Category: General News

General News

Death dance in the EU!

 

Greece

 

Guardian Bild Greece

Guardian has made a bitter satyr about Greece.
The country has just paid the third package of debt to its slave holder, the EU, and dances a grotesque death dance.
In the background we can see some figures, Greek citizens, who are also depicted with skulls.
They are the victims of the exploitation, the financial slaves from a dictatorship of incompetent and corrupt oligarchs, the EU, wich for years and years has bled off this country under the “code name” of the austerity measures.

My best regards, Venus

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2018/aug/20/martin-rowson-on-greece-exiting-austerity-cartoon

 

 

Farm Animals, General News

Eid al-Adha (The Feast of Sacrifice) Begins Today -21/8.

Eid al-Adha 2018 will begin in the evening of Tuesday 21 August and ends in the evening of Saturday 25 August

 Eid 4

Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى‎, translit. ʿīd al-ʾaḍḥā, lit. ‘Feast of the Sacrifice’, [ʕiːd ælˈʔɑdˤħæː]), also called the “Festival of Sacrifice“, is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year (the other being Eid al-Fitr), and considered the holier of the two. It honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command. Before Abraham could sacrifice his son, God provided a ram to sacrifice instead. In commemoration of this, an animal is sacrificed and divided into three parts: one third of the share is given to the poor and needy; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is retained by the family.

Eid 1

Eid 2

Eid 3

Eid 6

 

 

 

 

 

Environmental, General News

USA: Court sides with NRDC on Keystone XL.

USA

 

NRDC

Dear Mark,

BREAKING: Siding with NRDC, a federal judge just ruled that President Trump’s State Department unlawfully cut corners when approving the cross-border permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

The State Department attempted to fast-track its environmental review of the pipeline’s new route in Nebraska — but the court stopped this backdoor deal in its tracks, ordering the agency to go back and conduct a more robust assessment before pipeline construction begins.

This court ruling is a huge win for NRDC and activists like you who have been fighting tirelessly to stop this dangerous pipeline — and for the landowners and Tribal Nation members whose water and environment would be forever threatened by this reckless tar sands oil project.

But we must stay vigilant to ensure that this climate-wrecking pipeline never moves forward.

Last year, tens of thousands of activists like you barraged Trump’s former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with letters of opposition — and now we must do the same with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Send Secretary Pompeo a message now and tell him to stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline once and for all!

You might remember that President Obama’s administration actually stopped the Keystone XL pipeline from moving forward. Under President Obama, the State Department concluded that the pipeline was just too dangerous — to our environment and climate, to local communities and tribes, and to wildlife. But under President Trump, the State Department — no surprise — reversed course and has been attempting to revive this project from day one of the administration.

The Keystone XL pipeline would carry up to 830,000 barrels of dirty tar sands oil each day from Canada’s boreal forest through America’s heartland, threatening land, climate, and drinking water supplies for farmers, ranchers, Indigenous people, and other communities along its route.

And this pipeline would keep us rooted in the dirty fossil fuels of the past instead of moving us toward a clean energy future.

Enough is enough — Keystone XL is all risk and absolutely no reward.

Tell Secretary Pompeo to slam the door on this monstrous fossil fuel project for good!

This is just part of the Trump administration’s full-court press to destroy protections for our environment and our climate. We’re fighting back against efforts to dismantle the groundbreaking Clean Power Plan, roll back lifesaving clean car standards, bail out dirty coal and nuclear power plants, weaken endangered species protections and clean drinking water standards, and the list goes on.

Today, I’m asking for your help to send Trump and his allies a message loud and clear: we will not allow them to get away with this. We will not watch them destroy everything we hold dear. And we will continue fighting back with everything we have.

Please make your voice heard now.

I hope I can count on you to stand with us in the weeks and months ahead — and thank you, as always, for everything you do.

Sincerely,

Rhea Suh
President, NRDC  NRDC

Farm Animals, General News

New Zealand: A Battery Farm for Beef.

NZ

 

No grass; no shelter;
no way to treat an animal.

 

HELP US END FEEDLOTS

 

 

Cattle confined to tiny barren pens, no opportunity to graze and no access to shelter. Paddocks stacked full of cattle extend off into the distance. A battery farm for beef.

It sounds like a scene from the American Midwest, but this is not America. This is Aotearoa.

