A subsidiary of the department store Beymen, blender bills itself as a “concept store.” (Caution: meat-loving hipsters ahead!) The “concept” (scare quotes because the whole concept of a concept store is way too fucking pretentious for this thrift store shopper to stand), as you may have already surmised, involves the pairing of fashion with misogyny, the conflation of sex and violence, and the linkage of women and nonhuman animals: consumable objects, unite!

With several locations in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey, blender doesn’t just sell clothing and assorted shiny baubles; oh no! Nor are body dysmorphia and low self-esteem its only wares. Ever the hipster-catering douchebags, each blender store is also home to a butcher shop! Because nothing accents a $500 white angora scarf quite like ghastly blood smear stain. (No, really!)

Curiously, blender attempts to sell its audience on this concept by treating at least half of them like pieces of meat, too!

In what is perhaps the most egregious example of the “woman as meat” meme that I’ve seen yet, this ad for “concept store” blender hits a new misogynistic low. Set against a monotone backdrop, a woman – almost mannequin-like in her blankness – hangs suspended in a supine position. Her nearly-naked body – her photographer/exploiter has so generously allowed her a gaudy amount of jewelry as well as black “fuck me” stiletto pumps – is carved into pieces. Each cut reveals a cross-section of “meat” – muscle, gristle, bone – underscoring the similarity between “us” and the “other,” the nonhumans who are our “meat.” Discrete links of chain dangle from the ceiling; at the end of each is a large “fish” or “meat” hook.
In each hook, a dismembered body part.

As always, the model/meatstuff is predictably thin, light-skinned, blond-haired, and conventionally attractive. Her stare is blank, emotionless, creepy;
think Paris Hilton’s “sex tape,” minus the night vision.

The advert’s tag line reads, “The concept store with a butcher shop.”

Fittingly, Ads of the World refers to this ad as “Blender Concept Store: Butcher Shop.”
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Though the misogynist “Butcher Shop” ad above suggests that blender caters primarily to men, it does sell women’s clothing and accessories as well. Once you enter the website past the landing page, the first image to appear is that of a pair of men’s jeans – coupled with a bloody, raw steak.

The text under the slide reads, “These JBrand jeans | go well with a manly dinner.”

From there, you can continue browsing the men’s clothing items, or navigate (somewhat clumsily) to other categories of goods.

The website’s main feature is a series of four slideshows: one each representing men’s and women’s clothing (rtw) and accessories (shoes & bags). Each individual slide juxtaposes an item of clothing with a concept, feeling, or activity: a goes well with b; if you like x, you will like y. Whereas the men’s slideshows are featured more prominently, more total slides are dedicated to women’s clothing and accessories. (The men get 14 clothing and 2 accessory slides; the women, 20 and 8, respectively. See Appendix A for a rundown.)

The images are somewhat subject to traditional gender stereotyping, with greater potential for gender transgression in the women’s slides. For example, the men’s slides stress danger and adventure; cue: motorcycle stunts, road trips, boxing, and retro acts of rebellion. All served with an unhealthy side of meat.

Oh, the meat! 3 out of 14 of the men’s clothing slides (or 3/16 total) involve thick, “juicy” (read: bloody) hunks of manly meat. (Nothing says masculinity like heart disease, constipation and e. coli!) In addition to the very first slide (mentioned above), there’s:

Slide #6, in which a super-sized piece of steak is coupled with a photo of a strutting male model, decked out in black skinny jeans, a black and white checked (flannel?) shirt, a black scarf and matching cap, and a gray (wool? fleece?) jacket. (Forgive me; a fashion maven, I am not.) “If you like our Dukkan steak | you might also like this J.V. Star USA jacket.”

and

Slide #13, which pairs a thick, greasy hamburger with an image of two jeans-and-tee-wearing teenage slackers hanging out in a industrial park or similar. (There’s lots of graffiti, concrete and metal around.) “If you like our Dukkan hamburger | you might also like this [sic] DeHoghten jeans.”

An additional image of “manly” animal exploitation – a comical caricature of masculinity in and of itself – involves (wait for it!) BEAR WRESTLING!

Slide #8 depicts the same red and gray checked flannel shirt, both draped on a hanger and worn by a slightly wild-eyed man. He prowls the forest, fists balled tightly at his side, angrily searching for a hapless bear to brutalize (at least, this is what we’re meant to assume). “This manly John Varvatos Star USA shirt | goes well with wrestling a bear.”

MANLY, MEAT-EATING MEN ARE SO MASCULINIST AND MANLY AND MERCILESS IN THEIR MASCULINITY! I bet that dude could flagellate a bear into unconsciousness with his bare penis! (The puns, I bring ‘em.)

In contrast, only 1 out of 20 of the women’s clothing slides (or 1/28 total) promote meat consumption:

Slide #9 pairs a photo of a female model strutting down a runway with a rather amateurish photo of a plate of meatballs. “This Paul & Joe cardigan | goes well with a dinner of Swedish meatballs.” I don’t know about y’all, but when I see an overpriced, dry clean only cardigan, I immediately start craving greasy finger food!

(This example in particular highlights a key difference between the male and female slideshows: whereas the men’s images seem to be matched on the basis of feelings and emotions, the women’s are more literal or aesthetic. The women’s images complement each other visually, the men’s, viscerally. E.g., in this slide, the shape of the meatballs mirrors the circular, button-like shapes that decorate the runway. Ditto: the brown color of the meatballs and the brown and beige tones found in the model’s backdrop. But I digress.)

Not surprisingly, both the men’s and women’s slideshows also include depictions of positive human-nonhuman relationships with “pet” animals:

Slide #6 – This playful Love Moschino blouse | goes well with your best friend. (I.e., an uber-adorable, totally cute and fluffy dog wearing a large, red bow.)
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Slide #2 (in men’s shoes & bags) – This retro John Varvatos Star USA boot | goes well with the next punk revival. (As is represented by a kitten sporting a mohawk, striped face paint, multiple ear piercings, and a skull necklace; note to Lemmy: your future Halloween costume, you’re looking at it!)
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thus reflecting our culture’s inconsistent and speciesist attitudes toward different “types” of nonhuman animals: some are for loving; others, eating; and still others, wearing. (And, if blender has its way, some are even potential UFC contestants!) Of course, this dissonance is only compounded by the clothing and accessories available for purchase at blender, many of which appear to be made of animal skins and fibers.

In summary, most of men’s interactions with nonhuman animals are marked by dehumanization, objectification, domination, dismemberment, and/or consumption. Though they receive greater visual representation, only one of the women’s slides overtly shows women engaging in cruelty toward animals. Even while reinforcing traditional gender roles vis à vis our treatment of nonhuman animals, blender tries to hawk its wares – including freshly butchered farmed animals – to men and woman alike.

That they do so using images of human women, similarly butchered and brutalized, is a bit of tragikarma (like a tragicomedy, but minus the lolz) in and of itself. For as long as we accept that some of our sentient kin – brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers – are ripe for consumption, we risk being turned into consumable items ourselves.

Hat tip to Katrina Fox for the image.

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* Hate that “joke.”

** Trigger warnings for images of violence against animals, both human and non: yay or nay? Or are visual and textual descriptions of violence against animals a given on this blog?

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Appendix A: blender Slideshows

Man, rtw

01 – These JBrand jeans | go well with a manly dinner.
02 – This Lot 78 top | goes well with staring out of a Manhattan diner all day.
03 – This Love Moschino coat | goes well with eating a marmalade sandwich.
04 – This Paul & Joe suit | goes well with a good corset.
05 – This DeHoghton jacket | goes well with speed racing.
06 – If you like our Dukkan steak | you might also like this J.V. Star USA jacket.
07 – This Paul Smith jeans-shirt | goes well with an evening listening to Joy Division.
08 – This manly John Varvatos Star USA shirt | goes well with wrestling a bear.
09 – This John Varvatos Star USA jacket | goes well with some vintage badges.
10 – If you like this William Rast outfit | you might also like being a rebel.
11 – This so-edgy-it-hurts Zadig & Voltaire outfit | goes well with an attitude people can feel across the room.
12 – This tight Zadig & Voltaire tee | goes well with a smouldering stare.
13 – If you like our Dukkan hamburger | you might also like this [sic] DeHoghten jeans.
14 – If you like this Paul Smith shirt | you might also like road tripping.

(Slides 1, 6, 8 and 13 include images of animal exploitation; none are suggestive of positive human/nonhuman interactions.)

Man, Shoes and Bags

01 – This John Varvatos Converse | goes well with Babyshambles.
02 – This retro John Varvatos Star USA boot | goes well with the next punk revival. [omg it's a kitten with a mohawk!]

(Slide 2 is ADORABLE!)

Woman, rtw

01 – These super-tight JBrand jeans | goes well with a spot of cowgirl chic.
02 – This Love Moschino designer outfit | goes well with being in charge of a designer office.
03 – The details on this timeless DeHoghten jacket | go well with a knight in shining armour.
04 – This sumptuous Elisabeth & James dress | goes well with a night at the cabaret.
05 – This 3.1 Phillip Lim dress | goes well with getting your priorities straight .
06 – This playful Love Moschino blouse | goes well with your best friend. [i.e., a dog wearing a large, red bow]
07 – This Maison Martin Margiela dress | goes well with a Whirpool galaxy.
08 – These Maje Jeans and long sleeved shirt | go well with a baguette fight.
09 – This Paul & Joe cardigan | goes well with a dinner of Swedish meatballs.
10 – If you like this William Rast outfit | you might like the open road.
11 – If you like this Tara Jarmon dress, you | might like picnics in the country. [the second image is that of a mother cow and her child grazing in a small backyard yard, seemingly on a bucolic "small farm" in the country]
12 – If you like these Tara Jarmon pants | you might like being a femme fatale.
13 – If you like this Williams Rast outfit | you might also like being a rebel.
14 – If you like this Zadig & Voltaire top | you might also like a wild night out.
15 – These Maje Jeans | go well with a ride on the Highway to Hell.
16 – This Paul&Joe jacket | goes well with a girl’s best friend. [i.e., diamonds and other shiny baubles]
17 – If you like this Zadig & Voltaire knitwear | you might like being a little bit spooky.
18 – If you mike this Tara Jamon dress | you’ll like a little bit of mystery. [the second image is of a black horse with inflated black balloons obscuring her head]
19 – If you like this Zadig & Voltaire vest | you might like this very expensive diamond skull.
20 – This gorgeous Elisabeth&James top | goes well with a late afternoon ride on this schwable.

(Slide 9 includes an image of animal exploitation, whereas slide 6 is suggestive of a positive human/nonhuman relationship. Also featuring nonhuman animals, slides 11 and 18 are a bit more ambiguous.)

Woman, Shoes and Bags

01 – This 3.1 Phillip Lim bag | goes well with a perfect shade of red lips.
02 – This Marc by Marc Jacobs bag | goes well with your own private transportation. [i.e., a horse]
03 – This uber-slick Australia Luxe Collective | goes well with a stylish boyfriend.
04 – If you like this Dr. Martens | you might also like digging for gold.
05 – This Pierre Hardy boot | goes well with a walk under the clouds.
06 – This Marc by Marc Jacobs lace up boot | goes well with a quiet boat ride with friends. [on what looks like a fishing boat?]
07 – This velvety smooth Australia Luxe Collective boot | goes well with a midnight rendezvous.
08 – If you like this Pierre Hardy sneaker | you’ll like the new General Elektriks album.

(Slides 2 and 6 include images of what could be interpreted as animal exploitation.)

Don’t fear, Ms. Kaylee is here! lol dog sez, “wonder beyatch – be hear 2 smash ur kyriarchy, mkay?” She brought her Wonder Woman undies, but she’ll need to borrow a hammer. You got a problem with that, human?
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Last November, I penned a brief letter to the editors of VegNews, in which I questioned Rory Freedman’s casual use of the term “fur hag” – “hag” being a sexist, ageist and lookist slur. (VegNews subscribers can read the exact quote in context in Freedman’s column, “Prison or Bust,” which appeared in the December 2009 issue.) Fast-forward several months; my letter was published, albeit with several edits, in the March+April 2010 issue.

Not surprisingly – given the popularity of the term, as well as PETA’s “fur hag” campaigns – some readers disagreed with my comments, including Annie Hartnett of change.org‘s newly-rebranded Animals blog. (Many thanks to Marji of Animal Place for bringing the post to my attention!) In Are Animal Lovers Sexist?, Hartnett argues that, ahem, attacking women for their femaleness is not sexist because most fur-wearers are women.

While I have previously deconstructed the term “fur hag” – as well as the campaigns’ associated imagery – what follows is a line-by-line response to Hartnett’s piece. Rather than rehash points that I’ve made elsewhere, however, I’ll use this as an opportunity to build upon my previous argument. If you haven’t already, please go read last January’s On “fur hags” and “fucking bitches.” before continuing on; doubly so if you’re surfing on over here from change.org. (Also related, and referenced in passing below: ARA PSAs: Women, Men and Fur and ARA PSAs: Attack of the Killer Cosmetics.) (1)

Before we begin, though, I’d like to reprint my letter, as Hartnett did not/would not do so, even upon request.

Here is the original letter, in its entirety:

As a vegan feminist, I’m increasingly disturbed by the number of animal advocates who are willing to engage in sexism (and other “isms”) in the course of their advocacy – “for the animals,” of course (as if women are not sentient beings as well). Take, for example, Rory Freedman’s use of the term “fur hag” to describe those who wear fur (“Prison or Bust,” December 2009 issue). “Hag” – a gendered slur that is synonymous with “witch” – literally means “an ugly old woman.” While fur-wearers may indeed be ugly on the inside, a person’s gender, age and physical appearance say nothing of her character. If Ms. Freedman – or any other animal advocate – feels the need to resort to insults, please keep them “ism”-free. “Jerk,” “loser,” “asshat”: all convey a point – without further marginalizing already-marginalized groups of animals, human or non.

Kelly Garbato
Kearney, MO 64060

kelly.garbato [at] gmail.com

www.easyvegan.info

By the way, I wrote a lengthy piece on the term “fur hag” last year, wherein I expound upon the sexist, ageist and sizeist nature of the phrase in much greater detail than is possible in 250 words or less. Additionally, I employ PETA’s associated “fur hag” campaign imagery to further illustrate my point. You can read the post in its entirety at bit.ly/vl8sB

Seriously, tho’, enough with the misogyny!

And here is the letter as it appears in VegNews:

IsmIre

As a vegan feminist, I’m increasingly disturbed by the number of animal advocates who are willing to engage in sexism (and other “isms”) in the course of their advocacy. For example, Rory Freedman’s use of the term “fur hag” to describe those who wear fur (“Prison or Bust,” December 2009 issue). “Hag” is a gendered slur; it literally means “an ugly old woman.” While fur-wearers may indeed be ugly on the inside, a person’s gender, age and physical appearance say nothing of her character. If any animal advocate feels the need to resort to insults, please keep them “ism”-free. “Jerk,” “loser,” and “asshat” all convey a point, without further marginalizing already-marginalized groups of animals, human or non.

Kelly Garbato
Kearney, MO

As you can see, there’s some light editing going on, some of which is rather puzzling (e.g., making a complete sentence incomplete). I’m including both versions not because I so enjoy the sound of my own fingers typing, but rather to give y’all an idea of the points I wanted to convey (the original letter), as well as the exact points to which Hartnett is responding (the edited letter). Naturally, distilling this post into 250 words or less was a bit of a challenge, but I think I pulled it off. (The great thing about having one’s own blog? You get to set the word limits. Muahahaha!)

The quintessential “hag”: the evil witch-queen from Disney’s Snow White. The witch is short, stocky, and haggard; she is plagued by what – for a cartoon character – is an excess of wrinkles; she has a long, crooked nose, topped off with a grape-size mole; her eyes are surrounded by deep, dark bags; her fingernails are overly long and (presumably) yellow; her teeth are crooked and twisted; and she has gray – if not pallidly yellow – hair. She is the embodiment of ugly – and, by association, evil. (2) Eva Longoria, Mary Kate and Ashley Ollsen, Kate Moss – none of these “fur hag” celebrities physically resemble a “hag” in the least.
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Now on to Hartnett’s response. Please go read her post in full, as I’ll only quote the relevant sections below.

I’m a vegan feminist too, but I disagree.

Sure, there are a few fur-loving Kanye Wests and Johnny Weirs out there, but the fur industry is mainly fueled by women. According to the Fur Information Council of America, the sales of fur to men accounts for five percent of total fur sales. If women are buying 95 percent of fur, then it is a gendered issue.

This particular paragraph, I think, cuts to the core of our disagreement. I never said (or even implied) that fur consumption is not gendered. Fur – especially items made primarily of fur, such as stoles and coats – is much more popular and socially acceptable among women than men. (Indeed, remember when David Puddy donned a “womanly” fur coat on Seinfeld, thus making himself a “man furred” object of ridicule?) Fur is considered a fashionable sign of wealth when worn by women, whereas men who wear “flamboyant” fur pieces risk either calling their sexuality into question (hello, homophobia!) or are associated with certain unsavory characters, e.g., “pimps” (a stereotype that’s both racist and classist in nature; and, to the extent that “pimps” are romanticized, misogynist as well).

