dann

Three years later, up and down, I'm trying to commit going back to the gym again. haha. And I feel that our pizza in Chicago prayers have been answered - there are several good places to get it now. In any case, hopefully I'll stick to this commitment this time. I really need to.

New York City Council Member Tony Avella introduced groundbreaking legislation that would ban the abusive horse-drawn carriage industry in the city. Please join PETA on Saturday, April 26, for an exciting meeting where you will meet PETA staff and other concerned individuals. Learn why every major animal protection organization in the country supports the ban on the carriage industry and what you can do to help. As we've seen for years, it is impossible for any agency to monitor the horses in the carriage industry properly and ensure their health and well-being. No amount of regulation can protect the public from the danger of horses who bolt when they become frightened. New York City has the highest horse-drawn carriage accident rate in the country, and horses suffer lung damage from inhaling exhaust fumes. Standing, walking, and trotting on hard surfaces for long hours cause debilitating hoof and leg ailments. Horses are forced to dodge traffic while pulling heavy carriages through blazing summer heat or frigid winter conditions. Improper care can lead to painful and deadly colic, which killed Clancy—a horse who was used to pull carriages—on February 7. How many more suffer behind closed warehouse doors? The time to act is now! What You Can Do Join PETA on April 26 to learn about the horse-drawn carriage industry, get your questions about the campaign answered, and help New York's horses. What: Information session and peaceful demonstration When: Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m., followed by a peaceful demonstration and leafleting at 12 noon Where: Meet at the Park Side Lounge at the West Side YMCA, located at 5 W. 63rd St. Afterward, we will head as a group to the demonstration. If you can only attend the demonstration, please meet us at the southwest corner of 60th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan at 12 noon. Signs and leaflets will be provided. Please RSVP so that we know approximately how many people to expect. I look forward to meeting you. Sincerely, Daniel Hauff Animals in Entertainment Specialist 773-856-3486 [email protected]

Treat yourself to a fabulous vegetarian Valentine's celebration, all while supporting Mercy For Animals' crucial work on behalf of animals. The festive fundraiser will be held at the beautiful south loop art gallery Framing Mode in Chicago, Illinois. Enjoy delicious vegan desserts while sipping on spirits and listening to music by a live DJ. Be sure to dress for the occasion in your most exquisite red attire. Don't miss the silent auction and door raffle featuring incredible cruelty-free, vegan prizes. Date: Saturday, February 10th Time: 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. Location: Framing Mode, 1526 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60605 (Red line- Roosevelt stop) To reserve your spot, please make a donation of $15 or more, or contribute $20 at the door on the night of the event. www.MercyForAnimals.org/VegParty

Please join Mercy For Animals for a protest against the illegal sales of foie gras in Chicago: What: A protest against the sale of illegal "foie gras" (liver from cruelly force fed ducks) Where: XO Chicago, 3441 N Halsted St, Chicago, 60657 When: New Year's Eve, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, 7:00pm (the biggest day of the year for foie gras sales) Signs and flyers will be provided! Ducks and geese are force fed to the point of organ rupture and death to produce this so-called delicacy. The livers become almost 100% fat and up to 10 times their normal size. Due to this cruelty, Chicago banned the sale of foie gras earlier this year. (Chicago Municipal Code Chapter 7-39). However, Mayor Daley has publicly ridiculed the ban, and the Health Department is not enforcing it. It is now up to us, compassionate activists, to educate the public about why this ban is needed and to encourage the City to enforce the law. XO is one of a handful of restaurants blatantly breaking the law by selling this cruel product! We will also be leafleting around the city beginning at around 4pm. If you would like to help out, please contact [email protected] or call (773) 991-7352.

