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Dear friends,
Please sign the the following petition which will be sent to the 2009 Copenhagen conference and governments across Europe.
The petition asks for the world's leaders to promote a plant based for all citizens in order to save the planet from global warming.
For more details please read the petition at :
Stop eating Meat - and heal our Planet!
http://fleischverbot.info/petition/

Farm Sanctuary Releases Report on “Humane” Meat Labels

Let’s face it, there’s no humane way to slaughter a non-human animal for food. There just isn’t anything remotely humane about eating non-human animals or wearing their skins and furs.
Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of and concerned about the cruel treatment of animals exploited for meat, milk and eggs. In response, animal producers and food retailers are developing programs to market their products in ways that appeal to these growing concerns, using labels like “humane,” “natural,” “cage free” and “organic.” But what do these terms really mean? Taking a closer look at the substance behind these labels, we see that they refer to a wide range of living conditions for animals — and they may not be consistent with what consumers envision.
Farm Sanctuary reviewed information on meat, milk and egg product labels promoted by government agencies, industry associations, retailers, and third-party interest groups that purport to provide some level of enhanced welfare for the animals involved. A critical look shows that while some farm animals housed and handled under the tenets of a “certified” labeling scheme may suffer less than others, the degree to which their welfare has improved is still far from “humane.” And all animals exploited for meat, dairy or egg production – whether factory farmed or otherwise – meet the same cruel end at the slaughterhouse.

Gruesome Facial Tumor Disease Threatens Taz with Extinction

The disease referred to as “a contagious cancer”, Devil Facial Tumor Disease, is decimating the population of Tasmanian Devils, leading experts to predict the extinction of the species in as little as 20 years.
Tasmanian devils have now been put on the Tasmanian endangered species list due to the decimation of the population by up to 70% in recent years. The cause of the die-off is Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), a disease detected 13 years ago, which is a fatal condition in Tasmanian devils, characterized by cancers around the mouth and head. The animals generally only live for about three months after contracting the disease.

Climate Change Could Displace Millions In Asia's Coral Triangle

ScienceDaily (May 14, 2009) — Coral reefs could disappear entirely from the Coral Triangle region of the Pacific Ocean by the end of the century, threatening the food supply and livelihoods for about 100 million people, according to a new study from World Wildlife Fund.
Averting catastrophe will depend on quick and effective global action on climate change coupled with the implementation of regional solutions to problems of over-fishing and pollution, according to The Coral Triangle and Climate Change: Ecosystems, People and Societies at Risk, a WWF-commissioned study presented at the World Oceans Conference in Manado, Indonesia May 13.
“This area is the planet’s crown jewel of coral diversity and we are watching it disappear before our eyes,” said Catherine Plume, Director of the Coral Triangle Program for WWF-US. “But as this study shows, there are opportunities to prevent this tragedy while sustaining the livelihoods of millions who rely on its riches.”
The report offers two dramatically different scenarios for the Coral Triangle, which is comprised of the coasts, reefs and seas of the countries of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. The Coral Triangle occupies
Just one percent of the Earth’s surface, but is home to fully 30 percent of the world’s coral reefs, 76 percent of reef-building coral species and more than 35 percent of coral reef fish species. It is also serves as vital spawning grounds for other economically important fish such as tuna.
“In one scenario, we continue along our current climate trajectory and do little to protect coastal environments from the onslaught of local threats,” said Queensland University Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who led the study. “In this world, people see the biological treasures of the Coral Triangle destroyed over the course of the century by rapid increases in ocean temperature, acidity and sea level, while the resilience of coastal environments also deteriorates under faltering coastal management. Poverty increases, food security plummets, economies suffer and coastal people migrate increasingly to urban areas.”
The report also highlighted opportunities to avoid a worst-case scenario in the region through significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and international investment in strengthening the region’s natural environments, solutions that would help to build a resilient and robust Coral Triangle in which economic growth, food security and natural environments are maintained.
“Climate change in the Coral Triangle is challenging but manageable, and the region would respond well to reductions in local environmental stresses from overfishing, pollution, and declining coastal water quality and health,” Hoegh-Guldberg said.
Even under the best case scenario however, communities in the region can expect to experience dramatic losses of coral, rising sea level, increased storm activity, severe droughts and reduced food availability from coastal fisheries. But effective management of coastal resources would mean the communities would remain reasonably intact and more resilient in the face of such hardships.

Animal Welfare Issues

As farming has become increasingly industrialized, animals raised for food production are treated more like commodities than animals. They are handled as units of production, rather than living, breathing creatures. This mechanized approach ignores animals’ needs, which often sacrifices their health and wellbeing in the name of higher profits. Although there is controversy surrounding the degrees of comfort and freedom that farm animals should have, most people agree that farm animals deserve a minimum standard of cleanliness and space, and that animals should not be made to suffer needlessly. Increasingly, more and more consumers are demanding better treatment of animals.
Much of the problem of animal welfare has to do with the basic structure of industrial farms. Confining animals indoors, as closely together as possible, rather than letting them roam and graze on pasture, exposes the animals to high levels of toxins, which are released when so much manure decomposes in an enclosed space. To counteract the disease inherent in such conditions, animals are given constant doses of antibiotics. Animals are exposed to pesticides and other unhealthy additives through their feed, and are often bred and fed to produce unnatural amounts of eggs, milk or meat.
While many of the techniques utilized on factory farms were developed to make production more profitable, other techniques were implemented to increase efficiency and safety. However, these practices often cause discomfort, pain, and stress to animals, while inhibiting their natural, instinctual behaviors. Though industrial production practices may help “mechanize” the animals by decreasing interference with production, they ultimately create health problems in both animals and humans.

