If you can help, contact Maureen, animalhousejamaica@yahoo.co.uk

The Animal House (Jamaica) is a British-founded and run animal shelter on Jamaica's north coast. We are one of only two shelters on the island and the only no-kill. Since 2005 we have been through four hurricanes — yes, four! The last one was category 5 Hurricane Dean which hit us on August 19 leaving much destruction behind... WSPA provided funds to replace the roofs or our main kennel blocks which blew away in the storm... We are however, still fighting for our survival given the rest of the damage which has to be repaired and the large influx of lost and injured animals who came in after the storm (and of course need to be spayed and neutered). At any given time we care for approximately 150 of Jamaica's forgotten animals... many of whom are rehomed in the U.S. and Canada (and would have been in U.K. had the laws allowed). But, since the hurricanes it has been a uphill struggle to survive.

website: www.theanimalhousejamaica.org/home.html
email: info@theanimalhousejamaica.org
ph: 1-876-801-8386; Maureen Sheridan, 1-876-975-4812
MAIL CHECK: The Animal House (Jamaica) • PO Box 775 • Ocho Rios, Jamaica WI
DONATE ONLINE: www.theanimalhousejamaica.org/home.html • Click on PayPals, bottom of home pg.

Friends of Animals, info@friendsofanimals.org

H.R. 767 (Refuge Ecology Protection and Immediate Response Act) is possibly the most sweeping feral animal extermination mandate ever put before Congress, according to Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People. This bill lets the federal government kill whomever it deems a harmful, non-native species within our national wildlife refuge system. As Lee Hall notes, so many plants and animals, such as humans, can be considered invasive, yet people choose to kill certain species and not others.

STATUS OF H.R. 767 — 10/23/07: Unanimously passed House of Representatives.
Currently: In Committee On Environment and Public Works. If passed through committee, bill will continue to Senate for a vote.

Please call, write and/or email your senator now. Let them know you oppose this bill, and request they oppose it as well. If you call your senators office, be aware the person on the phone might attempt to put a different spin on the spirit of the bill. Be sure to mention specific concerns, i.e. the fact that feral cats and other animals are, indeed, not protected.

To identify your senator and find contact info, try:
Congress.org: www.Congress.org
USA Senate: www.senate.gov
Congressional Switchboard: 202-224-3121

Vesna Jones, vesna@greekanimalrescue.com

Daily Express' crusade to boycott Santorini's suffering donkeys got a major boost as cruise companies disclosed their concern about treatment of the animals. Two major cruise operators...said they do not "actively encourage" tourists to use donkeys. Instead, they tell thousands of passengers disembarking from vessels to use the cable car instead. And they said any crusade to end animal cruelty should be applauded. Their policy will pressure dozens of other cruise companies visiting the Aegean destination to implement a similar strategy. It means our bid to end the abuse of hundreds of donkeys who spend their lives carrying tourists up a steep path from the port to the main resort of Fira 800 ft. above has taken a major step forward... The poor 'beasts of burden' are forced to work all day, without a break or at least given some water. At night, when they're supposed to "rest," they are crammed together in caves or so-called stables, but their saddles remain on their backs. When donkeys are "spent," they're abandoned or shipped to Italy for meat.

The Daily Express has been inundated with hundreds of messages of support from readers determined to end the archaic and cruel practice... Their comments come as it emerged other cruise companies do not advise against using the donkeys — and the only concerns are for passenger welfare. Another massive ship carrying 2,000 American passengers from Holland American cruise line docked in the port yesterday. Anticipating the influx of visitors, the steep path to the port was lined with even more donkeys — double the numbers seen on Sunday...

GREEK OFFICIALS: arissp@altecnet.gr, stavros.dimas@cec.eu.int, aoikono@gntol.gr, ka6u016@minagric.gr

EU MP'S: cab-kyprianou@cec.eu.int, sarnaoutakis@europarl.eu.int, kbatzeli@europarl.eu.int, pbeglitis@europarl.eu.int, gdimitrakopoulos@europarl.eu.int, igklavakis@europarl.eu.int, khatzidakis@europarl.eu.int, gkaratzaferis@europarl.eu.int, rkratsa@europarl.eu.int, slambrinidis@europarl.eu.int, dmanolakou@europarl.eu.int, mmatsouka@europarl.eu.int, mmavrommatis@europarl.eu.int, tpafilis@europarl.eu.int, mpanayotopoulos@europarl.eu.int, dpapadimoulis@europarl.eu.int, gpapastamkos@europarl.eu.int, asamaras@europarl.eu.int, nsifunakis@europarl.eu.int, gtoussas@europarl.eu.int, atrakatellis@europarl.eu.int, etzampazi@europarl.eu.int, nvakalis@europarl.eu.int, ivarvitsiotis@europarl.eu.int, xenogiannakopoulou@europarl.eu.int

