Fundraiser for the Animal History Museum

Enjoy delicious vegan good at Veggie Grill for a wonderful cause! On Thursday, April 2, 2015 from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Veggie Grill located in Westwood at 10916 Lindbrook Drive, present the flyer below or mention the Animal History Museum Fundraiser and 50% of your food and beverage purchases will be donated to the Animal History Museum.

The Animal History Museum is the first museum dedicated to understanding and celebrating the human-animal bond. Its purpose is to serve and educate the public through the creation of a museum in Los Angeles County, California, for the collection, preservation and exploration of the history, culture, science and law relating to the relationship between human and non-human animals; by presenting exhibitions, lectures and other activities that are consistent with, and supportive of, the museum’s educational goals and purpose.

 

Free Screening of The Ghosts in Our Machine

The Animal Legal Defense Fund-Los Angles (ALDF-LA) is hosting a free screening of the documentary The Ghosts in Our Machine on Thursday, April 3, 2014 at 7:30 p.m., which will be followed by a special Q&A with Jo-Anne McArthur, the main human subject featured in the film. The Ghosts in Our Machine is described as

a multi-award winning documentary by Liz Marshall that illuminates the lives of individual animals living within and rescued from the machine of our modern world. Through the heart and photographic lens of acclaimed photographer Jo-Anne McArthur, we become intimately familiar with a cast of non-human animals. The film follows Jo-Anne over the course of a year as she photographs several animal stories in parts of Canada, the U.S. and in Europe. Each story is a window into global animal industries:  Food, Fashion, Entertainment and Research.

A reception featuring complimentary vegan hors d’oeuvres, beer, and wine will precede the screening from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the theatre, The Arena Cinema, 1625 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90028.

If you would like to attend the screening, please RSVP to Stefanie Wilson at swilson@aldf.org.

THE GHOSTS IN OUR MACHINE – THEATRICAL TRAILER from THE GHOSTS IN OUR MACHINE on Vimeo.

 

Free Screenings of The Paw Project Documentary

Don’t miss the upcoming screenings of the documentary The Paw Project, which will be held on the following dates and times:

OCTOBER 18 – 24
Pasadena’s Laemmle Playhouse 7
673 East Colorado Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91101

OCTOBER 19 at 11:00 AM, OCTOBER 20 at 11:00 AM
Laemmle Monica Theatre
1332 2nd Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401

The Paw Project documentary is an inspiring David and Goliath story of a grassroots movement to protect felines, both large and small, from the cruelty of declawing and how the movement has prevailed despite the efforts of well-funded professional veterinary associations to thwart the movement.

In the United States today, approximately 25% of domesticated cats are declawed. Declawing is the amputation of the last bone in a cat’s toes. Despite the physical and behavioral harm inflicted on cats who are declawed, many veterinarians continue to recommend the procedure — which costs upwards of $1,200 per hour — even for very young kittens.

These are animals we love, and with whom we share our homes. Why aren’t we being told the truth of what the declawing procedure involves? What goes on when the vet takes our beloved companions in the back of the veterinary clinic? The Paw Project documentary chronicles the happy and unexpected twist of fate that led to the protection of many animals through the grassroots advocacy led by Dr. Conrad and The Paw Project.

The Paw Project (2012) – Official Trailer from Paw Project on Vimeo.

 

Free Screening of Blackfish with Filmmaker Q & A

SPECIAL EVENT: FREE SCREENING OF BLACKFISH WITH FILMMAKER Q & A TO FOLLOW

WHEN:   Thursday, October 10, 2013, at 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: UCLA, James Bridges Theater, Melnitz 1409

Please join CNN Films, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and UCLA Law’s Animal Law Society for a free screening of the documentary Blackfish. This hard-hitting film has been garnering Oscar buzz for its riveting inside look into the 2010 killing of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau by a 12,000-pound orca, Tilikum, and the lives of the orcas who live and perform at SeaWorld. The screening will be followed by a Q&A panel discussion with Blackfish filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite and a representative from the Animal Legal Defense Fund, who will discuss the reality behind the performance and legal efforts to combat the suffering of orcas in captivity.

