Every day, animals suffer in silence, waiting to be abused and killed in slaughterhouses, on fur farms, and in laboratories. It's up to us to take a stand and use our voices to help them. It's a big responsibility, but there are many small ways that you can speak up for animals.Check out the infographic below, find your voice, and remember to take the pledge never to be silent!  Add Comment Some more important information on recycling plastic... from OnlineEducation.net - thank you to Allison Morris for contacting me with this information, In today's consumer world, plastic is everywhere—from plentiful stores of bottled water to disposable plasticware to the containers that hold our store-bought food. It seems like you can't go out shopping without running into a good deal of plastic. And while this material is strong, reliable, and undoubtedly useful, we also may have way too much of the stuff that isn't being reused. Recycling plastic uses much less energy than creating new plastic, and it conserves our valuable resources. Despite this, however, only about a third of our material that could be recycled actually is. Among younger generations, the problem of our overconsumption of plastic has been prevalent for as long as some can remember, and yet little has changed or progressed in alleviating the problem. Statistically, people in the Millennial generation (today's high schoolers, college students, and young adults) are much less likely to properly recycle plastic and other materials than those in older generations. If you're of student or Millennial age, take a look at the following infographic—the reality is that younger generations need to start getting serious about recycling, or the future will be robbed of some very valuable resources. Attributed to OnlineEducation.net With This Graphic
 Every year, the Canadian government allows fishers in their off season to bludgeon and shoot seals to death. The U.S., the E.U., Mexico, and Russia—which had been importing 95 percent of Canadian seal pelts—have all banned seal fur. Around the world, the seal slaughter is an issue of cruelty to animals, and within Canada, it's also an issue of government waste. A 2010 study by a professor at the University of Guelph found that ending the commercial seal slaughter would save Canadian taxpayers at least $7 million a year. The only reason why the government continues to prop up this dying industry is because both liberals and conservatives are desperate to control the swing seats in Canada's Atlantic region. People disgusted by the cruel and wasteful seal slaughter should take action to support Canadian Senator Mac Harb's Bill S-210, which would end the massacre and transition people in sealing regions into sustainable economic programs. Simon Cowell has pledged support for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)30/06/2012 On October 31, 2011, the world's population hit 7 billion people. Our current food system is incapable of addressing the needs of so many, and it's up to us to make a change in the way we eat. 
 I have been kindly allowed to reblog this article from the Conservatives Against Fox Hunting blog. Thank you "Blue Fox." "A friend of mine recently told me about an argument put forward by those who support fox hunting (the kind with horses and hounds) about pain. No worries, say the proponents, the fox is so doped up on endorphins that by the time the hounds get to it, it feels no pain when it gets ripped apart. Therefore, and despite how it might seem to us, the fox dies a painless death. Well, that surprised me. These kinds of asinine statements delivered with complete confidence have great precedent in the hunters’ lexicon, and are basically meant to delude the unapprised. But let’s have a bit of a review of pain, endorphins, and nociceptors. Some of this might be a bit technical, but it kills the hunters’ arguments dead. At the most basic level, the issue relates to animal “consciousness”, a subject that has been endlessly debated by philosophers since the days of Rene Descartes, who said in 1641 that non-humans are nothing but “automata” without souls, minds, or reason. Animals were therefore not conscious, and could not suffer or feel pain. It is quite amazing that such opinions were expressed then (Descartes could not have owned a dog, for example) and even more amazing that vestiges of such sentiments remain 370 years later. Anyone at all familiar with animals knows they are conscious and feel pain just by observing the following: • Animals have a wide range of behaviour, including playfulness, tenderness, fear, depression, aggression, etc. They can clearly express emotions, and because of their far greater abilities to hear and smell, actually live in a world where perception of the complexities of their environment is greater than ours. • Animals have a wide range of learning abilities, and not just what they can be “taught” by humans. Wild animals with territories know the landscape intimately, predators learn how to hunt different prey species with different techniques, elephants “remember” distant pastures and waterholes needed in times of drought, etc. Along these lines, social animals have complex individual hierarchies within their groups. Within hyena clans, that could number 60 members or more, every individual knows where they stand in a very complex network of relationships. • Among a long list, dogs, cats, cows, armadillos, mice, and opossums experience REM sleep (dreaming) – now linked to intelligence and cognitive function. • Animals clearly experience pain, and this fact has been used for aeons for training and “encouragement”. If animals did not experience pain, whips, spurs, cattle prods, nose rings in bulls and the like would be useless. Wounded animals limp or become immobile to avoid pain, and arthritic animals, for example, improve greatly in mobility when given steroids to relieve pain. It is however telling that