-The faces of The Facebook mounted a campaign to save a ‘Gay Dog‘ from being put down by a Tennessee kill shelter. Gawker covered the story and the dog was rescued! Yay!

-Want to know your state’s animal-related laws and their penalties? The ASPCA has made it easy!

-The European Union is set to ban animal testing for cosmetics forever!

-Will 2013 be the year of ag-gag bills? Our old compatriot Susie Cagle thinks so.

-Arizona lawmaker seeks ban on awarding live animals as carnival prizes. And he’s a Republican!

-”Going Vegan in the NFL” has zero mention of ethics. Do any of these guys care about the leather they’re fumbling?

-Gross. Professional athletes are spraying deer antler velvet into their mouths to stimulate muscle growth. Ew, also.

-Dust off those passports and book your tickets: the biggest vegan festival in the world is coming to London this October! 

-Or, if you’re not up for international travels, here’s the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival lineup for 2013, and there’s more to come! How soon is March again?

And maybe those particular chickens are happy. And if they are, good for them. I hope that in addition to being protected from hawks and coyotes as Ellen worries about, they are also well cared for into their old age, just as a family cat or dog would be.

Maybe these chickens don’t dwell on the fact that their brothers, uncles, nephews, and other male relatives were virtually all killed at birth for being “useless”. Maybe they don’t dwell on the fact that many of their mothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, and other female relatives will die from lack of adequate health care, or due to dangerous housing or transport. Maybe they don’t mind that they were bred, raised, sold, and shipped as a commodity. And maybe they don’t care that humans collect and eat their equivalent to menstrual waste. (I’m just talking about rich peoples’ backyard chickens here; not even getting into the horrors that befall their factory-farmed cousins.)

And it seems a safe bet that Ellen’s neighbors’ chickens, happy or not, don’t know what veganism is. But Ellen should know better. If you don’t care how the word “vegan” is used, how it is defined, or what it connotes, then you can probably skip this post. (But then I also wonder why you’re reading a site called SuperVegan?) It’s entirely probable that Ellen is still, in balance, a positive force for lessening animal exploitation. But she’s emphatically not practicing veganism here, and doesn’t seem to be practicing critical thinking or informed common sense either. Her words here are dangerous: if viewers think she’s saying all this as a vegan, we’re running a very real risk of serious dilution of the meaning of the word.

I’m not quibbling edge-case semantics here. There are gray areas to veganism. There might even be gray areas to “vegan” people eating eggs, if, say they’re providing sanctuary for some rescued layers (though I still would never call that vegan). This doesn’t fall into any those gray areas. Is Ellen uncaring or just ignorant?

Ellen has attached herself to veganism and has acted as a spokesperson. In this role, I wish she’d either set a better example or step aside. A celebrity who eats animal products but works towards reforming factory farming can still be a force for good, and maybe that’s Ellen’s role. But an Ellen who doesn’t eat any eggs, and can explain why on national television, well, that would be even better!

In a post from “Going Vegan With Ellen” (a site I criticized when it launched, which has now been killed but had its content folded in with her main site), Ellen says

I personally chose to go vegan because I educated myself on animal cruelty. Suddenly, I realized that what was on my plate were living things, with feelings. And I just couldn’t disconnect myself from it any longer. I read books like “Diet for a New America” and saw documentaries like “Earthlings” and “Meet your Meat,” and it became an easy choice for me.

Maybe she just needs some more reading material, to realize that “happy” chickens almost always come from unhappy backgrounds, and that advocating for backyard chicken-keeping on TV is advocating for suffering, exploitation, and murder, even if it’s not of those particular birds.

Hat tip to Sarah E. Brown, who blogged about this on both Vegansaurus and her own site, for bringing this to our attention.

A picture the Mayor’s Alliance is using to solicit volunteers for pet food distribution.

OK, what are you supposed to do to help companion animals (a.k.a. pets) after Hurricane Sandy? “>resources out there Occupy Sandy probably being the best bet if you want to just show up and be put to work), and undoubtably many of these help non-humans as well as humans.

But what if you specifically want to help the animals? Here’s what I know about that seems worth knowing about:

• The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals have been maintaining a list of Resources for NYC Pet Owners Impacted by Hurricane Sandy. It’s a big page with a lot on it.
• Petfinder is doing daily roundup posts … or they were last week, and hopefully will do more this week.
• The “Hurricane Sandy Lost and Found Pets” Facebook page has well over 21,000 likes and is aggregating a lot of info and flyers (not just for NYC, either). The signal-to-noise ratio is frustrating, but you might see something useful there.
• There are innumerable smaller shelters and rescue groups that are doing great work post-Sandy. If there’s a group you like near an affected area, reach out to them and see if they need help. They may need heavy labor help, but they may also need clean up help, administrative help, short-term foster homes, donations, etc.
• Help the Mayor’s Alliance distribute pet food! Here’s the deal:
  

  We have an urgent need for volunteers to help with a crucial distribution of pet food to victims of Hurricane Sandy in New York City.

  The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, working with our partners on the Animal Planning Task Force of the NYC Office of Emergency Management, will begin distributing emergency pet food and cat litter on Monday, November 5, to NYC pet owners and animal rescue organizations impacted by the hurricane.

  Although final details about the distribution sites and times are still being developed, we anticipate the distribution sites will be at locations in areas of greatest need: Staten Island, Coney Island, the Rockaways, and Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

  While not yet confirmed, we hope to begin the distribution on Monday, November 5.

  If you are available for this effort and have access to any of the target locations, please let us know by sending an e-mail to hurricane@AnimalAllianceNYC.org.

  In your e-mail, please provide the following necessary information:

  1) Your name
  2) Your e-mail address
  3) Your phone number(s)
  4) Your days and hours of availability
  5) The location(s) from the list above at which you can be available
  6) If you have a vehicle (and access to fuel) and can transport pet food and litter

  We will get back to you with your assignment as soon as the details are confirmed.

Hopefully everyone who wants to help can find a way. And remember: if you’re donating stuff (rather than money or labor), always confirm that what you’re donating is meeting a current need. Unwanted donations are disruptive and wasteful. They’re useful only for making an ignorant donor feel good about themselves.

What’s missing? How have you been helping out? Let us know in the comments!

If you need help in the NYC metro area, call this Pet Rescue Hotline if you had to LEAVE YOUR PET BEHIND or LOST YOUR PET due to Hurricane Sandy. Does your pet need rescue? Or are you stranded w/out pet food?

Call: (347) 573-1561

This hotline is a partnership between several great groups, the ASPCA, HSUS, The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, NYC Animal Care & Control, and NYC Veterinary Emergency Response Team.

