Author: Brian Carnell

SHAC Unsuccessfully Tries to Pressure Shell

For a brief period at the end of August and beginning of September, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty was actively trying to pressure Shell Oil to stop doing business with Huntingdon Life Sciences, but didn’t get very far.

In the first week of September, 15 animal rights activists chained themselves to concrete-filled oil drums on the road leading to a Shell oil refinery in the United Kingdom. The protest forced police to close the read, causing disruptions during rush hour traffic near the refinery.

The interesting thing was that a SHAC spokesman, Joseph Dawson, was obviously frustrated by SHAC’s inability to pressure Shell to withdraw its business from HLS. Dawson told The Guardian,

The list of companies who have pulled out because of this sort of action is endless. We have tried to reason with Shell. We offered to do it the nice way and speak to them but they basically put the phone down on us so now this campaign has to be stepped up.

Dawson seemed shocked that a company might actually resist his group’s harassment and ignorance. Good for Shell.

Source:

Animal rights activists blockade refinery. The Guardian (UK), September 4, 2001.

Orange County, South Carolina Bans Animal Exhibits

In the latest legal assault on circuses, in August the Orange County, South Carolina county commission approved a ban on circuses and other forms of entertainment within unincorporated areas of the county.

The ordinance specifically forbids the “display” of elephants, camels, lions, tigers, dolphins and 11 other animals for entertainment purposes. According to a Chapel Hill Herald story on the ordinance, “display” is defined as “any exhibition, act, circus, public show, trade show, photographic opportunity, carnival ride, parade, race, performance or similar undertaking in which animals are required to perform tricks, fight, wrestle or participate in performances for the amusement or entertainment of an audience.”

As Orange County commissioner Barry Jacobs freely admitted to the Chapel Hill Herald, the legislation was pushed through for purely symbolic purposes. Jacobs said,

I realize in a lot of ways that we did was more symbolic than real, since there’s little evidence that we have circuses in Orange County. But I think sometimes it’s important to support principles that are brought forward to us by citizens or that we ourselves already espouse.

Source:

Orange County, South Carolina bans circuses. Rob Shapard, Chapel Hill Herald, August 16, 2001.

Which is Cheaper Per Megabyte: Hard Drives or RAM

Ugh. Slashdot really dropped the ball in posting about solid state hard drives in which Cliff makes the absurd claim that the cost per megabyte of RAM is now lower than the cost per megabyte of a hard drive.

Not even close. Even if Cliff is out buying the most expensive SCSI-3 hard drive he can find, RAM is still about twice as expensive on a per megabyte basis as a hard drive. Once you start looking at the sort of IDE hard drive most computers ship with, RAM is about 30+ times as expensive as hard drives.

Kenya Fails to Pass Anti-Corruption Legislation; Recession Likely to Worsen

In August, Kenya‘s legislature was 15 votes short of passing anti-corruption legislation that the International Monetary Fund had set as a requirement for the restoration of foreign aid to Kenya. As a result of the failure of the new law, Kenya’s economic recession is likely to grow much deeper.

Kenya consistently ranks in the top 10 most corrupt nations in the world in surveys by Transparency International, and in 1997 the IMF suspended loans to Kenya. It briefly resumed such loans in 2000 after Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi agreed to introduce anti-corruption legislation, but suspended the loans again when the legislation stalled.

Kenya was already facing its worst recession since gaining its independence in the 1960s. In 2000 the economy declined by 0.3 percent. With the failure of the anti-corruption legislation, the law can’t be reintroduced for at least 6 months, and the IMF is unlikely to resume loans to Kenya.

As Kenyan businessman Chris Kirubui told the BBC, “Kenyans will continue to get poorer and the economy will disappear.”

Sources:

Kenya economy ‘will disappear’. The BBC, August 14, 2001.

MPs block Kenya anti-corruption plan. The BBC, August 14, 2001.

Activists Attack HSUS for Award to Young Farmer

As part of its National Farm Animals Awareness Week, the Humane Society of the United States gives out a “Farm Animals Awareness Award” to people who raise awareness about farm animals. One of the recipients of an award this year was James Frantzen, 13, of Iowa. Frantzen lives on an organic farm and has a web log describing his experiences.

The award to Frantzen did not go over well with the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance who put out a press release attacking HSUS for honoring an “animal abuser,” since the farm Frantzen lives on raises cattle for beef, and Frantzen lists fishing and hunting among his favorite activities.

In its press release, the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance urged people to,

Please contact HSUS and tell them that there is no excuse for giving awards
to animal killers. Ask them why they feel it is necessary to congratulate people who display extreme speciesism and disregard for life by abusing animals for profit and for pleasure.

The e-mail provided the phone number of an HSUS representative to call and complain about the award.

Source:

HSUS honors animal abuser. New Jersey Animal Alliance, Press Release, October 8, 2001.