Goody Bags!

Yesterday everyone in the PETA Oakland office volunteered to help stuff 5 zillion goody bags...for YOU! So much great stuff was donated. Thank you for raising funds for PETA, and thank you Henry for helping with the bags! Bags will be at the post-race party.

PETA Pack t-shirts!

Parties!

Fort Mason is on the Northern edge of San Francisco. Here is a map. If you’re using Google maps to get directions, use “Marina Blvd and Laguna Street, San Francisco, CA, 94123” as your destination address.

That takes you right to the entrance of Fort Mason. There’s tons of free parking in the long, ocean-side parking lots just outside the entrance. There is more paid parking inside. Our party will be in The Firehouse, a seperate building tucked in the back corner of the grounds. We’ll have a grill outside for the burgers, and a luscious ice cream cake inside! :) Your goody bags will be at the party. Party starts at noon and you must RSVP.

The night before, The Most Excellent Jeff and Drew are hosting the pasta party at their house (with Karen from DC as their sous-chef). They have three adorable dogs and Jeff is a professional chef. Need I say more? Oh, right—they’re also fabulous fundraisers and runners for the team! Their address is 10 Laguna Street, cross street Market, San Francisco, CA, 94102. The party will start at 5:00 pm and you must RSVP. You may need to park a couple of blocks away, so leave the high heels and evening gowns at home.

Dress code for the entire weekend: Running shoes!

PUBLIC TRANSIT FOR JEFF AND DREW'S:
Address: 10 Laguna street,SF 94102
Major cross streets: Market and Laguna

From Castro and beyond, people can take the "F" INbound (rail car) and exit on Laguna/Guerro

From Union Square/Fishermans wharf, people can take the "F" OUTbound (rail car) and exit on Laguna/Guerro.

From Bart, exit the civic center: take "F" OUTbound (rail car) to Laguna/Guerro or take bus 6, 7, or & 71 exit Laguna (second stop after bus turns off of Market to Haight st)

From Caltrain Take to end of line (King St) , take any muni inbound and exit Civic center: take "F" OUTbound (rail car) to Laguna or take bus 6, 7, or & 71 exit Laguna (second stop after bus turns off of Market to Haight st)

Powerful Op-Ed by PETA staffer

The Monitor (McAllen, Texas)

January 5, 2009 Monday

SECTION: COMMENTARY

HEADLINE: What researchers must resolve to do in 2009

BYLINE: By Kathy Guillermo, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

BODY:
In 2009, the National Institutes of Health will disperse approximately $15 billion of our tax money to animal experimenters. These researchers and the underpinning industries of animal breeders and transporters, cage and equipment builders and food manufacturers have a financial interest in convincing you that all this cash goes only to research aimed at saving human lives. It does not.

Our taxes have recently funded studies to see how brain damage affects the sexual behavior of hamsters, whether loud noises impact yelling by tamarin monkeys, if young rats like saccharine and cocaine more than older rats do and whether cats who have had their brain stems cut and portions of their brains removed will walk on a treadmill.

Rather than working in a clinical setting with people who suffer from depression, experimenters use federal funds to "create" animal models of the disease by putting mice in water tanks and making them swim to the point of drowning or by subjecting rats to inescapable electrical shocks.

Our tax dollars still support nicotine experiments on animals even though we've long known that tobacco can cause disease in nearly every organ of the human body. In one study, experimenters paralyzed 47 dogs with drugs, dissected their chests, forced them to breathe cigarette smoke and then killed them to study the effects of the smoke on airway irritation _ even though animals don't respond to cigarettes and their ingredients as humans do.

On top of this terrible waste of life and money, the system put in place to protect animals in laboratories is a mess. The U.S. Department of Agriculture employs just 100 people to ensure that more than 1,000 laboratories and 7,500 other animal facilities comply with the few animal protection laws that exist. These laws don't prohibit any experiment _ no matter how redundant, painful or just plain useless it is.