New footage shows up to 19,000 cattle confined in dirt-covered pens in New Zealand’s biggest feedlot in Ashburton, Canterbury. This is factory farming on an immense scale. With it comes significant animal suffering. Cattle are denied the opportunity to graze, forced to compete for unfamiliar food and lack access to shelter.

The footage from SAFE, shot high above the facility with a Farmwatch drone, was released last night on RNZ’s Checkpoint. This is a dark reality of modern farming that NZ Beef & Lamb is keeping hidden away behind their bold marketing imagery. Their spokesperson on the programme was keen to downplay the existence of these factory farms.

The feedlot exposé sparked hundreds of online comments expressing shock and outrage. Kiwis reject factory farming.

 

NZ Feedlot

Cattle will normally choose to graze for eight hours a day. When confined to a feedlot these animals cannot express this normal grazing behaviour. They become bored and bullying is common, with some cattle struggling to access food due to interference from more aggressive animals. Lack of shelter leaves them exposed to cold rain and wind, and unable to escape the hot sun, which breaches the Animal Welfare Act. Unfamiliar food can cause digestive problems like bloating and diarrhoea. Cattle can spend up to four months suffering in this way – and it is unacceptable!

 

This is the American industrialisation of beef farming.

 

ADD YOUR VOICE TO STOP THIS

 

 

Feedlots are a so-called ‘finishing operation’ where cattle go to be ‘fattened up’ before being served as food. The meat is sold as premium beef, on the shelves of your local supermarkets and in restaurants. Other feedlots are used before shipping animals overseas for the live export trade.

The virulent spread of feedlots in New Zealand shows that our country is moving towards damaging intensification of the beef industry. And it’s not just the cattle who suffer. We all pay the price for the environmental damage caused by animal farming.

This industrialised farming practice intensifies agriculture’s environmental footprint. With no opportunity for grass to grow, food has to be grown elsewhere and delivered by truck, and animal waste builds up in the small space. More cattle create more damage, impacting our fragile ecosystems.

This is not the environment we want to see in New Zealand.

But there is a solution.

Our Government can put an end to this. Environment Minister Hon David Parker can choose to end feedlots, by including them in his National Policy Statement on freshwater. Use your voice to ask him to act urgently on this matter.

 

Send the Minister an email urging him to end feedlots for the sake of animals and our environment.

 

HELP US END FEEDLOTS

 

 

Together we can stop this!

For the animals

 
Marianne Macdonald
Head of Campaigns
Environmental, General News

England: You Must Be Nuts ! – Know Your Vitamins To Keep Your Body Healthy.

England

vit1

Know your vitamins.

We found this very useful – especially if you adhere to a specific type of diet such as veggie or Veganism.

All the following is reproduced from ‘Medical News Today’ but we have tailored it for veggie and vegan diets only-  if you are a meat eater then please go to the following link for an aid.  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/195878.php?sr

We hope that you find it of assistance so that you can top up your animal friendly diet with additional foods that will help your body.

 

Vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble.

Fat-soluble vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the fatty tissues of the body and the liver. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble. These are easier to store than water-soluble vitamins, and they can stay in the body as reserves for days, and sometimes months.

Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed through the intestinal tract with the help of fats, or lipids.

Water-soluble vitamins

Water-soluble vitamins do not stay in the body for long. The body cannot store them, and they are soon excreted in urine. Because of this, water-soluble vitamins need to be replaced more often than fat-soluble ones.

Vitamin C and all the B vitamins are water soluble.

 

vit2

Vitamin A

Chemical names: Retinol, retinal, and four carotenoids, including beta carotene.

·         It is fat soluble.

·         Deficiency may cause night-blindness and keratomalacia, an eye disorder that results in a dry cornea.

·         Good sources include:  broccoli, sweet potato, butter, kale, spinach, pumpkin, collard greens, some cheeses, egg, apricot, cantaloupe melon..

 

Vitamin B

Chemical name: thiamine.

·         It is water soluble.

·         Deficiency may cause beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

·         Good sources include: yeast, cereal grains, sunflower seeds, brown rice, whole-grain rye, asparagus, kale, cauliflower, potatoes, oranges..

 

Vitamin B2

Chemical name: Riboflavin

·         It is water soluble

·         Deficiency may cause ariboflavinosis

·         Good sources include: asparagus, bananas, persimmons, okra, chard, cottage cheese, and green beans

 

Vitamin B3

Chemical names: Niacin, niacinamide

·         It is water soluble.

