«We think that today, December 10th 2006, is a day in which we can do something for them [THE ANIMALS]. The change in their situation is all up to us, because, unfortunately, they cannot do it, they cannot be here today because they are confined in “farms”, “fishing farms”, labs, slaughterhouses or lorries leading them towards these places. They are being mutilated, separated from their families, murdered, in sum up massacred. They cannot claim what is fair for them with their own voices, but we can do it. We are not going to die if we speak up for them, but they are definitely going to die if we don’t speak out loud against their slavery.»
Excerpt from the Animal Equality manifesto for International Animal Rights Day (the bold is mine).

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1 - On March 9th, 2008 España Liberal states: Centroamericana Art Biennial - MURDER AS AN ART FORM. Centroamericana Art Biennial: they kill dogs - (unfortunately only available in Spanish) Bienal Centroamericana de Arte - EL ASESINATO COMO ARTE. Bienal Centroamericana de Arte: matan perros.

2 - There is a petition on line against the participation in the Centroamericana Biennial Honduras 2008 of Habacuc, Guillermo Vargas, who was the author of a MAQUIAVELLIAN performance in the Costarricense Visual Arts Biennial (Bienarte) 2007 - the murder of a dog during an art exhibition:
During the exhibition some people asked for the dog to be released, but the artist denied it. The name of the dog was Natividad [Spanish for Birth], and he was left to die of hunger to the view of everyone, as if the death of a poor dog was a shameless mediatic show in which nobody does anything else than to applaud or to watch astonished.

PLEASE READ, SIGN UP AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS about this petition! Let's boycott the 'art' of Habacuc!

3 - With a special salute to the Blog Zoo.

UPDATE on April 3rd - on this subject, there is explicit and detailed information on the blogs Remember Natividad (includes the English translation for the Petition text and a letter addressed to the Minister for Arts and Culture of Costa Rica, March 21st, 2008) and Soy donde no Pienso (this one in Spanish), which I recommend.

ADDENDUM: on August 14th, 2008 - 2 579 380 signatures.

[Originally posted on April 1st, 2008]

Category: UNIVERSAL TEXTS

- BUT SOME OF THEM ARE SPECIALLY SPECIAL.

From the Declaration of the Rights of the Child:
(proclaimed by the United Nations at November 20th, 1959)

Principle 5. The child who is physically, mentally or socially handicapped shall be given the special treatment, education and care required by his particular condition.

NOTE: A call to read, sign and spread the word about an ongoing petition to improve the Portuguese Law (Decreto-Lei) 3/2008, January 7th, concerning children with special education needs.

[Originally posted on Mar 6th, 2008]

Category: UNIVERSAL TEXTS

An international Petition to achieve a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare at the United Nations is on line.

Wading birds, probably of the genus Calidris (Winter plumage), at the Tamariz Beach, Estoril - Cascais.

The Petition for a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare has "one strategic goal - global recognition that animals are sentient beings, capable of feeling pain and suffering" and has already reached 1 million signatures (www.animalsmatter.org).

NOTE: Some nowadays examples of cruelty towards animals are exposed in different web sites such as:

- WSPA, World Society for the Protection of Animals.

- Whale Watch, it's Time to Watch their Welfare - a coalition of non-governmental organizations led by WSPA "in order to raise public awareness of the inhumane methods used to kill whales."

[Originally posted on Feb 24th, 2008]

Category: UNIVERSAL TEXTS

From the CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD:

(Proclaimed and adopted by the United Nations, on November 20th 1989. Effective in the portuguese law since October 21st 1990)

"States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation including sexual abuse [...]." (excerpt, Article 19 §1.)

Flowers of Brachychiton acerifolium, Esterculiaceae family, mid Jun - Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Natural History, Lisbon.

NOTE: Portuguese criminal court of law suspended the punishment of people charged of sexual abuses on children (in 2004 - 147 guilty as charged, 61 in prison, 86 free).

[originally posted on Jan 28th, 2008]

Category: UNIVERSAL TEXTS

From the United Nations Environment Program (environment for development), the

Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (adopted and proclaimed at Stockholm - Sweden, June 1972)

In Portugal, the Environment Bases Law (Lei de Bases do Ambiente), law nº 11/87, April 7th, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic, states as follows:

"The environmental policy aims to optimize and guarantee the continuity of the natural resources' utilization, both in quality and quantity, as the basic presumption towards a self sustainable development." (Article 2. §2)

[originaly posted on Jan 22nd, 2008]

Category: UNIVERSAL TEXTS

- from the United Nations Charter,
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (*)
(adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, December 10th, 1948)

(*) Included in the Portuguese law (Diário da República) nº 57/78, March 9th.

[originally posted on Jan 10th, 2008]

Category: UNIVERSAL TEXTS