Banksy Will You Marry Me?

Banksy has opened a faux pet shop in New York called The Village Pet Store And Charcoal Grill. It’s his first official exhibition in NY and his first project using animatronics, moving away from his stencil and street art approach.

Here’s a quote from Banksy on the Wooster Collective website.. “New Yorkers don’t care about art, they care about pets. So I’m exhibiting them instead. I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming. I took all the money I made exploiting an animal in my last show and used it to fund a new show about the exploitation of animals. If its art and you can see it from the street, I guess it could still be considered street art”

In one exhibit, a pair of chicken nuggets with legs dip themselves in sauce as a rooster looks on from a doghouse. Another shows fish sticks swimming in a fish bowl. There’s also an adorned rabbit beautifying herself with an assortment of cosmetics in front of a vanity mirror. We all know how rabbits love to be tested on for makeup. My favorite is the sleeping leopard that is actually a strategically placed fake fur coat.

It’s located at 89 7th Avenue (between West 4th and Bleeker) in Greenwich Village and is open every day from 10 am to midnight, showing until October 31st. If you can’t make it, videos of the animatronics can be seen on the show’s website. I’ve posted several of them in the post below. This story was too good for just one!

To my friends and readers in NY, if you go to the installation, can you pretty please grab me a business card from the store? xx

Thank you Lexie!

Posted by thuy

Banksy Will You Marry Me? Part ll

Watch more of the videos here.

Posted by thuy

Do You Consider This Art?

In the same week that bankers, financiers and investors experienced “Black Monday,” controversial artist Damien Hirst held a two day auction at Sotheby’s that brought him 198.7 million dollars. The auction titled, “Beautiful Inside My Head Forever.” consisted of 223 works that he had produced over the last two years.

Death is a central theme in Hirst’s works. He became famous for a series in which dead animals (including a shark, a sheep and a cow) are preserved—sometimes having been dissected—in formaldehyde. He made his name sawing up cows, pickling sheep and suspending sharks in tanks, explaining that his work is a stark meditation on life and death.

I couldn’t find any info on where Hirst got his animals, except for the shark. He wanted something “big enough to eat you” and boy did he get it. A 12 foot tiger shark, caught by an Aussie fisherman commissioned to do so for $200. That piece sold for 21 million dollars.

Preserving an animal that died naturally is different to catching and killing one for the sake of art but I guess I’m not the one laughing all the way to the bank.

Posted by thuy

Meat Accessories

If it isn’t bad enough that people eat poor defenseless animals and make them into hamburgers and stews… now people are getting their jollies by making meat accessories. Unbelievable.

Via food beast

Posted by Jen

Dress Like a (Tr)Ollsen Twin

Stumped on a creative Halloween costume for this year? Tired of dressing up like a slutty nurse…again? Sick of celebrities who wear fur?? PETA has the perfect costume for you. Go to their website and order a Hairy Kate or Trashley Olsen mask.

Orders must be placed by 12 midnight on October 12 and ships to U.S, Canada and the U.K.

Via perez hilton

Posted by jen

Hunting Wolves Is So Not Sexy, Sarah!

“Riddled with gun shots, biting at their backs in agony, they die a brutal death. And Palin even encouraged the cruelty by proposing a $150 bounty for the severed foreleg of each killed wolf.”

Figures this would come from the VP candidate that is so articulate, knowledgeable, assertive, well reasoned and well spoken. NOT! Doggone it. Darn it. Aw shucks. Wink Wink.

Posted by thuy

Trent Reznor For PETA

Mad love to T.R. from Nine Inch Nails for spreading the word for those that cannot speak. Watch this 2 minute video and open your eyes to the fur industry in China. Imagine this happening to your dog or cat or even a stray on the street. Why the hell would anyone want to wear an animals skin draped around their neck on a bomber jacket or vest? I guess that’s a question for Diddy and Jay-Z.

Posted by thuy

Inked With Ignorance

Have you always dreamed of owning a fish tatted up with a heart, smiley face or your lucky # on it? I haven’t, but it’s quite the craze in Thailand, Hong Kong, & Singapore. Asians think of some crazy shit but this is just wrong. What happened to the simpler days of the Tamagotchi pets?

