Vegetarian Star

“Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I think we can all agree that unspeakable suffering has occurred at the hands (flippers) of these sinister white snow devils. Most recently – in fact just now – they’ve been coined, ‘the white-fanged dispensers of death.’ Little is known of their feeding habits, although it’s widely speculated among seal clubbing spokespeople that human toddler brains are the preferred source of nutrition. And cod. As a counter measure, once a year Canadian hunters will selflessly enter an arena of unbridled peril. Broader dangers of the seal hunt include: accidentally clubbing one’s own shin, chapped lips, having to get up early, thirstiness, and the all too common: red snowball fight.”

—-Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, in a sarcastic piece he wrote in the Huffington Post on the Canadian Seal Hunt. Kudos to Ryan for shedding light on this situation. Although there’s nothing humorous about the seal hunt, at least Ryan’s post will spark attention and hopefully, incite others to take action.

via Ecorazzi

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jon Stewart and Wife Tracey Stewart Adopt Horse
• Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Elephants Retire To Sanctuary
• SeaWorld Phasing Out Whale Breeding Program
• Meatless Mouthful–Stevie Wonder Says Vegan Helps His Good Looks And Planet
• Best Vegetarian Stories Of 2015

Basketball player Ron Artest admits he hasn’t always been the poster boy for pet owners. In 1997, animal control officers were called to his home to find his Great Dane underweight and sick. Neighbors had tipped off authorities that Artest often went away on long trips, leaving his dogs without food and water.

Authorities had been called to Artest’s home three times before and removed dogs from his residence.

Now, Artest has claimed to have cleaned up his act, even working with PETA to record a PSA urging pet owners to spay and neuter their animals.

Is this a permanent change? We sure hope so.

“I was an irresponsible pet owner, and I got in some trouble,” Artest said, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle at chron.com. “PETA came and showed me how to be a better pet owner. A lot of times, it’s a simple thing. One of my problems was that the fence around my home wasn’t safe enough. I had a lot of dogs, and they kept getting out. The thing is, just because you’re irresponsible, it doesn’t mean you don’t love your pets. I loved my dogs. You just need to be more mature and accountable for how you treat your animals. I had to be educated.”

Animal neglect is such an ugly issue. It’s hard to imagine how a person could even commit acts of the nature. So we are hoping that the NBA star who’s earned a bad boy reputation on and off the court won’t be called out for any more fouls in this area.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jon Stewart and Wife Tracey Stewart Adopt Horse
• Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Elephants Retire To Sanctuary
• SeaWorld Phasing Out Whale Breeding Program
• Best Vegetarian Stories Of 2015
• Morrissey Adds Vegan Touch To First In-Person Interview In Decade On “Larry King Now” (Video)

The Humane Society Legislative Fund has a list just like Santa that its checking more than twice. And every nice or naughty politician will have to answer how their actions contributed to animal welfare.

The Humane Scorecard Booklet is designed to let everyone know where politicians stand on animal rights.

The Scorecard currently shows the 110th Congress “made significant progress on animal protection legislation, including banning the import of puppies from foreign breeding mills, strengthening the federal law on animal fighting, and providing safeguards against tainted ingredients in pet food.”

Several government officials received a score of a “1oo+” including  Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Diane Feinstein (Calif.), John Kerry (Mass.), Carl Levin (Mich.), and vice president Joe Biden.

Politicians earn points on the scorecard through several measures involving either voting or taking action against animal rights. Those earning the highest ratings of 100+  were the prime sponsors of pro-animal legislation that became law. Points can also be earned through co-sponsorship of bills and boosting funding for the enforcement of animal welfare laws.

Biden racked up points for co-sponsoring bills against animal fighting and horse slaughter. 

Check to see how your favorite politician scored this time around on The Humane Scorecard.

via cnsnews.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jon Stewart and Wife Tracey Stewart Adopt Horse
• Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Elephants Retire To Sanctuary
• SeaWorld Phasing Out Whale Breeding Program
• Best Vegetarian Stories Of 2015
• Morrissey Adds Vegan Touch To First In-Person Interview In Decade On “Larry King Now” (Video)

When Carrie Underwood announced she was donating proceeds from the Idol elimination song she’s singing this year to the Humane Society of the United States, there was outcry from hunters and others in the animal agriculture industry.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance even urged hunters to contact Fox, demanding the station pull Carrie’s song from the show.

Unsuccessful at previous attempts to destroy the singer’s musical success, protesters are now asking people to go online and vote for anyone other than her in the Academy of Country Music’s (ACM) Entertainer of the Year category.

This is in response to the Humane Society cheering for Carrie and asking voters to pick her for the same award.

What do you predict will happen? Will Carrie’s loyal team gear up and recruit even more voters?

via Brownfieldnetwork.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jon Stewart and Wife Tracey Stewart Adopt Horse
• Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Elephants Retire To Sanctuary
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro
• SeaWorld Phasing Out Whale Breeding Program
• Best Vegetarian Stories Of 2015

Many will be thankful he’s not rapping it.