Regardless of the purpose of an experiment, it is ethically wrong to imprison and harm animals for our own ends. Even researchers who support their families by experimenting on animals should agree that animals must not be used when equally good or better non-animal methods are available. Yet the number one violation of laboratory oversight committees, according to the USDA, is that the committees don't require experimenters to do an adequate search for non-animal methods.

Experimenters should agree not to build their careers around redundant studies, such as the decades-long practice _ still thriving in primate laboratories today _ of taking infant monkeys from their mothers and raising them in isolation. We've known since the 1950s that this creates psychological trauma so severe that it causes lifelong psychoses.

Laboratories should eliminate practices that are painful and obviously ridiculous, such as identifying mice, rats and guinea pigs by cutting off some of their toes; collecting blood from mice by inserting glass tubes behind their eyes or from rats by snipping off bits of their tails; using outdated anesthesia that immobilizes animals but doesn't eliminate pain during surgery; and keeping monkeys so thirsty that they'll cooperate in exchange for a sip of juice. Rodents need bedding material, dogs need regular exercise outside their kennels and monkeys need real mental stimulation _ and not simply a mirror attached to tiny cage bars, which laboratory personnel pretend is psychologically enriching. Most species need companionship and should never be housed alone.

Those shocked to find out what goes on regularly inside animal laboratories can contact their members of Congress and ask them to include rats, mice and birds in the Animal Welfare Act. Right now, these species _ who make up more than 90 percent of all animals used _ are specifically excluded from the AWA, which is the only federal law that offers any protection for animals in laboratories.

These improvements won't end all the suffering in laboratories, but they can mean a world of difference to animals in the coming year.
___
ABOUT THE WRITER
Kathy Guillermo is director of laboratory investigations for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 501 Front St., Norfolk, Va. 23510; www.StopAnimalTests.com. Information about PETA's funding may be found at www.peta.org/about/numbers.asp.

New Meeting Place for 1/17!

We’re mixing things up this weekend. If you train with the team in San Francisco, we are *not meeting at the usual place.*

Please join us at 9:00 a.m. at The Beach Chalet, on Ocean Beach where Golden Gate Park meets the ocean. They have free parking, bathrooms, and water. We’re going to run a route that is similar to the actual race. Give us all some new scenery, and preparation for the race!

Please look at the maps before Saturday, so you have a general idea of where you’re going. All the loops are listed here on the PETA Pack blog. My cell phone is 650-452-8712.

Give yourself extra time to get there in the morning, since it’s a new place. If possible, save some time after the run so you can scout out the race parking and shuttle locations. One less thing to worry about early on race day morning!

Ice Baths: Not Really So Bad! Or: Ice Baths--Because Challenges are Good (right?)!

Ready to try it?

First, read this article from Runner’s Time.
“For runners in particular, ice baths offer two distinct improvements over traditional techniques.”

And this one from Runner’s World—great article, but I don’t like the use of the word “cryotherapy.” That’s just creepy.

Here’s how to turn your home bath into a locker room for elite athletes (you):

*Plan ahead. On your drive home from the long run, stop and by 2 large bags of ice from a store or gas station.

*Fill your tub halfway with cold water.

*Wear a long-sleeved old shirt, your underwear, and a hat.

*Make a big cup of hot tea, coffee or chocolate (try the tea—your system is probably full of caffeine and sugar if you just did a long run with gels and gu’s!).

*Put the tea, a watch, a book and the bags of ice next to your tub.

*Get in the tub. Just do it. You can’t dabble a toe in the water or think about it—just hop in and sit down before your brain has time to stop you. :) THEN pour the ice in. It’s much easier to sit in water that is merely cold, as opposed to bitterly cold.

*Sit there for about 10 minutes, reading if possible. Deena Kastor, one of the best runners in the world, uses loud music to get through her daily (!) ice baths. She cranks up Madonna and sings along, loudly, to pass the time.