IMPORTANT! TIME CHANGE!

All dogs love peanut butter. It’s true.

Where: South West corner of 48th Street and Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Ave)
When: Thursday, December 22, from 7:30am to 8:30am.

There will be free vegetarian Ark Naturals treats (it would be vegan except for honey), and vegan peanut butter Buddy Biscuits for your pup. Plus the first 50 dog/handler teams will receive a free winter cap and K9 vest. But your dog won’t enjoy chewing the vest as much.

(Photo by Jen Ross)

As the weather gets colder, and the streets become harsher, we discovered that dogs Occupying Wall Street were in immediate need of dog boots. Also, as the outdoors become less hospitable, fleas and parasites start to gravitate towards warm bodies, and we need to stop any potential foothold that fleas and internal worms may otherwise get in such cramped camping conditions.

(Photo by Dayna R)

Darwin Animal Doctors will be at Occupy Wall Street again this Friday night, and we’ll need your help to serve the dogs everything they need! Details:

Darwin Animal Doctors Occupy Wall Street Campaign Part 2
When: Friday, November 4, 7:00pm setup, vet arrives at 7:30pm
Where: Zuccotti Park, next to the Medical tent
What to Bring: If you want to help, we have a continuing need for:
– Dog boots
– Flea/tick treatments
– De-worming medicine
– Vegan dog food
– Dog blankets
– Vaccines for dog issues like kennel cough.

If you can bring them that day, that’s great. Otherwise, if you have these items, you can email tod at darwinanimaldoctors.org to coordinate a pickup or mailing.

These animals deserve all the care we can give them, while they are in our domain!

(Photo by Dayna R)

Thanks everyone!

Of course you want one!

The Teal Cat Project is a great new fundraising/awareness-raising initiative benefitting feral cats.

The basic gist is: you donate $25. The money goes to a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) group. You get a unique teal cat sculpture in the mail. The project is a collaboration between Everyone’s Favorite Vegan Celebrity Chef (and NYC-deserter) Isa Chandra Moskowitz and fellow Omahan Denise Muller.

The first recipient organization is New York City Feral Cat Initiative–so awesome!

The cats are “upcycled” old tchotchkes. They’ve collected a ginormous colony of these vintage ceramic cats, spray-painted them teal, and given each a numbered tag. They look great, and are more unique, cheaper, and more deserving than anything similar looking you might pick up at Jonathan Adler. The website, looks great, too!

You can also help by donating cat tchotchkes or donating smaller amounts of money.

I kinda wished they’d eartipped them all, but I guess that’d be too much delicate work with ceramic cats.

I just bought mine. Go get your kitty!

This photo of a sleeping naked mole rat (by flickr user brx0) illustrates what you look like when you never leave the house.

You all follow the SuperVegan New York City Events Calendar, right? Of course you do. Thus you don’t need this blog post telling you to go look at it to find out about all these exciting things coming up in the next couple of weeks. I’m too lazy busy to get all the details in here, so you’ll have to check the calendar (and the URLs included there) for all that.

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 30, is Steve Saves Steve at the Living Room–lots of musical acts and a super vegan raffle to benefit a sick cat.

Also, tomorrow (and I think every Saturday now) is 4 Course Vegan, which if you’ve never gone, you’re really missing out.

On Sunday, May 1 is the Vegan Bake Sale for For the Animals sanctuary at Mooshoes.

On Monday, May 2, Park Slope’s V-Spot is throwing themselves a fifth anniversary party.

On Thursday, May 5, is the Pine Box Rock Shop pop-up prix-fixe for Cinco De Mayo, which looks really delicious. (The menu’s on the calendar.)

On Friday, May 6, is “Jason & Ryan’s Excellent Vegan Adventure” Pop-Up Gastronomy at New York Vintners. This one is for all you fancypants, at $95 plus tax, but damn does it look good. (Again, the menu’s on the calendar.)

On Tuesday, May 10 is that Benefit for Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support + Americares.

On Wednesday, May 11 is a Charity Clothing Swap & Vegan Bake Sale for Humane Education.

On Thursday, May 12 is Cats and Comedy: A Comedy Show Benefit for Ollie’s Place at Angels and Kings (the same spot where we throw Vegan Drinks).

On Friday, May 13 is the Veggie Prom.

And Sunday, May 15 is the NYC Veggie Pride Parade.

Phew. Get out there and have some good vegan fun!

(Are there events we’re missing? E-mail tips@supervegan.com to let us know.)

Adrien Zap with Shane. Her Picasa page features many more pictures of Shane, as well as of Dr. Sasaki, shelters, veterinary facilities, successfully and unsuccessfully rescued animals, devastated areas, and much more.

Adrien Zap is a veterinary technician currently deployed in Sendai as part of World Vets’ efforts in Japan, working alongside Japanese Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (JEARS).

Zap was also on the Haiti campaign that we helped fund through Sodopreca, and is a Darwin Animal Doctors volunteer.

She’s kind of busy these days, so this interview is an edited combination of questions she answered specifically for us and some more general material she prepared.

Big thanks to Tod Emko for facilitating this interview, and to everyone who contributed to World Vets at Vegan Drinks last week!

How large is your team? How many other teams are there?

Adrien Zap: Our team consisted of three volunteers – myself and two volunteers from Animal Friends Niigata, one of the three Japanese NGOs that comprise JEARS. Isabella Gallaon-Aoki is the founder and director of Animal Friends Niigata, and was the coordinator and translator of our trip to Sendai.

World Vets now has a Japanese-born veterinarian, Dr. Koji, who will be in Japan long-term to coordinate ongoing efforts with JEARS and Japanese animal welfare groups, and will provide direct veterinary care to animals in need. We are also collaborating with Dr. Kazumasu Sasaki, a Japanese veterinarian in Sendai, who is providing veterinary and rescue support to his community.

What types of injuries/conditions are most common amongst the rescued animals?

The most common injuries we saw were wounds associated with tsunami/earthquake debris. The animals were well-cared for prior to the disaster, were in good body condition and well fed. Dog breeds such as Shiba Inus and Akitas are also very common in Japan, and their thick warm coats helped them survive outside in the cold temperatures prior to being rescued.

The animals we worked with were either in a shelter or reunited with their families in an evacuation center.

Some of the dogs and cats at the shelter in Sendai were nervous or anxious, but it is difficult to say if that is directly related to the disaster, or due to being separated from their families and living in a shelter. Dr. Sasaki reported that he is seeing numerous animals with signs of “post-traumatic stress” in his work around the city. Human rescuers have encountered dogs and cats in the disaster area that were aggressive and difficult to approach, which again, may be due to separation from their families.

