Cheers
Cheers to Catalonia, the region of Spain that includes Barcelona, for banning bullfighting. This is the second region of Spain to enact such a ban (following the Canary Islands). The ban does not go into effect until January 2012, which is unfortunate for bulls in the short term. Worldwide recognition and praise for this ban will ensure it goes through and other regions follow. Avoid touring cities that continue to promote these spectacles of torture.
Cheers to the National Marine Fisheries Service for agreeing with FoA's Marine Animal Rescue (MAR) of Los Angeles and authorizing the creation of a much-needed marine mammal care center in LA County. We look forward to star-studded support for the construction of this eco-friendly building in Los Angeles. Stay tuned for exciting news as this project advances; and you can always learn more online at www.marsspecialists.org.
Cheers to the Austin Animal Advisory Commission who voted unanimously to recommend a proposal that bans the retail sale of pets. The commission sees this as a serious step to shuttle potential pet buyers to shelters instead as Austin aims to create a no-kill shelter system. The City Council must vote on this proposal once it’s presented to them. Please encourage them to support this landmark measure, and encourage politicians in your own city to support such legislation.
To learn more about the issue, visit: http://nokillaustin.org
Please contact Austin’s Mayor Lee Leffingwell at 512-974-2250
The council members are:
Chris Riley
Council Member Place 1
Phone: 512-974-2260
Mike Martinez, Mayor Pro Tem
Phone: 512-974-2264
Randi Shade, Council Member Place 3
Phone: 512-974-2255
Laura Morrison, Council Member Place 4
Phone: 512-974-2258
Bill Spelman, Council Member Place 5
Phone: 512-974-2256
Sheryl Cole, Council Member Place 6
Phone: 512-974-2266
Mailing Address
Austin City Council
P. O. Box 1088
Austin , Texas 78767
E-mail: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm
Cheers to Greg Lawson (president of Vegetarian Society of El Paso) and Dr. Elizabeth Walsh, who host a twice-monthly radio show an El Paso National Public Radio station KTEP called Animal Concerns of Texas. The show features a wide range of speakers and topics, and is dedicated to discussing the ways our society exploits animals and “how drastically this abuse affects human interests concerning health, the environment, and our level of connectedness to life.” If you live in El Paso, Texas, you can listen live; the shows are also archived, and you can listen online at:
http://www.ktep.org/program_detail.sstg?id=103
Cheers to BioCouture — the Fashion Research Project. An innovative and exciting new research project, BioCouture “aims to address ecological and sustainability issues around fashion. The BioCouture research project is harnessing nature to propose a radical future fashion vision. We are investigating the use of bacterial-cellulose, grown in a laboratory, to produce clothing. Our ultimate goal is to literally grow a dress in a vat of liquid...” This project is worth watching because the process would not involve or harm animals and the technology would preserve land and habitat for animals, and prevent the need for intensive farming measures. You can learn more about the project by visiting them on the web: http://fashionfuturist.com
Jeers
Jeers to actor Brooke Shields, who traveled all the way to Denmark in March 2010 to design her own fur coat. Shields designed her coat out of short-haired black mink, and called the experience a “little girl’s dream.” Please remind Shields that her ‘dream’ was someone else’s nightmare; a mink coat can cost 65 mink their lives! Remind Shields that coats can be made from a variety of luxurious, warm, earth and animal-friendly materials.
Brooke Shields
c/o PMK/HBH Public Relations
700 San Vicente Avenue
Suite G-910
West Hollywood , CA 90069
E-mail: info@pmkbnc.com
Phone: 310-289-6200
Jeers, also, to the entire cast of Real Housewives of New Jersey, for wearing fur in the show’s new promotional poster. The popular reality show features the exploits of fabulously wealthy people leading fabulously banal lives — but no one should die in the process. If the fur industry folds, many animals who could live unmolested and free will be able to do so. Never give up on this issue.
Bravo Viewer Relations
3000 W. Alameda Ave., Suite 250
Burbank, CA 91523
Jeers to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, for waging war on Canada geese who occupy parks in New York City for the second year in a row. Geese are being rounded up and gassed within a seven-mile range of NYC airports; they are being killed in the name of flight safety. Other cities have addressed this issue through habitat modification; killing enough birds to eradicate all risk is not possible and is not a sane approach. Please contact Mayor Bloomberg’s office and demand the immediate end to goose slaughter.
If this is occurring in your area, please contact Friends of Animals and request a copy of our Canada Goose Habitat Modification Manual, which provides thorough information about how humans can cohabitate peacefully with geese.
Please don’t put off contacting Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at City Hall, New York, NY 10007
PHONE 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC)
FAX 212-312-0700
E-mail: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html
