Very minor spoilers ahead.

I’m a few months late on this – for some inexplicable reason, my DVR “forgot” to record this Very Special episode of CSI, and for an even more inexplicable reason, it took the Mr. and I months to notice – but in the interest of closure, I just have to mention it anyway.

Early on in Season 9 of CSI, vegetarian and animal advocate Jorja Fox left the show; a few weeks after her departure, the writers dropped a subtle hint that her character, Sarah Sidle, had joined up with Paul Watson and his band of sometimes-merry eco-terrorist pirates at the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (if you’re not a regular visitor to Sea Shepherd’s website, you probably would have missed the URL).

Fast-forward a few months, to the Season 9 episode “One to Go” (9×10). Sarah’s on-again, off-again, is-he-her-fiance-or-isn’t-he? love interest, Gil Grissom (William Petersen) is quitting CSI as well. Most of the episode focuses on Grissom’s last case with Las Vegas CSI, and also serves to introduce Gil’s replacement, Dr. Langston (Laurence Fishburne!?).

However, in the last few minutes, we see Grissom

walk the halls smiling to himself as he looks in each room at the lab and sees Brass, Hodges and Wendy, other CSIs, Robbins and Riley, Stokes and Greg. He catches Catherine’s eye in one room and she winks at him. He smiles broadly and turns and walks away. The screen blurs, fades to white and cuts to Grissom wandering a jungle, dressed in a hat and sweaty gear examining a GPS marked Costa Rica. His eyes light on a bug for a moment. He walks into a clearing where a woman, whose back is to the camera, is taking a picture of a monkey in a tree. The woman turns and it’s Sara (Jorja Fox). They take each other in for a moment and then embrace and kiss, passionately.

As Cindy pointed out in the comments to a previous post, Sarah mentioned in an earlier episode that she planned to travel to the Galapagos; and indeed, Sea Shepherd’s activities include an effort to save the Galapagos, so that’s probably where she was (or was heading) when we saw her email Grissom. So why on earth are the two now in Costa Rica, hmmmm?

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Being a good lil’ greenie, I try to throw as little waste in the garbage as possible. When it comes to plant-based waste, I usually compost it. Well, not “compost” so much as recycle: instead of a compost bin, I scatter my plant waste in a field at the back of my property, and let the critters have their way with it.

Scraps are dealt with pretty swiftly this way, actually; for example, I had to discard many wheelbarrows full of rotten and half-nibbled apples and pears last summer. I dumped it all in the pasture nearest my house, because that wheelbarrow was just too heavy to cart any further. The bees, butterflies and (I assume) deer got to work on the heaps fairly quickly, and six months later, there’s barely a trace of the fruit piles.

(Click through to embiggen and see all the little buggers.*)

During the spring, summer and fall, I’ll usually gather banana peels, potato skins, watermelon rinds and the like in a garbage bin in the garage, and empty it out as needed. It starts to smell if I leave it out too long, but it rarely sits for more than a day or two; leaves and sticks fill it quickly. Or if I’ve got a few minutes to spare, I’ll walk to the perimeter of the property and toss my waste as soon as I’ve made it, while the evening’s dinner is cooking or whatever.

Naturally, in the coldest months of the year, I’ve no inclination to go for a stroll – not even out to the barn. And storing food waste in the attached garage isn’t really an appealing prospect. So sometimes I find myself getting lazy and (*gasp*) tossing orange peels in the garbage. Bad Kelly, bad! Since I’ve been doing more and more cooking lately, I wanted to make it as pain-free as possible to recycle my plant waste, so I won’t find myself tempted to send it to the landfill.

Here’s what I came up with: when I generate plant waste, I toss it in a designated Tupperware container, which I then store in the fridge or freezer (whichever has some extra space). When the weather’s sufficiently agreeable, I’ll go recycle whatever I’ve gathered, and start the process anew. Of course, the freezer is the safer choice, but I haven’t yet had anything go moldy or goo up in the fridge (*fingers crossed*). I suppose our wacky Midwestern 75 degrees one day, wind chill of zero degrees the next day, winters help; so far I’ve been able to discard of my waste once every 7 to 10 days.

If you find yourself getting lazy about your composting in the winter months, give it a try. What works for you?

* Can you tell that I’m totally jazzed for spring?!

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After January’s “fur hag” post, I’d like follow up with several examples of anti-fur ads that I like – albeit, with a few caveats.*

While I’m rather ambivalent when it comes to PETA’s nude “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur,” “Turn Your Back on Fur,” (and similar) campaigns, I quite like anti-fur ads which depict fur as the bloody, murderous mess that it is. (In theory, anyway…hence the forthcoming caveats.)