·         Deficiency may cause pellagra, with symptoms of diarrhea, dermatitis, and mental disturbance.

·         Good sources include: avocados, dates, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, asparagus, nuts, whole-grains, legumes, mushrooms, and brewer’s yeast.

 

vit3

Vitamin B5

Chemical name: Pantothenic acid

·         It is water soluble.

·         Deficiency may cause paresthesia, or “pins and needles.”

·         Good sources include: whole-grains (milling may remove it), broccoli, avocados.

 

Vitamin B6

Chemical names: Pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, pyridoxal

·         It is water soluble.

·         Deficiency may cause anemia, peripheral neuropathy, or damage to parts of the nervous system other than the brain and spinal cord.

·         Good sources include: bananas, whole-grains, vegetables, and nuts.

 

Vitamin B7

Chemical name: Biotin

·         it is water soluble.

·         Deficiency may cause dermatitis or enteritis, or inflammation of the intestine.

·         Good sources include: some vegetables.

 

Vitamin B9

Chemical names: Folic acid, folinic acid

·         It is water soluble.

·         Deficiency during pregnancy is linked to birth defects. Pregnant women are encouraged to supplement folic acid for the entire year before becoming pregnant.

·         Good sources include: leafy vegetables, legumes, baker’s yeast, some fortified grain products, and sunflower seeds. Several fruits have moderate amounts, as does beer.

 

vit4

Vitamin B12

Chemical names: Cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, methylcobalamin

·         It is water soluble.

·         Deficiency may cause megaloblastic anemia, a condition where bone marrow produces unusually large, abnormal, immature red blood cells.

·         Good sources include: fortified cereals and soy products, as well as fortified nutritional yeast.

Vegans are advised to take B12 supplements.

 

Vitamin C

Chemical name: Ascorbic acid

·         It is water soluble.

·         Deficiency may cause megaloblastic anemia.

·         Good sources include: fruit and vegetables. The Kakadu plum and the camu camu fruit have the highest vitamin C contents of all foods.

Vitamin D

Chemical names: Ergocalciferol, cholecalciferol.

·         It is fat soluble.

·         Deficiency may cause rickets and osteomalacia, or softening of the bones.

·         Good sources: Exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) through sunlight or other sources causes vitamin D to be produced in the skin. Also found in mushrooms.

 

Vitamin E

Chemical names: Tocopherols, tocotrienols

·         It is fat soluble.

·         Deficiency is uncommon, but it may cause hemolytic anemia in newborns. This is a condition where blood cells are destroyed and removed from the blood too early.

·         Good sources include: Kiwi fruit, almonds, avocado, nuts, leafy green vegetables, unheated vegetable oils, wheat germ, and whole-grains.

 

Vitamin K

Chemical names: Phylloquinone, menaquinones

·         It is fat soluble.

·         Deficiency may cause bleeding diathesis, an unusual susceptibility to bleeding.

·         Good sources include: leafy green vegetables, avocado, kiwi fruit. Parsley contains a lot of vitamin K.

 

vit5

General News

Views of a vacation.

I’ve never been to South America, and I did not want to fly there.
Some acquaintances had promised me that they had a colony of native monkeys in their garden, so I was immediately curious.
The house was ca. 50 kilometers outside of Sao Paulo, which means for the South American standards, a pure odyssey this journey.
I waited two days for the monkeys, but there were only occasional sporadic appearances of them.
And then … on my mobile phone I got the message of a good friend who lives in the neighboring country of Paraguay, that in his mother’s house a large roaring monkey colony had formed, with more than 10 animals, young and old.

It should be the howler monkeys that live only in Paraguay.

Caraya_Schwarz

The trip to Brazil was over, I came to Paraguay on the third day.
Again with a travel odyssey of more than 60 kilometers drive outside the capital, Asuncion.
The friend’s mother was 82, and came from the area. She had three cats, two of which were emaciated, and had eye infections and illnesses.
She fed her with food leftovers, which is normal for the prevailing mentality.

The monkey colony was big, indeed!
The animals came to the trees only when it was warm, and they came out very often, because that winter had very pleasant temperatures there.

