It's a sad day when daycares fine parents for what they put (or fail to put) in their children's lunch boxes. Well, that day came and went for Kristen Bartkiw.
According to an article in Metro, the Manitoba mom was floored by the daycare's note informing her that not only was she being fined $10 for not ticking off the required food groups in her children's lunches that day (she packed homemade roast beef, potatoes, carrots, an orange and milk!), the daycare took it upon itself to fill the nutritional void by providing Ritz crackers... Yeah, Ritz—you know, those crackers with the orange powdery coating that calls itself cheese.
“They have certain legislation that they have in place where you have to follow these food groups, but it doesn’t matter how processed the foods are or if they’re junk food… so Ritz crackers count as a grain,” said 33-year-old Bartkiw.
It's that time of year again. You've got the thermostat cranked up, and all you want to do is sink your feet into some snug warm slippers-cum-boots. But animal rights advocates are asking you to think twice before you purchase the popular UGG boots.
According to an article in Yahoo, the Australian boots may be the epitome of comfort—human comfort, that is. Few UGG lovers seem to realize that the boots are made with real sheep wool still attached to real sheep skin. If you can stomach it, it's worth watching PETA's video (featuring my friend Pink) below.
Many people, including Pamela Anderson (who was rumoured to start the trend), believed sheep were painlessly sheared in the manufacturing process. Even Anderson backed down once she learned how the boots were made, i.e. skinned:
“I feel so guilty for that craze being started around Baywatch days—I used to wear them with my red swimsuit to keep—never realizing that they were SKIN!”
Before you rush off to buy the cheaper version, praying it's synthetic, you may want to hold off. Apparently the knock-offs aren't much better. Made in China, they are allegedly made in much the same inhumane way—out of “raccoon dogs” that have been skinned alive.
So what's a well-intentioned consumer to do? Of course we can boycott buying certain brands, since nothing makes so powerful an impact as hitting a company right where it hurts: in their profit margins.
But realistically, leather and fur and sheepskin are here to stay in some form in our wardrobes. The best we can hope for is to keep informed and to shop as ethically as possible. Check out this story about an unlikely celebrity championing animal rights.
Does known animal cruelty prevent you from buying certain items?
Forget about dogs being a man's BFF. Photos of a toddler curled up asleep next to the family pup, a rescue named Theo, have been clutching the heart strings of web-surfers. And we guarantee you won't be immune, either.
According to an article in Elite Daily, mom-of-three Jessica Shyba chose the most timid of the litter when she visited a local shelter to find a pet for her kids. But that didn't stop Big Bird (as he was known at the shelter) from crawling into the lap of Beau, Shyba's son.
“The look on his little furry face was enough to seal the deal for me," she wrote on her blog, "we had met our newest family member.”
And it's been a match made in canine heaven ever since, as the pair curls up for their daily two-hour sojourns to Nod Land together. The peaceful bond has been lovingly captured in reams of Instagram shots on Shyba's account.
Witness for yourself the power of puppy love. Or as Shyba calls it: “the most organic and beautiful friendship I have ever witnessed.” And who can forget this story about an amazing dog-child connection?
Forgive me for gushing. I am fresh from visiting my own 4-week-old fur baby. If she looks half as cute nuzzled up with my five year old as this pair, she can chew all the shoes she wants.
Photo: From Momma's Gone City. Used with permission.
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