animal pain as a rigorously treated subject was not part of the US veterinary school curriculum until 1989 according to Bernard Rollin of Colorado State University. • Any animal that does not suffer pain is an evolutionary dead end. We rely on the signal of pain to avoid situations that are dangerous and life-threatening. Besides all that, there is no physiological reason why animals should not feel pain. All mammalian nervous systems consist of the same cells and pathways. All mammals (at least) have nociceptors, sensory neurons found in parts of the body that sense pain internally and externally. They are thus found in the skin and mucosa, and in muscles, joints, bladder, and the digestive tract. They contain two types of axons that allow fast (20 meters/second) signals and slower (2 meters/second) signals to the central nervous system. Pain thus occurs in two phases – an initially sharp pain signal sent by the fast axons, and then a more enduring dull pain signal sent by the slower axons. So essentially, all the sensory equipment is present to feel pain, and it would seem rather senseless (forgive the pun) to have all systems present and doing nothing in a dog, fox, cat, squirrel, whale, lion, horse, elephant? The next argument put forward is that the animal being hunted feels no pain as it is put in a great state of fear, stress and anxiety before it is killed. This state would release a high level of endogenous hormones called endorphins (about 20 different types occur in humans) from the pituitary gland into the blood, and from the hypothalamus into the spinal cord and brain. Since the endorphins released into the blood cannot enter the brain in much quantity because of the blood-brain barrier, their physiological importance to pain control is not so obvious. There are other reasons for these endorphins, and I will discuss these below. But what endorphins do (the name comes from a combination of endogenous and morphine) is interact with the opiate receptors in the brain to reduce the perception of pain. Anyone who has been badly injured knows just how ineffective these endorphins are. Again, it is not that humans make “weaker” endorphins than other mammals, not at all, they are all pretty much identical peptide hormones. It is no wonder that people who are badly injured require high doses of extra morphine to begin to relieve pain. Endorphins are not only to do with pain. They are also released when you eat spicy food and chocolate, and when you laugh and have sex. It is an important modulator of behaviour, and one of the causes of autism has been linked to an excess of circulating opioids. Endorphins also trigger the release of at least two other hormones – adrenaline and glucagon. Adrenaline, or epinephrine, stimulates the heart rate, contracts blood vessels, and dilates air passages. A good thing to have on board when you are being chased by something. Another good thing to have is glucagon, which allows glycogen stored in the liver to be released as glucose – allowing further sustained activity. A further consequence of serious injury is often that humans and animals go into a state described as “shock” – a serious medical condition caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure. Prey animals being disembowelled by hyenas and African wild dogs, racehorses with badly broken legs, and humans involved in serious car accidents all seem to be in a stoic and “painless state”, but this is induced by massive trauma that causes such a great overload to sensory systems that the body basically and protectively shuts down. But the injury and pain have to come first. To sum up, all mammals have nociceptors to signal pain, and therefore it is more than just plausible that pain in other mammals occurs in the same way it does in humans. There is no difference. Also as in humans, other mammals have endorphin hormones that reduce pain but far from eliminate it when an animal is injured, stressed, and subjected to high levels of fear. So it is entirely credible that animals feel pain exactly the way humans do. The fact that animals do not express pain as we do does not mean that they do not suffer from it. How animals deal with pain is a very different issue from the fact that such pain and trauma are being inflicted, and that is what should cease in “blood sports”. Biography Of Dr Kat Dr Kat Pieter completed all his university education in the United States, beginning with a BSc in biology and geology at the University of Rochester, an MSc in marine biology at the University of Delaware, followed by an MA and PhD in ecology and evolution at Johns Hopkins University. He then spent ten years working in Kenya on biological research programmes, including studies of evolution of molluscs in the African Great Lakes, genetic diversity in bovids (eg antelopes) of east Africa, studies on hyenas, African wild dogs and lions in the Masai Mara, and diseases likely to affect predators. This was followed by two years at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, USA working on rabies virus genetics, African horse sickness and bluetongue virus amongst carnivores. He was invited by the Government of Botswana to study lion populations and to make recommendations for their conservation, and spent 12 years conducting research in the Okavango Delta region. He has authored more than 70 scientific papers to date on a variety of subjects, and blogs.frequently on conservation issues on www.lionaid.org Dr Kat will be giving a lecture ‘The Sad truth About Lions’ at the Wildlife Expo at The Palace Suite, Alexandra Palace on the 14th October at 4.30pm. The Lecture will be introduced by John Rendell. the co author of ‘A Lion Called Christian’. www.lionaid.org Visit this link for more details about the talk at the Wildlife Expo. This was reblogged from www.conservativesagainstfoxhunting.com Please also read http://harperaspreywildliferescue.co.uk/Cliff_pellow.html Please take action hunting is a crime the League Against Cruel Sports is investing £1M into a campaign to tackle hunt crime please donate if you can http://www.league.org.uk/content/308/Donate Plastic pollution has a devastating effecton sea turtles as you will see via the video below. However, more than that, it is bad for us too. There is so much we can do to avoid plastic usage and so much plastic that can be recycled! How To Reduce Your Plastic Usage. 