PAWS for a Meal at GTM Bunbury music magick , Yes PAWS will be catering this year at GTM to help lift the sun out of darkness at Hay Park on Saturday 19 May 2012

If you’re not from around these astral parts, the gathering of the GTM tribe will welcome and take place at:

Parade Rd Bunbury WA 6230

Bunbury is located 180km south of Perth. Riddle me this….Koombana Bay which falls in the region has a magickal meaning. It is known as the place where whales blow. Ancient cave etchings reveal that when the whale blows and the GTM tribe partake in mass sing along, an inverted rainbow will appear on the horizon.

Northerly makes the final dash to the post in the 2002 Cox Plate. Picture: Darrin Braybrook

DUAL Cox Plate winner Northerly has been put down after a severe colic attack.

Northerly won nine Group One races from 37 career starts and earned $9,341,850 in prizemoney.

Trained by Fred Kersley, he will best be remembered for twice defeating Sunline in the Cox Plate and holding off Fields Of Omagh in the 2002 Caulfield Cup.

“A vet was called to his paddock in Western Australia but unfortunately we couldn’t save him,” Dr Andrew Clarke from Living Legends said.

Northerly’s death means the Australian racing industry has lost two champions in the space of days, with Vo Rogue dying earlier in the week.

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Fairbridge Festival of World and Folk Music is Western Australia’s most popular family camping festival which takes place annually in April. It is a friendly celebration of folk, roots, blues, acoustic, celtic, a capella and world music in a traffic-free, self-contained bushland site at Fairbridge Village, South West Highway, 5 km north of Pinjarra, Western Australia.

This year, 2012, will be the 20th Fairbridge Festival and all the signs are that the momentum and enthusiasm continues to grow. The scene is set for another great weekend of joyous music making. As well as a growing number of top international, interstate and home grown artists there are the youth and children’s festivals, numerous workshops, street theatre, a vibrant markets area, poetry and much much more to enjoy.

Fairbridge Village makes a wonderful festival site, with graceful, mature bush and sweeping views over the Darling Escarpment about 100 km south of Perth’s outlying south-eastern suburbs. Over the weekend the site comes alive with music in numerous marquees and permanent buildings, and in the church which is the home for a now-legendary Sunday morning Gospel session and a plethora of a cappella singing in its natural habitat.

The whole area of the festival is slightly smaller than that of the National at Exhibition Park in Canberra, making for a relaxed, spacious environment that never seems overcrowded even with peak crowds of around 5000 people.

The festival is now established as a major event on the WA cultural calendar with a devoted audience base, a strong pool of volunteers, and a remarkably stable organising committee led by president Carole Winfield. Its reputation has spread to the point where each year it receives well over 500 applications from acts wanting to play, many of them from interstate. It has stayed true to the original vision of catering to a family audience, and presents probably the largest children’s program, in proportion to the festival as a whole, of any such event in the country.

The success of the festival is an inspiring example of what can be done from the grass roots, at the far-off, sparsely populated end of the country, by a small group of people dedicated to the love of folk music and community events.

Reviews from 2011

“Over the course of its history the Fairbridge Festival has evolved into the perfect contradiction: passionately embraced by people who feel the festival is their little secret, yet welcoming many thousands of devotees each year. And, with the organisers having invested much in improving on-ground logistics, WA’s best guarded secret has truly become one of the state’s greatest – and most pleasant – events.” ~ XPress Magazine

“If the festival’s biggest acts don’t look like much of a draw on paper, the reality is that the choice of performers is almost incidental at Fairbridge; the unique atmosphere of the festival is what people come for.” ~ DRUM Media

Further information

Phoebe Corke
Email: phoebe@corke.org
Mobile: 0407 606 696

PAWS will again be catering In the Pines as it returns to the beautiful surrounds of the Somerville Auditorium on the grounds of UWA for the 19th installment of this iconic celebration of local music, this year on Sunday April 22.

This year the line-up will be as eclectic as ever, featuring everything from indie pop and rock through punk, psych, folk, experimental sounds, and more than a smattering of heavier bands to round things out.

The entire line-up has now been announced, with the following bands confirmed to play on the day:

Apricot Rail
Benedict Moleta Band
The Big Old Bears
Boys Boys Boys
Drowning Horse
Frozen Ocean
The Ghost Hotel
Hang On St. Christopher
The Leap Year
The Love Junkies
Kill Devil Hills
Runner
San Cisco
SMRTS
Sonpsilo Circus
Split Seconds
Suffer
Sugar Army
Sunshine Brothers
Tusk

As always this is a family friendly event with under 18s admitted when accompanied by a parent or guardian, and once again this year the Somerville Auditorium is a smoke-free space. So round up your friends or family, brush off the picnic blanket, and come on down for a huge day of local music love. Stay tuned toRTRFM 92.1 and watch this space for the final line-up announcement.

