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Brooklyn Food Conference, May 12, 2012

Wed, 09 May 2012 23:59:20 +0000

I'll be speaking at the Brooklyn Food Conference this Saturday:

Saturday, May 12, 2012, 9am - 6pm

Brooklyn Technical High School
29 Fort Greene Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(map and directions here)

The conference features over 150 workshops in 50 classrooms. I'm speaking in two of the Occupy Wall Street Animal Issues Working Group's series of workshops. The entire series includes:

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Speak Up Against Dangerous Hunting Bill

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:28:35 +0000

The Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012 (S.2066/H.R. 4089, a.k.a. "Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act") is a drastic and extreme attack on wildlife and the environment, and has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives. According to the Animal Welfare Institute, the bill would:

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World Week for Animals in Laboratories

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:52:16 +0000

April 21-29 is World Week for Animals in Laboratories. Here are four things that you can do to help animals in laboratories:

Support the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, (H.R. 1513/S. 810), which would phase out the use of chimpanzees in laboratories. Learn more about the bill here, then contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives.You can look up your U.S. Representative on the House of Representatives website, while your senators can be found on the official Senate website. A personal communication is always best, but if you're short on time, you can use this webform from the New England Anti-Vivisection Society.
Boycott products tested on animals, and go cruelty-free. Learn more about cruelty-free products here.
When donating to health charities, be sure to support only cruelty-free charities that do not fund animal research. Learn more about cruelty-free charities here.
Write a letter to the editor of your local paper to reach others. You can find sample letters here.

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Ted Nugent, Poaching Again

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:53:00 +0000

To follow up Nugent's 2005 cookbook "Kill It & Grill It," his next cookbook should be, "Poach It & Poach It."

Ted Nugent has once again pled guilty to illegal hunting. This time, he illegally killed a black bear in southern Alaska. And like his previous poaching incident, he filmed and broadcast the events for his television show, "Spirit of the Wild."

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For Earth Day, Meet Mike Hudak and Me

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:30:00 +0000

Environmental advocate Mike Hudak and I will speak at an Earth Day event in central New Jersey, on Wednesday, April 18:

Wednesday, April 18, 2012
7:00pm
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County (Directions)
1475 West Front Street
Lincroft, NJ 07738

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Make Mine Slave-Free Chocolate

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:35:48 +0000

Rabbits rescued by Friends of Rabbits

If you're thinking of giving a live bunny for Easter, consider the rabbit's needs and ask yourself whether you're willing to clean litterboxes, and provide veterinary care, grooming, food, water, hay and fresh vegetables for the next ten years. If so, please rescue a rabbit. Most people don't think of shelters taking in rabbits, but some do, and there are quite a few rescue groups for rabbits. A good place to start is your local shelter, the House Rabbit Society or Petfinder.com.

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Canadian Seal Hunt Quota Set at 400,000

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:47:23 +0000

An editorial from The Corner Brook Western Star that was republished in the Winnipeg Free Press asks why anyone, including animal rights activists, should care about the Canadian Fisheries Department's quota of 400,000 seals when it's doubtful that anywhere near that number will be killed. The paper argues, "Scientists and the animal-rights people say the size of the herds is falling and the quota should have been reduced. That only matters if the quota is taken, and it won't be." The problem is that no one can predict how many seals will be killed.

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Two Essay Contests on the Ethics of Meat Eating

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:46:18 +0000

The Ethicist from the New York Times Magazine wants to know why it's ethical to eat meat, and is holding an essay contest to try to find someone who can explain it. Ariel Kaminer points out that omnivores "say, of course, that, well, they love meat or that meat is deeply ingrained in our habit or culture or cuisine or that it's nutritious or that it's just part of the natural order . . . But few have tried to answer the fundamental ethical issue: Whether it is right to eat animals in the first place, at least when human survival is not at stake."

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HBO Cancels Show After Third Horse Dies

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 03:56:20 +0000

According to an article in USA Today, HBO is canceling the show "Luck" after three horses died in separate incidents. The channel stated, "While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happen and it is impossible to guarantee they won't in the future . . . Accordingly, we have reached this difficult decision." In a rare move after the third horse died on Tuesday, the American Humane Association, which oversees animal action in films, television shows, commercials and music videos, demanded "that all production involving horses shut down" pending an investigation.

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Iowa Adopts Nation's Fourth Ag-Gag Law

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:07:01 +0000

Three employees at Aviagen Turkeys, Inc. were charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty as a result of PETA's undercover investigation.
Photo courtesy of PETA.

In the United States, Iowa has adopted the nation's fourth ag-gag law. Although the Iowa legislation has been widely touted as the nation's first law to try to crack down on undercover factory farm investigations, Kansas, Montana and North Dakota have had ag-gag laws on their books for over twenty years.

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