DawnWatch

DawnWatch: The Cove pre Oscar party live on line today 3/6/10

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:40:00 GMT

Hi animal people,
I wanted to let people know that we will be webcasting live from our pre-Oscar "The Cove" party this afternoon, Saturday, March 6, "Sunset Sangria to Save Japan Dolphins." The party is 4-6:30pm Los Angeles time. We will be on line by 5pm (8pm ET) when our program is due to start. James Cromwell (Babe) will introduce Ric O'Barry who will talk about his work behind The Cove and his efforts to shut down "dolphin abusement parks" such as SeaWorld.

You can join us live on line at http://tinyurl.com/yaegmp5 to watch and to participate via the comment screen.

We are trying to raise $100,000 today to send Ric and his whole team back to the Taiji cove in September to stop the slaughter!

Please go to www.SaveJapanDolphins.org
and click on the "Donate Now" button, either right now, or after Ric's speech has inspired you. Ray Abruzzo, who you might know as "Little Carmine" of The Sopranos, will also be "gently persuading" folks, after Ric's speech, to help support Ric's efforts. Ray is a delight, so stay tuned for that.

Facebook folks can donate through the Causes application on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/ydtx8zo

Please send Ric and Louie, the filmmaker, lots of good vibes for Sunday's Oscars!

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen last year by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of The Year.)

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Date: Sat Mar 6 10:40:30 2010

The Cove fundraiser -- Saturday March 6, 4pm, Sunset Sangria to Save Japan Dolphins 3/6/10

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:17:00 GMT

Animal folks,

By now you have all heard of The Cove, the documentary that has swept the film festival and guild awards and is up for an Oscar this coming Sunday. It features the work of Ric O'Barry -- his attempts to end the slaughter of over twenty thousand dolphins every year in Japan, a slaughter largely funded by the international marine mammal entertainment industry.

I am having an Oscar pre party of sorts, on my patio over the ocean in Pacific Palisades:
Sunset Sangria to Save Japan Dolphins
Saturday, March 6, 4-6:30pm

It's a fundraiser for Earth Island Institute's Marine Mammal Project, which funds O'Barry's work. Ric needs to get back to Taiji in September to stop the bloody cycle, and we need to help him.

Ric O'Barry will speak at the event. There are many wonderful animal friendly folks from the acting world joining us. Renowned actorvist James Cromwell (Babe, 24, W) will introduce Ric.

It will be a small and intimate cocktail party. There is only space for forty so please see the invitation at
www.EarthIsland.org/thecoveparty

And RSVP now so that you can come meet Ric, learn more about his work, and help save the dolphins.
Oh -- and drink delightful organic sangria and eat scrumptious vegan hors d'oeuvres, as we watch the sunset over the ocean, too!

We have asked the local pod of dolphins to do a swim-by as they often do at sunset. We are hopeful, but they can't commit -- after all, it is Oscar weekend in Los Angeles and there is a lot of demand. However, the famous Monty and Marsha Turkey, featured on the ABC World New Now webcast last Thanksgiving, will definitely be in attendance. You may like to bring your kids to meet them.

I hope you can join us. I am sending this to my whole list, not just Los Angeles, just in case you happen to be in town, or want to come in especially for the event, or you have friends in Los Angeles to whom you might forward this invitation because you know they would love to come.

Yours and the animals'
Karen Dawn
www.DawnWatch.com

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Date: Sun Feb 28 08:17:11 2010

DawnWatch: SeaWorld killing spurs some excellent coverage -- 2/25/10

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:03:00 GMT

Yesterday, February 24, a trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando was killed by an Orca named Tilikum. While SeaWorld called the event an accident, and police dutifully reported it as such, multiple eyewitness accounts tell us that Tilikum rose from the water, grabbed the trainer, shook her, and dragged her under. Tilikum has killed twice before.

