The Farm Animal Movement: Effective Altruism, Venture Philanthropy, & The Fight to End Factory Farming in America by Jeff Thomas Lantern Publishing & Media, P.O. Box 1350, Woodstock, NY 12498 200 pages; $19.95 paperback. www.lanternpm.org Reviewed by Merritt Clifton Former Humane Society of the United States [HSUS] policy analyst Jeff Thomas has previously been mentioned […]
More Than a Meal: Thanksgiving, turkeys, tradition & Karen Davis
First condemned, then pardoned, without a statement of rights (See also Karen Davis, Ph.D., United Poultry Concerns founder, dead at 79.) 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 20, 2023 “pardoned” the 46-pound and 47-pound turkeys Chocolate and […]
Karen Davis, Ph.D., United Poultry Concerns founder, dead at 79
Karen Davis was a frequent ANIMALS 24-7 guest columnist & commentator MACHIPONGO, Virginia––United Poultry Concerns founder Karen Davis, or Karen Davis, PhD., as she always signed her writings, “passed away peacefully on the morning of November 4, 2023 at the United Poultry Concerns sanctuary, surrounded by her beloved birds,” the organization announced, pledging to “continue […]
Why did the ASPCA pres get $966,004, 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]