Compassionate World

Man Brings Camels to Australia...

2010-03-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

It's the same old story...man introduces an animal species that is not native to a country to use for it's own purpose and then over the years, the plan backfires and then the animals that were once used for man's purpose become non-useful to man and so man feels it is necessary to kill the animals. Shame on man!

This is what is going on in the outback in Australia right now with camels. Camels were used by man in the barren outback for transportation, after being brought over from the middle east just for that. Now, years later, there is an overabundance of feral camels and they are invading small towns looking for water. So, now man has proposed to kill them...isn't there another solution, especially when it's man's fault to begin with!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/15/2845644.htm?section=justin

This is How we Treat our "Best Friends"?

2010-03-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

From Sioux City's News channel 4....Their ban on pit bulls last year and a year was purely based on ignorance, as far as I am concerned and now this uninformed man wants to go even further...

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) - Sioux City's pit bull ban could be going to the dogs. A year and a half after the ordinance was first put into place, Mayor Mike Hobart wants it repealed. But, not everyone agrees.
"To me, I think this is a compromise to what we have right now. I would presume pit bull owners would go along with," says Mayor Hobart, who came up with the changes.

Keith Radig believes, "Any dog can bite, any dog can attack, but how many dogs can kill, and your bigger dogs can, but what is most prevalent to that, and I think pit bulls are, I think that's the biggest liability of all."
Radig says the ban should go a step further to include any animal with a lethal bite.
Under the mayor's proposal, new pit bulls would be allowed inside city limits, and be treated as high risk animals.

New requirements for high risk animals-- like muzzles and micro-chips-- would be added to the ordinance. Owners would also have to put warning signs on their property.
Failure to follow those restrictions could lead to euthanization of the animal on the second or third offense.
Two of the newest members to the council, Tom Padgett and John Fitch, indicated they are not in favor of a breed-specific ban, and may support rescinding it.

Eli Roth Speaks Up Against SeaWorld

2010-03-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

For all of the people that think that it's okay for places like SeaWorld to keep wild sea mammals captive in tanks, listen to the words from Eli Roth. He is just a growing number of people on this planet that are waking up and seeing the damage that we are doing to all species. Here is the letter that he sent to the head of the Blackstone Group, which owns the SeaWorld parks.

Hamilton James

President and COO

The Blackstone Group

Dear Mr. James:

I am writing on behalf of my friends at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). As you may know, PETA is the world's largest animal rights organization, with more than 2 million members and supporters around the world.

I feel that I speak for many people when I say that while I was deeply saddened and upset by the tragic death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau, I was equally appalled and horrified by the conditions in which SeaWorld keeps its orcas (and other marine life) for the sole purpose of entertaining humans. As someone who works in the entertainment business, I can assure you that there are many humane alternatives available to introduce the public to orcas without having to hold them in captivity for a lifetime against their will. CGI technology, animatronics, and other state-of-the-art virtual reality exhibits could be used in place of the current live-animal shows to provide park visitors with an exciting, educational experience. In fact, showing visitors a more realistic version of what life is like for real marine mammals rather than displaying the captive animals' unnatural and repetitive behavior patterns‹which are linked to their oppressive environment‹is actually more educational, with no risk to human life. Having grown up in Massachusetts, I often went whale watching and cannot stress the impact on me of seeing whales in their natural environment, not cooped up in a tank performing mundane tricks.
The death of a SeaWorld trainer did not have to happen, and I urge you now to please take action so that it does not happen again. Would you please consider moving your captive orcas and other marine mammals to transitional coastal and wildlife sanctuaries now? Not only is it the humane thing to do, it may well also become, in the long run, the most cost-effective thing to do as public sentiment moves away from watching captive animals perform stunts for human amusement.

As you know, Keiko, the orca who starred in the 1993 movie Free Willy, was returned to his native waters in Iceland in September 1998 after many years of captivity in a facility in Mexico City. Keiko spent the last five years of his life in relative freedom, during which he swam from Iceland to Norway, successfully navigating more than 1,000 kilometers of open ocean. Tilikum deserves the same opportunity, and the wildlife experts who worked on Keiko's rehabilitation can and should be called upon to do the same for Tilikum. I have heard people say that Tilikum would die in the wild, but in truth many of us would rather see his life end in the freedom of the wild ocean, rather than spend the rest of his life trapped in a tank being forced to perform humiliating tasks.

Last month's incident, as you know, was not the first time that a trainer has been seized, thrown against the walls of the tank, and held underwater by a frustrated orca. It was far more horrific than anything I ever dreamed up in my horror films. All the violence and suffering in my films is pretend - no one is hurt, ever. Sadly, the same is not true at SeaWorld, which targets their entertainment at families and children. You are sending a far more dangerous message to kids, whose lives would be just as happy and fulfilled without seeing a large intelligent creature jump around to music for their entertainment, and would probably take a more active interest in protecting whales if they saw them out in the ocean where they belong.

