HighestWelfare.Humane.Assured.GoodPractices.Vegetarian. Regenerative.Flexitarian.Lies...
What is the difference between No Welfare, High Welfare, and Highest Welfare when they all require animals to die? Only human comfort, NONE protect the actual animals. The most humane, ethical, and honest Webster-defined "welfare" is NOT exploiting animals - not using, not wearing, not eating, not killing - animals. The only meaningful position is vegan, everything else is just how humans euphemize animals' required suffering and violent deaths: no human exploits animals because they honestly believe that NOT exploiting animals is UNethical or INhumane.
7 Things to Know About the Underage US Sex Trade
IMMEDIATE, PLEASE TAKE ACTION:
Urge Congress to pass legislation combating human trafficking within the United States.
From Care2
By Evie Pless
1. It exists. Americans tend to associate sex trafficking of minors with distant countries and often don’t realize the same problem is serious and growing within the United States. Nicholas Kristof, whose masterful and heartbreaking reports illuminated human trafficking in Cambodia, recently shone the spotlight on the tragedy’s American twin, and two bills pending in Congress will hopefully give the US a chance to better understand and address domestic trafficking.
2. The number of children forced into prostitution is high, and the average initial age is low. Within the US, more than 100,000 children are victimized through commercial sex and prostitution each year. The average age at which girls first become victims of prostitution is 12-14 and the average age for boys and transgender youth is 11-13. That’s a pretty harsh reality check for people who advocate on behalf of some form of “voluntary” prostitution.
3. American street-kids are one of the most vulnerable groups. According to Kristof, “There’s a misperception in America that “sex trafficking” is mostly about foreigners smuggled into the U.S. That exists. But I’ve concluded that the biggest problem and worst abuses involve not foreign women but home-grown runaway kids.”
Sex trafficking is much closer to home than many Americans realize — each year, at least 100,000 children are victimized through commercial sex and prostitution within the United States.
4. There have been cases of human trafficking in all 50 states and D.C, and your favorite city could easily be a center for sex trafficking. It’s worth being informed, and there are probably local shelters where you can volunteer or lend your support.
Petite woman who bagged monster alligator defends trophy hunt
Editor’s Note: Ah, more speciesist brutality and disingenuous rhetoric meant to appeal to “common sense” and “understanding”. But of COURSE it is logical to conserve by killing! Uh-huh … Only a hunter can utter such vapid and self-serving banalities to validate murder. Sadly, the freakishness of blood-seeking sadists adheres to human law, but we all know the higher calling of compassionate obligation is missed by the majority of those who would kill their brothers if legal.
And quite frankly, it’s not her size that amazes me, it’s that she has managed to survive being so utterly stupid, greedy, ugly, and perversely shameless.
From GrindTV, Yahoo
By Pete Thomas
Maryellen Mara-Christian last week caught and killed what some might perceive to be a genuine monster: an American alligator measuring more than 13 feet and weighing more than 1,000 pounds.
Now, it seems, the hunter has become the hunted.
Her story, which played out over two chaotic hours on Lake Moultrie in South Carolina, made national headlines and morning and evening news shows. They found it remarkable that a woman who stands just 5 feet 5 and weighs only 120 pounds could wrangle such a mammoth beast.
Afterward, however, some people became outraged by the methods used to dispatch the great reptile: baited fishing lines, followed by harpoons, a muzzle snare, shots from a .22-caliber weapon and, ultimately, a knife jab to the spinal cord.
“This woman should be in jail, not on TV,” was among the tamer comments posted beneath a story on Carolinalive.com.
“They tortured that alligator for hours. That’s just plain sick,” a Bostonherald.com reader chimed in.
The hunter, who is from Massachusetts and received help from her husband and a guide, defended her actions and correctly stated that hunting of gators is legal in South Carolina and a limited seasonal hunt is how the state’s wildlife agency keeps their numbers in check.
“I enjoy nature and animals a great deal and I understand why there is a reason for hunting,” Mara-Christian told the Boston Herald. “I hunt because I want these creatures to be here forever.”
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Your voice is urgently needed today! School children will lose healthier, plant-based lunch options unless Congress takes a stand.
From PCRM
What’s at Stake
Congress is on the verge of voting for a new Child Nutrition Act. HR 5504, the House version of the bill, which would allow more children to have access to healthful plant-based options, may be rejected for a much weaker, stripped-down Senate version.
Please urge Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Education and Labor Chairman George Miller to pass the superior House bill, H.R. 5504, and reject the Senate’s bill, S. 3307.
Find out more information about the history of this bill HERE.
