#snOMG3.0: Gone to the Birds

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Happy Birthday Ingrid Newkirk

Sixty years ago, on this day, Ingrid Newkirk was born in Surrey, England.

As PETA president and cofounder, Newkirk has led the world's largest animal rights organization for more than 25 years. Her passion and dedication to making this world a better place for all living beings has inspired countless others to do what they can to help animals.

Newkirk and PETA believe that animals deserve the most basic rights — in particular, consideration of their own best interests regardless of whether they are useful to humans. Like humans, they are capable of suffering and have interests in living their own lives. Therefore, they are not ours to use — for food, clothing, entertainment, experimentation, or for any other reason.

You can learn more about Newkirk's ongoing legacy here.

I may not agree with a lot of PETA's tactics and antics, but Newkirk is a personal hero of mine, because of her tireless drive and passion in making sure that animals are treated with respect and with compassion.

Because of Newkirk, animals are now treated as God intended they should be.

Because of Newkirk, laws now exist to hold accountable those who abuse and mistreat animals.

Because of Newkirk, laws now exist to protect animals and give them rights that any other sentient being rightfully deserves.

To celebrate her birthday, PETA has set up an electronic group card for everyone to send Newkirk well wishes. (I signed it on page #1209!)

In addition, people can also make a donation to Newkirk's beloved project, Animal Rahat. Newkirk is especially passionate about Animal Rahat because she personally witnessed the sad conditions of working animals in India during her childhood there and even intervened to try to stop the abuse.

As an Indian, I am particularly fond of this cause as well. I have, unfortunately, personally witnessed the hardships that many animals endure on the streets, in my visits to family back in India. It's heart-wrenching and I'm ashamed that my own people are so cruel and heartless. So, I have done my part in making sure I will not condone what my people are doing to donkeys, bullocks and other animals that are regularly seen to be worked to death, malnourished, severely dehydrated and routinely beaten.

If you too would like to make a difference, you can also make a donation to Animal Rahat either here or here.

Whether you love her or hate her, agree or disagree with her organization, one thing's for sure...

Sixty years ago, if Ingrid Newkirk hadn't been born, this world would've been a very, very different place for animals.

A very dark place.

But because she was...at least animals have some hope...and a voice...Ingrid's voice.

Because she was born, an angel of mercy is here on earth, watching over animals.

God bless you Ingrid.

God bless you.

And thank you.

Thanks for all that you do for animals.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

- Mahatma Gandhi


"'...I tell you the truth...whatever you do unto the least of my brothers, you do it unto me.'"

- Matthew 25:40

*UPDATE*

Birthday well-wishers donated more than $12,000 to Animal Rahat!

The folks at Animal Rahat were tickled to be the recipients of such generous gifts, so they made a birthday cake and gave out celebratory fresh grass (a big treat for the animals) and vital nutrition packs along the village roadways.

Click here to see pics of the shindig!

I ♥ Animals: #2

For those who can't understand my animal-loving craziness, here's proof that even as a wee lass, I have been obsessed with them.


Location: St. John's, Antigua, West Indies. And special thanks to my Dad, without whom, all these Kodak moments wouldn't have been possible.

Rwanda Birdhouse in the K-Y

Meet Mr. Red.

Meet Mrs. Red (do you see her?)

This is Mr. & Mrs. Red's new house* and food*.

At first, Mr. Red was hesitant in checking out his new booty.

But then, Mr. Red's lil belly got the better of him.

At least Fiona and...
...Kitty's bellies...

......didn't get the better of Mr. & Mrs. Red.

*Birdhouse and food from OUTSIDE. Birdhouse proceeds benefited the "Birdhouses for Rwanda" project.

I ♥ Animals: #1

For those who can't understand my animal-loving craziness, here's proof that even as a wee lass, I have been obsessed with them.

Trust me. This is just the first in a series of "proof."

And yes. That is me in the first three pics.

My mom thought it would be "cute" and "fun" to dress and give me a haircut like a boy. For a whole year.