If the animals are not immediately reunited with their families, they are being cared for at the Sendai city shelter, where Dr. Sasaki can provide medical treatment if necessary. At this time, the Sendai shelter is able to accommodate all animals. However, they anticipate future need for space, food, and supplies. JEARS has arranged to help the Sendai shelter by providing food, supplies and temporary housing in the Niigata shelter if necessary. World Vets will provide items such as food, cages, and medical supplies to JEARS and Dr. Sasaki so they can care for the animals in affected areas.

Tell us about Shane
We met a man, Kamata-san, at an evacuation center in Sendai who told us a very touching story about his dog. When he heard the tsunami warning, Kamata-san rushed to warn his neighbors. He tried to get back to his house to get his dog, Shane, but the tsunami was rapidly approaching and he was forced to seek higher ground. Kamata-san told us he had given up hope of ever seeing Shane again. About 6 hours after the tsunami, Kamata-san was at the evacuation center when a man told him there was a dog outside. He went outside to look, and it was Shane!

Shane had never been to the site of the evacuation center before, but his instincts lead him there. He swam through chest-high water to reach the shelter and reunite with Kamata-san. Shane must have hung onto debris in the water, as he had wounds on both his elbows.

Dr. Sasaki showed Kamata-san how to clean the wounds and gave him antibiotics to prevent infection. We were able to leave fuel with Dr. Sasaki, so he will return to check on Shane and ensure his wounds heal.

Japan is widely hailed for its infrastructural preparedness for natural disasters. Have you seen examples of this helping animals to avoid injury or be more easily rescued? Or were animals overlooked in Japan’s disaster preparation? What could be done to better prepare for future events?

Based on my experience in Haiti after the 2010 7.0 magnitude earthquake, I feel the majority of the damage in Japan was due to the tsunami. Buildings and roads in the mainland area of Sendai (about 80 miles from the off-shore epicenter) were unaffected, but the coastal area was completely destroyed. I believe the engineering and infrastructure throughout Japan contributed to the safety of the people and animals, and significantly reduced the human and animal mortality numbers. A simplified explanation would be that the Haitian earthquake caused everything to fall or break; the Japanese earthquake and tsunami washed everything away.

Regarding disaster preparation, families can consider permanent identification (such as microchips or tattoos) for their pets, which will facilitate reuniting displaced animals and owners after a disaster. Families can also include leashes, crates or carriers in their family disaster preparedness kit, to facilitate evacuation with their animals.

Have you experienced any bad reactions from people who think it’s not important to save animals?

In Japan (as well as Haiti), I encountered nothing but gratitude and positive support for our work. People consider their pets an extension of their family, and are grateful for rescue and veterinary services in this time of need.

We’ve been discussing domestic companion animals, but are you encountering wildlife at all? What about farm animals?

There was a recent report about a baby dolphin that was found in a rice paddy and returned to the ocean, but we did not encounter any wildlife in Sendai. The veterinarian in Sendai, Dr. Sasaki, was concerned about the well-being of a local equestrian center, so we traveled to the beach area to see if there were any injured or lost horses. Unfortunately, the entire area was destroyed, including the barns, and we did not see any signs of the horses. Hopefully they were able to flee the area before the tsunami hit.

Are dogs (or any other animals) assisting the rescue effort?

There is now a very famous YouTube video of 2 dogs involved in a mutual rescue effort, but we did not witness any animal-facilitated rescues. However, I feel the animals are providing essential emotional healing and support to the people displaced by the disaster. People living in evacuation centers may have lost almost everything in their lives and feel an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. Caring for an animal offers an opportunity to feel a sense of responsibility and purpose during this devastating time. Numerous studies have shown the simple act of brushing or petting a cat or dog has therapeutic effects on blood pressure, cardiac function and depression. In that sense, I feel the animals are critical to the rescue and support effort in Japan.

When will the mission be considered complete and accomplished?

NEVER!!! ;)

There is an initital rush of support (human and animal) following a disaster, however World Vets is currently planning for both short and long term support for the animals and people of Japan. Our generous corporate sponsors and private donors have responded with overwhelming generosity, enabling World Vets to provide support to the people and animals of Japan. Last week, World Vets shipped 13,000 pounds of dog and cat food to the Animal Friends Niigata shelter, and we have sent 2 shipments of veterinary supplies to Dr Sasaki in Sendai. World Vets is also working with Japanese and US military, JEARS and other Japanese animal rescue groups to help families leave Japan with their pets.

Does World Vets need volunteers?

The structural damage to cities like Sendai and radiation risks in areas like Fukushima make it difficult and dangerous to send large volunteer teams to Japan. Even though many people would like to help, the current need for volunteers is low. But funding and supplies are in dire need, and World Vets is collecting donations to send to our colleagues in Japan.

We will continue to support our veterinarian and friend Dr Sasaki in Sendai, and there is potential for long-term support through spay/neuter projects with his clinic. Anyone interested in learning more about World Vets trips can visit the website and become a member.

Alice with a rescue

When Alice Dietz moved to a neighborhood that was teeming with feral cats, she started utilizing the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program to help. TNR helps control the overall population of cats, reducing the number of cats that wind up in the overburdened sheltering system and ensuring cats on the street are as safe and healthy as possible. Alice’s work has also led her to rescue friendly cats who were dumped as well as cats trapped in hoarding conditions.

I spoke with Alice about her work to help feral cats using the TNR program and the challenges she’s faced finding foster and adoptive homes for cats.

SuperVegan: How did you get started with TNR?

Alice Dietz: Feral cats first came to my attention about two years ago when I moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, a neighborhood I now know has scores of feral cats. The reasons for this are many, but it largely comes from generations of irresponsible, or uninformed, pet owners who don’t spay or neuter their cats. When the cat “comes of age,” and goes into heat or starts spraying, at about 4 months of age, out the animal goes, “dumped” by the pet owner onto the street. Of course soon come the kittens, born outside, feral, un-socialized to humans. And these cats, domesticated animals dependent on people, are caught between being “wild,” and not wild enough. They do their best to survive, but the task is a daunting one for them, and generally speaking, it is a grim one.

I first learned about these cats in the middle of the night, about 3 a.m., night after night after night, trying to sleep in my brand new apartment. The females were screaming, a sign of being in heat. The males were yowling and fighting. This sound should be recorded for horror films. I had never heard anything like it, and it was making me crazy.

