USA: Senate Passes Bill To Ban ‘Crush’ Videos – Excellent News; But Further Action Needed From US Citizens.

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill that would ban the sale, creation and distribution of crush videos, or sexual fetish videos showing small live animals being tortured, maimed and crushed by women in heels.

Crush videos were illegal in the U.S. until the Supreme Court overturned the 1999 Crush Act in the case of U.S. v. Stevens last April with the position that it violated the First Amendment right to free speech.

The vote overturned the conviction of Robert Stevens, who was found guilty of selling videotapes of dogfights in 2005. While the Crush Act was intended to target crush porn and other depictions of animal cruelty, some had problems with with the breadth of the law and many were concerned that it would be used to prosecute people with videos of hunting, bullfights or undercover footage.

Unfortunately, after the Crush Act was struck down, the industry has made a comeback, according to Nancy Perry, Vice President of Government Affairs of the Humane Society of the United States.

Since then, a new bill was drafted and passed in the House by a vote of 416-3 in July. The revised senate version, sponsored by Senators Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., Richard Burr, R-N.C. and Jeff Merkely, D-Ore., is a little bit stronger and will now make its way back to the House for approval before going to Obama for his signature.

The Senate bill prohibits the creation of crush videos, in addition to their sale and distribution and does not require proof that the videos were intended for commercial gain, simply having them will be illegal. Additionally, turning materials over to law enforcement would not make someone guilty of possession.

While the First Amendment is vital for our freedom of expression, most of us would agree that materials containing anything showing cruelty to animals simply has no inherent value, and falls on the scale of obscenity or child pornography, which are afforded no constitutional protection.

Don’t let those who abuse the innocent hide behind free speech. Please take a minute to contact your representatives asking them to pass the Senate version of the bill and send it off to the President for a signature and sign Care2’s petition urging Congress to ban videos of animal cruelty.

For more info visit stopcrush.org.

Source Link:  

http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/senate-votes-to-ban-crush-porn/

 

 

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Uk: Activists For Global CO2 Climate Changes Produce Effective Video To Send Message.

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

 

 

 

 

British activists have blown the lid off the climate debate with a video that shows climate doubters, including schoolkids, being blown up into bloody bits on screen.

10:10, the climate group responsible for the video, is promoting a global campaign to cut carbon emissions by 10 percent a year, starting in the year 2010.

During the 3+ minute clip (featured below) those who seem to doubt global warming are first told there is “no pressure” to participate in the campaign. But seconds later, they are literally blown up by teachers, coaches, and colleagues who disapprove of their lack of enthusiasm.

Climate change activists that have been gearing up for the (completely unrelated) 10/10/10 event sponsored by 350.org are apalled at the video, saying it strengthens the perception that environmentalists are judgemental and ruthless.

“It’s the kind of stupidity that really hurts our side, reinforcing in people’s minds a series of preconceived notions, not the least of which is that we’re out-of-control elitists. Not to mention crazy, and also with a completely misplaced sense of humor,” Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, wrote on Grist.

Despite the backlash, the creators of the video are unapologetic.

From the 10:10 Global website:

“We wanted to find a way to bring this critical issue back into the headlines whilst making people laugh. We were therefore delighted when Britain’s leading comedy writer, Richard Curtis – writer of Blackadder, Four Weddings, Notting Hill and many others – agreed to write a short film for the 10:10 campaign. Many people found the resulting film extremely funny, but unfortunately some didn’t and we sincerely apologise to anybody we have offended.“As a result of these concerns we’ve taken it off our website. We won’t be making any attempt to censor or remove other versions currently in circulation on the internet.”

Is the video genius or gross?

Watch it below and share your thoughts in a comment.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4gU965ppcA&feature=player_embedded

 

 

 

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Palm Oil: How You As A Consumer Can Make A Difference.

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Palm Oil is found in many products at the supermarket. It makes crisps crispy and soap soapy. But what does it do to the environment and the animals that live there? 

Expansion of palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia has destroyed the habitats of orangutans and other endangered species. 

This video from the World Wildlife Fund combines some beautiful photography with information about the threat, and urges you to buy products with sustainable palm oil. 

A few years ago, I went to see the orangutans in East Malaysia and had to drive through miles of palm oil plantations to get to the small jungle area saved for them. Sad.

