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“Many hands make light work.” - PROVERB
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What else can you do?
Whether you are concerned about one issue, or many, there are a few other valuable things you can do to help.
* Don’t let yourself become overwhelmed by the scope of change needed to heal our world. Choose a small place to start. Select the issues that strike the deepest chord in you. The topics that move you enough to contribute your time and attention. Decide what you can do to help, and DO IT! And DO IT REGULARLY!
* A few popular ways to help include volunteering your services to particular charities and organizations; regular donations; staying informed and educating others about issues; signing petitions and writing to governments, companies and newspapers. You might even come up with your own great way to pitch in.
* There are many other ways to make a difference. Greenpeace recently came up with an extremely innovative and effective idea. To deal with the threat that commercial whaling was going to be resumed, Greenpeace organized a “virtual march” . Thousands of people from all over the world, using the internet as a tool for positive change, contributed digital photos of themselves holding ant-whaling banners in English and Korean, which were projected in Ulsan Korea, where crucial meetings were being held by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The Korean delegation voted against the Japanese government (which they had sided with last year) on a number of close issues, and the resumption of commercial whaling was disallowed. (Thumbs up to the Korean delegation!!)
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THE MOST IMPORTANT WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
* Exercise your purchasing power. Whether we like it or not, our society is influenced by the “almighty dollar”. Companies and governments are affected by the way you use your money. Companies produce what sells, and remove those items that don’t. If you avoid purchasing products which you consider unethical, or environmentally-damaging, that company will be encouraged to stop producing it. What we purchase can destroy a rainforest, or wipe out a species (such as the near, and possible, extinction of the leopard due to the fur coat industry). On the other hand, what we buy can be an instrument for positive change. People who demand products that are not tested on animals, have reduced the number of animals suffering and dying from LD50 tests. Those who buy recycled or plantation timber are helping to protect what is left of old growth forests. Think before you spend!
* If you are eligible to vote, exercise your democratic right to choose the people who will represent you and your concerns in government.
* Our lifestyle choices have the greatest impact on our world. What we eat, the amount of resources we consume, how we dispose of what we use, the companies we support, whether we show compassion for other people, display respect for non-human animals and the environment, whether we are making an effort to contribute to a better society—all these lifestyle choices make a difference. We all need to ask ourselves how we can improve our habits and lifestyles to have the greatest positive impact for change.
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Because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” - Anne Frank |
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Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” - Edmunde Burke |
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Many Hands Network joins like-minded, compassionate people who want to help heal our global home. If you are concerned about the state of our world, check out the Many Hand Network pages regularly to stay informed on human rights, animal welfare and environmental issues, and add your voice and effort to those who would make our planet a safer, peaceful and more just world, and home, to all species. |
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Great Mystery Publishing PO BOX 41 ALDERLEY QLD 4051 AUSTRALIA
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To contact |
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GMP Archives
Select articles, information, and images on important topics currently stored in GMP’s archives—Polar Bears Dying Due to Global Warming, Quarter of Earth’s Species will be Lost by 2050, Japan Faces Whale Meat Glut, Help Important Causes including Rainforest Preservation, Helping Underprivileged Children, Protecting Pets, Stop Violence Against Women, Protect the Oceans and Marine Wild-Life and other important causes without spending a cent, and the Hidden War on Women in Iraq. Click here to enter Archives. |
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“Even a small star shines in the darkness.” - Finnish Proverb |
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“If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.” - Betty Reese |
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Can your shopping list mean life or death to the orangutan?
It is fairly common to see people in supermarkets checking product labels for harmful additives, allergens, and trans-fat content. Now it may also become routine for shoppers to check labels in order to avoid palm oil, from undisclosed and unsustainable sources - an ingredient which can mean the difference between life and death to the orangutan. In fact, it is not only the orangutans’ lives which hang in the balance, but the very survival of remaining forests in Indonesia and Malaysia, and all the magnificent rainforest animals which depend on the forests’ existence.
Palm oil, often labeled as vegetable oil, can be found in thousands of popular brands of ice-cream, chocolate, biscuits, potato chips, margarine, toothpaste, soap, detergents and cosmetics. And when we purchase these brands, rather than the sustainable alternative brands, we, without knowing it, are “fueling the phenomenal growth in demand for a crop that is leaving a trail of destruction in its wake”.
