LAB TESTING on Animals -

"Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals and the answer is: Because the animals "are" like us. Ask the experimenters why it is morally okay to experiment on animals, and the answer is: Because the animals are "not" like us."

- Professor Charles R. Magel (on cruel lab tests on animals)

* Please click the following link to view our posts on animal friendly products.

* Please click the following link to view a large list of companies who DO conduct lab tests on animals

* Please click the following link to view a large list of companies who DO NOT conduct lab tests on animals

* Please click the following link to learn more about cruel animal lab tests

Jack Black performs the Ocean Symphony -

You start by asking questions -

Everyone on Earth has a direct and strong relationship with animals, whether they realize it or not. The most pronounced of these relationships would be if you eat meat.

With animals playing such a huge role in American society you would expect there to be more discussion on how animals are treated on American farms. But the closest you'll find the Presidential Candidates to discussing animal rights is when they are asked about small farmers not receiving government subsidies to grow corn, wheat, etc., which is to say they are not discussing animal rights at all. I personally want to know how the Presidential Candidates feel about the abuses being committed on many industrial farms. How do they feel about foie gras? What do they think about the 10 percent, or 900 million, of farm animals raised for food who die before reaching the slaughterhouse because of stress, injury, and disease? What about the farm animals who are routinely being skinned, burned, boiled, beaten and drowned alive? What do they think about how industrial farms contribute more green house gases every year then even car emissions do? Would they update the farm animal rights bills, that do not even include rights for turkeys or chickens?

It's time that politicians are asked their views on animal rights because for many, including myself, a persons beliefs on animal rights speaks directly to that persons character.

PETA - crossing the line? or exposing it?

"If you don't cross the line, how do you know where the line exists?"

- bill maher, speaking on the philosophies used by peta

In light of next monday's (11/19) HBO special ("i am an animal: the story of ingrid newkirk and peta") on the founder of peta, Ingrid Newkirk, I thought it was a good time to discuss the controversial animal rights group.

I advise people to look at peta in the same way I did my high-school footbal coach. Listen to what they say and not how they say it. Like them or not, you can not deny the stories they uncover or bring to light. What exactly is peta talking about and are they someone for you to be scared of? Peta exposes extraordinary abuses to animals in all areas of life. You can click the following link to view video of their investigations to stop animal cruelty. They include everything from inhumane lab tests like the ones at our very own columbia university, to the horrors of selling and transporting animals to distant countries and exposing the worst perpetrators of animal abuse of all, american industrial farms.

Some would like to dismiss peta as a group that wants to force everyone in the country to become a vegan or ban the production of honey. That would be way too simplistic a view and not true anyway. You have nothing to worry about. You'll forever be able to buy a cheeseburger or steak but groups like peta want you to know that if you don't care where your meat comes from, or how it gets there, then these abuses will only increase. The same is true for the cosmetics, fabrics and clothing you buy too.

I don't personally have a problem with how peta has built its name, I guess because I know where there end goal is and also what they are up against. American minds need a little shock and aw when it comes to their realization of the state of american animal welfare. The american industrial farming complex is nothing short of a horrific science fiction movie. Peta, in my estimation, exposes issues in animal welfare in a way I don't think anyone has done before. They are getting their hands dirty, doing undercover operations and you're going to upset people when you do that. But read any of the scathing articles or t.v. editorials about them and you'll never actually find that person acknowledging the cruelty that peta has exposed. To me that's the key. What peta uncovers is the truth. I just don't think everyone is ready for it yet...

step one is cage free chickens....step two?

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Cage free eggs are all the rage with everyone from Burger King to your local supermarket offering eggs from cage free chickens. But some people make the mistake of thinking this means your eggs are coming from a chicken who is living in the penthouse suite at caesar's palace. Many industrial farms, as usual, are taking advantage of the public's good will and are simply trying to answer the demand of the public wanting better living standards for farm animals. But as you can see in the picture above many of these farms have a ways to go before you can consider the chickens living standards to be humane. Cage free is a good step but not simply to be able to put the catchy slogan on the side of your product. Until the department of agriculture is able to enforce a true cage free standard the eggs from small farmers will continue to be the closest thing to humanely produced.

By the way, all the chickens you see in the picture above are females. Please click the following link if you'd like to see a picture of where the male chicks in a hatchery end up.

a ducks life - the good and the bad:

Ducks and geese are hilarious and they look and sound funny. From "daffy duck" to "aflec" commercials, ducks have been referenced more than any animal outside of maybe monkeys when it comes to pop culture.



But ducks and geese, like most birds, are much smarter then many realize and they have very strong familial ties.



The saddest part of the history and present life of ducks and geese is foie gras. You can view the following video which details the horrific process of creating foie gras.





Foie Gras is the fatty liver of ducks and geese produced by forcing a metal tube down their throat and on a daily basis force feeding them 30% of their total body weight (just imagine if you were "forced" to eat 30% of your total body weight - for me that would be about 50 pounds of food in a day!). Those who are able to live through the 2-3 week torture await a painfull slaughter. It has been banned in Chicago, California, Wolf Gang Puck has denounced it and Israel does not even export ducks to France anymore because of their brutal foie gras production. Please click the following link for a list of new york city restaurants who serve foie gras. Please click the following link to sign a petition to ban foie gras in new york city.

slaughtered lamb, "food network" chef jamie oliver

Food network chef jamie oliver slaughtered a lamb on his show recently creating an audience uproar. Some of the complaints have focused on the fact that he did not stun the lamb before slaughtering it but most people were plain and simply outraged by what they saw. I actually think this was a good thing in that it helps people make a connection with the food on their dinner plate and how it gets there. Look at jamie's face as he slaughters the lamb (found here) - he is freaking out & miserable. Animal slaughter is not a nice picture and the Jamie Oliver lamb slaughter was a walt disney version of what animals usually go through too.

I do give Jamie credit for practicing what you preach and if you're going to cook "200 lamb you should at least kill one." But I stray in thinking when it comes to his rationale for slaughter when he says, "...it's a beautiful creature but it is tasty and we are the top of the food chain." I go more with the mindset of, "he who has great power should use it lightly" (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) but unfortunately the meat industry does not agree.

PS - mentioning that we are on top of the food chain seems to hint that we as humans need animal flesh to survive but this is not true and you know who else does not need animal flesh in their diet to survive? Dogs (: (learn more)

presidential debate -

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Gentleman, how do you feel about the state of industrial farming in the united states? In how it effects the small farmer? How it effects the environment? And the barbaric situations animals are put into?......

NUMBER ONE cause of global warming is.....

The number one contributor to global warming? It might surprise you to learn it's not that SUV you're driving (although that's a big problem too) but the number one contributor to green house gases is actually what sits on your dinner plate. A united nations report and a prior university of chicago study have both concluded that industrial farming is the the main contributor to global warming. That might not shock an animal activist but to most it's probably a surprise.

You can read some of our past blog posts about:

eating organic

buying local produce

renewable energy

riding a bike

energy efficient light bulbs

environmentally friendly bags

adding vegan and vegetarian meals to your diet.

is their hope for china's domestic animals?

Western society has a grim view of china's relationship with domestic animals and animal welfare in general, as they should. There are signs of progress though, in particular with domestic animals and dogs are starting to ingratiate themselves into all areas of chinese society. Hopefully this will lead to a better understanding of the positive effects domestic animals have on society at large, improving our happiness and health in general and hopefully it will benefit all animals in china too. The images of china's recent dog cull due to rabies outbreaks were barbaric and infuriating. But what was lost in those pictures were many of the chinese dog owners who wept as their dogs were taken or even beaten to death right in front of them. If one is to believe that america is greater and more passionate than the monster known as the american industrial farming complex, then so must we give china a chance to love furry friends on their laps, the way we do. One would assume that creating a bond with domestic animals would be the foundation for a greater love for animals as a whole.

The following are images of dogs playing a role in different areas of chinese society.




Chinese firemen doing a drill with their helping fire dog.

A chinese soldier trains with a dog (found here)

Dogs in China are increasingly being trained as guide dogs.

A celebration for the "year of the dog".

animal lover? or cat and dog lover?

It's coming up on the one year anniversary of when I became a vegetarian and shortly thereafter a vegan. I've always been an animal lover and active in animal welfare, so I wonder myself why it took me so long in my life to go vegan? I guess part of the reason is that I was raised as a meat eater. The other reason is like most I was naive to what actually happens on American farms and I was side tracked by funny commercials of goofy guys eating burgers, etc.. But nearly one year ago today I watched three separate videos which changed my life forever. You hear about the conditions of farm animals today and you even see the pictures too but there's nothing like watching the videos. It's tough to watch and it rocked my world but I'm glad I went through that pain to see the realities of industrial farming. To compare my pain watching the videos with having my eyes opened to what farm animals go through daily, is laughable. It wasn't something I wanted to be a "part of" one day longer. The videos I watched were very graphic but if you'd like to view them they were of:

