Innocent Animals
Real murder: what happens at a slaughterhouse
Following on from my blog post about the "murder" at the Nanakuli animal shelter, here is an account from Wikipedia of the mass murder process at a slaughterhouse (this is not for the faint of heart):
The slaughterhouse process differs by species and region and may be controlled by civil law as well as religious laws such as Kosher and Halal laws. A typical procedure follows:
Cattle (mostly steers and heifers, some cows, and even fewer bulls) are received by truck or rail from a ranch, farm, or feedlot.
Cattle are herded into holding pens.
Meet your Meat
A number of Down to Earth team members have taken advantage of our offer to pay for their ticket to go and see "Food, Inc." showing at Kahala Mall. One leaves the movie feeling a little sick, and not feeling good about the food supply, especially about how the animals are treated. This type of food production is relatively new, having occurred over the past 50 or so years. The long term health and societal effects are yet to be realized. I encourage everyone to see the movie, especially Down to Earth team members.
The cause is the factory farms, the government solution, kill deer, squirrels, and other wildlife!
Congress passed the Food Safety Enhancement Act today. This bill creates big administrative and cost burdens and new problems for small farmers and in particular organic farmers. Everyone is in favor of food safety, who isn't. But the real culprit is the big agribusiness factory farms (which create the environment for E coli to flourish), not the small organic producers, yet this bill imposes onerous requirements on small family organic farmers which won't lead to any increase in food safety, just more costs, and more bureaucracy.
Food Inc. starts showings Kahala Mall this Friday, July 31
Food, Inc., the movie that shows how the food industry really works starts at Kahala Mall this Friday, July 31, 2009.
"Objecting to fun was silly"
Back to my favorite story, the Wienermobile. There was a letter to the editor in the Honolulu Advertiser today. Unfortunately, it wasn't from me or any of my friends, so instead of saying how great it was to have a law that banned the Wienermobile, it said the Outdoor Circle came off looking silly to object to the Wienermobile. Here are some highlights:
Wienermobile in the news again
In the big news of the day the Wienermobile is in violation of state law and could be fined if it comes to Hawaii again, the fine for a first violation is between $200 - $1,000 and $5,000 for subsequent offenses.
Dog butcher sentenced to 3 months in prison
A golf course employee stole a golf player's 8 month old puppy, took it home and butchered it, however, it isn't clear from the news reports whether he ate it or not before the police came. Last week the dog killer/butcher was sentenced to 3 months in prison, fined $500, ordered to complete 400 hours of community service, and given three years of probation. He was convicted of felony animal cruelty.
Wienermobile Crashes Into Wisconsin Home
Some people really love their Oscar Mayer Wieners and according to the Wienermobile horn, which plays the Oscar Mayer jingle, some people (who obviously have no consciousness of what they are saying) actually want to be wieners, but I am not sure that too many people love wieners so much that they want the Wienermobile as part of their home as happened to a Wisconsin homeowner last Saturday, July 18, 2009. (These Wienermobiles are generating a lot of interest lately aren't they!)
Oscar G. Mayer dies at 95
July 8, 2009: Oscar G Mayer, retired chairman of the Wisconsin-based meat processing company that bears his name, has died at the age of 95. He was the third Oscar Mayer in the family that founded Oscar Mayer Foods, which was once the largest private employer in Madison. Mayer retired as chairman of the board in 1977 at age 62 soon after the company recorded its first $1 billion year. The company was later sold to General Foods and is now a business unit of Kraft.
Burger King removes ad, apologizes.... Now if only they would stop killing cows....
In a surprise move Burger King quickly responded to the complaint from the Hindu American Foundation concerning the use of a Hindu Goddess to promote their burgers, apologized, and stated it would cease the advertising campaign.