Given the above, I think it’s both valid and worthwhile to examine the gendered nature of fur – as well as other animal exploitation items of vanity, such as silk, feathered hats and cosmetics tested on animals, for starters – with a critical eye. More so than men (although the gap is slowly narrowing), women’s self-worth rests in their physical appearance – in their perceived beauty, or lack thereof. Girls are socialized from an early age to believe that there’s no higher compliment than to be called “beautiful.” Advertisers chip away at our self-esteem, only to sell us expensive products that are harmful to our bodies and the environment: “anti-aging” wrinkle cream, Botox, fad diets, “breast augmentation” surgery – labia jobs, even. To this end, women consume fashion and beauty items, including fur and cosmetics tested on animals, in disproportionate numbers.

Rather than feed into this cycle by further disparaging women with misogynist insults – by mocking women for being “old,” “fat,” “ugly,” “unfuckable” (or – dog forbid – too fuckable, i.e., a “slut”), etc., etc., etc., why not break it by actively challenging these “isms”?

Yes, fur is most certainly a gendered issue; however, this gender disparity does not grant animal advocates license to use gendered slurs against those who wear fur. Insult the fur wearer’s character and morals – not her sex, age, physical appearance, or other irrelevant, largely genetic personal attributes.

I mean, really. Who cares if Anna Wintour is “ugly” or Donatella Versace, “fat”? (And I’m not saying they are, one way or the other.) The face and body type a person’s born with say nothing of her inner character. Being “ugly” on the outside does not make one ugly on the inside.

PETA’s “Worst Dressed” campaign always attacks fur-wearing women, and men rarely make the list. In 2001, PETA told Sharon Stone: “Put your fur coat away. We saw enough of that tired old beaver in Basic Instinct.” Ouch. PETA has also attacked Star Jones’ weight, called Kate Moss a “supertramp,” and Eva Longoria a “streetwalker.”

More than anything else, this section of Hartnett’s reply boggles the mind. Defending one sexist slur by pointing to PETA’s use of several more? How does that work, exactly?

Referring to Sharon Stone’s “tired old beaver”?: Sexist and ageist.

Along with similar terms such as “pussy,” “cunt,” “tail,” “piece of [ass],” “snatch,” “beef sleeve,” “bearded clam,” “camel [toe],” “fish [taco],” and the like, “beaver” is one of many slang terms – often used in a pejorative or objectifying manner – for women’s genitalia. A number of these terms involve nonhuman animals – many of them either edible (fish, clams, deer, assorted pieces of “meat”) or domesticated/tame-able (cats) – thus linking the oppression of women with that of nonhuman animals. (3)

As if signaling Sharon Stone’s vag out for ridicule isn’t bad enough, PETA further denigrates Stone – and her sex organs – as “tired” and “old.” In addition to the ageist implications that old(er) people are “less than,” this insult adds another layer of misogyny to that already unpeeled. Stone isn’t just old and tired; her “beaver” is old and tired, too. Get it?! Old women are ugly and unfuckable! What man would want to poke a wrinkly, well-worn, loose cunt like Stone’s, anyway? Yuck!

As with “ugly” “old” fur “hags,” the age and tightness of Stone’s vag has nothing to do with her decision to wear fur.

Attacking Star Jones’ weight?: Primarily sizeist, but also sexist, classist and racist. (It’s all connected, yo!)

PETA’s billboard, reworked by moi. It reads: “Save the ‘Whales’: Boycott PETA!” The “fat” lady – i.e., the “whale” – appears as a loud and proud VEGAN. Now there’s a billboard I’d happily fund.
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This is an area which received a great deal of coverage over the summer, when PETA put up, took down, and not-really-apologized for that odious “Save the Whales” billboard. I never did get around to writing about it, so instead I’ll direct you to this massive link roundup I compiled of vegan-feminist responses.

The bottom line, for the umpteenth time, is that a person’s body size is not relevant to the discussion. Some underweight people are cruel, mink-wearing, puppy-kicking, baby-juicing fuckers, while some overweight people are the kindest, most compassionate and giving vegans you could ever hope to meet. And vice versa. What’s weight got to do with it? Nothing. To suggest otherwise is to encourage prejudice and stereotyping based on a person’s body size (i.e., sizeism).

How is weight (and thus weight-based discrimination) tied to gender, class and race, you ask?

Gender: What constitutes an acceptable weight varies based on the subject’s sex. Women are allowed less leeway when it comes to weight and body size (and physical appearance overall); whereas a man might be able to “get away” with carrying around an extra 20 pounds, this same amount of weight on a female frame (even one similarly sized) is more likely to be met by ridicule. See, for example, the flap over American Idol Jordin Sparks.

Class and race (and geography, too): While partially genetic/biological, one’s weight is also influenced by environmental factors, such as diet, exercise and lifestyle. While it’s easy for middle-class, suburban white folks such as myself to assume that everyone has several well-stocked grocery stores nearby, not to mention safe neighborhoods in which to play and, if so desired, extra funds with which to purchase gym equipment or a gym membership, these are privileges – privileges closely tied to one’s race, class and geographic location. Impoverished people, people of color, and those living in inner-cities don’t have the same access to healthy/fresh/organic/unprocessed/plant-based foods as do (possibly) you or (definitely) I. Ditto: preventative and emergency health care, knowledge about nutrition, and areas in which to exercise without risking one’s own personal safety.

As I argued on Stephanie’s “Save the Whales” post, rather than shaming overweight people into losing weight, PETA would be better served by increasing access to healthy, plant-based foods, not to mention joining the fight against poverty and working to make schools and neighborhoods safe for children and adults alike.

But I digress.

Race (and ethnicity): In addition to the above, race (and ethnicity) is tied to weight in another way as well: namely, what constitutes a healthy and/or attractive weight (and the two are not mutually exclusive in popular imagination and discourse, though they should be) varies between cultures and across time periods. PETA’s definition of “fat” may not jibe with Star Jones’ – nor may its perception of “fat” as a negative. By pushing Western beauty standards as the ideal, PETA (et al.) is engaging in colonialism.

By the by, the page to which Hartnett links only mentions Jones in passing – and only in relation to Lara Flynn Boyle, one of 2004′s “Worst Dressed” celebs. Because it offers an interesting case study in the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” Catch-22 that is femininity, let’s discuss, shall we?

7. Lara Flynn Boyle – Unlike the entire forest of foxes it takes to cover up previous worst-dressed winner Star Jones, it likely takes just a fox-and-a-half to cover this incredible shrinking actor, so PETA ranks her last for having caused the fewest animals to be drowned and strangled for her coats.

Whereas PETA deems Star Jones “too fat,” Lara Flynn Boyle is “too thin.” Now, I’m not saying that Flynn Boyle isn’t extremely thin – so much so that rumors abound about a possible eating disorder. But this is a classic example of how women can never win; Jones loses because she doesn’t adequately conform to Western beauty standards governing how a woman should look, i.e., thinner than is healthy – while Flynn Boyle also loses because she conforms to these standards a little too closely.

I’d argue that it’s much the same with other areas of fashion and beauty (including the aforementioned fur and cosmetics): women are taught to pay close attention to their physical appearance – but pay too much attention and you’re a superficial, vain little powderpuff. (Wherein just how much is “enough” is forever fluctuating and subject to interpretation.) Funny, that.

Calling Kate Moss a “supertramp”?: Sexist, anti-sex, anti-sex worker, and/or classist.

This is Supertramp; Kate Moss, not so much. (For those who can’t view the image – it’s a group shot of Supertramp, the rock band of the late ’70s/early ’80s. LOL my wordplay funtime!)
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So much to deconstruct.

As related to this discussion, a tramp is:

a sexually promiscuous woman

Kate Moss has a lot of sex! She enjoys fucking! Let’s bury the slut up to her neck and stone her to death, shall we?

But seriously. Again, why should the amount of sex a woman engages in – or the vigor with which she does so – be introduced into a discussion about the ethics of wearing fur? Rhetorical question; as with gender, weight, physical attractiveness, etc., it shouldn’t. It’s irrelevant. And for an organization that’s quick to call feminists (including vegan feminists) who oppose its nude campaigns “anti-sex” “prudes,” this sentiment is…awfully sex-negative, no? Sex is a normal, healthy part of life; why all the hate for women who have and enjoy it?

And, um, hello gender disparity! Riddle me this: how many men does a woman have to sleep with before she’s “trampy”? How many women does a man have to sleep with before he’s a “tramp”?

Or, to further muddy the waters: how many women does a woman have to sleep with before she’s “trampy”? How many men does a man have to sleep with before he’s a “tramp”?

Yeah.

But this definition is only partial; the entire entry reads:

a sexually promiscuous woman; prostitute.

As with PETA’s nude ads, “good” (vegan) feminists can and do disagree whether sex work – including but not limited to prostitution – is necessarily misogynist, or can ever be empowering/liberating/feminist/insert your super-awesome adjective here. But there’s a world of difference between being anti-sex work and anti-sex worker. Calling a woman a “prostitute” as a means of (slut-)shaming her is decidedly anti-sex worker. Not cool.

Women enter prostitution for a whole host of reasons. Some see it as a valid and favorable career choice; they enjoy having sex in exchange for money. (One might argue that this sums up the institution of marriage in a nutshell.) Again, why should a woman’s enjoyment of sex count against her? (4) In addition to personal preferences, some women enter the sex industry because they have no other options or marketable skills; as education is tied to privilege (race, class, etc.) anti-sex worker bias is, in a way, racist and classist. Still others become involved in prostitution because of past sexual abuse and/or current drug use. Ableist much? Via human trafficking, some girls and women (and boys and men) are literally “sex slaves” – victims of repeated sexual and physical violence. I hardly think they deserve to bear the brunt of PETA’s ire; do you? (If so, there’s a term for that: victim-blaming.) Finally, sex workers are predominantly women; in fact, you could argue that sex work is one culmination – a logical conclusion – of the social roles that woman are socialized into. Madonna, meet whore. Fittingly, anti-sex worker rhetoric and sentiment is usually aimed at women; it’s sexist. (Wheh!)

But wait! There’s still one more “ist” definition to dismantle!

a person who travels on foot from place to place, esp. a vagabond living on occasional jobs or gifts of money or food.

In other words, a homeless person – a “bum.” As with sex workers, there are many reasons a person may find herself homeless: choice, yes, but also unemployment (due not just to personal irresponsibility, but a faltering economy, so crippled by the actions of a privileged few; most of them white, most of them men – a majority of whom were rewarded, rather than punished, for their immoral-if-not-outright-criminal acts), mental illness (I will see your schizophrenia and raise you PTSD triggered by war time combat!), and drug use/addiction. As with sex workers, none of these conditions make a person deserving of our ridicule.

Calling Eva Longoria a “streetwalker”?: Sexist, anti-sex, and anti-sex worker. See: Kate Moss.

The letter in VegNews suggested animal advocates switch to insults like “jerk,” “loser,” and “asshat.” The trouble is, those words don’t pack much of a punch.

Okay, let’s not be disingenuous here. Seeing as I was penning a letter to a rather PG, family-friendly magazine – and seeing further that I wanted VegNews to actually publish my commentary – I couldn’t exactly let loose with the obscenities. In addition to jerk, loser, and asshat, we have: asshole, wankstain, shitface, fuckwad, dick nose, douchenozzle (5)…shall I go on?

Nor need one stick with standards. Create your own unique combinations! Make up your own silly nonsense words and imbue them with meaning! Learn the curse words of fictional languages! Transform the names of detestable items and people into insults!

Some of the shiniest slang comes from the world of science fiction. (Shiny! Get it!?) Frak off. Gorram. Nugget. And that’s not even counting Klingon!

Bernie Madoff appears on the cover of New York magazine, Photoshopped to resemble The Joker. The headline trumpets: “Bernie Madoff, Monster.” Indeed.
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Likewise, Dan Savage singlehandedly transformed “Santorum” – as in Rick Santorum, the former Republican Senator from Pennsylvania – into a noun signifying “the frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex,” in honor of the politician’s homophobic comments. Why not treat men like Donald Tyson, Kenneth Lay, Bernie Madoff, Frank Perdue, John Ensign, Joseph Ratzinger, et al. with the same degree of respect? At the very least, these men deserve to have their names used as insults; sex workers and homeless people, not so much.

Dog gave you a brain; use it. You’re only limited by your own imagination (and, hopefully, your anti-oppressive ethics). “Queer,” “fatty” and “slut” – this is the stuff of schoolyard bullies. Lazy. Unimaginative. Easy. You’re better than this…aren’t you?

After all this, if you still find that oppressive insults such as “fur hag” and “streetwalker” “pack [more] of a punch” than, say, “Santorum” or “hymen hugger,” (6) perhaps you ought to stop and ask yourself why? Why is being a woman – or being “fat,” or “ugly,” or gay, etc. – the meanest, most vicious thing you can call someone? What does this say about our society, and how it values those who are “other”? Is this really a value system you want to perpetuate?

Additionally, the effectiveness of a given strategy says nothing of its moral righteousness. One of the most powerful words in the American English lexicon is one so abhorrent and taboo that I can’t even bring myself to type it in this here space (particularly as someone lacking in melanin). So, Annie: If you really, seriously want to insult a fur-wearer – and if degree of offense is positively correlated with one’s license to offend – then I expect to see the n-word grace the pages of Animals with increasing frequency.

No? I didn’t think so. (And thank dog for small favors.)

I’m less comfortable with using gendered insults when talking about eating animals, as opposed to wearing them. The popular vegan diet book, Skinny Bitch, has also taken a lot of flak for the book’s misogynist language (Including over at the Sustainable Food blog). And earlier today was the first I’ve heard of John Joseph’s book Meat Is For Pussies.

Well, at least I don’t have to explain why pushing thinness as an ideal and tossing around slang for women’s sexual organs in an insulting manner is misogynist. Phew!

Or…do I? Really, one shouldn’t be “comfortable with using gendered insults” at all. Again, pointing out the ways in which animal exploitation conform to gender roles and gendered stereotypes is perfectly acceptable, if not a welcome change of pace for the animal advocacy movement. But this is far, far removed from insulting women merely for being women, which is exactly what gendered slurs do. Meat or fur, it matters not: sexism is sexism, ageism is ageism, lookism is lookism – and none have a place in the animal advocacy movement.

So what do you think? Are animal advocates too vicious towards women? Or is it okay to get catty for the sake of animals?

“Catty,” really? Sigh.

@ Annie Hartnett: Consider this your feminist intervention. finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com – For the love of dog. Go there, please. Lurk, listen, learn. And try your best to ignore the speciesism – at least until you’ve mastered the feminism and can craft a coherent, anti-oppressive retort to the otherwise badass bitches over there.

Catra, She-Ra’s would-be nemesis and my imaginary girlfriend.
Kelly ♥’s Catra, furever.
——————————

Me-ow.

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(1) How many “gender + fur” posts must a girl bank before she’s crowned the Official “Fur Hag” Hag ™? Because that would be, like, totally awesome. WANT!

(2) Personally, I much prefer Neil Gaiman’s retelling of the Snow White tale, in which Snow White’s stepmother is not wicked, but innocent and compassionate; so much so that she cannot bring herself to slay her young stepdaughter after the King’s death, a folly which eventually costs the Queen her throne. (Spoiler: All is stolen by a vampiric Snow White and her necrophiliac Prince Charming!) Seriously, read it: the story appears in John Joseph Adams’ vampire anthology, By Blood We Live. Best part of the book.

(3) Yes, the English language is replete with slang terms for men’s genitalia as well (e.g., “cock”); but these do not come close to rivaling female-specific terms in number, nor are they as consistently employed in a negative manner (e.g., when a man is called a “dick” or “cock,” it’s usually with an undercurrent of respect – he may be a jerk, but he’s a jerk who knows how to get what he wants).

(4) Also: nice to see you again, Catch-22! If women are not eager enough to have sex – or do not express adequate pleasure in bed – they are “cold” and “frigid.” If they are too willing to have sex – or express too much pleasure in bed – they are “tramps,” “sluts,” “whores,” etc. What constitutes “enough” and “too much” sexual activity and pleasure, and how do these norms differ according to the subject’s gender and sexual orientation?

(5) “Douchebag” and variants thereof are arguably not misogynist. Ditto: “bitch” and “cunt” (and “hag” in #1 above) when used by women in a positive, complimentary manner.

(6) See!? I thought of this one just now, all by my lonesome! A great slur for a virginity-worshiping misogynist, I tell you what!

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare peta rory freedman skinny bitch vegnews fur fur hag hag language sexism sexist feminist feminism misogyny race racism racist intersections intersectionality animals and women parallel oppressions class classism homophobia sex worker anti-sex transphobia transphobic slut shaming fat shaming flickr photos slang gender stereotypes gendered stereotypes gendered slurs ethnicity beauty kate moss sharon stone eva longoria ollsen twins ableism sizeism disability homelessness food diet privilege lol kaylee kyriarchy change.org kaylee my furkids

In the comments, Helen points out that all three animals – (pussy)cat, beaver and chicken (errr, rooster; read: cock) are euphemisms for female and male genitalia. I know, so obvious! How on earth did I miss it!? Especially when I caught the significance of the beaver! Clearly, I’ve been off my game lately.