*When your timer goes off...that’s it! Don’t take a hot shower yet, you want your muscles to keep cooling. Put on your warmest pj’s, drink more tea, send out a fundraising e-mail to your family telling them how you’re sitting in ice for the animals…then, 30 minutes later, take a nice hot bath or shower.

Enjoy! (I guess I should say, “Good luck!”)

Alex

Sweet Potato Fries

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Bored with plain old French fries? Whip up a batch of these sweet potato fries to serve with your veggie burger. Low-fat, filling, packed with energy carbs and nutrients. Yum!

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
3 large sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp. olive oil

• In a small bowl, combine the cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 6 wedges. In a large bowl, combine with the olive oil and the spice mixture. Toss until evenly coated.
• Place wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked through and edges are crisp.
• Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings

What have you done so far? $37,000:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are younot to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson

Hello PETA Pack!

As of right now, you all have raised almost $37,000 for animals. Animals who have no people to care for them, animals who have no laws to protect them (the majority of animals in slaughterhouses and vivisection labs are not protected by any humane laws), animals who cannot help themselves or ask for help. What does $37,000 pay for at PETA? Well, it’s more than 50% of our staff earn in a year. Check this out:

**It costs us $17,000 each year for the rescue van our CAP staff uses to pick up and help loose, abandoned and injured animals (both domestic and wildlife).
**We spend $20,000 a year just to spay/neuter pit bulls (between 350-400 a year).

There’s $37,000 for you. Remember, PETA doesn’t get government grants like arts organizations or health groups (heath groups that often don’t do anything to prevent illness, for example, a heart disease group that doesn’t promote vegetarian eating!). PETA helps animals because of donors. That’s it.

Thank you, everyone, for your fundraising. Animals are completely dependant on us. If we don’t speak up for them, and step a tiny bit out of our comfort zone to help them, nobody will. I hope you know that when you speak up to your friends about animals, you are setting an example. Even if people are defensive at first, you are sowing the seeds of compassion and showing people that silence is not OK.

As Ingrid Newkirk said in a recent interview, “When you speak up, others listen, and people who felt confident getting away with cruelty are shaken—perhaps not visibly, but shaken on the inside all the same. …Do your best—it all counts.”

So go ahead and be fabulous!

Alex

January 17: New Routes!

We'll meet at 9 a.m. at The Beach Chalet. Please take a minute to check out your route before Saturday, since it's all new (and pay attentin to the 11 mile loop--nice detour around a lake!):

13 mile loop: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2491774

12 mile loop: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2493190

11 mile loop: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2493206 (with Stow Lake!)

10 mile loop: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2493213

5 mile loop: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2493199

**Please note: The Beach Chalet is NOT the Cliff House! We are meeting at THE BEACH CHALET. 1000 Great Highway, San Francisco, CA, 94122.

BRIDGE TO FERRY RUN

Here’s the map:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ca/san-francisco/867876771511

Please take a minute to check it out tonight. I’ll have several copies of the following checkpoints for people to carry with them.

From Ft. Mason to the bridge, it’s the usual. Run along Old Mason Road, up the hill on Lincoln, and follow the path and signs to the Golden Gate Bridge. Run over the bridge.

Pay attention on the other side! Exit to the RIGHT, to the parking area with bathrooms, like we’ve done before. But then you have to go LEFT (West) to catch Moore Road. That road than goes back East, under the bridge. You’ll do a complete circle and end up running East, with the bridge at your back.

Cross Center and you’ll be on Murray Circle. Stay on it as it curves around.

Turn LEFT onto East Road.

East Road curves down and around, and hits Alexander Avenue. Get on Alexander.

Soon after, turn LEFT at South Street.

Then RIGHT onto 2nd Street.

Then RIGHT onto Richardson.

You’ll then veer LEFT onto Bridgeway Boulevard.

Now you’re good for several miles!