The incident is covered by just about every news outlet, so I won't attempt to share them all. The coverage by Jane Velez Mitchell on her CNN Headline News show "Issues," is finishing as I sent out this alert and was, as usual, superb. You should be able to find it on line tomorrow at http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/issues.with.jane/
You can send Jane a thank you at http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?106

I will share here part of the best article I have yet seen on the issue, which is from the highly respected Christian Science Monitor. The quality of the article is indicated by its headline: "Death of Sea World trainer: Do 'killer whales' belong in theme parks?"

It quotes Joyce Tischler, founder of and general counsel for Animal Legal Defense Fund. We read:
"She compares an orca�s life in captivity in a tank to keeping a human being in a bathtub for his entire life."

And it quotes David Phillips, director of the International Marine Mammal Project for the Earth Island Institute, who says, "The vast majority of the orca whales in captivity would be far better off to be returned to the wild. Orcas are unbelievably ill-suited to life in theme parks and can be successfully returned to the wild. We know, because we have done it."

(Note: Earth Island Institute funds the work of Ric O'Barry, whose work to save dolphins from exploitation and slaughter is covered in the Oscar nominated, The Cove. You can learn about a March 6 fundraiser I am hosting for the group, at which Ric will speak, at www.EarthIsland.org/thecoveparty )

Wikipedia tells us that Tilikum was captured near Iceland in 1983. His family is surely still swimming in those waters, and groups are calling for his release. But Tilikum makes SeaWorld millions of dollars per year as a sire, so that seems unlikely to happen.

You'll find the Christian Science Monitor article on line at:
http://tinyurl.com/ylbuzcg

Please click on that link, and please forward the article. Papers count their clicks and forwards, and list the most viewed and forwarded articles, giving readers easy access to them. You may also send an appreciative letter to the editor. It will let the editors know this kind of coverage is appreciated, and it will keep the topic alive on the editorial page.

The Christian Science Monitor takes letters at letters@csmonitor.com

Most importantly, please send a letter to your local paper, where it is the most likely to get published; some smaller papers publish close to a hundred percent of letters they receive. This tragedy has given us an opportunity to speak up for captive marine mammals. Please take that opportunity. A few minutes of your time can influence the thinking of thousands.

Feel free to ask me for help if you have trouble finding the correct email address for a letter to your editor. It is usually under "contact us" on the paper's website, or can be obtained with a quick call to the paper.

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen last year by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of The Year" And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !

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Date: Thu Feb 25 18:03:55 2010

DawnWatch: ABC News and Nightline -- shocking Dairy abuse -- Tuesday, 1/26/10

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:03:00 GMT

This evening, Tuesday January 26, ABC News, both on World News Now and on Nightline, is covering the horrendous abuse of cows that is standard agricultural practice on dairy farms.

The ABC NEWS web story is headed, "Got Milk? Got Ethics? Animal Rights v. U.S. Dairy Industry
Undercover Videos Show Ugly Realities Behind the Scenes of 'Factory Dairy Farms.'"
It is on line at:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/animal-rights-us-dairy-industry/story?id=9658866&page=2
OR http://tinyurl.com/ylq8c4p

On the right side of that page, under "The Blotter from Brian Ross News" you'll see a link that says, "Watch: Hidden Video Camera: Tail Docking." The video of a cow's tale being amputated, shot undercover by Mercy for Animals, is hard to watch. I was surprised the cow was being relatively quiet -- not bellowing. But then it is revealed that she has thrown up.

The Nightline page includes video, as the page explains it, of "a cow in obvious pain as it horns are burned off." It is equally horrifying to watch.
It is on line at:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/nightlinedailyline/2010/01/darker-side-of-dairy-farming.html
OR http://tinyurl.com/ye3dmyb

What have these animals done to deserve torture?

Even if you can't bear to watch all of the videos, please go to the pages, as ABC News tracks which stories are most viewed. Then email them to your friends as you will be spreading an important word and because the station also notes "most emailed."
And please post comments.

As for watching the video: if it so happens that you support the dairy industry, I do hope you will not allow yourself the luxury of averting your eyes. I am sure we all wish to make informed choices. And as the late Gretchen Wyler used to say, "We must not refuse to see with our eyes, what they must endure with their bodies."