Anyhow, it’s my feeling that these gendered/speciesist slurs actually make the whole ad campaign that much more distasteful. While the targeting of men in addition to women might help to level the playing field, gender-wise (well, as much as it can be in a culture that disproportionately values women’s physical appearance and beauty – however it is defined – as opposed to men), we’re still faced with the exploitation and mockery of three nonhuman animals in order to sell…waxing products. Add to this the fact that the animals were specifically chosen for their correspondence to sexual slang, and…yeah. Ick, all around.

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One part “sexy meat,” one part zoo porn, with a little child sexploitation thrown in for good measure, these ads for Queen Bee Waxing are all kinds of creepy, no matter which way you slice ‘em. (Not that I’m suggesting that you should slice them! They’re animals, not deli “meat”!)

Queen Bee Waxing operates a Salon & Spa in Culver City, California. Its services include tanning, mani/pedis, facials, eyelash extensions (!), and all manner of body waxing: full leg, half leg, eyebrows, full arm, half arm, back, chest, underarms, lip, genitals, anus – wherever your body generates unsightly hair, the friendly “waxologists” of QB will be there, ripping it violently from its roots.

One caveat: some forms of waxing will cost you extra if you’re a gross, hairy cave-dude. For reals! (Don’t you just love how they assume that all men are hairier than all women? In point o’ facts, my Italian ass just so happens to grow lusher body hair than my husband’s Irish one.)

To illustrate just how childishly smooth QB can strip your bits, they’ve demonstrated their mad skills on unsuspecting animals! (Not for reals – I’m guessing/hoping that the animals below have suffered these indignities in a digital sense only.)

From top to bottom, we have a cat, a beaver [insert obligatory joke re: women's genitals here] and a chicken. Each of them stand stark naked, seemingly bewildered by their own baldness.

Actually, scratch that; the chicken looks fucking insane with rage. Can you really blame her?

So here we have three nonhuman animals, mocked, objectified and exploited, in order to sell men and women – mainly women – an extravagantly overpriced product that 1) they don’t need and 2) may be harmful to their health.

On point #1: Body hair is natural. We all have it. As babies, we are born with a soft, dewy coat, and as we age, our body hair thickens and darkens. By removing this hair – and in such large quantities – men and women are reverting to a childlike appearance. In particular, adult women are taught that to be bald and hairless is sexy and attractive. (Hello, pornification of children and childhood! Infantalization of grown women, how nice to see you again!)

On men, body hair is mostly regarded as “manly” – unless, of course, one man is “wearing” too much of it (as if it’s an accessory!), in which case it’s “gross,” “primitive,” “Neanderthal.”* In contrast, men with little or no body hair are seen as less masculine; feminized; womanly. And what’s worse than being a woman, hmmm?

Women are allowed less wiggle room in terms of “acceptable” body hair. Women are taught to pluck – nay, shape! – their brows, shave their legs and armpits (and perhaps their arms, too), and “tame” their “bikini lines” – all at an early age. Women with “too much” body hair are mocked; they are “ugly,” “manly,” “unfuckable,” “bestial.” Women with too little body hair – well, a woman can never have “too little” body hair, silly! The more a lady resembles a pre-teen girl, the better!

Speaking of pre-teen girls, while researching this piece, I unintentionally stumbled upon a morsel of information that I wish to Cheesus I could purge from my brain. To wit (and don’t say I didn’t warn you!):

Young children also get waxing treatment with children as young as eight receiving wax treatments such as eyebrows, legs and genital waxing. Such genital waxing on young girls has been called “virgin bikini” waxes, and is aimed at either reducing the girl’s need for pubic hair removal in the future or stopping hair growth permanently with as few as five or six treatments as long as the child has never shaved before. The increase demand for preteen waxing is being met by spas, with some 10,000 spas in offering services only for young girls and early teenagers in the United States of America alone. The International Spa Association has reported that 16% of teens who have had spa treatments have had waxing done. The association has not been able to give figures for younger children because it is illegal to survey them.

While the 10,000 figure seems a bit dubious, the cited resources do check out – see, for example Too young? Preteen girls get leg, bikini waxes at MSNBC and Trend: Pretty babies at Philadelphia Magazine.

I don’t think I need to parse out the high hilarity of the Wiki author’s reasoning,** but I will say that subjecting your minor child – girl or boy – to completely unnecessary and potentially harmful cosmetic procedures is child abuse, full stop. Especially when performed on the genitals! (And yes, I do think male circumcision ought to be outlawed – though I don’t consider it as grave an injustice as female genital mutilation. It’s like comparing apples to pigs, people!)

On point #2: Waxing is potentially dangerous; the more sensitive the area, the greater the danger. I think you know where I’m going with this, yeah?

All Jennifer (not her real name) wanted was a smooth bikini line. But within 24 hours of getting a bikini wax at a reputable New York City salon, an infection crept in. She developed a fever of 102, chills, and pain in her left thigh. “I thought I’d caught a cold,” she says, “but after five days, the pain was worse.”

Her doctor diagnosed her with cellulitis, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection of the skin and the underlying tissue. Jennifer spent the next 15 days in the hospital hooked up to an IV that pumped her full of antibiotics and heavy-duty painkillers. She also had surgery to drain the infection. “One doctor said I could have lost my leg!” she recalls. “It took me months to recover physically and emotionally from the whole ordeal—a steep price to pay for a little vanity.”

While there are no reliable stats on body wax related complications, Jennifer’s experience wasn’t unique. This past March, the state of New Jersey nearly banned Brazilian bikini waxes after two women landed in the hospital as a result of them (one of the women filed a lawsuit against the state cosmetology board). And in 2007, an Australian woman with type 1 diabetes almost died of a bacterial infection she got after a bare-it-all wax.

What makes them risky? “Pubic hair is there for a reason—to protect the sensitive skin and mucous membranes in the genital region,” explains Linda K. Franks, M. D., an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the New York University School of Medicine. “Getting a wax literally strips away that layer of protection.”

Waxing can also pull off tiny pieces of the skin’s outermost layer, creating a portal through which bacteria can enter the body. What’s more, the process creates inflammation, which can trap bacteria beneath the skin. All of this sets the stage for skin infections (including staph), folliculitis (infection of the hair follicles), and ingrown hairs.

“Anytime you compromise the integrity of the skin, you’re going to increase your risk of infection,” Franks says. She advises people who have diabetes, chronic kidney or liver disease, skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, or weakened immune systems to avoid waxing altogether.

(By the way, I have had folliculitis – not related to waxing – and it is brutal.)

Radical suggestion: Since waxing body hair (pubic hair in particular) is an unnecessary and risky procedure that primarily serves to conform to and reinforce sexist beauty standards*** – and also perpetuates rampant consumerism – why not forgo it altogether? Just sayin’.

And then there was the chicken. As disturbing as I find the first two images, it’s not often one sees a cleanly plucked cat or beaver. These ads are creepy, yes, but almost cartoonishly so. Chickens, on the other hand, are routinely “plucked” clean (read: defeathered) as part of the slaughtering process.

Once inside the slaughterhouse, fully conscious birds are hung by their feet from metal shackles on a moving rail. The first station on most poultry slaughterhouse assembly lines is the stunning tank, where the birds’ heads are submerged in an electrified bath of water. Although poultry is specifically excluded from the Humane Slaughter Act which requires stunning, the practice is common because it immobilizes the birds and expedites assembly line killing. [...]

After passing through the stunning tank, the birds’ throats are slashed, usually by a mechanical blade, and blood begins rushing out of their bodies. Inevitably, the blade misses some birds who then proceed to the next station on the assembly line, the scalding tank. Here they are submerged in boiling hot water. Birds missed by the killing blade are boiled alive. This occurs so commonly, affecting millions of birds every year, that the industry has a term for these birds. They are called “redskins”.

And, from the Vegetarian Society,

Broiler chickens are slaughtered at just 6-7 weeks of age (a chicken’s natural lifespan is around 7 years). Almost 800 million broiler chickens (784.39 million) were slaughtered in the UK in 2008 (798.52 million in 2007). On reaching the slaughterhouse, broiler chickens are removed from their crates and hung upside down shackled by their feet to a moving line whilst still fully conscious. Their heads and neck are dragged through an electrically charged water bath designed to stun the birds, rendering them unconscious. The moving line then takes the birds to an automatic neck cutter. Birds are then bled before entering a scalding tank to make the plucking easier. Broilers often experience pain and struggle while hung in shackles, and they may suffer during the slaughter process. It is estimated that over 50 million broilers across the European Union may be slaughtered while fully conscious.

Or perhaps our dear QB mascot is a genetically engineered “featherless” chicken, so “designed” to “grow” in hot climates? (By the way, this article? Totally makes me reconsider my earlier – albeit ancillary – praise of Dr. Tatiana.)

In this context the waxed chicken ad is even more tasteless than are the others. “Ick” all around.

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* Interestingly, body removal methods are also marketed to both men and women as a means to look less “animal” or “ape” like – as though we aren’t indeed both animals and apes! See, for example, Body Hair Makes You An Ape at Sociological Images.

** The choice is either wax the genitals of a 9-year-old girl between two and six times, or condemn your daughter to a lifetime spent torturing her junk? Talk about a false dilemma! How about not waxing one’s lady bits at all!?

*** Sexist in that they do not apply equally to women and men. Seriously; how many men do you know who are completely hairless? ****

**** Similarly, PETA has employed these stereotypes and differing standards of beauty in its anti-fur campaigns.

On one end of the spectrum, PETA shames women who don’t sufficiently conform to modern norms regarding the grooming of pubic hair. Women with “fur trim” – i.e., unkempt bikini lines – are mocked as “fashion victims,” akin to nonhuman animals who are enslaved, tortured and murdered for their (attractively hairy) skin (!):

The take-home message? Women who don’t look like modern-day porn stars are “a turnoff.” Nice!

In contrast, men are more likely to see their body hair – their natural “fur” – being celebrated (if humorously so):

That said, most of PETA’s models and spokescelebs are either waxed or airbrushed back to infancy – a practice in accordance with modern trends.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare advertisements waxing, beauty feminism feminist animals and women intersections parallel oppressions body hair pubic hair body waxing queen bee waxing pop culture photo blogging peta fur fur trim flickr photos chickens cats beavers bald factory farming slaughter featherless chickens

In case you can’t view the images, here we have a series of three ads, each of which shows a naked, white male being hunted and tormented by a gleeful fox – who is obviously another human, most likely also male, decked out in a fox outfit, all mascot-like.

In the first ad, the human victim appears in the background; he’s sprawled unconscious on the ground, most likely dead, his naughty bits obscured by a strategically placed tree trunk. The fox stands off to the human’s left and in the foreground, legs spread shoulder-width apart, arms raised triumphantly. In his (her?) right hand/paw, the fox holds a gun. Most likely Mr./Ms. Fox went hunting, and “bagged” a human. (It’s worth noting that this slang – “bagged” – can be applied to sexual “conquests” as well bloodsports. Sex and violence, sex and death.) The caption reads, “Fox like this doesn’t exist.” (Fur Free Alliance is an international anti-fur organization; its website, which is in English, is “operated on behalf of the Fur Free Alliance by the Humane Society of the United States.” So while the caption appears to be broken English, I can’t tell whether this is intentional or not.)

The next ad in the series shows the fox, still toting a gun in his right hand, dragging the now-conscious man through the underbrush. Again, the man is stark naked, this time with a pile of leaves (or is that a bush?) covering his groin. With his left hand, the man is trying to grab onto a tree; with his left, he reaches toward the fox, as if imploring him for mercy. “How does it feel?” the caption demands.

In the third and final ad, the fox is chasing his victim around the forest. All we see of the victim is part of his face and naked chest, blurred in close-up. Mouth opened wide, the man is screaming bloody murder. The fox, taunting, stands a few paces back, seemingly laughing at his prey’s terror. “I need his skin for my jacket” – no matter the cost.

If the naked victim in any or all of these ads was female, I’d be quick to point out the obvious sexism: too often in our culture, women are sexualized and objectified, treated as (sexual) parts, rather than the sum thereof. While there’s nothing sexy about violence, torture and death – quite the opposite, in fact – when the victim of said horrors is female, the victim’s sex(uality) and the violence she’s suffering is conflated. More often than not, the victim is impossibly beautiful, scantily clad, provocatively posed. Perhaps she appears to be enjoying the violence inflicted upon her; possibly she is simply detached, empty, vacuous. Absent from her own (hijacked) body. Violence is depicted as sexy, arousing, enjoyable. Or at least to the (presumably heterosexual) male gaze that is taking it in.

In contrast, the male victim here is rather average looking: thin and wiry; neither particularly “attractive” nor “ugly”; not hairy, not bald. Just…average. Though he’s naked, he’s not “sexed up” or objectified. Nothing sexual is implied in any of his poses. (For example, his ass isn’t thrust into the air; he’s not shown crawling on all fours; his face and/or torso always face the camera; there’s no threat of sexual violence, real or implied.) These photos, in short, could not just as easily be at home in the pages of Playgirl magazine – something that cannot be said of so many similar ads featuring naked and victimized female bodies. (So the “reversal of gender roles” I referred to earlier? Not so much, it turns out.)

There’s also a comical, humorous edge to these images that’s hard to describe in words. The fox’s mask/face is laughable eerie – with its empty black eyes and a snout that always seems to be turned up into a smirk, the fox has a maniacal air about him. The human, on the other hand – and whether this is intentional or a result of “bad acting,” I know not – seems to be choking down a laugh himself. The model/victim appears to know that this is a joke. Fur is a (deadly) serious issue, yes; but the scenes presented in these PSAs from Fur Free Alliance are overdone, cheesy, cheeky. The violence is not real, and everyone knows it.

Could such a scenario be staged with a nude woman model? In theory, yes. There’s no reason an average-looking woman couldn’t be substituted in for the man, made to play out the same poses and scenes, etc., etc., etc. But. I think these same ads, with a woman victim, would evoke a much different response in an American (Western?) audience circa 2009. As I noted above, we live in a culture where women are routinely sexualized, objectified, reduced to parts and repackaged for the male gaze. Women who don’t or can’t play along – women of color, older women, women with disabilities, gender nonconformists, lesbian and bisexual women, etc. – are dismissed as ugly, bitchy, unlovable, untouchable, unrapeable. Because men are not subject to these abuses (though the kyriarchy most certainly harms men, too, just in different ways), the ad plays out as intended with a male victim.* Alter the victim’s sex, though, and the ad’s dynamic will inevitably change as well; we’re just too thoroughly conditioned to view women as sex objects, ready for public consumption (whatever form that may take).

Why else do you think my mind instinctively categorized the victim as a “she” – before my eyes could even register and recognize what they were seeing?

* Nor do I think one could easily swap a white human for a person of color. Again, this would change the ad’s vibe – if not intentions – in a number of ways.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare intersections intersectionality parallel oppressions animals and women fur fur free violence fox Fur Free Alliance hsus hunting sex sexuality men masculinity nudity naked activism bucking the trend ad advertisement psa flickr photos revenge speciesism gender women

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

VICTORIES * SETBACKS * PROGRESS

PART 1: APRIL – JUNE 2009 / KINSHIP CIRCLE UPDATES

1. Pig Abusers At Hormel Supplier Get 1-2 Year Probation
2. Bureaucrats Reach No Decision On Whaling
3. Lax Officials Knew Travis The Chimp Might Attack
4. Kitten Killer’s Accomplice Is Now Charged Too
5. Pet Food Poisoners Plead Guilty And Face Jail Time
6. Foie Gras Producer On Trial For Cruelty
7. Atlanta Falcons Bid Michael Vick A Permanent Farewell
8. “Change” Doesn’t Look Much Different Under Obama
9. California Spay/Neuter Law Passes Senate, Moves To Assembly
10. Groups Sue Salazar In Effort To Save Delisted Wolves
11. Way To Go SAEN! Research Industry Meltdown
12. Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo Bans Video Instead Of Abuse
13. California Bullfight Busts Continue; Humane Officer Assaulted
14. Repression Of Austrian Animal Activists Worsens

PART 2: KC UPDATES / APRIL – JUNE 2009
RESEND PART #2 TO ME: info [at] kinshipcircle.org

15. HSUS And Michael Vick Team Up To Fight Dogfighting?
16. Armed To Kill In National Parks: Guns Allowed
17. Maine Is 6th State To Ban Cruel Confinement Crates
18. NC Pro-Gas Chamber Bill Gets A “No” Vote
19. USDA Cites New Iberia Primate Lab For Violations
20. U.S. Senate Passes Resolution Against Canada Sealing
21. Canadian Sealers Lose Biggest Customer — EUROPE!
22. EU Votes To Let Most Primate Research Continue
23. Karley’s Sociopath Killer Ordered To Stand Trial
24. Horse Slaughterhouses Now Legal In Montana
25. Michigan Pound Gives R&R Research The Boot
26. Big Surprise: Swine Flu, Born On U.S. Factory Farms
27. Los Angeles DA Drops Charges Against Dog Dragger
28. Obama Accepts Breeder Dog As Gift For Daughters

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1. Pig Abusers At Hormel Supplier Get 1-2 Year Probation

SOURCE: 4 in Iowa sentenced to probation for abusing pigs

www.agweek.com/articles/?id=4733&article_id=14500&property_id=41

PHOTOS: www.peta.org/actioncenter/iowa_pigfarm_gallery.asp

6/26/09, SUMMARY: Four employees at a western Iowa farm (owned by MowMar Farms LLP of Fairmont, MN and a supplier to Hormel Foods) were sentenced to probation for pig abuse. The abuse — exposed by a PETA investigator working there undercover — was shown in a graphic video last year.