Finally, sleep deprived and desperate, I called Animal Care & Control, and asked what could be done about these cats, short of euthanizing them. I was completely ignorant, and was incredibly grateful when the woman on the phone gave me the contact information of two organizations: Neighborhood Cats and New York City Feral Cat Initiative (FCI). The good people at Neighborhood Cats and FCI told me about a certification class I could take that would allow me to trap the cats, get them neutered for free, and then return them back outside. The certification class is called “Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR): How to Manage a Feral Cat Colony.”

I was told to start feeding the cats, and get them used to a particular feeding schedule (I was already feeding a litter of feral kittens at this point), and then when it came time to trap them, I was to withhold food for a couple days. Then the cats would be more willing to go into the traps where of course I’d put food. After taking the class and getting certified I was amazed at how much help I got from experienced TNR people–Neighborhood Cats loaned me [humane] traps, and lots of advice and support. Experienced trappers and caregivers came out and volunteered their time, taught me the ropes, and all just passionate about helping these animals. We wound up trapping and spaying or neutering close to 60 cats in a period of a week and a half. It was amazing. I will always be grateful to the people who gave their time so selflessly.

At that point, I had to find foster homes for the socialized cats and eventually adoptive homes. This was incredibly tough because I did not have a network of foster homes. I remember looking in dismay at my destroyed one bedroom apartment and counting the number of friendly rescues from this project, including 3 baby kittens, and counting in the teens…and just feeling sick, utterly overwhelmed.

I sought help from my new friends in TNR. I also shamelessly asked everyone I had ever known: friends and family, people I hadn’t talked to in years, exes, friends of exes, anyone who’d had the random misfortune of deciding to “Facebook friend” me, everyone in my e-mail contact list, people in my building whom I didn’t know at all. I love it when people care so much about animals, that the animals trump any social discomfort or personal conflicts, or political or lifestyle differences we might have. I loved seeing people just caring about these animals, and was truly touched by the support I received. Well, the rescues finally got adopted. So even though they had a hairy start, these formerly dumped cats are living large now. I am so grateful to their foster caregivers and adopters, who opened up their hearts and homes to these cats.

SV: Why is it important that feral cats be returned outside?

AD: One of the hardest parts about TNR for many people is returning the cats back outside. But feral cats do not belong inside. It is stressful for them to be around human beings. And even though there are dangers outside, and winter weather is hard on them, it is actually cruel to bring feral cats indoors. Some people bring in feral cats only to realize it is an untenable situation. The cats are afraid and cower, and people get fed up. By that time, the cats have lost their winter coat, and to put them back outside in these temperatures puts them at risk of freezing. If they had just been allowed to go back to their territory after being spay/neutered, they’d be back to their lives by now. We might not think it’s an ideal life for them, and it pains us to think about it. But it is their lives. The territory where they were born is their home, and it’s all they know. And it’s where they thrive if people are only willing to help them a little bit.

SV: Can you explain what a “managed” colony is and what kind of effort it takes to provide care.

AD: Yes! My ferals inspire me every day, especially in the winter. They are resilient!

A managed colony is one in which all of the cats have been spayed or neutered, and there is a caretaker, who simply puts out food and water. In cold weather, if the cats don’t have a basement or some other suitable shelter, you need to provide the cats with insulated shelters, which are easy to make.

It’s truly amazing to see the footprints in the snow from the shelters to the kibble dish! It warms my heart. And it really doesn’t take much to maintain a colony. I found an out-of-the-way place for the shelters on my block and most of my neighbors don’t even know they’re there. I get pre-made quality winter shelters from Adam Rae, who takes orders at: adamtnr@gmail.com.

One of the big hurdles at first was explaining to my neighbors what I was doing. I am sure people feared that I was simply going to feed cats, not neuter them, and that soon there would be an explosion of cats. So part of this has been getting over my shyness and talking to people in my building and on my block and just explaining. Nothing was so effective, however, as when people actually saw the mobile clinic [a free service of the ASPCA] come to our block to do the surgeries. Ever since then, people have been very supportive. It’s been very positive.

SV: You must always be looking for responsible animal lovers to provide short-term foster care and/or adopting. How can people help you out with rescue, rehab and adoptions?

AD: We need to get more cats TNRed. And for that, we need more people to get certified and to volunteer for TNR projects. If anyone reading this thinks they would like to help, I urge you to take the FCI’s TNR class and get involved. You can start by tending to the feral cats on your own block.

I am currently planning a couple large projects in Brooklyn, and will need volunteers to trap, as well as to help out with care-giving in the recovery space. I will also need help with funding for these projects. While the spay and neuter services are free, the de-worming and vaccinations, along with food and supplies, are not. Donations would be most welcome.

Foster and adoptive homes are also needed. I’m trying to build an infrastructure of foster homes with other TNR people so that we can get more animals neutered and vaccinated more efficiently, and more friendly ones placed in safe homes. Fostering a cat can be perfect for someone who may not feel ready to permanently adopt a cat. I would encourage anyone who feels they would like to donate money or foster an animal to contact me.

Having a strong fostering network is so important because sometimes TNR people spend so much time trying to find foster homes and adoptive homes for the friendly ones, that we are not able to do as much TNR for the ferals. And the latter is what makes an impact on the largest number of animals.

SV: Why should vegans in particular get involved in TNR?

AD: I think there is a difference between being vegan and being an animal lover, though of course they are not mutually exclusive. In a way, I think vegans are better able to grapple with the notion that animals are not on this planet to serve us or to make us feel good or to cuddle with us. I think we can understand the concept that even if it pains us to think of a cat out in the cold, or exposed to the dangers of the street, my discomfort does not mean I should take his life away with a needle at the pound. And it does not mean I should kidnap him from his territory and put him inside my cramped apartment where he or she will be safe. We can respect the lives of feral cats, and try to help them in a way that does not interfere with their autonomy. After all, autonomy is their one reward for being put into a situation created by irresponsible humans. We owe them that. I think vegans are particularly well-suited to TNR work because feral cats really will never say “thank you.” They will want to get away from you at the first opportunity! And that’s just fine.

Update, March 31, 2011: This post orginally mentioned Empty Cages Collective as the sponsoring organization of Alice’s current project. They are no longer involved. Donations can be sent to Alice to help fund an upcoming large-scale TNR project in Clinton Hill, which will begin on April 2nd. Supplies such as food containers, newspapers, cat food, trap covers and labels, garbage bags, paper towels, etc. are also welcomed.