AgriProcessors, the world's largest glatt kosher slaughterhouse

Australian sheep and cattle exports to the Middle East

meet your meat (narrated by Alec Baldwin)

Please click the following link for a free vegetarian starter kit.

new jersey sticks with "farm animal cruelty" regulations:

Unfortunately the new jersey state appellate division has voted to maintain the the new jersey department of agriculture's (njda's) regulation on the treatment of farm animals. Some of these regulations allow for but are not limited to:

1. confining pregnant pigs for months at a time in gestation crates
2. mutilating animals - debeaking, tail-docking and castration - without painkiller
3. foie gras production

I can't say I'm so surprised by this. If you want to get a feeling for the state of things for american farm animals, listen to the following. A bill in california that would have banned the drowning, burying alive and burning to death of farm animals DID NOT PASS! How could this be so? Just watch the video of how kentucky fried chicken (kfc) produces their chickens and you will see 2 out of the 3 issues mentioned above.

If you would like to take part, donate to and / or keep track of pending animal legislation around the country, please check out the following resources:

farm sanctuary ( farmsanctuary.org)
the humane society (hsus.org)
the humane farming association (hfa.org)

animal testing and are monkeys more evolved than humans?

In a fascinating study by discovery news it has been determined that monkeys have evolved more than humans in the 6 to 7 million years since "both diverged from a common ancestor". What does this mean? It doesn't mean monkeys are smarter than humans but it does raise questions about human evolution. It also adds fire to the movement against lab testing on primates. Keep in mind that many of these animal tests are pointless and barbaric. I witnessed one such test where an injury was purposely inflicted on a monkeys head and the purpose of this test? To see if trauma to the monkeys head would cause it's menstrual cycle to change! Even schools such as columbia university, here in new york city, participate in similar tests. Click the following link to view some of bill maher's open letter to columbia university against their animal testing program.

But what about the animal lab testing meant for cancer? aids? etc.? The lab testing "industry" loves to make the conversation that simplistic or I should say they like to dismiss those against animal testing as being against cures for terrible diseases. This is simply not the case. Tell me, do you think a monkey, rabbit or any animal should be subjected to painful, repetitive lab tests to improve the lip balms of the world? Lab animals are pushed to the point and many times over the threshold of sanity and their reward is limited to no veterinary care and a slow, painful death. I think I can live with my cosmetics and household cleaning products just as good as they are now.

Why is it that certain companies can put out good alternative products that have not been tested on animals? Maybe companies should be given tax incentives to not test their products on animals. This would give them more room to improve their products. And what about all these companies who test on animals? Are they purely evil? I don't know but I'd partly base it on how interested they are in finding alternatives to testing on animals. How much money is being allocated to alternative research by these companies? By the U.S. government? Maybe we as consumers should speak a little louder by only giving our hard earned money to companies who do not test on animals. And if there is a product you simply can not give up then write or call that company and ask them to invest in finding alternatives to lab tests on animals.

Please click the following link for a list of companies who do and do not test their products on animals.

new york city "not" in the top 10 for most humane animal cities:

New York City might be a great place for a puppy or kitten to find a home but it's not good enough to put us in the top ten for most humane animal cities in the united states. A very interesting study performed by the humane society (hsus.org), looked at American cities based on criteria ranging from how often animal issues are discussed in the local media to the amount of vegetarian restaurants in the area, to name a few. One of the things dragging down new york city's ranking are the amount of fur stores and the demand for fur in general in new york city. With the excellent fur substitutes out there I don't understand why someone would want to promote the cruel practice that fur farms perpetrate. Please click the following link to learn more about the cruel practice of creating fur. You should also keep in mind that foreign fur practices are even more brutal than American farms and much of the fur you will find is foreign. Chinese fur farms have routinely been accused and caught using domestic animals (cats and dogs) for fur items while purposely mis-labeling them as raccoon or squirrel. Their methods of killing for fur would make even a cave man wince.

Please click the following link to see the full humane society report and how other cities ranked. San Francisco ranked number one for most humane animal cities.

what animals do for us and what they've done for me:

Some people think it sounds crazy to call a pet your friend. I can say without hesitation nor embarrassment that some of my best relationships have been with animals. In fact, during the low point of my life it was my pets who helped me the most in keeping my sanity. My pets have always seemed to be in tune with my emotions. During the times I've cried my pets have come running over to help me and even licked the tears off my face. Pets might not replace our human friendships but they certainly do enrich them. I have to guess those who don't understand the mutual adoration shared between animals and humans, simply haven't been given the opportunity...at least not yet.