Beobachtend

I spent a lot of time rehearsing our ancestors, I found everyone very interesting.
The locals had already noticed the animals, but the only interest in them was whether they could eat the animals.
The colony consisted of 10 people, small, medium and large.
The boss was a black man with a dominant voice and statue who all threatened to come close to the family.
Some female monkeys had recently been recruited and therefore did not come down.
In the garden there were plenty of bananas, mangos, passion fruit, oranges … it was a beautiful garden. I have not offered any animal any of this. They should stay on top of the trees, and not come into direct contact with the other monkeys the “Naked Monkeys”.

Blondes_Affenbaby

Playing together was the most important part of their life. They used their tail as a hedge around the branches, and could hang like that for minutes while eating some fruit at the same time.
I did not manage to trick anybody until the last day.
I hid between the bamboos to take pictures of them, but they discovered me immediately, and the reward was an outstretched tongue!! I came from the back to take pictures of the whole family but the boss immediately put his fists to his chest and said, “Huh, huh, huh ..” signals that I should leave his family alone.
In the country you can see many dogs and cats, they are free and do not belong to anyone.
They live with humans, but not together with humans.
The only difference I could see with other countries was, that the animals in Paraguay are not directly mistreated, like in Spain or Greece (where I was).
They feed them with scraps of food when they have them, and the animals sleep next to the road, or in some stable. Nobody cares about them when they get sick. But nowhere have I observed a direct mistreatment of pets.

The only animals that live tethered in Paraguay are the cows. In the sun, in the rain, in the wind. All cows that are in the meadows are tethered. In the evening they are moved, the owners bring them to the stable. I asked why they do it this way: “otherwise they will be stolen, and we need our cows, they are our capital,” was the answer.
I started from the first day with the treatment of domestic cats. One had to get antibiotics, the other worming cure, and both eye drops. The old woman (and owner of the cats) could not understand that. She did not help, she did not want to know why I did it.
We were separated with universes in our principles and empathy about animals.

Schwarzer_Chef

I discovered a dirty chicken coop late, at the end of the property, where there were two specially bred chickens. For meat.
They could not walk, they had no feather around half the body and both had signs of cannibalism at the back of their heads.
When I asked the woman, “why don`t you let them out? You have 2 hectares of land here”. She replied,” I’m scared that the neighbors will steal them from me. ”
“But everyone has chickens here, and even free,” I said.
“Yes, but these are special chickens, they have good meat,” she said.
“And who slaughters them?” I asked.
“Myself” !!!

One hour before I left, I left the door of the chicken coop open. And a note on it saying, “Un regalo para tus prisioneros, segnora” (A poison for your prisoners, segnora).

I will remember for a long time my short friendship with the monkeys, with the three cats, with the two captive chickens …
I’m very worried about how they are.
Today and here I think: we have no right to claim that we have evolved when when we treat animals like slaves.
The fact that we are no longer living on the trees does not make us a better race and does not prove any development in the morale and logic of our species. We have remained arrogant, cruel and brutal about living together with other beings.
We are just the “nude monkeys” and nothing more.

With my best regards to all, Venus

https://flic.kr/s/aHskGySy99

 

Environmental, General News, Hunting

USA (Alaska): Guns and Wolves: How Hunting Culture Has Plundered America’s Last Wild Frontier.

USA

 

Guns and Wolves: How Hunting Culture Has Plundered America’s Last Wild Frontier.

 

guns and wolves

By Denise Boehler

Grey wolves. Grizzly bears, black bears, brown bears. All are living in ecosystems on more than 95 million acres of Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuges (funded by American taxpayers) and Denali National Park, wandering, romping and bearing young on the last wild frontier.

It’s a magical place: the mere mention of Alaska evokes imagery of wild wolves and majestic bears. At one time, people visited and relocated there just to be in their midst. That’s been changing, however, since the early 1990s, when the Alaska Board of Game (Board) began implementing aggressive predator policies that blame predators for only doing what nature intended. By taking as many predators out of the ecosystem as is arguably sustainable through increasingly efficient and often unfair hunting practices, the Board aims to boost moose and caribou populations for indigenous and out-of-state trophy hunters, bringing millions of dollars into the state. These policies are much debated; conservationists see other explanations than over-predation for reduced prey populations. In the meantime, Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuges are becoming game farms, in the words of Alaskan biologist Francis Mauer.

