“Idaho Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, was at the Idaho Cattle Association Convention in Sun Valley Tuesday, Nov. 17, to ask cattlemen to help develop animal cruelty legislation.
Corder, chairman of the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee, has been preparing two bills on the issue. Animal welfare groups and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture have been at the table. Production agriculture has been missing until this past week, he said.
Livestock producers have rejected changing Idaho's animal cruelty law or adding new laws to the books, but Corder said things are changing and laws will change with them. It is crucial that producers be part of the conversation and help direct new laws to protect themselves.”
“Now he is tackling an even bigger foe. Over the next 18 months Brown, 55, will take a break from his normal scientific work (finding out how a small number of genes are translated into a much larger number of proteins) in order to change the way the world farms and eats. He wants to put an end to animal farming, or at least put a significant dent in our global hunger for cows, pigs and chickens.”
“Join us for a fun-filled evening at Healthy Pets NW (2224 NE Alberta St.) on December 5th from 6-9PM. As a celebration of their 5th anniversary, Healthy Pets NW is hosting a benefit fundraiser for the Oregon Spay/Neuter Fund (OSNF). There will be pet photos with Santa, a raffle for a cool cruiser bike worth $480, a fabulous silent auction, and food and wine. Admission is free. Professional pet photos start at $25 and raffle tickets are $10/each. All proceeds from the event will fund OSNF’s spay/neuter subsidy program. For more information visit www.healthypetsnw.com or call 503-249-6571.
About OSNF: Oregon Spay/Neuter Fund coordinates and distributes discount coupons for spay/neuter at local vet clinics and subsidizes spay/neuter services for the pets of low income individuals. We also provide education, transportation assistance, loan cat carriers, and cover pre-treatments required by vets prior to surgery. Our stats for 2008 include: 6000 animals sterilized using OSNF coupons; 5000 phone calls handled; 1000 s/n surgeries subsidized for pets of low income guardians; and 500 cats and dogs transported to clinics for s/n. Visit www.oregonspayneuter .org or call 503-286-2411 to learn more.”
“***Please leave comments on the Facebook note HERE or by emailing info @ letlivefoundation.org. Thanks.***
The Let Live Foundation has been putting on sorta monthly animal rights events for 2 years now and it is getting very discouraging seeing the same few people come. Especially considering the number of people I’ve met around the country who think Portland has a thriving community of activists.
Last year we figured the low turnouts might have been because our topics didn’t have a broad enough appeal. This year we tried very hard to broaden that appeal by doing bigger, better events but doesn’t seem to be helping.
Last month we had Lisa Shannon, who is a longtime vegan and human rights activist, speak about her experiences starting a super successful project from the ground up. She has a book coming out about her work, and was on Oprah recently. We were worried the room we'd rented was going to be too small as it only held 60 or so people. 5 to 10 people came. I assure you everyone in the room will tell you they were profoundly moved by her story. Hearing her speak left me very inspired and with a ton of information I didn't have before.
Last night we showed the award winning Mercy For Animals documentary “Fowl Play” at the Hollywood Theater (we hoped to cover the cost of renting the theater with donations) and maybe 15 people showed up, outside of the organizers. The afternoon before we had Matt Rossell lead a discussion about how to discuss fur and the fur industry. Matt has more experience with fur, on the street, and working undercover on a fur farm, than anybody else I can think of. Outside of the organizers, I think there were 10 people there.
We started Let Live Foundation because we felt Portland had a lot of energetic people who just needed an entry point to get active. In a town with this many vegans/veggie people and the reputation it has as being the vegan capitol of the world, it felt like a safe bet that a lot of folks would be interested in events if we put them on.
We've been very deliberate in our language and choice of subject matter to be as inclusive as possible so new folks don't feel intimidated and more seasoned activists feel that their experience and input is welcomed at events. We’ve tried to get across that we’re trying to build community, no matter where you are in your knowledge, activism, etc. We’ve tried to schedule events at different times and on different days to accommodate peoples schedules.
We’ve tried everything we can think of to expand the community of people here and attendance at our events is not going up.
So, what should we do? We need feedback desperately because we are using up our scant resources (money, time, enthusiasm) and don't seem to be making any progress with our goals. This has been especially discouraging lately, for me personally, because I feel like the quality of the events we’re doing is really high. I’ve learned so much lately and gotten so much inspiration from the speakers and film we've shown.
We could really use some specific feedback about what is keeping people away from these events or how folks in other towns get people to show up for stuff. We’d also love suggestions for topics people might like us to put on events about.
We're doing these events to try and help folks be better informed, feel some community, and feel more empowered. When people don’t come out for stuff we are left wondering what we can do differently, so any help would be appreciated.”
“Is there anyone who would be willing to socialize and foster 3 young feral kittens until December 4? We are trapping a colony, and these 3 little ones need a place to stay and to acclimate to lots of careful human contact until then. Please contact annamarie2005 (at) yahoo.com“
If there are any activists thinking of heading to Utah for the convergence thing, a local person has offered to pitch in for gas to help out a carload of people get there. Email info @ foodfightgrocery.com and we’ll put you in touch.