Most importantly, ABC NEWS takes programming feedback at http://tinyurl.com/2nowvh
It is vital that the programmers learn that viewers appreciate the inclusion of animal cruelty matters in the news programming, so please take just a moment to send a message to World News Now or/and Nightline using that form. Let them know what you think of the dairy industry practices and how much you appreciate the coverage.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen last year by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of The Year" And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !

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Date: Tue Jan 26 17:03:10 2010

DawnWatch: Dogfighting (soon puppy mills) on Animal Planet Investigates tonight -- 1/25/10

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:13:00 GMT

The following information about a new Animal Planet series, which will investigate dogfighting tonight (Monday, January 25, 10pm) and will next look at puppy mills, comes from HSUS. Please read the information below, check out the show, and then thank Animal Planet for the coverage. I provide feedback contact information below.
-------------------------------------------------

Animal Planet sets new TV standard for animal issue programming
http://www.humanesociety.org/about/departments/hollywood/animal_planet_investigates_120309.html

Ever wanted to witness our work up close�and be part of the action? If so, catch the launch of "Animal Planet Investigates" in January. A compelling new series of quarterly specials, �Animal Planet Investigates� brings animal protection issues and investigative journalism together in a show spotlighting the complex, behind-the-scenes work of advocating for animals.

In the first show, "Animal Planet Investigates: Dogfighting Exposed" which premieres January 25, at 10 PM (ET/PT), HSUS anti-dogfighting operations provide the framework for an in-depth exploration of the dogfighting problem, including a look at the urban street culture that fosters the "sport," the law enforcement challenges, and the legislative push to increase penalties.

Featuring HSUS dogfighting experts John Goodwin, Chris Schindler and other team members, the prime-time special takes viewers on nail-biting busts, exploring what is being done to educate and rehabilitate offenders and touching on our work with the Michael Vick case.

Commenting on this new addition to the network's programming, Animal Planet President and General Manager Marjorie Kaplan said: "We want to provide a springboard to raise issues that audiences are passionate about within the animal world. The 'Animal Planet Investigates' strand of programming gives us the opportunity to bring forth hard-hitting topics and partner with great organizations like The HSUS to highlight their efforts."

While future specials will examine a variety of animal protection issues, the next "Animal Planet Investigates," scheduled to air this spring, will once again spotlight our work�this time the nefarious world of puppy mills.

Kudos to Animal Planet for recognizing that there is a wide and eager audience for these type of expos�s, and we encourage you to show your support and prove them right by watching! Tell your friends and family to see it, too.
(End of HSUS info.)
---------------------------------------------
Most importantly, DawnWatch asks you to take just a moment to let Animal Planet know how much we appreciate this kind of programming. Please go to the comments page:
http://extweb.discovery.com/viewerrelations
When you get to the pulldown menu in which you have to select the program on which you are commenting, choose "other," listed under "o," and then in the comments section make it clear that you are commenting on "Animal Planet Investigates." Networks take their feedback seriously so please speak up for the dogs suffering in the rings, and in the puppy mills, which are next up on Animal Planet Investigates, by letting the network know how much we appreciate the coverage.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen last year by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of The Year" And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !

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Date: Mon Jan 25 14:13:04 2010

DawnWatch: Dying Ringling Elephant Trainer blows whistle -- Washington Post 12/16/09

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:56:00 GMT

The Wednesday December 16 Washington Post has an article by David Montgomery titled, "PETA, Ringling Bros. at odds over the treatment of baby circus elephants." (Page C1.) The article shares shocking information given to PETA by a Ringling Brothers elephant trainer shortly before he died, and is accompanied by disturbing photos.

We learn that the trainers' wife had, on her deathbed, asked the trainer to do the right thing by the elephants. Just months before he died, two years later, the trainer got in touch with PETA and shared his photos and stories. PETA shared the photos and a taped interview of the trainer with the Washington Post, as well as with the USDA.

