM EDT, 6:00 PM PDT, Tuesday July, 29.

PDA response is measured through the live stream. The more of you who listen on your computer, the more likely we’ll stay on the air. Just click here. The same is true for phone calls, so please call in to the show at 866-303-2270, too.

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Action Alerts

Born Free USA / Animal Protection Institute (API): Help Save Jenny! – Demand a Public Hearing for Elephant at the Dallas Zoo
Following the sad death earlier this year of KeKe, a 39-year-old elephant at the Dallas Zoo, zoo managers have announced that her lone surviving elephant companion, Jenny, will be sent to Africam Safari, a drive-through tourist attraction in Mexico. But local decision-makers in Dallas could choose to send her to an elephant sanctuary right here in the U.S. instead. You can help make that happen!

Center for American Progress: How Do You Spell Relief?
Let’s help Congress push President Bush to implement REAL ENERGY SOLUTIONS. Write Congress today about releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves and using the profits to invest in creating a low carbon economy.

DawnWatch: 20/20 to cover elephant trauma and sanctuary — 7/25/08
The website for ABC’s show 20/20 has a beautiful connected with tomorrow night’s, Friday July 25, show. The web story is headed, “‘They’re Like Us,’ Elephant Researchers Say. From Kenya to Tennessee, Elephants With PTSD Symptoms Are Finding Some Peace.” 20/20 airs on ABC Friday at 10pm.

Defenders of Wildlife: Recommendations for the Next U.S. President
Regardless of who wins in November, the next U.S. president will need a clear roadmap in place to protect our natural treasures. That’s where you come in. Below, you will find 7 distinct recommendations to help clean up the awful consequences of the Bush/Cheney Administration’s disastrous policies on wildlife and the environment.

In Defense of Animals (IDA): Watch “20/20″ on ABC Friday July 25 (10 PM in most parts of the country) – We Expect A Great Elephant Feature!
According to an article posted on the ABC News website, viewers will be in for a treat tonight when ABC’s 20/20 dedicates a third of the show to an in-depth look at elephants, including studying elephants living in captivity for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Our friends at The Elephant Sanctuary will be featured, as will other pioneers advancing our understanding of elephants.

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Break out your bread machines, veg*ns. It’s time for some Dutch Sugah Loaf bread!*

Ingredients

1 1/2-pound loaf

2/3 cup sugar cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Small pinch of ground cloves
1 1/8 cups fat-free soy milk
1 tablespoon unsalted margarine, cut into pieces
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon gluten
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

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