Angry Vegans

Great review here from Erik Marcus on a Max Fisher article. Particularly the second point (on "angry vegans") is something everyone who chooses not to consume animal products needs to consider carefully.

Wow.

Canadian Parliament Votes to Include Seal Products in Olympic Uniforms

It should be noted that the Canadian Olympic Committee told them to suck it.
I will rarely quote PeTA, but I think their spokesperson's words are pretty bang on here:
“We feel it's perfect because it shows how completely out of touch the Canadian government is with the rest of the world”

Two Quick Links

Bad Day to be a Mink

Animals Receive Awards for Services to Human Beings

Da Bears

Asiatic Black Bears (or Bandal Kom: "Half-moon Bears"), Jeju Island, South Korea:

Sick Pigs

This will probably be my one and only post about the Swine Flu.

First, point on the flu's likely origins. This NYT Letter makes the rather obvious point that I haven't seen on any of the major news broadcasts: namely that these outbreaks are the result of confining massive numbers of weak, vulnerable, genetically homogeneous animals together in filthy pens and barns.

GF has a post about the Agricultural Lobby trying to force the media to stop calling the virus "Swine Flu".

Finally, The Swinal Solution? Egypt has a unique approach to solving the Swine Flu crisis: kill all the pigs. This idea is even worse than that pun, but before we get too disgusted, a little perspective. I remember the outrage in the 90's - during the Mad Cow "scare" - over all those images of cow carcasses on forklifts and backhoes, field after field of dead animals ("oh, the bovinity!"). Of course, those cows - and these pigs, I'm lowering my voice though this part isn't really a secret - they were going to die anyway. The only difference for these guys is that their flesh will not then be devoured by a bunch of strange and crafty bipeds.

Animal Crackers: A New Beginning

Hopefully, it will be more successful than this one.

Welcome to the new blog. All the old material has been carried over from a.r. hub, so things will carry on as usual. I've got a couple of posts I'm working on, but since I've been out of action for a while, here are a few points of interest from the last few weeks:

First, lots of discussion re: Obama's decision not to adopt a shelter dog. Check out Stephanie at Change, and also this fantastic cartoon from The Washington Post.

Rush Limbaugh, of all people, has recorded some public service announcements for the Humane Society of the United States. And the conservative base is not amused.

Opposing Views has posted an interesting panel discussion titled "Is an Animal a Legal Person". (thanks to Mary Martin for the link).

Finally, the folks at Animal Visuals are doing some great stuff. The virtual battery cage is a fun place to spend some time, and this gives the stats a little more tofu than the counter to the right:

Animal Crackers: The Final Chapter

This will be my last post until April 24th, when I hand in my final paper (which is on Free Range Standards in Canada, and which I plan to post here). Mark it on your Calendars. After the 24th, I'll be back with daily postings. I'll still be around to respond to comments until then. Here you go:

Friday: Michael Jackson: Kids Are Not Enough
Saturday: Mass Killing: Fun For The Whole Family!
Sunday: Opposing Views: Should Animals Be Kept In Zoos?
Monday: An AR FAQ From That Vegan Girl, With Which I Largely Agree
Tuesday: Vegan at Heart. An interesting idea, this. I decided to try it out but they stopped coming after the first message. Maybe you'll have more luck.
Wednesday: Michael Albert on Outreach
Thursday: Animals Asia on Bear Bile Farming. When I come back, I'll post some pictures I took a couple of years ago of some bears I was able to rescue from the "bile track"