I seriously think that's why even to this day, I still prefer to dress with a more "masculine edge," than be caught dead wearing a dress or anything "girlie."

Thanks Mom.

Location: St. John's, Antigua, West Indies

Fashionable, Yet Influential, Angel of Mercy

I was thumbing through my latest TIME that arrived the other day, and it just happens to be "The TIME 100: The World's Most Influential People" issue.

Under the category, "Builders & Titans," this is what Gweneth Paltrow had to say about fashion designer and friend, Stella McCartney:


Stella McCartney
By Gwyneth Paltrow

Everything about Stella McCartney is authentic. Her red hair is her own. She has real guts. She means what she says. Sometimes it's even a bit scary: she somehow works tirelessly to create the chic looks that have made her a fashion icon and yet still manages to be home with her three beautiful children at the same time. She laughs really hard. And she is a vegetarian. I mention this because you cannot accurately characterize Stella McCartney, 37, without underlining that she is a vegetarian. Always has been. And even if you are not interested in being a vegetarian, somehow Stella gets you to believe. She manages to convince you (never sanctimoniously, never from a soapbox) that killing animals is needless and cruel and bad for the environment. It may last the duration of just one dinner, but you start to feel a bit sad for your neighbor's lamb and a bit embarrassed by your chicken.

Stella is an uncanny mélange of passion and cool, and that is her deadly weapon. She will win you over. And what better way to do it than to make her commerce friendly to man, mouse and Mother Earth alike? She puts her money where her mouth is. Did you know your superchic Stella handbag is vegan? How about the shoes? Maybe that's why you bought them, maybe not. It's still cool. Of course it is — it's Stella.

Paltrow is an Oscar-winning actress and the founder of goop.com


McCartney's fame, personal and business ethics aren't certainly new to the world, but her inclusion in this list, is indicative of the tone of a country that is starting to recognize, and challenge, the truly inconceivable horrendous abuses committed against animals in the name of fashion and luxury.

I commend TIME for recognizing McCartney.

She has taken a stance in an industry which thinks treating animals like this is fashionable...






Pledge to go fur-free at PETA.org.

It takes a certain type of person to wear fur.

And a certain type of person who chooses not to, and instead, educates the world on why they don't.

Learn more about McCartney, her designs and her activism, here.

Horse Racing: Cruelty You Can Bet On

*Barbaro's Tragic Injury: A Symptom of a Cruel Industry

Although Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro's tragic breakdown a few hundred yards into the Preakness was awful to watch, it should come as no surprise. Thoroughbreds are bred to have unnaturally delicate legs, are forced to run at ever-younger ages, and are drugged to mask injuries, which leads to horrifying and life-threatening injuries like Barbaro's. As a New York Daily News reporter remarked, “The thoroughbred race horse is a genetic mistake. It runs too fast, its frame is too large, and its legs are far too small. As long as mankind demands that it run at high speeds under stressful conditions, horses will die at racetracks.”

Drugs, Deception, and Death

The horse-racing industry is fraught with cruelty. It is common for trainers and veterinarians to use drugs—both legal and illegal—to treat injuries that horses incur while running. Lasix is a legal drug that stops bleeding in the lungs while also masking the presence of other drugs in a horse's system. Phenylbutazone is a commonly used painkiller that allows horses to run with minor injuries, which may result in more serious injuries.

Horses who do not “make the grade” are not always retired to grassy pastures. Tens of thousands of horses—including champion racehorses—are sold for slaughter every year. Some of their flesh is used in dog and cat food, at least 4 million pounds of horse flesh is incorporated annually into zoo diets for carnivores, and “prime cuts” are sold for human consumption in Europe and Asia.

A Dying Sport

Forcing horses to run—sometimes literally to their deaths—is losing its luster with the public. Actor Pamela Anderson made headlines earlier this year when she announced that she would boycott the Kentucky Derby because she didn't want to support cruelty to animals. The industry is in such decline in Maryland that the state's governor created a special commission to come up with ways to revive it. Just last year, the North Carolina General Assembly killed a bill that would have allowed racing in the state. Few tracks in North America have remained economically viable, and many are shifting their focus to slot machines in order to remain in business.