Please send a Message to Congress Before it’s Too Late!
1) Complete the form HERE with your information.
2) Click the “Send Message” button and your message will automatically be sent to Key leaders, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Education & Labor Chairman George Miller.
Lost Your Home? No Excuse! (Yeah, I said it)
I have been in real estate for over 20 years and virtually all of that time I have specialized in REO, foreclosures and distressed sales for banks and individuals. I have been in untold THOUSANDS of properties ranging from the most modest of mobile homes to the most lavish multi-million dollar mansions, and they all share several common denominators. One is that you NEVER KNOW what you are going to come upon when you walk on that property and you ESPECIALLY never know what you will find when you walk INTO that property. Those of us who have done REOs for a while could write a book on the things we have seen!
Some surprising things you might find in these properties are:
- personal/family portraits and photographs/photo albums
- expensive clothing in perfect condition, hanging in closets or folded in drawers
- personal letters/diaries/journals/keepsakes
- money (rare coins, etc..)>>If you find this, don’t keep it. As sure as you do, someone will sue for it.
- children’s toys/crayons/unused coloring books/school text books/school pictures/report cards
So why do people leave things like this behind? (And believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg…I will speak to the issue of “what” and “why” in a later article). Well, the answer is complicated and multi-layered, but one ‘quick’ answer is this…folks who are losing their home are typically in a state of chaos in their life. Often their marriage is struggling (or failing or failed), they have kids and careers to juggle, and on top of all that life is relentlessly throwing at them, they are losing their home. It is tough. Very tough. So, sometimes what you see in that home is a fairly accurate representation of the state of their lives. Chaotic. Scattered. Desperate. That’s the short answer.
Poll Workers and Female Candidates Killed in Afghan Elections
From Care2
By Natasha G.
Afghanistan held elections this Saturday, and the results were nothing short of disastrous.
Votes are still being counted, but the Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan (Fefa) contended there were “serious concerns about the quality of elections.”
In Kabul Al Jazeera’s James Bays reports, “We’ve people who have been able to wash the ‘indelible’ ink off their fingers; we have voter registration cards – fake ones – which were definitely used, we are told, in some areas and we have been told of some polling stations where one candidate allowed only his supporters to go inside.”
The BBC reports that in eastern Wardak province, officials allegedly stuffed ballot boxes after the polls closed, and in Helmand province, 26 people were arrested for having fake identity cards.
Even before election day it was evident the notion of free elections was a myth when a number of female candidates and their campaign workers received death threats or were murdered by the Taliban.
Tanzania’s Proposed Serengeti Highway Threatens Greatest Wildlife Migration on Earth
From Forests.Org
Immediate, please sign and send message HERE
Action Alert: Tanzania’s Proposed Serengeti Highway Threatens Greatest Wildlife Migration on Earth
Serengeti National Park’s locally and globally significant ecosystem is driven by migration of wildebeest, elephant and zebra, and will be utterly devastated by the plan, as will be local livelihoods and well-being. There is a growing local and international support network protesting the project, and together we should be able to ensure it never commences.
BACKGROUND
The government of Tanzania has approved a major commercial highway across Serengeti National Park. The northern Serengeti – located near the Kenya border – is the most remote and pristine area in the Park’s entire ecosystem. “The road will cause an environmental disaster,” said 27 biodiversity experts this week in the science journal Nature. The planned road slashes across Serengeti’s most important annual migratory route taken by 1.3 million wildebeest – as well as important elephant and zebra migration areas – threatening the last great mass movements of animals on Earth.
The road’s expected 416 large trucks a day would physically block the migration, introduce invasive species, and lead to greater poaching – ultimately killing the migration altogether. Further there will be fragmentation of habitat, alteration of water and soil systems, and increased introduction of animal disease. When the wildebeest migration is blocked, more grass fires are expected, further diminishing the quality of grazing, and likely to make the ecosystem a source of atmospheric CO2.
The northern part of the Serengeti is untouched and should remain so. A safer alternative route proposed by local conservationist can bypass Serengeti altogether to the South and provide more economic benefit for the people of Tanzania. This route can preserve Tanzania’s greatest tourism asset and spare the devastation of Serengeti – a priceless World Heritage Site. With the help of the world community in support of local demands, Tanzania can find a way to preserve its inheritance, protect for all posterity a healthy and intact Serengeti ecosystem, while bringing advancement to its people.