Video – How our consumer choices affect wildlife:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-1DQwaauwE&feature=player_embedded

Check out Care2 Issues – Environment and Animal Welfare

http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/

http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/

 

 

 

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Germany: Huge Demonstrations As ‘Stuttgart 21’ Tree Felling Begins – Trees of Over 300 Years Destroyed for New Station Plans

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

 

 

 

 

‘Stuttgart 21’ – What’s It All About ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuttgart_21

English version –

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6064495,00.html?maca=en-topstories-83-rdf

First trees cut down at controversial Stuttgart railway project site

Police formed a barrier between protestors and trees

Thousands of demonstrators have been held back by a chain of police officers as work begins on cutting down trees in a Stuttgart park. The trees are being cleared for building work on the “Stuttgart 21” rail project.

An estimated 1,500 demonstrators were held back behind police cordons as work began before dawn on Friday to fell the first of dozens of trees in Stuttgart’s historic palace gardens.

On Thursday thousands of protestors had assembled in the Schlossgarten park to protest against plans to cut down the trees as part of an multi-billion euro train station renovation project called “Stuttgart 21.”

Water cannons were used on those occupying the park

Nine environmental activists were physically removed from the trees as the police cleared the area. Officers also used tear gas and water cannons to evict the protestors from the park.

Workers hired to cut down 25 trees were surrounded by a protective chain of around 1,000 police officers, separating them from the protestors. Police described the mood as “heated” and “irritated,” adding that during the work protestors blew whistles and some threw bottles at the police.

Tear gas and water cannons

On Thursday police forcibly removed protestors from the park, some of whom had chained themselves to the trees. As tensions between the police and the demonstrators intensified, police started to use pepper spray and water cannons on the protestors.

Children and young people were among the demonstrators

Among the protestors was a group of schoolchildren, who, eyewitnesses said, were also hit by water cannons and tear gas.

Estimates vary on the number of injured, with demonstrators saying several hundred were affected by the clashes with police. The German Red Cross said 99 people were treated by them, 80 of whom had irritated eyes. A further 10 people were hospitalized. According to the police, among the injured were six minors, including four 16-year-olds, a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old.

Stuttgart 21 has become a highly divisive topic. Opponents of Stuttgart 21 say the cost – 7 billion euros ($9.5 billion), according to Germany’s rail operator Deutsche Bahn – could spiral out of control and would be better spent to repair existing stations. Proponents say the project will provide much-needed improvements to Germany’s high-speed rail network.

Police vs. protestors

Thursday’s clashes have drawn criticism from politicians.

 Police said 116 people were injured in Thursday’s clashes

Renate Kuenast, head of the parliamentary group of the Green party in Berlin, said the reaction of the police was “no way to solve the problem. This will only escalate things, problems will become worse.”

Peter Hauk, the caucus chairman of the ruling Christian Democrats in the state parliament of Baden-Wuerttemberg, where Stuttgart is located, said it was “irresponsible” for parents to take their children to the protest.

Opposition transport spokesperson for the Social Democrats Uwe Beckmeyer has called for the immediate stop to the building.

“I call on Deutsche Bahn to do anything to prevent a further escalation of the problem,” said Beckmeyer. “It’s unbelievable what has happened there,” he added.

A special session of the federal parliament’s internal affairs committee has been requested by the Left Party and scheduled for early Friday morning.

Author: Catherine Bolsover (dpa, AP, dapd)
Editor: Ian P. Johnson

——————————

Massive protests yesterday – over 400 people hurt, children and the elderly beaten up, attacked with pepper sprays etc.
http://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/inhalt.stuttgart-21-um-1-uhr-nachts-fiel-die-erste-platane.91ee58d5-9a22-4df9-a548-a09f2a411781.html#

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuttgart_21

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/sep2010/stut-s20.shtml

Tens of thousands in Germany protest “Stuttgart 21” railway project

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/world/europe/15stuttgart.html?_r=3&hpw

Walls Fall in a German City, but This Time to Few Cheers

http://socialistworld.net/doc/4453

Mass protests against “Stuttgart 21”

 

 

 

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Uk: Captive Bolt Guns To Kill Dogs – Why They Should Never Be Used

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

 

 

 

 

CAPTIVE BOLT GUNS HAVE NO PLACE IN OUR 21ST CENTURY SOCIETY

The use of the captive bolt pistol in dogs by vet- Andre Menache BSc(Hons) BVSc MRCVS

As a veterinary surgeon in animal welfare for almost 30 years, and having witnessed first-hand the effects of captive bolt stunning in dogs, I feel somewhat competent to express my view on this subject (1). Although this practice may be considered as acceptable in those parts of the world where veterinary resources are very limited, or where there is little concern for animal welfare, neither of these factors apply to 21st century UK.

