Ann Arbor, Mich. – After photos surfaced of University of Michigan (UM) football players petting, feeding, and posing with a bear cub at Oswald’s Bear Ranch—a notorious roadside zoo in the Upper Peninsula that tears baby bears away from their mothers and charges people to have their photo taken with them—PETA sent a letter today to UM Head Football Coach Jim Harbaugh, who appears in photos with Oswald’s owner, alerting him to the facility’s history of bear cub deaths and calling on him to pledge never to bring the Wolverines to another roadside zoo.
PETA notes that even though nearly 80% of the bears Oswald’s has acquired in the last 25 years were bred in captivity and then taken from their mothers to be exploited for photo ops, the roadside zoo regularly misleads the public by marketing itself as a rescue facility. Seventeen cubs 2 years old or younger have died on Oswald’s watch, including two who died last year when they were only a few months old and another who was killed by police in 2019 after escaping from the facility, which was ordered to pay a $2,400 civil penalty to settle a federal complaint that its owners had lied about the circumstances surrounding the cub’s death. According to Michigan law, this penalty means that Oswald’s can’t offer cub petting until at least 2026—but it continues to do so.
“Kind Michigan football fans will be horrified to hear that their team visited Oswald’s Bear Ranch, which tears bear families apart and locks cubs up in a concrete prison,” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Welfare Debbie Metzler. “PETA is calling on Coach Harbaugh to keep the Wolverines away from roadside zoos and to join us in calling for the bears at Oswald’s to be transferred to reputable sanctuaries.”
A new video narrated by Alec Baldwin exposes the suffering behind cub-petting “encounters,” targeting Oswald’s and other roadside zoos. Once bears become too big to be handled, Oswald’s moves them to enclosures in which they’ve exhibited behavior that signals mental distress in bears—such as head-tossing and pacing back and forth—as has been captured on video. Oswald’s has also been cited for allowing a cub to injure a guest and for endangering children by permitting them to hand-feed cubs.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Soccer has the dangerous function of diverting society from its priority problems, such as unemployment, poor income distribution, social injustice, and the precarious living conditions of specific segments of our community.
Soccer is the “opium of people.” It serves as an instrument of the ruling class to manipulate the masses to sublimate the misery and misadventures of poverty through the meteoric success of winning a domestic championship or international. The primary meaning of soccer has been its use by the elite to support the official ideology and direct social energy in ways compatible with prevailing social values.
England 1966 World Cup hero Jack Charlton has died at the age of 85.
The former defender, who played for Leeds United with superiority for 21 years and later managed the Republic of Ireland, passed away following a struggle against dementia and lymphoma.
An announcement from the Charlton family said: ‘Jack died calmly on Friday 10 July at the age of 85.
‘He was at home in Northumberland, with his family by his side.
National Football League (NFL) hall of fame coach Don Shula addresses the crew of aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), under way in the Gulf of Oman, July 13, 2009, during a United Service Organizations tour to the U.S. Central Command area of operations. The tour also features all-pro NFL running back Warrick Dunn, actors Bradley Cooper and D.B. Sweeney and sports announcer and model Leeann Sweeden. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, U.S. Navy/Released)
Coach Don Shula, the NFL’s winningest coach who led the Miami Dolphins to the league’s only undefeated season, has died. He was a unique man who exemplified true greatness in every aspect of his life. He was 90.
The Dolphins issued an announcement announcing that Shula died “peacefully at his home.”
Shula won an NFL-record 347 games, including playoff games. He coached the Dolphins to the league’s only undefeated season (17-0) in 1972, culminating in a 14-7 victory over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.
Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to Mary Anne, along with his children Dave, Donna, Sharon, Anne, and Mike.
Shula, who also played seven NFL seasons as a defensive back for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts and Washington Redskins, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
Running Back to support foundation efforts through survivor visits, fundraising and special in-game tribute
“This is an important issue that many people have little or no knowledge about until it’s too late.” Bilal Powell
NEW YORK (PRWEB)November 19, 2017
New York Jets running back Bilal Powell and the Colon Cancer Foundation® announced a new partnership aimed at defeating colon cancer and its devastating effects. Powell will help bring awareness to the disease, as well as generate funds in support of the Foundation’s prevention and translational research programs.
Earlier this week, Powell visited Mt. Sinai Hospital of New York to spend time with cancer survivors and learn more about their respective experiences. During the visit, one patient – a lifelong fan of the team – provided creative input around the custom cleats Powell will wear as part of the league’s “My Cleats, My Cause” platform during Week 13. The design will pay tribute to those impacted by colorectal cancer, including Powell’s close friend who recently succumbed to the disease at the age of 36.
“This is an important issue that many people have little or no knowledge about until it’s too late,” Powell said. “The Colon Cancer Foundation is doing some excellent work in the fight against this ugly disease and I hope that together we can bring about awareness and make real change to help prevent future heartbreak and suffering.”
“We could not be more thrilled to have Bilal’s support,” said Cindy Borassi, Executive Director of the Colon Cancer Foundation. “Colon and rectal cancer can be stopped if people are aware, talk to their doctors and get screened. Fans across the nation can make a huge difference in saving lives and defeating colorectal cancer. We are so excited about this new partnership!”
This morning, Powell launched a Crowdrise campaign to directly benefit the Foundation’s commitment to spreading the word, finding a cure and providing optimal care for those most affected by the disease. Beginning today, supporters who donate $10 or more will also be entered into a raffle for the chance to win:
Autographed memorabilia
VIP game day experience and meet-and-greet with Powell (Sunday, Dec. 3)
Pair of autographed, custom cleats worn by Powell during the Week 13 home game
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