Our Hen House

Continue Your Animal Law Education

Posted on03. Sep, 2010 by Mariann.

The Animal Law Committee of the American Bar Association TIPS Section has two incredibly exciting upcoming CLE programs. The committee is trying out a new format — teleconferences — in hopes of reaching the widest audience possible. After all, lawyers…

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Every Living Being

Posted on16. Aug, 2010 by Mariann.

An intriguing new book has appeared in the Human-Animal Studies realm (which is apparently also known “anthrozoology” which makes it sounds fancier but is kind of a mouthful).

Every Living Being: Representations of Nonhuman Animals in the Exploration of…

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Animal Cops

Posted on12. Aug, 2010 by Mariann.

We all know that, when it comes to laws protecting animals, the problem isn’t only that the laws on the books aren’t strong enough. The other problem is that the laws that we do have are not adequately enforced. One…

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Are Pigeon Shoots Cruel?

Posted on09. Aug, 2010 by Mariann.

One of the most frustrating things for lawyers in private practice who wish to help animals is the fact that cruelty laws, the basic animal protection statutes, are criminal laws. Thus, with a few exceptions, enforcement of the laws is…

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Sex, Gender and Species

Posted on28. Jul, 2010 by Mariann.

Thanks to Animal Blawg for a heads up about this upcoming conference, which sounds really fascinating:

Wesleyan University will be hosting a conference called “Sex, Gender and Species” on February 25 and 26, 2011. The purpose of this conference

…

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Thinking Nature — A Call for Papers

Posted on09. Jul, 2010 by Mariann.

A new online journal, entitled Thinking Nature, has issued a call for papers for its first issue. The journal will be co-edited by Ben Woodard, an MA student at the European Graduate School, and Timothy…

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Creative Online Activism

Posted on06. Jul, 2010 by Mariann.

Last week I told you about Jasmin’s opening speech at the inspiring Let Live Conference. Another workshop co-presented by Jasmin — along with Liberation B.C.‘s Glenn Gaetz — entitled “Creative Online Activism” has also…

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Jasmin Takes Portland!

Posted on30. Jun, 2010 by Mariann.

I have to confess, I am kvelling. Jasmin’s speech at the Let Live Conference in Portland inspired even me (and I had heard it about a million times before I saw it on video.) If, like me,…

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Calling All Lawyers (and Law Students)!

Posted on06. Jun, 2010 by Mariann.

I may have an ulterior motive here (see below) but this is completely sincere nevertheless. If you are a lawyer, interested in animal law in any way, you need to join a bar association animal law section and/or committee. A…

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Call for Papers: Telling Stories About Animals

Posted on04. Jun, 2010 by Mariann.

Interdisciplinary Humanities, which is the journal of the Humanities and Education Research Association, has an interesting call for papers out for its Spring, 2013 issue. The theme of the issue is “Restorying Nature: The Voices of…

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Let’s Pray They Get it Right

Posted on03. Jun, 2010 by Mariann.

An upcoming special on CBS on June 13 will address one of the most interesting, and, to be honest, frustrating topics in the animal protection scene — the religion question. Animal advocates are, obviously, all over the lot on religious belief.…

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Opening the Courthouse Door?

Posted on26. May, 2010 by Mariann.

An interesting lawsuit is playing out in Robeson County, North Carolina and animal lawyers might want to pay attention. The suit was brought by a local animal rights activist (sounds like the kiss of death already, right?) against…

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Vegan Rights

Posted on25. May, 2010 by Mariann.

There are a limited number of arenas in which people can claim that they have been unfairly deprived of a vegan diet.  These, of course, all involve situations in which people do not, for whatever reason, have access to alternative foods and must eat…

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FLAPping Your Wings

Posted on23. May, 2010 by Mariann.

Sometimes when you live in a city, you can start to think that wildlife is out there somewhere, not a real part of your life, and that the only way you can participate in helping wild animals is to donate…

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Tips on Tape

Posted on20. May, 2010 by Mariann.

There are many remarkable people working tirelessly to rescue animals, often unsung and unthanked other than by the grateful nuzzles and licks from their foundlings. But even those of us who, while we may care about animals, do not deliberately…

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Race and Food

Posted on16. May, 2010 by Mariann.

The journal Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Concepts is focusing its Summer, 2011 issue on “Race and the Food System”  and has issued a call for papers. The deadline is November 15, 2010.

There are clearly many topics within…

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“Go Vegan” in the Meatpacking District

Posted on25. Apr, 2010 by Mariann.

We could not be more excited about an upcoming art exhibit opening May 9 in NYC’s meatpacking district. Jonathan Horowitz will be restaging his 2002 exhibition, “Go Vegan,” which was described by the New York Times as “fuel[ing]…

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A Vote for the Animals

Posted on19. Apr, 2010 by Mariann.

Okay, I know it’s April, and no one is thinking about elections, but I am inspired to start thinking about strategies for the fall by our friend and long-time animal advocate Kim Stallwood, aka the Grumpy Vegan, who recently…

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Teaching the Teachers Who Teach the Animal

Posted on31. Mar, 2010 by Mariann.

As a newly recognized field of formal study, the subject of human-animal studies is wide open to different approaches, creative ideas for courses, and interdisciplinary techniques. (Anyone want to take me up on the idea of teaching Moby Dick from…

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Big Money

Posted on28. Mar, 2010 by Mariann.

With stakes this high, the competition will no doubt be tough, but I know you are up to it. The Judge John R. Brown Scholarship Foundation is holding a legal writing competition for law students. There is no…

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Introducing Animals to the Environment(alists)

Posted on15. Mar, 2010 by Mariann.

We are all painfully aware of the backwardness of so many environmentalists when it comes to addressing the animal question, or even when it comes to just recognizing the environmental impact of animal agriculture and other forms of animal exploitation.…

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Call for Papers: U.S. v. Stevens

Posted on08. Mar, 2010 by Mariann.

The DePaul Center for Animal Law has issued a call for papers in conjunction with it’s upcoming symposium, entitled Revisiting the Line Between Free Speech and Obscenity: U.S. v. Stevens and its Implications for Animal Welfare. The…

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The Smell of Money

Posted on07. Mar, 2010 by Mariann.

It was intriguing to hear that plaintiffs in Gentry County, Missouri were awarded $11,000,000 by a state court jury in a nuisance action based on the stench from a local hog farm. It was even more fascinating to discover…

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So, How Do YOU Feel About Avatar?

Posted on27. Feb, 2010 by Mariann.

There is no doubt that Avatar has tapped into something deep in the way that people feel about their world. Though members of the animal community, by and large, have given much serious thought to many of the…

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Where the Buffalo (and the Volunteers) Roam

Posted on22. Feb, 2010 by Mariann.

While most of the opportunities to help animals, as well as the tools and resources available to do so, that we write about here at Our Hen House are, we hope, important and useful, they are not always adventures of a lifetime.  We would like to…

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Law and Order and Animals

Posted on12. Feb, 2010 by Mariann.

While many people, with some justification, liken the law’s treatment of animals to its treatment of inanimate objects, like tables or chairs, the fact remains that every state in the union has a law, or, more likely, a set…

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“Let’s Move” Toward a Vegan Diet

Posted on10. Feb, 2010 by Mariann.

Yesterday, Michelle Obama announced the “Let’s Move” initiative to combat childhood obesity. It includes her plans for improving school lunches. Pretty much everyone knows that school lunches are an absolute disgrace, and that the way America feeds its children…

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