activism, animal rights, fashion, food, green, human rights, news, organic, philosophy, social responsibility, vegan, vegetarianJoshua Katcheranimal rights, Apes rights, cast iron, ecorazzi, farm sanctuary pig rescue, flood rescue, John Patrick Organic, matthew mcconaughey, national cattleman's beef association, NCBA, pig flood, spanish parliment, teflon, toxic, vegan vegetarian

Rights for Apes, Hollywood Meat, Pig Pilgrimage & Toxic Teflon

activism, animal rights, fashion, food, green, human rights, news, organic, philosophy, social responsibility, vegan, vegetarianJoshua Katcheranimal rights, Apes rights, cast iron, ecorazzi, farm sanctuary pig rescue, flood rescue, John Patrick Organic, matthew mcconaughey, national cattleman's beef association, NCBA, pig flood, spanish parliment, teflon, toxic, vegan vegetarian

1. Meat-Head Machismohttp://blog.kir.com/archives/matthew-mcconaughey-hook-em-horns%20121706.jpg

Ecorazzi recently revealed that Hollywood frat-boy turned cowboy, Matthew McConaughey, will be using his sensual man powers to get you all horny for dead cows. The National Cattlemans' Beef Association (NBCA) payed out some big bucks to lasso McConaughey into the gig. I listened to the spot and got so grossed out that I almost ralphed on my keyboard. Hey Matthew, can you pass the torture, disease, and ecological devastation...? Matthew is certainly not a Discerning Brute.

2. Organic is in Vogue http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1201/1343679700_2a0c3b3af2.jpg?v=0

John Patrick of Organic (one of our favorite labels) has been nominated as a finalist in CFDA/Vogue's Fashion Fund Award! Congrats Patrick!

3. Stuck on Teflon I always had a suspicion that using teflon was toxic. Ideal Bite just sent out a little blurb on the cancer-causing coating that slowly poisons us. I recommend using cast iron - especially because the iron is actually incredibly healthy for you!//www.kitchenproductsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/cast-iron-cookware.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

4. Volunteer for Hog Days of Summer 2008 Midwest Flood Pig Rescue Almost 70 pigs were lucky enough to be rescued by Farm Sanctuary which was asked by the state of Iowa to assist with rescue efforts. Farm Sanctuary is in urgent need of volunteers to help us care for more than 60 special needs pigs (some of whom are pregnant and expected to give birth any day!) just rescued from the Midwest floods. Massive rainfall escalated concerns of hog waste lagoons overflowing and flooding waterways with millions of gallons of hog waste. Use this opportunity to tell people about modern pork production and the cruel gestation crates employed by the industry, as well as the environmental devastation brought about by factory farming.

If you want to help, Farm Sanctuary is urgently seeking interns to volunteer at their New York Shelter. If you have experience working with farm animals email scoston@farmsanctuary.org. If you do not have direct experience working with farm animals, but would like to apply to help Farm Sanctuary’s shelter team in other capacities, please contact them today at 607-583-2225 ext. 222 or intern@farmsanctuary.org, or visit http://www.farmsanctuary.org/ for more information.

5. Spanish Parliament Goes Ape-Shit

The Spanish Parliament's Environment Committee has passed a resolution granting limited rights to great apes. Dawnwatch reported that The Sunday, July 13 New York Times ran a lengthy and thoughtful article on the issue.

"The committee would bind Spain to the principles of the Great Ape Project, which points to apes' human qualities, including the ability to feel fear and happiness, create tools, use languages, remember the past and plan the future. The project's directors, Peter Singer, the Princeton ethicist, and Paola Cavalieri, an Italian philosopher, regard apes as part of a 'community of equals' with humans.

"If the bill passes -- the news agency Reuters predicts it will -- it would become illegal in Spain to kill apes except in self-defense. Torture, including in medical experiments, and arbitrary imprisonment, including for circuses or films, would be forbidden.