1. Bring your own cloth bags to the supermarket 2. Don't buy beverages bottles in plastic. Glass is great, you can recycle it! 3. Don't get to-go coffee or hot drinks. Your drink lid and cup will live on for over 100 years! The lids and lining are plastic. Bring your own or ask for a ceramic, reusable cup. 4. Go to the farmer's market and purchase fresh fruits and veggies (not packaged in plastic). 5. Don't buy convenience foods packages in plastic. 6. Make your own bread 7. Buy bread from bakeries that package in paper. 8. Clean with baking soda and vinegar or lemon juice instead of cleaners packaged in plastic. 9. Buy laundry detergent in boxes, not liquid in plastic containers. 10. Bring your own containers to restaurants to package leftovers. 11. Do not use air fresheners. Light a candle or incense instead. 12. Store all your food in glass containers. If you purchase something bottled in glass, clean it and reuse it! 13. Buy bulk cereal, bring your own paper bags. 14. Buy tortilla chips packaged in paper bags. 15. Buy bulk coffee packaged in paper or in cans, or bring your own bags. 16. Buy peanut butter that is packaged in glass containers. 17. Compost your trash, reduce your use of plastic trash bags. 18. Line small trash bins in your house with paper bags. 19. When ordering drinks, say "no straw please!" 20. Buy real maple syrup (comes in glass bottles) 21. Buy toilet paper that is wrapped in paper, not plastic. 22. Don't use ziploc. If you need to keep things like half an onion (happens to us all the time!) use aluminum or waxy paper. 23. Use cloth rags for clean up around the house, no paper towels - reduces your trash and need for trash bags. 24. Use cloth napkins. They feel nice and reduce your waste and use of plastic trash bags.. Bring your own bag to all stores you shop in and say "no bag needed, thanks!" 25. Don't use plastic cutting boards. Use wood or glass. 26. Use baby bottles made of glass. 27. Use stainless steel sippy cups for kids. 28. Use cloth based toys for your pets, like catnip mice and soft squishy balls. 29. Buy cloth diapers. Many great varieties available and better for your baby. We fill a super bowl size hole every day with disposal diapers that will leach toxins into the environment for centuries to come. 30. Buy your music online. 31. Use real silverware for parties instead of plastic. 32. Use rechargeable batteries to reduce buying batteries packaged in plastic. 33. Make a compost heap to reduce your food waste and put it back into the earth. 34. Make your own lunch and use a reusable cloth bag or old fashioned steel lunch box to carry your lunch to work or school. 35. If you have to buy plastic ensure that you buy the recyclable type.  The Government has announced that it will green-light a badger cull in order to prevent the spread of bovine TB. Public opinion is opposed to the cull in light of the fact that it will actually create more of a problem. In fact evidence of overwhelming public opposition to the proposed cull of badgers was withheld until the Government had decided to go ahead with the controversial plan. The government's own scientific advisers warn that it won't solve the problem of TB in cattle. The issue is this, the cull is a DIY effort, meaning that landowners will be able to self-organise and shoot free-running badgers completely unregulated and unsupervised. The reason this has come about is due to the Environment Secretary accepting too big a budget cut and therefore not having the means to fund the effective solution which involves vaccinations and better cattle welfare. Shooting free-running badgers will make the problem of bovine TB worse as the badgers will flee to other areas of the country. In short, the cull is a political gesture to appease the farmers. Please note the quotes from the experts below and the story from The Independent. "This is despite scientific studies which have shown that culling would be of little help in reducing the disease in the long term, and could actually make things worse in some areas." - RSPCA “I can’t understand how anybody who’s looked at the science would say this is a good idea.” - Professor John Krebs "Time and again in recent years, responsible and authoritative research has concluded that a cull will not prevent cattle from contracting TB, and indeed that it could make the situation worse." Bill Oddie Majority objected to badger cull before policy was approved - The Independent Simply put a cull is not good for us as humans. It will lead to a larger spread when we should be taking better care of cattle to start with rather than engaging in such intense farming. Do we really want people tearing around the countryside with guns shooting wildlife? How will they dispose of all the corpses? Burn them? The alternative is oral vaccination for both cattle and badgers. Safer and far more effective. I for one would fundraise for that. I am also concerned that the shooting of badgers will introduce a new rural bloodsport and add extra support to the repeal of the Hunting Act. Please sign either of the petitions below:- http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/badgers-petition#petition http://www.league.org.uk/badgerpetition Here is what we are calling for instead (from http://www.greenexe.org.uk/badgers/) WHY WE OPPOSE THE BADGER CULL It is inhumane
WHAT WE ARE CALLING FOR INSTEAD In the short term:
Please check out the video from the ITN News | Causes
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