- Richard Ralston, 28: One count livestock abuse: Two years probation.
- Alan Rettig, 60: One count livestock abuse: Two years probation.
- Greg Hackler: One count livestock abuse: One year probation.
- Jordan Anderson, 26: One count aiding/abetting livestock abuse: Two years probation with deferred judgment (if probation completed, record is erased).
All men but Anderson banned from working with livestock during probation.
**While the penalties seem lame, they’re progress. Charges and litigation rarely even occur in farmed animal abuse cases.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

2/9/09 JAN-MAR UPDATES: Iowa Pig Abuse Case Is Delayed

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-march_2009.html#anchor21

10/26/08: Penalize Pig Torturers At Iowa Farm

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1770&seriesfirst=true

9/17/08: Hormel’s Pigs: Slammed, Cut, Spray-painted

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1759&seriesfirst=true

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2. Bureaucrats Reach No Decision On Whaling

SOURCE: No Solution Found at Whaling Forum

english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_europe/2009-06-26/335356219048.html

6/26/09, SUMMARY: The International Whaling Commission (IWC) annual meeting closed — with no agreement between pro or anti-whaling nations… The UK is willing to negotiate a compromise deal such as coastal whaling permits [as is the U.S. See action campaign below]… Meanwhile, conservation groups urged the three pro-whaling nations of Japan, Norway and Iceland to start helping to save whales rather than hunting for commercial use.

URGE U.S. TO PLAY STRONGER ROLE IN PROTECTING WHALES:

3/29/09: Demand Whale Conservation Over Killing

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1817&seriesfirst=true

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3. Lax Officials Knew Travis The Chimp Might Attack

SOURCE: Officials were warned about attack chimp

www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/06/20/news/doc4a3d11fa20f03070715027.txt

LT: Chimps like this little guy are wild animals who naturally mature with aggressive tendencies.

RT: Travis was knifed, beaten, shot and killed after attacking a visitor at the home where he lived as a “pet.” MyFOX NY

6/20/09, SUMMARY: Records obtained by The Associated Press show Connecticut officials failed to take action after being repeatedly warned about the dangers posed by a 200-pound chimpanzee named Travis who later mauled and blinded Charla Nash of Stamford, ripping off her hands, nose, lips and eyelids… The state’s inaction could affect a lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages, filed by the victim’s family against chimp owner Sandra Herold.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

2/24/09: Breaking News – House Passes Primate “Pet” Bill

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-march_2009.html#anchor15

2/23/09: Wired To Be Wild – Primates Aren’t Pets

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1802&seriesfirst=true

BLOG: Travis once worked in show biz, commercials mostly…

kinshipcircle.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/wired-to-be-wild/

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4. Kitten Killer’s Accomplice Is Now Charged Too

SOURCE: Teen accomplice in kitten roasting case charged with felony animal cruelty

www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/06/17/2009-06-17_teen_accomplice.html

KINSHIP CIRCLE: Your letters, faxes, emails…asked that Cheyenne Cherry’s accomplice also be charged in this sadistic killing. She now is charged.

6/17/09, SUMMARY: A 14-year-old teen mom who helped burn a live kitten named Tiger Lily — after breaking into ex-pal Valerie Hernandez’s Bronx apartment — has been busted by the ASPCA and charged with burglary and felony animal cruelty. [The accomplice, name not released] told investigators she helped Cheyenne Cherry, 17, trash the apartment last month and then toss Tiger Lily into an oven. “She admitted the oven was set to 500 degrees,” said ASPCA Assistant Director Joseph Pentangelo… The 14-year-old, who has a 4-month-old baby girl, is currently serving time for an unrelated crime in a juvenile detention center in the Bronx. She was removed from the Bronx facility, slapped with [new] charges, and returned…

ASK PROSECUTORS FOR MAXIMUM PENALTIES:

6/11/09: A Kitten’s Last Screams From An Oven

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1837&seriesfirst=true

========================

5. Pet Food Poisoners Plead Guilty And Face Jail Time

SOURCE: Business Owners Plead Guilty…Tainted Ingredient Used In Pet Food

www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/news2009/miller.ple.htm

6/16/09, SUMMARY: Matt J. Whitworth, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that Sally Qing Miller, 43, a Chinese national, and her husband, Stephen S. Miller, 56 (both of Las Vegas, Nev.) and their company, Chemnutra, Inc., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Maughmer to distributing a tainted ingredient used in pet food. [Their action led to] a nationwide recall of pet food in 2007… FDA consumer reports suggest that approximately 1,950 cats and 2,200 dogs died.

Under federal statutes, the Millers are each subject to a sentence of up to two years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $200,000 and an order of restitution. Chemnutra is subject to a fine up to $400,000 and an order of restitution…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES

2/9/08 JAN-MAR UPDATES: Companies Prosecuted In Poisoned Pet Food Recall

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-mar_2008.html#anchor15

APR-JUN 2007 UPDATES: $45 Million Damage For Menu Foods

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_april-june_2007.html#anchor7

5/8/07: Our Companions Count – FDA Must Monitor Food

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1646&seriesfirst=true

4/25/07: Pet Food Saga Hall Of Shame

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_04_25_07.html

4/14/07: PET FOOD RECALL – News, Updates, Action

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_04_14_07.html

4/2/07: TOXIC FOOD – Updates & Action Against Menu Foods

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1638&seriesfirst=true

========================

6. Foie Gras Producer On Trial For Cruelty

SOURCE: Cruel foie gras producer going on trial!

www.banfoiegras.org/page.php?module=home

Ducks become so ill from forced feedings, they cannot lift their heads.
Farm Sanctuary, www.farmsanctuary.org

6/16/09, SUMMARY: On 6/16/09 a trial begins in Chicago against Sonoma Foie Gras owner Guillermo Gonzalez, who claimed to media that he thought animal cruelty footage taken on his farm was “staged.” Bryan Pease, APRL Board Chair and pro bono attorney, writes: Gonzalez has admitted in his deposition that his workers force feed ducks to enlarge their livers up to 12 times their normal size. Cal. Health & Safety Code section 25980, passed after an earlier lawsuit filed against Sonoma Foie Gras by APRL and IDA, makes foie gras production and sale illegal in California, effective in three years…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

5/14/08 APR-JUN UPDATES: Chicago Overturns Foie Gras Ban

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_apr-jun_2008.html#anchor12

========================

7. Atlanta Falcons Bid Michael Vick A Permanent Farewell

SOURCE: Falcons release Vick, wish him well elsewhere

msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9672374/Falcons-release-Vick,-wish-him-well-elsewhere

6/13/09, SUMMARY: Less than five years after the Atlanta Falcons signed Michael Vick to a $130 million contract, the suspended quarterback was released in a 98-word statement… Vick is eligible to immediately sign with a team even though he has not been reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell… Goodell has said he will sit down with Vick after the quarterback completes his 23-month sentence on July 20 for running a dogfighting ring.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

2/26/09 JAN-MAR UPDATES: Jailed Dogfighter Michael Vick Goes Home In May?

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-march_2009.html#anchor12

2008 APR-JUNE UPDATES: Vick Dogfight Referee Jailed + Leo Has His Day

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_apr-jun_2008.html#anchor2

2008 JAN-MAR UPDATES: The Dogs That Vick Hurt

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-mar_2008.html#anchor26

1/30/08: Vick’s Dogs Speak

www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/gulfcoast/newsletters/08-01-30.html#3

2007 SEPT-DEC UPDATES: Vick’s Dogs…You Helped Save Their Lives

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2007.html

========================

8. “Change” Doesn’t Look Much Different Under Obama

SOURCE: Obama Admin Targets Environmental/Animal Rights Activists As Eco-Terrorists

www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-Administration-Targe-by-Stephen-Lendman-090605-93.html

6/5/09, SUMMARY: [This long op-ed is worth a read. Click link above.] What began under George Bush continues under Barack Obama — targeting dedicated activists with “one of today’s most serious domestic terrorism threats,” according former FBI Deputy Assistant Director of Counterterrorism John Lewis before a Senate panel in May 2005. Called “eco-terrorism,” it grew out of the 2001 USA Patriot Act that created the federal crime of “domestic terrorism” and applied it to US citizens as well as aliens. As a result, innocent people are targeted, accused, convicted and sentenced to hard time for constitutionally protected non-violent environmental activism or supporting animal rights…

WHEN WILL FEDS GO AFTER THE REAL BAD GUYS?

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/RinglingBrosTheBigCon.pdf

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/MoveAlQuaeda.pdf

========================

9. CA Spay/Neuter Law Passes Senate, Moves To Assembly

SOURCE: WE WON! SB 250 has PASSED the SENATE!
Judie Mancuso, President, Social Compassion In Legislation (SCIL)
www.SocialCompassionInLegislation.org * www.YESonSB250.com

6/2/09, SUMMARY: THANK YOU EVERYBODY! Your calls and faxes literally shut down Sacramento Senate offices, which reported that SUPPORT calls/faxes outnumbered opposition by a ratio of 20 to 1! This was the deciding factor for many Senators. Senator Florez has personally requested that I express to you his appreciation and gratitude for taking the time to make such a huge, positive statement in the Senate. SB 250 now moves to the Assembly. We will update you as needed. Please kiss all your dogs and cats, and tell them today is a big day for pets in California!

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

6/25/09: FRIENDS OF KC – Vote For Historic Spay/Neuter Bill Is 6/30. Act Now.

friendsofkinshipcircle.wordpress.com

4/8/09: FRIENDS OF KC – California: Spay/Neuter Bill Needs Your Voice Now

friendsofkinshipcircle.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/california-spayneuter-bill-needs-your-voice-now/

6/11/07: The Woman Behind The Mandatory Spay/Neuter Bill

www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/gulfcoast/newsletters/07-06-10.html#17

6/6/07, APR-JUN UPDATES: Healthy Pets Act Passes State Assembly

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_april-june_2007.html#anchor6

4/24/07: KC DIGEST – Make Model Mandatory Spay/Neuter Law Reality

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2007_04.html#anchor1

4/12/07: Support Landmark CA Law For Mandatory Spay/Neuter

www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/gulfcoast/newsletters/07-04-14.html#7

========================

10. Groups Sue Salazar In Effort To Save Delisted Wolves

SOURCE: Conservationists file suit to reinstate wolf protections

www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005126352

6/2/09, SUMMARY: [A coalition of 13 conservation groups**] filed suit against the federal government to reverse removed Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains. The 13 groups charge that U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar failed to fully consider scientific and legal inadequacies underlying the delisting rule — released in the waning days of the Bush administration — before adopting it on 4/2/09. The groups claim the rule will let more than two-thirds of the region’s wolves be killed before U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would even consider stepping back in to restore protections.

**Earthjustice represents Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society of the U.S., Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Friends of the Clearwater, Alliance for Wild Rockies, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, Western Watersheds Project, Wildlands Project, Hells Canyon Preservation Council.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

3/6/09 JAN-MAR UPDATES: Wolves Lose: Sec. Salazar Takes Away Protection

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-march_2009.html#anchor8

1/22/09: Obama’s Freeze May Give Gray Wolves Reprieve

kinshipcircle.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/help-abolish-lethal-wildlife-services-during-obamas-freeze/

11/25/08: Save Gray Wolves From Bush Admin’s Kill Plan
www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1779& seriesfirst=true

NOV 2008 KC DIGEST: Animals Would Like President-Elect Barack Obama To Know…

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2008_12.html#anchor4

========================

11. Way To Go SAEN! Research Industry Meltdown

SOURCE: News Release: Research industry next to meltdown, charges watchdog
Michael A. Budkie, SAEN: 513-575-5517; 513-703-9865, saen [at] saenonline.org

6/1/09, SUMMARY: The next industry meltdown may be in the nation’s research laboratories, an independent research watchdog said after it filed a wide-ranging complaint against 26 laboratories — including those at Harvard, MIT, John Hopkins and the University of California — for fraud.

The complaint filed with the Secretary of Agriculture urges an immediate probe of 50 U.S. researchers for filing fraudulent documents and for performing virtually identical experimentation in violation of federal regulations. SAEN, a nonprofit group based in Ohio, filed the complaint following an exhaustive study of 57 taxpayer-funded research grants valued at more than $110 million over a five year period. The study concluded these projects have a redundancy index of 5.4 out of a possible 6 when compared to each other… Copies of the complaint…are available upon request.

FIGHT WITH THE FACTS. DOWNLOAD THIS:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/VivisectiLessonFutilityPH.pdf

========================

12. Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo Bans Video Instead Of Abuse

SOURCE: Cheyenne Bans Video Cameras & Cell Phones at Rodeo
www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000454 * contactshark [at] gmail.com

Examples of “entertainment” at the Cheyenne Frontier Days.

www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000454

6/09, SUMMARY: After four years of [documented] abuse, the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo committee decided that it would be easier to ban video cameras, (including cell phones cameras) than banning animal abuse. “CFD continues to abuse animals by way of Steer Busting and Wild Horse Race events despite a website pledge that CFD, ‘does not tolerate, condone, or permit actions that abuse animals,’” says SHARK president Steve Hindi. “Instead of banning the abuse, the committee has chosen to ban the documentation of the abuse.”

RELATED STORES:

VIDEO: Cruel Cheyenne Rodeo Bans Video Cameras!

Rodeo bucks video at Frontier Days

www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12473750

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

4/29/09: Coke & Rodeo – Official Soft Drink Of Cruelty?

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1824&seriesfirst=true

4/12/08 APR-JUN UPDATES: Matchbox Twenty Cancels Performance at CFD Rodeo

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_apr-jun_2008.html#anchor24

FIGHT BACK WITH FACTS. DOWNLOAD THIS:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/TheMythOfTheCowboy.pdf

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13. CA Bullfight Busts Continue; Humane Officer Assaulted

SOURCE: Animal rights group continues investigation of Thornton bullfight

www.lodinews.com/articles/2009/06/05/news/3_bullfight_090605.txt

This image, from Ban Blood Sports website shows a bleeding bull gasping for breath near end of a bullfight. Photo: ADDA. www.banbloodsports.com

6/09, SUMMARY: A humane officer for Animal Cruelty Investigations attended bullfights in the Los Angeles community of Artesia on 5/23/09 and in Thornton on 5/29/09… In “bloodless bullfights,” participants try to attach poles tipped with Velcro to a Velcro pad secured to the bull’s back. ACI claims three-inch nails had been inserted in the tips of the poles and beneath the Velcro pad on the bull.

San Joaquin County Sheriff’s spokesman Les Garcia said there is no local investigation because ACI hasn’t provided photographs, film or bullfighting poles with nails to back its allegations. That’s because ACI humane officer, Andrew J. Stewart, will continue to attend bullfights in Calif. counties to collect evidence, ACI attorney David Castleman said. Between fights, when Stewart tried to grab bandoleras, he was put in a chokehold by Darren Nunes, 24, of Los Banos, and almost lost consciousness… Cesar Rocha, 38, of Gustine, and Nunes were arrested on misdemeanor assault…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

5/29/09: Bullfight Bust Uncovers Cruelty In Los Angeles

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1834&seriesfirst=true

========================

14. Repression Of Austrian Animal Activists Worsens

SOURCE: Peter Muller, Chair, Equal Justice Alliance
EJA [at] HumaneVoters.Org

5/26/09, SUMMARY: The Austrian Minister of Justice plans to charge 30 more animal activists beyond the 10 who were imprisoned for four months last year. Permitting this outrage in a civilized western nation is likely to encourage similar oppression elsewhere, including the United States. Kinship Circle signed on to a letter to express objections to the Austrian Minister of Justice, President, and Chancellor, adding the comments below:

“The chain of events from last year’s imprisonment of uncharged Austrian activists to the ministry’s current intent to charge them without substantiated evidence — along with 30 more animal activists “guilty” of little more than civil disobedience and seized bits of conversations reviewed out of context — threatens the very notion of constitutional rights within a free society. I am surprised these activities have continued with so little regard for individual liberties. We are troubled by the alleged and ongoing repression of our Austrian animal advocacy colleagues, and hope actions are underway to uphold freedom of speech in Austria.”