CC YOUR LETTER TO: sylvia@enet.gr, k9mailbox@yahoo.com
BLIND-COPY YOUR LETTER TO: info@greekanimalrescue.com

This news story, dated 11/12/07, is no longer online. But, it is so powerful, I felt compelled to share it with you. I am also the mother of a 7-year-old boy, Elijah, who is vegan and animal-aware. I'd like to think he'd react the same way as wonderful Noah, 7, in the story below... Brenda Shoss, Kinship Circle

By JAMPA WILLIAMS and NOAH S.B. WILLIAMS • The Hartford Courant, www.courant.com/
11/12/07 — Recently, my son Noah ran afoul of his school's curriculum when he refused to classify an animal as a "thing" during a grammar lesson.

Thing, as in "person, place or thing," a time-worn method of identifying whether something is a noun. Noah, being 7 and an animal lover, would not back down and "correct" his classification of animals, which he felt should be regarded as "beings," and he was less than fully cordial when his teacher gently insisted he change his response. Noah felt that, rather than "persons, places and things," the classification system should be "Beings, Places and Things."

As Noah's mother, it is my responsibility to instill in Noah the proper habit of cordiality and respect when disagreeing with others. I encouraged him to show greater respect for his teacher in the style of his response, but I also told him I was proud of him for speaking up on behalf of beings who cannot speak up on behalf of themselves.

Language is powerful. I am raising Noah with an abolitionist ethic. He is conscious of the vulnerability experienced by any being who is regarded as a thing, as an "it," rather than as a sacred companion in our midst.

To be regarded as a thing is to be regarded as an object lacking liberty, protection or rights. A being regarded as a "thing" or an "it" lives or dies, thrives or suffers, according to the consent or even whims of those who hold power over him or her. Often, human beings have bestowed and continue to bestow upon other human beings the classification of "it," and the results are, and always have been, horrific and unconscionable. Treating any sentient being as a "thing" or an "it" produces results no less horrific, no less cruel.

Noah wrote this essay when I encouraged him to find a positive way to express his beliefs. He wrote from the very heart of his heart, where his love for all beings warms his very existence...

Animals should not be called things because they are beings, not things. Shame on the people who call animals things. If I could I would give the person who first called animals things a talking-to. I would not call animals things.

Think about this. If you loved someone, would you call them a thing? I wish no one had ever called animals things. Why would you call your pet a thing?

A rug or something is a thing, but not an animal. He or she is not a thing! This is not funny, it's all true. I would not lie to you about this. It's not a joke.

Do not lie to me, either.

Jampa Williams is a poet, writer and activist in West Hartford. Noah S.B.
Williams is a second-grader and political activist in West Hartford.

An animal is not a thing. An animal is a boy or girl. And an animal is a live being. It's true!

Bryan Kortis, Neighborhood Cats, headcat@neighborhoodcats.org, 212-662-5761 • Carl Simonsen, boardwalkcats@webtv.net

From headcat@neighborhoodcats.org (New York) — Susan Baer, General Manager of JFK Airport, threatened in a recent memo to revoke the right of any employee to be on airport grounds who is caught feeding cats. The NY State anti-cruelty law provides that a person who "deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, food or drink, or neglects or refuses to furnish it such sustenance or drink" is guilty of a crime (Ag&Markets, sec. 353). Cats are dependent on people for food and drink and, by ordering their sustenance be withheld, Baer may have committed a criminal offense.
JFK memo: graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/nyregion/city_room/20071030_AIRPORT.pdf
NY State anti-cruelty law: www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusnyag_mkts332_379.htm#s353

In addition to starving cats, Port Authority officials continued their extermination effort by trapping some and dumping them at a local shelter. Typically, feral cats are immediately euthanized due to being unadoptable and a safety risk to staff... Each passing day brings ever more outrageous conduct by the Port Authority — this is not only about the precious lives of the cats anymore, but about the accountability of people who have forgotten they are public servants. Please raise your voice once more...

Demand Port Authority suspend the trapping immediately... Please let us know — headcat@neighborhoodcats.org — if anyone requests more detailed information on the issues.