Mississippi River Brimming with Dead Fish Near Gulf of Mexico
From Treehugger
By Brian Merchant
At first glance, you might not even notice the dead fish in the picture above — there are too many of them. But no, that’s not a gravely parking lot. It’s a section of the Mississippi River that has been clogged with thousands of dead fish in the wake of the BP Gulf spill. And while investigation as to the cause of the mass fish kill is still underway, there are fears that new toxins in the water from spilled oil or chemical dispersants have played a role.
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the fish were found and photographed in a bayou on the west side of the Mississippi late last week, in the Plaquemines Parish of Louisiana. Plaquemines was one of the earliest areas to be impacted by the BP Gulf spill, and it was also one of the heaviest hit. Now, this happening with alarming frequency:
Bill Clinton goes vegan to reverse heart disease
From VegSource
Bill Clinton talks about going veg to reverse heart disease, so he can be healthy in the years ahead to see his potential grandchildren.
We also have this from ecorazzi.com:
“I’m trying to be one of those experimenters,” said Clinton. “Since 1986, several hundred people who have tried essentially a plant-based diet, not ingesting any cholesterol from any source, has seen their bodies start to heal themselves — break up the arterial blockage, break up the calcium deposits around the heart. 82 percent of the people who have done this have had this result, so I want to see if I can be one of them.”
EMERGENCY ACTION NEEDED: Horse protectors, after you call your congresspeople, send this message to Speaker Pelosi & call her as well!
Click HERE to send the message below to Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, in Washington. She is the only person who can override the committee who does not want HR503 to pass to save American Horses.
- EMAIL HER NOW, PLEASE, FOR THE HORSES…WE HAVE 36 HOURS TO GET HER TO DO THIS.
If you live in the US, call her also, all you have to say is the following:
- “I want HR503 brought to the floor for a full vote before election day.”
CLICK HERE NOW AND SEND THIS EMAIL. CLICK HERE TO FIND HER TELEPHONE NUMBER:
http://www.speaker.gov/contact/
MESSAGE TO SEND
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Office of the Speaker of the House
H-232, The U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Madame Speaker:
I write to you in strong support of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503), legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses for human consumption and prevent the export of live horses for the same purpose. With 183 bipartisan cosponsors in the House, 28 in the Senate, and tremendous public support, I urge you to allow this bill a vote in the House.
Equine slaughter is inhumane by nature. Horses have a fractious reaction to the stress induced by chutes, kill boxes, puntilla knives and captive bolt stun systems, causing these animals to suffer immensely and die an inhumane death. These animals are subjected to brutal transport conditions on their way to slaughter facilities. In addition, the consumption of horsemeat poses a serious public health threat as this meat contains substances banned for human consumption by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Since 2005, Congress has repeatedly voted to shut down the cruel practice of horse slaughter and included appropriations language to defund the USDA inspection of horses and horsemeat as a stopgap measure until a permanent federal ban is passed. The last three horse slaughter plants on U.S. soil were closed by enforcement of state law in Texas and a recently enacted ban on horse slaughter in Illinois. As you know, California overwhelmingly banned horse slaughter over a decade ago, and the state legislature just passed a resolution in favor of passing the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.
Still, American horses continue to be sent over the border for human consumption. Since January of this year, approximately 53,850 horses have been transported across our nation’s borders into the cruelty of slaughter in Mexico and Canada. This number amounts to about 100,000 horses annually, 1,500 per week, or one every five minutes.
I, along with millions of Animal Lovers and Other Animal protection organizations such as the Animal Welfare Institute and the Humane Society of the United States, urge you to bring this bill to the House floor for a vote.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this critical legislation.
Best regards,
Your Name_________________________________
Your Address_______________________________
END MESSAGE
Please visit Boxers Galore on YouTube for recordings of Firu’s recovery and homecoming …
From Examiner
By Penny Eims
Firu, the dog who was dragged behind his owner’s truck, has stirred deep emotions in those that have viewed his graphic photos. Seeing the severity of his injuries spurs an ache that can’t be soothed.
Samantha Hodge, Firu’s care provider, went to visit Firu Saturday afternoon. The battered dog was alert and aware of her presence. Hodge and her husband assisted Dr. Wallrich in the changing of Firu’s bedding and wound dressings.
Though the large dog is in extreme pain, he did nothing more than lick the lands of those that were tending to him when the pain was too much to bear…a testament to the demeanor of this grievously wounded dog.
There are many areas of Firu’s body that are deeply concerning to Dr. Wallrich, and Hodge. Areas that are infected, raw, incredibly painful. However, the doctor is optimistic that Firu will make a full recovery – with time, love and good care.
Hodge has been buried in emails from those that are concerned. Many people are asking who did this to Firu and what is happening to that individual. She is unaware of what will happen to that person – it is in the hands of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC Police department.
