Heart 4 Animals

award-winning photos @ http://tinyurl.com/yly2v5r

Each week, I set aside time to do my bit for abused animals. Sometimes, these actions may not seem much, but collectively actions from everyone snowball into positive change. A couple of examples of what I do are listed below.  You CAN help voiceless and defenceless animals by fighting injustice. Please do your bit for abused animals now.

EXAMPLES:

a) Appeals for help on worldwide message boards e.g. > New York > Beijing > Vancouver
If you live in another country, or know another foreign language, you will boost these efforts by translating the similar message into another language, using mass media (internet message boards, discussion forums, electronic bulletins etc unique to your locale) that will be effective in reaching the masses in a particular country.

b) Letters to media
i) NBC : My message below-
Irresponsible program segment on The Today Show

To:  Today@NBCUNI.com, today@nbc.com, today@msnbc.com
My friends and I were deeply disappointed that  Matt Lauer, of NBC’s The Today Show, performed as a rodeo clown as part of his “scariest jobs” segment. Rodeo animals are continuously abused (check out more info and some videos), and it is irresponsible of NBC to glamourize the rodeo.

We think that it is only right that NBC, in the name of journalistic integrity, showcase the cruelty involved in rodeo, circuses and Spanish bullfights as well.  These information can be easily obtained from the Humane Society of The United States and PETA, who can name  celebrities who actually oppose  rodeo, circuses and other forms of cruel “entertainment”.

We believe that NBC will honor its good name before this slip in its moral standards, take our constructive criticism in its stride and feature the other truthful side of rodeo, circuses and Spanish bullfights to highlight the cruelty involved in so called animal-based “entertainment” .

Yours sincerely,

<end of message>

ii) The Province : my message sent this week:

To:  provletters@theprovince.com
TO: The Editor and Kathy Guillermo

GREAT WORK ! (Editor, Kathy Guillermo and team)

I would like to commend you and your team on publishing  an excellent opinion piece called “End These Useless Experiments” and for highlighting this enlightening fact:

“…researchers and the underpinning industries of animal breeders and transporters, cage and equipment builders and food manufacturers have a financial interest in convincing you that all this cash goes only to research aimed at saving human lives. It does not.”

This article served an important purpose in educating your readers about the cruelty involved in truly useless experiments on animals.

My family and I hope The Province will continue to educate the public on the various forms of animal abuse happening around the world that remain hidden from the public.  Example: The grotesque practice of fur-farming and skinning of “live” dogs, cats, rabbits, foxes and minks in Asia and Eastern Europe, and how the purchase of fur and fur-lined coats and sweaters actually promote the cruel fur trade.  I understand that there will be an anti-fur event organised by Liberation BC sometime in February 2009.  Please do feature this event and write up about it.

Yours sincerely,

<end of message>

It only takes a few minutes each day. Abused animals need you. Your help is a selfless gift of love and compassion. Please act now.

Other issues > Factory Farms > Baby Seal Hunt > The Meat Trade .

National Day of Protest Against Fur

Why Protest Against Fur ? >>>  See why
How you can help >>>  Get Active
When: Wednesday, February 11th, 12-1 PM
Where: The Bay at Granville St. & Georgia St. (map)

February 11th is the National Day of Protest against fur in Canada, and Liberation BC will be celebrating with a big media event!

Haven’t come out to any events this year? Make this one your first! It’s super important and we really need your help!

Come on out at noon on Wednesday, February 11th. Do you wear clothes? That’s great! Feel like going naked? That’s even better! We need lots of folks willing to do both! (If you can make it—clothed or not—please contact Joanne at joanne@liberationbc.org for more info.)

Walk for Farm Animals: The Results!

Way back on September 20th, 50 of you fine people came out in the pouring rain to walk and raise money for Farm Sanctuary.

This week, we finally received the results of all your hard work! The Vancouver Walk for Farm Animals raised:

$5,608.50!

Great job, everyone!

If you raised enough money to become a member of Farm Sanctuary, you should be receiving your membership information in the mail soon!

Check out how all the other cities did, and look at all the great pictures here!

Valentine’s Day Demonstration at Cru

When: Saturday, February 14th, 6:30-8:30
Where: Cru, 1459 West Broadway (map)

Cru took foie gras off their regular menu, but for this special holiday, they’ve added it back on. Nothing says “romantic” to us like the burst stomachs, anal hemmorrhaging, and lacerated esophagi of foie gras production. (Not only that, but foie gras appears to be almost as bad for humans as it is for ducks! Seriously–check out the article!)

