 Thanks to pressure from PETA, Nabisco has changed their image of animals on the box of Animal Crackers. After years of protesting the horrors of animals in circuses, laws have been changed to prevent them being used for entertainment. About time. As well, no longer will the animals on the box of Barnum's Animals Crackers be in bars - the packaging has been redesigned to show animals as they should be - wild and free.
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 I find all of the amazement surrounding beautiful Koko (who passed in her sleep at 46 years old) so offensive. Why are people amazed animals have feelings? Why are they surprised they can communicate? Why are people surprised that Koko loved? When humans begin to understand that all animals care, communicate, interact, love, feel sorrow....only then will humans understand the tragic unfolding of what we are doing to this earth and their species.
The WWF announced that mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish have declined by 58% between 1970 and 2012. That's what humans should be amazed about. Looking into the eyes of this beautiful gorilla, we should see nothing else but a reflection of disappointment, embarrassment, and sorrow for our lack of understanding and compassion to the world we live in and the animals that unfortunately share it with us.  Everyone loves a circus - except the animals that are in them - Thanks to Andrew Cuomo who signed a bill into law that prohibits elephants in entertainment this practice will go extinct in 2019. So come on UniverSoul - you make claims on your website of your humanitarian efforts - well that should apply to animals as well.
Let your elephants and tigers live out their lives in appropriate sanctuaries and let your audience enjoy the acts of your performers. This is your time to shine rather than tarnish.... That line came from a favorite song of my dad's - Sixteen Tons by Merle Travis - and it was that song which came to me after preparing syrup to help my bees grow stronger for this coming winter.
My bees, along with many hives in my area this year, had a terrible time of it. Little brood, lack of food, rainy spring - along with a host of reasons why they didn't do well from the local folks. Yet, just like Merle Travis wrote that song for the miners who kept canaries as their signal for the air quality in the mines, I do believe the bees are our signal that things are not good. And yes, each day we ignore the earth, blazing on with drilling oil, fracking and the like and all the while digging ourselves and our children deeper in debt. A chilling line from the song is, "I owe my soul to the company store." Do we owe our souls to the companies who cut through preserved land for oil, for the politicians who turn deaf ears to the scientists' heeds of global warming, and for the ever mighty stock dollar that must grow despite the tell-tale signs we all see each day? I know the outlook for my bees this year is not good. I will feed them, wrap them, and watch the hive as the winter bears down upon us, hoping they will survive but knowing they probably won't. Then, in the Spring, when hope is budding and the birds are singing, I will start all over again with a new hive, new bees, a new Queen and a renewed sense of hope. Hope this year they will do better and hope that we are, indeed, not too deep in debt that Mother Earth can't find someway to forgive us. Enjoy Sixteen Tons here  He's a rooster - or was. Most people eat chicken once or twice a day so losing a rooster shouldn't be a big deal in the scheme of things - but it was.
When you share your life with an animal you begin to understand them. Barney crowed at strangers before the dogs barked. He kept a good watch out for his flock. He could always be seen leading the way across the lawn or back to the coop with the setting sun. When his flagship crow began to diminish I knew something was wrong. In spite of my husband's misgivings, I brought him to the vet and then we began to give Barney a daily dosage of antibiotics. At first he seemed to come back a bit but alas, it wasn't to be. I watched him slow and soon I knew it would be any day. I thought of bringing him into the house - in a box, on a towel, warm and cozy but I knew if and when it was my time to go, there would be no where else I'd rather be than in my own house. So that's where Barney stayed, in his coop, and that's where he passed. When I picked him up to place him in the box that I would bury him in, I cried. And it may sound silly, and he may only be a chicken, but in my lifetime I saw him live the way chickens and roosters are meant to be - grazing on grass, ruling a flock, crowing at the morning sun. So maybe my tears aren't so much for Barney, who had a beautiful life, perhaps they are for all the many roosters and chickens that never will. On April 10th, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a state budge that included a $5 million funding force designated as the Companion Animal Capital Fund, that provides independent humane societies, SPCAs, and nonprofit and municipal shelters with matching grants for capital projects. This is great news for many of the shelters that are in desperate need of repairs. Remember your local shelters when throwing out blankets and newspapers, as many times these are needed items. Get involved with your local shelters, become a foster home or simply foster a dog or cat by giving a small monthly donation. Even $5 a month helps feed these animals that would have no where else to go if it wasn't for these wonderful facilities. Here in Westchester, a big shout out to the SPCA who continues to amaze the community with their passion and caring of animals.   If you don't know your congress person or senator, now is a good time to do some research. Coming in with the new administration are a number of men and women who will have the ability to command great damage on our earth and the animals, fish, and insects that inhabit it.
Do you know the Mycenaeans, the Aksumites, or the Minoans? Probably not as these civilizations are all gone. If we believe that we can continue to wreak havioc on this earth with no consequences, perhaps we may face the same fate as these long-gone tribes. Today, now, is the time for everyone to become more involved. To believe your voice does not matter, is to accept defeat. Call your senator, sign petitions, get involved and get loud.Ghandi was one voice that turned into millions, changing the future forever. Bees are like the canaries of the coal mines - they tell our future. Now is the time to continue our quest for renwable energy, now is the time for conservation of our rescourses, now is the time because tomorrow...we might very well be out of time. "There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed...." Gautama Buddha   Nothing is quite as hard as saying goodbye to a loved pet and when that time arrives, we want to do it with dignity and love. The bigger the animal, however, the harder that becomes. So when it was time for Luke, my llama, to make the transition from this world to the next, I was faced with the difficult decision of how to go about providing him as much dignity and grace at the end of his life as he showed me during his time with us.
The good folks at Connecticut Horse Cremation made a difficult day bearable. They were filled with love and compassion, treating me and Luke like old friends that had a special place in their heart. Talking about end of life for our pets is hard, but having someone to help transition that moment makes all the difference in the world. Connecticut Horse Cremation - Jeff 860-881-7802 or Dom 860-881-7823 - Located in Connecticut but travel just about anywhere A new bill being proposed in NY would make it illegal to use “wild or exotic animals for public entertainment or amusement.”
Elephants, tigers, lions, and monkeys are among the wild animals that would be banned from performing in the city thanks to the support of City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez Ringling Brothers should be ashamed trying to defend using these animals in their shows and should take lessons from acts like Circus du Soleil who do not use animals in their shows. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey - Elephants, bears, giraffes, lions, tigers, monkeys and the rest don't belong in your show - they belong in nature's - wild and free   It nearly broke my heart when Montreal's mayor jumped to the conclusion that Pit Bulls needed to be banned. And I wasn't the only one. Cries from all over could be heard, defending perhaps the most misunderstood breed of dog, ever.
Dogs learn from humans. Bad humans raise bad dogs. Bad humans don't however, control an entire breed. Here's somethings you may not know about pit bulls: * They are very eager to please people * They excel at agility *They are super loyal (Can you see why some of their best traits are also attractive to using them for fighting?" *They are great with children (1st picture above is a friend of ours in Florida - 2nd photo is, of course, Pete from The Little Rascals *They are playful *They love people *They love to cuddle Don't let unfounded fears, public misunderstanding, and brutal dog fighting rings cloud your understanding of what the Pit Bull Breed really is - they are loving dogs that deserve to be treated as such. |
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