when no-one is watching...

atrocities are rampant and unchecked, as evidenced in the undercover investigative footage shown by lateline last week which resulted in the immediate closure of a nsw abattoir because of its appalling animal abuse… the following is an extract from the transcript of that exposé...

"The focus of cruelty in abattoirs is shifting to Australia from Indonesia.

Late today the New South Wales food regulator suddenly closed down an abattoir after viewing video footage which it says reveals, "acts of gross animal mistreatment".

The footage, taken secretly inside the abattoir north of Sydney, has been given exclusively to Lateline.

The New South Wales Food Authority is promising a full investigation of slaughter practices at the abattoir, which the authority says is the worst treatment of animals it's seen...

... Shot undercover over six days at the Hawkesbury Valley Abattoir near Sydney, this footage has been described by the NSW Food Authority as disturbing and containing acts of gross animal mistreatment.

Here, pigs are being dragged onto the sticking table. They should be rendered unconscious by a stunner before their throats are cut, but in this instance, it hasn't been done properly and the slaughterman reaches for what looks like an iron bar. The pig's head was pummelled seven times. A minute later, the same worker is at it again, this time beating another pig over the head 13 times." you can read more, or view the footage, here...

this is the second abattoir to close in australia within 3 months - and we supposedly have animal welfare standards in slaughterhouses… if that’s the case, i’m sure we can assume brutality (aside from the obvious brutality of slaughter itself!) is rife in all abattoirs in this country…

it takes dedicated people to get this information to the outside world… those who are prepared to take direct action – heroic people who are prepared to put themselves on the line by going undercover to expose the brutaliy... 

after this successful exposé, and having just received my copy of “behind the mask”, it seemed to be the perfect, most fitting time to watch this documentary about the animal liberation front – no longer a single, local grass roots organisation these days, but a global movement of clandestine animal rights activists - from undercover investigators to liberators and economic sabateurs – all fighting on behalf of animals and in protest against the animal testing, fur, entertainment, meat & dairy industries - a dangerous endeavour, with direct action activists now labelled the #1 domestic terrorist threat by the FBI...

directed and narrated by shannon keith, animal rights lawyer, founder of ARME and uncaged films (a production company founded after she learned that she had been an FBI target, labeled as an `animal rights extremist') - she “goes behind the mask and captures the hearts and souls of men and women who unveil their individual struggles for animal liberation.

Who are these “animal liberationists” and why do they believe that breaking the law is the best way to help animals? What inspires them to challenge the status quo, fight against all odds, and endure public reproach?

Behind the mask exposes never-before-seen footage that reveals the extent to which these individuals will go to save the lives of animals.’

People of all ages and backgrounds, from all over the globe, tell their tales of liberation, incarceration, sacrifice and determination, while exclusive underground footage reveals heart-thumping action sure to leave you wondering, who are these people…"

animal liberation front guidelines: 

• Liberate animals from places of abuse
• Inflict economic damage on those who profit from the exploitation of animals
• Reveal atrocities committed against animals
• Take all precautions against harming any animal, human & non-human

many animals have been liberated from unimaginable horrors, many lives saved... numerous activists have lost their freedom through years of incarceration… and still they don’t give up…

and the movement keeps growing, with more and more organised groups aligning themselves with the animal liberation front network, taking on even more animal abuse industries and exposing even more hidden practices, and more domestic and wildlife animal sanctuaries being established and providing refuge for the abused and displaced...

we have heroic, direct action activists here in australia too… passionate people such as debra tranter and lyn white (to name just a couple!!)... and there are many who prefer to remain in the background...

these dedicated people inspire me – they are proof that there is compassion in this world, that many are fighting the complicity of silence that exists within the status quo…

and let's not forgot all those who use their online presence to share these investigations, spread their stories around the world via blogs, social networks, petition sites - and those who get out and demonstrate, or email politicians to protest against the horrors... theirs is another layer of activism necessary to change this world...

all of these people make me proud to be a thinking, questioning womon, proud of my politics, my ethics, my morality, my veganism -  i'm proud to blog and demonstrate alongside so many other passionate activists, and i'm proud to be a part of this dynamic animal liberation movement…

it’s because of this global movement that others are starting to pull their heads out of the sand and become outraged - are you one of them? all you have to do is open your heart and mind…

you can view the official trailer here, or watch the first 10 minutes of the documentary below - perhaps after a glimpse you may want to watch the full 72 minute film available from arme - a proactive action in itself, as all proceeds help continue the fight for freedom and educate others...

