Stop the Glue Traps!

"Horrified parents of students attending K-12 schools in Philadelphia recently contacted PETA upon learning that the School District of Philadelphia was reportedly using glue traps to kill mice in its buildings. We immediately alerted school officials to the extreme cruelty of these types of traps and asked that they remove the traps immediately and instead explore humane rodent-control methods. School officials responded saying that they have no intention of removing the traps. In the meantime, we are concerned that glue traps are currently being set out in various Philadelphia area schools!" When PETA emailed me with this terrible piece of information, I knew something had to be done. So what better way to encourage schools to get rid of their glue traps than writing a letter?

Recipients

Arlene C. Ackerman Ed.D.

Tomas Hanna

I was dismayed to learn that the School District of Philadelphia reportedly uses cruel glue traps to kill rodents in its buildings. Glue traps are one of the cruelest products on the market, causing immense and prolonged suffering to panicked, trapped animals who struggle desperately, tearing flesh, breaking bones, and becoming more entangled in the adhesive. Then they die--exhausted, terrified, and injured--from shock, dehydration, asphyxiation, or blood loss. Research indicates that death does not come quickly, taking more than 24 hours for some animals. And terrified, ensnared animals frequently lose control of their bodily functions, thereby contributing to the spread of disease in schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifically warns against the use of these cruel devices, stating, 'We do not recommend using glue traps .... These traps can scare mice that are caught live and cause them to urinate. Since their urine may contain germs, this may increase your risk of being exposed to diseases.'

I respectfully urge you to join the many school districts--such as Princeton Regional Schools in New Jersey, Knox County Schools in Tennessee, and Virginia Beach Schools in Virginia--that have sworn off using these cruel devices. Please do the right thing and remove all glue traps from the district's buildings immediately.

Sincerely,

Kate Wallace

The Abelard Apetite Fiasco

My friends often joke that they are going to make me a t-shirt reading "I'm lactose intolerant. I'm allergic to Gluten. Oh yeah, and I'm a vegan. Have fun feeding me!" So when the Abelard Apetite (a very complex monthly bake sale) came around, I knew I would have to bring an appetizer that was vegan, gluten free, lactose free, peanut free, healthy, reflects Middle Eastern culture and tasted good. Hmmm... now what in the world fits that criteria? After trying a number of different recipes, I finally found the answer to my prayers.

Curried Chickpea Spread

From The Vegan Chef-makes a big batch!

2 - 15 oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed, and drained
1/4 C. chickpea cooking liquid, water, or vegetable broth
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. freshly chopped cilantro

In a food processor, place the chickpeas, liquid, lemon juice, curry powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt, and process until smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse a few times to combine. Transfer the curried chickpea spread to a bowl. Serve as a dip or spread for vegetables, crackers, pita crisps, or bread, or as a sandwich filling.

Yield: 4 Cups

Through this experience I learned that people with lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance and who are vegan are forced to pray to God with strange requests during school bake sales.

Celebrity Vegan: Alicia Silverstone

"Once people spend time with farm animals in a loving way ... a pig or cow or a little chicken or a turkey, they might find they relate with them the same way they relate with dogs and cats. People don't really think of them that way because they're on the plate. Why should they be food when other animals are pets? I would never eat my doggies."

Recipe for Buddha's Delight

Buddha's Delight with Tofu, Broccoli, and Water Chestnuts

Submitted by Courtney From Cooking Light

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 (14-ounce) package water-packed extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
5 cups small broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups (1/4-inch) diagonally sliced carrot
1/2 cup peeled, chopped broccoli stems
1 1/2 cups sliced green onions
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 (14-ounce) can whole baby corn, drained
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
4 cups hot cooked brown rice

Combine first 4 ingredients, tossing to coat; cover and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving marinade. Cook broccoli florets, carrot, and broccoli stems in boiling water 1 1/2 minutes; drain. Plunge into ice water. Drain.

Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and spray with cooking spray. Add tofu; stir-fry 5 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Stir in onions, ginger, and garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in broccoli mixture, snow peas, corn, and water chestnuts; stir-fry 1 minute. Combine broth and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture, reserved marinade, and salt to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 1/2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Serve over rice.

Response from letter to Breast Cancer Charities

This is a letter I received in response to my letter to breast cancer charities.

Dear Kate,

Thank you for reaching out to Susan G. Komen for the Cure and inquiring about
the use of animals in research. We respect your viewpoint on this issue and
hope that the following information addresses your questions.

While Susan G. Komen for the Cure does not conduct research, it does fund
innovative and responsive research projects in leading institutions
worldwide. Komen for the Cure has a long history of funding groundbreaking
research to fulfill its promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever.
Komen funds scientific research as well as community breast health education
and outreach programs across the country through our 122 Affiliates in the
U.S. Our research portfolio addresses areas such as prevention, survivorship,
cancer cell biology, and cancer etiology.

Komen has strict controls to maintain the integrity of the grant application
and review process. Komen's Grant Program adheres to a peer-review process
that is recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). All research
funded by Komen's Grant Program is developed and conducted under the
direction of the primary investigator who is applying for the grant.

