A n i m a l   W r i t e s © sm
                                       
The official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
  

   
Publisher   ~ EnglandGal@aol.com                                         Issue # 02/07/01
        Editor    ~ JJswans@aol.com
    Journalists ~ Park StRanger@aol.com
                     ~ MicheleARivera@aol.com
                     ~
SavingLife@aol.com

    THE EIGHT ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
  
    1  ~ Groundcow Day  by Robert Cohen
    2  ~
World Day of Action Against Seal Hunting
    3  ~
Job Opportunity
    4  ~
State Hunting Bills
    5  ~
Petland Campaign Needs Your Help
    6
  ~ Another Job Opportunity
    7  ~ What Americans Eat
    8  ~ Quote To Remember
  

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Groundcow Day
by Robert Cohen - i4crob@earthlink.net
http://www.notmilk.com

How much ground could a groundhog grind if a groundhog could grind ground?  In reality, a groundhog is actually a woodchuck, and the most famous wood-chucking groundhog of all time is that furry Pennsylvania rodent, Punxsutawney Phil.

Groundhog Day marks the midpoint of winter, Candlemas Day.  On Friday, Phil stepped out of his shelter to look for his shadow, but that's not ground-breaking, earth-shattering news.

The big news is that Punxsutawney Phil is the Holstein cow of woodchucks.  He's the pig of groundhogs.  Allow me to explain.  On average, woodchucks weigh a little over five pounds when they emerge from hibernation in the spring.  After a summer of eating, September weights can soar to ten
pounds.  The largest woodchucks may weigh as much as fourteen pounds, but Phil is even heavier than that!

What has Phil been munching on underground?  The root of his obesity is not roots.  It's dairy!  Bill Deeley, the local funeral home director who emcees Punxsutawney's much-publicized Groundhog Day Festival and sees to Phil's needs 365 days out of the year, had this to say about Phil's diet:

"He's naturally a vegetarian. But he loves ice cream and strawberry sundaes."

Phil the groundcow weighed in at 15 pounds and measured 22 inches in length.

Could an overweight Phil be due to the powerful growth factors in milk and dairy products?  Groundhogs should not be eating a diet of bovine growth hormones and high calorie-containing saturated animal fat.

If only Dr. Seuss was still around to report this story.  He might have written something like this:

    Phil had his fill, and now he's quite ill.
    Big chuck, pig chuck, groundcow, round cow.


Oh, yes.  Eyewitnesses saw Phil spring from his burrow and reported that he saw his own shadow.  Six more weeks of winter.  Easy on the ice cream, or he'll be in for one big fall next summer.

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World Day of Action Against Seal Hunting
from The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT-UK)

World Day of Action Against Seal Hunting - Tuesday 13th March 2001

A joint message from Bont voor Dieren and the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (UK)

You may remember that in March last year Dutch anti-fur group Bont voor Dieren organized a global day of action against the Norwegian seal hunt, and CAFT-UK organized similar protests in May against the Canadian seal hunt. This year we have decided to combine the two to organise a World Day of Action Against Seal Hunting, to be held on Tuesday 13th March.

Similar to last year, demonstrations will be held outside Norwegian and Canadian embassies, consulates and government offices.

The seal slaughter is due to get fully underway in March.  The Canadian government has again set the quota of seals to be killed at 275,000 harp seals (it will also probably allow 10,000 hooded seals and a few hundred gray seals to be killed too). Norway hasn't released a quota for this year yet.

A new coalition of grass-roots groups campaigning against the seal slaughter is being launched for this campaign - Global Action Against Seal Hunts (GAASH).

We hope this will provide a forum for ongoing discussion and campaigning on this issue, as well as increasing media interest in the world-wide campaign.

Below is a list of countries where protests at Canadian and / or Norwegian government offices will be held on the World Day of Action. This is not complete and will be added to as we receive more responses.

Protests we know of so far:
    *UK: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh
    *Holland
    *Canada: various cities
    *USA: various cities
    *Czech Republic: Prague
    *Ireland: Dublin
    *Sweden: Stockholm
    *Switzerland
    *Spain
    *Norway

We will keep you updated on this campaign and if anyone wants to know more information please contact the UK branch of the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade at PO Box 38, Manchester, M60 1NX, UK  or e-mail caft@caft.demon.co.uk

Information about the day of action will be posted on our website: http://www.caft.org.uk

Craig Armstrong                              Marianne Thieme
Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade      Bont voor Dieren, Holland
caft@caft.demon.co.uk                     info@bontvoordieren.nl