For example, this recent series from IndyAct:

Each ad features a thin, white, conventionally attractive, stylishly dressed woman, decked out in a fur coat which once belonged to various animals. The knife-wielding women are covered in blood spatters – bright red blood, everywhere. The woman in the first ad is, inexplicably, rubbing the knife along her chin, as if in contemplation of fellatio (?). Needless to say, I prefer the other two ads in the series.

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Release Chimps – releasechimps [at] neavs.org
Date: Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 4:16 PM
Subject: Great Ape Protection Act Update 3/11/2009

Release and Restitution for Chimpanzees in U.S. Laboratories: Legislative Update 3/11/2009

Great Ape Protection Act Continues to Gain Bipartisan Support

Three things YOU can do right now to help!

The Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 1326) is currently in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. As of today, the bill has the support of 28 cosponsors including all the original sponsors. It is vital we continue to work hard to add even more cosponsors to ensure the bill’s success.

1. If you have not already done so in 2009, contact your legislator and ask them to sign onto the Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 1326) as a cosponsor, or, if they already have in 2009, please thank them. Then ask at least three of your friends or family to contact their legislators too! Email us for legislator postcards to help make contacting them fast and easy (releasechimps [at] neavs.org).

2. Please contact the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and let them know that you no longer want your tax dollars going towards research on great apes. Tell them you want funding allocated to:

* Retire chimpanzees currently in U.S. labs to sanctuary.
* Alternatives which are not only more humane but are safer and better science.

3. Recently there has been important media coverage (ABC’s Nightline) on primates in research. As a result, thousands of comments are being posted on social networking sites such as Twitter, blogs, Facebook, etc. Please add your voice to this debate with positive, informative and reasonable comments to help educate the public.

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Action Alerts

Corporate Accountability International: Call on Fast Food Giants to Value [the] Meal
“Corporate Accountability International is building a movement challenging the fast food industry to stop interfering in the political process, preventing the public from knowing the health risks of fast food and bombarding our children with manipulative marketing. We believe everyone needs access to enough affordable, healthy food and the fast food industry’s abuses are a roadblock that, once removed, can ensure a healthier future for generations to come.”

Council for a Livable World (CLW): First Step Toward Nuclear Disarmament
“Last Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took the first critical steps toward the Obama Administration’s goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. Secretary Clinton met with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss many issues. Following their meeting, Clinton and Lavrov promised to move forward quickly with negotiations on a successor to the START nuclear arms reduction treaty, a key pact for reducing U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles that expires this December. Council for a Livable World applauds this enormous step forward in our efforts to move toward a nuclear weapons free world, and urges the President to stay committed to a short-term goal of no more than 1,000 nuclear weapons each for the U.S. and Russia.”

Farm Sanctuary: This Bill Really Stinks
“A bill introduced by Sens. Charles Thune (R-ND) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) aims to exempt factory farms from the Clean Air Act and prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from enacting a “cow tax” on the methane emissions generated by animal agriculture. [...] Don’t let livestock producers shirk their responsibility! Contact your U.S. senators today to let them know this bill stinks. Send a quick and easy e-mail telling them to vote NO on S. 527.”

Farm Sanctuary: Dismantling the Factory Farm: One State, One Step at a Time
“While the weather shifts from winter to spring, legislators around the country are running hot or cold on measures impacting the lives of farm animals. These bills, if enacted into law, would have a profound impact on industrial animal agriculture. It’s time to dismantle the factory farm, one step and one state at a time. Throughout the country, legislation is being introduced for farm animal protection, or, in some cases, to codify the cruel status quo. It’s up to you — the constituents — to see that our laws reflect our values of compassion, kindness and respect.”

PETA: Video Exposes Military’s Stabbing of Dogs
“PETA has received horrific torture videos that show live dogs who scream in pain while being stabbed and killed during combat-training exercises conducted by soldiers in the Bolivian military. The soldiers state that their instructors received training from the U.S. military in how to conduct these exercises, and the training partnership is corroborated by a written agreement signed by the two countries. [...] Read the letter that we sent to Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales. Then take action against these horrific practices. Please send a polite e-mail to Bolivia’s government urging it to end the military’s use of animals.”

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Today is Miss O-Ren’s birthday! She’s five years young today. (OK, who am I kidding?! My lil’ babies are all getting old!)

