November 25, 2007
 

Hi all,
 
A couple of reminders first:
*We do not have a December monthly meeting, so we'll see you all in January. 
*Remember, if you aren't able to use the links we have in these e-mails, please let us know and we can send you a plain text version.  That would also apply if you aren't able to see graphics, like the fox that was at the top of the Fur-Free Friday reminder last week.
 

 
THANK YOU
to
Everyone who turned out for our recent demos!
The Ringling Bros. Circus
The Circus to Save Lives
Fur-Free Friday
A special thanks to Mare, her father, and her brother for making a fantastic anti-fur banner! 
 

A) Pet Loss Candlelight Ceremony, December 3
B) Smoking and Pets Do NOT Mix
C) Vegan Diets and Athletic Performance
D) PCRM School Lunch Report Card
E) I finally have my I'm Pet-Friendly license plates!
F) Action for Animals Store Discount
 

A) Bethesda Hospice Care and the Humane Society of MO (HSM) are sponsoring a Candle Lighting Ceremony to remember beloved pets who have passed away, Monday, December 3, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.  It will be at the park right across the street from the HSM headquarters on Macklind.  For more information, or to RSVP, call Sarah Wildt at 314-471-5316.  Sarah also facilitates pet loss support groups, so you may want to ask her about that at the same time.

B) Thanks to Gina for sending us this reminder.  Smoking is not only bad for humans, but also for pets who have to endure the second-hand smoke.  This article points out that cats seem to be especially sensitive because they groom themselves so much.  In addition to breathing the smoke, they are actually ingesting it too.  They cite a Live Science article, which also mentions specific dogs who are more susceptible.  Probably most affected of all are birds.  They not only have highly sensitive respiratory systems (air fresheners and aerosol sprays can kill them), but their routine preening kicks into overdrive when they are surrounded by smoke.

C) For anyone interested in vegan diets and athletic performance, there are some great websites.  Vegan Athlete is sort of a clearinghouse for vegan articles and websites.  Vegan Fitness is a more complete site, with a vast selection of article links and forums.  The athlete profiles are really interesting, because you can see how they arrived at their decision to be vegan, and the impact it's had on their lives.
 
Organic Athlete has a Guide to Sports Nutrition on its site, which contains some great sensible advice for athletes.  It even has recipes.  (The only objection I have with it is anti-grain sentiment.  But, then I'm not a nutrition expert, so you can decide for yourself.)

D) The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) revealed its school lunch report card this fall.  Any guesses as to the grade the St. Louis Public Schools received?  If you guessed an "F" (or dead last) you're right.  Our City schools barely made it above a 50% score.

E) Well, I finally have my I'm Pet-Friendly license plates!  I feel as if I've accomplished something because it took so much time, effort, and money.  There are two things you cannot be if you want this plate: Impatient and/or Poor.  As I mentioned awhile ago (it seems like years), because these plates are not kept in-stock the way some other specialized plates are, you must choose personalization.  As a result, you have to go through the steps to have personalization approved (and pay for it) as well as order a specialized plate (and pay for it).  It took me four months to get them. 
 
In addition to the other fees, I had to call Jeff City twice just to find out how to proceed.  There was a snag when I applied for my personalization because one statement said my selections might be too many characters and the other said my selections might already be taken.  Huhhh?  It turns out they don't know.  (I'm not sure if they know even now.)  One person said the Pet-Friendly plate can only have five characters (including spaces), while someone else said it can have six (including spaces).  All I do know is mine says: GO VEG, which is six total characters (including spaces).
 
Anyway, although it was a huge and expensive hassle, it was worth it.  They look really good and some of the money goes to fund spay/neuter services.  A helpful hint: Once you do finally get the notice that your plates are in, be sure to take tools along to remove your old plates.  (You have to trade them in.)  Also, you might want to loosen the bolts on your old plates before getting there, because depending on how old your car is, they can be tricky to remove.  (Oh, and don't get them on a rainy day and don't park in a massive water puddle.)

F) Action for Animals has an online store with books, literature, shirts, and stickers.  If you use this code (28fzwzimz) at the checkout, you'll receive 15% off your purchase of $20 or more.

 
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