If you’re going for 7.5 miles, turn RIGHT at El Portal and head to the Sausalito Ferry Terminal. Or, if you have time, turn left into town and have some coffee! Our ferry leaves at 11:55 a.m.

9 MILE LOOP: Turn around at Napa Street and run back to the Ferry Terminal.

10.5 MILE LOOP: Turn around at Nevada Street and run back to the Ferry Terminal.

11 MILE LOOP: Turn around at Coloma Street and run back to the Ferry.

12 MILE LOOP: Bridgeway Boulevard turns into a bike path right about where it hits Highway 101. Run on the bike bath to Mike’s Bikes, then past it to the row of House Boats. That’s it! Turn around, back to the Ferry Terminal!

GREAT JOB EVERYONE!

PETA Packer on TV!

To see Shani’s parts, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/a297um

Part 1—start at 5:55
Part 2—2:25
Part 3—2:50
Part 4—4:00
Part 5—2:13

Naked in the Snow

I know more about PETA and naked campaigns than I really want to. In the mid-90’s I (accidentally) watched a PETA slaughterhouse video, and went veg. I was soooo mad at PETA for forcing me to change!

I had had no idea how animals suffer for food, fur, the circus, and animal testing. The videos shocked me to the core (especially “Free Me,”) and I started to get involved.

One day PETA called. They had my name from some volunteer list. I had signed up to, you know, stuff envelopes. Or walk dogs. But no. They were calling me in Alaska, to ask me to go naked. Like any normal person, I said no. I said no over and over and over. But three weeks later, a PETA campaigner flew up and there I was...really cold.

The PETA staffer, myself, and three others all stood behind a huge banner wearing nothing but underwear, slippers, and snowflakes. It was Fur Free Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and snowing like crazy. The banner said, “We’d Rather go Naked Than Wear Fur.” It was cold. It was embarrassing. It was scary. And it was wildly successful.

Alaska kills a lot of animals for fur, but nobody ever discussed it. That changed after our protest. Not only did the entire state talk about fur for weeks afterwards, our protest got International coverage. Millions of people saw it and thought about the cruelty of fur. PETA gave the media videos of animals being killed for fur, so they played shots of our protest mixed in with graphic images of animal suffering. So many eyes were opened!

PETA staff and volunteers don’t enjoy going naked. It’s awkward and cold and humiliating. But any discomfort we feel is nothing compared to what an animal feels as they are skinned alive for their fur. We must tell people how fur is made, so they stop buying it and fewer animals are killed for it.

We can send the media all the serious reports and videos we want—they won’t cover it. Let’s face it, it’s a tabloid world. But add one naked protest, or a person in a chicken costume, or a crazy idea that’s no more than a silly joke…and all of a sudden the media is all over it.

PETA’s budget is tiny. To put it in perspective: KFC, one of the worst animal abusers, spends $497 million dollars a year just on advertising. PETA’s entire annual budget is 32 million! So you see what we’re up against.

KFC can spend money on TV ads. PETA can’t. We must get media coverage to get the word out, or animal abuse will never stop. We prefer the serious work, but that doesn’t help animals if the public doesn’t know about it. PETA exists to help animals, but it’s humans who inflict the pain. And it’s humans who have the power to stop the pain. So we have to get humans to pay attention!

Animals suffer behind closed doors. Nobody sees them beaten in the slaughterhouse, or vomiting poison in the vivisection lab. If they stay hidden, the pain will never stop. PETA exposes the abuse to the world, and then we stop it. We’re up against the biggest corporations in the world. It’s a David and Goliath war. We don’t have billions of dollars and public apathy on our side, but we do have creativity, passion, and empathy. If a colorful street protest gets attention for animals, we’re going to do it!

Here’s a great blog post about PETA going naked. Check out the “PETA Gone Wild” video and the arguments on this blog. What do YOU think about it?