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Omnivores, take note: Embracing a vegetarian diet could make you happier and less stressed, according to new research published in Nutrition Journal .

The reason comes down to fatty acids: Diets that include meat and fish are higher in arachidonic acid (AA), an animal source of omega-6 fatty acids. Much of the meat Americans eat today is quite high in AA: The average omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid profile of modern grain-fed meat is 5 times higher than grass-fed meat, like our ancestors ate. And previous research has shown high levels of AA can cause mood-disturbing brain changes.

High-fish diets also mean higher levels of long-chain, or omega-3 fatty acids, like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Both EPA and DHA combat the negative effects of AA. High dietary levels of omega-3 fatty acids are linked to better brain health, better mood and a host of other health benefits. Most health experts recommend an omega-6/omega-3 ratio of about 4:1.

In theory, then, frequent fish eaters should have be protected against the damaging effects of AA because of their higher intake of omega-3 acids. But an earlier study found omnivores reported significantly worse moods than vegetarians, despite higher intakes of EPA and DHA.

In this follow-up study, 39 meat-eating participants were assigned to one of three diets. A control group ate meat, fish or poultry daily; a second group ate fish 3-4 times weekly but no meat; and a third group ate strictly vegetarian. After two weeks, mood scores were unchanged for the fish- and meat-eating groups, but vegetarians reported significantly better moods and less stress.

“Restricting meat, fish, and poultry improved … short-term mood state in modern omnivores,” the researchers concluded.

To work plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids (called ALA) into your diet, try chia seeds, hemp seed, cauliflower and purslane .

By Elizabeth Nolan Brown, The Huffington Post

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The Labor Party says WA consumers are being ripped off by “dishonest” egg producers falsely claiming free-range status.

Shadow Agriculture Minister Paul Papalia said today that true free-range egg farmers limited the number of chicks to 1500 per hectare.

However, gaps in regulations meant some WA farmers were getting away with marketing eggs under this status despite birds being crammed in cages at up to 50,000 per hectare.

“Consumers are being ripped off because… they will pay up to 10 cents more per dozen eggs in the belief that they’re buying free range,” Mr Papalia said.

“In Queensland and New South Wales if you want to market your eggs as free range you can have no more than 1500 hens per hectare.

“In Western Australia there’s no limit and there’s evidence to suggest that some people are marketing eggs are free range when they have as many as 20,000 to as high as 50,000 hens per hectare, which is effectively just battery farming.”

Mr Papalia was unable to provide details of how many egg producers were being dishonest or name any producers which were doing the wrong thing.

“I don’t know exactly how many are, but there is evidence to suggest some are,” he said.

Standing next to caged chickens outside State Parliament, Mr Papalia said it was a serious issue given demand for free-range eggs had increased by 200 per cent in the past six years and comprised 30 per cent of the total retail egg market.

He said if the Government did not act, Labor, if elected next year, would regulate to enforce the 1500 hens per hectare limit.

Jan Harwood, spokeswoman for the newly formed Free Range Egg Association of WA, said she personally knew of producers in Perth who had “far exceeded” 20,000 hens per hectare.

“We believe this is not sustainable for the hens’ welfare, it’s not sustainable for our industry and ultimately it’s not sustainable for consumers’ confidence in the integrity of our industry,” she said.

“This is about truth in labelling and it’s about people being honest in what they’re producing and how they’re producing it.

“At the moment the term free range is being abused much the same as organic was abused originally and we need to get some honesty and integrity back into that term.”

Leading Perth butcher Vince Garreffa said he went to a great deal of trouble to contact suppliers to find out where his produce came from.

“All the scientists are telling us that free range animals are much, much healthier and that’s what does us the world of good,” he said.

“We really need to step up to the mark and defend out food chain and make sure people know the difference. They are willing to spend good money on good produce but when a name like free range just becomes the soft sell it worries me a great deal. We need it to be respected and it’s not being respected.”

Agriculture Minister Terry Redman’s office has been contacted for comment.

By Beatrice Thomas, West Australian

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On the 29th April, guest Speaker Stephanie Messenger talks about issues regarding vaccinations and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Tickets booked ahead of event as there will be NO tickets sold @ door.

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To Book:    Prepay via EFT.