The concussion caused by the captive bolt leads to destruction of parts of  the brain as well as massive bleeding and an increase in intracranial pressure, all of which cause the animal to lose consciousness. Occasionally, an animal may regain consciousness after the initial concussion. This is especially likely if an animal moves its head at the instant the pistol is discharged. Worse still, the operator may inflict a serious wound, without hitting the brain at all, and be faced with a completely conscious animal in agony.

In a successful stun, although brain matter may have been destroyed, the brain stem is often left intact, which explains why the heart will continue to beat. Although this may be desirable in a slaughterhouse context, in the case of dogs, it necessitates the need for a supplementary agent, such as lethal injection with barbiturates, to ensure swift euthansia.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation,  

“Captive-bolt pistols are an acceptable alternative to firearms where animals are sufficiently restrained, provided that the team understands that animals may be stunned rather than killed. They must be competent to know when an animal is only stunned and trained and equipped to kill such an animal immediately after stunning”(2).

This view is echoed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) guidelines on euthanasia (June 2007), which state that “death may not occur if equipment is not maintained and used properly” (3).

In a letter addressed to me by the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), dated 12th January 2009, Mr S.E. Chetham writes: “we would have serious concerns over the use of the captive bolt only by lay persons because the captive bolt, in itself, does not guarantee death, merely stunning is a possibility. Secondly all our operatives who have captive bolts have pentobarbitone sodium at their disposal. I hope this clarifies our position”. 

From the above, we can conclude that the use of the captive bolt pistol on its own is not an acceptable means of euthanasia in dogs. The use of a supplementary agent to ensure euthanasia, such as lethal injection with a controlled substance, is permissible only to highly trained and registered personnel. A lay person using a captive bolt pistol to kill dogs would need to ensure death either by pithing or by exsanguination, both of which raise further animal welfare concerns, assuming they were performed at all.

Therefore, in the interests of animal welfare, the use of the captive bolt pistol in dogs by lay persons should no longer be allowed in the UK.  

Andre Menache BSc(Hons) BVSc MRCVS

London, 17 June 2009.

Refs.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/article648731.ece

http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/004/Y0660E/Y0660E01.htm

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:4-YmFfnYIfMJ:www.avma.org/resources/euthanasia.pdf+avma+captive+bolt&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

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Bali: The Government of Bali Realise That Vaccination of Dogs, NOT Poisoning, is the Only Humane, Effective Way to PREVENT Rabies

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

 

 

 

In early 2010, Made Sudini, a grandmother from Gianyar in Bali, Indonesia, was heading to work when she saw a government team arrive in her village and begin to poison dogs on the streets.

 
Made was traumatized by what she saw, but was relieved that at least her four dogs were safe at home. She watched as dogs injected by poisoned darts yelped in pain and tried to run for cover. As they ran, their leg muscles froze and their paces slowed until they fell over, writhing in agony before eventually suffocating to death.


What Made didn’t know at the time was that one of her dogs – a puppy called Johnny – had somehow managed to slip out of the house. Made arrived home to find Johnny’s limp body, still warm, lying in the front of her house. Made’s neighbor later told her how Jenny, one of Made’s other dogs, had flung herself at the garden gate, barking and turning in circles as she watched Johnny die. Jenny was his mother.

More than 100,000 dogs like Johnny have already lost their lives on Bali, poisoned with strychnine in a misguided and inhumane attempt to stop the spread of rabies.
WSPA is determined that no more dogs will be horrifically poisoned, but we need your help.

Earlier this year, WSPA stepped in to convince the government of Bali that vaccination is the only humane, effective way to prevent rabies. Through a trial project in one region of Bali, we successfully vaccinated 40,000 dogs and reduced the spread of rabies in the region.

