Activism

Passover began yesterday, so I’m a bit late on this, but Jenny sent news that Jonathan Safran Foer, bestselling author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Everything Is Illuminated : A Novel has put together a video called “If This is Kosher” that specifically deals with animal abuses surrounding kosher animal products. The video features explicit footage from PETA and Animal Liberation Israel, and it’s available online in both short and long versions. Link.

{ 0 comments }

Anti-seal hunt activists have been meeting heavy opposition from the pro-sealing forces in Newfoundland, with their hotel being surrounded and a vehicle driven off the road (nobody was injured). Local politicians claim that nobody’s in any danger, but the report reminded me a lot of the 1995 attack on Paul Watson by an angry mob. The activists in question here included members of various international humane societies, journalists and politicians. I’m thinking our new Prime Minister might as well get it over with and combine the fisheries and tourism departments. Link.

{ 0 comments }

I wanna go to summer camp, if it’s the Kids Make a Difference camp in Los Angeles, anyway. OK, I’m probably just outside of their age bracket, but as kunsjoi points out, it’s one of the few camps out there that not only serves vegan meals but serves exclusively vegan meals. It should come as no surprise that the camp focuses on environmental awareness. See, there’s the problem – camp serves vegan food and oh, obviously it’s an environment-focused camp. I expect that there are other environmental camps out there, and nobody just assumes that the meals are vegan (OK, I would assume, but I’ve gotten cynical over the years). Still, it’s a step, and kudos to the Kids Make a Difference team – in 12 years they’ve only gotten one complaint over their menu, and it was from a parent whose kid came home veggie. Heh, “yeah buddy, listen up, what the hell kind of camp are you running when you teach environmental values and my kid comes home caring about the environment?” Good times. Link.

{ 0 comments }

Is it just me, or is this whole “Pro-Test” movement getting more attention than it deserves? WickedRutabaga sent in a New York Times profile on Laurie Pycroft, a 16 year old who’s pro-animal testing. This is clearly a “man bites dog” kind of story, or, I suppose, a “man advocates the live dissection of dog” tale that doesn’t really merit looking at. I know, I’d be singing a completely different tune if it was about a teen who was speaking out against animal abuse, but let’s face it – advocating the status quo isn’t really the mark of a leader of tomorrow. When I was 16 and thought I knew everything, I had a lot of opinions that embarrass the hell out of me today. I’m not going to say “I grew up,” but time passed and I later started VP. Next… Link

{ 0 comments }

What if we made Paul McCartney into veganism’s Chuck Norris? As Dave Noisy reports, Sir Paul and Heather McCartney are planning on getting in on this year’s Canadian Seal Hunt protests, with a planned excursion to the ice floes before the hunt begins (it’s illegal to take pictures of the hunt itself. Yeah, I know.) The hunt normally happens in March or April (although warmer winter temperatures may cause it to be called off this year = hurray for global warming?), and the McCartneys’ plans could help boost media coverage on the major news sites. Link.

{ 0 comments }

As we’ve discussed a few times, Oxford University is trying to put in a new animal research facility. Construction was stopped for a while due to extreme protests making it difficult to find construction crews willing to take the risk of harassment, but it’s on again, as are the protests. Here’s a twist though – the latest one to land in my submission queue was in favour of the lab. Organized by 16 year old Laurie Pycroft, the Pro-Test drew “hundreds” of people, contrasted with the 150 or so from Speak that were protesting against the facility at the same time. As Mel Broughton from Speak says, this kind of protest is welcome, as it brings the issues into the open even more. Pro-Test aside, when so many people from so many backgrounds are opposed to an idea (many protesters aren’t vegetarian, and some wear leather, as this article from newsjunkie points out), it’s a shame that authorities aren’t willing to accept the basic concept that animal testing may not be in accordance with society’s wishes. Link.

{ 0 comments }

kunsjoi sent in a story that I really like for the simplicity, even if the practicality might have limits: for the past 26 years, Satyen Baral has been buying live fish from the local market and setting them free in the river. He also feeds 5 different species of animals every day. While his activities still support the fishing industry and thus probably won’t change anything in itself, if you’re into any theories of intentions and manifestations, we could all learn a lot from Baral’s actions, and as hobbies go, it beats playing sudoku all day. Link.

{ 0 comments }

I’ve written a few times about the problems that linger when animal farming “just isn’t fun anymore.” When a farm goes under, or some other problem strikes, the animals are often left in a bad way. In December, Ange and I had the opportunity to visit a recently converted deer sanctuary in Odessa, Ontario. They’ve got 105 deer that a hobby farmer couldn’t deal with any more, and rather than let the deer be killed, they’re working to get them transferred to a sanctuary. Until that happens, they need money and resources – it costs about $370 a week just to feed the animals, to say nothing of feed and enclosure costs. If anyone can spare a few dollars or can pass the word along, they’d really appreciate it. We’ve set up a website at FallowDeerReserve.com with more information and a PayPal link, and we’ll be adding some more info, pictures, and video this week. If you’re in the Kingston area and would like to help, they’d definitely like it if you email them. Thanks everyone!

{ 0 comments }

igotyourmeat sent in an inspiring story of a change in American university food services that actually started at a place called American University, which shifted to using cage-free eggs (eggs from chickens that aren’t raised in cages). Because the school used an outside company to bring in food, the contractor has decided to shift to using cage-free eggs in all of their 200 corporate and university clients’ menus, a change which apparently will affect the lives of at least 31,000 chickens. While we still advocate the use of no eggs over cage-free eggs, the story is a nice one for two reasons: it demonstrates the power of multiples lurking behind outsourced food services, and more importantly, this all started because one student stood up and asked for it, and things developed from there. We ran a similar story about an Atlanta school that serves a ton of vegetarian meals due to the “massive influence” of 30 or so members of a vegetarian club. It’s worth remembering that life doesn’t have to suck, and the world isn’t 100% mobilized against you – something as simple as asking for what you want can often yield surprising results that go far beyond your own needs. Link.

{ 0 comments }