The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that any new
pharmaceutical compound be tested on at least two different animal models to
be considered for approval for use in humans. Therefore, some investigators
must conduct animal testing in order to comply with FDA regulations for drug
development. In order to be eligible for Komen research grant funding,
investigators must provide proof of pre-approval of study design and animal
care methods from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at
the institution where they will be conducting research. In accordance with
U.S. federal law, the IACUC may permit some investigators to use laboratory
animals, usually genetically bred mice, in their search to identify more
effective ways to prevent and treat breast cancer. Researchers are also
required to file an Investigator Assurance Statement to ensure all procedures
are in compliance with National Institute of Health and (NIH) and U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations.

We hope this answers your questions. We respect your viewpoint on this issue
and thank you for sharing your concerns.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Thompson, Vice President, Health Sciences

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Letter to Breast Cancer Charities

Decades after the "War on Cancer" was launched, we still have no cure for breast cancer. And the billions of dollars spent on cruel and ineffective experiments on monkeys, rats, mice, rabbits, cats, dogs, and other animals, who are injected with chemicals or cancer cells and forced to endure the growth of painful tumors until they die or are killed, have not identified the causes of breast cancer or a treatment. 

The use of animals for breast cancer research is unreliable because of animals' significant genetic, cellular, and physiological differences from humans. Breast cancer survivor and National Breast Cancer Coalition founder Fran Visco has stated that, "Animals don't reflect the reality of cancer in humans," and former National Cancer Institute Director Dr. Richard Klausner has stated, "The history of cancer research has been the history of curing cancer in the mouse. We have cured mice of cancer for decades, and it simply didn't work in humans." Yet animals continue to suffer and die as a result of these useless experiments, and the misleading results prolong the suffering of women who need a cure now. 

Humane, non-animal research is being conducted by compassionate organizations that focus on how breast cancer starts in women's bodies and on identifying ways to combat the genetic and environmental factors that increase the risk of developing breast cancer. Through the "Breasts, Not Animal Tests" campaign, PETA has teamed up with Keep A Breast to help raise awareness of this horrible disease and the cruelty involved in the animal experimentation funded by some cancer charities.

Recipients

John R. Seffrin, American Cancer Society

Addie Nelson Backlund, American-Italian Cancer Foundation

John C. Ruckdeschel, M.D., Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

Myra J. Biblowit, Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Patricia Scott, Coalition Against Breast Cancer

Lisa Paulsen, EIF, National Women's Cancer Research Alliance

Donald L. Morton, John Wayne Cancer Institute

Priscilla Page, Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation

Janelle Hail, National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.

Louis M. Weiner, M.D., Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research

Hala Moddelmog, Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Annis Tarver, The Cancer Center for Detection and Prevention, Inc.

Helen Marie Walker, Walker Cancer Research Institute

Dear whom it may concern,

I am writing to you because I am concerned about your funding of misleading and cruel breast cancer experiments on animals.

The lives of animals in laboratories are full of terror, loneliness, and misery. Animals used in cancer experiments are frequently injected with cancer cells and forced to endure the growth of painful tumors until they die or are killed.

Because of fundamental differences in biology and disease development between species, animal experiments have repeatedly failed to predict how cancer treatments will perform in humans. Luckily for women and animals, there are sophisticated non-animal methods in breast cancer research--like 3-dimensional in-vitro models--that are both extremely effective and humane.

I am calling on you to follow the lead of other organizations, including the Avon Foundation and the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, by focusing on cutting-edge, human-centered cancer research in your fight to find a cure for breast cancer.

Sincerely,

Kate Wallace

Letter in Defense of Bulls

A bull is scheduled to be tortured to death this year during an annual ritual held in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The First Fruits Festival, which occurs annually on the first Saturday in December, is a Zulu cultural event intended to celebrate the coming of age of Zulu warriors. The young warriors—teenage boys as young as 14 years old—are tasked with killing a bull with their bare hands to prove their courage. According to reports, approximately 40 young men push sand or mud down the bull's throat, gouge out his eyes, and twist his genitals before kicking and beating the animal to death and tearing his flesh apart with their hands. Traditional rules reportedly dictate that no tools, not even a knife, be used during this event.

Letter Sent to:

Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

Lakela Kaunda

Anele Lokwe

Godfrey Mdhluli

Gareth Morgan

Welile A W Nhlapo

Buyelwa Patience Sonjica Sonjica

Jacob Zuma

Dear whom it may concern,

I am horrified by the inexplicably cruel way in which young men are allowed to torture and kill a bull during the First Fruits Festival in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Sand or mud is crammed down the bulls' throats, their eyes are gouged out, and their genitals are twisted before the animals are kicked and beaten to death and their flesh is ripped apart.

Bulls are sentient beings who, like humans, experience pain and fear. Please stop allowing these animals to be tortured in this sadistic and archaic ritual. Please ban the sacrifice of bulls during the First Fruits Festival or, at the very least, ensure that the bull is killed humanely.

Sincerely,

Kate Wallace