Quotation of the Day

What are human beings without animals?
If all the animals ceased to exist,
human beings would die of a great loneliness of the spirit,
for whatever happens to the animals
will happen soon also to the human beings.
...All things connect.

--Chief Seattle

Marathon, NY

Yesterday, we drove to Marathon, NY (a tiny, tiny village about an hour away) to take photographs.



Check out all the photographs online here.

How Many Beads? 403!

There are 403 paper beads in the jar. Boy, I can't believe I made that many! Nyny, of Orgami Centeral, had the closest guess without going over at 375. Congrats, Nyny, on your win!

"Hands-On Pig Lab" Cancelled! Yay!

From the Farm Sanctuary:

Action Alerts & Updates

Cruel Pig Lab Canceled – for now
August 5, 2008

Victory! The Society of Gynecological Oncologists informed Farm Sanctuary today that they have canceled the "Hands-On Pig Lab" that was to take place on August 7 in conjunction with a surgical meeting.

Covidien Electrosurgery, who devised the "Pig Lab", is a company that performs laboratory tests on animals in order to market its surgical tools. Formerly known as ValleyLab, Covidien has a history of controversy, including an incident that prompted the University of Colorado at Denver to ban all non-research vivisection in 2007.

While the Society of Gynecological Oncologists has canceled the upcoming workshop, Covidien has not expressed any intention of ending the practice of mutilating and killing pigs in order to hawk its wares to prospective buyers.

Therefore, we must now take our efforts to the next level and ensure these types of cruel marketing schemes are ended for good. The public does not tolerate such treatment of animals and our public policy should reflect that.

You Can Help

1. Please call your federal representative and urge him or her to co-sponsor H.R. 2193– legislation that will amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the use of animals for marketing medical devices. You can find out who represents you by going to http://action.farmsanctuary.org/legislatorlookup. The sponsors of this bill are Reps. Steve Israel (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) and if your member of Congress has already become a cosponsor, please thank them!

2. Please take a moment to send an email as well! The most effective emails are personalized, so please edit the text below, and be sure to include your name and full address.

   Subject: Please cosponsor HR 2193 (NOT EDITABLE)

   Suggested text: (editable)

   Dear Representative,

   I am writing to urge you to cosponsor HR 2193 sponsored by Reps. Steve Israel and Mark Kirk. This legislation will ban the shameless use of animals to market medical devices. There is no excuse for using live animals to garner profit through mutilation and experimental surgeries.

   Thank you for your time and assistance.

Blog Contest - Last Day to Enter!

Today is the last day to enter my blog contest. Entries must be received by 10 PM EST this evening. For details, see the original blog post here!

Sterling Silver Mobius Necklace

New listing in my Etsy shop, a sterling silver mobius necklace that I made for the Etsy for Animals challenge "C is for..." I'll save the explanation for the EFA post, but here's a preview of the piece:

Farm Sanctuary Action Alert Update

Action Alerts & Updates

Stop Cruel Pig Lab
August 4, 2008

On August 7, Covidien Electrosurgery is hosting a lab in coordination with a conference held by the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists in which pigs will be killed and sacrificed in a "Hands-On Pig Lab" to demonstrate electrosurgical tools.

Covidien Electrosurgery, who devised the “Pig Lab”, is a company that performs laboratory tests on animals in order to market its surgical tools.

Formerly known as ValleyLab, Covidien has a history of controversy, including an incident that prompted the University of Colorado at Denver to ban all non-research vivisection in 2007.

The August 7 event advertises, "Procedures that will be performed include: ureteral dissection, pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, repair of simulated bowel and bladder injury, bowel resection, ureteral re-anasomosis, and liver resection."

In other words, pigs will be mutilated and cut apart at the August 7 event so that Covidien can hawk its wares to buyers.

You Can Help
1. Please contact Covidien Electosurgery, the Pig Lab organizers, and urge them to remove live animals from their demonstration.

Bryan Hanson
President, Covidien Electrosurgery
ph: 303-530-2300
fax: 303-530-6285
e-mail: bryan.hanson@covidien.com

2. Politely contact the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and urge them to not promote such live animal labs.
ph: 312-235-4060
fax: 312-235-4059
e-mail: sgo@sgo.org and jenna.cummins@sgo.org

3. Please contact your federal representative and urge him or her to co-sponsor H.R. 2193– legislation that will amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the use of animals for marketing medical devices. You can find out who represents you by going to http://action.farmsanctuary.org/legislatorlookup. The sponsors of this bill are Reps. Steve Israel (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) and if your member of Congress has already become a cosponsor, please thank them!

Farm Sanctuary Action Alert

Action Alerts & Updates

Stop Cruel Pig Lab
August 4, 2008

On August 7, the Omni Interlocken Resort is hosting an event in which pigs will be killed and sacrificed in a "Hands-On Pig Lab" to demonstrate electrosurgical tools.

The Pig Lab is being devised by Covidien Electrosurgery, a company that performs laboratory tests on animals in order to market its surgical tools.

Formerly known as ValleyLab, Covidien has a history of controversy, including an incident that prompted the University of Colorado at Denver to ban all non-research vivisection in 2007.

The August 7 event advertises, "Procedures that will be performed include: ureteral dissection, pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, repair of simulated bowel and bladder injury, bowel resection, ureteral re-anasomosis, and liver resection."

In other words, pigs will be mutilated and cut apart at the August 7 so that Covidien can hawk its wares to buyers.

You Can Help
Contact the Hotel that is hosting the conference in which Covidien's cruel Pig Lab will be performed. Tell them that animal cruelty is a black mark on their name, and that you will not patronize a place that plays host to such gratuitous abuse.

David Jurcak,
General Manager, Omni Interlocken Resort
Broomfield, Colorado
ph: 303-438-6600
fax: 303-438-7224
SEND AN EMAIL THROUGH:
http://www.omnihotels.com/Home/ContactUsForm.aspx?…

"Compassion is the Fashion" Treasury

Thanks to mvegan5, team leader of Etsy for Animals, for including my "Loving Kindness" bracelet in her latest treasury. I love this treasury--I'd be happy to have every item featured!



The treasury will be online here through Tuesday, 8/5. Please be sure to visit, leave a comment, and click on all the goodies!

Songs That Never Get Old

Yesterday, I found myself captivated by YouTube...I spend a portion of the morning watching Ellis Paul, Richard Shindell, Dar Williams, and Antje Duvekot perform my favorite songs. Way to go bootleg videographers!

Watching Shindell perform "Transit," a song I love, I recalled a conversation Lezli and I had many months ago at Bead World. One Saturday morning, Train's "Meet Virginia" came on the radio, and I mentioned that I loved it. She said that she remembered when my ringback tone on my cell phone was "Meet Virigina."

That got us to talking about songs that, for us, never get old. I decided to put a play list on my iPod of songs of which I never tire. So far, the list is small...

• Pearls (Antje Duvekot)
• Ocean (Dar Williams)
• Closer to Fine (Indigo Girls)
  
• Meet Virginia (Train)
  
• God's Promise (Ellis Paul)

I am always thinking of new songs to add to the list...what about you? Are there songs of which you never tire? What are they?