On Monday, July 26th, a low budget animal lib film screening at Anthology Film Archives became a fascinatingly larger phenomenon. Animal welfare personalities like Moby and Russell Simmons appeared, tons of disparate vegan groups showed up to table across the entire theater (the star being a rescued beagle from Azopharma’s animal testing laboratory who tabled for W.A.R.), and AR legend Andy Stepanian gave a speech in full ski mask gear about compassion in the face of animal testing horrors that made people weep openly. Needless to say, this type of thing doesn’t usually happen when a low budget, non-distributed, independent film about animal rights screens in the East Village. So why did it happen this time? In a nutshell, people flocked to the sold-out show because they heard it was excellent enough to warrant such a turnout, and they realized it was way past due for a film like it to be made and seen.

Interestingly, there was never before a professionally-made narrative feature film about the growing world of animal liberation groups. Despite the sheer amount of political attention and defense budget that the Bush administration devoted to animal welfare groups, and despite the impressively unconstitutional nature of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act passed during the Bush era, scifi/horror movies like 12 Monkeys or 28 Days Later were the closest anyone’s come to an ALF movie. Enter Bold Native.

Camille Hankins of W.A.R., left, Freedom the rescue beagle, middle, and Russell Simmons, right, at the Bold Native screening. Photo by Lauren Krohn.

Bold Native is the independent child of Denis Henry Hennelly, and his film follows the experiences of a charismatic animal liberator in the US. The film aims, simply, to finally show the intense and gritty world of everyday citizens that you live and work next to (and are often related to), who have made the simple decision to stop tolerating the torture of fellow sentient beings. What is presented to the viewer is an exciting and realistic story that most ordinary people can relate to. It is at times very painful and difficult to watch, yet anyone who still thinks that large organic dairy or egg farms are nice to animals needs to watch this.

Although the script and performances are quite daring, in many ways they don’t need to be. It’s an inherently powerful and moving film whose characters deal with the very imposing threat of encouraging animal welfare in the US, despite the recent laws that brand that type of speech as terrorism.

However, the most powerful aspect of the film is an interesting cinematic device with an intention to drive the realism of the film home. The movie intermixes real, undercover footage of animal liberation actions with the narrative story footage. It’s a fascinating approach that constantly reminds you that what you’re watching is still happening today. Many people at the screening were uncontrollably overwhelmed, as weeping and gasping during rescue scenes were audible.

Director Denis Henry Hennelly, left, and Russell Simmons, right, at the Bold Native screening. Photo by Lauren Krohn.

However, if the film was just a gloom and doom fest, it would be a predictable nightmare of suffering akin to a regular snuff film. Surprisingly, though, in the new tradition of movies like The Cove, the film is entertaining, which you frankly wouldn’t expect from a narrative film showing animal torture footage. The film is actually funny and thrilling at unexpected moments.

While the plot is straightforward enough – a young man, whose father is a food enterprise executive, decides to follow an ALF path – the choices the characters make and their adventures are often refreshingly surprising. Their circumstances are easy to picture happening to people who face such choices in real life, and you wouldn’t know how you’d react in those circumstances yourself. Yet even in those moments, characters are often wisecracking, and true to life in that they use humor to stay sane during harsh times.

In a nutshell, Bold Native is a film that most people need to see, even if the subject matter is something they would never consider watching a film about. Like people who don’t want to ruin their enjoyment of their sweatshop-made sneakers, a gentle education may help increase their compassion for others who give up their lives unwillingly to serve us. And as evidenced by the impressive reception it got at an independent screening, it seems that the entertaining and humorous Bold Native may be just the right tool to educate on the topic.

Puppy mills are exactly that – factories that churn out puppies for sale and keep female dogs constantly pregnant and in miserable conditions. Watch the show, tell your friends, and sign the HSUS Pledge to stop puppy mills. And if you’re looking for a new BFF, please, please adopt that special someone from your local shelter or rescue group.

Click for more air dates on Animal Planet. More about Working Dog Productions, the cool folks behind the camera.

This weekend’s going to rock your veggie world, if you’re into that sorta thing! Veggie Prom is tonight, followed by a post-prom potluck picnic at Central Park. Finally, the Veggie Pride Parade rounds out the weekend Sunday starting at 11 a.m. in the Meatpacking district.

Hungry after all the parading, yes? Z Pizza‘s got vegan slices this weekend, starting today! That means no more staring in their window wishing you had friends to go in on a pie with you, and no aging pizza in your fridge. (But leftover pizza is the best, no joke!)

Jonathan Horowitz’s art exhibit at a former meat locker in the Village called “Go Vegan!” looks brilliant. Have you been? What’d ya think?

At least two carriage horses have crashed in the last two weeks, Gothamist reports. It’s been just a month since the City Council approved changes to the carriage horse industry that support more humane treatment of the horses, but the new legislation does nothing to protect horses from injury due to crashes. Hey, it looks like you can’t make carriage-hauling safe or humane for horses unless you eliminate it entirely. News. Flash.

The LA Times blog’s “L.A. Unleashed” column has a snappy animal round-up of its own: Labradoodle breeder’s regrets, gray whale in Israel, and researchers hurt mice to see the looks on their faces. Guh.

The Humane Society of the United States gives us a peek into Richard Berman’s absurdly shady lobbying tactics and how they threaten animals. You wanna read this!

Remember when Compassion Over Killing encouraged us to enter Dunkin’ Donuts’s “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut Contest,” and asked us to share our vegan creations with them? They’ve picked their favorite 12 contestants’ dreamed-up sweets and will make one of those dreams come true! Vote for your favorite by next Friday, May 21 (and you’ll be entered to win one of 10 prizes, too). Vegan Treats will produce the winning doughnut, which will be announced in June. I will take a box of each!

“The justices threw out the criminal conviction of Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Va., who was sentenced to three years in prison for videos he made about pit bull fights,” an AP reporter writes. “…Stevens ran a business and Web site that sold videos of pit bull fights. He is among a handful of people prosecuted under the animal cruelty law.”

According to the AP’s report, the assenting justices voted in favor of striking down the law, which was enacted in 1999 to prevent the making and selling of crush videos, to avoid limiting free speech. “[Chief Justice John] Roberts said the law could be read to allow the prosecution of the producers of films about hunting. And he scoffed at the administration’s assurances that it would only apply the law to depictions of extreme cruelty.”

Does it not violate the spirit of the constitution if free speech comes at the expense of life? And perhaps a ban on videos that glorify the cowardly practice of shooting an unarmed, unassuming creature with an automatic weapon is, in fact, a positive, if unpopular, application of the law.