You'll find the full article on line at http://tinyurl.com/ych7lny and photos of baby elephants being separated by their mothers and trained using ropes and sharp bullhooks at http://tinyurl.com/y8rgt7q

Please check it all out, and forward the story to all of your friends. (Click on "email" in the Toolbox.) You'll be spreading the word about the circus and also be letting the Washington Post know that these stories matter to readers, as the paper takes note of which stories get the most clicks and forwards.

Finally, please help keep the story alive in the paper by sending a letter to the editor appreciative of the coverage and against the use of captive wild animals for human entertainment. The Washington Post takes letters at letters@washpost.com

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen last year by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of The Year" And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !

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Date: Wed Dec 16 19:56:04 2009

DawnWatch: My Thanksgiving live turkey guests on ABC World News Webcast 11/27/09

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:27:00 GMT

I suspect many people saw video this Thanksgiving of Obama's turkey pardon. ABC World News Tonight has a daily webcast on which they focused on my own little turkey pardon, of two turkeys named Monty and Marsha who I got from a local slaughterhouse. They spent Thanksgiving with me and will be retired this weekend to the Gentle Barn in Santa Clarita.

The story included video of me blow-drying the newly washed avian houseguests and cuddling Marsha while I was interviewed about the joys of having live turkeys join us for Thanksgiving. ABC did a lovely job of it, and unlike at the White House there were no jokes about the deliciousness of those being pardoned.
You'll find the story on line at: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9178848
I hope you'll check it out, and then perhaps email it to your friends from the site. The webcast notes which stories are the most emailed; if this one goes onto that list a lot more people will have easy access to it. And if this animal friendly story gets a lot of positive attention we can expect ABC World News to do similarly themed stories in the future.

If you go to the ABC World News Webcast home page at http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Webcast, you'll see in the right hand column a place to "Comment on Today's Show." It doesn't matter if you are commenting on a clip from a day or two ago, so please do comment. The show also counts what stories get the most comments and provides easy access to those stories.

Please also thank Charles Gibson and ABC World News for the coverage. Positive feedback for animal friendly stories encourages more of them. You can send a quick appreciative note at http://tinyurl.com/2nowvh

I send thanks to Gary Smith and Kezia Jauron of Evolotus PR for their wonderful work in getting that story to the ABC World News webcast!

The story is also on the Los Angeles Times blog, Unleashed, at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/11/rescued-turkeys-get-a-bath-thanksgiving.html
You can post a comment there too.

Monty and Marsha are heading to the Gentle Barn on Sunday December 6. During the week the sanctuary is open for tours and is visited by underprivileged and at risk kids, giving them a chance to learn about compassion. It is open to the public on Sundays from 10-2. We will have a little retirement ceremony for Monty and Marsha at 10am on Sunday the 6th, at which I will read a section from "Thanking the Monkey" about Olivia, the first turkey I ever met, who inspired all of my future efforts on behalf of turkeys. I will be happy to sell and sign books for anybody looking for holiday presents, with all of the profits going to The Gentle Barn. It would be great to see some of you guys there -- especially if you have never been to the Gentle Barn.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of 2008." And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !

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Date: Mon Nov 30 15:27:20 2009

DawnWatch: Tonight, "A Dog Named Christmas" about a foster program, on CBS 11/29/09

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:10:00 GMT

Tonight, Sunday November 29, on CBS at 9pm (8 central), there is Hallmark Hall of Fame movie titled, "A Dog Named Christmas." As star Bruce Greenwood (aka Captain Pike from Star Trek) tells it, it is about a boy who wants a dog and a man (his father) who needs a dog. And it is about a program to get dogs out of shelters into foster homes over Christmas. On Thursday Greenwood was on the CBS Early Show talking about the movie and the foster program, and we saw some scenes from the film. It looks lovely. Best of all, CBS has teamed up with Petfinder.com to promote the sponsorship program. Folks and dogs from Petfinder.com were invited on for the Early Show segment. You'll find the brief and delightful segment on line at
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5786820n
You can post a comment by clicking the "post a comment" link right under the video. Or better yet, send the Early Show a thank you on the comments page at http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/feedback/fb_news_form.shtml?tag=ftr
Positive feedback for animal friendly segments encourages more of them.