Alaska received statehood in 1958. At the time, the federal government created a mandate for conservation of wildlife as its highest priority through the passage of the Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act (ANILCA). Alaskan governors, the Board and out-of-state trophy hunters have had a different priority: Economics. Disregard for the federal mandate and moves toward state control have given rise to not only the question of states’ rights versus federal authority, but a mentality of treating some of the last of this country’s apex predators as an inexhaustible resource. The adoption of these policies is an ongoing controversy, replete with politics and indigenous rights issues, legal arguments and conservation challenges. In the meantime, apex predators are in the literal crosshairs each time a governor appoints a Board member, a Board resolution is signed or a policy enacted.

It can be disheartening to realize that the Board itself is comprised of hunters and those with vested hunting interests. At least one of the members, Vice-Chair Nate Turner, is an owner of an outfitting company directly profiting each time a decision is made to increase bag limits, allow aerial hunting or look the other way when wolf pups are lethally removed from dens. While these specific practices may not bring in direct revenue for Mr. Turner’s company, they are part and parcel of the domination of economics over conservation.

Turner is joined by Chairman Ted Spraker, lifetime NRA member and member of Safari Club International, a proud sponsor of HJRes 69 (a measure stripping Alaska’s right to manage fish and wildlife on federal refuges). Many Alaskans feel that the consumptive makeup of the Board is directly responsible for the increasingly aggressive predator control policies. With none of its members coming from the ecotourism industry that reveres animals as sentient beings, this constitution treats Alaska’s apex predators as animals to be consumed, not conserved. All of its seven members appointed by the governor adhere to this philosophy.

Must Alaska resort to consuming its wildlife to survive? One need only point to the $2 billion annual income in the ecotourism industry, nearly twice the revenue generated from the trophy hunting industry, to answer in the negative. Why, then, do they not support the viewing of wolves and bears from tour buses and the revenue derived from tourism and honor the federal mandate of conservation?

Again, the answer for some Alaskans is simple: The Board consists of hunters. Their philosophies (and conflicts of interest) supersede the conservation priority. Grizzly bears, black bears, brown bears, grey wolves, are resources. Wealthy trophy hunters pay outfitters handsome sums to take the life of a grizzly (wolves are free, if they are trotting through a hunter’s crosshairs).

Vice-Chairman Turner’s company, Turners Alaskan Adventures, enjoys receiving $6,000 to $14,500 for the life of a grizzly bear, depending upon if it is alone or in the company of a moose. For the lives of three black bears, one can expect to pay $14,500. For the life of a brown bear, checks are written from $23,500 – $29,000, depending upon the days out in the bush.

All of the Board members’ terms remain active, which means that for now, Alaska’s apex predators will continue to be held in the crosshairs and in peril. While these aggressive predator control policies persist, it is not unsurprising to see individuals acting out this philosophy for all to witness. This past winter, in a malicious act of violence, a disturbing image made public of a clearly triumphant masked man with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle held high over his head, posing behind the carcasses of ten grey wolves gunned down just outside Denali National Park. It begs the question, was this man acting on his own volition, or was he supported by Alaska’s aggressive anti-predator culture at large?

 

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

England: Introducing the Brilliant SPANA – Helping the Working Animals of the World.

England

SPANA Logo

https://spana.org/about-us/history

 

SPANA 2

Countless families across the world depend on horses, mules, donkeys, camels and oxen for their livelihoods – and sometimes even their lives. These hardworking animals are the backbone of many societies, yet their lives can be short and involve great suffering. Working day after day in extreme temperatures, often with poor harnessing, little food and no veterinary care when they are sick or injured, many working animals endure constant pain.

We believe the fortunes of working animals and people go hand in hand.

That’s why we deliver practical support that improves the lives of working animals alongside the communities that depend on them.

 

Our Mission

To improve the welfare of working animals in the world’s poorest communities.

We do this through treatment, training and teaching. We TREAT by providing free veterinary care when animals suffer or when emergencies strike.

We TRAIN by building expertise among vets and promoting humane care by animal owners. We TEACH children to develop positive beliefs, respect and compassion towards animals.

 

Visit the SPANA website – https://spana.org/

Contact – https://spana.org/contact-us

Head Office – London; England.

 

Environmental, General News

19/8 – Is World Orangutan Day. Take Action For These Amazing Primates.

International Orangutan Day
August 19th- Every Year!