SupremeMasterTV.com

Sea Shepherd news- anti-whaling activists plan to upgrade their fleet

Andrew Darby in Madiera, Portugal
June 26, 2009
JAPAN has asked Australia to prevent the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin leaving port to harass its whalers in the Antarctic next summer, but the plea may have little effect.
The anti-whaling activists plan to upgrade their fleet from an ageing, former North Atlantic fisheries patrol boat to include another ship - something out of the future. The global speedboat Earthrace would head south under Sea Shepherd colours next summer, the group's leader Paul Watson said.
"It looks like a spaceship. It can do 40 knots and dive under waves completely. We'll be using it to intercept and block harpoons."
In 61 days last year Earthrace circled the globe fuelled by biodiesel. The New Zealand owner/skipper, Pete Bethune, said he decided to become involved because "this is happening in my backyard and it really pisses me off. I'm going to make a stand."
He said he was adding half a tonne of Kevlar to the vessel to toughen it against the ice. It had the endurance to go half way round the world on a tank of fuel.
"They won't get away from me," he said.
Earthrace's role was unveiled as the International Whaling Commission heard that Sea Shepherd's protests endangered the lives of whalers in the Southern Ocean last summer when the Steve Irwin was involved in two collisions.
"These are highly dangerous, and it can only be described as a miracle that there has been no death or large-scale accident to date," said a Japanese delegation member, Jun Yamashita.
"We cannot tolerate such audacity," Mr Yamashita told the commission. "We ask for
all appropriate measures, including a ban on the ship from leaving port, so that we can prevent these acts from being repeated."
Mr Watson, who is not permitted inside the meeting, said the Steve Irwin was soon to leave Brisbane for Hobart after a $500,000 refit. Its buckled hull plates had been repaired, and it was fitted with a powerful water cannon on the bow to match the whalers'.
He dubbed next summer's campaign Operation Waltzing Matilda and has adopted a symbol with a kangaroo wearing a pirate's eye patch.
An official from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, David Dutton, told the 71-nation meeting in Madeira that the Rudd Government was deeply concerned about clashes in the Southern Ocean.
Australian Federal Police were conducting an official investigation, so no further comment could be made because it was possible the case would come before a court, he said.
Mr Watson said the federal police had returned videotapes taken from the ship in a raid in Hobart in February but still held the ship's log book. He said he had not been contacted recently by the federal police or Dutch authorities, under whose flag Steve Irwin sails.

Shark Fin Bust

Friday, June 26, 2009
Double Whammy in the Galapagos: Two Busts in Two Days on Two Islands
Shark Fin Bust in Santa Cruz
On the evening of June 25th, 2009, the Ecuadorian Environmental Police, acting on information provided by Sea Shepherd Galapagos, raided a fisherman’s house on Santa Cruz Island. The Environmental Police were supported by the Galapagos National Park Service and the K9 Police Unit.
Thanks to the excellent work of the dogs and their guides, the police quickly found 52 large shark fins inside the house. The dried and fresh fins weighed about 30 pounds. They were cut from Black Tip sharks and Galapagos sharks. Additionally, the police confiscated a substantial amount of illegal fishing gear (hooks, nets, and long lines) used in the illegal shark fishing industry.
Although Ecuadorian law permits sharks to be caught as by-catch near the Ecuadorian mainland, fishing for sharks is absolutely prohibited inside the Galapagos Marine Reserve.
The shark fins have an estimated street value of $10,000.
The suspect is under detention. Sea Shepherd will continue to assist in the case to secure a conviction and proper sentence.

Read more… http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/sea-shepherd-news.html

Swine Flu Ancestor Born on U.S. Factory Farms

At an environmental level, the conditions which shaped H3N2 and H1N2 evolution, and increased the variants’ chances of taking a human-contagious form, are well understood. High-density animal production facilities came to dominate the U.S. pork industry during the late 20th century, and have been adopted around the world. Inside them, pigs are packed so tightly that they cannot turn, and literally stand in their own waste.
Diseases travel rapidly through such immunologically stressed populations, and travel with the animals as they are shuttled throughout the United States between birth and slaughter. That provides ample opportunity for strains to mingle and recombine. An ever-escalating array of industry-developed vaccines confer short-term protection, but at the expense of provoking flu to evolve in unpredictable ways.

The Pew commission concluded that this system created an “increased chance for a strain to emerge that can infect and spread in humans.” Scientists and public health experts have said the same thing for years, in even starker terms.
In 2003, the American Public Health Association called for a ban on contained animal feeding operations. One year later, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital virologist Richard Webby, one of the original chroniclers of H3N2’s emergence, called the U.S. swine population “an increasingly important reservoir of viruses with human pandemic potential.” United States Department of Agriculture researcher Amy Vincent reportedly said that vaccine-driven evolution