Animal Awareness

Katherine Heigl works to end animal cruelty

On 11/02/2013 / Animal Awareness, Awareness, Celebrities, End Animal Creulty, Pets, Social Justice / 1 Comment

Katherine Heigl is helping to save the lives of animals in desperate need

The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation (JDHF) was founded by Nancy and Katherine Heigl to increase awareness of inhumane animal treatment and support efforts for rescue, medical care, training and placement needs in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Heigl’s passion for animals inspired them to form an organization dedicated to animal welfare that would also be a lasting legacy to the compassion, kindness and memory of a beloved son and brother.

Screen Shot 2013 02 11 at 5.14.02 PM Katherine Heigl works to end animal cruelty

Katherine Heigl snuggling with her dog Piper

In 1986, Jason was killed in a car accident. He was fifteen years old. Throughout his brief lifetime Jason loved all animals, especially dogs and cats and monkeys. He lived his life extending compassion and kindness to all creatures great and small.

The mission of The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation is to eliminate the needless suffering inflicted on animals by human cruelty, indifference, and ignorance.

In pursuit of this mission The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation funds a number of programs including an internal rescue group, The Heigl Hounds Of Hope, that focuses its rescue efforts on medium to large dogs from high kill shelters. Support is also provided to non-profit animal rescue / advocacy groups via the Heigl Foundation’s Networking Program, designed to encourage organizations to save more shelter animals in Southern California by helping to offset some of the enormous financial costs associated with animal rescue care. Funding is also given for free spay / neuter procedures for qualified caretakers, for compassion education programs, and to assist with the transport of dogs from overcrowded shelters in Los Angeles to communities where the demand for dogs is high but the supply is low.

To find out more information about the work of the Heigl Foundation and to discover how you can help, volunteer or contribute, please visit the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation web site.

An Adventure with Willie Nelson & Friends

On 05/07/2012 / Animal Awareness, Art, Awareness, Celebrities, Farm Products, Photography, Poverty, Summer Giveaways, Toxic, Women / Comments Off

Willie Nelson Joins A Distinctive Style in the Summer edition.

In this issue you’ll get a glimpse inside the lives of Hollywood celebrities, as we spotlight their dedication and commitment to making a difference in the world.

WillieNelsonCover4x An Adventure with Willie Nelson & Friends

We have an abundance, of unique stories to share with you starting with the American icon who graces our cover. Willie Nelson’s new album, Heroes, is Willie at his finest, delivering the many flavors of ever-popular country songs. Willie and friends, including Merle Haggard, Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver, Sheryl Crow, Jamey Johnson, and Willie’s sons Lukas and Michah, have joined forces to introduce new songs and to delight music lovers with classics that date back 50 years.

Of course, it’s impossible to think of Willie Nelson without thinking of American farmers. Willie and Farm Aid, undoubtedly are two sides of the same coin, a coin that symbolizes an uncountable number of other individuals aiding the American farmer.

As you’ll see in the Summer issue of A Distinctive Style, aid can come in the form of consumers who make purchases at Farmers Markets; lawyers like Peter Kennedy and others at the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund; filmmakers like Kristin Canty; and brave famers and fighters who push back against heavy-handed government agencies.

Our literary horn of plenty also features Josh Wachs of Share Our Strength®, an organization committed to ensuing the food that is grown finds its way to the many who go hungry in our country each day. Too, you’ll learn about genetically modified foods and about food safety.

Get Ready for an Amazing Adventure!

Click on the the magazine below to get started…..

Pig Genocide in Michigan – Farmers Forced to Slaughter Healthy Pigs

On 26/05/2012 / Animal Awareness, Awareness, Beware, Buy from Farmers, County Raids, Farm Products, Natural Food Products, Shop Green, Videos / Comments Off

Insane Michigan government announces plan to destroy ranch livestock based on hair color and arrest hundreds of ranchers as felons

The state of Michigan has enacted, by law “animal genocide” (the mass murder of ranch animals) on all Michigan farmers. It’s all part of a shocking new “Invasive Species Order” (ISO) put in place by Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This Invasive Species Order suddenly and shockingly defines virtually all open-range pigs raised by small family farms to be illegal “invasive species,” and possession of just one of these animals is now a felony crime in Michigan, punishable by up to four years in prison.

