TresSugar

Eco-Nudists Go Naked to Save the Planet & Paltrow's Fur Furor

CitizenSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:46:39 -0700

Want to help the planet? Then what are you doing sitting there all dressed and everything? The newest wave in eco-activism is all natural, sans a stitch of clothing. Gwyneth Paltrow may be wishing she'd followed that example after her deal with Italian designer Tod's and resulting ad showing her wearing fox fur and fur-lined boots has earned her heat from animal rights groups.

Gwyneth has been known for her embrace of holistic practices, yoga, vegetarian husband, and pal and vegan designer, Stella McCartney - but this campaign stands to erase that cred. The director of Respect for Animals, said: "Gwyneth Paltrow should be ashamed. I can only assume that Paltrow either is ignorant of the facts or lacks human decency and compassion." Friends have even said that Gwyneth's decision will flay her close friendship with Stella McCartney.

If Gwyneth wants to get back on track, maybe she can embrace the naked eco-movement? To see the story and a cheeky protest, read more.

Not satisfied with the casual sun-bathing reputation of nudists, Econudes.org have embraced the naked as the ultimate way to erase your carbon footprint. After all, clothes (and everything that goes into making and transporting them) are a major cause of climate change. Take those off, and the planet might be happier. It's apparently an ancient practice dating all the way back to the 70s when nudism was defined as "a way of life in harmony with nature, characterised by self-respect, respect for others and for the environment."

If warming skepticism is more your schtick, you can shuck your socks for that too, sort of. A renegade group called Nudists Opposing Winter actually like the warmer weather because, well, it's nicer to be nude. The founder "Pantsless James" says, "we actively support pro-global warming places and companies. No longer will nudists be forced into the fetish of clothes wearing. It frees up everybody to go clothing-free, the way God intended."

Silliness aside, is nudity a good way to bring attention to the strain on the planet we wear on our backs everyday? Is Gwyneth's endorsement deal a slap to animals? Should we all just go-go naked?

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Running of the Bulls: Cruel Tradition or Bunch of Bull-oney?

LibertySugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:00:08 -0700

The annual running of the bulls kicked off in Pamplona, Spain yesterday and so far one Irish tourist has been killed. Despite the risk of death and injury, thousands of people let bulls chase them for over 800 meters on the way to the bullfight arena.

While human injury upsets everyone, some animal rights activists get particularly upset about how the traditions entails "torturing and killing a defenseless animal." PETA describes the festival like this:

Bulls are bred in fields and are not accustomed to the noise of the crowd or being surrounded by people. They are kept in crowded, dark enclosures, and when they are prodded onto the streets with electric shocks, they are momentarily blinded by the sunlight. They are terrified and are hit by runners with rolled up newspapers.

In order to show their opposition, PETA supporters participate in the Running of the Nudes two days before the major tourist-attracting bull runs. Whose side are you on - PETA's or Spain's?

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Spending Gone Wild: Proposal to Euthanize the West's Horses

LibertySugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:30:59 -0700

America's wild horses may be the latest casualties of federal budget problems. Thirty-three thousand wild horses roam the West, well above the 27,000 target. Expensive holding facilities house another 30,000 rounded-up horses, making them available for adoption. The government says it can no longer afford to control the population with pricey housing. Thus, the US Bureau of Land Management wants to euthanaize part of the population to cut costs.

Horse activists are leading an opposition. One animal rights activist called the plan "killing pure and simple to balance the books for an agency whose reckless management has caused immeasurable harm to a national treasure at considerable cost to the American taxpayer."

Other opponents of the euthanasia proposal want lawmakers to promote horse birth control, and give landowners incentives to keep horses on their property, reports the New York Times.

Since horses compete with ranchers' needs, should the government put emotions aside and choose euthanasia as the effective solution? Or should these national treasures be protected from budget mismanagement?

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PETA Will Pay $1 Million For Lab Meat

LibertySugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:15:00 -0700

What if you could have your animal and eat it too? Or even better, not have your animal and eat it too.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is offering $1 million to whomever figures out how to grow meat in labs. The winner must develop a commercially viable chicken-meat product that does not contain, or make use of animal-derived products, except for starter cells obtained in the initial development stages.

Basically, PETA wants someone to use stem-cell science technology to skip the whole bird, and go straight to the bucket of chicken. Sound like you want an extra order of biscuits? To see what animal activists have to say, read more.

Animal activists, including those within PETA, feel the contest abandons the philosophy that animals are not ours to eat. They also argue that the health risks of a carnivore diet - including obesity, diabetes, and cancer - will not be appeased.

Proponents counter that this is a practical solution, which could end the maltreatment of animals, such as caging, drugging, and brutal slaughtering.

Do you think PETA is compromising its mission with this contest, or making the ethical treatment of animals more realistic? With all the news about the origins of meat and its environmental impact, is this a step in the right direction? Would you eat an in vitro chicken-meat product?

Ask Two Guys About Guys: Why Are Men So Carefree About Farting?

TresSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Colin Nissan and Sean Farrell of Don't Be That Guy fame have graciously agreed to answer some burning questions we women folk have about men. Last week's Q & A was a hit, so let's see what they have for us today!

Today's question to Two Guys: Why are some men so carefree about farting?

To hear what the Two Guys have to say, read more.

Why are dogs so carefree about barking? Why are birds so cavalier about chirping? Why do lions feel they’ve earned the right to roar? I’m not afraid to make a fourth animal analogy if it helps to illustrate the point that these species are meant to do these things - just as guys are meant to fart. It’s our body’s way of communicating with you. It’s saying, “Hey, I feel really comfortable around you, Leslie,” or “Wow, those enchiladas are passing through me like a fu**ing freight train.”

There are plenty of repressed guys out there who actually aren’t big farters, but running into the arms of a gas-free companion might not be the utopia you think it is. If a guy is sealing up his rear hole, then chances are he’s sealing up his other holes too. Like his fun hole and his emotional hole. It’s your choice, you can be with a guy with sealed holes, or you can learn to appreciate a natural, open-hearted gesture for what it is – and instead of rolling your eyes the next time your guy breaks wind, try looking over at him and whispering, “I feel close to you too. Make love to me, you smelly son-of-a-bitch.”

Britain to Impose Booze-Ban on "Antisocial" Drunks

TresSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Starting today, anyone who behaves "antisocially" while drunk can be banned from pubs, bars, and other public places in England and Wales for up to two years.

Many people in Britain believe that drastic policing like this must be used to change the culture of heavy drinking. But not everyone is on board with the latest crackdowns - or booze antisocial behavior orders (ASBO). One civil liberties activist says:

It will be jelly bean ASBO for sugared-up kids next. Surely it's time to call last orders on endless new legislation.

While this is the first time antisocial behavior orders will be handed out for public drunks, British courts have been using them to curb other bad behavior for some time now. So what else counts as anti-social behavior in the UK? Earlier this month, a man was given an animal ASBO after bees from his hives repeatedly stung the neighbors. The beekeeper was ordered to move his hives. And a magistrate judge gave another Brit an ASBO for throwing shopping carts outside a supermarket two or three times per week. The ASBO makes it criminal for the man to throw shopping carts going forward. That sounds about right.

Do you think this sort of targeted justice is the best way to solve societal problems like excessive alcohol consumption? Will telling a drunk that he can't go to pubs and bars for a couple of years change anything?

Is Nudity a Persuasive Method of Activism?

TresSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:00:00 -0700

A naked person might make you either look twice or cover your eyes; but activists in Spain hope it will persuade you to join their cause against bull fighting. Over the weekend, anti-bull fighting demonstrators in Madrid dressed themselves up in not much more than fake blood. They were trying to raise awareness about the animal cruelty involved with bullfighting.

Going naked or using sexy women to bring attention to neglected causes isn't new. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) routinely uses human flesh to get out its animal rights message; they even orchestrated a Running of the Nudes to protest the infamous running of the bulls in Spain.

Do you think nudity gets people to pay attention to important causes, or does it come off as a distracting gimmick?

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5 Wacky and Weird Stories From This Week

CitizenSugar — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:00:26 -0800

News of violence in the Middle East and record-high unemployment rates could have made this week a bit of a downer. Here are a few wacky news stories from the week that might make you chuckle!

