On Loving Animals...

Below is an English translation of Verlaine's famous poem, Chanson d'Automne ( Autumn Song ). Now that we are waist-deep into the Fall of 2008, I thought that the sentiments expressed here are very apropo. They are, indeed, melancholy. But, for many, like myself, Fall's beauty is accompanied by a certain sense of loss captured so beautifully by Verlaine. Of the violins Of autumn Wound my heart With a languor Monotonous. All suffocating And pale when The hour strikes I remember The old days And weep And I go away In the ill wind that carries me off This side and beyond Like the Dead leaf When the world was in the grips of a world war, the liberation of Europe hinged on a successful landing at Normandy. The Germans knew it was coming, but when was the question. The French resistance listened to coded messages broad casted from London to occupied France by Radio Londres. The messages seemed arbitrary and nonsensical to most unless they were meant for you. On June 6, 1944, the...

Do you remember Reno, the dog saved by volunteers, Daisy Medel and Joe Claret, from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), the one rescued from under a parked vehicle in Cubao with the bloody snout? If not, click HERE to see the post I wrote about him. What were slim chances of survival has turned into a promising recovery under the capable and caring hands of Dr. David Arceo. I've got some new photos to show you that will surely make you smile and be happy for Reno. These photos were taken on October 20, 2008. Before you go, please note that PAWS cannot pay for the entire cost of Reno's treatment and neither can the good doctor cover the expenses without help from animal lovers like us. I have already sent in my donation, and I hope that you will too. Click on the Donate button on the sidebar to start the process. Thank you. Here are the photos:

And they thought things have come to a lull, the issue forgotten, and the uproar a matter of history. Not! As you can see from the announcement below, the spirit of protest is very much alive. How could it die out? Each day the horses pull carriages is a reminder not of how great our city is, but how cruel it can be. This is one New York City tradition ( Mayor Bloomberg's concept ) that must go. It's a tradition alright, one of pain and misery throughout the four seasons of the year when the mayor and city council members are snug and warm in their plush offices. Coffee, croissant? Go ahead while animals pull heavy loads for the sake of human entertainment. ===================================================== Ban the Horse Carriages Demo Location : Grand Army Plaza, 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001 When : November 1st 2008. Sat 7:00 PM Please join NYC Animal Rights as we hold a peaceful demo against the horse carriage industry. We will hold signs and show a slide show of the abus...

I arrived back at the house I was temporarily staying in, and found this lizard clinging to the wall. The sun was shining on the wall, and I suppose it was warming itself. In a few minutes, it went on its way to a place it only knows. Click on the photo for a closer look.

Well, you have heard it on the news. As one republican party official put it, Sarah Palin is " going rogue . " What an embarrassment to the party to have it's VP candidate buck their own system, have no respect for order, and setting out on her own agenda. The falcon is no longer obeying the falconer. Is this the type of person we should elect to the White House? In a CNN report, a McCain campaign source described Palin as " she appears to be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign...She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone.. She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else . " The same report also stated that Palin is " playing for her own future ," and is considering herself to be the next republican party leader. It looks like the republican party has its hands full with a problem child, the consequence of their own bad decisions. Another insider observed that " This is what happens...

I am down here in the Jacksonville, Florida area on personal business and I found some time to visit St. Augustine , a quaint town by the sea. It is rich in Spanish history, Florida being a Spanish colony before it became part of the U.S.. Here, I chanced upon the oldest surviving wooden schoolhouse in America. I know, there are many claims being made here and there that one has to take such things with a healthy dose of skepticism. The schoolhouse first appeared on the tax roll of the city in 1716, but it is generally accepted that the structure was built before that year. The great thing about this structure is that it has not been altered significantly in the last 200 years, probably even earlier, and so we can see how wooden structures were built in the early American colonies. The chains around the house ( date unknown to me ) secured it to the ground against the high winds of storms. This is a 2-story structure with the classroom at ground level and the schoolmaser's living ...