Not-so-coincidentally, today also marks the four-year anniversary of the day we adopted her from Animal Haven. All our girls are strays, so we’ve no clue when their true birthdays fall. Hence, we celebrate their birthdays and adoption days together; if you think about it, the day we adopted each of the dogs was the first day of the rest of their lives, a sort of rebirth, into a new home and better life, if you will. So it’s not very far off base, really.

On the flip side, Ralphie and Peedee were both owner surrenders; we know their dates of birth, so they get to celebrate two special days every year. As usual, the ladies get screwed. To add insult to injury, Kaylee and Jayne share their special day with one another, since they came as a package deal.

Which is why I try to pamper the girls and give them an extra-super-special day of celebration. It’s too cold to take Rennie walking today, but rest assured that she’s getting plenty of belly rubs and lots of playtime.

I also made her a batch of Pizzas for the Pupperonis (recipe via Yummy for Dogs).

These treats smell wonderful while baking – so much so that I was tempted to try one myself. I wouldn’t cheat Rennie like that, though.

Happy birthday, my sweet little piglet! I don’t care how old you are, you’ll always be my little lady.

(Crossposted to.)

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Action Alerts

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Help protect women’s health.
“In the waning days of his presidency, George W. Bush moved to undermine the ability of American women to get basic reproductive health services, including birth control and information about abortion. Late last week, President Obama acted to rescind Bush’s Heath Care Denial Rule. The 30-day public comment period on the Obama proposal starts on March 10. Now, the ACLU needs your help again to mobilize people all across the nation for a dramatic show of support. Send your public comments to the Department of Health and Human Services in support of rescinding the Health Care Denial Rule.”

Consumers Union: Don’t wait to clean up food safety!
“You’re fed up with our nation’s lax food safety, and your recent actions have made a difference! A good bill has just been introduced in the Senate that will begin reforming our outdated food safety system. Now we need your help to make it even stronger, and get it moving ASAP. [...] With your help, let’s make sure the bill is as effective as possible. FDA needs to be inspecting food production facilities at least once a year, and processors should be required to test their products for contaminants and report the results to the FDA. These changes will help prevent deadly outbreaks like we’ve just seen in peanut butter.”

Consumers Union: Did you experience an illness related to something you ate? Share your Story.
“Have you or a loved one become ill with food poisoning? We would like to hear your story. You are not alone — approximately one in four Americans acquire a food borne illness every year! For some people food poisoning has drastic consequences – each year some 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 people die.”

CREDO Action: Tell the Senate: Don’t cave to the banking industry.
“Congress has already given billions of dollars to the banking industry. But it has not yet passed relief for the millions of Americans who are losing their homes. Experts predict that one in six homeowners with a mortgage will be foreclosed on over the next four years. The way to help these Americans is to give bankruptcy judges the power to restructure mortgage loans. The banking industry has spent an exorbitant amount of money lobbying Congress to keep judges from getting that power.”

Farm Sanctuary: Is that a clone in the food supply?
“Animal cloning is ethically and morally unsound, and once cloned products have entered the market place, there is no turning back. The FDA has revealed little about the tremendous animal welfare implications of cloning, but according to studies, only five percent of cloning attempts are “successful” (even in the most optimistic scenario, no more than 20-30 percent of cloning attempts will succeed), and those animals who do survive commonly suffer from deformities, as well as heart, kidney and liver disorders. The surrogate mothers used in cloning research also suffer from fetal overgrowth, repeated surgeries and pregnancy complications that often result in death. Despite all of these facts and fierce opposition from consumers, animal protection, food safety and consumer advocacy groups, environmental organizations, and members of Congress, the FDA approved cloned animals and their products for the U.S. food supply in January 2008.”

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Last month, the Pretenders (in conjunction with PETA) challenged their fans to create original music videos – featuring plastic boots, natch – for the Pretenders’ latest release, “Boots of Chinese Plastic.”

The Pretenders have gotten together with PETA and YouTube to put together a contest with a purpose.

We want Pretenders fans and animal lovers to create videos via YouTube and lipsync to the song “Boots of Chinese Plastic”! (And here’s the lyrics)

We also need you to show off your boots or shoes of plastic somewhere in the performance (this is key).

So fire up your YouTube account, click HERE to watch the video and show us what you got. Once you are done make sure you tag your video “bootsaudition” and you could win a fly away to Los Angeles to be in our Official Fan Video which will include some celebrity friends of PETA.

Chrissie Hynde announced the winner (as well as some notable runners-up) in the March ’09 Pretenders newsletter.