YOU CAN TAKE ACTION, HERE:

Tell Austrian Government – Release Animal Rights Activists

secure2.convio.net/ida/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1285

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

6/11/08: Austria – Animal Activists Unlawfully Jailed

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1745&seriesfirst=true

========================

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*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle
Date: Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Subject: Part 2/ UPDATES: APR – JUN 2009

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

VICTORIES * SETBACKS * PROGRESS

PART 2: APRIL – JUNE 2009 / KINSHIP CIRCLE UPDATES

15. HSUS And Michael Vick Team Up To Fight Dogfighting?
16. Armed To Kill In National Parks: Guns Allowed
17. Maine Is 6th State To Ban Cruel Confinement Crates
18. NC Pro-Gas Chamber Bill Gets A “No” Vote
19. USDA Cites New Iberia Primate Lab For Violations
20. U.S. Senate Passes Resolution Against Canada Sealing
21. Canadian Sealers Lose Biggest Customer — EUROPE!
22. EU Votes To Let Most Primate Research Continue
23. Karley’s Sociopath Killer Ordered To Stand Trial
24. Horse Slaughterhouses Now Legal In Montana
25. Michigan Pound Gives R&R Research The Boot
26. Big Surprise: Swine Flu, Born On U.S. Factory Farms
27. Los Angeles DA Drops Charges Against Dog Dragger
28. Obama Accepts Breeder Dog As Gift For Daughters

PART 1: KC UPDATES / APRIL – JUNE 2009
RESEND PART #1 TO ME: info [at] kinshipcircle.org

1. Pig Abusers At Hormel Supplier Get 1-2 Year Probation
2. Bureaucrats Reach No Decision On Whaling
3. Lax Officials Knew Travis The Chimp Might Attack
4. Kitten Killer’s Accomplice Is Now Charged Too
5. Pet Food Poisoners Plead Guilty And Face Jail Time
6. Foie Gras Producer On Trial For Cruelty
7. Atlanta Falcons Bid Michael Vick A Permanent Farewell
8. “Change” Doesn’t Look Much Different Under Obama
9. California Spay/Neuter Law Passes Senate, Moves To Assembly
10. Groups Sue Salazar In Effort To Save Delisted Wolves
11. Way To Go SAEN! Research Industry Meltdown
12. Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo Bans Video Instead Of Abuse
13. California Bullfight Busts Continue; Humane Officer Assaulted
14. Repression Of Austrian Animal Activists Worsens

========================

15. HSUS And Michael Vick Team Up To Fight Dogfighting?

SOURCE: 5/21/09, Humane Society Sees Vick as an Ally, Not a Pariah

www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/sports/football/22rhoden.html?_r=1

LT to RT: Vick, sentenced to 23 months in prison, Jason Hirschfeld/Associated Press.
Purnell Peace conspired with Vick, Phillips and Tony Taylor to kill dogs, Helber/AP.
Quanis Phillips, like Vick and Peace, “thought it was funny” to place family pets in the ring with trained fighting dogs, Helber/AP.
Former Vick fighting dog Leo now acts as a therapy dog, comforting cancer patients, MSNBC.com. www.examiner.com

5/21/09, SUMMARY: Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States…recently broke ranks with much of the animal rights community and forged a partnership with Michael Vick…to eradicate dogfighting among youths… The Humane Society’s position has nothing to do with endorsing Vick’s return to football but rather with finding a way to use his visibility to fight the scourge of dogfighting, which Pacelle said is gaining popularity with African-American and Hispanic teenagers in urban areas (where [HSUS] has begun anti-dogfighting initiatives)…

FIGHT BACK WITH FACTS. DOWNLOAD THIS:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/fatalfights.pdf

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16. Armed To Kill In National Parks: Guns Now Allowed

SOURCE: Heading to a National Park? Now You Can Pack Heat

www.truthout.org/052209T

5/20/09, SUMMARY: Here’s a list of stuff the typical American family can legally carry into national parks this summer: sleeping bag, toothbrush, loaded guns. Thanks to a 279-147 vote in the House of Representatives, visitors to the nation’s parks and wildlife refuges will be able to carry weapons… Scot McElveen, the president of the Association of National Park Rangers, predicted that “park wildlife, including some rare or endangered species, will face increased threats by visitors with firearms who engage in impulse or opportunistic shooting.”

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17. Maine Is 6th State To Ban Cruel Confinement Crates

SOURCE: Another State Bans Gestation Crates and Veal Crates

action.farmsanctuary.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=10661.0&printer_friendly=1

5/15/09, SUMMARY: Maine’s governor signed into law a bill that protects farm animals by banning veal crates and gestation crates! Maine is the 6th state in the nation to prohibit certain extreme-confinement systems. Last fall, California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 2, a ballot initiative that eliminates veal crates, sow gestation crates, and battery cages for egg-laying hens. Similar anti-confinement initiatives have passed in Florida, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado. Similar legislation has been introduced in New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

FACT SHEETS FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/FactsAboutThePorkIndust.pdf

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18. NC Pro-Gas Chamber Bill Gets A “No” Vote

SOURCE: NC House Judiciary Committee Votes No to Pro-Gas Chamber Bill

www.animallawcoalition.com/gas-chambers/article/692

5/13/09, SUMMARY: The Judiciary II Committee in the North Carolina House has said no to a pro-gas chamber bill. By a vote of 7-5, the committee killed the bill. It is now dead for this session. This is thanks to your faxes, emails and calls. For more on this bill, H.B. 27, read Animal Law Coalition’s report (at link above, under SOURCE).

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

7/23/08, JULY 2008 DIGEST: NC Gas Chambers: Explosion With 10 Dogs Inside

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2008_07.html#anchor2

NOV 2007 DIGEST: Stop Gassing Of Pets In Yadkin County, NC Gas Chamber

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2007_11.html#anchor2

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19. USDA Cites New Iberia Primate Lab For Violations

SOURCE: USDA Inspects New Iberia Research Ctr – Inspectors Cite Multiple Issues: www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/content/2009/05/newiberia.shtml

USDA REPORT on New Iberia Research Center

www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/efoia/downloads/inspection/72-r-0007.pdf

5/11/09, SUMMARY: USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service conducted an inspection at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s New Iberia Research Center [largest primate lab in U.S.] on 3/17/09, in response to a complaint filed by the Humane Society of the U.S. The inspection revealed issues with the facility’s compliance with the Animal Welfare Act. USDA will take action to ensure these issues are corrected… Inspectors cited the facility for its handling of animals as well as its environment enhancement of nonhuman primates… The inspectors also found problems with New Iberia’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)…

HAVEN’T TAKEN ACTION? DO IT NOW!

3/20/09: Get Great Apes Out Of Laboratories

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1815&seriesfirst=true

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20. U.S. Senate Passes Resolution Against Canada Sealing

SOURCE: Senate passes Levin-Collins resolution urging end to Canadian seal hunt

www.opencongress.org/bill/111-sr84/show

5/7/09, SUMMARY: Current 111 Session of Congress — S.Res.84 urges the Canadian government to prohibit commercial hunting of seals. Expresses support for an unconditional prohibition by European Union on trade in seal products. Passed by Unanimous Consent in Senate on 5/7/09. Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.

========================

21. Canadian Sealers Lose Biggest Customer — EUROPE!

SOURCE: EU seal ban a ‘black day for Atlantic Canada’ Industry

www.canada.com/news/Parliament+votes+seal+imports/1564814/story.html

5/5/09 SUMMARY: The European Parliament votes overwhelmingly to ban seal items from import/export across the European Union’s 27 nations. It’s a positive leap for the seals who Kinship Circle — along with many other animal groups — have labored to save through action campaigns and education.

HAVEN’T TAKEN ACTION? DO IT NOW!

4/25/09: Don’t Stain 2010 Olympics With The Blood Of Seals

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1822&seriesfirst=true

3/7/09: Canada Seal Bill Dropped, No Debate. Demand End To Killing.

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1811&seriesfirst=true

SPREAD THE TRUTH. DOWNLOAD THIS FACT SHEET:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/BloodPrintOnIce.pdf

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22. EU Votes To Let Most Primate Research Continue

SOURCE: EU OKs primate research

www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55675/

5/5/09, SUMMARY: Research with non-human primates was approved by the European Parliament (540 MEPs in favor, 66 opposed, 34 abstentions). The directive revises draft legislation introduced by the European Commission 11/08 that called for a near-blanket ban on primate testing… The EC legislation does, however, forbid testing on great apes, except to help conserve these species. The report recommends phasing out wild-caught animals in favor of laboratory-bred animals over 10 years, and calls for an overall reduction in primates in research. It also spells out categories of pain, with guidelines about when repeat testing is allowable…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

11/5/08 OCT-DEC UPDATES: EU Proposal To Ban Great Apes In Experiments

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2008.html#anchor19

9/6/07: Urge Primate Testing Ban In Europe

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1679&seriesfirst=true

========================

23. Karley’s Sociopath Killer Ordered To Stand Trial

SOURCE: Glynn Johnson is being “Held To Answer”

www.zimbio.com/Stop+Animal+Cruelty/articles/108/Glynn+Johnson+being+Held+Answer

5/2/09, SUMMARY: Glynn Demon Johnson, a retired L.A. County assistant fire chief charged in the beating death of his neighbor’s puppy, has been ordered to stand trial. Johnson, 54, is charged with felony animal cruelty and using a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony in connection with the beating of Karley, a 6-month-old German shepherd mix, on 11/3/08.

Johnson claims he was in his house on Armintrout Drive in the Woodcrest community, just south of Riverside, when he spotted Karley running loose through his yard on the day of the alleged attack.

She was picked up by a neighbor, Travis Staggs, who was taking the dog home when Johnson offered to return the animal himself. Staggs handed Karley over and…told sheriff’s investigators that, seemingly without provocation, Johnson turned and struck the dog “with his closed fist, 10-15 times.” Staggs said Johnson tried to pry open the animal’s jaws and then “picked up a rock and began striking Karley in the head,” the affidavit stated…

The vet told sheriff’s investigators that Karley had a shattered skull and appeared to have a broken jaw. At the Tooles’ request, the dog was euthanized. Johnson retired from the fire department soon after the allegations arose. He is free on $10,000 bail.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

12/16/08 UPDATES / OCT-DEC: L.A. Assistant Fire Chief Charged In Karley’s Killing

kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2008.html#anchor6

11/14/08: Puppy Fatally Beaten By Los Angeles Firefighter

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1776&seriesfirst=true

========================

24. Horse Slaughterhouses Now Legal In Montana

SOURCE: Horse slaughter legalized in Montana

www.poocini.com/report/archives/1687

PHOTOS: www.poocini.com/report/archives/1687 and www.poocini.com/report/archives/1695

5/1/09, SUMMARY: House Bill 418, to allow investor-owned horse slaughterhouses in Montana while limiting opportunities for legal action against them, became law. The measure sponsored by Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, aims to limit the kind of legal challenges that forced the last U.S. slaughterhouses, in Illinois and Texas, to close in 2007.

Washington, DC, The “Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act” (S. 727) will end the slaughter of American horses on a national level, as well as the export of horses for slaughter across our borders… The bill came at a time when horse slaughter no longer occurred on U.S. soil, but with enactment of Montana’s HB 418, passage of S. 727 through the U.S. Senate is critical…

TAKE ACTION – CLICK ON LINKS FOR SAMPLE LETTER/CONTACT INFO:

Stop Horse Slaughter Blitz At State/Federal Levels

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1816&seriesfirst=true

Horse Slaughter Bill Is Back In 111th Congress

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1801&seriesfirst=true

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25. Michigan Pound Gives R&R Research The Boot

SOURCE: Montcalm County citizens win; animals no longer to be sold for research! www.poocini.com/report/archives/1658

4/27/09, SUMMARY: Montcalm County Board of Commissioners’ voted 6-3 not to extend its 30-year relationship with R&R Research. Simply put, pets in Montcalm County, Michigan will no longer be handed over to Class B dealers to be sold for medical research. For everyone who fought for their community alongside citizen groups like the Concerned Citizens Coalition of Montcalm, [and all Kinship Circle members who took action!] — this is your victory.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

3/29/08 JAN-APR UPDATES: Michigan Pound Renews R & R Research, 6 Months

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-march_2009.html#anchor24

1/7/09: Misery For Profit At Michigan Pound

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1793&seriesfirst=true

========================

26. Big Surprise: Swine Flu, Born On U.S. Factory Farms

SOURCE: Swine Flu Ancestor Born on U.S. Factory Farms

www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/05/swineflufarm

5/1/09, SUMMARY: Scientists have traced the genetic lineage of the new H1N1 swine flu to a strain that emerged in 1998 in U.S. factory farms, where it spread and mutated at an alarming rate… “Industrial farms are super-incubators for viruses,” said Bob Martin, former executive director of the Pew Commission on Industrial Animal Farm Production… Diseases travel rapidly through such immunologically stressed populations, and stay with animals as they are shuttled nationwide between birth and slaughter. That provides ample opportunity for strains to mingle and recombine. An array of industry-developed vaccines confer short-term protection, but at the expense of provoking flu to evolve in unpredictable ways…

In 2003, the American Public Health Association called for a ban on contained animal feeding operations. One year later, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital virologist Richard Webby, one of the original chroniclers of H3N2′s emergence, called the U.S. swine population “an increasingly important reservoir of viruses with human pandemic potential…”

RELATED STORIES:

Ill Export: Factory Farms…disastrous public relations for Smithfield Foods

hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/05/smithfield.html

A Possible Connection: Swine Flu and Factory Farms

hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/04/swine-flu.html

Mexico outbreak traced to ‘manure lagoons’ at pig farm

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6182789.ece

Swine Flu Outbreak — Nature Biting Back at Industrial Animal Production?

www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/swine-flu-outbreak—-nat_b_191408.html

========================

27. Los Angeles DA Drops Charges Against Dog Dragger

SOURCE: Jim Willis, author, Pieces of My Hearts, tiergartenjim [at] yahoo.com
Cat and Dog Rescue Association, catdogrescue [at] gmail.com, 323-666-1357
Karma Rescue, www.KarmaRescue.org, info [at] karmarescue.org

BEFORE PHOTO: Bluebell (Prada), shown bloodied and injured after dragged from her former owner’s pickup truck in 12/08. Southeast Area Animal Control Agency brought her back to good health.

AFTER PHOTO: BlueBell recovers at SEAACA, before she moves to foster care with Karma Rescue. (Staff photo by Keith Durflinger) SEAACA, www.seaaca.org/bluebell.htm

4/28/09, SUMMARY: In Dec. 2008, Bryana Wilson of Norwalk near Los Angeles brought a one-year old dog, Prada, to the local shelter to be killed because the dog had an undiagnosed skin problem (mange). She put Prada in the back of an open pick-up and tied her with a leash. The dog’s guardian drove too fast and Prada fell out of the truck. The screaming dog was dragged for blocks because the driver didn’t notice… The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office will not press charges against the dog’s caretaker… Prada rode in the truckbed (rather than cab) because her guardian said she smelled. “This dog’s open sores, red, raw skin and hair loss took months to develop. Untreated mange this bad can shut down a dog’s organs and kill a dog. It is cheap and easy to treat with over-the-counter medicine. This crime alone is enough for a cruelty case to be filed,” says Lois Newman, President of the Cat and Dog Rescue Association in Los Angeles.

FAST FORWARD: Prada, renamed Bluebell, healed physically and emotionally. (As of mid-May, 09) she still resides in her temporary foster home in Malibu. She plays with other dogs because rescuers socialized and trained her. Karma Rescue: karmarescue.org

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

12/22/08 OCT-DEC UPDATES: Dragged Pit Bull Is Healing And Soon Adoptable

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2008.html#anchor2

12/17/08: Second Chance For Dragged Pit Bull

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1787&seriesfirst=true

========================

28. Obama Accepts Breeder Dog As Gift For Daughters

SOURCE: Betrayal from our President

www.examiner.com/x-3605-DC-Animal-Welfare-Examiner~y2009m4d12-Betrayal-from-our-President

4/11/09, SUMMARY: Obamas get pup from a Texas breeder, by way of Senator Ted Kennedy as a “gift.” We’re disappointed President Obama opted for a Portuguese water dog from a breeder — especially after so many animal groups lobbied him to to adopt from a shelter. A rescue dog in the White House would have established a visually powerful precedent…

“TELL US SOMETHING WE DIDN’T KNOW” DEPARTMENT:

Requests to breeders for Portuguese Water Dogs Jump 100% in U.S., 120% in UK:

www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2009/06/20/First-dog-a-sales-boon-for-canine-breed/UPI-87521245511358/

========================

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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

========================

1) Trouble For Greyhounds in South Africa

ALERT WRITER / REPLY TO:
South West Animal Protection, southwestanimalprotection [at] yahoo.co.uk

BACKGROUND:

2/20/09: SAY NO TO PROPOSED GREYHOUND RACING IN SOUTH AFRICA

www.care2.com:80/causes/animal-welfare/blog/trouble-ahead-for-greyhounds-in-south-africa/

TAKE ACTION:

The University of the Free State Faculty of Law has been appointed by the Department of Trade and Industry to conduct research on the possible
legalization of greyhound racing.

Professor Elizabeth Snyman-Van Deventer
University of the Free State Faculty of Law
fax: 051-401-2698; email: snymane.rd [at] ufs.ac.za

========================

2) Jamaica Wants Greyhound Races Too

ALERT WRITER / REPLY TO:
Animal Aid, info [at] animalaid.org.uk

www.animalaid.org.uk/h/f/ACTIVE/blog/ALL/1//?be_id=190

BACKGROUND:

Plans to bring greyhound racing to Jamaica are of great concern due to the inevitable cruelty involved. Huge numbers of greyhounds are destroyed each year after they’ve ‘retired’ from racing, and many pups are killed just because they’re deemed ‘unsuitable’ for racing. In addition, many greyhounds are subjected to abuse by owners who view them as mere commodities.

TAKE ACTION:

Politely email the Jamaican Tourist Board and the Jamaican High Commission to let them know your concerns.