HK Aquaria Mall sells a range of parrot cichlids that are dye tattooed with Chinese New Year wishes or sayings such as “I love you”, and now offers the opportunity to have fish custom tattooed with the words of your choice.

Call me old fashioned but when Chinese/Vietnamese New Years rolls around the only colorful thing I want is a red good luck envelope for Tết with a nice crispy green Benjamin folded up in it.

DAMn yOu AzNS! DoES AnY1 knOw WhY thEy TyPe LiKe THIs?? LoLOLoL???

Source: Practical Fishkeeping

Posted by thuy

Go Veggie

Founded in 1977, and taking place on October 1st, World Vegetarian Day, was created to promote the “joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism”. It is a day for meat eaters to give meatless dining selections a try and for vegetarians to celebrate being a “veggie”.

Encourage your friends to give it a try for a day, or even a month (October also marks Vegetarian Awareness Month).

Put down that pepperoni pizza and pick up a veggie burger!!

Via ecorazzi

Posted by jen

Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey Breast Milk Flavor?

PETA has sent a letter to ice cream purveyors, Ben & Jerry’s, urging them to end the needless suffering of dairy cows and their calves, by using human breast milk in their ice cream instead of cow’s milk. This request comes on the heels of a Swiss restaurateur’s decision to substitute breast milk from lactating mothers for 75% of the cow’s milk used in the dishes he serves.

Cherry Garcia à la breast milk anyone??

(If it’s any consolation Ben & Jerry’s now makes organic ice cream. Check out the new flavors here.)

Rad Flick via Missbehave

Posted by jen

Celebs Say Yes on Prop 2

Vote Yes On Prop 2. Join Alicia Silverstone, Russell Simmons, Persia White, Amy Smart, GZA from Wu-Tang and many others in the fight against animal cruelty, to support family farmers, and to protect our health and food safety.

Posted by thuy

Steve-O Says Yes To Drugs But No To Fur

Damn… Where do I come up with these ingenious, witty, original, headline-grabbing post titles…?? Ok, they are usually pretty corny but this one was pretty good, if I do say so myself.

It really just sums everything up perfectly and gets me off the hook from writing a long-winded post. Enjoy!

Posted by jen

8 Pelicans Found With Broken Wings

The birds were found this past week on Bolsa Chica State Beach and 7 of the 8 have died so far. Their wings were deliberately broken.

Unless this was the doing of Dexter (my current serial killer crush in make believe land,) I seriously need to have a heart to heart with the shithead(s) that did this. And by heart to heart I mean I need have a little intentional breaking penis party of my own.

I say penis because serious or repeated animal cruelty is seen more often in boys than in girls and besides that, I like saying penis.

Um ok, back to the matter at hand, animal cruelty sucks a big one.

Posted by thuy

What Would You Title This Post?

I can’t even put into words what this story made me feel. Although I don’t agree with some of Peta’s tactics of getting their messages across, I am always grateful for their undercover videos of animal abuse.

I can’t refrain or apologize for putting these type of pictures or videos (click it, I double dog dare ya) on this blog. Ever. I’m sure these are not the images anyone wants to see while having their morning coffee and breakfast, especially if it consists of bacon, but I feel the need to spread the word to those that want to know what’s really going down in the green pastures slaughterhouses of America.

In this undercover video, workers on a hog feedlot are seen slamming baby pigs onto a cement floor, shocking them with cattle prods, beating them with metal poles and shoving poles into the anuses and vaginas of the animals.

The feedlot is located in Bayard, Iowa and provides meat to Hormel Foods, the maker of SPAM. After earlier Humane Society videos documented cattle abuse at feedlots, Hormel said none of its suppliers abused animals.

PETA will turn its videos over to the Green County Sheriff’s Department and demand the arrest of 18 workers. PETA says the following abuses were witnessed by its investigators:

• A supervisor shoved a cane into a sow’s vagina, struck her on the back about 17 times, and then struck another sow.
• Multiple pigs were beaten with metal gate rods, and lacerations were found on more than 30 sows – which is probably evidence of more abuse.
• A worker hit a young pig in the face four times with the edge of a herding board, and investigators witnessed dozens of similar incidents involving this worker and 11 other workers.
• Two men – including a supervisor – were witnessed jabbing clothespins into pigs’ eyes and faces. A supervisor also poked two animals in the eyes with his fingers.

