A Friendly Reminder

My other blog is here.

Save FUF's Budget!

From my inbox:

WE NEED YOUR URGENT ACTION TO PRESERVE FUNDING FOR SAN FRANCISCO'S URBAN FOREST! PLEASED CALL AND EMAIL THE SUPERVISORS LISTED BELOW! PASS THIS ALERT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES - IF WE LOSE, THIS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, $2.5 MILLION WILL BE GUTTED FROM THE CITY'S URBAN FOREST BUDGET.

WHAT'S HAPPENING:

San Francisco's urban forest funding has been eliminated in Supervisor Daly's sudden new budget proposal. Currently, Friends of the Urban Forest receives $162,000 from the City to plant & maintain street trees in San Francisco, and this entire sum will be cut from the budget in Daly's proposal, meaning FUF will receive nothing from the San Francisco city budget to plant and maintain trees in the coming year. According to a UC Davis study, San Francisco derives a $7.5 million environmental and socio-economic benefit from its street trees each year, but this proposal would contribute zero funds from the City for groups like FUF to continue to ensure that the City maintains this benefit.

ADDITIONALLY, $2.5 million will be cut from the City's own tree planting and maintenance program under this proposal. This means, for example, that the 1500 street trees planted earlier this year by the City will get no watering and maintenance, and will very likely die.

YOU CAN STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING, BUT YOU MUST ACT NOW!

The Board of Supervisors' Budget Committee will vote on this controversial proposal this Wednesday, June 13 at 1PM. There are five members on the committee, including Supervisor Daly, and if three Supervisors vote for this proposal, all this money will be cut from the budget, and the full Board of Supervisors (all 11 members) won't even get the chance to vote on it. (All told, Supervisor Daly's proposed alternatives to Mayor Newsom's budget total $37 million).

Also, before the committee meets, there will be a rally opposing the cuts on the Polk Street City Hall steps at noon on Wednesday. Join us and show your support for San Francisco's urban forest!

We need your support at this time to:

·Call and email the Budget Committee Supervisors listed below telling them to vote NO on Daly's proposal (sample language below)
·Come to the rally in support of our urban forest and living, not dead, trees on Wednesday, June 13 at noon on the steps of City Hall (Polk Street side).
·Make public comment in support of the Mayor's programs at the Budget Committee on June 13 at 1PM, City Hall, Room 250
·Tell friends about this threat to our city's trees, and strongly encourage them to write and call too.
·Write a letter to the Editor in the Chronicle and Examiner.

Find more information about the proposed cuts here.
Daly's Amended Motion, These Cuts Detailed, Questions about Daly's Process

Please email and call immediately to the Supervisors and especially to the Budget Committee -- Supervisors Dufty, Elsbernd, Mirkarimi, Daly, and Ammiano. Here's a list of e-mails and phone numbers:

Dist. 5 Ross Mirkarimi
554-7630 Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org

Dist. 6 Chris Daly
554-7970 Chris.Daly@sfgov.org

Dist. 7 Sean Elsbernd
554-6516 Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org

Dist. 8 Bevan Dufty
554-6968 Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org

Dist. 9 Tom Ammiano
554-5144 Tom.Ammiano@sfgov.org

Sample letter and calling language (please re-draft in your own words):

Dear Supervisor _______________,

I strongly support a thriving urban forest in San Francisco. You must reject the proposal to slash the City's urban forest budget and eliminate funding of Friends of the Urban Forest. Without this funding, 1500 trees planted in San Francisco in 2007 will die, and FUF's efforts to continue to build community and enhance our city's urban environment will be severely restricted.

Thank you.

IMPORTANT: If you live in the district of the Supervisor you are writing to, please be sure to tell him!
Supervisors District Map

Sincerely,
Friends of the Urban Forest

I'm a big fan of FUF and a long time volunteer so I really support what they do and encourage you to do what you can to help save their budget. The city wouldn't be the same without it.

Thanks!

Today Is National Hunger Awareness Day...

The San Francisco Food Bank is still one of my favorite nonprofits even though they didn't hire me way back in the day. Their executive team is a little testosterone heavy, but they do good work:

Summer is an especially difficult time for working famililes with children. When school lets out for summer vacation, childcare costs increase and children lose access to school meals and snacks, increasing the burden on the family's finances.

Please help today - make a donation equal to the amount you normally spend on lunch - or what you spend for a whole week. Each $10 donation allows us to provide meals to 40 children - that's more than an entire classroom of kids! We ask you to donate today and forward this link to your friends so they can contribute too.

Here are some more ways you can help – and have fun at the same time!

Go shopping!
Make a $5 donation to the Food Bank at any San Francisco Macy’s store on June 5 and receive a 15% off savings pass for the entire day.

Enjoy dinner with a friend
Go to Kuleto’s on June 5 and order the special Hunger Awareness Day three course prix fixe dinner at Kuleto’s restaurant in San Francisco and the proceeds will be donated to the Food Bank. Call 415-397-7720 to make a reservation.

Take a cooking class
Learn how to make a gourmet Italian dinner at Sur la Table with Chef Bob Helstrom of Kuleto’s on June 5, Hunger Awareness Day. All proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to the Food Bank. Call Sur la Table at 415.732.7900 for details and tickets.

Visit Union Square
Join us from 12:00 – 1:00 on Hunger Awareness Day to learn more about the issue of hunger and how you can run a food drive, volunteer or advocate for an end to hunger in San Francisco.

Every day, 1 in 5 San Franciscans lives with the threat of hunger. We need your support to give them the food they need to survive and thrive. Thank you!

Please give today!

More on declawing...

My friend Dolly and I are writing to Ross Mirkarimi and Chris Daly to see if they will support us by drafting some anti-declawing legislation. Apparently, West Hollywood is the only place in the country where it's illegal and we want to add San Francisco to the roster.

UPDATE: I was mistaken. West Hollywood passed legislation in 2003 but was sued in 2005 by a bunch of capitalist veterinarians who'd rather make a buck than not torture animals with senseless amputation. I'm not sure what the status of the legislation is now but I'll keep you posted on what I find out.

Maybe if we can get a law passed here and garner some publicity, more cities will join the fight to end this cruel and inhumane procedure.

"The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights is opposed to cosmetic surgeries and to those performed to correct 'vices.' Declawing generally is unacceptable because the suffering and disfigurement it causes is not offset by any benefits to the cat. Declawing is done strictly to provide convenience for people. The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR)

Some veterinarians have argued that some people would have their cats killed if declawing was not an option. We should not, however, allow ourselves to taken 'emotional hostage' like this. If a person really would kill her or his cat in this case, it is reasonable to question the suitability of that person as a feline guardian, especially when there are millions of non-declawed cats living in harmony with people."

I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Here's a current list of the countries which have outlawed declawing:

England * Scotland * Wales * Northern Ireland * Germany * Austria * Switzerland * Norway * Sweden * Netherlands * Denmark * Finland * Brazil * Australia * New Zealand

I think the United States should join them.

Don't declaw your cat!

Surprisingly, there are a lot of people out there who don't know how horrible declawing is and what it actually entails. Here is some graphic and disturbing information. Please pass it along and discourage anyone you ever hear contemplating it.

The Facts About Declawing

"Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes". When you envision that, it becomes clear why declawing is not a humane act. It is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period. And remember that during the time of recuperation from the surgery your cat would still have to use its feet to walk, jump, and scratch in its litter box regardless of the pain it is experiencing."
Christianne Schelling, DVM

"General anesthesia is used for this surgery, which always has a certain degree of risk of disability or death associated with it. Because declawing provides no medical benefits to cats, even slight risk can be considered unacceptable. In addition, the recovery from declawing can be painful and lengthy and may involve postoperative complications such as infections, hemorrhage, and nail regrowth. The latter may subject the cat to additional surgery." The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR)

"The consequences of declawing are often pathetic. Changes in behavior can occur. A declawed cat frequently resorts to biting when confronted with even minor threats. Biting becomes an overcompensation for the insecurity of having no claws. Bungled surgery can result in the regrowth of deformed claws or in an infection leading to gangrene. Balance is affected by the inability to grasp with their claws. Chronic physical ailments such as cystitis or skin disorders can be manifestations of a declawed cat's frustration and stress" David E. Hammett, DVM

The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR) position on declawing cats:

"A major concern that the AVAR has about declawing is the attitude that is evident in this situation. The cat is treated as if he or she is an inanimate object who can be modified, even to the point of surgical mutilation, to suit a person's perception of what a cat should be. It would seem more ethical and humane to accept that claws and scratching are inherent feline attributes, and to adjust one's life accordingly if a cat is desired as a companion. If this is unacceptable, then perhaps a different companion would be in order."

"The inhumanity of the procedure is clearly demonstrated by the nature of cats' recovery from anesthesia following the surgery. Unlike routine recoveries, including recovery from neutering surgeries, which are fairly peaceful, declawing surgery results in cats bouncing off the walls of the recovery cage because of excruciating pain. Cats that are more stoic huddle in the corner of the recovery cage, immobilized in a state of helplessness, presumably by overwhelming pain. Declawing fits the dictionary definition of mutilation to a tee. Words such as deform, disfigure, disjoint, and dismember all apply to this surgery. Partial digital amputation is so horrible that it has been employed for torture of prisoners of war, and in veterinary medicine, the clinical procedure serves as model of severe pain for testing the efficacy of analgesic drugs. Even though analgesic drugs can be used postoperatively, they rarely are, and their effects are incomplete and transient anyway, so sooner or later the pain will emerge." (Excerpted from The Cat Who Cried For Help, Dodman N, Bantam Books, New York).

Just don't do it.

Please spay and/or neuter your pets...

It would also be super awesome if people would adopt from shelters instead of buying from pet stores and breeders. I feel the same way about animals that I do about people: a mutt is just as fabulous as a pure bred and it's better to adopt someone in need than to make more.

Opinion: AB 1634 will reduce number of unwanted pets

...More than 800,000 stray dogs and cats are put into shelters every year in California. To make it worse, we are killing more than 400,000 of these helpless animals simply because no one wants them. This is an average of more than 1,000 dogs and cats every day-one death every 75 seconds.

[...]

AB 1634, the California Healthy Pets Act, will require that any owned cat or dog be spayed or neutered, with certain exceptions, such as guide, service or signal dogs, animals used by law enforcement agencies and for purebred animals whose owners have a breeder's license. California-licensed veterinarians can provide temporary waivers to delay spaying or neutering, and they may also support applications to keep animals intact, owing to their age or poor health.

Even though we see thousands of pets adopted from our shelters, only half of the dogs and cats brought to shelters leave there alive. The best solution is to address the number of unwanted animals born each year, so we have enough homes to accommodate the pets that need them.

[...]

Finally, California taxpayers are spending an astounding $250 million a year to provide care, food, euthanasia and disposal of unwanted dogs and cats. Much of this money could either be saved or used to improve the conditions for the dogs and cats that will still end up in animal shelters until homes are found.

California has tried many other options and incentives to encourage pet owners to have their pets spayed and neutered, options which clearly have not been as effective as we would like them to be. When we are destroying hundreds of thousands of kittens, puppies, dogs and cats every year simply because they were born, it is obvious we need a new approach. I encourage everyone to join me in support of AB 1634, the California Healthy Pets Act.

Free download! Against Pornography: The Evidence of Harm - By Diana Russell...

You can download Diana Russell's book FOR FREE over here with kind regards to NoPornNorthHampton for hosting and delphyne at Genderberg for pointing it out.