Ebay has agreed to ban all sales of ivory on its site. Ebay came to this decision with some help from International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the World Wildlife Fund , Humane Society of the United States and the US Fish and Wildlife Service . The global ban will commence on Jan. 1, 2009. Happy New Year. EBay’s decision came just before the release of IFAW’s latest investigative report indicating that online trading in wildlife poses a serious and immediate threat to the survival of elephants and many other endangered species. EBay's in-house blogger Richard Brewer-Hay said, " However, given the complexities of the global ivory trade, and the distinct and unique characteristics of the eBay Marketplace, the sale of any ivory on our site continued to be a concern within the company... So, to protect our buyers and sellers, as well as animals in danger of extinction, eBay has decided to institute a global ban on the sale of all types of ivory . "

I love before and after photos especially if they showcase the gradual amelioration of miserable, marginalized, and unloved animals. The metamorphosis can be both heart-breaking and heart-warming. Those gut-wrenching photos speak of the sad truth about stray dogs. However, they also bring spiritual and emotional upliftment to see a homeless dog from the dregs, living in abject misery, transformed into a cuddly and healthy pet living at home. Compassion changes lives, and we should always be vigilant for opportunities to render assistance to those who need it. Icy was one of those dogs who normally would have perished in the streets if not for the intervention of a compassionate human. We can learn about Icy's rescue from a very good source, her rescuer, Clarisse, a member of Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) : " I was by the car outside Ice Monster when I was surprised to see a dog in the middle of the road in front of a car. She wouldn't budge from the front of th...

It will please you to know that the Asian elephants performing for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus will closer to salvation come Oct. 27, 2008 when the federal case against the circus begins. Yes, this is a federal case to be tried in Washington DC against the circus. The plaintiffs are the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Animal Protection Institute (API), Fund for Animals (FFA), and Tom Rider , a former barn man for the circus. The plaintiffs alleged that the mistreatment of the elephants by the circus violated the Endangered Species Act . Asian elephants are listed as an endangered species. The circus has done its best to delay the trial and after eight years they will finally face a federal judge. The specific charges include 1) the forceful use of bullhooks. These are large clubs with sharp curved points meant to train and control the animals through fear 2) the chaining of the elephants for long ...

Nearly three weeks ago, the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), typical of most animal shelters, sent out an appeal for much needed supplies. There was a particular request for cat food. From Sherwin Castillo's blog Me.Find.Home , a site dedicated to PAWS and animal welfare in the Philippines, we can learn something about supply and demand at the shelter: " The shelter cats consume about 4.5 to 6 kilograms of cat food (kibble) every day which cost about Php360 to Php450 ($7.66 to $9.57) on the average.A 22.7 kilogram (or 50 lbs.) bag of Princess Cat (the cheapest one we are able to find right now, available at Whiskers n' Paw Prints in Katipunan Rd., Quezon City) costs about Php1,800 ($38.30) and would last about 4 to 5 days. That's around Php10,800 ($230) per month which is a really significant amount considering PAWS doesn't have a steady source of funding . " Enter Matthew. He's ten years old and already an animal lover. He broke his piggy bank ...

Here's Filipina model Alicia Mayer urging us to give up meat and go vegetarian. Well, Alicia, I have been moving towards that for nearly a year now. As I have stated in one of my recent posts, I have totally given up meat, but I still eat seafood. I am inching, slowly but surely, towards an all-plant diet. I can't even look at the meat dish now without seeing the animal behind it. It doesn't show on the ad but there is a not so very subtle hint at the PETA website that was aimed at men folk. Yeah, those macho men who think beef makes them big and manly: " No one wants a limp banana! " Here's Alicia all wrapped up like the meat you buy at the grocery store. As the sign says, no one wants to be treated like a piece of meat. Have mercy on the farm animals. Live a healthier life. Give up Meat.

I received this email from In Defense of Animals, and I will just post it here in its entirety because it speaks so well for itself. Please, don't just read it. Take action. Send those emails to the proper authorities in whose hands this elephant's life is in. This elephant doesn't have a large area to live in plus her mate died a year ago and she's the lone elephant now. It's time to give this elephant her freedom. Forty Six years on display. Lord, have mercy. The zoo has earned enough money off her already. For pity's sake, let her go. How could they even name this elephant, Lucky. To the San Antonio Zoo officials, this matter will not go away. The life, or the lack of it, that you insist Lucky should live in your compound is already a source of embarrassment for your zoo, a stain on your reputation, and an indication of your level of humanity. You can argue that you know what's best for Lucky, but the facts don't agree with that. What right have you t...

" Okay, let me see here...Roe vs. Wade... here we are...So, Roe v. Wade centrally held that a mother may abort her pregnancy for any reason, up until the point at which the fetus becomes viable... "

Chimpanzees taking part in a daily animal amusement park parade for 25 to 40 years, can you fathom that? Do you think that circus and amusement park animals wake up in the morning and say, " I wanna balance on top of a ball today. ?" The trouble with these institutions of wholesome(?) family entertainment is that they take away the dignity of animals. In Cameroon, one such animal was Dorothy . PETA reported that the first armed confiscation of primates in Cameroon led to Dorothy's freedom, along with others like her. She was then taken to In Defense of Animals ' refuge in Sanaga-Yong in 2000. Well, Dorothy passed away recently and that means, if you do the simple math, she lived freely for only eight years. If there is any question relating to animals as sentient beings, take note of the photograph wherein members of Dorothy's community, perhaps relatives, stand in mournful silence as Dorothy's body is displayed to them. They are so human-like that we can im...