And this my dear friends, is one of the biggest reasons why I gave up meat on January 2nd, 2008. I can’t understand this type of cruel and perverted behavior. WTF compels human beings to do this to animals?

The thumbnails below are of:

• A pig that had blue toxic paint sprayed into it’s snout and eyes as she nursed her piglets.
• Piglets that were slammed into the ground to be killed but are still alive, suffering til their death.
• Tails and testacles that were cut without any anesthetic.
• A pig forced to farrow in a cage just large enough to allow the sow to lie on her side.

via Green Daily

Posted by thuy

Marcus Troy for WildAid

Not only does our boy, Marcus Troy hold bragging rights to his infamous cyber battle with Kanye West (which garnered national press attention, might I add) he also reps the T Dot (that’s Toronto for y’all that aren’t up on the urban slang), and is a blogger extraordinaire.

One of the recent stops in his fabulous life was as a guest at the Toronto launch of Kate Hudson and David Babaii’s WildAid cruelty-free hair care line.

Check out his personal pics here.

Via www.marcustroy.com

Posted by jen

KFC’s Secret Recipe Revealed

Moby is an advocate for a variety of causes, working with MoveOn and The Humane Society, among others. He’s also been a vegetarian for over 16 years and you can clearly see how he feels about the meat industry in his video, Disco Lies. Get your dancing shoes on.

*CRINGE* I was raised on KFC (but not in a Britney Spears way) and it was only up until a few years ago that I gave it up. I came across the video that was narrated by Pamela Anderson, showing the abuse that went down in the KFC plants. I was so disgusted and in disbelief that I had been eating diseased, hormone pumped, infected limbs from animals that had been raised their entire lives in cramped quarters as well as tortured and beaten.

I don’t miss it one bit, but I do miss their coleslaw. I could eat an entire side of that coleslaw with a biscuit and call it a day. Damn you Colonel Sanders!

Posted by thuy

Vegetarian 4 Life

I’ll let this video of chef Jamie Oliver slaughtering a chicken in front of a live studio audience and 4 million viewers, speak for itself. Disturbing to say the least.

Thanks Raymond (www.pureroker.blogspot.com) and (urb.com)

Posted by jen

What Not To Wear

I know it’s freaking cold in Alaska, but there are plenty of ALTERNATIVES to real fur available on the market. Like here, here and here. But, that doesn’t mean a damn thang to the avid hunter and Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, who allows airborne killing of wolves and bears, and wants polar bears to remain huntable for trophies.

Someone please get on the phone to Stacy London and Clinton Kelly from TLC’s show, WNTW. We got a new participant to nominate and she’s screaming bloody murder for a makeover.

Thanks Jason.

Posted by thuy

Con-VICK

Funny his name should rhyme with a four letter word in the potty mouth dictionary. Dogtown is premiering this Sunday night on Nat Geo. The episodes will show the rehabilitation of 22 dogs that belonged to Michael Vick and are now residing at Dogtown, the Best Friends animal sanctuary in Utah. Viewers follow the journeys of four of the most challenging dogs — Cherry, Meryl, Denzel, and Georgia — as Dogtown’s team of experts works to help them overcome their violent pasts and live happier, healthier lives.

Every dog has its day.

Posted by thuy

PETA Protects Pit Bulls

If you can get through this article without shedding a tear or at the very least getting a lump in your throat, then you are a definitely a stronger person than me. The picture alone puts me over the top, having owned a gentle, lovable, loyal pit bull myself. In a nutshell in December 2006 in Windsor, North Carolina, PETA fieldworkers were called in to investigate a report from neighbors of 3 starved pitbulls (Buck, Mylie and Roscoe).