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Job Opportunity

Job Title:  Animal Rights Network Collection Librarian
Supervisor:  Kim W. Stallwood, Executive Director
Location:  Baltimore, Maryland
Salary:  $32,000
Status: One year, full-time, flexible work schedule possible
Start Date:  ASAP
Application Deadline:  Open until filled

Library and Archive
The library and archive was established to provide animal advocates, students, scholars, journalists, and other interested individuals with a central resource on animal rights and animals in society.  It includes books, videotapes, organizational files, journals, magazines, artifacts, photographs, and archive copies of The Animals' Agenda and The Animals' Voice Magazine.  This extensive reference collection is unique because it includes publications and materials produced by hundreds of like-minded organizations primarily from the United States but also from other countries.  This movement-wide
repository also includes the following major collections:  the Argus Archives, the Ron Scott Videotape Collection, the Claire Necker Collection of Cat Books and Collectibles, and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) Archives.  An oral history project also documents the evolution of animal advocacy by recording the life histories of key players.

Position Summary
The Animal Rights Network (ARN) Collection Librarian manages the books, magazines, journals, files, videotapes, audiotapes, artifacts, and other materials.  Preserves, catalogs, and organizes the collection.  Assists groups and individuals in locating and obtaining materials.  Furnishes information on
library activities, facilities, rules, and services.  Promotes the collection, including in The Animals’ Agenda magazine and on its companion web site.  Works closely with other ARN staff to fulfill the organization's mission of “Helping People Help Animals.”  The position is an excellent opportunity for
individuals with strong concerns about animals to learn more about the growing field of animal rights and related subjects.

Duties and Responsibilities
* Manage the collection including receiving, acknowledging, shelving, filing, and preserving materials.

* Catalog the collection onto a computerized bibliographic database written in Microsoft Access software that runs on a standard PC.

* Allocate in the cataloguing process appropriate key subject terms from a thesaurus specifically developed for the ARN Collection to individual items, which allow indexing for full-text retrieval abilities.

* Make improvements to the bibliographic database and develop additional computer systems as necessary.

* Organize the collection as a reference library to accommodate on-site users with access to the bibliographic database and use of workstations, including TV/VCR.

* Implement appropriate procedures to process applications from users to have access to the collection on an appointment-only basis.

* Assist on-site users in locating and obtaining materials, answer inquiries received by mail, E-mail, fax, and telephone, and provide information on library activities, facilities, rules, and services.

* Work with web site designer to make the bibliographic database, collection photos, and motion picture footage accessible on The Animals’ Agenda web site.

* Manage a public relations and advertising campaign to promote the reference and on-line collections to animal advocates, students, researchers, teachers, librarians, journalists, legislators, and others.

* Organize booths and attend library trade shows.

* Work closely with ARN staff and complete other tasks as assigned, including the acquisition of additional collections, identifying and acquiring appropriate reference materials, and assist with the production of The Animals’ Agenda.

* Supervise the ARN Collection Library Coordinator and the AWI Collection Librarian. 

Qualifications
* Bachelor’s degree.
* Minimum two years of experience in the library or archive field or in a related area.
* Good working knowledge of library practices and archival cataloguing principles and preservation.
* Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
* Ability to work on own initiative.
* Familiarity with animal rights, cruelty-free living, status of animals in society, and the animal advocacy movement.
* Knowledge of Microsoft Office products and Access highly desirable.

Compensation and Benefits
* Annual salary is $32,000.
* Vacation leave for one to two years of continuous full-time employment is 13 days per year and 16.25 days per year for three to four years of continuous full-time employment.
* Excellent group health insurance plan.

The Animal Rights Network Inc.
3500 Boston, Suite 325
P.O. Box 25881
Baltimore, MD 21224
Tel: (410) 675-4566
Fax: (410) 675-0066
E-mail: office@animalsagenda.org
Web site: www.animalsagenda.org

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State Hunting Bills
from Winifred Barnes - Barnestormer@peoplepc.com
URGENT: PLEASE CROSS POST

House Bill 301 and Senate Bill 83 have recently been introduced in the Georgia General Assembly.  These bills significantly strengthen hunters' rights while threatening public safety and (in the case of HB 301) private property rights.

HB 301:  HB 301 elevates hunting, trapping and fishing from a "privilege" to a "right".  The bill also provides that there be "no net loss of hunting opportunity on state-owned lands," and it improperly withdraws all authority of counties and municipalities to regulate hunting, trapping and fishing within
their boundaries.