To recognize the most iconic victim of the palm oil industry, International Orangutan Day has been set for August 19th, EVERY YEAR! This event is to help encourage the public to take action in preserving this amazing species.

http://www.worldorangutanevents.org/international-orangutan-day.php

 

 hang with us

 

General News

USA: Coalition to ban horse drawn carriages – News and Actions.

USA

horse carriage on ground

Coalition to ban horse drawn carriages

 

HORSE SENSE:  8/18/18

 

NYC PRIMARY DAY

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

 

Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages   www.banhdc.org
Horses Without Carriages International     www.horseswithoutcarriages.org

 

Our campaign is dedicated to banning the inhumane, unsafe, anachronistic and hack line

horse-drawn carriage trade in NYC and elsewhere. 

We need a total ban, not a “compromise” that will doom the horses to a life of misery. 
Please donate to our campaign.
We do not need much money since we do this proudly for free – it is a labor of love and compassion  – but we could use help with flyers, posters, this newsletter and our website. We also donate to equine rescues and to groups in other cities that want to make a difference.  We strongly feel that we are all in this together.  You will always get the truth here because we have no conflicts of interest and do not have to genuflect to anyone  – either because of business or political dealings.  With our years of experience with this issue going back to the 1990s, we are not hesitant to speak out. Thanks to all of you who have donated.  It is very much appreciated.
TRUTH not POLITICS!

PRIMARY DAY IN NEW YORK STATE is

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018. 

Please beware this is an exception to the rule, which would have been Tuesday, September 11th.  Albany lawmakers decided to change it this year from September 11th because of the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

We have our political beliefs like most of you, but this newsletter focuses on the carriage horse issue in New York City and elsewhere — not politics unless they are related. 

We are asking you to support Tony Avella, a Democrat,  who is running for reelection to the State Senate.  Volunteer, Donate,

or if you are in his district

VOTE FOR HIM! 

SEE BELOW for how you can directly help!

Please share this newsletter with friends and colleagues

and those who live in his district in Queens.   

 

HORSE SENSE:  8/18/18

NYC PRIMARY DAY

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

 

Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages   www.banhdc.org
Horses Without Carriages International     www.horseswithoutcarriages.org

 

Our campaign is dedicated to banning the inhumane, unsafe, anachronistic and hack line

horse-drawn carriage trade in NYC and elsewhere. 

We need a total ban, not a “compromise” that will doom the horses to a life of misery. 
Please donate to our campaign.
We do not need much money since we do this proudly for free – it is a labor of love and compassion  – but we could use help with flyers, posters, this newsletter and our website. We also donate to equine rescues and to groups in other cities that want to make a difference.  We strongly feel that we are all in this together.  You will always get the truth here because we have no conflicts of interest and do not have to genuflect to anyone  – either because of business or political dealings.  With our years of experience with this issue going back to the 1990s, we are not hesitant to speak out. Thanks to all of you who have donated.  It is very much appreciated.
TRUTH not POLITICS!

 

 

PRIMARY DAY IN NEW YORK STATE is

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018. 

 

Please beware this is an exception to the rule, which would have been Tuesday, September 11th.  Albany lawmakers decided to change it this year from September 11th because of the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

 

We have our political beliefs like most of you, but this newsletter focuses on the carriage horse issue in New York City and elsewhere — not politics unless they are related. 

We are asking you to support Tony Avella, a Democrat,  who is running for reelection to the State Senate.  Volunteer, Donate,

or if you are in his district

VOTE FOR HIM! 

SEE BELOW for how you can directly help!

 

Please share this newsletter with friends and colleagues

and those who live in his district in Queens.   

 

Tony Avella, a Democrat from Queens,  has been in the State Senate since 2010.  He has been a very hard worker for his constituents and deserves to be reelected.  Prior to that, he was a NYC Council Member.  In 2007, while in the Council, he introduced the first-ever bill to ban horse-drawn carriages.  After the 2006 death of Spotty, a young carriage horse,  which was the impetus to create our Coalition, Tony introduced a ‘better regulations” bill.  We told him we could not support it because it was time to get rid of this inhumane, exploitative and unsafe business.  Not happy, but also smart, he studied the situation and in 2007, he introduced the bill to ban the industry.  While it got some support, its real value was to put the issue on the map.

