Pretty In Paint

What do cows, snakes, and foxes all agree on? That they would prefer to keep their skin right where it is, thank you very much. All three species (represented by body-painted PETA members) joined forces in Knoxville, Tennessee, to ask people to wear their own skin, not animals'.


The "animals" grabbed a lot of attention from people coming and going from the surrounding offices, and many people took home leaflets about animals killed for their skins. Even the local police couldn't get enough of the models, assuring them that they would "keep an eye on things." They certainly did—with huge smiles on their faces!

Hurricane Irene Is Coming: Are You Ready?

Just days after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake near Richmond, Virginia, shook the Eastern seaboard, including PETA's offices in Norfolk, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., the region is now bracing for Hurricane Irene, which is expected to strike the Carolina coast sometime on Saturday. Already, parts of North Carolina are under mandatory evacuation orders.




Staffers at PETA's headquarters in Norfolk are bracing for the storm. Brandi, Bubbles, and Marshall,  the three cats who live at the office, are ready to evacuate at a moment's notice. The cats' carriers—one for each cat—are kept in a readily accessible supply closet, and a staffer will be spending the night at the building in order to be ready to immediately remove the cats if conditions worsen.

We are also alerting the media and sending out public service announcements to help get the message out about safeguarding animals to make sure that the public has the info that they need as the hurricane approaches, and we're even calling people whose animals are kept outside and whom we have helped in the past through our Community Animal Project. Even if you're not in the path of a hurricane—or an earthquake—now is still the time to make arrangements for safeguarding your animals in the event of an emergency:

• Storm shelters for humans may refuse animals, so check with hotels, relatives, and friends to see if you and your animals can stay there until the emergency is over. Never leave animals unsupervised in a car where they can suffer heatstroke. To find out if there is an emergency shelter that accepts animals in your area, call your county emergency management office or local animal shelter.
• Make sure that your animals are current on rabies vaccinations and are wearing collars with identification tags (microchips are even better). Pack leashes, bowls, towels, blankets, litter pans, litter, and at least a week's supply of food and medications. Be sure to have a carrier and/or leash and harness (frightened animals can slip out of collars) on hand for each animal.
• Place signs in your windows and on your front door indicating how many and what kinds of animals are inside in case you are ever away from home when a disaster strikes—rescue teams may be able to save them.
• Never leave animals behind in an evacuation. You may not be able to return home for weeks, leaving animals to die lingering, painful deaths by starvation, dehydration, or drowning. If conditions aren't safe for you, they aren't safe for your animals, either.
• Keep an eye out for other animals in need, including strays and animals left behind by neighbors. If you see an animal in distress and are unable to help, note the animal's condition and location and call authorities for help as soon as possible.

TVs, couches, and even homes are replaceable, but best friends aren't. Visit PETA.org for more emergency-preparedness tips.

Saving Animal Lives in Natural Disasters

As emergency management crews in the Southeastern U.S. prep for Hurricane Irene, another of nature's surprises struck. A 5.9-magnitude earthquake near Richmond, Virginia, shook the Eastern seaboard, including PETA's offices in Norfolk, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

The Norfolk headquarters are home to several rescued cats as well as numerous dogs who accompany their guardians to work, so staffers needed to evacuate all the animals quickly. Advance preparation made this easy: The cats' carriers—one for each cat—are kept in a readily accessible supply closet, and all cats were loaded up in a matter of seconds.



Even if you're not in the path of a hurricane—or an earthquake―now is still the time to make arrangements for safeguarding your animals in the event of an emergency:

• Check with hotels, relatives, and friends to see if you and your animals can stay there until the emergency is over.
• Make sure your animals are current on rabies vaccinations and are wearing collars with identification tags. Pack leashes, bowls, towels, blankets, litter pans, litter, and at least a week's supply of food and medications.
• Place signs in your windows and on your front door indicating how many and what kinds of animals are inside in case you are ever away from home when a disaster strikes—rescue teams may be able to save them.
• Never leave animals behind in an evacuation. You may not be able to return home for weeks, leaving animals to die lingering, painful deaths by starvation, dehydration, or drowning. If conditions aren't safe for you, they aren't safe for your animals, either.

TVs, couches, and even homes are replaceable, but best friends aren’t.

Speaking Events about the Work Book

-This fall and winter, our operatives will be appearing around the country to speak on the subjects covered in the Work book: the ways capitalism has changed, the new forms resistance is taking, and how to formulate anti-capitalist strategies in the 21st century. If you would like to set up a speaking event, please email help@crimethinc.com.


Tuesday, August 16, 7 pm
Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak Street, Portland, OR
info@readingfrenzy.com (503)274.1449 / more details
Wednesday, August 17, 7 pm
Autonomia, 600 24th Avenue South, Seattle, WA / more details
Saturday and Sunday, August 20-21
Tabling at the Seattle Anarchist Book Fair
Thursday, August 25, 5:30 pm
Random Row Books, 315 West Main Street, Charlottesville, VA
Friday, August 26, 7:00 pm
Dream City Collective, Dream City Thrift, 5525 Illinois Avenue NW, Washington, DC / more details
Saturday, August 27
Frederick DIY Fest at United Church of Christ, 15 West Church St., Frederick, MD
Sunday, August 28, 1 pm – 5 pm
Baltimore Free School, 1323 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD
This will be a full four-hour seminar exploring the subjects brought up in Work in greater depth. Posters for the event are available here.
Monday, August 29, 7 pm
Flying Brick Library, 506 South Pine Street, Richmond, VA 23220 / more details

Trends that KiLL

Let's face it—we all have some clueless friends. The hallways are a perfect place to spread the word for animals. When it comes to rooster feather extensions, tell your friends (including anyone who wears these!) that they're cruel by printing out this leaflet!

How about we just keep it the same?

Nationwide, colleges are facing "budget crises," raising tuition, and cutting valuable programs and professors left and right.

And yet, at the same time, taxpayer money is being flushed down the drain—including on college campuses—to perform cruel and wasteful experiments on more than 100 million animals every year.
Wanna see how the waste breaks down?  We've gone ahead and crunched the numbers for you:

born 2 fight

My I Ching reading

Mariella's Personal I Ching Hexagram:

49: Revolutionary Change

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

 

General Meaning: According to Chinese symbolism, the juxtaposed elements of this hexagram are fire under water. Fire evaporates water, and water puts out fire. Change can cause conflict; conflict brings about change. This hexagram refers to that time in the cycle of human affairs when things need stirring up, and when the hint of dramatic change is in the air.

In order to succeed, revolutionary change must be in alignment with certain unchanging laws. The process must begin at the right moment, gather support from a broad base of people, be guided by sincere and capable leadership and — most important of all — must address a real need. The strength of the forces of change will always be in proportion to the urgency of the need being championed. This is true whether the revolution is in government, in business, in education or in one's personal affairs.

Revolutionary change points to a time when chaos arises from order. It is important to realize that not all order is good, not all chaos bad. Chaos, in fact, is an integral part of the way of things — as any parent (and modern science) will confirm. Have the courage to radically change and renew the way you present yourself. In this way, you can summon chaos to your cause, and you will unleash a new power on your behalf. If engaging in a negotiation, change the rules; if composing a piece of music, add the unexpected; if courting a lover, dare to be unconventional.

In periods of drought, even wild storms are preferable to yet another sunny day.