Hodge is unsure of Firu’s breed. He may be a Boxer mix, he may be a Pit Bull, he may be an American Bulldog. She doesn’t care – she wants to see him healthy and well again.
Some people have inquired if Firu will be returned to his owners – she answers with a resounding no. Eventually, after Firu’s long road to recovery, the dog will be adopted – most likely to a very special family, carefully chosen by Hodge.
Dead Southwick’s Zoo Elephant Had Tuberculosis Please Act Today
Immediate, please submit the form found HERE
From IDA
BACKGOUND
In August, over 5,000 IDA members sent e-mails expressing concern over the death of Dondi, a 36-year-old Asian elephant who died suddenly at Southwick’s Zoo in Massachusetts. Now, an autopsy conducted on Dondi reportedly reveals that she had tuberculosis.
Dondi had been used to give children rides. Tuberculosis in elephants presents a serious public health concern as the animals can transmit the disease to humans as well as other elephants. USDA guidelines for the control of TB in elephants state: “Direct contact transmission may occur during activities such as touching or riding an elephant, being touched by an elephant, examining, medicating, bathing, and handling animals.”
IDA is calling on Southwick’s Zoo to immediately release Dondi’s necropsy report as a matter of public safety. We believe people have the right to know the truth about Dondi’s death and the impact that may have on public health. At age 36, Dondi should have been in the prime of her life. Elephants have a natural lifespan of 60-70 years.
Dondi was the second elephant held at the Southwick’s Zoo who had tuberculosis. Before her, Southwick’s used an elephant named Judy, who was not allowed to give rides due to known prior exposure to tuberculosis-positive elephants. After her death in 2007, she was found to have the disease.
IDA is calling on the zoo to end the use of elephants for shows and rides, because it is inhumane for the elephants and unsafe for the public. Dondi spent her winters performing and giving rides in Florida, and summers in the New England area, giving rides at events such as the Guilford Fair. She reportedly had been in contact with other elephants who are commonly used for rides in the New England area.
Please submit the form found HERE to send an e-mail to Southwick’s Zoo President Justine Brewer, urging the zoo to end the use of elephants for rides, performances and display.
URGENT: Breaking Miracle for the Horses, Letters MUST be sent to PELOSI by TUESDAY!
THIS IS THE BREAK THE HORSES HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.
ACTION HAS TO BE TAKEN BY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE BY TUESDAY 9/21
They are trying to get PELOSI to bring HR503 to the FLOOR FOR A FULL VOTE.
THIS IS THE BREAK THE HORSES HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR
THIS IS IT. NO OTHER ALERTS, NOTES, ACTIONS MATTER….
Representative James Moran needs your help to get H.R. 503 to a vote in the House!
U.S. Representative James Moran is circulating the letter set out below to all members of the House of Representatives for their signature. Once signatures have been gathered, Rep. Moran and members of the House of Representatives will present the letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The letter calls on Speaker Pelosi to bring the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, H.R. 503, to a vote by the full House of Representatives immediately.
Equine Welfare Alliance and Animal Law Coalition urge you to call on your U.S. representative to sign this letter now!
Visit this site to find the name and contact information for your U.S. representative in Washington:
You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your U.S. representative.
The letter must be signed by Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010. It is best to call or fax your representative. Tell your representative that you urge him or her to sign on as a co-sponsor and contact Rep. Moran and sign the letter calling on Speaker Pelosi to schedule a vote on the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, H.R. 503. Be sure to tell your representative that you live in his or her district and ask for a copy of the letter with your representative’s signature!
Go here to find out if your rep is already a co-sponsor and, if so, urge him or her to sign the letter! Please note, you will need to enter HR 503 in the middle column under Search and after selecting Bill Number, or see below for a complete list.
Search Bill Summary & Status
H.R. 503 will put an end to the slaughter of American horses. Only a federal law can stop this tragedy. As John Holland, founder and president of Equine Welfare Alliance, put it, “Horse slaughter is not a ‘necessary evil’, as the industry claims, it is simply evil. Now is our opportunity to resign this practice to the dust bin of American history.” Find a copy of the bill here:
A Tribute To Scarlett, The Bravest Mother
George Washington once said, “All I am I owe to my mother.” Those of us who can say that are lucky, and as we commemorate our own mothers this year we also celebrate all mothers – especially those who have risen above average and made a place in our hearts by their selflessness and courage.