BSB: 084606     Account No.:  166954525     Account Name:   Healthy Lifestyles Naturally.

Put your surname and mobile number as reference so you can receive an SMS reminder the day before.

Once paid, please email the full names of those attending and your mobile number.

For more info and to confirm your booking, please call 0412671922 or email growingawareness@yahoo.com

Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s senior vet Benn Bryant with hand-raised white rhino calf Amira, photographed in April 2005. Amira was one of four rhinos that died suddenly at the zoo. Photo: Dubbo Daily Libera

THE deaths of four white rhinos at Dubbo’s Taronga Western Plains Zoo has baffled veterinary staff and initiated an immediate veterinary investigation.
The rhinos were reported to have died suddenly after showing some neurological abnormalities, such as stumbling.
The surviving animals have been quarantined at the zoo.
The zoo’s general manager, Matt Fuller, said the veterinary team was working around the clock and consulting with rhinoceros specialists in Africa and North America, as well as specialist government virologists, government vet services, pathology laboratories and specialists.
He said Ben Bryant, the zoo’s head vet, was a consultant of international standing and he was working with ”the support and attention of the best people in the world” to find answers.
The investigation had ruled out exposure to toxins, bacterial infection, snake venom and organ failure as causes of death. Hendravirus and West Nile virus have also been ruled out.
No other species have been affected by the illness and other animals at the zoo are healthy.
The sudden nature of the deaths has shocked the zoo’s staff and the management team was working to provide support and counselling if needed.
”Obviously the rhino keepers and veterinary staff know and care for every individual in the herd, so this has been a huge shock and we’re all very sad and supporting each other through this difficult time,” Mr Fuller said.
”Our focus is on continuing this investigation to pinpoint the cause … and to care for the remaining animals in the herd.”
The zoo has three southern white rhinos remaining in quarantine. Among the dead was the calf Amira, which was hand-raised by zoo staff in 2005.
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We Bought a Zoo may show an idyllic picture of zoo life, but is it really acceptable to incarcerate animals for our pleasure?

You could hardly wish for a more heartwarming film than We Bought a Zoo. Nice people do nice things, prevail over their difficulties and are rewarded with well-deserved success and emotional salvation. This, apparently, is what happens to zookeepers. But what about their charges?

The furred, feathered and scaly denizens of the film’s Rosemoor Wildlife Park are incredibly well cared for. They even get Scarlett Johansson to look after them. Yet, in the real world, the fate of zoo animals is still a cause for disquiet.

We were reminded of that last year when dozens of lions, tigers, bears, monkeys and leopards had to be shot by police after the owner of an Ohio zoo deliberately released them. Following this incident, American animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals demanded (unsuccessfully) that We Bought a Zoo should carry a warning about the responsibilities of zookeepers.

Abuses of captive animals continue to be reported. A study of British zoos found that the space provided for the average mammal was less than a hundredth of what its home range would have been in the wild. There’s an underlying question that even the rose-coloured lens through which we’re asked to view Rosemoor cannot entirely avoid. Is it really OK to incarcerate animals just so people can gawp at them?

In a world where there’s so much else to worry about, this may seem a piffling concern. Once, however, people were kept in zoos, and nobody fussed about that. In Paris in 1877, “ethnological spectacles” featuring Nubian and Inuit exhibits attracted more than a million paying customers. Naked “natives” were still being displayed in cages alongside exotic animals into the 20th century.

This practice fell out of favour because races once considered inferior came to be accorded the same rights as other humans. Today, the bedding down of Darwinism has similarly eroded the hitherto sacrosanct barrier between humans and other species. Hence, the treatment meted out to animals now attracts rigorous scrutiny.

In 1939, to get a shot they wanted, the makers of Jesse James – featuring Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda – blindfolded a horse and pushed it off a cliff. It broke its back and had to be destroyed. Today, activists are demanding not only that no animal is harmed in the making of a movie but that all live animal appearances should be replaced by CGI.

Even in Asia, where animal rights have not traditionally been high on the agenda, most people now believe that those who cause animal suffering should be punished by law. Some, particularly the young, refuse to eat meat. Quite a few find wearing fur unacceptable. A minority even oppose experiments intended to save human lives. Not just welfare, but dignity has become an issue. Many circuses have been purged of animals, but zoos somehow remain relatively unchallenged.

This may be partly because they have vigorous backers. Keeping animals in captivity enables us to study them more effectively, say zoologists. Intriguingly, anthropologists eager to avoid the costs of fieldwork were keen supporters of human zoos, while conservationists today want to keep groups of threatened species for reintroduction programmes.