Don’t miss this special event! To RSVP for the event, please contact blackfish@sunshinesachs.com and provide your name and the number of people who will be attending with you. Seating is limited, so please RSVP today. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you!

Directions and Parking

There is a $12.00 fee for parking, in Lot 3. From Hilgard Ave. enter the east side of campus at Wyton Dr.

Make an immediate right turn onto Charles E. Young Dr. East and signs will direct you to Parking Structure 3.

From the ground level of Structure 3, enter the underpass (or from the street level cross Charles E. Young Dr. North and proceed down steps) and walk straight alongside Melnitz and Macgowan Halls.

Turn left at the plaza and proceed to the courtyard of theaters.

 

Speciesism: The Movie – West Coast Premiere

The West Coast premiere of the documentary Speciesism: The Movie will be on Thursday, September 26 from 7:00 to 9:30 pm at the Landmark (10850 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90019). A Q & A with director Mark Devries will follow.

Tickets are $13.65 per person and may be purchased at http://speciesismlosangeles.eventbrite.com/. Tickets are limited, so buy today if you are interested! A synopsis of the film is provided below:

Modern farms are struggling to keep a secret.  Most of the animals used for food in the United States are raised in giant, bizarre factories, hidden deep in remote areas of the countryside.  Speciesism: The Movie director Mark Devries set out to investigate.  The documentary takes viewers on a sometimes funny, sometimes frightening adventure, crawling through the bushes that hide these factories, flying in airplanes above their toxic “manure lagoons,” and coming face-to-face with their owners.

But this is just the beginning.  In 1975, a young writer published a book arguing that no justifications exist for considering humans more important than members of other species.  It slowly began to gain attention.  Today, a quickly growing number of prominent individuals and political activists are adopting its conclusions.  They have termed the assumption of human superiority speciesism.

And, as a result, they rank these animal factories among the greatest evils in our history. Speciesism: The Movie brings viewers face-to-face with the leaders of this developing movement, and, for the first time ever on film, fully examines the purpose of what they are setting out to do.

 

Eat Like You Care

Another exciting book announcement! Friends of the UCLA Animal Law Program who attended our May 2012 conference “Animals and the Law: Multiple Perspectives” will remember our amazing speaker Gary L. Francione, Board of Governors Professor, Distinguished Professor of Law & Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Scholar of Law and Philosophy at Rutgers University School of Law. Please join us in congratulating Professor Francione and his co-author Anna Charlton, Adjunct Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law, on the publication of their book “Eat Like You Care: An Examination of the Morality of Eating Animals.”

Professors Francione and Charlton’s work is always compelling, and this book is no exception. The description of the book reads, in part, as follows:

Francione and Charlton argue that if you think animals matter morally—if you reject the idea that animals are just things—your own beliefs require that you stop eating animal products. There is nothing “extreme” about a vegan diet; what is extreme is the inconsistency between what we say we believe and how we act where animals are concerned.

Many of us are uneasy thinking about the animals who end up on our plates. We may have thought about stopping eating animal products but there are many excuses that have kept us from doing so. The authors explore the 30+ excuses they have heard as long-time vegans and address each one, showing why these excuses don’t work. Packed with clear, commonsense thinking on animal ethics, without jargon or complicated theory, this book will change the way you think about what you eat.

 

Mind If I Order the Cheeseburger?

