Brisbane says ‘No!’

Announcement #1

I am organising a state-wide campaign to petition against the live skinning of cats and dogs for fur trading and meat consumption on the grounds of inhumanity. The objective of the campaign is to approach as many people as possible at selected suburbs and to collect at least 100 signatures from each suburb for the upcoming three months, beginning 1 May 2009. All signatures collected will be filed, documented and forwarded on to all Chinese Embassies in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom as a means to have the Chinese authorities take this matter seriously and formally acknowledge it as an inhumane practice, and on such grounds, be banned in China. To find out how you can help, see Current Campaigns. To sign our online petition now, click here.

Announcement #2

Thank you TampinesZone.Com for adding our e-flyer to your front page. If you would like to help as well and would like a customised e-flyer to add to your website, please email stopliveskinning@gmail.com.

Announcement #3

A group of Brisbane lawyers who called themselves “BLEATS (Brisbane Lawyers Educating and Advocating for Tougher Sentences)”  have formed an organisation to campaign for animal justice. Their major aim is to focus attention on the apparent unwillingness or seeming inability of Magistrates to wield their powers under the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001. Sign the petition to Support Tougher Sentences for Animal Cruelty today.

Dog eating – A generation GAP

How far would you go to save Man’s best friend? Dog eating (and cat eating) is increasingly being viewed as a cultural affair to some Koreans and Chinese. I have intentionally avoided entering a moralistic debate on what should or should not be eaten. However, I condemn all who resort to unnecessary cruelty for personal gain and consumption. Similarly, any one who is aware of the cruel acts inflicted to living things and still turn a blind eye to it, is equally guilty.

I have recently received an email from a friend, forwarded on in a chain-mail, titled very simply: “Pls stop this by forwarding to everyone”. In disbelief, I saw pictures of dogs cramped into dirty cages, some reared since young in them, awaiting for their execution and sold in markets as food. The execution manner was obscenely cruel and I felt sick in my stomach immediately. You can view the images here (viewer discretion advised).

This is not a new topic to animal activists and very often, innocent people from the cultures perpetrating such cruel acts are implicated in the process. It is very easy to ‘hate’. How many times have we heard this remark – Why are Japanese so cruel? I hate Japanese. Chinese are such cruel people! I hate Chinese. Very often the speaker expresses his/her anger in this manner as a means to cope with the overwhelming pain; cats and dogs to some are like their children. There are Chinese and Korean residents campaigning against such acts as well. 

 source

Animals Asia Foundation has also reported changing attitudes in China. I believe that the culture of dog eating (and whale eating for that matter) will eventually stop along with education and increased awareness. With advancement of technology, more and more people are becoming aware that they are being cruel just by being consumers. Please do not scorn the effectiveness of public education on this matter and spread the news to all your friends and family. Our young generation – and I mean the Koreans and the Chinese – can and will end such acts of cruelty because they have been made aware of it. 

Here are more articles and information (and pictures):

• International aid for Korean Animals
• Animals Asia Foundation
• Wok the Dog by William Saleton
• Comments on “stop the dog-meat trade in Korea”
• Cats on the menu
• Outrageous cruelty to dogs and cats

I have created a new page, Writing Letters, and it is a work-in-progress. I will be adding addresses of embassies as well as sample letters to the page.

“Meat’s Not Green” Week – Join Me

The week of Earth Day – April 20-26 – is possibly the best time to take the Go Veg pledge! It would be hard – especially if you’ve been conditioned since young to love your meat – but it’s also definitely worth the effort; think about all the animals you are saving and could be saving, and imagine staying healthier and fitter at the same time. During my many campaigns to save Australia’s forests, I have met many people who are passionate about the environment and concerned enough to pledge time and money to do their part to save Mother Earth; here’s a shout-out to you all then – going Veg is also a very good way to do our part to battle climate change so…take up the PETA Challenge today! 

Quick re-cap:

• raising animals for food contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions
• farming of animals produces 13 billion metric tons of excrement annually (which in turn contributes to water pollution/land contamination)
• meat processing and distribution accounts for high fuel usage

Need I remind all the benefits of going vegan (or vegetarian for those just starting out)?