Anyway, such considerations have little bearing on enterprises like the one featured in We Bought a Zoo. Rosemoor is a for-profit leisure business. No scientific work seems to be carried out there. Seven of the 47 species kept are said to be endangered, which means 40 aren’t. It’s when the office runs out of tickets that success is declared.

It’s often argued that such zoos don’t just entertain, they also educate. Yet Rosemoor offers little in the way of biological exposition. What it educates its customers to believe, if anything, is that their fellow creatures exist for their diversion. Just as the male gaze is deemed to objectify women, animals become “passive raw material for the active gaze of the human”.

In We Bought a Zoo, the inmates’ function is entirely instrumental. Their task is to enable Matt Damon’s Benjamin and his children to resolve their personal problems. They achieve this by providing the family with a project. It could have been anything.

Just occasionally, some awkwardness is hinted at. When he arrives, new to the game, Ben speaks of “cages”. He’s quickly slapped down by his staff: they must be called “enclosures”. When a grizzly escapes, he’s awestruck to see it enjoy freedom. All he can do in response, however, is to increase the size of its enclosure. The animals get talked to nicely, but their opinion is never asked.

If you had to be locked up for the amusement of another species, you couldn’t find nicer jailers than Matt and Scarlett. Yet you might still feel the whole thing was a bit of damned cheek.

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Public opinion backs our anti-vivisection campaign, and airlines and ferry companies are being persuaded to get out of the trade

So animal researchers are complaining that ferry companies and airlines, responding to the peacefully expressed concerns of their customers, are opting out of transporting animals for laboratories. Animals imported for research actually represent less than 1% of the nearly 4 million used every year in the UK – but that is still more than 26,000 animals.

This is not a new issue. The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection(BUAV) has been campaigning since the 1990s against the trade in primates for research. Successive BUAV undercover investigations show what a nasty business it is.

To date, we have persuaded 64 airlines to refuse to carry primates for research, including most of the major international carriers. Our airlines campaign has taken the form of reasoned argument, allied to letter-writing by our hundreds of thousands of supporters (the BUAV is the leading organisation in the world campaigning solely against animal testing).

The arguments easily resonate. The capture of wild primates inevitably causes great distress and often injury. Conditions at captive-breeding and holding centres usually fall short of even modest international welfare standards. And the journeys from south-east Asia and Africa, usually to North America and Europe, by air and road, sometimes taking days, just add to the misery. Primates are packed into small wooden crates, usually too small to allow them to stand up, and travel as cargo. They may be forced to endure inadequate ventilation, noise, temperature fluctuations and long delays en route.

For others, anxiety and stress can lead to disease. According to official US data obtained under a freedom of information request in 2009, imported primates were found with pneumonia, enteritis, gastroenteritis, dehydration, weight loss and bacterial infection. And numerous monkeys have died en route.

At the same time, we continue to expose what actually happens to primates and other animals in laboratories, in the UK and around the world – no easy task given the overwhelming secrecy – and to lobby politicians. Campaigning is always multidimensional. But neither the BUAV or the vast majority of those campaigning against animal experiments focuses on individual animal researchers.

Is animal research good science anyway? We think not. Quite simply, there is little robust evidence that the use of primates and genetically modified mice (the other main animal group imported) produces reliable information. Just because scientists can create myriad “models” of human disease, all differing by one or two pieces of genetic material, does not mean that the results can safely be extrapolated to humans. The business of producing GM mice has increased exponentially over the last 20 years, and yet the rate of new drugs coming on to the market has been steadily decreasing.

Insight into the causes of disease and its treatment often lies at the level of the gene or cellular proteins; the use of a whole, alien animal merely complicates the process. Alternatives to GM mice lie in the use of genetically altered cells and tissues or donated human diseased tissue. Induced pluripotent stem cells have been developed from human adult stem cells that have been genetically modified to express the correct genes. These cells can differentiate into various body cell types, enabling researchers to study disease at this level and in the correct species (humans) without using animals. There is much more.

Does the BUAV want to make it more difficult for laboratories to obtain animals? Of course we do. Boycotts have been the very stuff of legitimate campaigning for centuries, from the slave trade through to apartheid and child labour. And we have public opinion on our side. An opinion poll by YouGov in the UK and EU in 2009 showed large majorities of people against causing suffering to lab animals (as each of the nearly 4 million conducted here each year is, by statutory definition, liable to do), in particular to primates, cats and dogs. Ferry companies and airlines are simply responding to public opinion about this distasteful trade.

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