I very respectfully urge the Blackstone Group to immediately proceed with a plan to release the marine mammals at SeaWorld theme parks to sanctuaries that can provide them with a more natural environment.

On behalf of everyone who wants to see whales and dolphins living free in their ocean homes, I thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Eli Roth

Jennifer Lopez - A Selfish Person

2010-03-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

So, most of us know how Jennifer Lopez loves to wear fur and put it in her clothes line, without a thought to the poor animals that were electrocuted and skinned for this useless luxury. Well, there's more...

Now, apparently, a dog that her and husband Marc Anthony used to own, has attacked its owners. The german shepherd that these selfish celebrities bought from somewhere where it was trained as a guard dog by going through "military-style" training has become not-so-nice. Obviously, when you train a dog like this, they are not going to be a family-loving pet. They are forced to do things like attack on command.

Check out this story:

http://www.ohmidog.com/2010/03/18/more-trouble-for-floyd-j-los-former-dog/

The Circus is Coming to Town!

2010-03-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Everytime I read about the circus (I am talking about the ones who still abuse animals for "entertainment"), it makes me sick to my stomach. Why is there so much controversy over this, when it's a proven fact that these poor "wild" animals are beaten to perform. I'll tell you why. It's because people are selfish. The images that companies like Barnum and Bailey show show people make kids want to go and see lions jump through rings of fire and elephants marching around and doing tricks. People are just too greedy to teach their kids that this is not compassion at all and then they grow up not caring and this perpetuates until we evolve into the sick, cruel world that we are currently living in. It makes me really sad.

Ringling Brothers is ALWAYS having animals escape or "acting out". Obviously, these are wild animals and don't belong in captivity.

Not only are these circuses degrading to animals, they also teach kids poor values about compassion with people. Laughing at people who are different is not a compassionate way to live and this is also what creates terrible things like holocausts.

There is something we can do to stop this terrible cruelty and it's VERY simple. DON'T GO TO THE CIRCUS! There are many circuses that don't use animals, like cirque du soleil, which, in my opinion, are far more entertaining anyways.

The happy cow myth

2009-05-07T11:02:00.001-07:00

When you talk about being brainwashed, the happy dairy cow comes to mind for me. The commercials on tv make them look happy to be giving up their milk, but reality is FAR different.

My question is...how "happy" would you be if you were forced to constanly be pregnant so your body could produce milk and everytime you had your baby, it was immediately taken away and either put in a small little crate only to be slaughtered in a few months as veal (never to be seen by its mother again) or forced to live its life like you and then when it was "spent", it was sent to be killed, just like you?? Is that "happy"?? Many words come to mind, but "happy" is not one of them...

The dairy industry would like us all to believe that we need milk, but reality is...we don't. My question to you is..why are we the only animal who drinks the milk of another species? Women produce milk when pregnant just like cows do. Don't you think there's a reason for that?

photo courtesy of CARE and the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project

My Letter to Oprah About KFC

2009-05-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

photo courtesy of dave hogg

As you can see from my previous post, Oprah Winfrey was giving out downloadable coupons for two free pieces of chicken at KFC. Many people know (and hopefully soon, everyone will) that KFC has been known to be especially cruel to the chicken that they use. As Oprah has recently done shows on factory farming and even pledged to go vegan for 30 days, I really felt that this was really going back on the things that she has learned about this cruel industry. While I generally think Oprah is one of the most giving people out there, I believe that this is almost a step backwards, so I sent a letter in on her website...

Dear Ms. Winfrey,
While I think you are an amazing person who gives back more than most people ever do and has made such a difference in so many people's lives, I was a little stunned to see you promoting KFC on your website. Being that you have done shows on farm animal abuse and even vowed to go vegan for 30 days because of factory farming, I can't believe that you are promoting one of the most abusive companies towards animals. I am sure that you are aware how the chickens that are used in kentucky fried chicken are treated, but yet you stand behind this. As such a respectable person, so many people look up to you and I sincerely believe that this is sending out the wrong message for a world in such a fragile state.

Sincerely,
Devin Newmeyer

Oprah, Are You Serious????

2009-05-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

After all of the talk about factory farms and her pledge when she went vegan for 30 days, now Oprah is giving out coupons for KFC on her website...I don't get it. Would someone please explain this to me????

Oprah's kfc coupon

Check out my other blogs...just for fun

2009-04-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

altered moods
pop chronicles

Farm Sanctuary's Virtual Experience

2009-04-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

Farm Sanctuary has an amazing new display on their website that shows what goes into meat and egg production. Most people just don't want to know. Ignorance is bliss...I guess...even if it's also hurting one's own health. Please check it out for some insight into what the food industry doesn't want people to know...after all, aren't cows and chickens happy living on the farm waiting to be slaughtered???