• lower incidences of obesity
• lower rates of chronic diseases (which include some cancers)
• good karma! (you are saving up to 100 animals a year from the cruel meat-generating industry)

I’ve planned out this week’s “Green Menu” for my housemates and myself and it looks absolutely delicious; we are going to have “Thai Rice with Mushroom” on Monday and “Spinach with Rice and Herbs” on Thursday. I got the recipes off this site. Let’s spread the Green vibes this week!

Animal Lovers to Speak Up

Join Louis of ACRES at the Speakers’ Corner on Saturday! Here is a short message from Louis: 

“Why should you care that over one million sharks were killed last year alone for the sake of shark fin soup? Because this is not just about sharks. When sharks die, the oceans die. Latest research shows that when sharks are removed from the ecosystem, the entire marine food chain starts to collapse, and takes with it the food resources on which large populations of humans depend. It all happens under the surface and out of sight, so we never get to see it. But now we can. A ‘first-of-its-kind’ ACRES Event. Join ACRES for a revealing display of the devastating domino effect caused by the disappearance of sharks. This event to launch ACRES’ campaign against shark fin soup will be held at Hong Lim Park (Speaker’s Corner) on 18 April 2009 from 2pm to 4pm. It is a unique opportunity for animal lovers to show their support for the thousands of creatures threatened by the soup. If you have ever eaten shark fin, please come and discover why the practice is so destructive. If you love nature and the earth, please come learn about this catastrophe under the sea. Even if you couldn’t care less about sharks or nature, please come find out how this will change your life. Because like it or not, all of us are eventually going to pay the price for Asia’s ravenous indulgence in this soup. 

Event details:

‘When sharks die, the oceans die’ 
Saturday 18th April 2009 2pm – 5pm
Hong Lim Park (Speakers’ Corner)”

And he was absolutely right. In fact, it was just yesterday when a fellow campaigner from Canada highlighted a recent article she had read about: how biologists have recently discovered life-size squids – literally the size of a human being – increase in numbers because sharks, which for centuries had been controlling their population, have now dropped in such drastic numbers. The role that sharks had been playing – in the food chain – should not be underestimated. These life-size squids are poisonous and are creating havoc in the underwater world, terrorizing other fishes and divers. Of course, I had joked, we could always make a meal out of these squids and that should “fix” the problem. I won’t for a moment doubt that another problem would occur. In fact, this is an urgent reminder that we must not destroy the ecological cycle or the consequences can be quite unimaginable!

Is Ignorance Bliss?

In this day and age – there is no such thing as ignorance being bliss. Not when there is the Internet and information is literally at our fingertips. You would be lying to yourself if you say that ignorance is bliss. True, it is MUCH easier not to know because that means we don’t have to ‘feel’ upset or angry – life is hard enough as it is right? Wrong. It is not true. It is all a matter of choice and how you want to live your life. I choose to know. I find empowerment and meaning BY doing something – no matter how small and minute the act is – to reduce suffering or to stand up for injustice. Most of the time, suffering is completely unnecessary. There ARE ALWAYS alternatives – we don’t have to eat battery eggs, we don’t have to drink diary milk for calcium, we don’t have to wear fur, …yes the list goes on. 

I will be adding a new section to this cause blog to include some of the work done by a few organisations I personally subscribe to. So do check it out and forward them on to your friends. And before you go, how about signing a petition now?

“Government to Permit Brutal Slaughter—-In mid-2007 Animals Australia was shocked to learn that several Victorian abattoirs were exploiting a legal loophole and slaughtering fully conscious sheep (without stunning) for small export contracts to the Middle East—despite this brutal method of slaughter being completely opposed by the Australian public...” Read more.

Spread the Word: Street Campaigns

Distractions aside, I have been able to secure some time for the upcoming weeks for street campaigning. I’m a little apprehensive about the kind of responses I may get but I’m sure I would be able to overcome these obstacles. Hopefully I could squeeze in a blog or two about my street campaigns – around and about the city of Brisbane. Happy to say that my flyers are ready (finally!). If you need a copy, email stopliveskinning@gmail.com and I will send you a high-res pdf copy with your own blogsite/address (optional).

 

Size: A4 (makes 6 flyers) ; Black and White
To print on recycled paper or unwanted paper

  

Print-making can be another quick and easy way to print flyers. The foam letters are purchased from K-Mart and mounted onto a board (A5) laterally inverted. Slather on the poster paint of your choice and print the letters onto coloured or recycled paper; it’s absolutely up to you how you want to represent your message. Remember to remind everyone to “pass it on”. Good luck!