Hey John,

Congrats for being our choice. I love a man who is willing to drag an armchair behind him whilst dressed as a rabbit. And I loved your sensitive depiction of what P E T A is about and why we do what we do. Look forward to meeting up in L A.

We had a blast watching all the entrys. At least one guitar player I know is keen to hook up with the Vegan Goddess. I am thinking about learning to sing underwater. Glad to see some other broads my age are playing toy guitars and looking rough. Loved revisiting the English tube system for three minutes – felt right at home. Sorry to see that anyone is compelled to dress like me – always a fashion faux pas but made me laugh. Loved seeing my voice coming out of the mouth of a man – which probably is how it should have been in the first place. All in all it cheered me up to see so many takes and interpretations of the meaning of “Boots of Chinese Plastic”, but mostly glad to see so much support for the pride of my generation, The People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Thank you all and I hope we get to meet up somewhere down the road.

Until then, Yours as always, Chrissie

If you could use a few minutes of mindless lolz, check out some of the videos after the jump (starting with the official Pretenders video). Or hop on over to You Tube – there are 19 videos currently tagged Boots of Chinese Plastic.

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: – SledDogAC [at] aol.com
Date: Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Subject: ALERT: Save Iditarod dogs from brutality – WRITE
To: SledDogAC [at] aol.com

Please send protest emails and forward this alert widely.

From the Sled Dog Action Coalition, www.helpsleddogs.org

Imagine the cruelties these cute sled dog pups will eventually experience in the Iditarod.

Contact information, email blocks and sample letter are below.

Please help end the barbaric treatment of dogs by sending protest emails to organizations that support the Iditarod. What happens to the dogs during the Iditarod includes death, paralysis, frostbite (where it hurts the most!), bleeding ulcers, bloody diarrhea, lung damage, pneumonia, ruptured discs, viral diseases, broken bones, torn muscles and tendons and sprains.

Dog beatings and whippings are common. During the 2007 Iditarod, eyewitnesses reported that musher Ramy Brooks kicked, punched and beat his dogs with a ski pole and a chain. Jim Welch says in his book Speed Mushing Manual, “A training device such as a whip is not cruel at all but is effective.” “It is a common training device in use among dog mushers…”

Iditarod dog kennels are puppy mills. Mushers breed large numbers of dogs and routinely kill unwanted ones, including puppies. Many dogs who are permanently disabled in the Iditarod, or who are unwanted for any reason are killed with a shot to the head, dragged, drowned or clubbed to death.

When they’re not hauling people, most Iditarod dogs are forced to live at the end of a chain. It has been reported that dogs who don’t make the main team are never taken off-chain. Chained dogs have been attacked by wolves, bears and other animals. Old and arthritic dogs suffer terrible pain in the blistering cold.

Most Internet service providers allow people to send up to 40 email addresses at a time. For your convenience, the addresses have been divided into groups of 40. Please email the first group first. Individual email addresses are given under the sample letter. The groups contain addresses for the Iditarod sponsors, promoters, and the sponsors of the 73 mushers who signed up for the 2009 Iditarod. Email blocks with semicolons are on
www.helpsleddogsorg/sponsors.htm .

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Irreplaceable Wild – info [at] irreplaceablewild.org
Date: Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 4:43 PM
Subject: Send us your photo

Irreplaceable Alert: YOU can be part of the exhibit!

Take Part in a Photo Petition to Congress

Looking for a new way to get involved and help support wildlife at risk from global warming? Join the Irreplaceable Photo Petition!

We will be turning photos of YOU (caring members of the public) into a collective mosaic of a polar bear, the iconic image of wildlife struggling in a warming world, and presenting it to Congress to bring attention to this important cause.

Your photo can help support at-risk wildlife and be part of the Irreplaceable exhibit!

* Want to participate? Send (email) us your photo here: photomosaic [at] irreplaceablewild.org! (Make sure to include your name and state in the email).

The Irreplaceable: Wildlife in a Warming World campaign is dedicated to educating policymakers and the public about the impacts of global warming on wildlife through the beauty and power of images, combined with the inspiration and knowledge from science, religion, and conservation law.

Over the last year, the exhibit has traveled all over the country, and thousands of you have been inspired by these stunning photographs to take action and get involved.

Now it’s your turn to become part of the exhibit! We need thousands of people to donate their personal photographs to a unique “photo petition,” which will be delivered to our policymakers asking them to take steps to protect wildlife imperiled by global warming. The finished mosaic will be presented in May to Congress in Washington, DC, and displayed on the Irreplaceable website.