Now, the Balinese government has agreed to stop killing dogs and work with WSPA and our local partner, the Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) to implement an island-wide vaccination program – this means we need to vaccinate 350,000 dogs against rabies (approximately three quarters of all dogs in Bali) within the next six months. 

This is a big task, but failure is not an option. If we fail to vaccinate these dogs the Balinese government could revert to poisoning and more dogs like Johnny will die painful, prolonged deaths.
 

Silia Smith
Interim Executive Director
WSPA USA

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Brazil: Video Footage of Animals Being Slaughtered Using Sledgehammers ! – Sample Letter and Contact Details Provided – Please Act.

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

 

 

 

 

 

*** WARNING – EXTREME ANIMAL CRUELTY AND SUFFERING SHOWN ON VIDEO FOOTAGE ***

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMO7-kdtSb4

Portuguese to English translation — poor translation but you can get the gist of it.  Watch the video to see the extent of cruelty inflicted upon those poor animals. 

It is unspeakable.

Torture of animals in Ceará.

————————————————– ——————————

Source: extracted from the matter of The People newspaper – http://bit.ly/aLxNYS
 
A complaint promoted by the International Union for the Protection of Animals (UIPA), Ceara, took a television news crew from a local station to catch gruesome scenes of animal cruelty, carried out in the Municipal Slaughterhouse in Cascavel and displayed yesterday to the public . The scenes of torture daunting traumatized viewers who saw the matter, whose impact will probably not restricted to the borders of Ceará, given the current level of humanitarian conscience, present at national and global public opinion.
 
Heard by this reporter, the town clerk responsible for establishing promised that facilities would be closed immediately, recognizing the lack of minimum conditions for its operation. However, the irregularities had been reported to prosecutors and other bodies responsible for a long time, and even then, the establishment remained untouched until now.
 
Even the illegal method of killing with mallets not let go of the skill of the performer. In scenes shown, in addition to malpractice, there is a cruelty free, with mallets by prior whole body of the animal. This is a revolting crime.

TV Jangadeiro (SBT) registra a violência

Veja as cenas (fortes) do abate de bois a marretadas, no Abatedouro Municipal de Cascavel/CE, captadas pela equipe do programa Na Mira do Barra.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMO7-kdtSb4

SEND THE LETTER TO THESE GOVERNMENT OFFICERS:

gabinete@cascavel.ce.gov.br
saude@cascavel.ce.gov.br

ouvidoria@mp.ce.gov.br
opiniao@opovo.com.br

Exmo. Prefeito Sr. Décio Paulo Bonilha Munhoz

Tomamos conhecimento, através de reportagem publicada no jornal O Povo e das imagens registradas pela TV Jangadeiro, sobre a situação encontrada pela equipe do programa Na Mira do Barra no Abatedouro Municipal de Cascavel.

Repulsivas as cenas registradas pela reportagem, uma sessão de violência inominável, um exemplo terrível para os cidadãos de Cascavel e de todo o Brasil. Bois não sentem apenas a dor, mas também têm consciência do que lhes ocorre. A crueldade contra eles expressa o nível de crueldade da qual o homem é capaz contra os seres de qualquer espécie, inclusive a humana.

Vimos primeiramente questionar V. Exa. sobre os motivos de não terem sido tomadas providências anteriormente, apesar de, conforme a reportagem, já haverem denúncias registradas sobre a situação do abatedouro. Solicitamos também informações sobre andamento da interdição deste local.

E também vimos exortar V. Exa. a dar um exemplo de compaixão, promovendo uma campanha pela adoção do vegetarianismo, ação que pode ser iniciada com a oferta de merenda escolar vegetariana nos estabelecimentos de ensino do munícipio. A ingestão de carne ou de qualquer produto de origem animal é absolutamente dispensável para a nutrição humana, como já amplamente comprovado pela ciência.. Além de não compactuar com a violência, V. Exa. estará dando um exemplo de respeito à vida, ao meio ambiente e à saúde dos munícipes, já que a produção de carne é responsável por degradação ambiental e por inúmeras doenças nas pessoas.

Sugerimos contato com os especialistas na área nutricional listados na página http://bit.ly/bDKcP2.

Your name,

Country

 

Instituto Nina Rosa – Projetos por amor à vida

Organização independente sem fins lucrativos

http://www.institutoninarosa.org.br

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