Aloha from Hawai Happy Moooo Year

Many plans and ideas for the new year, please stay tuned

Thank you for all you do for the animals,
love the animals

 

 marasia
 

Can anyone donate $16.99 to buy 2 magazine literature holders? Thanks

 

Get to know the Character that is Miss Rosie Rose Tulips
What a lovable little oinker

Perhaps Miss Rosie Rose is the most amazing little animal-individual i have ever known...there is something special about her...i thinks it is the intelligent factor. She has a certain look in her eye and we are still getting to know each other.

She sleeps under her sleeping bag with the two dogs on top and when i walk in the house, she comes leaping out to greet me.

She still squeals when being carried, but she is mumbling only quietly on my lap for pets.

She really has a communication style of her own, many different sounds. She seems to be upset still when i clean up after her, she protests. I have to laugh. She does a sort of a chuckle oink, she laughs at herself perhaps.

She likes to try to lick my toes, and likes to like girlas fur. She is still destroying the weak wooden floors with rooting, but doing better. She has found the perfect little restroom in the dogs room.

Miss Rosie Rose is a lot of work and demands a lot of attention but she is worth it.

This is a short blog, doing her no justice...I just had to say
as they said in charlotte's web : she is some pig, some amazing pig

It is a tragedy beyond words that pigs are being farmed and slaughtered. They belong in sleeping bags, not freezer bags.

Please remove Pork products from your diet and ask others too as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Associated Press & Hawaii Tribune Herald Front Page News
Three Versions
Above Photo by Peter Sur Hawaii Tribune Herald

 

This story first appeared at the Hawaii Tribune Herald, front page...
then it made its way to the Associated Press which led to:
Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu Star Bulletin, Maui News, Kama'aina Shopper(mailed out free to everyone on island)KHNL NBC,
Animal Liberation Front.com thanks:) , AOL News, Topix, World News Network, Animal Concerns, and others. Also, the short version was read on the radio B97, KPUA.

HONOMU, Hawaii (AP) _ A Big Island animal rights activist is hoping to save thousands of chickens from slaughter when Hawaiian Fresh Egg Farm near Waimea closes later this year.

Tony Marasia, who is a vegan, doesn't have the resources to buy all 8,000 hens currently left at the farm.

But he's hoping that people will be willing to step up and adopt a few.

The 33-year-old thinks of the hens as friends or individuals, rather than pets or animals.

Marasia says two farm hens he recently rescued, Meepa and Beepa, have personalities. Meepa likes to sing and Beepa is the sunbather.

Hawaiian Fresh Farm Eggs is winding down production and is looking to close down in October.

Vegans swear off eating animals and animal products, including seafood and eggs.

(Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Shorter version for radio - longer version for papers, etc...

 

Activist sticks neck out for chickens
Associated Press
HONOMU, Big Island » A Big Island animal rights activist hopes to save thousands of chickens from slaughter when Hawaiian Fresh Egg Farm near Waimea closes later this year.

Tony Marasia does not have the resources to buy all 8,000 hens currently left at the farm, but he is hoping people will be willing to adopt a few.

The 33-year-old thinks of the hens as friends or individuals, rather than pets or animals.

Marasia says two farm hens he recently rescued, Meepa and Beepa, have personalities. Meepa likes to sing and Beepa is the sunbather.

"They have likes; they have dislikes," Marasia said, sitting in a green plastic chair as Meepa and Beepa strolled around their new home, a 20-by-30-foot pen in the back yard of a vacant house.

Marasia built the pen himself and is renting the back yard for $100 a month.

As a vegan, Marasia swears off eating animals and animal products, including seafood and eggs. Saving Big Island farm animals from slaughter was not always his goal.

Marasia grew up in Pennsylvania and came to Hawaii a decade ago with the intention of studying Eastern religions and pre-veterinary medicine at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, to become a zoo keeper.

Instead, he became "sidetracked" by other ventures and did not enroll. For a time he worked as a security guard at the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo.

After the death of his goldfish, Goldie, in 2005, he swore off eating fish. A short time later, Marasia watched the video "Meet Your Meat," produced by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, about the cruel treatment of animals in modern farms.

Six months later, in mid- 2006, Marasia met Pono the cow when the Holstein was restrained by a 10-foot-long chain. Marasia started a successful campaign to raise money to buy the animal, sparing Pono from a trip to the slaughterhouse.