Farm Sanctuary Virtual Experience

The little things we do...

2009-04-25T00:31:00.001-07:00

The personal choices that we make as individuals are what counts the most. I personally choose to try to be aware of the cruelty going on around me and try not to contribute to it, which includes buying products that weren't tested on defenseless animals and/or harm the world that we all need to pass on to the next generation. "Kiss my face" is a little company that makes some really good body care products. I started using their aloe vera toothpaste months ago and just love it. You can buy it in a lot of health food stores or on their website.

Kiss my face website

Where does one draw the line?

2009-04-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

Last week, when we took our puppy to the dog park, which we do every saturday, there was a lady who showed up with two little dogs, one of them dyed pink. I couldn't help staring. The dog was really sweet and cute, but...why would someone be so cruel and color their dog's fur?? Would this be considered an act of cruelty or just a reflection of her own vanity being projected onto her poor dog? I wish someone would tell me because I really don't know what to think....

My Cream Cheese Addiction

2009-04-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this look good?

Once upon a time, I was a cream cheese addict. I had to have my bagel everyday...with cream cheese. When I finally went full vegan this past year, I knew that one of the things that I would miss the most was cream cheese on my bagel in the morning. The place that I go to in the morning to get my bagel actually has tofu cream cheese, so I tried it one day and now I am hooked. The guy actually made my order wrong last week and put regular cream cheese instead and I didn't notice until I got home and started eating. The bitterness made me want to gag and of course, the whole meal was ruined....

It seems like the more people are aware of these kinds of alternatives that help combat the cruelty going on in the world today, more and more places will cater to the caring crowd. If you see any of this "fake" cream cheese, you should definitely try it...you never know...you just might like it!

Vegan nightmare

2009-04-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

Every morning, when I am going to get my bagel (with tofu cream cheese, of course!), I pass by a butcher shop with hanging animal carcasses in the window. I don't understand. Is this supposed to be appealing?? I find it barbaric and even morally offensive. Lately, I have been catching them unloading the truck with dead skinned animal bodies with the limbs hanging out of plastic bags. Don't people understand that this is murder??

Last weekend, we saw some guy standing in front of the window just staring at the hanging flesh. I wished that I had gotten a pic of him...

Vegetarian dogs

2009-04-15T21:24:00.000-07:00

People seem to think that dogs can't be vegetarians. I think it's just like all of the other lies that we are fed in our lives by people who don't care about us and just want to sell us their product, like "milk does the body good"...not true at all!

I have been reading up on dogs being vegetarian, as I find it hard feeding a dog animal flesh when we don't eat it or allow it in our house. What I found out is that dogs are opportunist eaters, kind of like people. They can eat meat, but don't NEED it. So I found this high quality vegetarian food and it's been a couple of months and jessie seems very happy, though it doesn't mean that she'd pass up a piece of meat if you dangled it right in front of her...

My Letter To The Editor of The Village Voice

2009-02-18T22:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-02-18/news/is-foie-gras-torture/2

After reading Sarah Digregorio's piece on foie Gras, I had to sit back and collect my thoughts for a few hours, as I basically had to calm myself down from the sickness that people call "humanity". I am a person who believes that every being on this planet has a right to live and not be tortured, and despite her "findings", I still believe that this barbaric process is cruel. Just because she says that she never found any of the gruesome things that she has seen in the video footage, does NOT mean that this is not a cruel practice and should not clear one's consciousness to continue eating this "delicacy". Sticking a tube down an animal's throat and force-feeding IS cruel. Receiving the information that "ducks naturally do a certain amount of gorging" doesn't justify sticking a tube down their throat. People do a lot of natural (or unnatural, depends on how you want to look at it) gorging, too. Should we stick a tube down their throats?? We are supposed to be better than this, as most people would say that we are the "superior" beings on this planet. Well, if this is true, isn't it time that we start acting responsibly? Shame on Ms. Digregorio for what I feel is spreading the word that it is okay to eat foie gras because one farm has shown her that it isn't what you see in the video footage that's been spread around.

Great Cruelty-Free Footwear

2009-02-11T03:10:00.000-08:00

New Balance makes some great shoes and the best part is that a lot of the models that they make are actually cruelty-free AND made in the U.S.A., which is rare these days. There is absolutely no leather on them...The best part is that they were pretty cheap. I think I got them for around 45 bucks, which most people know that any kind of athletic shoes these days are usually 100 bucks or more!

Cruelty-free = no animals (or humans) were harmed in the making..

Made in the U.S.A. = happy Americans with jobs!

www.thevegetariansite.com

Humans Multiplying While Animals Are Crucified

2009-02-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

I am just in awe of the story about the women who had eight babies. Now she's got 14, as she already had six! I have to say that I am happy that people are questioning her intentions because this world is so overpopulated as it is. We can't afford to feed the people that are already living in it...

