IDA's Bay Area Events

1. IDA's International Day for Korean Dogs and Cats is This Friday!
2. Give Students a Healthy CHOICE
3. Compassionate Cooks' Vegan Cooking Class
4. Leaflet Ringling Bros. Circus


1. IDA's International Day for Korean Dogs and Cats is This Friday!

On July 15, 2005, IDA and other animal protection groups will hold worldwide protests to coincide with the first of Korea's "Bok days," which literally means the hot, dog days of summer. South Korea's dog meat consumption increases during this time of year because some superstitiously believe they can keep cool by eating animals that do not sweat.

Although consumption of dogs and cats is technically illegal in South Korea, the Government is now trying to effectively legalize it by regulating dog meat sanitation. The Government's stamp of approval is particularly indefensible given that the vast majority of Koreans oppose eating dogs and cats.

What You Can Do

Please join IDA activists to protest the atrocities happening to dogs and cats in Korea. The more people present at these protests will mean the greater pressure placed on Korea to bring a halt to the suffering of these animals.

What: International Day for Korean Dogs and Cats Protest
When: Friday, July 15, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where: Korean Consulate, 3500 Clay St. (near Laurel), San Francisco (click http://tinyurl.com/4hnh2 for directions)

For more information and to RSVP, please contact IDA Bay Area Campaign Coordinator Karen Steele at karen [at] idausa.org or (415) 388-9641, ext. 217.

Click http://www.idausa.org/campaigns.html for more information on IDA's Korean Dog and Cat campaign.


2. Give Students a Healthy CHOICE

With news reports of childhood obesity capturing headlines around the country, the need to provide young people with healthy food in school cafeterias has become a compelling social justice issue affecting not only students' health, but animal welfare and the environment as well. Public awareness of poor dietary habits is growing, and the time is ripe for reform. IDA is therefore excited to announce the launch of a new Bay Area-based effort that will empower students, parents, teachers, food service providers and community members to advocate for change!

What You Can Do

Join community members and Citizens for Healthy Options in Children's Education (CHOICE) to get active in the effort to offer healthier food in Bay Area schools.

What: CHOICE planning meeting
When: Tuesday, July 19th, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch -100 Larkin St. (at Grove, near Civic Center BART - click http://tinyurl.com/8jy8o for directions). The meeting will be held in the Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room on the Library's lower level. Enter on Grove, make your first right and go downstairs.

For more information and to RSVP, call (415) 710-7351 or write to healthyschoollunch [at] yahoo.com .

For more information about CHOICE, please visit http://www.choiceusa.net .


3. Compassionate Cooks' Vegan Cooking Class

Join the Compassionate Cooks for their next vegan cooking class, "Summertime Fare: Burgers & Backyard Bites." The cooks will demonstrate the preparation of five delicious, nutritious dishes, including Mushroom Pecan Burgers, Spicy Black Bean Burgers, Tantalizing Thai Slaw, Perfect Potato Salad, and more. Compassionate Cooks' monthly hands-on classes give people a chance to learn about the health benefits of a plant-based diet, eat yummy food samples, and have a lot of fun!

What: Compassionate Cooks' vegan cooking class
When: Saturday, July 23rd from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where: The First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. (at Castro) - click http://tinyurl.com/d9cb7 for directions

The cost of the class is $35. Register online at http://www.compassionatecooks.com or by calling (510) 531-COOK.


4. Leaflet Ringling Bros. Circus

Audiences that once thrilled to the spectacle of wild animals being tamed under the crack of a whip are today realizing that circuses force these intelligent and sensitive beings to suffer for our amusement. Numerous exposes and the testimony of many former circus employees confirm that trainers routinely use violence, brutality and intimidation to force animals to perform demeaning tricks. On the road in cramped trailers for 48-50 weeks a year, animals in circuses are deprived of the ability to engage in even their most basic natural behaviors, causing severe physical and psychological stress, and sometimes even death.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has a well-documented history of tortuous training methods, citations for animal welfare violations and premature animal deaths. Promoters bill Ringling Bros. as "The Greatest Show On Earth," but it would be called "The CRUELEST Show On Earth" if spectators knew about their systematic abuse of animals.

What You Can Do

Please join Citizens For Cruelty-Free Entertainment in protest of Ringling's annual visit to the San Francisco Bay Area between August 17th and September 5th. Help them inform the public about Ringling's abuse of animals through outreach and education, and ensure that circus attendance rates continue to decline as people learn the truth. Leaflets and signs will be provided. For dates, times and locations of outreach events, visit http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/07/1751059.php . For more information, please contact Alfredo Kuba at bkind2animals [at] comcast.net or (650) 965-8705.