Tag Archive: PETA


KEEP ANIMALS WILD – BAN CIRCUSES

Filed under: Good causes — Leave a comment
July 1, 2013
ALL animal were harmed in the making of this production.

ALL animals were harmed in the making of this production.

Yesterday, the Orfei animal circus packed up and moved on after a seven-day stay in my home town.

Good riddance to bad rubbish I say.

Circuses like this are not only an anachronism but also an insult to any notion of what is acceptable in a civilised society. They are a debased form of entertainment that demeans the sensibilities of both animals and men.

Zoos are bad enough, but these travelling shows goes beyond simply keeping creature in captivity.

In the process of training and taming animals to perform tricks,  there is substantial evidence to show that this routinely entails maltreatment and cruelty. They follow ringmasters out of fear and are made to yield out of fear of being punished. Continue reading →

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CRUELTY FREE SHOPPING AND SCOFFING

Filed under: Health and fitness, Italy, Politics — 3 Comments
June 27, 2012

I haven’t  eaten meat or fish (anything with eyes!) since I was 17 so I’ve gone 37 years as a fully fledged vegetarian.

Two of these years I became a vegan but while it was relatively easy to maintain this diet when eating alone at home, I found eating out either in restaurants or at friends a burden I eventually tired of.

It’s not just a matter of avoiding cheese, milk and eggs, it involves the continual  headache of scrupulously checking the labels or contents of everything you consume.

In addition the consequences would be that where I live in Italy I would have to forgo the pleasure of cappuccino, ice cream and many types of pasta. These are sacrifices some people are prepared to take but I’m not one of them.

I know all the arguments as to why I should be cutting dairy products from my diet but it’s not a discipline I feel able to maintain. I think the planet would be in much better shape if more people went veggie so my conscience is fairly clear.

Questions about the limits of ethical shopping and eating also take in other purchases like clothing and cosmetics. The tapestry of companies (see right) that test their products on animals makes you realise how many high street products we buy prolong this unnecessary suffering (a more detailed list is also available via Peta).

One of the main reasons why new face creams, after shave or shampoos are tested in this way is that it’s a cheaper alternative  and saves companies having to bother using more natural ingredients or using content that is already known to be safe for humans.

The most effective  message we can send  is simply to buy an alternative whenever we can.

I’m never too comfortable getting on a soap box over these issues but I think we could all do our bit to prevent needless cruelty and not buying vaseline or veal are steps in the right direction.

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DROP DEAD

Filed under: Good causes, Music, Parenting — Leave a comment
July 29, 2011

Oliver Sykes

Drop Dead Clothing is owned and run by Oliver Sykes, lead singer of Sheffield-based deathcore/ Emo band Bring Me The Horizon.

His band’s last album, released in 2010 was the wonderfully named ‘There Is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let’s Keep It a Secret’, a title too long to fit on the average T-shirt. But then again, his designs are far from mainstream so anything is possible.

Drop Dead began life in 2005 with a few t-shirts,hoodies,bags etc but thanks to word of mouth popularity the label has risen rapidly in popularity since then.

Sykes’ heavily tattooed image features prominently in the label’s catalogue and publicity. A point in his favour is the fact that he designed a Meat Sucks T-shirt with all proceeds being donated to PETA.

Photo taken in Drop Dead store.

His designs are brash and bold with cute cartoon heads given the postmodern treatment of having part of the skull severed to expose bits of brain. They are designed to be loved by teenagers and loathed by most parents (although I count myself as an exception that proves the rule).

Most goods are sold on the internet although they are doing well enough to open a flagship store  just off Carnaby Street, London. From there, my daughter bought a sweatshirt with the slogan STEEL FUCKING CITY emblazoned on the front, a wry reference to Sheffield’s lost industrial heritage.

The Drop Dead store is just round the corner from Liberty’s where designer T-shirts start from £75  and look nowhere near as cool or cutting edge as Sykes’ designs.

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