veronika's Sharebook 

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/end_the_production_and_consumption_of_foie_gras

Please take a quick second to look through and read this petiton. Please sign it if you feel the need to end the production of foie gras.

Foie Gras (pronounced “fwah grah” ) means “fatty liver” in French. It is an expensive appetizer that is produced by force-feeding ducks or geese two or three times daily through a pipe shoved down their throats. The force-feeding can cause painful bruising, lacerations, sores, and tearing of the birds' throats. Due to this unhealthy and unnatural diet, the birds’ livers can swell up to ten times their normal size and become diseased (a medical condition called “hepatic lipidosis&rdquo, and cease to function properly. The harrowing process and its effects on the birds make it difficult for them to walk or even breathe comfortably. The birds would die from the condition if they were not slaughtered at just three months old. Even so, many die before being slaughtered.

Take the no foie gras pledge here: http://www.goveg.com/feat/foie/nofoiepledge.asp

Also please check out these websites and see what else you can do:

http://www.nofoiegras.org/help.html

http://www.goveg.com/feat/foie/

http://www.banfoiegras.org/page.php?module=home

http://www.gourmetcruelty.com/

From ASPCA website

From planning pet-friendly vacations to spending oodles of money on toys and treats, most people consider their pets members of the family. Unfortunately, when it comes to domestic violence, pets are also deemed part of the family unit and forced to suffer in silence at the hands of abusers. Some studies estimate that 88% of companion animals living in households where domestic violence occurs are routinely threatened, harmed or even killed.

In cases of spousal, child or elder abuse, a beloved family pet can become a pawn for an abuser who is willing to injure or kill the animal as a form of revenge, to create isolation, or to intimidate his or her victims. ASPCA Special Agents often witness this trend firsthand. "We see a connection between animal abuse and domestic violence all the time," says Special Investigator Diane DiGiacomo. "For example, we'll go out and investigate a complaint of animal abuse and find that the children have already been removed from the home or that the suspect has a history of spousal abuse."

Studies also show that 50% of domestic violence victims delay seeking help for fear that an abuser will harm a pet. Furthermore, most domestic violence shelters are simply not set up to accommodate companion animals—however, in recent years, animal “safe haven” programs, which provide foster care for pets in domestic violence situations, are becoming more common in cities across the country. And at least 11 states have enacted legislation to allows pets to be included in domestic violence-related orders of protection. This means a court can order an abuser to stay away from an animal or impose other conditions to protect the pet's safety—violations could result in arrest.

To learn more about the link between domestic violence and animal cruelty, or to find out how you can lobby for stronger legislation to protect animal victims of domestic violence, visit ASPCA.org. If you or your pet is a victim of a violent crime, please call 911 or your local law enforcement.