This Saturday, October 28th KFC’s chickens need your support. Join Mercy For Animals as we raise public awareness regarding KFC’s refusal to improve their standards for raising and killing birds, who suffer terrible injuries, painful debeaking and are often scalded alive. KFC is fully aware of the situation and chooses to ignore it. Where: KFC at W. Diversey and N. Halsted (748 W. Diversey Ave.) When: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Why the flap over KFC? More than 700 million chickens are bred, raised, and killed under deplorable conditions for KFC each year. Among the improvements that animal welfare organizations want KFC to implement are: replacing crude and ineffective electric stunning and throat-slitting with gas killing; phasing out the forced rapid growth of chickens, which causes metabolic disorders and lameness; increasing the space allotted per bird (currently less than the area of a notebook-sized sheet of paper); adding minimal enhancements, such as sheltered areas and perches; and implementing automated chicken-catching, a process that reduces the high incidence of bruising, broken bones, and stress associated with catching the birds by hand. The international animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals attempted to work with KFC and Yum! Brands executives for 21 months prior to the campaign launch, but despite assurances made long ago by Senior Vice President Jonathan Blum that KFC would “raise the bar” on animal welfare, the company refuses to eliminate the worst abuses. The campaign follows victories over McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s—all of which bowed to pressure to reduce cruel treatment of animals raised and slaughtered for food. For more information, please visit KentuckyFriedCruelty.com. To contact Mercy For Animals' Outreach Coordinator, email Omnia I. at [email protected] or call (312) 925-3845. Please join us this Saturday.

If anyone ever needs leaflets in the Chicago area, I can absolutely provide. Mercy For Animals would be happy to work a leafleting around your presence as well. Awesome!

Join Mercy For Animals at the Bucktown/Wicker Park Branch Library for a free screening of the award winning film Peaceable Kingdom. For more information, please contact Omnia I., Outreach Coordinator, at [email protected] or call (312) 925-3845. Where: Bucktown/Wicker Park Branch Library (1701 N. Milwaukee Ave.) When: Monday, November 27, 2006 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. www.MercyForAnimals.org

Please join Mercy For Animals and PETA at the opening night demonstration against Ringling Bros. Circus in Chicago. With the Elephant Protection Ordinance still pending, it is more important than ever to show widespread support for a ban on bullhooks, electric prods, and chaining, so grab your friends and family and stand up for the elephants suffering with Ringling Bros. Circus. Over the last eight months, investigators have witnessed handlers aggressively hooking elephants and leaving bloody wounds, and embedding the tip of the bullhook into an elephant's chin for up to 13 minutes during the animal walk. Additionally, Ringling still forces injured and ill animals to perform. To learn more about this campaign, visit www.Circuses.com. For more information, contact Daniel H. at [email protected] or call (773) 991-7352. Where: Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL (At the intersection of Lunt and Mannheim) When: Wednesday, November 1, 2006 at 5:30 p.m. www.MercyForAnimals.org

Please join Mercy For Animals as we stand up for KFC's chickens in Chicago. KFC refuses to improve their abysmal standards for raising and killing birds, who suffer terrible injuries, painful debeaking and are often scalded alive. KFC is fully aware of the situation and chooses to ignore it. For more information on the KFC Campaign, visit www.KentuckyFriedCruelty.com. To contact Mercy For Animals' Outreach Coordinator, email Omnia I. at [email protected] or call (312) 925-3845. Where: KFC at W. Diversey and N. Halsted (748 W. Diversey Ave.) When: Saturday, October 28, 2006 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. www.MercyForAnimals.org

Yes, Children of the Night. What music they make.

VeganPotter, I STILL haven't seen all of the Art Institute and I've been here for six years. I'm down with doing some of these things. I'll have to wait and see what my schedule allows come November.

Sure, just remind me closer to the time, although I did pencil ya' into my planner. What galleries are you referring to? I'm down with that too. Cheers!

Sounds great!

Hey, I'm in Chicago. I'm down with meeting up whenever...

Soul Veg is amazing, you are correct. Karyn's is another one of my favorites. As far as breaking those stereotypes goes, just being there and being vegan outwardly (we'd probably incorporate it into our leafleting events) would be HUGE. You always hear the same things leafleting. I'd love to have a bunch of hearty guys and gals leafleting or speaking on campuses.