 

While in the State Senate, Tony has been involved with many progressive, animal/ environmental issues – he is often the go-to person in the Senate to introduce a bill.  These include,

 

– a state bill to ban the horse carriage business in NYC

– prohibit the importation of animal trophies of the Big African 5 species (once called

Cecil’s law)

– Protection of Mute Swans

– property tax breaks for co-op and condo owners

– establishing early voting

– waiting periods for firearm purchases until background checks are completed

– discounted fees for seniors for driver’s licenses

– protecting mute swans

-spearheading the fight against high volume horizontal hydrofracking (fracking.)

– paid family leave

– medical marijuana

 

This is a link to the issues in which Tony has been involved.  Click here. 

 

This is the campaign website where you can see Tony’s accomplishments!

Tony joined with several other Democrats to create the Independent Democratic Conference. (IDC)  Some party line Democrats were furious.  While lies are being put out about these Democrats – the fact is they never caucused with Republicans.  The IDC,  which dissolved in April 2018, was an independent conference of Democrats that conferenced amongst their own members and voted for their own leader.  By focusing on working in a bipartisan manner, the IDC was successful in getting many democratic priorities passed like Paid Family Leave, Medical Marijuana, Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility and the SAFE Act (gun regulations) to name a few.
The people who are spewing these lies and “alternative facts” are the types of people who supported a Democratic State Assemblyman who would not support the ban carriage horse bill in the State legislature and would not listen to our arguments in a meeting. It is all about party loyalty – not what is right.  

Democrats have a habit of eating their own and by not supporting a solid candidate likeTony Avella, this district could easily go back to being Republican.

HISTORY

In the interest of full disclosure, I would like to say a few things about my political affiliations.  I am a progressive social and economic justice advocate, an animal activist and a registered Democrat.  NYC is a Democratic city and registering as a Democrat allows one to have a more effective voice in the primary.  I also much prefer the national Democrat party.  This is the party of Franklin Roosevelt who brought us Social Security and the New Deal; Lyndon Johnson  – the Civil Rights Act; Voting Rights Act; many social welfare programs – etc. etc. etc.

The IDC was dissolved earlier this year.  But party line Democrats want to punish Tony Avella and anyone who was part of the IDC.  (again eating their own) They are working to defeat him in the primary by putting up John Liu, a former NYC Council Member, Comptroller and candidate for Mayor in 2013.  Party loyalty is very important to the Democrats and led by bossman Joe Crowley, congressman, and head of the Queens Democrat party, they originally put up Liu against Avella several years ago.   Crowley is the one who was defeated by the young progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

John Liu is not your go-to guy for animal or environmental issues.  He never supported the carriage horse bill when it was in the City Council.  When he ran for mayor, he wanted to come across as a man of the people and spoke about working with his mother in sweatshops as a kid.  I guess he did not tell his mother and when she was asked about it, said it was not true – he had a middle-class upbringing – no sweatshops.

Personally, I am very disappointed in Empire State Indivisible.  I would have volunteered with them since I like their progressive politics. But they are just as partisan and dishonest as many others and are so desperate, they have gotten behind John LIu in their effort.   NO CRITICAL THINKING!

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP SENATOR TONY AVELLA

 

 — Donate — Every dollar helps – Click here.

 — Volunteer — phone banking, hand out flyers, door to door

            CONTACT – DAN LEVIN, campaign manager
            phone: 718-500-6034

            e-mail:  tonyavellafornewyork@gmail.com

 

 

 

KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT!

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Please read our many articles from the Dodo, One Green Planet and our blog. 

Please read our past newsletters about this issue  –

click on the names below

Past newsletters 

July 8, 2018

 

STEAMY HOT SUMMER FOR CARRIAGE HORSES – FOCUS ON ATLANTA

 

June 19,  2018

GLOBAL CAMPAIGNS TO BAN HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES – Update

 

April 15, 2018

PUBLIC SAFETY: ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS TO BAN HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES

 

April 8, 2018

COMMON PROBLEM: CARRIAGE HORSE LAWS DO NOT GET ENFORCED

 

April 1, 2018

WHY A BAN ON HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES IS THE ONLY ANSWER

 

February 4, 2018

 

A ban will never happen for the carriage horses if you sell your soul for a quick win.  Real activists do not give up.  Real activists also read and learn about horses and their needs.  Real activists also read and learn about legislation.  They do not rely on some questionable organizations to tell them what to do. 

 

 

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KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER