Best Way to Stop the Dolphin Hunt: Don’t Visit Marine Parks

i Feb 1st Comments Off on Best Way to Stop the Dolphin Hunt: Don’t Visit Marine Parks by

When dolphin hunters in Taiji, Japan, last week captured a pod of hundreds of bottlenose dolphins and separated about 80 young ones from their mothers, one mother fought frantically to stay with her baby in a video that made news around the world.

While some dolphins are caught for meat — the modern-day version of a whale-hunting tradition in Taiji — that is not where the big money is. The non-traditional driver of the hunt is dolphins sold for “entertainment.”

A dolphin sold for meat brings in hundreds of dollars. Untrained dolphins sold to marine parks garner $10,000 each, according to The Dodo. By that math, Taiji made at least $3 million from about 300 dolphins it sold alive in the late 2010 to early 2011 hunting season, and maybe $1 million on the nearly 2,000 dolphins it sold for meat.

Dolphin_slaughter_in_Taiji_Japan

Photo: VanessaNYC07 at Wikimedia Commons

To its huge credit, the Japanese Assocation of Zoos and Aquariums banned the buying and selling of dolphins from the Taiji hunt in 2015. It was a brave move, made under threat of expulsion from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, National Geographic reported.

However, that does not mean the end of suffering for dolphins, even in Japan. The marine parks could breed dolphins, like their counterparts in the United States have bred orcas and other animals. Taiji’s mayor has also said that, if hunting is banned, the city may rope off its infamous cove (site of the Oscar-winning documentary, “The Cove”) and breed dolphins there.

The only real way to make headway against the dolphin hunt — and captive breeding — is to stop visiting marine parks. If people are forced to look at how their own behavior leads directly to suffering, that will do more to save these beautiful, brilliant, compassionate animals than any amount of shaming of Japan.

Announcing #Comments film USA tour

i Jul 6th Comments Off on Announcing #Comments film USA tour by

comments

Seattle Premiere, Saturday July 16 2016
Northwest Film Forum, 8:30 pm

What the heck is #Comments?

A film short kicking off a new genre: “Sketch Commenty.”

Ever been frustrated by online comment sections? This short film is for you.

#Comments, a 35-minute video, is part of a series of verbatim comments from online articles acted out as characters by musicians Eleni Vlachos and Rob Beloved of the band Beloved Binge.  The first in the series includes three articles on vegan mayo, two of which chronicle a lawsuit by corporate giant Unilever (Hellman’s) against tiny startup Hampton Creek (Just Mayo).

Eleni started the series to address the inhumanity of our online behavior in a humorous way, and named this new genre “sketch commenty.”  She wondered:  By laughing at ourselves, can we change the conversation?

At each show, two bands join the party: Audiences are invited to sit, drink, listen, and watch.

Seattle premiere:  8:30 pm Saturday, July 16, 8:30 pm – 12:00 am

Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

9:00 pm: Black Giraffe: www.facebook.com/blackgiraffemusic
9:45 pm: #Comments film (trailer): https://youtu.be/P4cgpIVLrM0
10:20 pm: Q&A with filmmaker & actors
10:30 pm: Ichi Bichi: https://www.facebook.com/Ichibichiband/

$8 goes to performing acts and space.
Event page: http://www.nwfilmforum.org/live/page/calendar/4006
Invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/141049829638336/

This film premiered in Durham, NC on April 23, 2016 to a sold-out crowd who laughed during the entire performance. One man said, “I almost peed my pants.”

The new “Sketch commenty” series hit the road in June — both screening this film and making a new one recording characters from shows across the US featuring reader comments from articles about “fake” meat. Watch for the wigs!

Trailer:   https://youtu.be/P4cgpIVLrM0 
Theme song:  https://soundcloud.com/beloved-binge/comments-theme-song  
Press: Independent Weekly  Creative Loafing 

commentslive

Photos from the sold-out premiere, by Edward Wando

Learn more: www.youbigtalker.com/comments

comments2

Thanksgiving week events

i Nov 24th Comments Off on Thanksgiving week events by

We’re ramping up for a busy week. Here’s a rundown of some of the ways you can get involved in the next few days.

Fri Nov 27 from 9am-11am
Vegan Outreach Downtown Seattle
Meet at 4th & Pine, in front of Starbucks

This is a chance to hand out vegan recipes and Why Vegan booklets to the crowds who will be congregating for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. People love the recipe books and it’s a great way to make a positive impact.

Fri Nov 27 from 11am-1pm
Fur Free Friday Downtown Seattle
Nordstrom Downtown Seattle, 500 Pine Street

After leafleting, it’s demo time! Hold a sign, hand out a flier, or simply be part of the group of people who oppose fur. There’s no need for cruelty in the 21st century.

Fri Nov 27 from 1pm-10pm
#BlackLivesMatterFriday 2.0 : The Quest For Freedom
Westlake Park, 401 Pine Street

After demos, let’s show solidarity with other groups. This event isn’t organized by NARN, but it’s important that we support our fellow activists. Oppression and injustices are rampant and we need to stand with others to make changes.

Sun Nov 29 from 6pm-9:30pm
No New Animal Lab Home Demos
Meet at Starbucks, 800 12th Ave, Seattle

This event isn’t organized by NARN, but we stand with the No New Animal Lab campaign and encourage you to attend protests at the houses of people involved in the plans to build a new underground animal lab at the University of Washington.

Tue Dec 1 from 6:30pm-8:30pm
NARN Letter Writing Party, Fur Free Friday Edition
Wayward Vegan Café, 801 NE 65th Street

Join NARN members, animal activists, and other vegans for a letter writing dinner at Wayward Café! We’ll be upstairs with stationery, stamps, and addresses. Just bring yourself!

Well, there’s no shortage of events in Seattle in the next week. Have a peaceful Thanksgiving, eat lots of delicious vegan food, and plug into the community however you can.

 

Buy A Veggie Burger For a Great Cause This Saturday!

i Aug 30th Comments Off on Buy A Veggie Burger For a Great Cause This Saturday! by

hip hop burger

Let’s keep Keith Tucker spinning veggie burgers!

Keith hosts awesome Hip Hop Green Dinners all over the country to spread the word about tasty, animal-free burgers. I was lucky enough to attend one in Seattle’s Lake City neighborhood a few months ago — yum! He provides great entertainment, too.

These hip hop dinners change lives by doing something as simple and powerful as serving healthy vegan meals to youth and families who may never have had one before. Keith shows them that veganism is possible, delicious — and necessary, for animals, our health and our communities.

Sponsors like Seattle’s Field Roast help ensure that the Hip Hop Green Dinners are free. So do fundraisers like the one Keith is holding this Labor Day Weekend in Seattle, Baltimore and Miami.

Please join the Big Burger Battle Fundraiser, where you can buy a scrumptious Field Roast burger for a great cause!

Details: Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. at The Collaboratory, 5623 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle.

Seattle Veggie Burgers, represent!

(And thanks to our friend Christie Lagally at Living Humane for the heads up!)

URGENT PS on Washington's Ag-Gag Bill

i Jan 16th Comments Off on URGENT PS on Washington's Ag-Gag Bill by

Several states have already introduced Ag-Gag bills since the beginning of the year, but the one that is moving the fastest is, shamefully, Washington’s.   It is set to have a hearing this coming Tuesday, January 20th.                                                                                                         WE CAN ACT BEFORE THEN!  Make sure you call your representative now to ask him or her to oppose HB 1104 (a link to find your legislators is in the previous blog post on the subject). A tip for the shy ones among us: if you call over the weekend, you can just leave a message. (I would still recommend calling during business hours though, as voice mail boxes can be full.)

The Humane League offers the following great suggestions for involvement:

·         Submit a letter to the editor. Getting letters printed in your local newspaper is an easy and effective way to reach thousands of people on the issue. Plus, lawmakers and their staff regularly read the letters section to have a pulse on what the citizens in their district care about. We already have some letters drafted and instructions on how to submit them – and submitting only takes 30 seconds. To do this, please email Sarah Swingle at SSwingle@HumaneSociety.org. Just tell her which city you live in and she’ll get you started!

·         Phonebank: You can help out big time by committing to make phone calls for one hour (or more!) to Humane Society members in Washington, asking them to call their state representatives about the bill. It’s easy, effective and flexible. Calls will start tomorrow and end on Tuesday at 10:30am EST. If you can make some calls, email Kenny Torrella atKTorrella@HumaneSociety.org and he will get you started.

PLEASE MAKE THE TIME.  SO MUCH IS AT STAKE.

 

It's Veganuary!

i Jan 5th Comments Off on It's Veganuary! by

New year. New outlook.

Many people make new year’s resolutions in January. This year, do yourself and the animals a favor and get a head start on a good habit.

VEGANUARY aims to reduce the suffering of animals by inspiring people to go vegan for the month of January.

And over the course of a month, you might just find you’ve developed a healthy new habit, and stick with it.

On the website, you’ll find recipes, profiles of vegans, a news section, a product directory, and tips for eating out.

Sign up and register on the website today!

veganuary

Food Giant Scared of Eggless Mayo

i Dec 3rd Comments Off on Food Giant Scared of Eggless Mayo by

 

Just Mayo

Look familiar? You have probably seen this and already tried it, wondering if it gets better than Vegenaise. (Does it? My vote is no, but that’s beside the point here.) You may also have heard that the food giant Unilever is suing the start-up company Hampton Creek, maker of this spread that tastes like mayonnaise but contains yellow peas instead of eggs (Whirled Peas! Literally!)  — hence the logo that depicts an egg with a pea shoot growing through it.  For us, the most important aspect of Just Mayo is that no one got hurt to make it.  The lawsuit contends that Hampton Creek is guilty of false advertising and fraud (because Unilever, which sells $60 BILLION worth of stuff worldwide under 1,000 different brand names, is SO concerned about false advertising) — and, the crux of the matter, is denting sales of its own mayonnaise products, marketed under the brand names Hellmann’s and Best Foods. (Wait, isn’t that how capitalism works?!)

