First condemned, then pardoned, without a statement of rights WASHINGTON D.C.––Perhaps nothing could underscore the role of turkeys as Thanksgiving sacrificial victims than the annual ritual at which U.S. President Joe Biden on November 21, 2022 “pardoned” the 46-pound and 47-pound turkeys Chocolate and Chip on the South Lawn of the White House. For what […]
Hearts out of place: transplants, pigs, chickens, “victories” & McDonald’s
If “victories” for farmed animals meant beans, that would be a substantial improvement BALTIMORE, Maryland; WASHINGTON D.C.––David Bennett, 57, who on January 7, 2022 became the first human to receive a heart transplanted from a genetically-modified pig, died on March 8, 2022 at the University of Maryland School of Medicine hospital. “The biggest barrier to […]
McDonald’s McPlant: can it save the world from becoming McToast?
McPlant will save animals from becoming Big Macs––millions? Billions? CHICAGO, Illinois––Sixty years after the first McDonald’s attempt to introduce a meatless burger became perhaps the most notorious flop in fast food history, the company appears poised to try again––and not a moment too soon for animals and the earth. Beginning on Valentine’s Day 2022, 600 […]
What animal advocates owe to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Leading influence on rise of animal rights movement Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 1929-1968, in whose honor we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, never had any visible direct involvement with animals or animal issues––but he is justly remembered among the greatest influences on the animal rights movement of our time, and the many […]
Bernard Rollin, 78, addressed the big issues but often fumbled the facts
Author of Animal Rights & Human Morality and The Unheeded Cry FORT COLLINS, Colorado––Bernard Elliot Rollin, Ph.D., 78, better known as just Bernie Rollin, died on November 19, 2021. Remembered and appreciated as an entertaining, provocative, and often persuasive bridge among the animal rights, animal welfare, academic, veterinary, and legal communities during his 51 years […]
Good is not good enough! by Ed Duvin
The importance of understanding the stages of a social movement Years ago when heading an ethics institute, I was asked to speak at a nonprofit leadership symposium. I raised the issue that unlike corporations that go to great lengths to outperform competitors or perish, nonprofits too often subordinate excellence to expediency. This may keep their […]
In Defense of Animals founder Elliot Katz dies at 86
Animal rights movement pioneer SAN RAFAEL, California–– In Defense of Animals founder Elliot Katz, DVM, “died peacefully on March 24th at the age of 86,” the organization announced via Facebook on April 9, 2021, after word of Katz’s death had percolated through the animal advocacy community for several days. “Dr. Katz was a trailblazer […]
Why did the ASPCA pres get $852,231, while we got $9.70 an hour?
We are NOT the ASPCA!!! This is an exposé (and appeal) that Beth & I really did not want to have to write, but one of our faithful & reliable donors of $8.00 per month persuaded us that we had to –– because donors like her, for the most part, are paying not only for […]
Making a Thanksgiving place for Tofurky
Eventually live turkeys joined the feast. But not at first. Chloe Sorvino, food and drink editor for the business magazine Forbes, marked Thanksgiving 2020 by looking back 40 years to the invention of Tofurky in 1980, by then-nature educator Seth Tibbott. Described as a “turkey alternative,” blending tofu and wheat with a wild rice and […]
A Traitor To His Species: Henry Bergh & The Birth Of The Animal Rights Movement
by Ernest Freeberg 322 pages, hardcover. $30.00. Basic Books Hachette Book Group 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104 www.basicbooks.com Reviewed by Merritt Clifton Perhaps the first question to ask about a new biography of Henry Bergh, of whom more than 50 have reputedly been written already, with at least four close to […]