August 23, 2008

I apologize for the delay in sending out the latest online newsletter of The Animals Voice. Due to economic times, The Animals Voice has had to severely reduce its production — and now its voice on the world stage has been narrowed down to one person, the person who founded it some 22 years ago. Yes, it's me: Laura Moretti. I am currently the design, production, administration, supervision, networking, correspondence, and every other function of The Animals Voice. So please bear with me.

I've begun this solitary task by first redesigning The Animals Voice web site (which you may have already noticed; at least, I hope you have). Next, I'm getting the hang of this online newsletter production (tell me what you think). Then I plan to focus on expanding the web site (I'm sitting on thousands of photographs and hundreds of pages of editorial so my workload is impressive). During this time, please excuse me for not being able to reply to emails as timely as you and I would hope, nor to take any phone calls. Still, I'm here via email 24/7 and I'd love to have your input: send me your calendar events, your action alerts, your news and noteworthy, all the photographs you choose to share with our millions-plus visitors each year, and anything else you can think of that will help me help you help animals.

That's what I've been doing for the last 30 years and what I plan to do for the next 30 (if I'm lucky, another 40). I'll keep you posted on the new changes here at Animals Voice, as well. In the meantime, herewith is a list of some of the highlights I thought important enough to share with you.

Fight the good fight.

—Laura

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

September 6: Animal Acres 2008 Gala (Los Angeles area)
September 28: Skin Trade Cabaret (Los Angeles)
October 2: World Farm Animal Day (worldwide)
October 3-5: The 23rd Annual International Compassionate Living Festival (Raleigh, North Carolina)

FEATURED LEGISLATION

Yes on Prop 2 Update
Prop 2 supporters gave testimony on the importance of ending the cruelty of battery cages, veal crates and gestation crates. And while the opposition tried heartily to make the debate a financial matter, it is undeniably an issue of compassion and basic welfare... MORE

Congress Addressing Horse Slaughter Cruelty in New Federal Legislation
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has introduced legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses for human consumption overseas, as well as the export of American horses to other countries for slaughter. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) introduced the bill, H.R. 6598, known as the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008... MORE

Track Animal Cruelty at the Department of Justice
The Animal Cruelty Statistics Act of 2008 (H.R. 6597), introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.), with Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA), requires the collection of data on all animal cruelty crimes. Research clearly demonstrates that there is a close association between animal abuse and family violence, as well as other crimes... MORE

FEATURED CAMPAIGNS

LUSH and Sea Shepherd Launch Partnership Campaign to Protect Sharks
Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd and Andrew Butler, the Global Campaigns Director for LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, launched a campaign to protect the sharks of the ocean. From the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia, Watson and Butler explained to the Australian media in attendance that the campaign was being launched in Australia for the purpose of urging the government of the state of Queensland to not proceed with a proposal to open a dedicated shark fin fishery in the waters around and in the Great Barrier Reef, a world heritage site... MORE

Animal Lives Up in Smoke
At a time when many scientists are moving away from animal experiments and embracing revolutionary developments in biotechnology, shockingly cruel, outdated, and nonsensical animal experiments continue unabated to test the effects of nicotine... MORE

FEATURED EDITORIAL

The Mouse that Roared: Sea Shepherd vs the Empire of the Rising Sun by Capt. Paul Watson
We have hurt the Japanese whaling industry. We have hurt them very badly and they are angry, extremely angry. We are beginning to receive a firestorm of political, economic, and media pressure to stop us from returning to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary to protect the whales from the illegal whaling activities of the Japanese whaling industry. The Japanese media is spewing propaganda about Sea Shepherd with fabricated stories designed to make us look like violent terrorists and criminals despite the fact that we have never injured a single person nor have we ever been sued or convicted of a felony anywhere in the world... MORE

FEATURED WEB SITES & GROUPS

The Truth About Vivisection is a web site powered by In Defense of Animals and features campaigns, FAQs, materials, and action alerts on the issues of vivisection and dissection... MORE

American Service Horse Rescue Sanctuary specializes in the rescue and retirement of government-relinquished horses and mules. The organization, co-founded by Animals Voice founder, Laura Moretti, now provides permanent haven to roughly 40 equines, including two mules who just arrived from Ft. Hood, Texas, after serving the U.S. Cavalry... MORE

FEATURED BOOKS & VIDEO

The Pleasurable Kingdom by Jonathan Balcombe. Animal pain and stress, once controversial, are now acknowledged by legislation in many countries, but there is no formal recognition of animals' ability to feel pleasure. Pleasurable Kingdom is the first book for lay-readers to present new evidence that animals — like humans — enjoy themselves... MORE

Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food by Gene Baur. Baur's book is an insightful examination of the ethical questions involved in the use of animals for food production. The book chronicles Baur's journey from selling tofu dogs at sporting events to creating the single largest farmed animal sanctuary in the nation... MORE

Rodeo Cruelty featured by SHARK. The "Superbowl of Rodeo" has been exposed for tampering and the use of hidden torture tools. SHARK captured the PRCA's top-level officials rigging the competition and violating the association's own rules at the National Finals Rodeo... MORE

FEATURED NEWS

Peta Offers to Buy SeaWorld San Diego
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals) has made an offer to buy the world famous SeaWorld aquarium in San Diego. The theme park went up for sale when its corporate parents Anheuser-Busch was bought by Belgium beer giant InBev. The new corporate parents will apparently be getting rid of its theme park assets, which include a number of SeaWorld parks... MORE

For now, feds will steer clear of California animal-rights measure
Federal officials have agreed to wait at least a month before spending any of the money they collect from egg producers on advertising against a California ballot measure that would ban the cramped caging of hens and other farm animals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture denied accusations in a lawsuit that it planned illegal political spending. But the agency said it would not spend any of the disputed funds in California until a hearing Sept. 22... MORE

Fur flies as Gwyneth Paltrow offends her animal-rights friends
Photographs of the Hollywood star draped in fox fur feature in Tod's latest advertising campaign. Animal rights activists have branded the 35-year-old — who is married to Coldplay singer and prominent vegetarian Chris Martin — as stupid and say that she should be ashamed of herself... MORE

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