By FDA regulations, mayonnaise contains egg yolks.  Just Mayo does not, it is true, but then it doesn’t call itself mayonnaise either. Also, considering Hampton Creek specifically markets the eggless-ness of Just Mayo, it can hardly be said to be creating false impressions.  Nevertheless, Unilever’s suit alleges it will suffer “irreparable harm” from Just Mayo, feigns concern that “consumers are being misled”, and demands damages of three times Hampton Creek’s profits, plus legal fees, plus the recall of all Just Mayo products and marketing materials, and a change in logo.

In the first 24 hours of the story going public, Hampton Creek received 18,000 messages of support.  Unilever and Hellmann’s were deluged by negative comments. And the media visibility for Just Mayo has been estimated at the equivalent of advertising worth $20+ million in just the first week after the lawsuit was filed. HA!

During that time Unilever was busy quietly cleaning a bunch of it’s own websites and product descriptions, which were found LIKEWISE not to conform to the rules it was trying to set for Just Mayo.

Just Mayo is already on the shelves in chains like Costco, Target and WalMart, and Hampton  Creek has also begun selling Just Cookies, an eggless, dairy-free cookie dough in four varieties. Will Keebler’s elves be lining up at their own lawyer’s office to accuse Hampton Creek of fraud in their use of the word “Cookies”??

Green Vegans Join Seattle Climate Rally

i Sep 9th No Comments by

Green Vegans, based out of Seattle,  is calling for all NW area vegans to come out to the Seattle version of the worldwide People’s Climate March. Vegans everywhere are preparing for these events. Green Vegans are making  sure that climate change activists include the vegan imperative. We and ecosystems will not win on climate change without veganism.

Disruption – Official Trailer from Watch Disruption on Vimeo.

On September 21, people in villages, towns, and cities around the world will come together in a call for action. In New York alone over 750 organizations and tens of thousands of people are gathering for a rally and march there as the United Nations convenes to address climate change policy. On the same day vegans in Seattle and everywhere will join them.

Seattle People's Climate March 2014

Join other Seattle vegans and anyone who cares about the earth’s climate.  The Seattle rally will be at Westlake Plaza, downtown, Sunday, September 21, starting at 1:00 PM. There will likely be a march to a nearby location that yet to be announced All organizations, vegan and nonvegan, are encouraged to represent their own contingent with banners while individuals can bring their own signs. Check out the Green Vegan’s blog for more information!

More details and to RSVP on Act 350
RSVP on Facebook

Dangerous Crossings: a talk with Dr. Claire Jean Kim in Seattle

i Mar 19th No Comments by

The University of Washington Graduate School and the Northwest Animal Rights Network  is honored to sponsor an evening community talk with Dr. Claire Jean Kim on Friday May 2, 2014 at El Centro De La Raza on Beacon Hill.

Dr. Claire Jean Kim

Dr. Claire Jean Kim

Dr. Kim is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Asian American Studies at University of California, Irvine, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate classes on racial politics, multiculturalism, social movements, and human-animal studies. Her most recent book, Race, Species and Nature in a Multicultural Age (Cambridge University Press, 2014), examines the intersection of race, species and nature in impassioned disputes over how immigrants of color, racialized minorities, and Native people in the U.S. use animals in their cultural traditions.

Join Dr. Kim in a discussion on how might we re-imagine the human, the animal, and nature outside of relations of domination. What would justice in a multi-racial, multi-species world look like? RSVP on the Facebook event page here to reserve your spot. We are particularly proud to be offering this talk at El Centro de la Raza (Center for People of All Races). Read more about their guiding principals.

If getting to the University of Washington campus is easier for you, Dr Kim will also be speaking on Thursday evening, May 1, 2014 at Kane Hall at 6:30 pm. More details on that event here.

Dangerous Crossings
Friday May 2, 2014
7:00 – 8:00 PM
El Centro De La Raza
2524 16th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98144
RSVP on Facebook

Signature Gathering for Meatless Mondays

i Jan 7th Comments Off on Signature Gathering for Meatless Mondays by

When: Saturday, January 11th @ 10:00am – 1:00pm
Where: University District Farmers Market
(on University Way NE between NE 50th St and NE 52nd St.) (map)

Seattle is fortunate to be home to one of the new offices of The Humane League, a national Animal Rights Organization. One of their main focuses in Seattle is to get the Seattle School District to implement Meatless Mondays. YOU can help make this happen by helping to gather signatures for support of Meatless Mondays at the University District Farmers Market on Saturday, Jan 11th from 10am – 1pm.

If you can help, please contact Rachel at rachelhw@thehumaneleague.com