He relied on Internet donations to get Pono, and hopes to draw on donors again for this venture.

"To me, with each hen that is rescued ... the world changes a little bit," Marasia said. "With each hen, for them the world has changed."

Hawaiian Fresh Farm Eggs is winding down production and is looking to close in October.

David Davenport, the farm's owner, supports the idea of a safe haven for the hens.

"I think it's a good thing, if people want to do it," he said. ..

Save the chickens
by Peter Sur
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer

Published: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 10:58 AM HST
Animal rights activist wants to find homes for former island egg-layers
HONOMU -- When the Hawaiian Fresh Egg Farm near Waimea closes later this year, thousands of hens will be laid off.

Hoping to save them from slaughter or some other ignoble fate is Tony Marasia, a Honomu vegan and animal rights activist. Monday, in the backyard of a vacant home, he released the two former egg-layers into a 20-by-30-foot pen.

It's a safe haven for the two hens, whom Marasia named Meepa and Beepa. Before Marasia bought them June 30, the hens had spent their lives in a space 16-by-18 inches across, shared with two other hens.

Marasia -- he goes by one name -- is tall and thin, and he spoke with conviction in an interview held Monday in the hen pen. As he spoke, describing the importance of his work, Meepa and Beepa stood in a corner, unsure of what to do.

Marasia's idea that chickens have personalities is an unpopular one, given that less than 1 percent of the U.S. population is vegan, according to a 2000 Zogby poll funded by the Vegetarian Resource Group.

Vegans, unlike vegetarians, swear off eating animals and animal products, including seafood and eggs. They don't use any animal products, like leather.

Marasia, 33, takes it one step further by hoping to find homes for as many of the Hawaiian Fresh Egg Farm hens as possible, preferably so they can live out their lives in some place far from the dinner plate.

"(The farm) has 8,000 left. I'm sure all 8,000 have their own personalities like Meepa and Beepa," he said. Marasia doesn't have the resources to buy all of them, but he's hoping that people will be willing to step up and adopt a few. The hens that are currently being sold off are nearing the end of their cycle and are not being replaced.

Saving the Big Island's farm animals from slaughter wasn't always his goal.

Marasia grew up in Pennsylvania and came to Hawaii a decade ago with the intention of studying eastern religions and pre-veterinary medicine at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, to become a zookeeper. Instead, he became "sidetracked" by other ventures and didn't enroll. For a time he worked as a security guard at the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo.

After the death of his goldfish Goldie in 2005, he swore off eating fish. A short time later, Marasia watched the video "Meet Your Meat," produced by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, about the cruel treatment of animals in modern farms. Six months later, in mid-2006, Marasia met Pono, the cow.

Columnist Karen Welsh interviewed Marasia for the "Meet Me on Monday" piece that was published Jan. 1, 2007. It remains the most-commented article on the Tribune-Herald Web site with more than 700 comments. As stated in that column, Marasia found Pono at the end of a 10-foot-long chain and started a successful campaign to raise money to buy him, sparing the Holstein from a trip to the slaughterhouse. That campaign began July 1, 2006, and ended July 8, and since then Marasia has done something new to celebrate the anniversary.

In July 2007, he opened an animal education center in Honomu's Kayumangi Building. Those driving up Honomu Road will notice the building with the large red star and the sign that says "GO VEGAN: It's Easy." Inside, there are pamphlets and videos.

This year, he marked the center's anniversary by starting the hen rescue campaign. He wants to have people adopt as many of the hens as possible, and sets 100 as an initial goal. Any amount would help, he said, and after the initial investment of about $300 for the enclosure and tarp, the hens won't cost too much. He relied on Internet donations to get Pono, and hopes to draw on donors from around the world again for this venture.

"To me, with each hen that is rescued ... the world changes a litttle bit," Marasia said. "With each hen, for them the world has changed."

For Meepa and Beepa, Marasia first saw them carried upside-down, their legs bound together with black electrical tape, and "helpless and hopeless," he wrote in a MySpace blog entry. Today, he says Meepa likes to sing and Beepa is the sunbather.

Marasia prefers to think of the hens as friends or individuals, rather than pets or animals.

"They have personalities. They have likes; they have dislikes," Marasia said, sitting in a green plastic chair as Meepa and Beepa strolled around their new enclosure. Marasia built the pen himself and is renting the backyard from the house off Puako Street for $100 a month.