The single dissenting judge, Justice Samuel Alito, told the AP that the ruling might spur a new wave of crush videos because it has “the practical effect of legalizing the sale of such videos.” That is not to mention the sale of dog-, cock-, and bull-fighting videos, all of which promote cruelty as sport.

Roberts implied that this might be an opportunity for lawmakers to draft new legislation that will specifically ban filming and selling crush videos and other depictions of “extreme” cruelty. But who decides what amount of cruelty is acceptable? To me and many readers of this blog, hunting, fishing, and even butchering and some cooking videos constitute irresponsible depiction of extreme, unnecessary cruelty and exploitation. As god-awful annoying as those Got Milk? commercials are insomuch as they bring to mind the miserable lives of dairy cows, I’m willing to concede that those less direct implications of animal cruelty needn’t be banned. But why must we recoil at the broader applications of a law that was apparently pointing us toward more aware and rational conclusions?

As of this decision, there is no protection for animals filmed being brutalized, and no punishment for those who profit off filming the brutalization of animals. Contact your representative to politely and firmly ask for a law that protects animals from starring in “films” depicting their own cruelty.

Below, ABC’s report.

“This is the book I wish I had had to give the meat-eaters in my life so they would understand me, and how they and I could have such a different perspective on the same issue.” This statement from Melanie Joy about her new book, Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism, might seem a little forward, but she’s right.

Before you roll your eyes and shrug carnism off as another “ism,” let Melanie explain it to you, which she does so eloquently in the interview below.

I will tell you that almost ten years ago, while I was editor of Satya Magazine, Melanie Joy submitted an article introducing the concept of carnism. She was working on her Ph.D. in psychology at the time and it was a little earnest and ambitious. Still, the editorial staff was intrigued and persuaded by her argument and we published it. I really wasn’t sure where the idea would go from there. Back then, she was arguing to restructure language. Now she’s talking about transforming our culture. And, again, she’s right.

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows is an elegantly-written description of why people eat meat. The argument is subtle but her writing is very approachable, with a friendly tone and low on the use of academic jargon. For me, it’s the most thought-provoking book about how animals are perceived culturally since The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol Adams (which had a big influence on me). I will leave it at that and let Melanie take it from here…

SV: Have you had any really surprising responses to your book so far?
MJ: Yes. I’ve been on a couple of radio shows in the Southwest–”cattle country”–and the reception has been surprisingly positive. Carnists and hunters have called in saying they agree with the precedent of the book. They care about animals too and are against factory farms. A lot of mainstream meat-eating readers have responded positively.

Why DO we love dogs, eat pigs, and wear cows?
Because the invisible system that I call “carnism” conditions us to love certain animals and eat others. Carnism teaches us not to feel when it comes to the animals we consume. Our natural way of responding to other animals appears to be based on empathy. One way we can see that: meat-eating societies around the world eat only a handful of species and find the idea of eating others disgusting. This is because carnism blocks our awareness and empathy when it comes to the species we have deemed edible.

Who is the intended audience for Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows?
I wrote it for vegans and vegetarians as well as for meat-eaters. I wrote it to help vegans feel more grounded and empowered in their choices. To have words to put into some things that they have known intuitively but haven’t necessarily articulated, and also to help vegans understand the system they are working to transform.

Carnism has a very specific structure. Carnistic mentality doesn’t have to be a mystery. So if vegans understand how the system works–socially and psychologically–they’re in a much better position than if they were fighting against an invisible entity. I also wanted to help vegans feel more understanding for the carnists in their lives. Activists often lose important relationships after becoming vegan. Some readers have expressed relief to know that carnists are not monsters, to be reminded that we weren’t all born vegan.

I wrote it for carnists because I wanted to have a book that spoke to meat-eaters and wasn’t just about the reality of meat production (there are plenty out there). I wanted to invite meat-eaters into the conversation, to explain why they do eat meat and not simply why they shouldn’t eat meat. This is the book I wish I had had to give the meat-eaters in my life so they would understand me, and how they and I could have such a different perspective on the same issue.

Why do you think we need another ism?
Carnism is a subideology of speciesism, just as anti-Semitism, for example, is a subideology of racism. It’s important to name and understand specific ideologies because even though they stem from a broader ideology, they have some distinct features that should be understood and addressed directly.

For longtime vegans, daily life in a carnist world can be extremely stressful, leading to frustration, misanthropy, sometimes depression and anxiety–for some, sometimes even violence. Do you have any suggestions for vegans who live in a world that, as you put it, offends “their deepest sensibilities” and how to deal with it?
One thing that’s really important–and it’s a reason why I wrote the book–is to be able to understand the psychology behind the behavior of carnists that causes vegans so much stress. To understand that “good” people can engage in harmful behavior, so that vegans don’t end up seeing other humans as the enemy and become isolated and misanthropic.

I think it’s important for vegans to understand that their emotional response to animal suffering is appropriate and not let it be pathologized. Feelings of despair, grief, rage, confusion–they are all legitimate responses to bearing witness to animal suffering.

Witnessing trauma like that–that we are powerless to change–requires a certain kind of resiliency. We can only be resilient if we are healthy–psychologically, physically and emotionally.

What is your ideal meal?
Just one?? I’m a big foodie. I’m 115 pounds and when I’m out eating, I generally eat as much as the 250-pound meat-eating men I’m with–and they’re shocked. People expect vegans to sit there poking at iceberg lettuce.

What kinds of classes do you teach at the University of Massachusetts?
I teach the “happy classes”: trauma, addiction, violence/nonviolence, and socialization.

Whoa. How do you maintain a sense of humor?
It’s dark stuff but the other side of the material is recovery. There’s light there. And I do try to integrate humor into classes. I tell jokes. Sometimes they go over well; sometimes they bomb. But it’s about trauma and recovery, just as working for animal rights is.

To learn more about Melanie, visit www.melaniejoy.org.

Ain’t he cute?

Tonight I bring to your attention Brendon, your bunny friend! He’s a three-year-old brown and white lop whose temporary home is Animal Care and Control of NYC in Manhattan, where he’s been living since March 9.

Lots of families adopt bunnies, especially around Easter, not realizing how much care they need. An ASPCA Animal Watch article on bunny care (PDF) recommends at least 30 hours a week of exercise time, not so different from dogs. Also like dogs, bunnies bred as companion animals have personalities, don’t necessarily like to be handled, and enjoy the warmth of a home. Misconceptions around those facts lead to many bunnies being abandoned at shelters this time of year.

Ready to make Brendon your Easter bunny? E-mail nyc.acc.rabbits@gmail.com.

Vegan penises: larger and in-charger.

