Economic Downturn: Donations

by Kim W. Stallwood Posted on March 10, 2009

Cancellations of direct debits to charities rose sharply in 2008, according to a report by the payment processing firm Rapidata. The Charity Direct Debit Tracking Report 2009, published today, shows an increase in cancellations of direct debits to charities in December 2008 of 67 per cent on the average December figure since 2003.

Direct debit cancellations ‘skyrocketing’

More than a third of donors are considering cutting back their donations to charity, according to new figures. In a survey of people who had donated using fundraising website Justgiving, 39 per cent of 1,826 respondents said they were thinking about reducing what they gave during the next three months.

A third of donors cutting back, says Justgiving

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Throwing Stones at Humanity

by Kim W. Stallwood Posted on March 10, 2009

Some idiot is bound to start throwing stones back at Santino.
The Grumpy Vegan can’t help but feel smug with satisfaction at the news of Santino, a 31-year-old male chimpanzee imprisoned at the Furuvik zoo in Sweden, collecting and throwing stones at people who come to gawk at him.

Of course, the media find the story fascinating. The Guardian calls his behavior “loutish.” The Washington Post end their report with the revelation that

In order to decrease his agitation, which was fueled in part by high testosterone levels characteristic of dominant males, the animal was castrated last fall.

Tis pity that every male human who throws stones isn’t castrated as well. OK. That’s a bit strong. But, you’ve got to admit, men with guns are a problem. Maybe castration would be the answer.

Back to the media, however.

They, of course, find Santino’s example of planning and execution further evidence about human behavior. The Guardian says it “challenged scientists’ beliefs about human beings.”

Sometimes, the Grumpy Vegan thinks scientists (and most people, now you mention it) can’t see what’s immediately in front of them. Chimpanzee throwing stones in a zoo says exactly what about us?

Surely, imprisoning animals like chimpanzees in zoos says a lot more.

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Brighton Vegan Fayre ’09

by Kim W. Stallwood Posted on March 9, 2009

Meet space aliens from the planet Vegan!
The Grumpy Vegan respectfully asks that you take a few moments to look carefully at the cover of this program for the Brighton Vegan Fayre ’09, which is to take place on Saturday, March 21 at the Brighton Centre in Brighton, England.

UFOs hover in the top left and right hand corners. They beam rays of light across the page. The psychedelic, multi-coloured background suggests, presumably because of the flying saucers, something from out of space but it’s anyone’s guess as to what it actually is. Across the bottom is a silhouette of Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument near Salisbury in Wiltshire, which is about 90 miles away from Brighton.

What do we conclude from this?

That the Brighton Vegan Fayre ’09 is about space aliens invading England to zap our heritage?

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Animal Law Growing … Again

by Kim W. Stallwood Posted on March 8, 2009

Further to this positive report, there’s also this one.

Now, statistics from 2008 show that Am Law firms contributed a record number of pro bono hours to the Humane Society of the United States and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, two of the country’s leading animal rights organizations — and those that pursue litigation most aggressively. (A third, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, did not respond to repeated requests for comparable figures and interviews.)

In 2008, major firms contributed 10,273 pro bono hours to the Humane Society, up from about 6,500 in 2007. The Animal Legal Defense Fund doesn’t track pro bono work by the hour, but the organization signed up 113 new volunteer attorneys — a record, and a jump from 98 in 2007 and just 63 in 2006.

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