IDA - Bay Area Events

Table of Contents:
1. Boycott Canadian Seafood: Attend Red Lobster Protest
2. Hunting Expo Protest
3. Effective Communication for Veg Advocacy
4. Gopher Gardening at Ocean Beach
5. Compassionate Cooks' Vegan Cooking Class
6. Leaflet Ringling Bros. Circus


1. Boycott Canadian Seafood: Attend Red Lobster Protest

The horrific slaughter of over 300,000 harp seals each year by Canadian fishermen continues despite massive worldwide protests. We can end this atrocity once and for all by hitting the seal hunters where it hurts: their paychecks. While Canadian exports of seafood to the U.S. are worth at least $3.3 billion, Canadian fishermen make a mere $16 million from the seal hunt every year - a fraction of a percent of their total annual income. By boycotting the Canadian seafood industry, we can ensure that Canadian fishermen pay a high price for choosing to continue the cruel seal hunt.

A boycott against Canadian seafood is already well underway, with restaurants and retailers such as Legal Sea Foods, Down East Seafood and Whole Foods Market on board. Now it's time for Red Lobster - one of the largest importers of Canadian seafood - to stop supporting the seal hunt.

Following in the footsteps of the Humane Society of the United States' (HSUS) successful day of action in June, Harpseals.org is coordinating another day of action against Red Lobster in July, when activists will be organizing demonstrations at Red Lobster locations across North America. Please join IDA activists and other animal advocates at a Bay Area protest to let the public know that the franchise's purchasing decisions directly subsidize the inhumane seal massacre.

What: Canadian seafood boycott protest at Red Lobster
When: Saturday, July 30 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Where: The Red Lobster at 1210 El Camino Real, San Bruno (click http://tinyurl.com/98wng for directions)

For more information and to RSVP, contact Karen Steele at (415) 388-9641 ext 217, or karen [at] idausa.org . You can learn more about the international campaign to stop the seal hunt at http://www.harpseals.org .


2. Hunting Expo Protest

Mel Cotton's Sporting Goods prides itself on giving back to the community by supporting charitable causes such as child welfare and protection organizations. So why are they hosting a fall hunting and shooting expo at their San Jose location? Billing this event on their website as "a fun filled day at the store" is odd, given that they are essentially promoting the brutal murder of helpless animals with high-powered weapons. Perhaps stranger still is that a sporting goods retailer would promote hunting, which cannot even be considered a sport because the animal "participants" would not take part in it if given the choice. Hunters define the activity as a sport only because they basically see living beings as sporting goods, akin to moving targets expressly made by nature for their shooting pleasure.

Mel Cotton's also claims on their website that they hold on-site events to "educate" customers. The only thing a hunting and shooting expo teaches people is disrespect for the lives of our fellow beings and their habitats. Of course, as a business Mel Cotton's Sporting Goods aims to make money, and this expo gives them an excellent opportunity to sell more guns and hunting equipment. Obviously, Mel Cotton's real purpose for holding this event is to make a pretty profit from the blood of innocent animals.

Join Silicon Valley IDA in protesting Mel Cotton's first-ever "murder of animals" event.

What: Hunting expo protest
When: August 6 and 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: 1266 West San Carlos Street, San Jose (click http://www.melcottons.com/storedirect.html for directions)

Schools, teachers and students are welcome at this protest. Signs will be provided.

If you are unable to attend the protest, please call or write Mel Cotton's and politely let them know that you will not shop there if they continue to promote the killing of wildlife. Let them know that being hunted, shot and killed for "sport" is no "fun" for the animals.

Contact information:
Mel Cotton's Sporting Goods
1266 West San Carlos Street
San Jose, CA 95126
Tel: (408) 287-5994
Fax: (408) 298-3536
Email: http://www.melcottons.com/feedback.html


3. Effective Communication for Veg Advocacy

Having trouble relating to meat eaters? Many vegans and vegetarians find dealing with the misunderstanding, fear and ridicule of their family, friends and co-workers to be the most difficult part of choosing a lifestyle centered on compassion for animals. Frustration, anger and burnout are inevitable unless one begins to understand why people perceive vegans and vegetarians the way they do and how to transform negative reactions into curiosity and insight.

As part of Bay Area Vegetarians' (BAVeg's) Compassionate Living series, longtime animal advocate and humane educator Nora Kramer will present "Effective Communication for Veg*n Advocacy, Family & Friends," a workshop exploring effective communication strategies and styles for everyday situations that vegans and vegetarians experience at work, at home, and in their role as animal advocates engaged in public outreach. Don't miss this opportunity to learn practical methods of defusing criticism, engaging people's interest and presenting the veg message persuasively.

What: Effective Communication for Veg*n Advocacy, Family & Friends workshop
Where: Cellspace, 2050 Bryant Street (near 18th Street), San Francisco (click http://tinyurl.com/cz9o3 for directions)
When: Sunday, August 7, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Light refreshments will be served at the presentation. An optional dinner at a local vegan restaurant will take place afterwards. For more information on this event and to RSVP, visit http://www.bayareaveg.org/events.php?EID=776#776 . To learn more about BAVeg's Compassionate Living program, please visit http://www.bayareaveg.org/cl .


4. Gopher Gardening at Ocean Beach

Join the San Francisco Wildlife Protection Project, a joint effort by IDA and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, to create a wildlife "sanctuary" along the Great Highway. By landscaping the area according to the Parks Department's specifications, volunteers create a habitat for native gophers and prevent them from being trapped and killed. This is an ongoing monthly effort, and happens on the first Saturday of each month. Please give us a hand so we can help the gophers.

What: Gopher Gardening
When: Saturday, August 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon (note that this event will take place on the 2nd Saturday of the month in August and September rather than the 1st Saturday of the month)
Where: Corner of the Great Highway and Wawona Street, San Francisco, at the small brick Recreation and Park maintenance building. Click http://tinyurl.com/4hnh2 for directions to this event.

For more information, please contact Kevin Connelly at (415) 388-9641, ext. 226 or kevin [at] idausa.org .


5. Compassionate Cooks' Vegan Cooking Class

Join the Compassionate Cooks in August for their most popular vegan cooking class, "Healthful Mediterranean." The cooks will demonstrate the preparation of five delicious and nutritious dishes, including Quinoa Tabouli Salad; Two Kinds of Pesto (Basic Basil & Sundried Tomato); Roasted Veggie Medley; Stuffed Bell Peppers with Grains, Herbs and Nuts; and Delightful Date Squares.

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, August 13 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 in advance by August 11 at http://www.compassionatecooks.com or by calling (510) 531-COOK. If you can't attend the class, you can still learn how to make delicious vegan meals with the Compassionate Cooks DVD, which can be ordered from their website.


6. 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, noncompliance with basic animal welfare regulations 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.

Please join Citizens For Cruelty-Free Entertainment and other animal advocates in protesting Ringling's annual visit to the San Francisco Bay Area between August 17th and September 5th. Help 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, as well as contact information, visit http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/07/1751059.php .