Friends of the UCLA Animal Law Program who attended our May 2012 conference “Animals and the Law: Multiple Perspectives” will remember our amazing speaker Sherry F. Colb, Charles Evans Hughes Scholar and Professor of Law at Cornell University Law School. Please join us in congratulating Professor Colb on the publication of her forthcoming book “Mind If I Order the Cheeseburger?: And Other Questions People Ask Vegans.” It looks terrific and is on pre-sale now at Amazon.com. The description  of the book reads as follows:

What about plants? Don’t animals eat other animals? There are no perfect vegans, so why bother? If you’re vegan, how many times have you been asked these, and other similarly challenging, questions from non-vegans? Using humor and reason, Sherry F. Colb takes these questions at face value and also delves deeply into the motivations behind behind them, coming up with answers that are not only intelligent but insightful about human nature. Through examples, case studies, and clear-eyed logic, she provide arguments for everything from why veganism is compatible with the the world’s major religions to why vegetarianism is not enough. In the end, she shows how it is possible for vegans and non-vegans to engage in a mutually beneficial conversation without descending into counterproductive name-calling, and to work together to create a more hospitable world for human animals and non-human animals alike.

 

Support the Animal History Museum

The Animal History Museum is the first museum dedicated to understanding and celebrating the human-animal bond. Want to learn more? The Animal History Musuem invites you to come hear about their plans, ask questions, and celebrate with them as they raise a glass of champagne to formally kick off their 2013 fundraising campaign!

When: Friday, January 11, 2013 | 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Armory Center for the Arts | 145 N. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA
Tickets: $50.00 per person

To order tickets or make a donation, please visit: http://animalhistorymuseum.eventbrite.com/

Questions? Email the museum at info@animalhistorymuseum.org

 

The Paw Project: A Documentary

The UCLA Animal Law Program is proud to announce its screening of the documentary The Paw Project, which will be held at the UCLA School of Law (Room 1420) on October 24, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Paw Project documentary is an inspiring David and Goliath story of a grassroots movement to protect felines, both large and small, from the cruelty of declawing and how the movement has prevailed despite the efforts of well-funded professional veterinary associations to thwart the movement.

In the United States today, approximately 25% of domesticated cats are declawed. Declawing is the amputation of the last bone in a cat’s toes. Despite the physical and behavioral harm inflicted on cats who are declawed, many veterinarians continue to recommend the procedure — which costs upwards of $1,200 per hour — even for very young kittens.

These are animals we love, and with whom we share our homes. Why aren’t we being told the truth of what the declawing procedure involves? What goes on when the vet takes our beloved companions in the back of the veterinary clinic? The Paw Project documentary chronicles the happy and unexpected twist of fate that led to the protection of many animals through the grassroots advocacy led by Dr. Conrad and The Paw Project. We invite our readers to watch the trailer for The Paw Project documentary [VIDEO].

The screening will be followed by a panel presentation and Q&A session, featuring an exciting panel of speakers, including: filmmaker Dr. Jennifer Conrad, editor Allan Holzman, and David R. Ginsburg, Executive Director of the UCLA Entertainment, Media, and Intellectual Property Law Program. Detailed biographies of our speakers are provided below. Admission to the conference is free; parking is $11.00.

Directions to the UCLA School of Law:
Take the 405 to the Sunset Boulevard exit.
Sunset Boulevard (east) to Hilgard Avenue, turn right.
Follow Hilgard Avenue to the Westholme Drive (second light) entrance to the campus.
Turn right on Westholme Drive.
The parking kiosk is immediately on the right.
Please tell the attendant that you are attending an event at the Law School, and you will be directed to the nearest available parking lot (most likely Lot 2).

 

Gary L. Francione to Speak at the Jain Conference on Bioethics

On Friday, August 24, 2012 from 8:15 to 9:15 p.m., Distinguished Professor of Law and Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Scholar of Law and Philosophy at Rutgers University School of Law Gary L. Francione will be giving a presentation entitled, “Jainism and Vivisection: The Problems of Moral Relativism, the Defense of Self/Others, and Consequential Analysis” as part of the Jain Conference on Bioethics, to be held at Claremont Lincoln University. Please see the flyer below for additional details about the conference.

To register for this FREE conference, please visit the Claremont Lincoln University’s Jain Studies website at http://jain.claremontlincoln.org/2012-conference-2/registration/.