As of April 1, 2012, the state ordered farmers to “destroy” all pigs or the DNR would raid their farms with government-issued rifles, then shoot the pig herds while arresting the members of the family and charging them with the “crime” of raising pigs.

A state-sponsored serial animal killing spree

This is factually true and verifiable through documents, videos and websites. The state of Michigan seriously carried out a mass murder spree of pigs starting April 1.

Screen Shot 2012 05 25 at 7.05.00 PM 300x159 Pig Genocide in Michigan Farmers Forced to Slaughter Healthy Pigs Finally, the Michigan Swine outrage is breaking into the media, RT America, based in Washington, DC did this excellent video news report on the horrible treatment of farmers by the state of Michigan.

Declaring it pig genocide in Michigan is putting it mildly. Government agencies and the governor (by his inaction), are destroying the fabric of a community and the dreams of their citizens for a business of their own.

By the way, isn’t it about time our politicians started talking about business opportunities? I am so sick of the emphasis on JOBS in the political dialog. Businesses are what we really need, but our politicians seem to want all of us beholden to them for jobs. What about all the business killing regulations? You can’t have jobs if you don’t first encourage business start-ups! This regulatory hostility toward business owners, farmers and ranchers has got to stop!

Think about it. Would you rather be working in someone else’s pork factory, or tending to a few pigs on your own land? Which is going to be the least hazardous to your health? Which potentially could lead to more wealth?

The government is criminalizing the latter, therefore forcing these farmers back into the workforce. They will have to get JOBS to survive. What a Shame!

Make your voice be heard on this! Spread this video far and wide. Only a huge outcry can stop this kind of abuse of power. Wake UP America, THEY will come for your livelihood NEXT!

Avon, Estée Lauder and Mary Kay still DO Animal Testing

On 19/02/2012 / Animal Awareness, Awareness / Comments Off

These companies have been added to PETA’s list that DO animal testing.

Why? After two decades of promoting their “no animal testing” policies, Avon, Estée Lauder, and Mary Kay have quietly resumed paying for cruel tests on animals—without letting consumers know! We have confirmed with each company that chemicals are being dripped into rabbits’ eyes and that substances are being rubbed onto animals’ skin because of requirements of the Chinese government in order to market products in that country.

Click here to let Avon, Estée Lauder, and Mary Kay know that you won’t buy their products until they are 100 percent cruelty-free once again. Fortunately for animals, you can still choose from more than 1,000 companies in peta2′s online searchable database of cosmetics and personal-care companies that don’t harm animals at home or overseas.

CLICK HERE

Jenna Morasca switching to cruelty-free makeup

On 16/02/2012 / Animal Awareness, Awareness, Shop Green, Skin Care / Comments Off

The following article was written by Jenna Morasca, who is an actor, a model, the winner of Survivor: The Amazon, host of Everyday Health, and a lifelong animal advocate.

Buy cruelty-free ! Just one thing you can do to help animals!

There are plenty of things you can do to help animals! The best advice that I can give right off the bat is not to get overwhelmed and feel bad when you read about all the issues. Rather, read through the causes listed on PETA’s website and think about which one speaks to you the most.

My spousal equal, Ethan, uses an inspiring line in his speeches that I always repeat to others and myself when the issues become overwhelming. He says, “Find what makes your heart break, and do something about it.” So, in that vein, read through the list of issues and find the one that makes your heart break the most—and then do something about it!

Another piece of advice is to write things down! I find it less daunting to make a list of the things that you can do to help. For example, you can volunteer at a local animal shelter or vet clinic, sign petitions, cut one thing out of your diet (dairy products, meat, etc.), donate your furs or leather goods, or purchase cruelty-free makeup. There are plenty of easy things that you can do from the comfort of your own home to get you started on the path of giving back.

One year, my good deed started with deciding to give all my friends makeup from a cruelty-free cosmetics line that I love. I did this with the hope that they would love it as much as I do and end up switching their makeup over to that cruelty-free line forever. This method is less “in your face” and more about wanting to “spread the love” of a great new product. As an added bonus, my friends still use that makeup brand to this day! This is a win-win situation for everyone—you, animals, and your friends. This year, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to switch entirely to cruelty-free makeup.

Note: Be sure to check PETA’s Cruelty-Free Database regularly for the most up-to-date list of companies that do and that don’t test on animals, as it changes frequently.