Thanks for your support, and your photos!

-Irreplaceable: Wildlife in a Warming World
www.irreplaceablewild.org

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Action Alerts

Amnesty International: No Discrimination Against Palestinian Refugees in Gaza
“On March 6, 2009, Senator Kyl (R-WI) introduced an amendment to the Omnibus bill that would deny Palestinian refugees from Gaza resettlement protection. The US is not likely to resettle this population in 2009, and therefore, the amendment is not only discriminatory but also unnecessary. Contrary to 30 years of extending protection to refugees on the basis of need, the Kyl amendment seeks to discriminate against an entire group based on nationality alone. Tell your Senator that this discriminatory amendment must be defeated.”

Kinship Circle: Can you help fund Kinship Circle’s investigative research?
“Kinship Circle composes action campaigns that bring results. Our global supporters take public outcry to decision-making tables. Among many victories for animals, our campaigns helped…”

National Wildlife Federation (NWF): Help Get Cleaner Cars On America’s Roads
“Currently the Environmental Protection Agency is collecting public input on whether California should be prevented from implementing their strong state regulations to cut global warming pollution from motor vehicles. Strong vehicle emission standards will encourage automakers to manufacture cleaner cars that help save people money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

PETA: URGENT: Demand an End to the Shooting and Poisoning of Dogs in Iraq
“The latest news reports from Iraq have been accompanied by disturbing video footage that shows that government veterinarians and other officials are shooting and poisoning puppies and dogs in Baghdad. PETA and other organizations have offered assistance, including both hands-on and financial help. [...] Despite offers of professional assistance, Iraqi officials continue to poison and shoot stray dogs in Baghdad. Strychnine, the poison reportedly being given to the dogs videotaped convulsing, causes severe pain and discomfort before death, as is clear in the footage. Dogs fed poisoned meat suffer increased reflex excitability in the spinal cord, causing all their muscles to contract simultaneously. Animals can suffer and convulse for hours before finally dying from suffocation after ingesting strychnine.”

PETA: URGENT: Deer Are Being Trapped and Trucked to Slaughterhouse in Texas
“The Walden Community Improvement Association’s (WCIA) decision to trap deer using nets and then transport the terrified animals to slaughterhouses has Montgomery County, Texas, residents fuming. WCIA’s Web site states that 75 deer have already been trapped at Walden on Lake Conroe and that up to 125 more may be trapped, trucked, and slaughtered to reduce the deer herd living at the community.”

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Which Western feminist icon are you?

The survey says that I’m Angela Davis, probably due in no small part to my response to third question, “What is the most important feminist issue?”: “Race, class, and gender must be examined, recognized, and the power redistributed.”

You are Angela Davis! You were the THIRD WOMYN IN HISTORY to appear on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. You are a communist, black power-lovin’ lady who shook up the United States when you refused to lie down quietly to oppression. You WENT TO JAIL! Wow. You kick so much more ass than Foxxy Brown.

I was kinda sorta hoping to have animal rights, animal welfare or even plain ole environmental ethics or ecology figure into a question or two – certainly, the above answer could have done so seamlessly, i.e., “Race, class, gender and the human/animal dichotomy must be examined, recognized, and the power redistributed.” – but no go. Nor did Carol J. Adams, Alice Walker, Josephine Donovan or company make the list of iconic Western feminists.

Interestingly, the results do include Susan B. Anthony and Gloria Steinem, two iconic feminists who were/are less well-known for their vegetarianism. Still, nary a word about animal advocacy in the quiz; even though non-human animals vastly outnumber the human ones, they and their concerns are practically invisible. Sigh.*

On a lighter, more serendipitous note, I am wearing my Foxxy Brown tee today.

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Baked potatoes. Diced tomatoes. A dash of olive oil and garlic. Smothered in melty, cheddary Vegan Gourmet soy cheese.

Need I say more?

Cheesy Baked Potatoes

Ingredients

4 white baking potatoes
14 to 28 oz canned diced tomatoes (or 2 to 3 fresh tomatoes, diced)
Olive oil
Garlic and/or onion powder
Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet soy cheese (or similar), cheddar flavor, 1/2 to 1 brick
1 medium sized glass baking pan

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Action Alerts

1Sky: Help President Obama strengthen his goals for reducing global warming pollution
“Our planet is warming at an alarming rate, but scientists say we can solve the climate crisis if we act quickly. That’s why it’s so important for President Obama to strengthen the target he has set for reducing global warming pollution by the year 2020. Unfortunately, Obama’s current proposal is to return to 1990 pollution levels by 2020. This would be a significant reduction, but not nearly enough rapidly enough. Help President Obama strengthen his goal for reducing global warming pollution–send him a message today by filling the form below.”