Jamaican Tourist Board: mail [at] visitjamaica.uk.com
Jamaican High Commission: Jamhigh [at] jhcuk.com

========================

3) Jason Wu Puts Aside Fur, For Now

ALERT WRITER / REPLY TO:
Centcom, centcom [at] war-online.org

BACKGROUND:

2/6/09: Fashion designer Jason Wu, who designed Michelle Obama’s inaugural ball gown, was scheduled to unveil his Fall 2009 collection at Exit Art

2/13/09. The evening was set to include a significant amount of fur as Wu has signed a deal with Saga Furs. Win Animal Rights was scheduled to protest this event. Working behind the scenes, along with many other animal advocates, we are pleased that Jason Wu has decided to “back burner” his fur collection… Special thanks to celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton, who posted: perezhilton.com/2009-01-24-michelle-obamas-inauguration-dress-designers-an-animal-killer

TAKE ACTION:

Wouldn’t it be lovely if Jason Wu canceled his use of fur instead of just postponing it? Let Jason know that the whole world is watching. Ask him to make the compassionate choice and to cancel his plans with Saga Furs.

Jwu LLC
6 West 37th St., 3rd Floor; New York, NY 10018-7505
ph: 1-212-643-0598
email: jason [at] jasonwustudio.com, jason [at] thewstudio.com
(not sure of either email address, but one or both of them might work)
(Jason Wu’s sales rep) John W. Murphy: john [at] thewstudio.com
website: www.jasonwustudio.com/

If on Myspace, leave comment: www.myspace.com/jasonwustudio

If on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Jason-Wu/49229617622

========================

4) Tucson Rodeo Shocks Horses

ALERT WRITER / REPLY TO:
SHARK, info [at] SHARKonline.org, www.TheCruelTruth.com

PHOTOS: SHARK, www.sharkonline.org/

BACKGROUND:

VIDEO: Tucson Rodeo Shocks Horses

2008, SHARK exposed the Tucson Rodeo for shocking horses with 5,000 – 6,000 volts of painful electricity to make them perform. SHARK filed a complaint requesting a criminal investigation and charges against those responsible, with the Arizona Department of Agriculture, Animal Services Division.

SHARK received great media coverage of this issue helping to educate many in Arizona about rodeo animal abuse. In advance of the upcoming rodeo this year, SHARK has sent out two press releases to the media, the City Council and the Mayor of Tucson requesting their attention and action on this issue.

TAKE ACTION:

Request a ban on shocking the animals in the rodeo like many other rodeos in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming…

Mayor Bob Walkup
City Hall; 255 West Alameda Street; Tucson, Arizona 85701
ph: 520-791-4201; fax: 520-791-5348; email: mcweb [at] tucsonaz.gov

Vice Mayor, Karin Uhlich
Ward Three; 1510 East Grant Road; Tucson, Arizona 85719
ph: 520-791-4711; fax: 520-791-5391; email: ward3 [at] tucsonaz.gov

Mike Hein, City Manager
City Hall; 255 West Alameda Street; Tucson, Arizona 85701
ph: 520-791-4204; fax: 520-791-5198; email: mike.hein [at] tucsonaz.gov

Council Member Regina Romero
Ward One; 940 W. Alameda Street; Tucson, Arizona 85745
ph: 520-791-4040; fax: 520-791-5393; email: ward1 [at] tucsonaz.gov

Council Member Rodney Glassman
Ward Two; 7575 E. Speedway; Tucson, Arizona 85710
ph: 520-791-4687; fax: 520-791-5380; email: ward2 [at] tucsonaz.gov

Council Member Shirley Scott
Ward Four; 8123 E. Poinciana; Tucson, Arizona 85730
ph: 520-791-3199; fax: 520-791-4717; email: ward4 [at] tucsonaz.gov

Council Member Steve Leal
Ward Five; 4300 South Park Avenue; Tucson, Arizona 85714
ph: 520-791-4231; fax: 520-791-3188; email: steve.leal [at] tucsonaz.gov

========================

5) Guandong – Cats Skinned And Boiled Alive

ALERT WRITER / REPLY TO:
Maria Lopes, marialopes [at] iwab.org
Anti-Fur Society, www.antifursociety.org/ActionAlert.html

PHOTOS: Anti-Fur Society website, www.antifursociety.org/ActionAlert.html

BACKGROUND:

Cats are skinned and boiled while still alive in Guandong, a south of China province. READ FULL STORY: www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/international/int_ap_beijing_protest_decries_custom_of_eating_cats_20081218804

TAKE ACTION:

Write to the Guandong authorities (cc to the Chinese Embassy) asking them to stop this horrific practice. Your message will be more effective if you fax it or send it by snail mail in addition to emailing it. Regardless, please send them a message of disapproval. NOTE: It is very important to send
polite messages or our efforts may be in vain.

Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office
ph: (8620) 81218888; fax: (8620) 81218569; email: webmaster [at] gdfao.gov.cn

Food & Drug Administration Bureau of Guandong:
email: ywts [at] gzfda.gov.cn, xzts [at] gzfda.gov.cn

Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office of Guandong Province
ph: (8620) 81218888; fax: (8620) 81218569
email: waiban [at] gz.gov.cn, webmaster [at] gdfao.gov.cn

SAMPLE LETTER / TALKING POINTS:

www.antifursociety.org/ActionAlert.html

(Scroll past addresses, mid-page)

========================

6) Fight Horse Slaughter State By State

ALERT WRITER / REPLY TO:
International Fund For Horses, fund4horses.org/info.php?id=1114

BACKGROUND:

2/9/09: We must now fight horse slaughter state by state since many state legislators have introduced pro horse slaughter resolutions on behalf of
foreign investors anxious to defeat H.R. 503.

These resolutions and bills are a not-so-subtle ploy by the foreign investors that own horse slaughterhouses to defeat H.R. 503 which would ban the sale, transport, and possession of horses in interstate and foreign commerce for slaughter for human consumption.

There is no point in states appropriating tax dollars for studies when currently horse slaughter for human consumption is not allowed in the U.S. These resolutions will simply insure horse slaughterers can continue to take American horses to Mexico or Canada for slaughter. States taking part: Arizona, Utah, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, Arkansas, Minnesota, Montana, and Illinois.

TAKE ACTION:

STATE BY STATE HORSE SLAUGHTER BILLS, TAKE ACTION HERE:

fund4horses.org/info.php?id=1114

FEDERAL BILL HORSE SLAUGHTER BILL, TAKE ACTION HERE:

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1801&seriesfirst=true

========================

7) Prosecute Bird Killers In Florida

ALERT WRITER / REPLY TO:
C ALLARD, cdallard1 [at] bellsouth.net

BACKGROUND:

2/25/09: Collier County, Florida: Senseless killing of birds.

Article link: www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090225/ARTICLE/902250353/2055/NEWS

TAKE ACTION:

These individuals need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law! Let the Collier County States Attorney know, in a polite manner.

Collier County States Attorney’s Office
Administrative Building, 6th Floor
3301 E Tamiami Trail; Naples, FL 34112
ph: 239-252-8470; Office Head, Richard Montecalvo: Rmontecalvo [at] sao.cjis20.org

========================

8) Ask For End To NYC Horse Carriages

ALERT WRITER / REPLY TO:
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, coalition [at] banhdc.org

www.banhdc.org/index.shtml

PHOTOS: www.blindersthemovie.com/photos

BLINDERS: Award-winning documentary exposes the truth behind the tradition of NYC horse-drawn carriage industry. www.blindersthemovie.com

BACKGROUND:

PLEASE HELP US: If you live in another city or country – WE NEED YOU! New York City is in the fight of its life to rescue its carriage horses from a life of slavery and to shut down the horse-drawn carriage trade. In three years, we have succeeded in bringing worldwide attention to this anachronistic and inhumane industry and we are close to making a ban a reality. AS POTENTIAL TOURISTS, WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SHUT IT DOWN! On January 30 the City Council Consumer Affairs Committee held a public hearing on two carriage horse bills. There was no vote.

The City Council likes to claim horses and buggies are a tourist attraction. THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN. When you visit our city, is this the first thing you do? What about museums, theater, night life, shopping and restaurants? Will NYC survive without carriage horses? We certainly think so. And we ask you to send a letter to our City Council saying the same.

TAKE ACTION:

SEND LETTER TO COUNCIL EMAIL ADDRESSES:
marroyo [at] council.nyc.gov, avella [at] council.nyc.gov, baez [at] council.nyc.gov, brewer [at] council.nyc.gov, comrie [at] council.nyc.gov, ecrowley [at] council.nyc.gov, deblasio [at] council.nyc.gov, emdilan [at] council.nyc.gov, rarbeloc [at] council.nyc.gov, mathieu.eugene [at] council.nyc.gov, felder [at] council.nyc.gov, fidler [at] council.nyc.gov, foster [at] council.nyc.gov, garodnick [at] council.nyc.gov, gennaro [at] council.nyc.gov, vgentile [at] council.nyc.gov, agerson [at] council.nyc.gov, gioia [at] council.nyc.gov, gonzalez [at] council.nyc.gov, Ignizio [at] council.nyc.gov, rjackson [at] council.nyc.gov, ljames [at] council.nyc.gov, katz [at] council.nyc.gov, koppell [at] council.nyc.gov, lappin [at] council.nyc.gov, liu [at] council.nyc.gov, viverito [at] council.nyc.gov, martinez [at] council.nyc.gov, darlene.mealy [at] council.nyc.gov, rmendez [at] council.nyc.gov, nelson [at] council.nyc.gov, palma [at] council.nyc.gov, recchia [at] council.nyc.gov, rivera [at] council.nyc.gov, sanders [at] council.nyc.gov, seabrook [at] council.nyc.gov, sears [at] council.nyc.gov, vacca [at] council.nyc.gov, vann [at] council.nyc.gov, weprin [at] council.nyc.gov, twhite [at] council.nyc.gov, yassky [at] council.nyc.gov, barron [at] council.nyc.gov, dickens [at] council.nyc.gov, oddo [at] council.nyc.gov, quinn [at] council.nyc.gov, reyna [at] council.nyc.gov, stewart [at] council.nyc.gov, vallone [at] council.nyc.gov

SEND LETTER TO MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: www.banhdc.org/what_you_can_do.shtml
CLICK ON LINK IN FIRST PARAGRAPH

SAMPLE LETTER / TALKING POINTS:

Please indicate in the email subject line something like this: “Californians against horse-drawn carriages”; “Tourists against horse-drawn carriages”

Dear Council Member:

As a tourist to your great city, it is troubling to see that New York City still has an inhumane horse-carriage trade. These 19th century slow moving conveyances do not belong in a crowded and congested 21st century city. They impede the flow of traffic, getting in the way of ambulances, fire trucks and police cars – not to mention cars, taxis, buses, bikers and pedestrians. Horses suffer in more ways than can be imagined starting with a denial of their innate horse nature. Please support the bill to ban this industry. New York should join the ranks of cities like London, Paris, Toronto, Oxford and Beijing, which have banned the carriage trade. Tourists come to NYC for its wonderful museums, theater, night life, restaurants and shopping. The carriage trade brings shame to your city. I will not travel to New York as long as this inhumane industry continues to operate.

========================

9) World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week

ALERT WRITER / REPLY TO:
Michael Budkie, Executive Director, SAEN, saen [at] saenonline.org
www.saenonline.org, www.wlalw.org

BACKGROUND:

World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week April 18-26, 2009 As you read this email, untold millions of animals suffer and die in laboratories across the United States. Most of these animals including rats, mice, birds, amphibians, and all animals used in agricultural research receive no protection under current laws. Federally owned laboratories (such as those owned by the Department of Defense, the NIH, the USDA, EPA, etc.) receive no independent inspections. It has been demonstrated that the USDA does not adequately enforce the very limited requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Labs often break federal laws and more animals are hurt by these infractions every day. Violations are often ignored, fines are reduced or eliminated, and penalties are ineffective.

Use of non-human primates has reached an all-time high with 69,990 experiencing the cruelty of captivity in a laboratory. In university and private settings, squirrel monkeys are confined to restraint chairs and steel screws are drilled into the skulls of rhesus monkeys. Chimpanzees suffer for decades as they slowly go insane. Dogs languish in runs as they pine for their families. Electrical coils are forced into the eyes of cats.

TAKE ACTION:

World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week 2009 is April 18 – 26. However, it is more important that you take action than that your action falls exactly within these dates. If we are to be successful in exposing the ongoing abuses of animals in laboratories, we must begin planning now.

SAEN WEBSITES WITH RESOURCES

Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! www.saenonline.org

Sections of our main website have fact sheets about product testing, primate experimentation, a general flyer about animal experimentation, as well as materials focusing on specific labs.

Our Government Grants Promoting Cruelty to Animals contains information on research protocols, grant applications, and journal articles relevant to over 120 different researchers spread throughout 47 labs in 24 states.

World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week: www.wlalw.org/

Contains a sign-up form for this year’s event, and listings of events from previous years. It is very important that we are aware of all WLALW events so that we may help in their promotion and media exposure, so please sign up with the details of your events as soon as possible. When your event is posted on our website, more activists will be able to attend.

Using information from our website, any activist can plan a news conference to discuss the use of animals at a nearby laboratory. Protests, rallies and civil disobedience can also be used to pressure a laboratory to change policies or even eliminate specific experiments. Leafleting can be an effective method of educating the public. Large numbers of activists can be helpful for protest events, but media campaigns involving other methods can be effective with a single dedicated activist.

We are the voices for millions of suffering dogs, cats, primates, rats, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, sheep, pigs and animals of many other species. Please get involved with this vital event. We are their only hope.

========================

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts kinship circle carriage horses horses mustangs wildlife conservation horse meat animal racing dog racing dog canine pet companion animal south africa Jamaica jason wu fur Tucson rodeo shark animal abuse World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week flickr photos

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY / Permission To Crosspost As Written

1/6/09: Broken Promises – Armani Returns To Fur
FOR A FORMATTED LETTER (WORD DOC), EMAIL: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Easily modify letter. Copy/paste it into an email or print letter to fax or mail.

LEFT: Rabbit at factory fur farm

www.furfreeshopping.com/press.php?p=1203&more=1

RIGHT: Mink in the wild, Rick Lechevia, flickr.com.jpg

=====================

FULL CONTACT INFORMATION. Sample Letter Follows

=====================

Giorgio Armani is a PRIVATELY HELD company, which means email addresses for top executives are difficult to find (without paying a fee). We urge people to send faxes and snail-mail letters.

Giorgio Armani Corporation
114 Fifth Ave., 17th Floor
New York, NY 10011
ph: 212-366-9720; fax: 212-366-1685

Armani Exchange
111 8th Ave., 9th Floor
New York, NY 10011
ph: 800-717-AXAX
customer service: custserv [at] armaniexchange.com
web mail: www.armaniexchange.com/category/customer+service/contact+us.do

ARMANI HEADQUARTERS
Giorgio Armani S.p.A
Via Borgonuovo 11
20121 Milan, Italy
ph: +39-02-723-18-1; fax: +39-02-723-18-549

Media Contacts for Giorgio Armani SpA
Armani Press, www.armanipress.it
Amee Boyle, international press enquiries: amee.boyle [at] giorgioarmani.it
Mario Zaccardi: mario.zaccardi [at] giorgioarmani.it
Alice Bon: alice.bon [at] giorgioarmani.it
Rod Manley: rod.manley [at] giorgioarmani.it
Marco Achilli: marco.achilli [at] giorgioarmani.it
ph: +39 02 831061; fax: +39 02 831061041

*Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During campaigns, recipients may change or disable their email addresses. Emails from government or corporate websites may be incorrect.

=====================

SAMPLE LETTER — This letter is prepared to inform you about the issue.
Try to shorten and personalize your letter before sending.

=====================

Giorgio Armani Corporation, Exchange, and S.p.A:

I am very disappointed in Giorgio Armani’s failure to sustain a no-fur policy. In the 2007 Time magazine article, “A Standing O for Lacroix,” Mr. Armani states: “I spoke with the people from PETA and they showed me some materials that convinced me not to use fur.”

Yet recent Armani collections feature fur-trimmed jackets and skirts, floral-pattern fur coats, and fur-adorned baby snowsuits. A “little fur trim” is a lot of suffering. In fact, your use of rabbit skins is so offensive, I’m inclined to boycott Armani until dead animals are eliminated.

Rabbits farmed for their fur or meat are squeezed inside tiny wire cages that cut into their non-padded paws. Before slaughter, many perish from dehydration, starvation or self-mutilation.

Killers break necks and bludgeon skulls — smashing live rabbits against walls — before stringing rabbits by their legs to behead them. Fur is stripped from their bodies in full view of other living rabbits.

All fur-bearing animals are killed as cheaply as possible. Pelts are often derived from genital electrocution. The killer delivers a 240-volt blast of electricity into an animal’s rectum. The conscious, convulsing animal endures a heart attack for two or more minutes.

Sometimes animals are “neck-popped,” injected with pesticides, or asphyxiated with carbon monoxide from unfiltered engine exhaust.

No matter how you market it, fur is synonymous with violence and death. I encourage you to join Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, Stella McCartney, Todd Oldham and other popular fur-free designers. Please notify me when Giorgio Armani is serious about cruelty-free fashion.

Thank you,

=====================

TAKE ACTION AGAINST ARMANI STORES NEAR YOU

=====================

Armani Locations Worldwide:

www.armani.com

Click on “Store Locator” at bottom of page

Armani Exchange Stores:

www.armaniexchange.com/storelocator.do

From Bridget Soeder, Kinship Circle, galileao [at] aol.com — A good second step for activists willing to take an extra few minutes to help this campaign succeed: Select the store of your choice, to send snail-mail letters to the attention of the store manager. With the right amount of letters received by local managers, there should be, at the very least, a decent ripple effect to reach key players and maximize our efforts.