Upon arriving at the property, PETA workers found all 3 dogs dead, still on chains, mere skeletons covered by skin. They had no bedding or body fat to cover them from the freezing winter temperatures. The dogs’ owner, Walter Overton, showed no remorse and admitted to having known the dogs were sick and suffering at least 4-5 weeks prior to their death, and not having fed them in the week leading up to their death.

PETA worked with local law enforcement to bring charges of animal cruelty against Overton. In a county that does not usually pursue such cases, Overton was convicted and was sentenced to jail time, fines, court costs and probation. The best part about the conviction is that Overton is forbidden to own or harbor animals in the future.

To get the full story as well as the sad tale of Hugo’s demise and the judge’s reaction to this case, visit the PETA website.

Posted by Jen

Sucks To Be The Stylist That Did This Shoot

Being a wardrobe stylist myself, I have to admit that I’ve had a few nightmares of showing up for a shoot and having some diva celebrity or a high maintenance producer not liking anything I’ve brought, even though there’s like 3 rolling racks of clothes to choose from. I’m knocking on sustainable, harvested wood as I type this. I’ve yet to have a nightmare of pissing a designer off though, up until now.

Stella McCartney was furious when she found out that lingerie from her line was loaned out to a stylist and used in an advert for a fur company. The ad features a model sporting a SM bra and draped in a $12,000.00 mink coat. It is well known, especially in the fashion world, that Stella is an animal/Peta activist, as well as being strongly against using fur or leather in her clothing line.

Hockley, a London boutique renowned for stocking the world’s best nastiest fur designers, has apologised for the mistake. A spokesman for the company said: ‘Hockley is aware of Stella McCartney’s views and is respectful of them. This was an unfortunate mistake and Hockley would not intentionally make anyone feel uncomfortable.

‘Hockley both requested and was told that the item was a vintage piece and apologizes for any embarrassment caused to Stella McCartney. It is not Hockley’s intention to use the image again.’

A little late now since it’s already in print in the current Vogue. Would you pay $12,000.00 to support this cruel and horrific industry? Let’s all say a lil’ prayer for the stylist before we go to bed tonight.

Source: popsugar

Posted by thuy

That’s Not A Pink Elephant

Here’s a promo that Britney shot with Russell Brand for the MTV VMA’s. I guess the concept is supposed to be “there’s an elephant in the room?” That’s the best they could do? An unnecessary use of an animal for human entertainment, and all for the sake of promoting a music award show and this train wreck? She may be looking better these days but I think she needs to work on loosening up her weave and putting down the Starbucks Frappuccino’s. Something still isn’t right in the head.

Posted by thuy

The Olympics Get Some Heat

We don’t agree with Peta’s hardcore tactics, but we do like seeing the celebs they get to pose in their birthday suits for animal rights. Their latest campaign features Olympic gold medalist, Amanda Beard, in protest of the fur industry in China.

I’ve seen footage of fur farms in China and it’s one of the most disgusting and heartless acts I’ve ever witnessed. Animals are bred and raised in tiny cages for all of their short lives, living in atrocious conditions with little food and shelter. When it’s their time to become a coat (cough, Aretha Franklin) or a bag (ahem, Mary Kate Olsen), they are usually bludgeoned or strangled, then hung by their feet and stripped of their skin. The most horrific part is that most of the time, the animals are still alive and struggling while getting their skin cut from one end of their body and peeled off, all in one piece. Skinned alive- literally!

Can you freaking imagine how that must feel? Think Silence Of The Lambs- but picture that ish happening to you while being alive and conscious! Hats off to Peta for bringing the awareness to China during the Olympics. Seriously people, fur is for the birds..and foxes, dogs, cats, rabbits, seals, coyotes, and chinchillas. Click on the thumbnails below to see others that have bared it all for Peta in the past.

Posted by thuy

Save The Drama For Your Mama

The firestorm of reactions to Jessica Simpson’s “Real Girls Eat Meat” t-shirt is more confusing than a cheesy soap opera storyline.

In a nutshell Jessica was spotted rockin’ the tee with her football player boyfriend, Tony Romo. PETA flipped out and released the “Top 5 Reasons Only Stupid Girls Brag About Eating Meat“, then Pamela Anderson talked smack about Jessica on an Australian radio show and called her a slew of nasty names (rhymes with witch and store), while the rest of us are still trying to figure out whether the t-shirt was a jab at Tony’s vegetarian ex-girlfriend, Carrie Underwood, or referred to Jessica’s choice in sexual activity.