CBS has a web page up for the movie at http://www.cbs.com/specials/a_dog_named_christmas/video/
You'll find more clips, and a look behind the scenes, and, importantly, a space to leave comments.

If you watch the movie tonight and love the adoption message, please make sure to thank CBS. Go to http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.php and choose "CBS Movies" from the pull down menu.

We get to hear one of Greenwood's own songs, a touching tribute called "My Best Friend," in the movie. It is available on Itunes!

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of 2008." And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !

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Date: Sun Nov 29 15:10:13 2009

DawnWatch: Martha Stewart's Veg Thanksgiving and NY Times op-ed on meat eating 11/19--11/22/09

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:54:00 GMT

With the Thanksgiving this week, and in the wake of the phenomenal press around Jonathan Safran Foer's new book, "Eating Animals," there has been a lot of recent media around just that, eating animals, especially on Thanksgiving. I am moved to focus on two bits of media I found particularly compelling, dealing with the issue with distinctly different tones and therefore, I think, with different likely levels of effectiveness:

On Thursday, November 19, the icon of American homemaking, Martha Stewart, for the first time in her television's history, devoted the hour to vegetarian Thanksgivings. One of her guests was author Jonathan Safran Foer, with whom she made a vegan casserole. She noted that she would be having a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal at her daughter Alexis's home. It is hard to quantify the impact such an announcement would have had with regard to normalizing vegetarianism in the general public mind.

On Sunday, November 22, the New York Times published an op-ed, by Gary Steiner, which the Times headed, "Animal, Vegetable, Miserable." The title is perhaps a perfect double entendre because the piece points to the misery of animals who end up on our dinner tables, and the article has an overall tone of misery.

First to the New York Times piece: It makes important points. For example Steiner writes, "Many people soothe their consciences by purchasing only free-range fowl and eggs, blissfully ignorant that 'free range' has very little if any practical significance. Chickens may be labeled free-range even if they�ve never been outside or seen a speck of daylight in their entire lives."

While I was glad to see that information in the New York Times, it seemed to me that simply removing the word "blissfully" would have delivered the same information while eliminating any possibility of an accusation likely to put readers on the defensive and therefore less open to change. Here's a line that worried me more:

"Let me be candid: By and large, meat-eaters are a self-righteous bunch."

I suspect many vegetarians and vegans have felt attacked with regard to our eating habits, particularly at family dinners when we supposedly are the ones who do the attacking. But whether or not Steiner's assessment is true to any extent, I don't imagine much good is likely to come for the animals from its expression in print. Those are fighting words, not winning words, and the animals need us to be less considered with the fight and more concerned with expressing our truths in a manner such that people are willing to hear. It really is possible to state the truth without compromising it and without insulting those who are not yet on side.

I hope Steiner's article was good for the animals in that it might make people at least think, but I worry that some of the good that could come of it was countered by its presentation of vegans as a group of people that nobody would want to be part of. I do know that it opens the door for letters from joyful vegans, and if the New York Times receives quite a few of those it will probably print a few. Please write! Be sure to express appreciation to the Times for giving such substantial coverage to a voice against meat eating , but please, for the animals' sake, present a more inviting view of the vegan lifestyle.
Check out the full article on line at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/opinion/22steiner.html
Please send a letter to the editor to letters@nytimes.com
Be sure to include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor, and please be sure not to use any comments or phrases from me or from any other alerts in your letters. Editors are looking for original responses from their readers.

