Into The Wild is a film adapted from the book by Jon Krakauer, who also wrote the bestseller Into Thin Air. It is the true story of a young man, Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch), who sends his parents' $24,000 check (slated for entry into law school) to the world relief organization Oxfam. Christopher then leaves his home, parents (William Hurt of The Big Chill and…
January 12, 2012
Letter
We celebrate Earth Day every year, but most people are missing the point. You cannot be an environmentalist when you eat meat and animal products. Animal agriculture is responsible for the major pollution of the nation's waterways with tons of manure generated from huge factory farms. Animals raised for food produce 130 times more excrement than the entire human population, 86,0000…
April 5, 2010
Letter
Each year, 2 million dogs and cats are stolen from U.S. cars and streets. Some are transported hundreds of miles with no protection from weather extremes, no food or water. Their destination: animal auctions, where USDA-licensed "Class B" dealers acquire hundreds of dogs and cats for medical research, quickly taking them out-of-state where the animals are virtually untraceable.…
March 19, 2010
Letter
Purchasing cruelty-free clothing is an excellent way to help stop animal suffering. The sheep of today have been purposely bred to produce huge amounts of wool, causing them to suffer from fly infestations, skin sores and parasites. Australia, the world's largest wool producer, sends it "spent" sheep on a long and brutal journey by ship to the Middle East to be slaughtered for food.…
January 28, 2010
Letter
New England winters are known for their severe weather. It is imperative that all domestic animals have access to dry, warm shelter. New Hampshire law stipulates that all livestock such as horses and cows must have a three-sided shelter with a roof. Rabbits should never be left outside. Even with plenty of hay or straw to burrow in, they can easily freeze to death. Chaining dogs…
January 4, 2010
Letter
The 300 million Thanksgiving turkeys bred for slaughter in the United States have absolutely nothing to be thankful for. They are forced to live for months with 5,000 or more birds tightly packed in sheds where they have 3 square feet each, making it impossible to flap a wing or stretch a leg. They stand mired in their own wastes, the ammonia fumes from urine burning their eyes…
November 20, 2009
Letter
The majority of medical schools in the United States no longer use animals in their teaching laboratories. Dissection in secondary schools should also be banned. Preserved animal specimens are expensive and can be used only once. Alternatives to dissection using modern computer programs or anatomical models cost thousands of dollars less, last for years and do not need to be reordered…
October 5, 2009
Letter
Animal shelters nationwide are feeling the effects of the recession. Today, more than ever, people are surrendering their companion animals of many species to shelters because of job loss and foreclosures. Uncaring people are abandoning animals in empty foreclosed houses and dumping them in the country and in populated areas.
If you truly care about animals, do everything you can…
August 31, 2009
Letter
Each year, millions of dogs and cats are killed in shelters nationwide due to lack of homes. The solution: spaying and altering all mixed breeds and purebreds.
Any licensed veterinarian can competently perform routine spay/neuters. Sterilization at eight weeks of age is endorsed by the American Veterinarian Medical Association and helps to prevent litters. I advocate early term…
June 8, 2009
Letter
Becoming vegetarian can help to improve your health, help alleviate the suffering of animals and save the environment.
The consumption of animal products is linked to the development of diabetes, heart disease, gout, high blood pressure and cholesterol, osteoporosis, and cancers of the reproductive and digestive systems. A low-fat vegan (total vegetarian) diet rich in whole foods,…
April 13, 2009
Letter
With the economic downturn, there is an increase in cat and dog "free to a good home" advertisements. These ads should be a last resort. They should be worded "for adoption." "Free" is in the same category of "getting rid of" puppies and kittens and should not be used in conjunction with companion animals.
March 9, 2009
Letter
Re "Fur vs. leather" (Ron Godbout, Monitor letter, Jan. 16): I have been a vegan (total vegetarian) since 1980. I do not eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs or honey. I do not wear wool, leather, fur or silk. I certainly don't eat Jello! I hope this answers your questions.
BARBARA BONSIGNORE
Concord
January 26, 2009
Letter
Cruelty to animals is inherent in the manufacture of all real fur items.
Wild animals caught in steel jaw leg-hold traps suffer such excruciating pain that they often chew off a limb to escape, only to die a slow death from gangrene later on. In rural areas these traps are not checked frequently, sometimes not for days. Victims perish of starvation, thirst and after being killed…
January 11, 2009
Letter
Modern-day factory-farmed turkeys have absolutely nothing to be thankful for.
They are forced to live for months in sheds packed so tightly - usually 3 square feet per bird - that flapping a wing or stretching a leg is virtually impossible. Turkeys live in their own wastes with the strong stench of ammonia burning their eyes and lungs.
November 4, 2008