Anthony R. Coscia, Chairman, Board of Commissioners
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
ph: 732-846-2120 (direct line) • 732-846-7600 (general, Coscia's law firm)
fax: 732.846.8877 • email: acoscia@windelsmarx.com

Robert E. Wan Etten, Inspector General
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
main office: 973-565-4340 • 24-hr pager: 917-788-6277>
fax: 973-565-4307 • email: InspectorGeneral@panynj.gov

The Honorable Eliot Spitzer, Governor, New York
ph: 212-681-4580 • fax: 518-474-1513 • web email: www.ny.gov/

The Honorable Mary Donahue, Lieutenant Governor, New York
ph: 518-474-4623 • email: Ltgovernor.correspondence@chamber.state.ny.us

The Honorable Helen Marshall, Queens Borough President
Chairman, Airport Community Advisory Board
ph: 718-286-3000 • email: info@queensbp.org>

Port Authority Corporate Headquarters
ph: 212-435-7000 (get a live person on the line and demand to speak to someone about the JFK situation)

LIE #1: "The cats will all be adopted into good homes."
THE TRUTH: Feral cats are unadoptable and often put down when brought to shelters, as Port Authority plans to do. Port Authority ADMITTED LYING to the public in the NY Post article, "Frequent Liars", published Saturday, October 27, 2007.

LIE #2: "Feeding cats attracts seagulls and birds are an aviation threat."
THE TRUTH: Seagulls are at the airport because JFK is NEAR THE OCEAN! And because tons of trash is strewn about airport grounds. There is not enough cat food to attract large numbers of birds and there is no food left anyway when the cats finish eating. Cats hunt birds, they don't attract them. There is ZERO evidence proving a link between the presence of cats at an airport and an aviation risk. DON'T BE GULL-IBLE!

LIE #3: "We can achieve a cat-free airport."
THE TRUTH: You can't wipe out the presence of feral cats in a 5000 acre area where new, unneutered cats are constantly abandoned or lost and then reproduce, and where food sources are plentiful. Only Trap-Neuter-Return can, over time, reduce numbers. The Port Authority's extermination effort is futile and will only result in new furry faces, not fewer.

I am making a personal appeal for donations to be sent to three local rescue organizations that have played a key role at some point in the rescue and/or TNR of the cats at JFK airport being threatened with extermination...

URBAN CAT LEAGUE - www.urbancatleague.org - PO BOX 2476 • Times Square Station • New York, NY10108

ALL ABOUT SPAY NEUTER INC. - www.allaboutspayneuter.com - PO BOX 140098 • Howard Beach, NY 11414

SAVE KITTY FOUNDATION - www.savekitty.org - PO BOX 260096 • Bellerose NY 11426

Penny, jkulig_pgummo@yahoo.com • Dawn Ashby, Rescue and Public Liaison, Dogs Deserve Better, Inc.

On Monday, September 19 a jury was selected in the case of Tammy Grimes and trial has been set for December 12, 13 and 14, according to the Court Administration's Office at Blair County Courthouse. The judge has issued a gag order on Grimes and everyone involved in the case, however, a call to the courthouse revealed the jury has been selected and the above dates have been set for the trial. It is HIGHLY unlikely Grimes' evidence — including a video of the dog's suffering and the veterinarian's report — will be deemed admissible. Grimes was arrested for theft when she rescued a dying dog on September 11, 2006.
Read more: bulletins.myspace.com/www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html

Call 310-281-1109 or email info@straycatalliance.org • Benefiting Stray Cat Alliance, www.straycatalliance.org/

WHEN: December 2, 2007 • 5:00-7:00pm
Cocktail / Hors d'oeuvre • Dinner and Masquerade Party
Decadent Attire / Costume / Black Tie — OPTIONAL

WHERE: Wilshire-Ebell Theatre (Wilshire and Lucerne Blvd), complimentary parking on Lucerne Blvd
4401 8th Street • Los Angeles, CA 90005

HONORING: Judie Mancuso, Cheri Shankar, Assemblyman Lloyd Levine
A Night full of Magic...Masquerade Party, Spectacular Raffles, Amazing Vegan Food, Decadent Silent Auction

TO HELP, CONTACT: info@straycatalliance.org or 310-281-1109
1. Volunteers to help with the event
2. Volunteers for that evening.
3. We also need help with silent auction items.
EXAMPLE AUCTION ITEMS: signed scripts, Movie/TV clothing worn by stars, jewelry, restaurants, massages, facials, beauty supply baskets, signed books, CD or DVD packages, walk-on visit movie or TV sets, artwork, haircuts, manicures, hotel stays, airplane tickets, Whole Foods, Vons, Ralphs, Trader Joes food baskets or shopping certificates, theater or movie tickets, walk-on part in a TV or movie, electronics, dog and cat supply baskets, candle baskets, natural cleaning supplies baskets etc.