NY Man Demands Estranged Wife Pay Him For Kidney - A Long Island surgeon embroiled in a nearly four-year divorce proceeding wants his estranged wife to return the kidney he donated to her, although he says he'll settle for $1.5 million in compensation.
Masked Man Waits in Line to Rob Bank - Wearing a ski mask, a 24-year-old man waited in line before he robbed an Ohio bank. Police arrested him after a brief car chase, explaining that bank robbers don't usually wait in line.
Policeman Attacked Using Own Patrol Car - An Australian outback policeman was pelted with rocks and beer bottles and his stolen patrol car was used to try and run him down.
PETA Asks Spearfish High School to Change Name to Sea Kitten High School - A PETA spokesperson says that children should be taught to refer to fish as "sea kittens" to show that fish are individuals just like cats and dogs. The animal rights groups thinks a name change could mean fewer fish killed for food or sport.
After Three-Hour Standoff Outside Shed, Police Find No One Inside - Salt Lake City police officers were in a three-hour standoff with themselves. After a woman said a man was in the shed with a gun, officers secured the area, and evacuated neighbors. Despite the tipster's suspicions, they eventually found nobody inside the shed.

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Immigrants the New Slave Labor? FBI Probes Treatment

LibertySugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:00:31 -0800

Mexican guest workers at the center of an FBI investigation say that their boss treated them like animals.

Charles "Bimbo" Relan, the Louisiana farmer who employs the immigrants, allegedly confiscated the workers' passports, kept them working hunched over for hours, fired his shot gun over the workers' heads, killed the stray dog the workers kept as a pet, and sometimes paid them only $2 an hour. He also exposed the immigrants to dangerous pesticides.

Some of the immigrants, who had obtained visas to legally work on the strawberry farm, left without their passports. They organized, protested, and caught the FBI's attention. Do you think more should be done to make sure non-American workers are treated with dignity and have the same civil rights as American workers?

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Punishment vs. Human Rights - Are Prisons Going Soft?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:00:08 -0700

Though I don't know of many prisons guarded by the likes of the two pictured below, with the changes happening to crime and punishment in the US, it might not be long. With one out of every 100 Americans behind bars, and prisons turning criminals out to meet their budgets, the debate between what's a human right, and what liberties need be taken away as punishment is a tricky one. Several states have just come to some conclusions - on the side of rights.

In New York's juvenile detention centers, transgender youth are now allowed to wear whatever gendered-uniform they associate with and be called by whatever name they request, as well as receive access to special housing under a new anti-discrimination policy. The enhanced rights are drawing praise from advocacy groups. A spokesman for Governor Paterson said the policy reflects the state's intent to be "tolerant, responsive and respectful" of gender identity and gender expression issues.

Hawaii and California join New York among the small list of states that have taken steps to afford specific civil rights protection to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth in juvenile detention. This comes after a 2001 report found that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth routinely experienced discrimination, harassment and violence in New York's juvenile justice system.

Got Milk? To find out what happens if you're a vegan behind bars, read more.

In Massachusetts a federal judge found that the state prison system violated one prisoner's civil rights by denying him a vegan diet. Though the prison system had offered the man a standard vegetarian diet, he has spent nearly a decade seeking a ruling to receive a vegan diet that excludes all animal products, including eggs and milk products.

His reasoning to require the diet? He's a Buddhist (now) and had a religion specialist testify "explain[ing] why it was wrong to consume food derived from animals and explain[ing] the concept of karma and suffering." Why is the man in prison? He beat his 5-week-old son to death by throwing him onto a hardwood floor, repeatedly stomping on and kicking him, before turning his violence on the his child's mother. He may need more than soy milk to atone for that karmic digression.

Rights are returning after prison in Florida, where Governor Crist announced this week that more than 115,000 felons are to regain their voting rights. The expansion of prison rights might come as a comfort to two California high school students who are facing 69 felony counts for hacking into their school's computer system to change their grades. One of the hackers could face 38 years behind bars. An extra-credit report or two might have been a better solution?

What responsibility do prisons have to cater to human rights? Where do rights stop and punishment begin?

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