 

#1 terrorist threat - you have got to be fucking kidding - i call them freedom fighters... pity the FBI and similar agencies take the side of corporate greed... in the words of john f kennedy:

"those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

liberating the 'spanish 40'...

while waiting for the estate agent - the "assistant relationship executive" actually (don't you just love the titles they come up with!?!!) - to arrive for a property inspection, i thought i'd share a video of the 4th rescue of arme's beagle freedom project...  

"On November 23, 2011, ARME's Beagle Freedom Project rescued 40 beagles from a laboratory in Spain where some had spent their entire lives. Others had come from other labs to the lab in Spain, only to be tested on in there. When we heard the lab was closing and the dogs would be killed, we stepped in and rescued them by flying them to Los Angeles, CA, to BFP Headquarters."

you may need some tissues handy - i did - but they'll be tears of joy you'll shed for these beautiful beagles, finally released from their imprisonment and torture... 

now i'm just going to ponder the prospect of another rent rise (far out, it was only 8 months ago the rent rose by $30 per week - surely they wouldn't put it up again so soon, would they??!!)...

spreading the seeds of change...

“how wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” ... anne frank

ever heard of freekibble? or freekibblekat? maybe you’ve earned ‘kibble karma’ by answering the trivia questions on these sites…. if not, it’s about time i introduced you to mimi ausland, whose website i came across a few months ago...

at 7 years old, too young to volunteer at her local humane society shelter, she was determined to help animals and started mailing spare change to the shelter... at 9 years old she was finally accepted as a hands on volunteer... 

at 11 years of age she was inspired while playing an internet game called freerice, which donates several grains of rice to feed the poor for every correct answer to a trivia question - she decided something similar could be done with kibble for shelter animals and freekibble & freekibblekat were born...

her volunteer work and freekibble idea led to mimi being named 2008 aspca kid of the year... mimi and her 3-legged friend maty were also the inspiration for mimi's mother, brooke smith, to write a book "mimi and maty to the rescue"...

currently, at 15 years of age, mimi is the humane society of central oregon’s goodwill ambassador... she and maty visit schools and community centres to talk about animal safety (and show off how clever maty is!)...  you can read her blog here...

another inspirational young womon i discovered recently is carylanne joubert - i read about this young animal activist on the howling for justice blog... carylanne is 15 years old, with a love of writing and wolves...  combining both passions, she is now a published author of two books - 'cry of the wolf', & 'mingan'...

"I wrote Cry of the Wolf to teach the truth and dispel the unfounded fears about wolves by telling their story through the eyes of Mingan, a wolf pup who not only learns about wolf life but also witnesses firsthand the effects of Man’s encroachment." 

 

"Mingan (ages 3 and up) teaches lessons about wolves for younger audiences to destroy the image of the Big Bad Wolf."

about the author (from the amazon website)...

"Born in Rhode Island in 1996, Carylanne Joubert has been focused on working to help wildlife since the age of four. Her first influences, Steve Irwin and Jack Hanna, instilled in her a love of animals and a desire to learn more about each one and what can be done to help them in the wild. Her father having served in the US Army, Carylanne has lived in many states before settling in Central Florida. Home-schooled her entire school career, she is now completing her high-school education through Florida Virtual School. Carylanne being a gifted student has excelled in her studies and is 2 grades ahead of her peers. She decided to use her talents in writing to tell the story of the Yellowstone Wolves through the eyes of Mingan, a wolf pup. After completing a project for the science fair about the wolves and their struggle Carylanne became passionate to do more to help. She is dedicated to working to help all animals and intends to continue to write her tales to tell the stories of many of our wildlife who are in endangered or otherwise need protection. She intends to pursue a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Foreign Languages. A portion of all her proceeds will go to organizations such as Wolf Mountain Sanctuary." ... interested in supporting carylanne and the organizations she believes in? you can purchase the books here...

while on the subject of books, i must mention ruby roth... ruby is a young (20s-something?) artist, designer and writer...  vegan since 2003, she was inspired to write a picturebook while teaching art in an after-school program where the kids were interested and inquisitive about her vegan lifestyle...

that's why we don't eat animals "takes a candid, compassionate look at the plight of animals on factory farms, using gorgeous artwork and lively text to introduce vegetarianism and veganism to early readers." you can read more here... (i can't wait to check it out - i requested it for the library some months ago - it's being catalogued and processed now so should hit the shelves very soon!!)

i was pleased to read that she has another picturebook due for publication in april this year...

vegan is love - which "introduces young readers to veganism as lifestyle of compassion and action. Ruby Roth illustrates how our daily choices ripple out locally and globally, conveying what children can do today to protect animals, the environment, and people across the world. From the food we eat to the clothing we buy, from the use of animals in entertainment to the benefits of organic farming, Roth explores the many opportunities we have each day to act with kindness."