All that being said, I’m rollin’ with Team Lachey.

Flick via Just Jared

Posted by jen

The Circus Is For Clowns

The Ringling Bros. Circus performs tomorrow thru Sunday at the Staples Center. I remember going to one of their shows when I was young, and yea, at the time, it was fascinating to watch tigers jump through hoops and see the elephants walk in a circle with their trunks intertwined with the next elephants tail. If I only knew as a kid what I know now.

The fact is, animals do not naturally ride bicycles, stand on their heads, balance on balls, or jump through rings of fire. To force them to perform these confusing and physically uncomfortable tricks, trainers use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bullhooks, and other painful tools of the trade.

In this video, elephant trainer Tim Frisco instructs would-be trainers how to dominate elephants and make them perform circus tricks. “Sink that hook into ’em. When you hear that screaming, then you know you got their attention.” An elephant trumpets in agony as Frisco’s bullhook, with its sharp metal hook and spiked end, tears through her sensitive skin. Frisco, a Carson & Barnes elephant trainer, learned the trade from his father, a former trainer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

I wonder how Mr. Frisco would feel if he got a bullhook sunk into his no-no hole…would that get his attention? I will never take my (future) kids to a circus, watch this video and hopefully you won’t either.

Source: Circuses.com

Posted by thuy

Boys We Heart: Joaquin Phoenix

This Golden Globe and Grammy Award winning actor, director, producer and social activist makes my heart go pitty pat. On Jan 2nd, 2008, I fell head over heels for Joaquin after watching a movie called “Earthlings.” It wasn’t his dreamy blue eyes or the sexy scar above his lip that did me in because he doesn’t even appear in the film. It was his voice. Over the course of two years, Joaquin worked on the narration for EARTHLINGS which is a feature length documentary about humanity’s absolute dependence on animals (for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research) but also illustrates our complete disrespect for these so-called “non-human providers.”

With an in-depth study into pet stores, puppy mills and animals shelters, as well as factory farms, the leather and fur trades, sports and entertainment industries, and finally the medical and scientific profession, EARTHLINGS uses hidden cameras and never before seen footage to chronicle the day-to-day practices of some of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.

I commend Joaquin for being the voice to the ones that do not have one. It was a rude awakening for me, but one that was needed and as my friend Raymond said recently, ” I would rather embrace truth than hide from it.” You don’t have to turn vegan or stop wearing leather, but if you watch this movie it may open your eyes to what you have been putting in and on your body as well as the injustice these animals are served for our own pleasures and comfort. I bought the DVD so I can lend it to friends that are interested in watching it, but it is also available to watch online here.

Thanks Karen, once again. xx

Posted by thuy

Walk Of Shame

Wow! I’m speechless… Mary-Kate Olsen just takes this whole fur flaunting thing to a whole new level with her sick excuse for a fashion statement, fur handbag. As a style icon that many young girls emulate, perhaps she could be sending a more positive message. PETA has dubbed the Olsen twins, Hairy Kate and Trashley Trollsen, and have a website and myspace account dedicated to highlighting the Trollsen twins in all of their fur wearing glory… Not a green grown and sexy look at all ladies!

Flick via X17 Online

Posted by jen

DMX Is In The Doghouse

Rapper DMX was arrested this past week on seven misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and four felony drug possession charges. The police raid turned up weapons, drugs, dog carcasses and abused pitbulls. Authorities had been investigating DMX for the last seven months amidst complaints of animal abuse. In a previous raid of his home in August of 2007, police found 12 distressed and three dead animals partially buried on the property with bite and burn marks covering their bodies.

The pitbull mix puppies that were taken from his property this past Friday (May 9, 2008) were placed at an Arizona jail where they will be cared for by female inmates. We’re hoping he gets the maximum sentence. This is like the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal all over again. When are people going to learn that abusing animals doesn’t make you tough, cool or anything other than totally wack?

Photo: WENN

Posted by jen