Now to Martha Stewart:
While Steiner's piece took swing at people attempting to eat animals who have been humanely raised, Stewart's full episode on a vegetarian Thanksgiving included an interview with a humane certified farmer, Joel Salatin, and with the producer of Food Inc, a fantastic documentary that slams factory farming. (For more, including a trailer, on that terrific documentary, now shortlisted for the Oscars, go to my blog at http://thankingthemonkey.com/blog/?p=70 ) Many of us who find it fun and easy and healthful to live on plant based diets could have done without the humane meat plug. But the show featured only veggie recipes and included a segment with Jonathan Safran Foer where he and Martha talked about his book and made a vegan casserole. And, as I noted above, in that segment Martha let everybody know that she would be at her daughter's fully vegetarian Thanksgiving this year. It is hard to think of any previous TV segment likely to have done more to advance the veggie cause an
d move it into the mainstream.

You can watch the entire show on line at
http://www.marthastewart.com/show/the-martha-stewart-show/vegetarian-thanksgiving
Martha takes comments at http://www.marthastewart.com/askmartha
Please send her a huge thank you for her first ever "Vegetarian Thanksgiving" show. Loads of positive feedback will encourage loads of veggie coverage in the future.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of 2008." And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !

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Date: Mon Nov 23 19:54:37 2009

Remembering Buster Dawn -- Palisadian Post 11/19/09 edition

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:07:00 GMT

A couple of weeks back I prefaced a DawnWatch alert by mentioning that DawnWatch has been sparse of late as I have been dealing with the loss of my beloved Buster Dawn. It was early September that I learned that Buster had an inoperable spinal tumor, and the end of October when we said our final goodbye. One piece of work I did manage in the last few weeks was a holiday piece about Buster Dawn, commissioned by my local paper, The Palisadian Post. Buster was well known in our neighborhood, and also in the animal rights world, particularly by folks who had attended conferences and heard him howling support of his favorite speakers or singing happy birthdays to friends. I will share the piece below for those who knew him and because I hope it might resonate with anybody who has ever been head over heels in love with a canine.

The Palisadian Post is a local paper. Angelenos might like to send letters to the editor at editor@palipost.com. Actually, in these days of web newspaper reading, appreciative letters from anywhere would surely be appreciated. The piece is also on my blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog You might like to read it there to see the photo of the Buster Dawn exfoliation treatment, or of Paula at Buster's grave, or to watch and hear a brief video of Buster's greatest musical hits. (If you've just rented the Star Trek movie, brand new on DVD, you'll also enjoy scrolling down the blog and checking out the video of Bruce Greenwood, Captain Pike, talking about animal issues.)
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This Holiday Season, Remembering Buster Dawn

Neighbors ask if I will adopt turkeys again this Thanksgiving. I am not sure. I think of last year�s turkeys lined up at the front gate with the dogs, greeting sunset passersby on their way to the Via bluffs. I think of Buster�s patience when the turkey named Bruce, later renamed Brucilla, usurped Buster�s bed on the porch. Mostly I think that this year Buster will not be here to guard the turkeys. This will be the first holiday season in twelve years without Buster Dawn.

Buster came to me in November 1997, a tiny puppy from the pound. I didn�t know then that I should have adopted an older dog because puppies always get homes � and because I liked my rugs, furniture and shoe collection. When I picked up Buster he looked into my eyes and started to lick my face. You can see from my favorite photo that twelve years later nothing had changed. For those twelve years my skin care regime centered on Buster�s daily exfoliation treatment. What will become of my complexion now that he is gone?

On our first Thanksgiving together I carried Buster to a friend�s house in a shoebox. The rescue folks had told me he would grow to about 35 pounds. Ha! Cafe Vida regulars may remember often seeing a 75lb mutt poised across a man�s lap. That was Buster Dawn, with Jim, my ex.

Buster and I took our first walk together on Christmas. I strolled the Soho streets with my beautiful puppy, awed that for once I was not walking alone. A few weeks later we wandered over to the Village and I called my friend Eric to tell him to come down and grab a coffee as we were right on his corner. His response: "Oh Karen, I just love that you are a �we� now."