"I sort of have a heart for farm animals," he said.

David Davenport, the owner of Hawaiian Fresh Egg Farm, supports the idea of a safe haven for the hens.

"I think it's a good thing if people want to do it," he said. As of Monday, the farm has a little under 7,000 hens and is producing between 50 to 60 cases a week. One case is 360 eggs.

The farm is winding down production and is looking to close down in October. The number of eggs produced is down from 550 cases about a year ago with 45,000 hens, Meepa and Beepa among them. The egg farm is the last of its kind on the Big Island, and was once the chief supplier to KTA's Mountain Apple Brand.

On Monday, under a clear blue sky and a fresh breeze, Marasia removed the wire mesh that had kept them in a holding pen and let them jump out into the new enclosure.

Animal lovers may go to the hens' MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/homes4hens. They may also contact Marasia at adoptahen@yahoo.com or (808) 963-6201.

Marasia said that a woman in Washington state has already expressed interest in adopting a hen and will come to Hawaii in the fall to pick it(her) up

Race horses past their prime are put out to stud or just become scenery in some green pasture. When greyhounds grow weary of chasing fake rabbits around a track, they are adopted by people who like having a turbo dog around the house (they fetch slippers in 1.2 seconds). But what do you do with several thousand chickens once they aren't needed for laying eggs?

These chickens weren't raised to be eaten. These were WORKING chickens. To simply turn them into a Sunday entree would be like grinding up Mr. Ed after he died and feeding him to Lassie.

The 4,000 chickens in question currently reside near Kamuela on the Big Island at the Hawaiian Fresh Egg Farm. Owner David Davenport has announced the farm will close in October. That's too bad because Hawaiian Fresh Egg Farm is the last neighbor-island egg farm.

The question is, what will happen to the chickens. Davenport told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald he hopes at least some of them will go to homes where they will be able to become something other than fried. (Although, I notice in a Hawaii Island Journal piece on the egg farm, "stewing chickens" are listed for 50 cents to $1, and there is no mention of adopting one as a pet.)

A Big Island animal rights activist, Tony Marasia, has bought two chickens and is urging other people to do the same. He named his chickens Meepa and Beepa because, well, no one knows. And he clearly can't buy all the rest of Davenport's chickens because he would run out of names after buying only 24 more. Aeepa, Ceepa, Deepa, Eeepa, Feepa, Geepa, Heepa ... You see the problem.

So it is up to you "Lite" readers to buy up all those hard-working chickens that did everything that was asked of them and don't deserve the gallows. These are healthy organic chickens, too. They've been raised in as happy a place as an egg-laying chicken can be raised and haven't been pumped full of steroids or chicken broth or whatever.

There are all kinds of ways chickens can be helpful around the house. Egg-laying chickens are particularly bright. They can be taught to shake claw, roll over and heel. And once they realize what will happen to them when they cease to be amusing, they will learn to peck out Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" on a tiny piano and tap-dance without even being put on an electrified metal plate like they used to do along the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

Outside the house, a chicken will keep the yard clear of roaches, centipedes and smaller dogs and, under proper adult supervision, mow the lawn and trim hedges.

So you can see, it's really not fair that such talented birds, once released from duty at Hawaiian Fresh Egg Farm, should end up in the crock pot or as the main attraction at a barbecue chicken fundraiser. Those fates belong to lesser chickens who have not contributed a single omelet or souffle to the betterment of society..

 

 

Donations can be made through Paypal email is Pono@SaveBeautifulCows.com

or send a check/money order made out to Anthony Marasia to:

Marasia
PO Box 381
Honomu Hi 96728

 

Thank you to all who have donated, thank you very much

Meepa and Beepa Love You
PONO LOVES YOU too MOO

 

 

 

 

special thanks to SoFiA 

for the beautiful black and white photos of PONO

 

 Love PONO

 

 

Definition of PONO: Pono is the personal and organizational value of rightness and balance. When a person or steer is “Pono” they have the feeling of contentment when all is good and all is right in their life. Pono teaches the attitude of positivity and optimism. Life itself excites you, and you are full of hope, seeing that the future can only get better.