Please write or call your legislators TODAY and voice the following concerns about HB 301:

1.  HB 301 is unnecessary because there is no threat to hunting activities in Georgia.
2.  Any inherently dangerous activity should be a "privilege" and not a "right." Hunting and trapping are inherently dangerous activities involving deadly firearms and other weapons, and therefore should remain a privilege.
3.  HB 301 creates a special status for hunters, trappers and fishermen that is denied to all other participants in sports and recreation. 
4.  HB 301 threatens the rights of private property owners by authorizing the Department of Natural Resources to "promote and encourage hunting, fishing, and other wildlife associated recreation on... suitable public and private lands of this state."
5.  HB 301 improperly withdraws all authority of counties and municipalities to regulate hunting, trapping and fishing within their boundaries.
6.  HB 301 may violate Article IX, Section II, Par. III of the State Constitution in that it withdraws a power specifically reserved to counties and municipalities.
7.  HB 301 could mean a reduction in hunting-free parks and recreation areas for Georgians to enjoy.

SB 83
SB 83 provides that "a hunter education course is not required for a child age 12 through 15 years who is hunting under arms-length supervision of a licensed adult hunter age 18 years or older." This bill was passed by the Senate on February 1.

Please write or call your Representative TODAY and voice the following concerns about SB 83:

1.  Permitting minors to handle and use deadly firearms without proper training poses an unacceptable public safety hazard that places at risk the minors, their older companions, and all others in the vicinity.
2.  In an era of dramatically increased incidence of shootings in schools, it is critically important to both limit juveniles' access to firearms and train them properly in the use of such firearms.
3.  The bill incorrectly assumes that 18-year-olds have the maturity and training to properly supervise children shooting to kill.
4.  As the legislature considers whether to raise the driving age because of the reckless use of a potentially lethal weapon (cars) by youths today, it makes no sense to remove a safety course requirement for 12 to 15-year-olds.

If you do not know who your legislators are, please go to  www.vote-smart.org 

Andrea Lane
Humane USA PAC: GA Chapter
2482 Jett Ferry Rd. #680 B12
Dunwoody, GA 30338
(770)551-8676 phone
(770)551-0632 fax

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Petland Campaign Needs Your Help
from: KLinJoy@aol.com

In Defense of Animals (IDA) would like to ask for your help with our national campaign against Petland, the nation's largest pet store chain, and a major retailer of puppies, kittens, and other small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs and birds.

As many of you know, pet stores acquire their puppies from "puppy mills," literal factories where breeding dogs live their entire lives cramped in filthy cages. While millions of forgotten dogs, and other animals, are killed in our nation's shelters, the unfortunate dogs in puppy mills are forced to produce
litter after litter until they die. Even though our nation's shelters are overflowing with unwanted animals -- an amazing twenty-five percent of whom are purebred dogs -- puppy mills continue to generate millions of dollars for the unscrupulous pet industry.

WHAT IS IDA DOING?
In an effort to break this tide of misery and death, IDA is targeting Petland, the nation's largest pet store chain. IDA has documented shipments of puppies to Petland stores -- they operate an amazing 123 stores in the U.S. and 57 more foreign outlets -- from large Midwestern puppy mill breeders and dealers.  Do-Bo-Tri Kennels, a supplier to Petland, recently surrendered over 140 puppies to authorities in Nashville, TN after the puppies had been left unattended overnight inside a vehicle with no air-conditioning. Charges against the driver were eventually dropped after the dealer agreed to relinquish custody of the puppies. Additionally, Do-Bo-Tri Kennels has been repeatedly been charged with violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

IDA's Petland boycott is a comprehensive assault on the commercial pet production and distribution industry. Although Petland is specifically targeted by our campaign, we are supporting demonstrations at any pet store that sells animals. Our educational materials highlight the plight of breeding animals in the mills as well as the millions of dogs and cats who are killed in pounds and shelters annually.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP THESE ANIMALS:
For those of you with a Petland store in your locale, we are asking you and your group, or even you and one other person, to do some educating outside Petland to inform the public about the cruelty behind the windows at Petland.

HOW YOU CAN EDUCATE:
Leafleting/Tabling outside Petland -- weekly, alternate weeks or monthly -- IDA will provide you with Petland-specific leaflets free of charge.

Protests -- suggested one per month or as frequently as is possible. We have Petland posters and general puppy mill/pet shop posters. We encourage you to alert the media for these protests and we can assist you with your own press release or we can send it out from our national office.  Photos that you take as well as any news clippings will be put on our website.

Gather petition signatures -- Our petition can be used at each local Petland (they are each franchises and can make their own regulations) to ask them to stop selling all animals. (Already the Petland store in Cheyenne, WY sells no animals, only supplies.) The petition will be on our website or can be emailed or snail-mailed to you.