Small deeds like this can go a long way—just ask the animals who were saved from cruel and barbaric animal testing. It’s also very important not to get too overwhelmed—I am telling you that it’s OK to start small! A good way to take a baby step into the world of animal rights is to make a list of small things you can do to help your issue and work your way up to the big things. Make a promise to do one thing on your list each month. I guarantee that by the end of the year, you will have completed way more than one thing on your list each month and will feel so much better about yourself. And most importantly, animals will have benefited.

Penelope Cruz Gives Fur the Cold Shoulder

On 11/02/2012 / Animal Awareness, Awareness / Comments Off

Academy Award-winning actor Penelope Cruz is admired universally as one of the most beautiful women in the world. From receiving praise for her breakout role in Vanilla Sky to becoming the first Spanish actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Cruz has become a bona fide star and a guaranteed head-turner at any red carpet event. Now Cruz is using her stunning looks to prove that compassion is the sexiest thing you can wear—by giving fur the cold shoulder in her new ad for peta2.

Because Cruz is a noted humanitarian and someone who’s devoted much of her life to charitable causes, it’s no surprise that she signed on to join peta2′s fight against the fur industry. There is nothing beautiful about wearing fur or fur trim. Every year, millions of animals—including minks, raccoons, rabbits, foxes, and even cats and dogs who are no different than those you may share a home with—are crammed into tiny cages before being bludgeoned, suffocated, strangled, electrocuted, or even skinned alive in order to turn their pelts into fur coats, trim, and trinkets. If these crimes were perpetrated against dogs or cats in the United States, it would warrant felony cruelty-to-animals charges. Yet there are no penalties for abusing animals on fur farms in China, where the majority of fur comes from.

Screen Shot 2012 02 14 at 8.44.42 AM 226x300 Penelope Cruz Gives Fur the Cold Shoulder With so many fashionable, cruelty-free alternatives to fur available, there is no need to buy or wear the real thing. Many of today’s top designers—including Stella McCartney, Betsey Johnson, and Tommy Hilfiger—are proudly fur-free, and Cruz joins a growing list of celebrities, including Eva Mendes, Twilight star Christian Serratos, and Charlize Theron, in standing up for animals used for their fur.

You can help put an end to this bloody industry by refusing to buy or wear fur or fur trim. Sign the pledge to be fur-free, and send a powerful message to designers, retailers, and others who profit off cruelty that compassion is timeless fashion.

SIGN THE PLEDGE

Environmentalist Stella McCartney Says No to Leather

On 09/02/2012 / Animal Awareness, Awareness, Shop Green / Comments Off

Environmentalist Stella McCartney works with fabrics that don’t bleed

Inspired and compassionate trendsetter Stella McCartney has stocked shelves around the world with her modern, feminine designs for H&M, Adidas, and her own namesake line. Her designs keep the most famous movie stars on “best dressed” lists around the world (hello, Charlize,Penelope, and Kate!), but best of all, Stella and her award-winning collections are proudly free of leather, fur, and other skins.

Stella’s already revealed the horrors of fur, and now she wants you to learn the facts about leather’s extreme cruelty, environmental destruction, and human health costs and pledge never to wear animal skins again.

Because skin is the most economically important co-product of the meat industry, buying leather directly contributes to factory farms and slaughterhouses—and all the cruelty involved. Purchasing the skins of cows raised in the U.S. likely pays for the horrors of factory farming, including castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning—all without any painkillers. Leather sourced from developing countries such as India and China may have come from animals who experienced untold suffering—such as being dismembered while they’re still conscious—since animal welfare laws there are either non-existent or not enforced. Stella avoids financing any of this barbarity by refusing to wear the skins of tortured animals.

250 stellafurquote orange2 Environmentalist Stella McCartney Says No to Leather

As a committed environmentalist who was named the first-ever Green Designer of the Year by the Accessories Council, Stella is also concerned about leather production’s environmental impact. Tanning, the process of turning skin into leather, requires massive amounts of energy and dangerous chemicals, including formaldehyde and coal-tar derivatives, which can end up in nearby soil and water supplies. These toxic chemicals pose a deadly threat to those who work at the tanneries as well as the humans and animals who live nearby.

Join Stella and pledge never to wear leather. Your pledge will let designers, retailers, and others who profit off cruelty know that skin belongs on an animal, not in your closet.

Watch Stella’s exposé of the global leather industry to find out who your leather bag, belt, or shoe once was. (www.youtu.be/7hZh_zrV6oY)