 

PONO LOVES YOU - LOVE PONO

 

We have a new Logo and Mascot for Love The Animals
Thank you Antonella Canavesse for your beautiful art
and for your kind and generous heart

Here is the story behind the little calf....told by Antonella:

And now the true story of this calf.
I live near a small organic farm raising cows and sheep and poultry. They live well, free
and in large places, even if they finally are used to feed owners and to be sold...
I didn't manage to convince owners to become vegetarian...

Anyway, each time a newborn arrives, I go taking pictures of him. And this calf was born
with a legs deformation and he couldn't stand up.
He has been helped with a sort of corrective strips, and finally he lifted up. But some
months later I didn't see him anymore and discovered he was dead, but I suppose he has
been sold to be slaughtered.

So, is a sad story... and I hope in his short life could be a reason, why not to become a
mascot for animals lovers?
When I met your space and known your story and mission I immediately hoped to do
something to help it, and this is the reason why I did the paint.

 

 

 

 

 

PONO LOVES YOU AND THANKS YOU TOO...MOO

 

 

PLEASE CONSIDER GOING VEGAN OR VEGETARIAN 
FOR THE LIVES OF THE ANIMALS
OR REDUCE YOUR CONSUMPTION OF ANIMAL PRODUCTS AND
REPLACE THEM WITH PLANT BASED PRODUCTS, THANK YOU MOO

ADD VEG MEALS TO YOUR DIET AND PERSONAL OR FAMILY MENUS

Each meal free of animal products helps reduce animal sufferring

and is a victory for the lives of animals.

LOVE THE ANIMALS

Animal Protection Education Center

 

 

 

 

DOORS ARE OPEN - FREE LITERATURE and INFORMATION FOR EVERYONE!

Organizations represented at the center include:

Peta, Farm Sanctuary, In Defense of Animals, Mercy for Animals, Vegan Outreach, Animal Rights Hawaii,

Compassion Over Killing, Compassionate Living Project, Viva, Humane Society of the United States,

Humane Farming Association, Humane Youth, Peta 2, United Poultry Concerns, Undercover TV, Sea Shepard, and more.

 

Marasia and PONO

PO Box 381

Honomu HI 96728

808 963 6201

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little backround info:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PONOs FRONT PAGE NEWS MOO HAWAII TRIBUNE HERALD JANUARY 1, 2007
 
By Karen Welsh

There's alot of pressure to provide a moo-ving tale on New Year's Day, but fate has decided 32 year old Anthony Marasia and his friend PONO the holstein steer will help kick off another fine and intersting year of columns.

It's an unlikely love story: A vegan man and a once homeless domestic beast become a perfect match for each other.

But they are.

The story began when marasia took a walk last spring at Honomu Park near where he lives.

He was startled to see the steer stuck to one end of a 10-foot chain.

One look in Pono's nut-brown eyes and Anthony was immediately bonded to the overtly friendly animal.

"He was sticking out," marasia said. "In a sea of green foliage was this black and white cow wrapped around a tree with his water knocked over. I just felt he needed to be cared for."

He began to make regular trips to the park to feed and water the incarcerated bull. Marasia found out that Pono was meant to be slaughtered, barbequed, and eaten.

"Pono and I became friends, and I had to try to help him." Taking pity, marasia began a campaign to save his friend Pono on July 1. Soon a web site - www.SaveBeautifulCows.com - was up and running and, within a week, the man on a moo-ssion, as he likes to call it, had raised enough money with the help of many kind people to buy and transport Pono to a safe location.

"He was rescued," marasia said. "I'm so attached to Pono now. He's got such a wonderful personality. He's lovable and he relates to people. He's happy being free of the chain. He dances when he sees me and , as much as I've helped him, he's helped me. He's taught me things."

Throughout the months, Anthony has spent time learning about the Holstein dairy cow's plight on the Big Island.

He said Pono was one of the ill-fated male calves born at an east Hawaii dairy location.

"Many people don't realize that a female dairy cow needs to be impregnated before she can produce milk," marasia said. "What happens is when the mothers have their babies, they are taken away from them shortly after birth. This is traumatic for the mother and the baby. The girl cows are used in the future to make more milk, but they have no use for the male cows - especially because there is no veal industry in Hawaii. They usually sell the males at a cheap price to be raised and slaughtered at a young age. That's what happened to PONO."

The story of Ponos salvation doesn't end with the rescue. Anthony said the fine steer has inspired him to save other unwanted male Holsteins and have them adopted to landowners throughout the island.