You Can Help

PETA is campaigning to get the Breeders' Cup's 2-year-old juvenile race, which is particularly harmful to young horses, canceled; many horses who have won that race have been forced to run injured or became “broken down” within the following year. Please call 1-800-RACE-CUP to voice your objections to this cruel event.

Please don't attend any events at the track, and let friends and family members know that horses will continue to suffer as long as they do.

Read PETA's horse-racing factsheet for more information about racing and what you can do to help horses.

*Source

And God Saw that it was Good. Happy Earth Day.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water."

7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.

8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so.

10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.

12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,

15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.

16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth,

18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."

21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth."

23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.

25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 1 (New International Version)

Being Vegan: It's Greener, Tastier and More Hip Hop-Tastic than You Thought!

Another Testament to Humanity's Gluttony

Gluttony makes me want to vomit. (Pun intended.)

I've alluded to my detestable repulsion for it, before.

The scientists in the video brag about the gene manipulation in these breeds of cows as some sort of great technological advancement.

In reality, it only reveals just how primitive and base humanity truly is in its undying quest for satiating its gluttony.

Technological advancements? I think not...

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

- Mahatma Gandhi, statesman and philosopher

Don't Ever Underestimate the Bound Bewteen Man and Animal

Unbelievable Love

When humans fail animals...animals save each other.

This video is truly astounding.

I got the chills while watching it.

I'm still shivering.

I hope we can learn something from this.

I did.

You're Not Fooling Anyone...

I find it incredibly deplorable and cowardly when people try to justify or rationalize things so that, ultimately, they can feel good about the controversial, politically correct...or incorrect...choices they make.

It disgusts me when people stand up and defend their choices, at the lives, suffering and anguish of others.

I can't wrap my head around the choices that people make that make them feel good or satiated, at the expense of others.

We live in a society that has the "moral code," "As long as no one gets hurt, then I should be able to do whatever I want!"

But what do you say of those who live by the "moral code," I don't care who or what I hurt, as long as I'm happy, I can do whatever I want?"

Typically, these people are the ones who have no accountability to anyone or anything.

They don't believe in or are accountable to a higher/divine power, let alone to other people in their lives.

Sometimes, I wonder if these people are even accountable to their own selves and their consciences.

These people also hide behind their "well-thought out," "intelligent," research, arguments, studies, articles, debates, ideologies, etc.

To these people, I urge you to remember this...

...in the end, no matter how anyone tries to rationalize something, there are simply only two choices:

1. right

and

2. wrong

There are facts that go along with those choices, that no one can't ignore or argue around.

It's kinda like trying to argue against the fundamentals of life: the sun shining, the sky being blue, gravity, etc.

You can try to justify your choices and actions, but in the end...

...your gluttonous ways...shows.

Art by Artemio Rodriguez

Donkey Love

ShannanB of Mommy Bits is the inspiration behind this post.

This is what she tweeted last night (click on image below and see gray highlighted area.)...

"Just asked boys if they wanted a little bro/sis. SM's response...'I'd rather have a donkey.' Guess that's a no."

This literally made my day. I loved it so much that it warranted a new category, "Tweet of the Day." It's so good, that it AUTOMATICALLY and INSTANTANEOUSLY was added to the list.

I told Shannan that I don't blame "SM!" Have you seen donkeys??!! They are sooo stinkin cute!


When...not if...I start my own animal sanctuary, I plan on having donkeys be a huge part of the intakes. Though the thought of just having a donkey sanctuary equally thrills me to the bones!


Thanks once again Shannan for making my day. Those are some highly entertaining kiddos you and marty_b have produced!

Keep the hilarity coming!

The Rat's Meow

This video makes me smile and choke up at the same time.

Proof of veganism? If the cat can resist its primal instinct for the taste of flesh, then it should be cake for us humans right?!

All philosophical hypotheticals aside, I'm a sucker for cute animals...and cute animal videos.

I ♥ animals.