Yes, Buster changed me to we. Nights in my apartment watching television had always been so lonely; with Buster they were cozy and fun. And I think Buster opened my heart and made it possible for Jim to enter a year later. The day Jim and I first met, for lunch, he dropped me back at my apartment and met Buster and also Paula, Buster�s newly adopted sister. Buster immediately suggested a ball game, and Jim obliged. When Jim picked me up for dinner that night I was running late and asked if he would mind waiting in the book store across the street. He said, �Sure. Or do the dogs need walking?" My heart almost burst � I had found my canine kids a wonderful daddy. Buster led Jim on our usual walk around Soho. Soon we all moved to Pacific Palisades and became a family.

We were a close family. Jim insisted that we never take family holidays anywhere we couldn't take the dogs. Once he had heard Buster's fantastic rendition of Happy Birthday he couldn�t bear a birthday without it. Buster had quite a voice; what he lacked in tone he made up for in gusto.

Thanksgivings were spent at home. I would cook for days and then invite vegan friends over to share the feast -- plenty of Wild Turkey (bourbon!) and veganized versions of classic dishes. Buster loved sweet potatoes. I once made the mistake of leaving a bowl of them on the lower shelf of our serving trolley where Buster clearly thought they had been left for him. Thank heavens my guests were all animal lovers who cackled when they saw Buster swigging back our sweet potatoes. They were happy to dig into the dish once I had skimmed Buster�s personal gravy off the top.

One Christmas we drove to Mexico and rented a guest house. Its front patio, and that of another patio leading to the main house, was attached to a mutual landing that had stairs down to the street. In the main house, Chumaka and Amiga, a rottie-mix and a coyote-mix, lived with their humans. As we brought stuff up from the car into our Christmas abode, Chumaka and Amiga guarded the landing like customs officers inspecting imports. Everything passed their muster but for Paula and Buster. The canine guards at first refused to let our guys past the landing. But Buster somehow slipped past the sentinels into our guest house. A moment later he emerged carrying a new dog toy that Jim had put under the Christmas tree. He slunk out onto the mutual landing, darted over to Chumaka and Amiga's patio, dropped the toy, and darted back. Chumaka and Amiga gave up their post to check out the peace offering. For the next week we were a pack of six. Walks to the beach involved all four dogs �
the peacemaking mutt, the rottie-mix, the coyote-mix, and the pitbull. Nobody fracked with us!

Paula recently reminded me of that sweet gift-giving gesture. Though she had lost interest in Buster as he weakened over the last few months, her grief in the days after we let her explore his lifeless body was undeniable. After we placed him in his grave, she lay beside it for hours with her paws hanging over. She brought up a toy and dropped it in on top of him. Unsure the move had been intentional, I gave it back to her. She dropped it in again. We buried her sweet offering with our sweet boy.

I have never loved anybody the way I loved Buster. Some might say that because human relationships are hard I had settled for a lesser relationship with a dog. But was it lesser? Who has a human who howls down the house whenever they get home from work? And what human could make my heart sing just by walking into the room, every time, no matter how many times a day? The intellectual conversations about books and films that a human might offer � and not all do � cannot outweigh the joyful camaraderie of walks along the bluffs, the trusting head on my lap when I curled up with a good book, or the simple and silent companionship Buster would offer as he supervised my holiday preparations.

What a strange holiday season this will be without Buster Dawn. He was the heart of our little family. When Jim or I were out of the house, Buster would wait all night in the front yard until the missing pack member was back safe in our cave. Jim moved out just after last year�s holidays, and now, without Buster, there is really no family at all. Yet, oddly, I am dreading the holidays less than I had expected. Buster�s love changed me, and it will be there this season even without the loving licks and the heavenly howls that were its physical signs. Buster opened my heart, and it did not close when he passed. Though our little family is no longer, I know there will one day be more love in my life, and more holidays with family. That will be Buster�s legacy.