"Pono's mission is to help other animals in need," marasia said. "There should be another option available other than slaughtering these beautiful creatures. I don't like seeing people or animals in pain. Cattle are not just big dumb things out there, once you get to know them they are as wonderful as any family pet. Like Pono, each one is unique, lovable, and silly. They are all individuals that deserve to live their lives too."

Once Anthony's brainchild recieves nonprofit status, those interested in the program can contact both man and beast via the website, which will remain up and running to keep everyone up-to-date.

Marasia is trying to work it so the new organization will provide the fences and veterinary services to give the steers a long and happy life.

However, this dedicated animal lover doesn't want to stop there. He is also interested in creating Love The Animals, an international animal protection education center and theater that will have its headquarters on the Big Island, to teach others to be kind to animals. Someday this may even include a Pono-based theme park.

"My desire is to help eliminate sufferring and create peace in the world," marasia said. "Pono is an advocate for this. Together we want to change people's perceptions of animals by helping them to see the animal kingdon in a kinder way. I would like them to see everything as alive and wanting to live."

At present, Anthony is working to find at least one more cow, preferably a female Holstein, to keep Pono company in his lush pasture.

"Pono is very special and we need to find him a friend," Anthony said. "He's a herd animal. he doesn't like to be alone."

UPDATE: In the search for a friend, I found PONO a herd. Instead of Buying a Baby cow, I just moooved PONO into the herd where she was from. It is Beautiful and PONO loves it. 80 acres on the ocean cliffs...I always promised PONO and ocean view.The land is being is for sale is parcels, though but we will cross that bridge whem we get to it. Does anyome want to buy a piece of paradise and let PONO and friends live there?

In the end, marasia believes Pono and he were destined to meet and change each other's lives and together they believe it is going to be a wonderful and "Happy Moo Year."

"Pono's moo will be heard around the world," marasia said.

 

 

 

 

Photos of little orphaned "PONO's" from the island dairy PONO was born.

These pictures show part of the problem with dairy,

Unwanted males, lots of them.

More milk, more orphanes, more slaughter.

 

 

 

 

 

Retired Battery Cage donated by Neil Hornish of Compassionate Living Project

 

Love, Kindness, Compassion, and Consideration for all life...

 

 

 

 

 

LOVE THE ANIMALS
Pono@SaveBeautifulCows.com

We would love to hear a moo from you!

 

 

 

PONO LOVES YOU!

MOO

The Historic Kayumangi Building is being brought back to life...

Love The Animals

We all can and will change the world!

 

PONO LOVES YOU
Love,
PONO

 

 

 

 

LoveTheAnimals.org COMING SOON

Thanks for stopping by - please moo again

PONO LOVES YOU-LOVE PONO

 

 

From warwak: http://veganschool101.blogspot.com

Hawaii State Senator Mike Gabbard's resolution requesting the State Dept. of Education to develop menu plans that include vegetarian and vegan meals passed. It is a first step forward to introducing the citizens of Hawaii to ethical, healthy, and more environmentally sound food choices.

THE SENATE S.C.R. NO. 84 TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008 S.D. 1 STATE OF HAWAII SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE HAWAII PUBLIC SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE TO DEVELOP NUTRITIONALLY-SOUND PUBLIC SCHOOL MENU PLANS THAT INCLUDE VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN MEALS.

WHEREAS, all students should be assured nutritionally-balanced diets to assure they become healthy adults who do not suffer from the effects of obesity and malnutrition from not eating healthy food; and

WHEREAS, fruits and vegetables promote good health because they contain fiber and essential nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, are low in fat and calories, contain phytochemicals that may provide additional protection to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, and contain no cholesterol; and

WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society, American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, and National Institutes of Health recommend that diets should include a balance of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; and

WHEREAS, students who identify themselves as vegetarian or vegan, i.e. they do not consume or use any animal products, or come from vegetarian or vegan families desire access to vegetarian and vegan meals in the public schools; and

WHEREAS, some public schools are able to provide vegetarian and vegan meals; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education and the Hawaii public school food service are requested to consider nutritionally-sound public school menu plans that give students the option of vegetarian and vegan public school meals; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to conduct training and workshops for cafeteria managers and workers to increase awareness of the benefits of and options for providing vegetarian and vegan meals that are nutritious and balanced to students in public schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to post on its website a list of schools that have vegetarian and vegan menu options; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009 on action it has undertaken pursuant to this measure; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Education.