Now, I have a point to make here. My stand on hunting is that I am 100 percent against it. When people argue about how if we didn't hunt deer, they would be overpopulated, it makes me so irate. Where do we, as the human race, get off playing god by controlling animal populations (and while we are doing this, we have actually wiped out species!)but can't even control the population of our own race?? This woman has 14 kids and says that she's not on welfare?? Did someone forget to educate her about the fact that food stamps ARE in fact welfare?

I hope they do a serious investigation into her fertility doctor, too....

How long, Ringling Bros.??

2009-02-05T04:22:00.001-08:00

So, Ringling Bros. might finally get in trouble for all of their years of elephant abuse? I guess you can only deny it for so many, many years...

Unfortunately, the "performing" elephants are poked with metal rods to get them to be obedient because that's the only way they will listen. One day, I pray, a circus will be a place where kids and their parents can go to see PEOPLE who are willing of their own free will to perform for them and not some poor, innocent animals who were stolen from the wild for man to profit. How is this humane?

Ringling Bros. thinks that animal rights activists are on a "crusade" to do away with having circus animals...DUH..anyone with feelings should want that. Don't they see the success of Cirque du soleil, without using animals in their shows?

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ringling4-2009feb04,0,3570172.story

Pet Shops and Puppy Mills

2009-02-05T04:06:00.000-08:00

There is a pet shop by my house that sells lots of dogs and cats. They seems to have an endless supply. There are always new, cute, little puppies in the window, trying to lure people in to buy one. Unfortunately, the reality is this....
These dogs are from puppy mills, places that are dog-breeding factories for big profit. Now, the sad reality here is that millions of dogs are euthanized EVERYDAY in shelters because there are not enough homes for them and these places are selling animals, taking homes from ones that are already here and desperately need homes. Now, is this "compassionate"?
So you say, "well, I want a purebred and they don't have them at the pound". Well, my friend, there are rescue groups for just about every dog breed out there and on top of that, it most likely won't even cost you as much as buying a dog at a pet store. To add to that, these puppy mills get busted all of the time because they don't take care of these animals and they get really sick, so you could be buying that, too!
Dogs are man's best friend and don't deserve this. My dogs have all been rescues and I wouldn't change that for a million bucks! Rescue dogs are more prone to be better pets/friends because they tend to appreciate what they have.

http://stoppuppymills.org/inside_a_puppy_mill.html

What about cats you might ask...well, they are not immune to this cruelty either (and I am sure that everyone has seen stray cats at one time or another...).

http://www.professorshouse.com/pets/cats/kitten-mills.aspx

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

2009-02-05T03:47:00.001-08:00

the sweetest little sheep
Originally uploaded by altermood

For someone who is truly interested in learning about compassion, I highly recommend a trip to visit a local farm animal sanctuary. There are a fair amount around the country. For a list of one nearest you, check out the green people website.

Here's the address:
http://www.greenpeople.org/sanctuary.htm

The one that we have gone to a couple of times so far is the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, just outside of Woodstock, New York, in a small town called Willow. The owners, Jenny and Doug, are wonderful people who are true "compassionate" people. They have rescued many farm animals from horrendous conditions and have given them beautiful lives. Most people in modern society, especially those of us living in the city, have never met their "food". They only know what they have been shown on television.

Having met pigs, cows, chickens, goats, sheep and turkeys up close, I can say that it's truly an eye-opening experience. When you see that they are living beings that just want to live, just like you and me, it will make you think twice about eating that ham sandwich.

The farm sanctuaries' main purposes are to teach people about the horrors of factory farming and a lot of people don't realize that that also pertains to the dairy and egg industries, which are actually more inhumane (if that is possible).

When you read some of the stories about how they got some of these animals, it can make you really sad to think that we can do these kinds of horrible things to another being on this planet. Take a look at their website and go visit a sanctuary today. It is a life-changing experience!

http://www.woodstockfas.org/

Welcome to Compassionate World

2009-02-04T02:20:00.000-08:00

As the world gets scarier and harsher, it has never been a more crucial of a time to start looking at the terrible things that we are doing to each other, the other species that share this world with us and to the planet, in which we live and our children and grandchildren have to live. I have decided to start this blog to share information and hopefully get conversations and thoughts started about important things in this life. As I take on this new endeavour, I hope to share some compassion with others...I will be planning trips to animal sanctuaries, discussing cruelty-free products, interviewing people about various issues, sharing my vegan lifestyle, discussing world problems and personal things that we could do ourselves to help. I have written a theme song for this blog, as it will coincide with a video podcast and possibly a short film that my partner and I are planning....

Stay tuned....