April 26, 2015

wish this could happen here. cosmetic testing on animals banned in NZ.

http://www.trueactivist.com/cosmetic-testing-is-now-banned-in-new-zealand/

New Zealand has recently joined ranks with the 28 countries of the European Union, Israel, India, and the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo by declaring that ‘there is no use for testing cosmetics on animals – ever’.
The latest move of New Zealand’s government is to ban animal testing for “finished cosmetic products and their ingredients” – which has never happened in the country – and now, likely never will.

snip

The amendment to the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill passed a debate phase on Tuesday, and is now expected to be enacted into law within the coming weeks. The Primary Industries Minister, Nathan Guy, applauded the symbolic move.
“To the best of our knowledge, there has never been any animal testing for cosmetics in New Zealand, but this amendment will send an important message this kind of testing is unacceptable to New Zealanders and will never happen here,” Guy said, according to a press release.

snip

New Zealand is a very unpopular place for animal testing according to a recent poll. A survey conducted found that 89 percent of adults in the country do not support the practice. Cosmetic testing, which can involve rubbing chemicals onto animals’ shaved skin or dripping toxins into their eyes, is widely considered to be a cruel practice – regardless if the animal is a guinea pig, rabbit, rat, or other small critter.



just found this

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2014/02/federal_bill_to_end_cosmetics_testing_introduced_in_Congress.html

April 17, 2015

From CO teacher, this just breaks my heart.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/colorado-teacher-shares-painful-notes-third-graders-wrote/ar-AAb9xP9?ocid=ansnewsNYDailyNews11



A Colorado elementary school teacher's simple lesson to get to know her third graders has turned into a social media campaign after she learned most of her students lead heartbreaking lives.
Kyle Schwartz, a new teacher at Doull Elementary in Denver, was touched by the painful secrets her students revealed after she asked them to write down something they would like her to know about them.

"I wish my teacher knew I don't have (pencils) at home to do my homework," one youngster wrote.
"I wish my teacher knew I don't have friend to (play) with me," another shared.
"I wish my teacher knew how much I miss my dad because he got deported to Mexico when I was 3 years old and I haven't seen him in 6 years," read another.

Most of her class comes from underprivileged homes, Schwartz told ABC News.
"Ninety-two percent of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch," she said. "As a new teacher, I struggled to understand the reality of my students' lives and how to best support them.
“I just felt like there was something I didn't know about my students."
Schwartz, who has been teaching for three years, is now encouraging other instructors to reach out to their students through an #IWishMyTeacherKnew social media campaign.