Lorri Bauston, info@laanimalalliance.com

Animal Acres urgently needs volunteers and donations to set up fire evacuation areas.
- Fire evac project days every SATURDAY.
- Volunteers need to arrive to Animal Acres by 11:00am.

animalacres.org/donate.html

Special Thanks to Jon Cohen who put together a short video: youtube.com/watch?v=ZYg-jw-Ot4o

ANIMAL ACRES • 5200 Escondido Canyon Road • Acton, CA 93510
ph: 661-269-5404, fax: 661-269-0194 • email: info@animalacres.org • site: www.animalacres.org

IF YOU CAN HELP, CONTACT EDWIN: edwin@scoobymedina.com

SLIDE SHOW: video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=3481946948943655753&hl=nl
Madrid — It is not the first time an elderly person accumulates a big number of animals... This is not a case of direct mistreatment, for the owner of the property considers himself a dog lover, but dogs were found in deplorable conditions...in Sevilla, at "El Cuervo," where a man called Antonio rescues dogs — especially Galgos, Podencos, and mixed breeds. There were almost 200 dogs for which the situation is untenable.

What we saw there was an absolute tragedy. Lots of dogs all together...too skinny with terrible skin problems, full of fleas, pregnant dogs about to give birth, dogs with recent wounds and some with scars from old fights... In an olive area, Antonio had about 30 tied-up dogs, with very short chains, and most of them famished, dog bones everywhere... Even Antonio told us that some days ago a Galga had given birth and others had eaten her puppies and then the poor mother...

...The next day we went back with the van to pick up dogs. We have already made 2 trips, in the first we picked up those in the worst physical condition...and in the second trip we picked up the more traumatized...

We need your help to help them:
- Economic aid
- Organizations who want to receive these animals
- Vets to sterilize and prepare them for their new homes
- Homes for them
- Volunteers because these dogs need a special treatment

IF YOU CAN HELP, CONTACT EDWIN: edwin@scoobymedina.com
TO DONATE: www.scoobymedina.com
Click WELCOME on right side of page for English. Scroll to bottom and click on yellow 'make a donation' tag.

TO GET INVOLVED, CONTACT: New York Bird Club, nybirdclub@yahoo.com

1. PET STORE CRUELTY/NEGLIGENCE: Educate the public by way of distributing Fact Sheets about animal exploitation, abuse and neglect inside pet stores. Videotape negligence inside pet stores. Contact: nybirdclub@yahoo.com

2. VIGIL FOR PIGEONS: Millions of pigeons have been netted and gone to pigeons shoots in PA. HSUS is currently working on legislation to stop the nettings. If you have any relevant information, please forward it.

From HSUS: As you know, we have been working on legislation to ban pigeon shoots in PA for some time. We are optimistic about legislation this time around as momentum started with a cancelled pigeon shoot in Northeastern Pennsylvania last fall. We have a bill in the House and we're closing in on the amount of votes we need. We also just last week introduced the bill in the Senate with 14 co-sponsors (out of 50 senators). Our challenge continues to be exposing pigeon shoots as the seedy spec tacle they are, and conveying to legislators that shoots really have nothing to do with hunting...

Eileen Kinghorn, eileen_kinghorn@hotmail.com

As a result of Huntingdon's ongoing injunction farce (or flushing your money down the toilet as normal people call it), we have been unable to hold a national protest outside of Huntingdon's Laboratory in 4 years.

Until now... November 10, 2007 was a celebration of our right to protest, and a huge morale boost to the campaign that will close down Huntingdon Life Sciences... As 700 people gathered in Huntingdon, Amanda Richards from SPEAK kicked of the speeches, reminding everyone...HLS kills 500 animals every day, and has been exposed time and again punching dogs, cutting open live primates, and generally abusing animals... Amanda spoke of the Newchurch campaign, which successfully closed the Staffordshire Guinea Pig farm, who shipped animals straight into the labs of HLS... Next up was the ever charismatic Keith Mann, who reinforced the message that we must keep fighting for the animals inside HLS... Finally, Sarah Whitehead read an emotive and powerful letter from Heather Nicholson, currently remanded in prison simply for standing up and speaking out for the animals inside HLS.

...We traveled in convoy to the gates of hell themselves... As people tried to take in what they were seeing, Tom Harris from SHAC gave a rousing speech, urging everyone to take up the fight against HLS... He spoke of the current lawsuit against HLS in which they are accused of falsifying data, the abuse of animals recently witnessed at interfauna, and the fact that, as Roche said, it is not a matter of IF Huntingdon closes, but WHEN...

Then, for two hours, we vent our grief and our anger. The air was rent with noise, as for the first time in years we filled the night air outside HLS with the sound of megaphones, sirens, voices, whistles and drums. This protest was amazing, for those who came, thank you on behalf of everyone of the 70,000 animals waiting to die inside HLS. To those who couldn't make it, you missed out, and we'll see you next time!