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Karen Dawn is the author of "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals." You can watch a brief video of Buster Dawn's greatest hits at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. To discontinue DawnWatch alerts go to http://www.DawnWatch.com/nothanks.php)

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Date: Sun Nov 22 20:07:15 2009

DawnWatch: Calf cruelty on CNN, veggie kids in LA Times, and more on "Eating Animals" 11/10/09

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:38:00 GMT

For the last week or so, the bulk of major media news regarding animals has been about eating them. For those of us who have been in animal advocacy for years, who adore our dogs and cats and see them as muses, but who have despaired at the line often drawn by compassionate folks between animals we pet and animals we eat, the heavy attention currently focused on the latter is heartening. Much of the media continues to center around Jonathan Safran Foer's newly released book, Eating Animals. But I will also share a huge story in yesterday's Los Angeles Times about kids doing well on vegetarian diets. And I will share a horrifying HSUS undercover investigation, covered on CNN's "Issues With Jane Velez Mitchell," showing the abuse of organically bred calves. While few people reading this newsletter are likely to eat veal, there is a popular misconception that organic means cruelty-free, or that while vegetarian makes sense, vegan is just too radical. It is therefore important t
o share what happens to the waste product of the organic milk industry, the newborn male calves.

I'll start with a link to that calf slaughter story, which aired on CNN's Headline News on Friday, November 6:
http://tinyurl.com/y8q9hg7
We see adorable little calves being kicked, electrically prodded, sworn at and laughed at as they struggle to stand to avoid further electric prodding. Velez-Mitchell tells us that we are seeing the least disturbing of the video. On her site she links to the HSUS web page, which has the full video, which includes a worker starting to skin a fully conscious calf who had not yet bled out.
It is not fun to watch, but I hope you will forward it to anybody who drinks cow's milk, and has no idea that they are supporting cruelty, so that they can make informed choices. These are calves from an organic dairy farm. Cows, like all mammals, must have babies before they produce milk. Again: the male calves, who become organic veal, are the waste product of the organic dairy industry. You can see their fate at: http://tinyurl.com/ydnfe8q

Most importantly, please thank Jane Velez-Mitchell and CNN Headline News for the coverage. While Velez-Mitchell is passionate about these issues, and has the ability to focus on them, she is still beholden to the network she works for, so it is vital that she has evidence that her compassionate animal coverage attracts viewers. Every bit of positive feedback makes it easier for her to focus on these issues in future. Please send in an appreciate comment at:
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?106

Jonathan Safran Foer's "Eating Animals" has had way too much coverage this week for me to note all of it. Yay! Particularly worth reading is the lengthy and thoughtful review in November 9 edition of The New Yorker, by Elizabeth Kolbert. It is on line at http://tinyurl.com/yg7nuym
It opens the door for letters to the editor about eating animals. The New Yorker takes letters at
http://www.newyorker.com/contact/letterToEditor
You can also send letters straight to themail@newyorker.com, including your full name, address and phone number. But in these days of massive spam and junk mailboxes, filling out the form is a much surer bet.

The Los Angeles Times also carried a thoughtful review of Eating Animals, penned by Susan Salter Reynolds. You'll find it on line at http://tinyurl.com/ybllo42
Both that review and the Monday, November 9, Health Section cover story (page E1), headed "Vegetarian Kids," provide great jump off points for letters to the editor. Emily Sohn's article on vegetarian kids tells us that after an exhaustive study review, the American Dietetic Association concluded in July, in a new position statement, "that as long as vegetarian diets are planned well, they're safe for people at every stage of life: pregnant and nursing moms, babies, teenagers and just about everyone else." She continues,
"The report was the first to emphasize the benefits of a meatless meal plan as opposed to simply stating that a vegetarian diet was OK. A meat-free meal plan, it stressed, may lower rates of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers."
You'll find the full article on line at: http://tinyurl.com/y99dnn6

The Los Angeles Times takes letters at letters@latimes.com.

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published. And please be sure not to use any comments or phrases from me or from any other alerts in your letters. Editors are looking for original responses from their readers.

Please keep an eye out for coverage of Eating Animals in your local media. That coverage opens the door for letters to the editor. Some smaller papers cover close to 100 percent of the letters they receive, so why not take a few minutes to put a good word in for the animals? That good word that will be read by thousands. The animals need your voice.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)

Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of 2008." And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !

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Date: Tue Nov 10 15:38:44 2009