Common Cause: Make Recovery Act funds work in your state
“Right now, billions of dollars in Recovery Act funds are being sent to your state and local governments. We know where that money should go: towards rebuilding communities of our nation. But powerful special interests and their lobbyists want to put that money in their own pockets. That’s why we need to act now. Fill out the fields below to send a letter to your governor. Demand that the Recovery Act funds work for your state, and for our nation!”

CREDO Action: Tell Congress: Impeach Judge Jay Bybee.
“When presidents and federal judges take office, they must swear to support and defend the Constitution. But federal judge Jay Bybee worked long and hard to undermine the Bill of Rights – and to make sure that President George W. Bush could do the same. On March 2, the Justice Department released a series of legal memos, some authored by Jay Bybee, that gave the Bush Administration legal cover to wiretap Americans without court approval, to send prisoners overseas where they were likely to be tortured, to use U.S. military forces for domestic purposes, and a number of other actions that previously would have been considered unconstitutional.”

DawnWatch: Excellent NY Times op-ed on chimps in captivity 3/6/09
“The Friday, March 6 edition of the New York Times included a superb op-ed, by Charles Siebert, headed, ‘Something Wild.’ It tells us of Travis, the chimp who was killed after biting off a woman’s face and hands.”

Kinship Circle: 3/7/08: Canada Seal Bill Dropped, No Debate. Demand The Killing End.
“3/4/09, OTTAWA (AFP) — Canadian Senator Mac Harb introduced a private members bill that would end the commercial seal slaughter in Canada… The bill failed to gain any support from the start…and was immediately dropped from the senate’s agenda.”

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Oh, yays! I received a copy of Joan Dunayer’s Animal Equality: Language and Liberation – along with a grande Kong for lil’ Rennie, and a few boxes of vegan cranberry pills for my silly, womanly urinary tract (tmi?) – in the mail today. That’s me – or rather, my South Park doppelganger – holding a copy of the book and frowning (about to scold someone, somewhere, no doubt) – up above. South Park Kelly circa 2006 sported a kissy face, but no more. (Who’s got time to make love when there’s a war raging out there!?)

Focusing on language and animal liberation, as the subtitle suggests, the book

shows that deceptive, biased words sustain injustice toward nonhuman animals. Speciesism, the failure to accord other animals equal consideration and respect, survives through misunderstanding and ignorance.

Contrasting evolutionary reality with popular notions of human uniqueness and superiority, Animal Equality discredits the term “lower animals.” Compelling evidence of nonhuman thought and emotion debunks language that characterizes other animals as unreasoning or insensitive.

Vivid exposés of hunting, sport-fishing, zoos, aquariums, vivisection, and “animal agriculture” reveal the cruelty that misleading words legitimize and conceal. Animal Equality leaves no doubt: speciesist abuse relies on euphemism, doublespeak, and other linguistic ploys.

Dunayer even offers a super-handy glossary at the back of the book, complete with problematic words and possible alternatives! (Instead of “spare ribs,” say “pig ribs” – and so on.)

What this means for you, dear readers, is that you can expect an increasingly insufferable vegan language monitor in the coming days.

(OK, well, maybe not ’till next month. I’ve got to set up the garden and lay down the mulch before the weeds run amok. Priorities!)

* I call this one The Veg*n Language Police, naturally.

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Last week, while bored and browsing the Flickrs, I stumbled upon a collection of academia-themed photo sets, uploaded by a user in Germany. Most of the photos are of various conferences and lectures, hosted at the University of Heidelberg. One particular set caught my eye: “The Myth of Animal Rights,” with Professor Tibor R. Machan, Ph.D.

Now, I don’t know much about the man, nor do I care to. His Wiki page is rather sparse, and barely touches upon his animal rights views, except to say

Machan has also argued against animal rights (in his widely reprinted paper “Do Animals Have Rights?” [1991] and his book Putting Humans First: Why We Are Nature’s Favorite [2004]). His full ethical position is developed in his book Classical Individualism: The Supreme Importance of Each Human Being (Routledge, 1998) and it is applied in, among other books, Generosity: Virtue in Civil Society (Cato Institute, 1998).