“In Defense of Animals (IDA) today hailed the recent ruling by India's Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to completely ban the keeping of elephants in zoos, circuses and private collections throughout the country and ordering of the release of 140 such elephants, who will be “rehabilitated” to live in semi-free ranging conditions in forest camps and facilities near national parks, and other protected wildlife reserves.”
****Let Live is very sorry to have to cancel it’s premiere of “Skin Trade” due to a family emergency. It will be rescheduled, we promise. BUT, in the meantime, please come out to “Fowl Play” instead. Bring somebody who needs to see it.****
National surveys show that the majority of Americans are opposed to the inhumane treatment of farm animals. In fact, Americans are in opposition to the very treatment animals face every day on factory farms. This disconnect that people have between the food they buy and the industries they support is exactly what agribusiness counts on to maintain its bottom line.
However, a growing movement of people are opposed to factory farming and the commodification of animals. They are organizing, documenting the living nightmare that animals face, and speaking out against animal agriculture.
Fowl Play illuminates the plight of factory-farmed laying hens through interviews with people who are fighting diligently to save them. A story of hope emerges as footage recorded inside battery cage and other facilities is balanced with personal accounts of the individuals working to protect the often-forgotten victims of the egg industry.
The film also introduces us to animals who survive the system: Hope, a hen left to die in a garbage can but then rescued by activists; and Consuela, a hen gassed on a farm when she was no longer useful but who survives to be rescued at a landfill.
The suffering that animals face on factory farms won’t end until enough people are motivated to change it. Fowl Play connects the dots between consumers and the practices they support, and leaves viewers with a groundbreaking message of personal change and community outreach.
When: Monday, November 16, 2009 @ 7pm Where: Hollywood Theatre, 4122 SE Sandy Blvd Cost: Free, but we’d really appreciate a donation to help cover costs
So, don’t forget Sunday and Monday’s Let Live events. Click HERE for all the details. We really would appreciate the support. Shannon Keith is coming in from a land far away (well, California), so please help make the trip worthwhile. We all gotta stay learning and inspired. There is a lot of work to do.
From IDA, let’s try to make this the biggest FFF march ever.
“Join IDA on Fur Free Friday, November 27th, the day after Thanksgiving, for an march in downtown Portland past all the locations that continue to sell fur. This peaceful, family-friendly march has historically been the largest annual animal rights demonstration in the area, where activists take over the streets of downtown to share a message of compassion about fur-bearing animals.
What: Fur Free Friday March When: Friday, November, 27; meet at 11 a.m. (march leaves at 11:30 a.m.) Where: Corner of SW Yamhill and Broadway (in front of Nordstroms)
This year more than ever, we need your help to make it a success. The city of Portland has changed their policy on police-escorted street closures for free speech events, and we must have at least 200 participants this year in order to do our traditional march in the street. If we can’t get 200 people out for Fur Free Friday, our march will have to proceed on the sidewalks, which may complicate the event and compromise our impact.
For at least the past decade the Portland animal rights community has taken over the streets of downtown Portland to raise our voices in unison with activists all over the country and world on Fur Free Friday. Please, do everything you can to join us and spread the word to get more people involved. We need to rally at least 200 people to make this year’s street march happen. Signs, banners and literature will be provided, just bring people! If you have any questions or to comfirm your attendance, contact matt@idausa.org.“
On November 28th, activists from across the country will converge on Morgan for Fur Free Saturday. Morgan is the largest fur farming town in the country, with 15 active mink farms. For the first time, the animal rights movement will bring all the tears and rage for the millions killed every year for fur to the belly of the beast: Morgan, Utah. This convergence will climax in a one-mile march through the heart of this fur farm capital, past two of Morgan’s mink farms.
The mere threat of this protest has already generated enormous media coverage, and Morgan County’s mink farmers and police are scared. Morgan has responded by amending their protesting ordinance to outlaw protesting within 1000 feet of a mink farm. Activists responded by filing two lawsuits, charging the ordinance is unconstitutional. The protest will continue.
Morgan is clearly a town contemptuous of the constitution and steeped in the tradition of murder. Two lawsuits and numerous news headlines later, activists remain committed to march on Morgan November 28th, and are calling on activists nationwide to join them.
Kinda cool. Check it. Get involved if you feel like it.
“A city is only as good as its last plan. And our last one brought to life some of the very things we admire most about our city. It laid the groundwork for one of the best transportation infrastructures in the country and enabled us to develop a vibrant central city. That was 1980. And almost 50% of us weren’t even here then.”
Just got this book in today. Excited to read it. Maybe you wanna read it too?
“Like other “isms” racism, ageism, etc., carnism is most harmful when it is unrecognized and unacknowledged. Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows names and explains this phenomenon and offers it up for examination. Unlike the many books that explain why we shouldnt eat meat, Joys book explains why we do eat meat — and thus how we can make more informed choices as citizens and consumers.”
“ Come celebrate the bounty of Northwest produce at Portobello on the 24th and 25th of November. We’ll be offering a four course meal for $20, drinks and gratuity not included, with gluten-free and soy-free options as well. Come enjoy fresh roasted vegetables, Butternut bisque, cranberry stuffed roasts, and pumpkin pie…all vegan, local, and using organic farm-direct produce!
For reservations, please call (503) 754-5993. Make sure to tell us the date, time, and number in your party and we’ll call back to confirm.”
