John Bartlett Sale, Ag-Gag, Race to Fake Chicken & One Degree Veganic Farm

• John Bartlett is having a Thank You Sale in celebration of his upcoming NYFW Eco-Fashion Collection and Presentation. I want this limited edition, cozy, eco-fleece, winter-themed sweatshirt or vintage ralgan with Tiny Tim on it!  Made with organic cotton/recycled poly/rayon blend

• The deadline is quickly approaching for researchers who are competing for a $1M prize in developing edible flesh that grows without the ethical consequences of being attached to a sentient being. According to The Guardian:

A small group of people will meet in Washington later this year for what they hope will be a lunch to change the world. The meal should consist of fried chicken and nothing else, but while it may look like chicken, have the texture of chicken and even taste like chicken, it will never have lived or breathed.

Five years ago Peta, the world's largest animal welfare group, gave scientists until 30 June 2012 to prove they could make "cultured", or laboratory meat, in commercial quantities. The first scientist to show that artificial chicken can be grown in quantity and be indistinguishable from "real" chicken flesh will be awarded $1m.

What do you think? Is in-vitro "chicken" flesh a solution to the ethical and environmental problems inherent in meat production? Would you eat it?

• Don Hlaydich of One Degree Organics is yet another farmer practicing veganic farming - farming without the use of pesticides, animal-based or animal-sourced fertilizers.

• According to In Defense of Animals, anti-whistle-blower an anti-journalist laws like the ones defeated in 2011 are cropping up all over:

Documenting any activity on an animal farming operation my soon be a criminal offense.  Last year, because of pressure from the animal agriculture lobby, four states tried to pass bills that would make it illegal to document farm activity without the owner’s consent. Although this legislative effort was defeated in all states, similar bills have cropped up in Florida, New York, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska so far in 2012, and more are expected. These bills are designed to undermine whistleblowers seeking to keep the public informed and to hold the industry accountable to basic levels of food safety and humane standards. These courageous individuals risk their personal safety to go undercover and document the egregious practices inside the closed doors of livestock facilities. But instead of being heralded as heroes, they could soon face criminal prosecution.

Read the full article here: