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| Lynx Issue 29: VFA Plans New Fur Campaign, Amazon.com Sells Fur, Buy Nothing Day |
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| Wednesday, 26 November 2008 00:00 |
In this edition:
Calling All Fighters of the Fur Industry: VFA Needs You! Do you feel nauseous when you walk down the street and see people wearing fur coats? Do you get upset at seeing the amount of fur-trimmed coats for sale on the racks of most department stores? Angry that even though it's now coming on the end of 2008, people are still wearing and buying fur? Are you itching to do something about it? If so, VFA is looking for you! We are also upset over the amount of people who are still financially supporting the egregiously cruel and violent fur industry, so we decided it's time to take some action. We're announcing a new long-term, two-part strategy plan to take on the sale of fur here in Pittsburgh. Over the winter, we are going to be holding some demonstrations outside fur stores downtown in order to educate the public on the horrible suffering that goes into fur coats and fur-trimmed clothing (trim is where the fur industry now makes most of its profit). We want to build a steady base of volunteers particularly to work on this issue with the goal of launching an intensive, sustained campaign against one specific fur-selling target by October of next year. This is step two of the plan. If you would be interested in attending fur protests and/or working on this campaign, please let us know. Send us an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or leave a voicemail at 1 877 321 4VFA. We will be announcing the date of the first demonstration soon. Tell Amazon.com to Stop Selling Fur! Speaking of fur, here's a little action you can take against the fur industry right now in honor of Fur Free Friday: Not only does Amazon.com sell foie gras on its site, as well as dog fighting magazines and paraphernalia, but it also continues its appalling record of promoting animal cruelty by selling fur. After receiving nearly 12,000 emails, Amazon.com's competitor, Zappos.com, recently stopped selling all items with fur and pledged to stay fur-free. Help convince Amazon to follow Zappos' lead and become fur-free, as so many other retailers - including Nike, Gap, J. Crew, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Forever 21 - have. Please click here to send an e-mail to Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos politely asking him to remove fur from the Amazon.com Web site permanently! Then follow up with a letter, fax and/or personal email: Amazon.com Inc. 1200 12th Ave. S., Ste. 1200 Seattle, WA 98144 (206) 622-2335; press O to speak to an Amazon.com operator Talking Points:
North Side TNR Update The North Side TNR project sponsored by City Councilwoman Darlene Harris is going extremely well as it enters week 3! Volunteers have been encouraged by the positive reactions from neighbors and the interest shown by neighborhood associations. We will keep you posted about specific volunteer and material needs as the project develops. City Vista Update: Hearing Date Expected The City Vista development project, with its plans for a multi-story condo complex on a former golf driving range near the Parkway Center Mall, was introduced to Pittsburgh City Council recently. A public hearing has been requested and we are awaiting a date. If you are able to attend the hearing in support of local residents opposing the project, and the wildlife who rely on the site's pond as a water source, please do so. We need as many voices as possible to promote the argument that the City's much-vaunted "Green" policy does not fit well with a risky, unpopular condo development on what is currently green/forested land. It has become commonplace in the Pittsburgh area to see wildlife habitat destroyed by developers to accommodate yet another cookie-cutter mall or condo development. It is notoriously hard for local people to fight these projects. That's all the more reason to present a strong, united and articulate front on this issue. Look out for more details soon. Support Code Pink's Buy Nothing Day Action! As explained above, VFA is not promoting a one-off Fur Free Friday action this year, and is instead planning a long-term campaign targeting the fur industry. We encourage our supporters to attend the Code Pink event being held downtown on Black Friday (also known as Buy Nothing Day). Past Fur Free Friday actions have sometimes clashed with this event, which is regrettable since there are many overlaps between the values and supporter base of our two groups. Details are below. Hope to see you there! When: Friday, November 28, 12pm - 1pm Where: Downtown Pittsburgh, Under the Macy's Clock (map ) Description: Please join Codepink Pittsburgh Women for Peace for their annual rally as we turn Black Friday (the largest shopping day of the year) PINK. With the Presidential election, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been put on the back burner. It's time to focus on ending these wars, and directing billions of dollars of war money back to our country for much needed social, medical, and educational purposes. We will link our anti-consumerism message with our message of Not Buying War. For information about this event, call 412-389-3216, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Tiger Ranch Donations Just a quick reminder that you can continue to leave donations for the cats rescued from Tiger Ranch at the TR boxes at Construction Junction- 214 N. Lexington Street (Point Breeze). The boxes can be found to the right after the entrance, behind the announcements blackboard. Donations of food, bedding, blankets, litter and bleach are needed and much appreciated. THANK YOU to everyone who has and continues to donate supplies! We hope everyone has a happy and compassionate holiday! |