Guys, a penis fact! Vegan Porn compared Condomania’s recently published penis size rankings to the population of vegans in U.S. cities, and GUESS WHAT THEY FOUND?* Vegan men have bigger cucumbers! THIS IS A TOTALLY ACCURATE, MATHEMATICAL, BIOLOGICALLY POSSIBLE CORRELATION SO STOP TELLING ME IT ISN’T TRUE/NOT REALLY WHAT THEY FOUND. Men: go vegan and your penis will grow. (Could it hurt? No. So DO IT.**) And I mean, who wouldn’t rather take it from a vegan, AM I RIGHT, LADIES?

Also in the long, enormous (can’t help myself) category of Environmental Consciousness Is Good for the Earth and My Sex Life and Your Bank Account and Kitties: Y’know how Nadya Suleman (God I hate to say it but you won’t know who I’m talking about unless I say it so I’m going to say it), Octomom, hasn’t paid for her house and faces a foreclosure lawsuit? And how EVERYONE and their DOG is offering her, uh, unconventional opportunities to earn some cash? Well! Thursday she accepted one such offer from PETA, who basically said, “Put this sign on your lawn and we’ll give you $5,000 and a month’s supply of veggie burgers and hot dogs. WIN-WIN!”

*OK, so really they said they couldn’t find a trend, but then realized most vegans are women, so: inconclusive project. But MAYBE!

**It’s not about the size of the tofu, but what you bake with it. NOW GO BAKE ME SOME SWEET, SWEET LOVIN.

When Andy Stepanian and Dara Lovitz gave a talk on SHAC7 and the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) at NYU Law School on Tuesday, most of the audience came half-expecting to hear a legal seminar (Lovitz is the author of Muzzling a Movement). Almost no one expected to laugh or cry with inspiration before the talk ended, although almost everyone did. (We interviewed Andy before this event.)

This was not a speech or a classroom teaching. Dara spoke so candidly about the absurdities of animal enterprise terrorism laws that even the law students had to start laughing with her. Andy spoke so painfully earnestly to everyone that few had dry eyes by the end of the talk. No one walked away depressed, though, as the duo were determined to show everyone exactly how much potential we all have to effect positive change, despite how much money and effort the animal enterprises dump into making us feel powerless and small.

Dara, the lawyer, spoke first. And the takeaway of her talk wasn’t “the history and overview of AETA,” but rather just how impressively unconstitutional the AETA is, and how it managed to be drafted anyway. She explained very frankly how a series of unconscionably illegal laws culminating in AETA were pulled over everyone’s eyes through passionately written passages. Passages about how animal activists victimize dying people who can only get a cure through animal testing. Passages that literally say that we owe so much of our lives to the selfless people in charge of the factory farm industry. And she put us face to face with how so many of our senators and policymakers are CEO’s and beneficiaries of devastating animal enterprises.

Dara Lovitz, left, and Andy Stepanion, right. Photo by Robyn Lazara.

When Andy spoke, most anticipated hearing intense stories about how he boldly protested the animal testing giant Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), and how those bold actions got him jailed as a terrorist. He nipped that in the bud right away by saying it wouldn’t do anyone any good to recall stories that make him seem so “badass” as he put it. After pointing out how much he was dressed as Mr. Rogers and that he’s remarkably un-badass, Andy spoke disarmingly openly, in an attempt to answer everyone’s questions as well as he could despite being so muzzled by legal restraints. During the talk, he was constantly torn between telling us what we needed to know, and not wanting us to be scared into silence by the information he has.

He constantly pointed out how animal enterprises want us to fall into the trap of, “Wow, did you hear what happened to Andy? It’s crazy how much the federal government, huge industries, and millions of dollars went into crushing him and his rights because of his stand against animal testing!” Andy explained how falling into that trap leads to spreading fear, and making people hesitant to take a stand because they don’t want to end up a victim like Andy. So, instead of regurgitating what happened to him, he consciously chose to cut off such stories and instead focus on exactly why huge industries and powerful policymakers are so willing to spend so many resources on fighting animal activists. The ultimate reason is that these powerful giants truly care about what people have to say, and are truly scared of what we do say, because they know we all have the power to take them down. HLS eventually admitted that Andy and the other six SHAC defendants, through their penniless protests, caused HLS to lose over $360 million and the ability to be publicly traded in the stock market. After driving this point home, Andy pointed to us all and asked us to think about how much a classroom full of determined individuals can do. Or two classrooms full of such people. Or even just you.

The biggest message of all, though, was that all the money-grubbing companies, the big industries, and the power players were immensely fearful in their paper palaces. Fearful of losing money, of losing power, of being exposed for what they are. And that love and compassion are their biggest enemies. Because an act of love and compassion towards a helpless lab animal can set you free and make you feel more love and freedom than almost anything you can imagine. And that’s simply a feeling that companies like HLS cannot afford to let anyone feel.

Time for your mid-evening heartbreak!

Muggsy is a 10-year-old pit bull who’s never had a permanent home. She spent the last nine years in an office on Long Island, but the company is moving to a new location where Muggsy can’t follow. The company owner is going to put her down if no one takes her in, said Paula Monzolino, a letter carrier on LI who hears Muggsy cry when she delivers mail to the old building. FUCK, THIS IS SAD. I CAN HARDLY GO ON. For the love of puppy, please e-mail Paula if you can take Muggsy in. Paula’s tried LI shelters, but they’re all overwhelmed with dogs and cats.

Thanks to Chloe Jo for the tip!

Make waffles with Joshua Katcher tomorrow! Image via The Discerning Brute.