When we think of courageous mothers, who can forget Scarlett? She was the New York stray cat who touched the hearts of people throughout the world by using five of her nine lives to save her kittens, one by one, from a burning garage in Brooklyn, NY, and badly scorching herself in the process …
From Scarlett the Cat, Facebook group
Scarlett was a former stray cat, probably born in June 1995, whose efforts to save her kittens from a fire, at serious harm to herself, attracted worldwide media attention and has been related in a number of non-fiction books.
On October 15, 2008, Scarlett died.
On March 30, 1996, Scarlett was in an abandoned garage allegedly used as a crack house in Brooklyn, New York (United States), with her five kittens when a fire started for undetermined reasons. The New York Fire Department responded to a call about the fire and quickly extinguished it. When the fire was under control, one of the firefighters on the scene, David Giannelli, noticed Scarlett carrying her kittens away from the garage, one by one. Scarlett herself had been severely burned in the process of pulling her kittens from the fire. Her eyes were blistered shut, her ears radically burned, her paws burned, and her coat seriously singed. The hair on her face was almost completely burned away. After saving the kittens, she was seen to touch each of her kittens with her nose to ensure they were all there and alive, as the blisters on her eyes kept her from being able to see them, and then collapsed unconscious.
Gianelli took the intact family to the veterinary clinic of the North Shore Animal League, in Port Washington, New York, where Scarlett and her kittens were treated. The weakest of the kittens, a white one, died of a virus a month after the fire. However, after three months of treatment and recovery, during which time one of the staff of the League stated Scarlett was “spoiled rotten” and treated like a queen, Scarlett and her surviving kittens were well enough to be adopted.
The story of the brave cat was quickly known in the world, the veterinary hospital where Scarlett was taken care of, and her kittens received more than 7000 propostions asking to adopt these cats, these suggestions even from Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa …
“A Dream Come True!” The BLM Agrees to Support Madeleine Pickens’ Wild Horse Eco-Sanctuary
From Madeleine, Saving America’s Mustangs
We are SO excited to FINALLY announce the best news we have had to share with you in over 2 1/2 years!
OUR MUSTANGS ARE GETTING THEIR SANCTUARY AND HAVE THE BLM’S SUPPORT!!!
Over the past three days, I have been to meetings in Sacramento and again in Washington, DC. I’ve met with BLM Director, Bob Abbey, Deputy Director, Mike Pool, along with the Wild Horse and Burro team. The BLM has officially agreed to support going forward with the development of the wild horse Eco- sanctuary for the horses in holding! Also in DC, I met with Congressman, Jim Moran, who had already given his blessing, but is submitting legislation to members of Congress on behalf of these wild mustangs. We are so thankful to him and his staff for their efforts on the wild horse and burro issue. All the meetings were fabulous and we could not be happier about the news!
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Church Uses Caged Lion as Symbol for Satan, please protest
From Big Cat Rescue
- 1. Please visit HERE
- 2. Input your zipcode at the top of page following ANIMAL ACTION ALERT/Enter Your Zipcode (or at the bottom of the page)
- 3. Use the sample message provided, or feel free to modify
- 4. Select FIVE recipients, but the two who MUST be selected include Tom Vilsak at the top and Florida Wildlife Commissioners near the bottom, after which is Troy Gramling (pastor)
- 5. Input your details (name, address, etc.)
- 6. Select a prefix (Mr., Ms., Miss, etc.)
- 7. Send message (you must scroll to the bottom of the area where you input your information in order to see the green “send message” button)
Lately, Florida has been in the news as a hotbed for religious controversy. Now, Pastor Troy Gramling at Flamingo Road Church in Cooper City, Florida may be adding to it. Last week, he rolled out his series of Sunday sermons called “Wild.”
His sermon featured a chained, adult male, 500 pound lion on the pulpit in a small transport cage. For the length of the sermon, the lion paced, moving and rocking the cage back and forth, as the pastor quoted scripture and referred to the lion as a symbol for the devil himself. Next week’s sermon promises to feature pythons representing original sin.
(If you are unable to see/play the video directly below, please visit HERE to view, or view the version in the VodPod collection in the upper right, thank you.)
There were no barricades between the transport cage and the congregation. There was only a man sitting next to the cage, a man with some interesting views about wildlife. Jeremy Possman, of Predators Unlimited, supplied this lion for the “show.” He is an alligator wrestler who admits that business has pretty much dried up in that area. So, he has turned to photo ops and traveling exhibits with wild animals.
He was quoted in an AP story saying, “If you do get bit, a lot of times that just means more business, because they’re going to come back to see if it’s going to happen again.” Obviously, NOT a person most people would choose to be responsible for the safety of an entire church congregation, possibly trapped in a room with a dangerous carnivore.
Our Compass 