We’re going to be at Cru with signs and flyers to politely remind people that there’s nothing romantic about torturing innocent ducks! Come on out and make your Valentine’s Day a meaningful one!

Here are 5 easy five-minute actions to help animals!

1. If you already know what’s wrong with rodeo, you’ll understand why we were upset to discover that Matt Lauer, of NBC’s The Today Show, performed as a rodeo clown as part of his “scariest jobs” segment. Rodeo animals are continuously abused (check out more info and some videos), and it is irresponsible of NBC to glamourize the rodeo.

Learn more about the responses to the segment, or contact NBC:

Email: Today@NBCUNI.com, today@nbc.com, today@msnbc.com
Petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/PLZNBC-expose-Rodeo-Abuse

2. Top French chef, Albert Roux, seeks end to ‘cruel’ foie gras

“Frenchman Albert Roux, who has trained high-profile chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Martin Wishart and Andrew Fairlie, said the traditional method of producing foie gras, by force-feeding ducks and geese, should stop. More humane methods should be used that allow the animal to gorge themselves naturally, he said.”

Read more here.

3. Cheese–it’s grosser than you thought! (From MSNBC.com)

“Cheese makes some foodies jump up and down like little kids, but behind that heavenly taste and texture lies bacteria, mammal stomach lining and pure fat.

To ripen cheese and add flavor, bacterial strains are freely injected and smeared into the substance. But not all have been accounted for, a new study finds.”

Read the rest at MSNBC.com!

4. The Province has published a great opinion piece called End These Useless Experiments:

“…researchers and the underpinning industries of animal breeders and transporters, cage and equipment builders and food manufacturers have a financial interest in convincing you that all this cash goes only to research aimed at saving human lives. It does not.”

Read the rest here and let the Province know that you liked it at provletters@theprovince.com!

(And learn more about animal experimentation at our page!

5. This week, we’re asking you to speak out against the horrors of shark-finning again by calling a third establishment in the lower mainland: the Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant! Shark fin products are incredibly cruel and we owe it to the sharks to speak out against the industry!

Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant
3888 Main Street
Telephone: (604) 872-8822

Don’t know what to say? Try:

I am calling because I’ve heard that you sell shark fin. I oppose shark fin, and want to say that as long as you sell it, my friends and family and I will not patronize your establishment. Thank you.

Source: Liberation BC .

Golden Globe Winner Mickey Rourke Fights for Animals Known as one of Hollywood’s most notorious bad boys, Mickey Rourke is also a champ for animals. In his new ABC ad, he says, “Have the cojones to fix your dog.” Check it out now!

Help PETA Reach People on YouTube With Powerful Videos Visit PETA’s YouTube Channel and click “Subscribe” to help us attain heightened visibility and achieve the goal of becoming one of the “top five” most subscribed to nonprofit channels on the popular video-sharing Web site. Be the first to watch new PETA videos and give them a high rating.

Urge the NFL to Test Michael Vick for Brain Disorder! PETA has written to the NFL following a recent USDA report indicating that Michael Vick has characteristics that fit the profile for serious antisocial personality disorder. We think Vick should undergo a brain scan before the NFL even considers the possibility of letting him back into the league.

Wanna Be in a Pretenders Video?
Make your own video for The Pretenders’ new single, “Boots of Chinese Plastic,” and you may win a trip to Los Angeles to appear in the official fan video alongside Chrissie Hynde and the rest of the band.

Win New Vegan Macbeth Shoes on peta2
Find out why Hunter Burgan from the band AFI went vegan and what made him decide to partner with Macbeth to create his new vegan shoes. Then enter to win your very own pair on peta2!

Watch The Roost’s Second Hilarious Webisode
Did somebody say gravy?! You bet your cotton socks they did! The Roost is back, and the second webisode of the series has been released. Watch it today!

Source: People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals .

Factory farming is an attitude that regards animals merely as commodities to be exploited for profit. In animal agriculture, this attitude has led to institutionalized animal cruelty, massive environmental destruction and resource depletion, and animal and human health risks. Are your meats, eggs and dairy products (milk, cheese etc) supporting the inhumane practice of Factory Farms ? What are the issues about Factory Farms and how do these farms promote animal cruelty ? > Learn More .