• New York State Humane Lobby Day is upon us, March 24, people. This is our chance to talk about legislation that will directly and significantly affect the nonhumans with whom we share the state. Want to go but don’t have a ride? Chartered buses will leave from Water Street and Midtown West the morning of. $25 pp.
• In the Awesome Vegan Shit on Etsy department, there’s this (maybe NSFW?) Vegan Vulva Lip Balm, for the, uh, lips on your face. VulvaLoveLovely‘s store totally cracks me up with its vagina pendants, uterus plush dolls, breast pillows, and other assorted vag trinkets.
• And how’s about these super cute handmade vegan flats?! Vegansaurus pointed these out earlier this week, but I can’t not direct you them again cause I loves me some sustainably-made shoes!
• Speaking of shoes, we went to the opening of Melissa Shoes‘s pop-up shop at Kaight this week. Ooooh, shiiiiny.
• Discerning Brute founder Joshua Katcher will give a vegan cooking demo TOMORROW, hear me?, at JivamukTea Cafe 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event costs $75, and you can sign up here by going to the special events tab on the upper right and clicking “signup now!” next to Joshua’s photo. (Pssst, you can check our NYC events calendar for more vegan happenings in the area, too!)
• SuperVegan is looking for writers! If you’re interested, check this post and get in touch pleeease and thank you.
• TeaNY is reopening, say some news-rumors. Alas, the LES restaurant, which has been closed since it lost to an electrical fire in June ’09, isn’t answering the phones or opening the doors, so I have no real live dates for you at present. TeaNY, answer my calls, open up, and bring back your sweet, sweet, frothy almond milk tea lattes. I still love you.
• ‘sNice is opening a new location at Sullivan Street between Prince and Houston, sooort of near TeaNY. Some time this month they will fill the sandwich and tea chasm below Houston. So, TeaNY, whatever with you. Oh, consumers are so fickle. (Just kidding. More is more. Give me my lattes.)
• New kid Terri is getting lots of fab reviews.
• Since you probably read the news this week, I won’t belabor it except to say ENDANGERED WHALE SUSHI WHAT?!
• Let us close on a positive note: New York Magazine named BabyCakes‘s doughnuts “Best Vegan Treat.” Meanwhile, Erin McKenna is working on a candy cookbook. Sweet.

According to the Animal League Defense Fund, who is supporting the registry effort with its new campaign, www.ExposeAnimalAbusers.org, the bill would include “violence (torture, mutilation, intentional killings, etc.), sexual abuse, and animal fighting as well as neglect (such as hoarding).”

“We operate shelters in the hopes of giving abandoned pets a second chance at a loving home, not subjecting them to lives of continued abuse and neglect,” Florez, a Democrat and chairman of the Food and Agriculture Committee, said in a press conference this morning. “A registry of abusers would help ensure animals are not being adopted out to convicted abusers, end the cycle of abuse and increase the likelihood of finding these pets the forever home they deserve.”

You can sign the petition to ask that your state force animal abusers to register.

Read more in the New York Times and watch Florez’s press conference announcement below.

Murry, 10, is up for adoption at NYACC.

• The Humane Society of the United States will sell organic vegan vegetarian dog food, called Humane Choice. Let’s hope they kick Purina’s ass to next Tuesday! Also, cat food next, pls!
• The Superbowl happened; the underdog won; and Roberto Martin and Tal Ronnen prepared for Ellen yummy vegan nachos, pot pie, stew, and more. Rah, rah, rah!
• Olympic ice skater Johnny Weir is going to don fake fur rather than real fur over his manitard because some muddling vegans tried to take the focus off his triple axel for a second to talk about his anally-electrocuted outfit, and he just CANNOT BE DISTRACTED FROM WHAT’S IMPORTANT. Weir gets what’s wrong with fur, he told the AP, “but it’s not something that’s the number-one priority in my life. There are humans dying every day. … Look at what just happened in Haiti.” LOOK OVER THERE! LOOK OVER THERE!
• You know things are bad when people are giving up their orange tabbies. Animal Care & Control of New York City is apparently full of them. If you have room for a furry one at home, maybe consider these guys?
• How about this: a slice of your debit transaction fees could support animals instead of banks. In Defense of Animals launched a debit card that will direct a portion of transaction fees to IDA, which they will use to fund “our chimpanzee sanctuary in Cameroon, Africa; our veterinary clinics and ambulance service for the thousands of street animals of Mumbai, India; and for our investigative and sanctuary work in rural Mississippi,” IDA founder and President Elliot M. Katz said. For use wherever Mastercard is accepted. No details yet on how to get one, but I’ll update if I find out.
• Food Fight! Vegan Grocery needs our $$ to help cover their taxes. They’re offering a 5-percent discount with code “FUTAXES10″ (heh) good through Monday, 2/15. Time to stock up on chocolates and Ricemellow, MMMMHMMM.
• New iPhone app from the vegan boozemeisters at Barnivore. Search for “vegan is easy” in the iTunes store. Update (2/15): Per Jason Doucette’s comment below, the app was not made by Barnivore, but it uses data from Barnivore.

Well, there you have it — the week that was. Did we miss anything? Let us know!

Correction (2/16): HSUS’s new dog food contains supplements that they say might come from animal sources. Drat.

Paul Watson FOREVER

It’s been a buzzy holiday weekend in the vegan news department. Tonight we catch up on all the goings-on since Wednesday.

• Obama poster artist Shepard Fairey immortalized Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson with a print of his very own. Posters measure 18 x 24″, are signed by Watson, and cost $55 each. Buy ‘em at Obey Giant. PAUL WATSON CAN NEVER DIE.
• The California-based Animal Legal Defense Fund released its 2009 State Animal Protection Laws Rankings. (Old news? Yeah, sort of. Still worth reading? Totally.) ALDF ranked New York in the middle tier — not laying down the law with the best or permitting certain atrocities with the worst. Illinois ranked highest and Kentucky lowest. Read the full report here (PDF).
• In other ranking news, the Humane Society gave the Obama administration a B- for animal protection. Full report right here (PDF).
• Ingrid Newkirk reminds us via Huffington Post why it’s awesome to be vegan, and then she rhymes with food.
• Vegan Twinkies are BACK. No Whey! Kitchen is going to fill the hole left in your heart by the closing of Vegan Honey Bake Shop. No Whey! sells to restaurants and is taking private orders for a limited time.
• Karen Davis, president of United Poultry Concerns, will deliver her lecture “The Social and Secret Life of Chickens” at the New York Public Library’s Mid-Manhattan branch on December 30. That’s 40th Street and Fifth Avenue, 6th floor, 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday. BE THERE.
• Your average dog eats a LOT of meat, VegNews reminds us: “research teams found that a medium-sized dog consumes approximately 360 pounds of meat and more than 200 pounds of grain each year. The agriculture needed to sustain this kind of companion-animal diet emits twice the greenhouse gas emissions that come from driving an SUV 6,200 miles per year.”
• MEANWHILE, Annalisa Lazzaro of NYC asks The Ethicist whether it’s cool to feed her cat a vegetarian diet. Duh! And you’ve got to be resilient! If one vegetarian — or better, vegan — kitty food doesn’t work out, try another one. Then try cooking for Mr. Pus. Why support animal cruelty or slaughter in any way if you can avoid it, right?
• Don’t know what to do with your sad, leftover shepherd sticks candy canes? Vegan Cookies brings us this recipe for peppermint candy cane chocolate chip cookies AND shows us how to crush candy canes. Holiday anger issues: resolved.
• Cafe Blossom’s UES location opened, so go there and eat everything.