=====================

SOURCE OF INFORMATION / REFERENCE LINKS

=====================

Tell Armani to Keep his Fur-Free Pledge

getactive.peta.org/campaign/armani_fur

TIME MAGAZINE: “PETA showed convinced me not to use fur.”

www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1640080,00.html

Armani Rabbit Fur Campaign Makes Its London Debut!

blog.peta.org.uk/tag/giorgio-armani

PETA Urges Tom And Katie To Keep Suri Fur-Free

www.ecorazzi.com/2008/09/25/peta-urges-tom-and-katie-to-keep-suri-fur-free/

DOWNLOAD FREE FACT SHEETS:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/FactsAboutTheFurIndustr.pdf

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/FurAmericasNewPacifier.pdf

************************

PLEASE SUPPORT KINSHIP CIRCLE’S WORK FOR ANIMALS…
* DONATE SECURELY ONLINE: www.kinshipcircle.org/donation

* DONATE BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER:
Kinship Circle / 7380 Kingsbury Blvd. / St. Louis, MO 63130

Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking
info [at] kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
www.KinshipCircle.org * www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/
KINSHIP CIRCLE is a 501c3 public charity. Donations are tax-deductible.

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Action campaigns on animal cruelty issues worldwide

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Animal rescue coordination/news in disasters + companion animal alerts
SEND: Address / Phone / Email for placement in geographic disaster zone

*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

————————

Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts kinship circle brenda shoss fur fur trim faux fur Armani Giorgio Armani fur free fur farms fur farming flickr photos

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

PART 1: OCT – DEC 2008 / KINSHIP CIRCLE UPDATES
YEAR END WRAP UP – Victories * Setbacks * Progress For Animals

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/

PART 1: KC UPDATES / OCT – DEC 2008

1. Donna Karan Announces Fur-Free 2009 Lines
2. Dragged Pit Bull Is Healing And Soon Adoptable
3. Cat Killing Boyfriend Walks Free
4. Records Show Big Industry Planned AETA All Along
5. Obama Picks: The Good & The Not So Good
6. L.A. Assistant Fire Chief Charged In Karley’s Killing
7. Netherlands Ban Products Made Of Cape Fur Seals
8. Prempro Maker, Wyeth, Pays For Fake Articles
9. Report On Hallmark/Westland Downer Scandal
10. Eddie Lama’s Oasis Sanctuary Closes
11. Michael Vick: Early Release & Back To NFL?

PART 2: KC UPDATES / OCT – DEC 2008
RESEND PART #2 TO ME: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net

12. Hero’s Plan To Save Wild Horses Moves Forward
13. Until Export Is Banned, More Horses Killed
14. Rodeo “Horse Tripping” Outlawed In Phoenix
15. Houston: Biggest Dogfight Bust In U.S. History
16. Activists Vow To Overturn Navy’s Use Of Sonar
17. Oxford Univ. Lab To Use Thousands Of Animals
18. Prop 2 Passes For Calif. Farmed Animals
19. EU Proposal To Ban Great Apes In Experiments
20. Ringling Bros. Big Fat Federal Lawsuit
21. Alaska Whales: 1 vs. Gov. Sarah Palin: 0

============================

1. Donna Karan Announces Fur-Free 2009 Lines

SOURCE: 12/22/08, Donna Karan Dumps Fur!
READ FULL STORY: blog.peta.org/archives/2008/12/donna_karan.php

FROM KINSHIP CIRCLE: We’re not sure we trust her, yet. If you took action on KC’s recent alert “Bunnies Hate Donna Karan,” that’s great! She needs to hear that consumers are serious about a 100% fur-free policy.

Donna Karan has announced that her fall 2009 lines will be fur-free and that she has “no plans” to use fur in the future… Karan’s announcement came days after PETA launched our (now offline) DonnaKaranBunnyButcher.com website and after mega-fashion guru Tim Gunn sent Karan and designer Giorgio Armani a video he narrated for PETA showing animals skinned alive and urged them to open their eyes to the violent and bloody fur industry…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

12/18/08: Bunnies Hate Donna Karan’s Killer Couture

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1789&seriesfirst=true

============================

2. Dragged Pit Bull Is Healing And Soon Adoptable

KINSHIP CIRCLE: Many have asked about Prada (renamed Bluebell), the pit bull dragged behind a truck into the parking lot of Southeast Area Animal Control Authority (where she is now sheltered). Jim Willis (tiergartenjim [at] yahoo.com) coordinated the following updates from his sources in Los Angeles:

12/22/08, From Ruth Silny, an area animal advocate who has visited Prada/Bluebell, rsilny [at] sbcglobal.net — From what I learned when I spoke with Corp. Torres — once healed, she’ll be adoptable. I’m sure they’ll fine-tooth comb every applicant already on a list. She cannot be with any dogs due to some aggressiveness… She is adorable, a good natured dog… Her front legs were healing better, her hind needed attention. She is a beautiful blue-grey color with beautiful eyes… They [SEAACA] are on top of this and other cases, and thankfully they have the courts on their side.

From Aaron Reyes, Director of Operations, SEAACA, Aaron [at] seaaca.org — The court case is sitting on the DA’s desk, with a March court date per the citation the owner signed… I think we have a solid case that will show negligence which caused Bluebell severe pain and suffering…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

12/17/08: Second Chance For Dragged Pit Bull

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1787&seriesfirst=true

============================

3. Cat Killing Boyfriend Walks Free

SOURCE: 12/19/08, Actor pleads guilty in NYC cat-kill case
READ FULL STORY: www.pet-abuse.com/cases/11246/NY/US/RSS/#UPDATES

Joseph Petcka, 38, an actor and former minor league baseball player who killed his girlfriend’s cat, has pleaded guilty to felony aggravated cruelty to animals. He faces up to 500 hours of community service at his March 2 sentencing. The plea removes the need for a second trial. His first ended with the jury deadlocked 11-1. Prosecutors said Petcka killed the 7-year-old cat, Norman (March 2007) in a drunken, jealous rage… Petcka said outside court that he hopes to do community service in a youth athletics program.

ANIMAL ABUSERS BELONG IN JAIL – NOT YOUTH PROGRAMS

The Honorable Leila Kermani, Assistant District Attorney
Office of the Manhattan District Attorney
One Hogan Place; NY, NY 10013
ph: 212-335-3630 (or 9400); fax: 212-335-9288

The Honorable Michael J. Obus
Manhattan Criminal Court; 100 Centre Street; NY, NY 10013
ph: 646-386-4500; fax: 212-374-5293

SOME TALKING POINTS:

The last place Joseph Petcka belongs is alongside children.

Violence against animals is a well-documented precursor to violence against humans. Randall Lockwood, Ph.D. — a frequent consultant to cruelty investigators, law enforcers, and mental health professionals — describes violence against non-threatening creatures unlikely to retaliate as a precursor to assaulting children, the elderly or disabled.

This wasn’t Petcka’s first offense: Petcka had vented rage on Norman in the past. Altobelli told jurors she’d found her frightened cat drenched in water. “He was hissing [at Petcka],” Altobelli testified. “Obviously, that was a huge red flag.” But the flag apparently wasn’t red enough. Similar “blind rage” once stirred Petcka to slam a door on another ex-girlfriend, severing her fingertip (although this incident was banned from the trial).

Convicted animal abusers should serve time behind bars — not fulfill community service orders at a youth athletics program, where they’re exposed to vulnerable juveniles.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

10/24/08: No Plea Deal For Ruthless Cat Killer

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1768&seriesfirst=true

10/7/08: Demand Retrial For Vicious Cat Killer

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1765&seriesfirst=true

============================

4. Records Show Big Industry Planned AETA All Along

SOURCE: 12/17/08, Plans for Labeling Activists as “Eco-Terrorists”
READ FULL STORY: www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/2008/12/17/internal-industry-documents-show-plans-for-labeling-activists-as-eco-terrorists-part-1-of-3/

by Will Potter, www.GreenistheNewRed.com — It’s been two years since passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, a sweeping law that wraps up non-violent civil disobedience and hurting corporate profits as “terrorism.”

…Here, for the first time, are some of the internal documents outlining how corporations and industry groups planned to label activists “eco-terrorists.” I’ve obtained them from a source who wishes to remain anonymous. They’re the creation of the Animal Enterprise Protection Coalition, a network formed for the sole purpose of passing this “eco-terrorism” legislation…

Note how “Will Potter’s Blog” is listed under the opposition. I guess I should be honored, right?

KINSHIP CIRCLE: And there we are, underneath IDA. We are honored too! We are on Big Industry’s pro-animal radar screen.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

3/19/07: Invite Congress To AETA Briefing On The Hill

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1634&seriesfirst=true

12/8/06: AETA UPDATE / Hope For Repeal?

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_12_8.html

11/16/06: Questions & Rumors: Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_11_16.html

11/13/06: Done Deal? AETA Passes

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_11_13.html

============================

5. Obama Picks: The Good & The Not So Good

SOURCE: 12/17/08, Michael Markarian / Obama’s Animal Welfare Team
FULL: hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/2008/12/cabinet_apppoin.html

FORMER IOWA GOV. TOM VILSACK IS SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE

Gov. Tom Vilsack, the next Secretary of Agriculture, has a solid record on animal protection… He will have a big role in how our nation confronts puppy mills, factory farming, predator control, use of animals in research, and other practices and industries that have compromised animal welfare.

* Vilsack advocated to toughen state penalties for animal fighting…
* Vetoed a 2006 bill that would have reclassified dogs as “farm products.”
* Vetoed 2001 legislation to allow sport hunting of mourning doves…

U.S. SEN. KEN SALAZAR (CO) IS NEXT SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Senator Salazar scored 0% on the Humane Scorecard for the 109th Congress, and 50% in the 110th Congress. As Interior chief, Salazar will oversee enforcement of wildlife protection laws (i.e., Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act) and have authority on…federal lands in national parks, wildlife refuges, and Bureau of Land Management properties.

* Voted against 2005 legislation to ban horse slaughter.
* Current session: Co-sponsored bill to strengthen animal fighting penalties.
* Signed letter to increase funds for enforcement of animal welfare laws…
(Salazar wasn’t pushed by animal advocates.)

LISA JACKSON TO HEAD THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

Lisa Jackson led the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and was a leading animal advocate in the state… [She can help] prioritize use of alternatives to animals in toxicity testing, to ensure strong penalties for pollution from factory farms…

* She rejected attempts by NRA, Safari Club, and trophy hunting groups to initiate a black bear hunting season in New Jersey.
* Implemented program to solve bear conflicts with humane methods such as trash management and public education.

SOURCE: 12/8/08, Michael Markarian / Need Change at Interior, Not More of Same
FULL STORY: hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/2008/12/interior.html

OBAMA PASSED ON ANIMAL-FRIENDLY CONGRESSMAN RAUL GRIJALVA (D-ARIZ)

The possibility of Grijalva as Interior Secretary was endorsed by environmentalists [and animal advocates] who’d admired his work as chairman of House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands…

* Grijalva is lead author with Congressman John Campbell (R-Calif.) of the Bear Protection Act, which would crack down on illegal poaching of bears…
* Scored 100% on Humane Scorecard since elected to Congress.
* Sided with animal protection on every measure relevant to Interior Department: Import of sport-hunted polar bear trophies, commercial sale and slaughter of wild horses and burros, slaughter of buffalo in Yellowstone National Park, and bear baiting on federal lands.

President-elect Obama selected not-so-animal-friendly Ken Salazar instead of Raul Grijalva, to be the next Secretary of the Interior.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES + MORE READS:

Encourage Government To Improve the Lives of Animals

www.all-creatures.org/alert/alert-20081207.html

Animals Would Like President-Elect Barack Obama To Know…

kinshipcircle.org/digest/2008_12.html

Ken Salazar a Disappointing Choice for Secretary of the Interior

www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2008/salazar-12-16-2008.html

============================

6. L.A. Assistant Fire Chief Charged In Karley’s Killing

SOURCE: 12/16/08, Assistant Fire Chief Charged In Puppy Beating
READ FULL STORY: cbs2.com/local/Puppy.Beating.Charged.2.889181.html

A Los Angeles County assistant fire chief has been charged with beating a neighbor’s puppy so severely it had to be euthanized. Glynn Johnson was arrested at his home in Riverside County and the district attorney has filed felony animal cruelty charges against him. Johnson is accused of beating a 6-month-old shepherd mix with his fist and a 12-pound rock on Nov. 3. Investigators say Johnson told them he acted in self-defense and the dog wounded his wrist and thumb…

THANK OFFICIALS FOR ARREST & URGE MAXIMUM PENALTIES
SOURCE: Lindy Greene, lindygreene [at] roadrunner.com

Contact Riverside County District Attorney, Rod Pacheco and his Assistant, Chuck Hughes, to thank them for arresting and filing charges against Johnson and to demand that he be punished to the fullest extent accorded by law.

Rod Pacheco, Riverside County District Attorney
4075 Main St.; Riverside, CA 92501
ph: 951-955-5431 or 951-955-5400; fax: 951-955-5682
Maria Driver, D.A. Secretary: mwdriver [at] rivcoda.org
additional email: events [at] rivcoda.org

Chuck Hughes, Riverside County Assistant District Attorney
Western Division; 4075 Main St.; Riverside, CA 92501
ph: 951-955-5400 or 951-955-5431; fax: 951-358-5017

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

11/14/08: Puppy Fatally Beaten By Los Angeles Firefighter

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1776&seriesfirst=true

============================

7. Netherlands Ban Products Made Of Cape Fur Seals

During the 2008 hunt July 1 to Nov. 15, seal hunters may kill 6,000 adult males and 80,000 pups. www.oipa.org/hunting/alerts/namibia.html

SOURCE: 12/15/08, Ban on fur import from Cape Fur Seals
READ FULL STORY: www.dierennieuws.nl/nw/art/200812/nw71298.htm

The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries announced that as of July 1, 2009 a ban on import and trade of fur and other products of Cape Fur Seals will be in force… The Cape Fur Seal hunt takes place on the beaches of Namibia. Second to the Canadian seal hunt this is the biggest annual seal massacre on earth. Annually an average of 80,000 seals are culled and shot for their furs… www.bontvoordieren.nl

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

July 2008 DIGEST: Help End The Namibian Seal Slaughter

kinshipcircle.org/digest/2008_07.html#anchor5

7/11/07: Namibia’s Shame – Massacre Of Nursing Seal Pups & Bulls

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1666&seriesfirst=true

============================

8. Prempro Maker, Wyeth, Pays For Fake Articles

SOURCE: 12/12/08, Drug Maker Said to Pay Ghostwriters for Journal Articles
READ FULL STORY: www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/business/13wyeth.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1229115622-yXi0T14dvE6Dtyxyi3tEtg

Wyeth, the pharmaceutical company, paid ghostwriters to produce medical journal articles favorable to its female hormone replacement therapy Prempro… One article was published…in The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, more than a year after a federal study called the Women’s Health Initiative linked Wyeth’s Prempro, a combination of estrogen and progestin [from pregnant mares’ urine], to breast cancer. The May 2003 article said there was “no definitive evidence” that progestins cause breast cancer and that hormone users had a better chance of surviving cancer…

FACT SHEET FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/PInPremarinStandsFor.pdf

============================

9. Report On Hallmark/Westland Downer Scandal

SOURCE: 12/9/08, Hallmark/Westland Might Not Be An Anomaly According To OIG
READ FULL STORY: www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=275451

Following the Hallmark/Westland debacle earlier this year, Ag Secretary Ed Schafer requested an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General… The OIG listed these three glaring problems:

1) FSIS cannot demonstrate that its verification of establishment oversight is adequate. 2) Untrained non-veterinarians have been allowed to perform ante-mortem inspection without formal training or direct supervision. 3) The Public Health Veterinarian assigned to the plant took shortcuts in his inspection duties — delegated responsibilities to Hallmark/Westland employees, a serious breach not discovered until well after the damage…

The audit included reviews of 10 “cull” slaughter plants and half of them failed to gain a passing grade… In most industries, a 50% failure rate easily qualifies as a ‘systemic’ problem… After the Hallmark video surfaced, Ag Secretary Schafer said he would ban the slaughter of downer cows without exception, a still delayed pledge…

Quote (author?) worth adding here: “I think Congressmen should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could identify their corporate sponsors.”

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

Aug-Oct 2008 UPDATES: Politics Trumps Mercy: Still No Downer Ban

kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_aug-oct_2008.html#anchor11

7/14/08: No Downers. No Exceptions. NOW.

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1751&seriesfirst=true

Apr-June 2008 UPDATES: Downer News – Big Meat Backs Downer Ban + More…

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_apr-jun_2008.html#anchor16

FACT SHEETS FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/DownedOnTheFarmPHOTOS.pdf

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/HortonHearsACow.pdf

============================

10. Eddie Lama’s Oasis Sanctuary Closes

SOURCE: 11/30/08, Farewell to a Beloved Sanctuary
READ FULL STORY: www.oasissanctuary.org/index.html

Many of you recall Eddie Lama, from Tribe of Heart’s film “The Witness.” The tough-talking New Yorker whose world revolves around animals opened Oasis Sanctuary a decade ago — as a “home to animals who otherwise had no other place to go. Our wonderful ‘D-List’ critters have included fighters, biters, ‘pee-ers ‘n poopers’ alongside the blind, the crippled, and the crazy,” Eddie writes in his bittersweet farewell.