We need you to eat a sandwich—or a lot of sandwiches—for animals! If you’re like me, you’re probably still bubbling with excitement over PETA’s recent KFC Canada victory. The addition of a faux-chicken sandwich at the majority of the chain’s restaurants is extremely important. A lot hinges on the success of that sandwich, and not just for Canada: The rest of the KFC world is watching. We need every compassionate person to buy one of these sandwiches—or a bag full!

For a limited time only, KFC Canada is offering a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for the new Classic Vegetarian Sandwich, which makes getting your hands on a couple sandwiches even easier to do. The sandwich can easily be made vegan by ordering it in a wrap without mayonnaise.

It might seem strange to order a meal from a restaurant that we were all boycotting just a few months ago, but skyrocketing sales will ensure that the faux-chicken sandwich stays on the menu. This menu item gives everyone who visits a KFC restaurant a cruelty-free option that they might not have known about before, and you can help save chickens by ordering this sandwich. This is a truly groundbreaking development for farmed animals, so please order five, 10, or even 15 Classic Vegetarian Sandwiches. Treat people at work or school, or donate them to homeless shelters. Eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: whatever it takes to make sure this meatless meal stays on the menu. Would you please help? This could be the only time that I’ll ever make such a request!

Visit PETA.org to print your coupon, and please remember to forward this e-mail to everyone you know in Canada.

Sincerely,

Nicole Matthews
Campaigner
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
269-908-0050

You can get the scoop on the Battle of the Divas here or at URL: http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/05/madonna_vs_mari.php?c=weekly_enews

> Cruelty-free living .

by Mary Krasn

“I always feel better in this room than in any other room.”

This statement from comedian and political satirist Bill Maher captured the feeling of the nearly 900 people who attended the taped-for-television 22nd Genesis Awards event in the International Ballroom of The Beverly Hilton Hotel on the evening of Saturday, March 29.

A Different Kind of Award

The annual Genesis Awards, produced by The Humane Society of the United States, recognizes those in the major media whose talents and journalistic integrity have raised awareness of animal issues. Nominees and winners range from those who work in the print media, to the writers, directors, and producers of feature films and television. They are recognized and receive their awards from celebrities of all stripes.

“Gretchen Wyler, founder of The Genesis Awards, was the Liz Taylor and Jackie Onassis of the animal movement all in one,” said Maher. “I’d rather get an award here than be nominated for 25 Emmy Awards.”

…> more .

Cassandra Szklarski, THE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO - Canadian rock icon Bryan Adams says he rang in the new year with troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse and believes that a strong support system is key to handling the pressures of fame.

Adams was in Toronto on Wednesday to promote his new album, “11,” being released in Canada on March 18. The frequent philanthropist, whose pet causes include animal welfare and children’s issues, was also in town to perform at a hospital fundraiser Thursday with singing stars Josh Groban and Sarah McLachlan.

Mingling with such superstars is just a day in the life for the jet-setting performer, who said he just flew in from New York where he was photographing pal Mick Jagger for a Rolling Stones concert film being shot by director Martin Scorsese.

Adams said he and Jagger became friends when he opened for the Stones on their “No Security” tour in 1999, and marvelled at the road his life has travelled since his childhood in Kingston, Ont.

The 48-year-old’s creative pursuits have led to Oscar nominations for best song and a successful photography career, as well as musical collaborations with industry legends Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand and Tina Turner and a closely guarded friendship with the late Princess Diana.

“It totally amazes me,” Adams said of his whirlwind lifestyle, which he said is largely lived out of hotels around the world these days.

“You can never have imagined doing the things that you do as your life goes on… but I kind of believe that you make your own luck.”

Adams’ latest album of 11 guitar-driven tracks sticks largely to the romantic themes he’s become known for, and was written during travels to the Caribbean, Germany, Italy, France and Portugal.

Although it lands in stores in mid-March in Canada, Adams said it’s been a chore to find the right distributor in the United States.

“We haven’t really got a record company in America, so my management has to be clever about how they get the record to everybody,” he said of the delayed release, adding that talks are ongoing with an independent company rather than a big-name firm.

“It’s not that it didn’t find a home, it’s that we didn’t want it to find a home right away. We wanted to make sure we did it our way.”

Adams said a Canadian tour may come at the end of the year, but immediate plans involve visits to South America, the United States and European festivals.

-

On the Net: http://www.bryanadams.com
Source: The Canadian Press, 2008

Picture of Bryan Adams above : Musician Bryan Adams in this, Jan. 15, 2007, file photo. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Mark J. Terrill