It’s OK if the naked campaigns aren’t your favorites, but don’t diss them. They work. I know this: If I was being held prisoner in a windowless shed, being beaten and raped on a regular basis, I would want someone on the outside to do whatever it took to expose my plight. If they had to go naked to get attention for me, I would want them to! I figure animals would feel the same. That’s one reason why I’m so proud to work for PETA. We’re the only group doing whatever is effective to stop animal abuse, and we’re winning!

Red Paint

“PETA throws red paint on people all the time!” Well, no, we don’t. We sometimes use red paint on our own fur coats…the coats donated to us when people learn the truth behind fur. We use those coats in colorful demonstrations. It’s a great way to get the media, and the media is a mouthpiece for animals (love ‘em or hate ‘em, you gotta work with ‘em).

There are many, many animal rights activists in the world. And a lot of them have no connection to PETA whatsoever. We can’t control activists who do throw paint on fur-wearers. We aren’t the Animal Liberation Front (the scary folks who sometimes hurt property to rescue animals), nor are we connected to them. We aren’t the Humane Society. We aren’t a shelter. We aren’t the Animal Welfare League of Topeka.

PETA has nothing against red paint. And we try not to talk down other groups and activists. They do their thing, we do ours.

But we find it’s a lot more effective to put the fake blood on ourselves, get some media, and then education millions about animal suffering. We like corporate negotiations, scientific research, shareholder resolutions and building doghouses. We like performing free spays and neuters and giving away Tofurky sandwiches. We really like doing undercover investigations and then sharing what we find with the whole world, while demanding criminal charges for the abusers.

We also really, really like good vegan food.
:)

PETA videos

Have you seen “Free Me,” the PETA video set to the music of Goldfinger? It’s so moving.

About once a week I hear someone say, “Oh, PETA videos of animal abuse can’t be real. They must be manipulated in some way.”

Don’t we wish. The images on our videos are so horrific, they’re hard to believe, and we wish they were not real. But they are. And here’s the simple fact: If anything on any of our videos was less than 100% legitimate, we’d be sued and would have to take it off the web. That’s the end of the story.

When we say, “This is what happens at Agri-Processors,” you can bet the company tries to stop the video. But they can’t. Because it’s real, and we always prove that it’s real.

So the next time someone questions a video, gently remind them that it’s all too real, and real enough to survive attacks against it. There’s no question. That suffering exists, and we need to stop it.

Unless you're talking about the Sex and the Kitty video. That one's not real. :)

No More Pets!

First of all, they’re our companions, not our “pets.” We can’t own them any more than we can own a child.

Is PETA against having animal companions? Come to Headquarters someday and decide for yourself. Most of the staff has rescued dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, rats, horses, and chickens. A lot of these sweet rescued animals come to the office. Next to the big Headquarters building there’s a beautiful dog park that’s open to the public, with a big sign: No Yelling At Your Dog! :) When you’re up in the kitchen on the 3rd floor, you can look down and watch dogs play.

If you can afford the time and money to care for an animal—really care for an animal—we hope that you will rescue a sweet someone from your local shelter. There are so many homeless animals. PETA is completely against breeding and buying animals. There are millions of dogs and cats killed every year, because nobody adopted them. Please, look at your lifestyle and if you can give a great home, go save a life!

Too Extreme

What does that mean, exactly? Too extreme for what? An animal who is still alive, screaming in pain while they are skinned for fur…that’s too extreme. Protesting against that cruelty is not extreme. It’s decent.

Speaking out against wrongdoing is hard. It takes guts and dedication. It takes compassion and a really big heart. It’s extreme, I guess…extremely wonderful.

“PETA is too extreme.” “PETA is a terrorist organization.” Think about this for a minute. PETA is a legal non-profit organization, one of the best known charities in the world. Everything we do is magnified, televised, watched, complimented, insulted and nit-picked almost to death. Do you really think that if PETA had any sort of illegal anything, we would still be going full-steam ahead like we are? We’re a registered charity. We’ve got a kick-*** human resources department, legal department, and finance department. Every penny has to be accounted for. We get audited all the time. We’re examined under a microscope.

