Our Hen House

Fantastic Grant Opportunity for Graduate Students

Posted on20. Jan, 2012 by Mariann Sullivan.

It’s that time of year again, and graduate students who care about animals need to get busy. Animal Welfare Trust is once again offering its amazing student grants to grad students who “have a demonstrated interest…

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Staying on Top of Animal Law

Posted on12. Jan, 2012 by Mariann Sullivan.

If you’re a lawyer or law student interested in animal law, you know that it is one of the fastest growing, and rapidly changing, fields of legal scholarship. It’s hard to keep up sometimes. And even if you’re not interested…

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Awards for Work in Critical Animal Studies and a Call for Presentations — Get Them in NOW!

Posted on11. Jan, 2012 by Mariann Sullivan.

You still have a few days left (till January 15, 2012) to get in your nominations for the annual awards conferred by the Institute for Critical Animal Studies. The Britches Scholar of the Year award recognizes…

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Call for Papers: The Vulnerability of Animals

Posted on06. Jan, 2012 by Mariann Sullivan.

There is a deeply intriguing interdisciplinary project at Emory University, known as the Vulnerability and Human Condition Initiative.  It explores our shared vulnerability and the unequal resources different individuals have in our society to confront that vulnerability, and “insists…

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2012 May Just Be the Year to Teach

Posted on04. Jan, 2012 by Mariann Sullivan.

Our society is designed to keep people in the dark about what is happening to animals. Only those who really care take the time and make the effort to learn the facts. If you care about animals (and, since you’re…

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Job Week at Our Hen House: Day 4 — Legal Eagles

Posted on29. Dec, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

The law is the way in which a society turns principles into reality. It’s all very fine and good to call ourselves a nation of animal lovers, but without laws reflecting and enforcing those values, we end up instead where…

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Toad Detour

Posted on09. Dec, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

The Toad Detour is, perhaps, a perfect storm of animal activism.

In Roxborough, a Philadelphia neighborhood, hundreds of toads migrate from nearby woods and gardens to the Roxborough Reservoir. Each year, more than a hundred toads are squished by cars…

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The Power of a Good Book

Posted on05. Dec, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

Books change the world. I mean, yeah, you can get a lot of information about everything on the internet machine, but how many of us would be wandering around in the dark, still eating animals, if we hadn’t had our…

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Video: A Vegan Taste of Toronto

Posted on02. Dec, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

When I heard that we were headed to Toronto for a bar association event, I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was supposed to be a very cosmopolitan, diverse city, but, let’s face it, the bottom line…

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Eat More Kale

Posted on30. Nov, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

Sometimes the way to make change by way of the law isn’t to go out and get a law passed, and isn’t to go out and sue someone. Sometimes the best way to make a splash is just to go…

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Fun, Fun, Fun Food Activism

Posted on14. Nov, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

We’ve just gotta get to Austin one of these days. The last time I was there, which, I cannot tell a lie, was in the 1970′s, I saw Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jew-boys. Chances are, times have changed,…

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“Eco-Pirate”

Posted on10. Nov, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

It’s almost impossible to quantify the number of people who have been introduced to thinking about animals in a new way by Paul Watson and the organization that he heads up, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.…

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Dogs and Law Enforcement

Posted on09. Nov, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

It’s not all that often that the United States Department of Justice produces a resource to help animals, so we are thrilled to see their recent publication of “The Problem of Dog-Related Incidents and Encounters.”

Designed primarily for…

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This Little Piggy Went to Court

Posted on08. Nov, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

It’s not that often that the Supreme Court hears a case that is important to animals. But tomorrow is the exception. Argument will be heard in National Meat Association v Harris, in which the court will decide whether…

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“Pigeon,” A Play

Posted on03. Nov, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

I have to admit that I know nothing about Dame Miriam Rothschild, who was a British naturalist, chemist, inventor and environmental activist who died in 2005 at the age of 96. But having heard about a new play…

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Vegan Knitting is Here (NEW VIDEO!)