First of all, these guys must be quite relieved that they have come to the end of debates for this election year. I believe that Obama took part in more than twenty debates and McCain around sixteen. The road to the White House is, indeed, fraught with danger. Who wants to wake up in the morning and know that people have been on the attack overnight? But politicians seem to have a good level of equanimity that is essential for their survival in the political arena. I find this to be very true with Obama. He is not flustered, not angered, and certainly very well-composed in his delivery plus he preaches his gospel in a well-modulated voice. Obama is also highly-educated, with degrees from Columbia and Harvard. In the beginning, I felt that he was seriously lacking in experience to be running for President, but I am no longer convinced of that. After more than a year of campaigning, now in October, Obama has captured the hopes, dreams, and support of most Americans amidst unrelenting fir...

This video can be disturbing to you, but it certainly shows us the pain and suffering farm animals go through. That's why I gave up meat. I am convinced that any meat dish has a cruel past, and that's definitely a factor in choosing the food I consume. Don't get me wrong. I am a only newcomer to a non-meat diet. I stopped eating meat right after New Year's Eve, on Jan 1, 2008. I don't miss it at all, and through this time I have learned to see the animal behind any meat dish that comes into view. Part of my transformation is the realization that eating meat is eating a dead animal. That's what it really is, a dead animal whose parts you are eating. I now consider it an insult to my body to consume meat. It's as bad as smoking. Support compassion for farm animals. If you are a voter in California, please vote YES on Proposition 2. If you can't give up meat, then at least support the better treatment fo farm animals. Your meat didn't have to stand in ...

Once again , the Saddest Show on Earth has come to New Jersey. This time, however, they will be performing at the Prudential Center in Newark instead of the IZOD Center in the Meadowlands. NJARA will be there, and so will other animal rights organizations. Please join us. And then there is our pie in the sky, the beginning of the federal court case against Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus on Oct. 20, 2008 in Washington, DC. That's monday. That's judgment day for these animal abusers who were charged as violating the Endangered Species Act. Let's hope that the federal judge will issue an injunction, and put an immediate halt to the use of the bullhooks and shackling the elephants. Here is the schedule for demonstrations in Newark. Where : Prudential Center 165 Mulberry Street Newark, NJ 07102 (973) 757-6000 (2 blocks from Newark Penn Station) Demo Dates: THURSDAY , October 16, 2008 OPENING SHOW 6:30PM - 8PM (show 7:30pm) FRIDAY DEMO , October 17, 2008 6:30PM - 8PM (...

Check out another memorable rescue by members of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society . An alerting email was sent to PAWS about a wounded dog in Cubao , said to be lying underneath a parked vehicle, bleeding, presumably a stray, possibly near death. The director of PAWS sent out an APB to all members at large, calling for volunteers to do the rescue. Just like here in the USA, a call like that is tantamount to telling the bears where the berries are. They will come. Nothing gets an animal lover's blood to pulsate more than a cry for help. However, things are not as easy for an animal welfare society in Asia, this one propelled solely by donations and sheer volunteer spirit, to effect such rescues. Fuel, vehicles, liquid money don't come as easy to them as they do to us. Not to be discouraged, on the night of October 3rd, intrepid volunteers Joe Claret and Daisy Medel set out to make the rescue. They found the dog on Real St., corner North Road, and they subsequently named ...

The Brooklyn Animal foster Network has sent out an appeal for a laptop and/or wireless Card and account to help spread their mission online. I don't think that the laptop has to be top of the line. It won't be used for gaming purposes, but more towards publishing photos and text. So, if you have a spare laptop in your closet, now is the time to give it up for a great cause. Please call Laurie at 718 789-6865 if you can help out. So, think of the lapdog pictured above and then think laptop. Like any other animal welfare group, BAFN's everyday supplies go quickly and therefore the supplies need to be replenish constantly. They cannot come and pick them up, and so please consider dropping them off. Again, you can call the number I listed above. The following is BAFN's wish list. Leashes and collars You and Your Van to transport animals from foster homes to adoption events Digital Cameras Blankets, sheets and towels DID WE SAY Blankets, sheets and towels Cleaning and de...