When the government finds a charity doing something wrong, they punish the charity. PETA, however, has never been punished. That’s because we haven’t done anything wrong. Period, end of story.

Unless you count the KFC Movie Trailers. I know they’re clever and well-done, and they’ve made people go veg (yay!), but they give me the creeps. Especially the crack house one…yuck!

PETA Tactics, Philosophies and Campaigns.

I could talk about this stuff for days. Let me know if there's anything else you want to know about! Here are some answers to specific questions I’ve had:
Is PETA too extreme?
Is PETA against all pets?
Are PETA videos for real?
Does PETA throw red paint on people?
Why does PETA go naked?

For more information, check out the “Animal Rights Uncomprised” page on peta.org. There’s a ton of great stuff there!

If you don’t find what you’re looking for, please don’t ever hesitate to contact me.

Alex

Send music, please!

Hello Team!
A few quick things, and a request for your feedback.

MUSIC DURING THE RACE: Several of you have asked about this. Yes, our race will allow the use of headphones, but they do ask for a compromise. Please only use one ear bud and leave the other ear open. This is for safety concerns. They want runners to hear things like, “Run for your life, there’s a gigantic monster chasing you!” Or, “Turn here for the 5k course.”

FREE SHUTTLE: This race will provide a free shuttle service between the parking areas and the start and finish lines. They *will* allow non-registered runners to use these shuttles. So your partner, fan club, personal assistant and masseuse can ride along with you.

HOSTING PEOPLE FROM FAR AWAY LANDS: As you all know, we have some fabulous runners coming from out of town. If you live in or near San Francisco, and you’d like to host someone from, say, the East Coast (oooh! How exotic!), let me know. I know you all want to host Lynne and Stephen from Canada, but they’re taken care of, thank you very much. J

FEEDBACK, PLEASE: What’s your favorite running music? Please share. If you have a song or two that really gets you going, your team mates need it! Please send me your suggestions and I’ll share the list with everyone next week. Some suggestions below.

Have a wonderful week and remember…send your music tips, please!

Alex


Let’s Get It Started: Black Eyed Peas
Suddenly I See: KT Turnstall
Freedom: Rage (I have no idea who “Rage” is, but people keep mentioning it on running blogs)
Do-Re-Me: The Sound of Music
A Little Less Conversation: Elvis

Training? Eat Pizza!

I just had lunch with a particularly wonderful PETA Pack member, and she told me that she found herself craving pizza last week. She was feeling a bit tired, took a day off training, ate some veggie pizza, and then had a GREAT run the next day. Are you feeling more tired than usual? Don’t forget that your body is doing a lot for you right now. Your metabolism is different. You’re burning calories and building new muscle. If you’re feeling hungry…eat!

Avoid potato chips or a double order of fries (which I have been craving like mad lately). Those will give you calories and fat, but not much else. Go for the pizza! A good veggie pizza has more calories than a salad, but not empty calories. You’ll get lots of complex carbs, which you really need right now, and some extra protein and vitamins and minerals from the veggies. Other good foods to try: Veggie burgers with pasta salad instead of fries on the side, Coach Darren’s smoothies, tofu-and-vegetable stews over rice (think curry), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and of course…pasta! Lots of it! You can get wheat-free pasta, or whole wheat, or just plain. Don’t cover it with cream sauces or olive oil. Go with a nice tomato sauce and throw in your favorite chopped veggies (frozen is fine if you’re short on time).

Here’s some more on food. Don’t diet now, you’ll run out of energy, but avoid the fattiest of foods as well. Think carbs! Let me know if you want more tips.

Alex
p.s.
So far I’m winning the war against French fries, and the huge bag of corn chips here in the office kitchen. It calls my name every time I walk by. I’m eating tons of rice and veggies and tofu, spaghetti (Thanks, Aydan!), oatmeal, pretzels, apples, carrots, and PB&J’s. So much of the good foods that I’m too full for chips!