Posted on02. Nov, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

I have always wanted to be that person. The one who could just turn out beautiful scarves, hats, sweaters, etc., etc.,  just by sitting on the couch and magically and effortlessly twirling her needles. Alas, I am, instead, the perennial…

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Jasmin’s Speech at the NYC Walk for Farm Animals

Posted on24. Oct, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

I was kvelling yesterday when Jasmin gave a short, impassioned speech at the NYC Walk for Farm Animals, benefiting Farm Sanctuary. Jasmin and I both have a long history with Farm Sanctuary — I used to be on…

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Fired Because You’re Vegan?

Posted on11. Oct, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

If you have the wrong boss, there’s no reason to believe it couldn’t happen. But, at least if you’re in Great Britain, maybe you can get back at them. A gardener at Orchard Park Garden Center had reason to believe…

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A Hen Party!

Posted on30. Sep, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

We are thrilled beyond description about our upcoming fun and fundraiser coming up on November 2 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Just in time for Jasmin’s birthday, we are having A Hen Party!

Join Our Hen House…

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Going After Dairy, Big Time

Posted on27. Sep, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

Here at Our Hen House, we like to focus on opportunities that people who aren’t working for animal protection groups can take advantage of, as part of their everyday lives, to change the world for animals. That includes legal opportunities,…

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Summer Fellowship in Human-Animal Studies

Posted on16. Sep, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

We have noted in the past that Wesleyan University in Connecticut is rapidly becoming a hub for human-animal studies. One of the most important pieces of the Wesleyan program is coming up now, and if you are of…

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It’s All Happening at the USDA

Posted on13. Sep, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

If you’re going to be anywhere near DC on Wednesday, September 21, the USDA will be the place to be. Yes, you heard me correctly. The USDA will be holding one of its Future Trends in Animal Agriculture Symposia, and…

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A Fall from Freedom

Posted on08. Sep, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

It seems like every week there is another important film to talk about. It’s so exciting to see animals’ stories being told in ways that truly have the power to reach people and potentially make change.

A Fall from Freedom…

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Minding Animals at NYU

Posted on06. Sep, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

The Minding Animals conferences are rapidly becoming a major event in the world of animal studies.  This year’s conference, which will take place in Utrecht, is going to be outstanding, and I envy everyone lucky enough to…

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The Tom Regan Animal Rights Archive

Posted on05. Sep, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

For anyone doing scholarly work regarding animals, or the history of the animal rights movement, the Tom Regan Animal Rights Archive looks to be an invaluable resource. The archive is located at North Carolina State University, in Raliegh, North…

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101 Reasons

Posted on02. Sep, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

Years ago, when I was first getting interested in animal issues, I was lucky enough to come upon a pamphlet entitled, “101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian.” It contained a wealth of information regarding the health, environmental, and animal suffering…

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Milking an Audience

Posted on29. Aug, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

It seems like every day we hear about another new movie highlighting an issue of importance to animal advocates.

Making a movie is a huge undertaking, with detail upon detail to be dealt with. Like everything worth doing, it’s a…

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The National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse

Posted on26. Aug, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

Most of us remember the days when prosecutors, with a few notable exceptions, were willing, even eager, to ignore animal abuse cases. Fortunately, a shift has started in some district attorneys’s offices, and animal cases are being treated with increasing…

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Educating the Educators

Posted on25. Aug, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

Undergraduate offerings in animal studies are still few and far between, so we were pleased to hear of a summer course that was just completed at George Mason University in animal rights and humane education.  If we are going to…

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Madonna of the Mills on HBO

Posted on22. Aug, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

There are a lot of movies popping up that are bringing the word about what’s happening to animals to mainstream audiences. But not too many of them are making it on to HBO.

We were therefore so excited to hear…

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Nutrition Facts are Coming, and We Can’t Wait!

Posted on16. Aug, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

We could not be more excited about Dr. Michael Greger’s new project, Nutrition Facts. If you go to the site, you will see that it is incredibly informative. In particular, the large assortment of quick, easy, and fact-filled videos…

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A Better World, A Meaningful Life

Posted on10. Aug, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

The Institute for Humane Education is one of the most valuable resources out there for people who want to change the world for animals. Perhaps, though, while you are glad they are there for those who want to get…

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House of Beasts

Posted on08. Aug, 2011 by Mariann Sullivan.

If you are going to be anywhere near Shropshire, England next February, you need to make plans to attend what sounds like a very cool event at Attingham Park. Entitled House of Beasts, it will include a…

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