while doing some research, i stumbled on an interview with ruby at 'bitch media' and was impressed with her reply to the question "For you, what is the relationship between feminism and animal rights?"

her response: "They go hand-in-hand, both being vehicles of cultural critique and ultimately self-determination. If you call yourself a feminist but you eat animals, there is a good chance you have not yet examined the sexual politics of eating meat, let alone how we allow our well-being, our health, and our physical body to be determined by the interests of certain food and chemical industry leaders. Also, you may not yet truly know how animals suffer impossible atrocities without rights, just as slaves and Holocaust victims did. As liberal as I was, I would have arrived at veganism sooner, by the way, if the American Studies program at UC Santa Cruz (a mecca for vegans and Women’s Studies) had included food as a subject we turned our race-class-gender-sexuality-lenses onto, right alongside history, culture, labor, music, politics, etc. It is incredibly hypocritical to be an activist for freedom or civil rights or equity or equality if you eat animals today."

i'm heartened by such inspirational, intelligent, articulate, determined, committed, young womyn - perhaps there is hope for a compassionate world yet!!!

novel ideas…

books… i've always found them to be a sensory pleasure, a sensual experience - the touch, the smell, the caress of the pages as you lose yourself in another life, another time, another world – but I’d never thought of them as tools for sculpting… after coming across a number of references and various graphics on different sites, i couldn’t resist following the trail to a more comprehensive article on a specific series of sculptures - 10  all up, anonymously left at various libraries and literary venues around edinburgh throughout 2011... here are 4 of those wonderful creations…

the scottish storytelling centre found a dragon nesting in a window with a note "once upon a time there was a book and in the book was a nest and in the nest was an egg and in the egg was a dragon and in the dragon was a story"

a gramophone and a coffin, sculpted from a copy of ian rankin’s "exit music" ... this one found at the national library of scotland with the note "A gift in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. (& against their exit)"

this one includes a teabag filled with cut out letters, on the tag of which are the words “by leaves we live”. the cup on the top has a swirl of words which read ” nothing beats a nice cup of tea (or coffee) and a really good BOOK”, and on the ‘tray’ next to the cupcake it says “except maybe a cake as well”... left on a signing table at the edinburgh book festival with the note " ‘A gift’ This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas…… & festivals xx

a tree, a ‘poetree’ with a paper egg lined with gold and a scatter of words which, when put together, make “a trace of wings” by edwin morgan... left anonymously at the scottish poetry library... the note for this one read "we know that a library is so much more than a building full of books… a book is so much more than pages full of words.… this is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. a gesture (poetic maybe?)"

they are amazingly delicate and intricate creations, but ohh the mystery and intrigue of it all... if your curiosity is piqued you can view all 10 and read their stories in this article "mysterious paper sculptures"...

while on the topic of books, i must recommend my last read...

turn of mind by alice laplante - no relation to lynda... the author has written non-fiction before, but this is her first novel, and what a stunner it is...

told from the perspective of jennifer white, a once-brilliant surgeon now suffering from alzheimer's and the prime suspect in a murder mystery... we learn the details of the crime through fragmentary conversations between jennifer and various people — some of them living and some dead...

it was a new style of writing for me and i was totally mesmerised - i couldn't put it down... it'll be a hard act to follow though...

while on the topic of writing...

do you have a story just waiting to be written? not just any story, but one that relates to the human-animal relationship? if so perhaps this is 'right up your alley'...

voiceless will be awarding a prize to recognise the best australian short fiction and non-fiction that "has at its heart the place of animals in the world we have made", and writers of fiction and nonfiction are invited to reflect on the ethical relationship between humans and animals.

"there is a rich world literature which takes animals - their feelings, wishes and desires - seriously." ... j.m. coetzee...

submissions should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words and should focus on animals produced for food or found in the australian landscape.

the winner chosen by the judging panel will receive $15,000, while the public will vote for the people’s choice to receive $5,000. all writers published in the collection will receive $500.

if you think your writing fits the brief, you can read more on the guidelines, and how to enter here... but don't procrastinate, entries close march 16...


while not on the topic of singing or music...

i can't end this post without acknowledging the death of the wonderful etta james, an extraordinarily talented singer... her life story is worth exploring in more detail - but she deserves a post of her own... so for now i'll leave you with some of her music...

  

a quick share...

i came across this youtube video via the youth page of the uk evolve campaigns website (and heartening it is to discover sites where young people are informed, passionate, and sharing their vegan philosophy with others) -  it's a compilation of cartoons by vegan cartoonist dan piraro and i thought i'd share...

and a friend sent me this video... a 'snow-boarding' crow having a ball on a roof slope ...

hmmm, forethought and enjoyment - another sentient creature exhibiting intelligence and emotion...