As if the shameless anthropocentrism evident in Machan’s book titles isn’t ridiculous enough, behold the flier which advertised his appearance on the University of Heidelberg campus:

For those who can’t view the image, a diminutive lil’ chimp sits – in a diaper!? – next to a towering Brandon Routh-as-Superman. Completely breaking with reality, Superman stands at least ten times taller than the “lowly” chimp – no doubt meant to represent MAN’S superiority to mere beasts. A bunch of text offers conference details, with the title of the lecture – “The Myth of Animal Rights” – front and center, in outlined font (lolcats styley, natch: seriousness, ur doin it rong!).

Clearly, this ad reeks of speciesism: though humans are just one of millions of animal species which inhabit the earth, Machan apparently thinks that we’re the only species that matters: we’re “nature’s favorite.” In terms of importance, we dwarf even the chimpanzee, our closest primate cousin. We – oh, hell, the speciesism is so over-the-top, need I continue?

Yet, Machan’s choice of Superman to represent the superiority of humankind is telling as well. Had he chosen to depict an anonymous man and/or woman, the concept would have worked just as well. Instead, he chose a superhero, and an iconic one at that. Think about it: Machan could have went with Wonder Woman, or Supergirl, or Storm, or, jeez, Jean Grey.* Predictably, though, he picked a dude to represent the awesomeness of humanity. A white dude. A heterosexual white dude. A manly man. A man so manly, that both his manliness and his supremacy are proclaimed in his very name: SUPER MAN. He is super, he is manly: he is super-manly!

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Action Alerts

Alaska Wilderness League: Ask your representative to promote Arctic wilderness legislation
“Momentum has changed in Washington. There is optimism. There is hope. We finally have an opportunity to begin protecting America’s Arctic instead of merely fending off the twin attacks of exploitation and destruction. Some famous opponents of America’s Arctic were removed from Washington in the last election. There are many new decision-makers from across the country – many who don’t know how vital Arctic wilderness is. They need to know about your passion for protection if they are going to make the right decisions.”

Anti-Fur Society: Urgent action needed for the seals as the EU Parliament is considering a ban on the Canadian seal products.
“Compassionate people worldwide have come a long way in the struggle to stop Canada’s barbaric killing of seal pups. Despite many set backs, we may soon rejoice in a most sweet victory as the EU Parliament voted for a ban on the seal trade. However, we still have a few weeks before the final vote–to ban or NOT to ban–the trade of seal products in Europe. The final vote will not be cast until sometime in early April. [...] As you can see, although very promising for a total ban, we still have an enormous roadblock ahead of us. This is why we must keep up the pressure so the EU Parliament will see that the world no longer wishes to tolerate any more bloodshed.”

Bush Truth Commission: Support a Truth & Reconciliation Commission
“Sen. Patrick Leahy recently proposed a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate abuses during the Bush-Cheney Administration – so they never happen again. These abuses include the use of torture, extraordinary rendition, and executive override of laws. Please sign his online petition urging Congress to establish a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate the Bush-Cheney Administration’s abuses.”

NARAL: North Dakota Abortion Ban is Right Around the Corner—Help Stop It
“On February 17, the North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill intended to ban abortion. The state’s so-called “personhood” bill also could lead to bans on birth control, stem-cell research, and in-vitro fertilization. The anti-choice movement is beginning its “guerilla warfare” with North Dakota because they think no one will notice. But when they’re done there, they’ll move along to the next state. Don’t let them get away with it! Sign our petition to the governor of North Dakota asking him to veto any “personhood” or abortion-ban bill that lands on his desk.”

Project R&R: Help End Chimpanzee Research; SUPPORT THE GREAT APE PROTECTION ACT!
“Overview: Time is running out for the estimated 1000 (about half of which are federally owned) chimpanzees who remain in U.S. laboratories – most of whom have been in a lab for 40 years or more! It is time for the U.S., the only remaining large scale user of chimpanzees for research in the world, to join the growing list of other nations who have banned or severely limited their use of chimpanzees.”