THIS IS WHAT OASIS NEEDS NOW:

* Responsible individuals and like-minded organizations to adopt our cats and dogs (thankfully, the farm animals have all found permanent homes);
* Immediate donations to help us cover $30,000 in back taxes; and
* Continual financial support for sheltering and providing daily care for the unplaced animals.

For information on donations and adoptions to help Eddie and his magnificent critters, go to: www.oasissanctuary.org/index.html

============================

11. Michael Vick: Early Release & Back To NFL?

SOURCE: 11/25/08, Vick enters guilty plea, gets suspended sentence
READ FULL STORY: www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2008/11/25/vick_virginia_hearing.html

VICK MAY LEAVE PRISON EARLY & RETURN TO NFL

Vick pleaded guilty to a state dogfighting charge in a Virginia courtroom. Under a plea agreement, the Falcons quarterback received a 3-year suspended prison term and a $2,500 fine on a charge of attending, sponsoring and participating in dog fights. A charge of cruelty to animals with prejudice was dismissed. He also received 4 years’ probation… The [state] charges against Vick carried a maximum sentence of 10 years…

Vick is currently serving a 23-month federal sentence on felony charges related to dogfighting. He is suspended indefinitely by the NFL… Vick is scheduled to be released from federal prison July 20, 2009. With his state case completed, he is eligible to participate in the Federal Bureau of Prisons re-entry program. The program could include an early release and a stay at a halfway house for up to 6 months…

SOURCE: 11/21/08, Report: Vick put family pets in ring
READ FULL STORY HERE: www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2008/11/21/michael_vick_dogfighting.html?cxntnid=bn_2008-11-21_23_31_id617_e

VICK’S FAMILY ANIMALS FOUGHT IN THE RING TOO

Michael Vick put family pets in rings with pit bulls and thought it was funny watching the trained killers injure or kill the helpless dogs. In a 17-page report filed Aug. 28, 2008, by case agent James Knorr of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and released under the Freedom of Information Act, a person identified as confidential witness No. 1 said Vick placed pets in the ring against pit bulls owned by “Bad Newz Kennels” at least twice and watched as the pit bulls “caused major injuries…”

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

Jan-Mar 2008 UPDATES: The Dogs That Vick Hurt

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-mar_2008.html#anchor26

Sept-Dec 2007 UPDATES: Vick’s Dogs…You Helped Save Their Lives

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2007.html

10/29/07: KC DIGEST – Ensure Vick’s Dogs Are Spared, As Promised

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2007_10.html#anchor9

8/28/07: Salvation For Vick’s Dogs?

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1676&seriesfirst=true

============================

If it’s dated by Dec. 31, it’s tax-deductible for 2008…
Thanks for helping us work for animals in the New Year!
* DONATE SECURELY ONLINE: www.kinshipcircle.org/donation

* DONATE BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER:
Kinship Circle / 7380 Kingsbury Blvd. / St. Louis, MO 63130

Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking
info [at] kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
www.KinshipCircle.org * www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/
KINSHIP CIRCLE is a 501c3 public charity. Donations are tax-deductible.

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* Select a Kinship Circle ALERT received in your mailbox
* Hit “FORWARD”
* Enter kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
* Type UNSUBSCRIBE in your subject line and hit send

SUBSCRIBE:
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Action campaigns on animal cruelty issues worldwide

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Animal rescue coordination/news in disasters + companion animal alerts
SEND: Address / Phone / Email for placement in geographic disaster zone

*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle – kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Date: Dec 24, 2008 12:08 AM
Subject: Part 2/ UPDATES: OCT-DEC 2008

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

PART 2: OCT – DEC 2008 / KINSHIP CIRCLE UPDATES
YEAR END WRAP UP – Victories * Setbacks * Progress For Animals

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/

PART 2: KC UPDATES / OCT – DEC 2008

12. Hero’s Plan To Save Wild Horses Moves Forward
13. Until Export Is Banned, More Horses Killed
14. Rodeo “Horse Tripping” Outlawed In Phoenix
15. Houston: Biggest Dogfight Bust In U.S. History
16. Activists Vow To Overturn Navy’s Use Of Sonar
17. Oxford Univ. Lab To Use Thousands Of Animals
18. Prop 2 Passes For Calif. Farmed Animals
19. EU Proposal To Ban Great Apes In Experiments
20. Ringling Bros. Big Fat Federal Lawsuit
21. Alaska Whales: 1 vs. Gov. Sarah Palin: 0

PART 1: KC UPDATES / OCT – DEC 2008
RESEND PART #1 TO ME: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net

1. Donna Karan Announces Fur-Free 2009 Lines
2. Dragged Pit Bull Is Healing And Soon Adoptable
3. Cat Killing Boyfriend Walks Free
4. Records Show Big Industry Planned AETA All Along
5. Obama Picks: The Good & The Not So Good
6. L.A. Assistant Fire Chief Charged In Karley’s Killing
7. Netherlands Ban Products Made Of Cape Fur Seals
8. Prempro Maker, Wyeth, Pays For Fake Articles
9. Report On Hallmark/Westland Downer Scandal
10. Eddie Lama’s Oasis Sanctuary Closes
11. Michael Vick: Early Release & Back To NFL?

============================

12. Hero’s Plan To Save Wild Horses Moves Forward

Wild horses gathered from the Fox & Lake Herd Management Area in near Empire, Nev., wait in a pen. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27738672/

SOURCE: 11/24/08, Madeleine Pickens
READ FULL STORY: madeleinepickens.com/

“I thank every one for their tremendous support. The number of responses has been simply overwhelming. It is very gratifying to know that there is strong support to not let this part of the American heritage become extinct. Be assured I am moving forward as quickly as possible with my plans for this beautiful Sanctuary and I will share with you the progress that I am making. Stay tuned, updates will be posted on my website — madeleinepickens.com/ — Thank you, Madeleine Pickens”

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

11/18/08: Update & Action – Doomed Wild Horses Have A Hero?

www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_oct-dec_2007.html#anchor16

7/10/08: BLM Wants To Kill Wild Horses

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1749&seriesfirst=true

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13. Until Export Is Banned, More Horses Killed

SOURCE: 11/24/08, More horses sent abroad for slaughter after ban
READ FULL STORY: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27934125/

…Last year, when state-imposed bans closed the last three U.S. horse slaughterhouses, a record 78,000 horses were exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics compiled by the Humane Society. That’s a 138% increase from 2006. Statistics show that 76,100 horses have been slaughtered in Canada and Mexico so far this year. But the actual figure is likely higher… Slaughter opponents got a hopeful sign from Congress when a proposed export-for-slaughter ban was approved by the House Judiciary Committee in late September. But the bill got hung up in the Agriculture Committee during the final days of the session and will have to be reintroduced next year…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

10/2/08: Call/Write To End Horse Slaughter For Good

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1764&seriesfirst=true

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14. Rodeo “Horse Tripping” Outlawed In Phoenix

SOURCE: 11/14/08, Phoenix ordinance makes horse-tripping illegal
READ FULL STORY: www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2008/11/14/20081114phx-horse1115.html

Phoenix City Council members approved an ordinance that makes roping or tripping equine animals for the purpose of entertainment a misdemeanor punishable by jail time or fines… Participants in horse-tripping events are awarded points for intentionally roping a galloping horse or donkey to the ground. Animal rights advocates compare the traditional charreada event to the underground games of dogfighting or cockfighting…

FACT SHEET FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/TheMythOfTheCowboy.pdf

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15. Houston: Biggest Dogfight Bust In U.S. History

SOURCE: 11/14/08, Largest undercover dogfighting sting in U.S. history
READ FULL STORY HERE: www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/111408kvue_dogfighting_raid-cb.1b0f3f3a2.html

Sgt. Manning, of the DPS Criminal Intelligence Service, and another DPS investigator have spent the last 15 months infiltrating the seedy world of dogfighting in Houston. “It’s the largest undercover dogfighting operation in the country,” said Assistant Harris Co. D.A. Belinda Smith… Authorities expect to arrest 85 people in multiple counties on over 155 felony charges. The investigation, called Operation Dead Game, was a joint effort between DPS, the USDA and the Harris County District Attorney’s office…

FACT SHEET FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/fatalfights.pdf

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16. Activists Vow To Overturn Navy’s Use Of Sonar

SOURCE: 11/13/08, U.S. Supreme Court OKs Navy use of sonar
READ FULL STORY: www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-scotus13-2008nov13,0,3987528.story

Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that the nation’s security outweighs the need to protect marine mammals from high-powered sonar during Navy training exercises, environmentalists said the fight was far from over. The court immediately lifted limits on the Navy exercises now being held 12 miles off the Southern California coast, in a victory for the outgoing Bush administration. But the decision doesn’t bind the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama to follow the same policy…

Environmentalists…said studies have shown piercing underwater sounds cause whales to flee in panic or to dive too deeply. Whales have been found beached in Greece, the Canary Islands and the Bahamas after sonar was used, and necropsies showed signs of internal bleeding near the ears…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

Jan-Mar 2008 UPDATES: Judge To Bush Admin: You Can’t Exempt Navy In Sonar!

kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-mar_2008.html#anchor17

May-Jul 2006 UPDATES: Navy Sonar Drills Restricted Near Marine Mammal Habitat

kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_may-july_2006.html#9

8/27/04: Whales – Casualties Of Navy Training

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1223&seriesfirst=true

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17. Oxford Univ. Lab To Use Thousands Of Animals

SOURCE: 11/11/08, Oxford University opens controversial animal research lab
READ FULL STORY: www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/nov/11/animal-research-oxford-university

A controversial animal research laboratory…officially opened today at Oxford University… Thousands of animals will eventually be housed in the new facility, which aims to bring the university’s disparate animal research projects under one roof. The centre will provide room for mice, ferrets, monkeys and other species, such as tadpoles… The centre is expected to be fully operational by the middle of next year…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

3/23/05: Don’t Let Oxford Torture More Primates

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1323&seriesfirst=true

7/15/04: Stop Oxford University’s Research Expansion

kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1199&seriesfirst=true

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18. Prop 2 Passes For Calif. Farmed Animals

SOURCE: 11/5/08, Historic Victory for Farm Animals!
READ FULL STORY: action.farmsanctuary.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=8241.0&printer_friendly=1

FROM KINSHIP CIRCLE: The California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act passed in the largest agricultural state in the U.S. A ban on the most egregious cruelty — battery cages, veal crates, gestation crates — will be phased in. Clearly, “how animals become meals” has entered mainstream consciousness. Of equal importance: Despite the millions agribusiness lobbyists spent on overturning this initiative, it passed. The ballot initiative system, fueled by grassroots stamina, worked.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

JULY 2008 DIGEST: Help Proposition 2 Win Relief For Animals In Calif.

www.kinshipcircle.org/digest/2008_07.html#anchor3

Don’t Blow This Landmark Chance For Farmed Animals

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1709&seriesfirst=true

FACT SHEETS FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/FactsAboutPoultyEggIndustr.pdf

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/FactsAboutThePorkIndust.pdf

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19. EU Proposal To Ban Great Apes In Experiments

SOURCE: 11/5/08, Protection of animals in scientific experiments
READ FULL STORY: europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1632&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The European Commission presented a proposal to strengthen protection of animals still used in scientific procedures… The new provisions will also contribute to minimizing as far as possible the number of animals used in experiments… The use of non-human primates is subject to restrictions, and the proposal also introduces a ban on the use of great apes — chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans — in scientific procedures. Only when survival of the species itself is at stake, or in the case of an unexpected outbreak of a life-threatening or debilitating disease in humans, can a Member State exceptionally be granted permission for their use…

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

9/6/07: Urge Primate Testing Ban In Europe

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1679&seriesfirst=true

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20. Ringling Bros. Big Fat Federal Lawsuit

SOURCE: 10/24/08, CIRCUS BEASTS OF HURTIN’
READ FULL STORY HERE: www.nypost.com/seven/10242008/news/nationalnews/circus_beasts_of_hurtin_135048.htm

After 8 years of legal wrangling, Ringling Bros. heads to Washington federal court (10/27/08) to answer charges from animal-rights groups that it beats its Asian elephants. The ASPCA, three other pro-animal groups and a former Ringling employee have filed a suit charging that circus workers routinely hit the elephants with a bull hook – a club with a sharp, pointed hook — while training and disciplining them.

The suit, filed in June 2000, also contends that Ringling employees forcibly remove baby elephants from their mothers with ropes and chains before they are weaned. And it claims that elephants are kept chained for up to 100 hours while being moved in train cars. All these actions violate the 1973 Endangered Species Act, the suit says…

FACT SHEET FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD:

www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/RinglingBrosTheBigCon.pdf

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21. Alaska Whales: 1 vs. Gov. Sarah Palin: 0

SOURCE: 10/18/08, Alaska Whales Protected Over Palin’s Objections
READ FULL STORY: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/17/AR2008101701046.html

The Bush administration named the beluga whale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet an endangered species despite opposition to the move by Gov. Sarah Palin. By affording the whale protection under the Endangered Species Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will now embark on an ambitious research effort to determine why the species is on the decline… Subsistence hunting took a toll on the Cook Inlet beluga population, which numbered as many as 1,300 in the 1970s but now stands at 375.

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

9/27/08: Palin’s Pro-Death Platform On Animals

www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?LetterID=1762&seriesfirst=true

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts environment environmental environmentalist environmentalism kinship circle brenda shoss bush george bush barack obama 2008 elections sarah palin wildlife conservation pet companion animal dog canine animal fighting dogfighting blood sports michael vick animal abuse animal cruelty cruelty to animals vivisection animal experimentation animal research animal testing primates wyeth fraud Donna Karan fur fur free faux fur horses horse slaughter horse meat prada Bluebell pit bull SEAACA california Joseph Petcka cat feline norman sex and the city Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act aeta green scare green is the new red will potter civil liberties Tom Vilsack Ken Salazar Lisa Jackson Raul Grijalva Karley Glynn Johnson Netherlands seals seal hunt factory farming factory farms farmed animals Hallmark Westland Eddie Lama Oasis Sanctuary Madeleine Pickens blm ranchers rodeo phoenix houston texas navy sonar dolphins oxford prop 2 Ringling Bros. elephants esa endangered species act beluga whale alaska news in the news flickr photos

PETA has had a cooperative relationship with Liz Claiborne Inc. for many years. Through our work together, the company has made—and continues to make—many great strides to reduce the suffering of animals who are used and abused in the clothing industry.

We would like to share an exciting development that has resulted from our discussions with Liz Claiborne Inc.: Juicy Couture—a high-end clothing company owned by Liz Claiborne Inc.—has now adopted a permanent fur-free policy. While Juicy Couture is still selling some fur items that were stocked before this policy was adopted, it has assured us that no new fur items will be procured and that as soon as the current stock of items has gone, the company will be completely fur-free.

We applaud Liz Claiborne and Juicy Couture for making this move, which will spare animals from suffering all the torment and abuse inherent in fur production.

Unfortunately, some companies continue to sell fur despite the fact that new evidence of horrific cruelty is exposed year after year. PETA Asia-Pacific’s recent undercover investigation in the Shandong region of China, for instance, produced video footage of rabbits who kicked and screamed as they were slaughtered. Another investigation into rabbit fur farms in France showed similar cruelty.

We need you to speak out and let the world know that it is never OK for any company to sell fur. Please let your voice be heard by urging these holdouts to go fur-free once and for all!

Armani

After watching PETA’s shocking new exposé of the rabbit-fur industry you’ll understand how urgent your voice is needed! Please contact Armani immediately and forward the video on to everyone you know!

Donna Karan

Donna Karan’s top competitors have made fur-free commitments, and it’s past time for her to do the same. Please urge Donna Karan to discontinue the sale of all fur items immediately.

Zappos.com

Online shoe retailer Zappos.com prides itself on good customer service, but no compassionate shopper wants to buy from a company that promotes the awful cruelty of the fur industry. Please demand that Zappos institutes a permanent fur-free policy today.

Canada Goose

Canada Goose, an outerwear retailer, knows about the suffering that goes into every fur-trimmed garment, but the company continues to contribute to it by using fur. Please ask Canada Goose to remove fur from their collections permanently!

Please also add PETA’s recent exposé of rabbit fur farms to your social networking pages or personal Web site to show friends and family why they should never wear fur.

With constant vigilance and your continued support, we will see a completely fur-free shopping season. Thank you for contacting the companies above and for helping make the world safer for fur-bearing animals.

Sincerely,

Erin Edwards
Activist Liaison
info [at] peta.org

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for PETA’s Online Community.

This e-mail was sent by:
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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts peta people for the ethical treatment of animals fur fur farming fur free Donna Karan Juicy Couture Armani Zappos.com Zappos Canada Goose fur trim update news in the news

And yet…I have yet to see “Whose Skin Are You In?” featured on a non-veg*n blog as of this writing. Just, you know, making a note. *shrug*

You can sign the fur-free pledge and order “Fake for the Animals’ Sake” stickers here.

(Crossposted from.)

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts peta people for the ethical treatment of animals fur leather video whose skin are you in