Joaquin Phoenix narrated the Nation Earth film company produced Earthlings, a documentary about the harm that comes with humans using animals in various industries, such as food, fashion, and entertainment.

Now he’s back doing his deal again with the new audio book version adapted from the original full length film.

The audio book can be downloaded for $13.97 or pre-ordered on a 2 CD set for $19.99 at Earthlings.com.

Ellen DeGeneres credited the film with helping her adopt a vegan diet. 

The film also features music from vegan musician Moby.

Earthlings took several years to create due to the difficulty of obtaining footage in some of the industries.

via businesswire.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jon Stewart and Wife Tracey Stewart Adopt Horse
• Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Elephants Retire To Sanctuary
• The Passing Of A Vegan Prince
• SeaWorld Phasing Out Whale Breeding Program
• Meatless Mouthful–Stevie Wonder Says Vegan Helps His Good Looks And Planet

Lush

The Canadian Seal Hunt is never a pleasant topic to cover and it’s expected that the current hunt this year will kill over 300,000 seals.

Lush Cosmetics, a company adored by several celebs, such as Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, and Jude Law, offers cruelty-free cosmetics to animal lovers and is now extending its business principles in an effort to curb the seal hunt.

From the Lush website:

“We believe that the consumer has the ability to make powerful choices everyday and this is why we are reaching out to you, our customer, to help end the Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt. Most of you shop with LUSH not only because we make wonderful handmade products for your bath, hair and body but also because of who we are and what we believe in. We believe in making products by hand, using fresh ingredients, not testing on animals, supporting our communities and protecting the planet.”

“Governments around the globe, including the US, have spoken out against Canada’s seal hunt. The seal hunt is essentially government sanctioned cruelty to animals. Recent polls show that nearly 69% of Canadians and nearly 80% of Americans are opposed to the seal hunt. Yet, the government continues to spend millions of Canadian taxpayers dollars to help support it.”

Lush has drafted an online petition that will be sent from Lush’s headquarters to the Prime Minster of Canada. So far, over 9,000 signatures have been collected!

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jon Stewart and Wife Tracey Stewart Adopt Horse
• Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Elephants Retire To Sanctuary
• Jaimie King Creates Vegan-Friendly Makeup Alchemy From ColourPop
• SeaWorld Phasing Out Whale Breeding Program
• Ben And Jerry’s Launch Vegan Ice Cream

The 23rd annual Genesis Awards were held this weekend and vegan Heather Mills was present with a very handsome companion: a golden Labrador retriever, one of the dogs who played Marley in the Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson hit movie, Marley & Me.

The Genesis Awards are held annually to recognize celebrities and notable public figures that have made the biggest bark (had to throw that pun in) for animal rights.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi received the Wyler Awards this year. The couple recently became vegan and were huge Proposition 2 (which allows some farm animals to move around freely) supporters last year.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jon Stewart and Wife Tracey Stewart Adopt Horse
• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Elephants Retire To Sanctuary
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Jaimie King Creates Vegan-Friendly Makeup Alchemy From ColourPop

Dennis Miller and Bill O’Reilly recently exchanged some words on PETA. Turns out Miller thinks PETA isn’t all that bad. But he criticizes what he calls their “bedside manners,” or way of going about their activism, even joking that “animals are embarrassed that they front them.”

O’REILLY: All right. Let’s get on to you can’t have the circus anymore. The PETA people say that the circus is brutal to the animals and they’re taking their case to the kids. In Baltimore, PETA activists dressed up, and they’re telling kids that, you know, all kind of mean stuff is happening at the circus. What do you think?

MILLER: I think PETA people are emotional wrecks. I think they have been so horribly disappointed by their fellow human beings that they have to cozy up to a ferret to have a friend. And I think there are even animals out there who are embarrassed that they front them. They ought to lay off the kids, although psychologically and intellectually, that’s who they’re akin to. But the simple fact is kids love the circus. And PETA to get in the middle of that, it’s just, you know, like I said, it’s embarrassing to them.

I feel empathy and I feel loathing for PETA. Because sometimes I look at them and I go, “Wow, they’ve been so cracked up about fellow humans, they’ve got to befriend the pet world.” And then there are other times that I think, “Oh, shut up, you’re going to have a kid one day, for God’s sakes. Let him go to the circus.”

O’REILLY: Well, I feel the same way. I think PETA did some good work in the cruelty to animals stuff. But they’re just way over the line.

MILLER: Bill, they do good — they do good work with the clumsiest bedside manner imaginable.

O’REILLY: Right.

MILLER: They could do better work if they just used their heads.

What’s your opinion on PETA? Do you agree with Miller on their tactics? Or does he need to get educated on the horrors circuses really put animals through?

via Ecorazzi

Possibly Related Posts:

• Jon Stewart and Wife Tracey Stewart Adopt Horse
• Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Elephants Retire To Sanctuary
• SeaWorld Phasing Out Whale Breeding Program
• Best Vegetarian Stories Of 2015
• Ellen DeGeneres Promotes Leather And Suede In New Shoe Line