Edited to add: A trade paperback copy of the book may be ordered directly from Dr. Russell here and I'd recommend purchasing a copy if you can afford to so that she is paid for her work.

We're all well aware of how much unpaid work women do already and I don't wanna contribute to that unnecessarily*.

BUY IT if you can afford to, download it if you can't.

*Thanks again to thoughtful commenters at Genderberg for pointing that out.

PSA...

Have you heard of Pandora? It is SOOOOOOO awesome! One of my bosses told me about it coz apparently he thinks I don't goof off enough or something. Little does he know.

Anyway, I'm hooked. You can create your own radio station and add and delete songs from the lineup. It's one of those "If you like this artist, you'll like this one too!" dealios. I've found some great new (to me) music so I'm psyched!

Which reminds me - don't forget to let me know if you want to participate in the 2nd Annual Feminist Music Mix Exchange. You can leave a comment or drop me an email. Details can be found here.

Apropos of the foiled rape attempt post below...

Why dontcha sponsor me in the 2nd Annual Walk Against Rape?


Thanks to some very, VERY generous readers, friends, and friendly readers, I'm only $480 shy of my $1200 fundraising goal. Feel free to give until it hurts...so good.

Thank you!

psa...

did you know san francisco has a hollaback? well we do. you can send your own "tales of the city" and the numerous pervs and street harassers we've got here.

re:fwd:fwd:fwd:fwd: this is hilarious!!!

you know, it never ceases to amaze me when i receive an email forward that's made it's 900th round to me. i mean, the internets have been around for what? one-hundred? two-hundred years? and people still forward jokes and urban legends and chain-letters?

i have a friend, we'll call her "lonnie"*, who hasn't sent me a legitimate email in more than five years. i do however, receive around eleventy-thousand forwarded jokes, warnings, chain-letters, and "tgi friday!" spams from her everyday. and i always think, "huh. people still do the forwards thing. annoying."

and i've actually written her many real emails over the years - asking her how she's doing, telling her what's going on with me - and she never responds. it's so irritating!

so this is just an FYI: if you send me an email that i'm supposed to forward to ten people so that you'll win the lottery or marry your one true love or win an all expenses paid trip to disneyland, or whatever, you're gonna lose. because i see that shit and it's an automatic "DE-LETE!" from me. your good luck dies in my trash folder.

you're welcome!

*because that's her name.

time to take action...

from my inbox:

On this anniversary of Roe v. Wade there are two ways to honor and defend the legacy of reproductive freedom in America with Planned Parenthood Golden Gate.

1. Pledge an anti-choice protester and fund HPV vaccinations.
2. Join us for an intergenerational speakout on Monday, January 22.

Pledge-A-Protester
On Saturday, January 20th, the anti-choice “Walk for Life” returns to San Francisco to protest the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. We’re asking PPGG supporters to Pledge-a-Protester and help fund HPV vaccines for low-income women and girls.

Click here to Pledge!

Anniversary Speakout
Celebrate the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade with an Intergenerational Speakout - a forum for women to share their experiences with abortion; a discussion on the status of Roe; and local performances.

When: Monday, January 22nd, 6 - 9pm
Doors open at 6pm
Program starts at 7pm
Drink specials available all night!

Where: El Rio, 3158 Mission Street
@ Cesar Chavez in San Francisco

Cost: $10 suggested donation at the door.
Must be 21 and over to attend.

my class starts on monday so i can't make the anniversary speakout, but i am going to pledge a protester. ignorant fucking bullies.

psa...

please vote.

i like the part about "there is only one side to this issue." you could say that about a lot of things, despite what the media would have you think. sometimes there is no "balance". there's a right side and a wrong side and you've got to decide for yourself which one you're on.



which reminds me of a great line from stephen colbert the other night about michael j. fox and rush limbaugh. he said something to the effect of, "how dare people with serious illnesses exploit those illnesses in order to find cures for them!" amen, brutha. what a warped society we live in when people's integrity is called into question for trying to do something necessary and good.