Monitor the store -- If you observe poor conditions in the store, keep notes, possibly take photos, and send them our way. Also collect names and numbers of people who have experiences dealing with Petland with regard to sick animals whom they have purchased etc.

Later this year, IDA will be organizing a Nationwide Day of Action Against Petland.  It will be all the more effective if as many Petland stores as possible have been targeted with leafleting and protests beforehand, so we really need your help.

Please visit our Petland page of our website for complete info on the Petland campaign and our puppy mill page of our website

http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/petland/overview.html

for info on puppy mills.

http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/puppy/puppymills.html

We also encourage you to thank the Cheyenne, WY store that doesn't sell any animals: Contact: Matt Puentes, Petland, Cheyenne Plaza Shopping Center, 3769 E. Lincoln Way, Cheyenne, WY 82001.  (307) 638-6027.

WHAT TO DO NOW IF YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED:

1. To receive literature, posters, etc. email anita@idausa.org and she will send it to you.
2. Questions/comments and to let us know of your involvement, on any level, email  joyce@idausa.org (Joyce Friedman)  or  msmith@idausa.org (Marshall Smith) and we will get right back to you.

THANK YOU for making a difference for all animals!

Joyce Friedman
In Defense of Animals
www.idausa.org

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Another Job Opportunity

Executive Director position for new Animal Rights charity Anti-Cruelty/Animal Rights 501(C)(3) in St. Louis, MO

We are a charitable trust in St. Louis, Missouri with $2,000,000 in initial funding, two experienced and entrepreneurial Trustees, and an unusual opportunity for an unusual person who is courageous, resourceful, and committed to making a difference in the way non-human animals are treated.  Our long term goal is legal rights for non-human animals, and our shorter term goals involve reducing their institutionalized torture. 

We are seeking a person who wants very much to organize and spearhead an organization that will be aggressive in this area. Not aggressive in the sense of high profile gestures; but, rather aggressive in the ways that bring about change. He or she has always wanted to be the person in charge. He or she is comfortable with, and enjoys bringing forth, something from nothing.  He or she is comfortable setting ambitious goals and finding ways to meet them. He or she sees mistakes as learning opportunities and doesn't say, "It's not my fault" very often.

Degrees and experience with other non-profits are considerations, but we are more interested in your attitude, pragmatism, commitment to making a difference in this area, and your entrepreneurial instincts. Your Board will consult and advise with you, and then get out of your way and let you do your job.

Your first responsibility will be to find space, set up our offices, hire staff, and organize our fund raising campaign. The primary pieces of the fund raising campaign will be television ads, a web site, an affinity card, and knowledgeable people to field calls stirred up by our TV ads and other publicity measures. You will need to train the people answering the phone until they are expert at turning those calls into members and contributions.  You will need to manage our first annual competition among film schools to
produce TV ads for us. Once you have taken care of our fund raising needs, you will be responsible for a steady stream of press releases and other public information to support our efforts. Then you will be responsible for either managing our own programs, and/or forming alliances with other organizations and providing funding/monitoring for their efforts.

Compensation is negotiable.  We expect it will be in the range of $50,000 plus benefits.  We are located in St. Louis, MO, and we will assist with the costs of relocation.  Most people who live here enjoy it and see it as an excellent place to live and raise a family.  St. Louis has most of the culture and benefits of larger cities but without the traffic, high housing costs, and many of the other drawbacks.

We have an affiliation with a media company that produces TV ads and buys TV time in almost 15 markets across the United States. By blending their expertise with ours, we believe we can build an organization that is uniquely able to have an impact on the way non-human animals are treated. We might even rate a paragraph or two in the history books when the history of rights for non-human animals is written. Who wants to help us make it happen?

If you do, please e-mail your resume to Steven Wise at WiseBoston@aol.com. 

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What Americans Eat
By yyavegan@aol.com

It's very sad
what Americans eat
Murdered corpses
decomposing dead meat

Clogs up their arteries
to their hearts
Stops up the colon
and other parts

Soon comes the surgeon
scalpel in hand
Didn't you know?
it's part of their plan

Make you sick
with all that meat
So switch to barley
soy or wheat

It's all about profits
money and greed
The doctors won't tell you
your insurance they need

If you were healthy
where would they be?
Surely not in their homes
you paid for by sea!

By Colleen Ferro

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      Quote To Remember

"You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity."

                                                                       ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 
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Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
   Animal Rights Online
P O Box 7053
    Tampa, Fl 33673-7053
   http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1395/

   
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