“The rate of loss of orangutans has never been greater than in the last three years, and oil-palm plantations are mostly to blame. We are facing a silent massacre, taking place far from where people can see what is going on. We need international co-operation now to address this crisis.” Dr Willie Smits, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation’s Founder/Chairman
“Despite an abundance of degraded land available for plantations, many palm oil companies are deliberately targeting forest areas for conversion. They prefer to first cut down the forests, as this provides the companies with an immediate source of income from logging before a single palm tree is planted. Palm oil companies are also responsible for many fires that plague the region annually. Indonesian Forum for Environment (WALHI) a leading environmental group, said in September 2005, it had reported 196 companies to the Indonesian Minister of Environment for allegedly clearing their land through large-scale open burning in Sumatra and Kalimantan. According to WALHI many of the 196 companies were repeat offenders.”
“As the forest is cleared, orangutans facing starvation, desperately seeking food, are seen as agricultural pests. Plantation owners often put bounties on the orangutans head and plantation workers often show no mercy. Orangutans are viciously attacked and tortured before being killed. Most common orangutan deaths involve being attacked by machete, buried alive or set on fire. Orangutan babies are often put into small cages and sold as pets. One such “pet” was sold to a nightclub where she was chained by her ankles to the wall, laying hairless in a darkened room on a mattress for the “amusement” of patrons. BOS Foundation tried to free “Pony” for years. Despite being threatened with guns and machetes BOS’s persistence paid off. With the help of 30 armed guards, Pony was freed to a sanctuary. She is still timid and frightened of people, but now, with a healthy coat of fur, she is hopefully safe to live out her life in peace, thanks to the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation.
Over 5 million hectares of the orangutans rainforest habitat has already been cleared for palm oil production. It is estimated that at least 5,000 orangutans are killed each year due to this industry, along with countless other animals including sun bears and other primates.
If you would like to become part of the solution to this problem, please help the BOS Foundation in writing to various companies which produce or supply products that contain, or may contain, palm oil for their assurance and evidence that the palm oil used in the products they produce, or sell, comes from non-destructive sources. Please send a copy of your replies to the BOS Foundation.
For more information on how you can help stop the extermination of the orangutan and the devastation of rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia, please click on the links listed below. And remember, when you are buying products, your consumer dollar means life or death to the orangutan and other rainforest wildlife.
BOS Foundation - Consumer Pamphlet - How You The Consumer Can Help
Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS Foundation) Australia
Help buy and reforest areas for the orangutan (as well as helping other rainforest animals)
What you can do * Write to the Malaysian and Indonesian Embassies and ask them what they are doing to stop Palm Oil from destroying Orangutan habitat. * Write to any food supplier that lists VEGETABLE OIL as an ingredient and ask them if they use Palm Oil. If so what are they doing to ensure that it doesn't affect Orangutans habitat.
BBC News Article - Shoppers Threat To Orangutans - BBC News News Article - Palm Oil Blamed For Abuse of Orangutans
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UPDATE: The most recent update is located at the bottom of this article - but be warned, the pictures are graphic and incredibly disturbing.
In most countries, when an animal is slaughtered for meat, methods are employed to lessen the degree of cruelty. A bolt through the brain is most commonly used to kill cows, and in the case of chickens, their throats are cut while they hang upside down on a conveyor belt. But in the case of cats and dogs being slaughtered for the meat trade in Korea (and in some areas of China) the torturous manner of their deaths is of great concern to any one who cares for the compassionate treatment of sentient animals.
Dogs and cats are kept in small wire cages, much like battery hens without any room to walk, or in many cases, lay down. Cats are often crammed in so tightly, layer upon layer in one small cage, their situation could be more likened to sardines than battery hens.
The dogs used in the meat trade are killed in the most barbaric way possible. They are stunned and alive when the process of burning off their fur with a blow torch (a procedure which lasts about an hour) takes place. This process is used to encourage the dog’s body to release large amounts of adrenaline. Men eating this meat believe the adrenaline in the dog’s flesh is an aphrodisiac and can prolong their sexual stamina. Others eat dog flesh in the belief that this meat stops a person sweating?!