(More below the fold…)

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – info [at] kinshipcircle.org
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 1:59 PM
Subject: Greyhounds, Fur, Rodeo Shock, Cats Skinned… [Friends Of Kinship Circle]

FRIENDS OF KINSHIP CIRCLE / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

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* KINSHIP CIRCLE DOES NOT WRITE OR RESEARCH THESE ALERTS.
* WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VALIDITY OF FRIENDS OF KC ALERTS.
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1. Trouble For Greyhounds in South Africa
2. Jamaica Wants Greyhound Races Too
3. Jason Wu Puts Aside Fur, For Now
4. Tucson Rodeo Shocks Horses
5. Guandong – Cats Skinned And Boiled Alive
6. Fight Horse Slaughter State By State
7. Prosecute Bird Killers In Florida
8. Ask For End To NYC Horse Carriages
9. World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week

(More below the fold…)

Sigh. Almost two years after “vegan” parents Lamont Thomas and Jade Sanders were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for starving their son, Crown Shakur, to death (hence Nina Planck’s oh-so-clever – and, not to mention, compassionate – “Death by Veganism” column title), non-vegans *still* refer to this case as proof that vegan diets are inherently unhealthy and unsuitable for infants and children. (And, in more extreme cases, that vegan diets constitute child abuse and warrant state intervention.) Even though, as I explain at over at Bitch, these “death by veganism” cases could be more accurately described as “death by starvation.” With proper knowledge and planning, vegan diets are actually healthier than diets which involve animals and animal by-products. For infants, breast milk and soy formula – rather than the soy milk and apple juice Crown Shakur received – are part of a healthy vegan diet.

Anyhow, cue the latest bit of anti-vegan scare-mongering: “Vegan diet tied to birth defects,” which PCRM and Liberation BC critique below. Please consider contacting the newspapers that ran the story, and politely correct their shoddy science “reporting.”

Mary Martin at Animal Person also offers an interesting deconstruction of PCRM’s press release from a radical vegan perspective. I’m embarassed to say that I didn’t pick up on PCRM’s odd choice of wording at first!

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Liberation BC
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 4:10 PM
Subject: Vegan Diet Doesn’t Cause Birth Defects

Liberation BC has had a few people write to us asking about an article in several newspapers, “Vegan diet tied to birth defects”, so we thought we’d send out an Action Alert with a little more information.

The article claims that a study shows that “…vegans and women who eat little or no meat, fish, eggs, milk or cheese are at the highest risk, as well as women with stomach or intestinal problems…that keep them from absorbing enough B12.”

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has issued a press release in response, stating that what the article doesn’t mention is that “…the study is based on analysis of stored blood samples originally collected during pregnancy from three groups of Irish women between 1983 and 1990. It’s not clear if any of the women were vegan, but the study clearly states that this population was deliberately chosen because vitamin supplementation and food fortification were rare at that time. The women lived in a region of traditionally high neural tube defects prevalence, suggesting a moderately high genetic predisposition.” (Doctors endorse vegan and vegetarian diets for healthy pregnancies, 2 Mar 2009)

Of course, it is absolutely true that everyone needs to get B12. It is the only vitamin or mineral that one cannot get on a totally vegan diet. An incredibly small amount of it is necessary–less than 10 micrograms a day–and yet it is so important that without it, we can become very ill indeed. Fortunately, however, it is also a very easy vitamin to get.

It is also worth noting that the experts wholly endorse a vegan diet. The Dieticians of Canada and the American Dietetic Association have stated that:

“Well-planned vegan diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy and lactation. Appropriately planned vegan diets satisfy nutrient needs of infants, children, and adolescents and promote normal growth.”

(More below the fold…)

Today’s blub-worthy video comes courtesy of Marc Bekoff at Ethological Ethics:
 

Footage from a traffic camera overlooking a busy freeway in Santiago, Chile captured a dog performing a heroic act — pulling an injured friend from oncoming traffic.

The video, from Azteca America Colorado, shows an injured dog lying in the middle of a freeway after being hit by a car, while a rescue dog dodges traffic to run to its side. The rescue dog then drags the severely injured canine across lanes of traffic as cars swerve around it.

No motorists stopped to help either dog, but a highway crew arrives at the end of the video.

The translation of the announcer is as follows:

“These images seen from the surveillance cameras show a very common situation with our overpopulated highways. It is normal for us to see dogs run over. In the video, we can see this dog fighting for his life because he was run over by the vehicle.

“What is very touching is to see the very heroic actions of this other dog who is trying to pull him to the side of the highway. We are going to keep seeing things like this until we find a solution to the dogs living on the streets.”

Emphasis mine, because I was pleasantly surprised to see that Fox News shared my initial reaction: namely, an immediate awareness that a “lowly” canine stepped in to rescue a fellow dog, whereas no humans could be bothered to do so. And yet, humans are the morally superior beings. *snort*

Naturally, Fox loses points for referring to the victim and hero as “it,” instead of “he” or “she.” Interestingly, the reporter from Azteca America Colorado didn’t fall into the same speciesist linguistic trap. Weird given his (?) seemingly blasé reaction re: vehicular-canine collisions.

(More below the fold…)