Research is currently being undertaken in China to introduce horse genes to the St Bernard, presumably to create a larger dog for the meat industry.
Kittens are not killed for meat—they believe it is bad luck to eat a kitten!!! Cats are kept until they are about a year old in their crowded tiny cages before they are killed for meat. Their death is slightly better than dogs, they are thrown alive into boiling water.
If you would like to find out more about this deplorable situation, and ways in which you can help stop it, visit these sites.
Sirius Global Animal Organisation On-line article on this subject . More information on topic below.
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With all beings and all things we shall be as relatives.” - Sioux Indian Proverb |
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Check out GMP’s New Organic Gardening Section—Includes companion planting chart, recipes for effective, natural (non-polluting) garden sprays & mulching information to help prevent water loss. |
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Join The Virtual March Against Global Warming!
On global warming, world renowned ecologist David Suzuki warned “Australia is especially vulnerable. Your whole country is bordered by the ocean, sea levels are rising, half your country is desert, that desertification is going to continue.”
To help motivate governments and the private sector meet the responsibility of reducing greenhouse emissions , click on here to join the virtual march.
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Do animals have emotions? Most people with pets will have no doubt regarding the answer to this question. Science now concurs - animals DO have emotions. To read a fascinating article by scientist Marc Bekoff discussing this topic |
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Fur—Fashion Statement or Cruel Vanity |
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Reduce the amount of toxic chemicals in your home environment. |
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True stories and amazing images to make you smile. |
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DOGS AND CATS BEING SLAUGHTERED CRUELLY FOR MEAT |
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IAKA has launched a worldwide petition to stop this slaughter - for copies please send a stamped addressed envelope to CAPS, clearly marked Korea petition. You can print off petitions from www.koreananimals.org/campaign.htm. IAKA would also appreciate any donations to help the campaign. IAKA, PO Box 20600, Oakland California, CA 94620 - 0600, USA.
Also please send protest letters to the Korean government via their embassy, ask them to enforce the 1984 Ministry of Heath law banning dog meat stew, and Animal Protection Law. Write to: Korean Embassy, 60 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AJ.
“IDA has long protested South Korea’s notorious dog and cat meat trade, working with local groups to bring the practice to an end and urging the government to enforce existing laws that ban dog and cat consumption. Recently there has been two exposés of dog farms showing hundreds of dogs crammed together in tiny cages where they couldn’t even move or stretch their limbs. The dogs suffered unimaginable cruelty before being loaded on to trucks bound for slaughter.
It is imperative that we reach the Korean government while the public’s ire has been raised. Please take action and urge Korea’s Prime Minister to strengthen the country’s Animal Protection Law.” Click on this link to help stop this barbaric practice.
MOST RECENT UPDATE: In the Philippines, dogs are usually sold at markets while still alive, their front limbs dislocated and tied painfully behind their backs, and a jagged tin can rammed over their jaws to make them easier to handle. This treatment is in disregard of a law that carries a minimal penalty and the police do not even bother to enforce. (And humans are supposed to be the most intelligent and civilized species??) |
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For information on Orangutans and how your shopping habits may be contributing to their extinction, and Dogs and Cats being slaughtered cruelly for meat - scroll down the page. |
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It should be noted, that even though these atrocities are happening to dogs and cats in China, Korea and the Philippines, there are many people in these countries who love their pet dogs and cats dearly. And it is a sad fact that it is their beloved animal companions that frequently end up stolen and killed in these barbaric ways. |
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Great Mystery Publishing |
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Many Hands Network |
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Human Rights Issues TIBET IS AN OCCUPIED COUNTRY If you are concerned about the Chinese suppression of Tibet and all those who speak out on behalf of this occupied country and its occupants, here is a petition you may wish to sign to show your support— click here to sign the free Tibet petition
Co-ordinating a Human Rights Petition Puts Man in Jail for Five Years It has been reported that the Chinese Government has just imprisoned a man, one of their own citizens, for five years for simply putting a petition together which expressed “We want human rights, not the Olympics.” His petition contained 10,000 signatures. If you want to be a voice for this courageous man and others like him, you could contact AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL. |
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Concerned about the massive and brutal annual seal slaughter? To find out more and see what you can do to help stop this barbaric practice continuing — click here. |