Only Losers Sell Fur

Recently I have had to and will continue to, boycott one of my favourite retailers Winners. It's difficult to be sure the clothing I buy is sweat shop free and I do what I can to be sure I make purchases that are cruelty free and ethical however I know that indirectly I have supported sweatshops and other mistreatment unbeknown to me. I don't know what I don't know, which is why I question almost everything I buy. I have learned Winners sells fur. Now I must voice my disgrace on the subject. 


On the Vancouver Animal Rights Campaigns blog they posted in detail recent encounters with Winners:

Winners Selling Raccoon Fur

Well, this is it, we are SICK AND TIRED of seeing cheap, cruel fur for sale atWinners, and we are even more sick and tired of being lied to about it!

Winners sells fur from many different species of animals like rabbits, raccoon dogs, mink and foxes, raised on fur farms in several different countries including Canada, Greece, Finland and China.

When contacting Winners in the past regarding their sale of fur they have stated “as long as it is in style, we will continue to sell it.”

When a concerned customer contacted them in regards to a raccoon dog trimmed jacket they were sold and specifically told by Winners staff that it is FAKE FUR, their response was “well our staff are not experts on the subject.”

NOW, this is the latest from WINNERS:

“Hi ****,

Thank you for your email.  We appreciate the time you have taken to contact

us and have taken your comments very seriously.  Your voice does count, and

we will continue to evaluate the sale of fur in our stores.

As a retailer, our goal is to provide our customers with the widest

selection of merchandise, while providing the best quality and value.

Therefore, as a retailer with a diverse clientele, we make every attempt to

understand and satisfy the needs and concerns of all of our customers.

Please be assured WMI does not condone the unethical treatment of any

animal.  Our buyers only purchase fur products from reputable manufacturers

in the industry.  We have very tight systems in place to ensure that we do

not purchase or sell any merchandise containing dog or cat fur. Whenever

possible, our buyers purchase domestically produced goods, where it is

illegal to use dog or cat fur and any new purchases require manufacturers’

documentation that no dog or cat fur is involved.

Our Buyers travel to China periodically throughout the year and tour many

of the factories, however we have Agents who live there that we pay to

protect our interests and to ensure our vendors are abiding by our

agreements.  Be assured we have all of our Vendors sign an agreement that

indicates no fur from endangered species, dog, cat, racoon dog, asiatic

racoon, etc…  will be a part of any product offered to, shipped to or

sold to our Organization by them or their affiliates.

We hope this information answers your concerns.  If you have any other

inquiries, please feel free to contact our toll freeCustomer Serviceline

at:  1800-646-9466 in order to speak to one of our Representatives.”

Winners has now stated that they do not sell ASIATIC RACCOON.  The problem is we were in Winners on December 23rd and we found a whole rack of winter jackets with raccoon dog trim labeled as ASIATIC RACCOON. (attached are pictures of the trim and the tag)

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!  WE WILL NOT BE LIED TO AND WE WANT WINNERS TO STOP SELLING FUR OF ALL KINDS!!!!!

PLEASE EMAIL WINNERS STAFF AND TELL THEM WHAT YOU THINK OF THEIR BLOODY, CORRUPT, DISHONEST BUSINESS!!!

mike_faulkner@winners.ca, leslie_berg@winners.ca,shannon.johnson@winners.ca, liz.mcdonald@winners.ca,bob.cataldo@winners.ca, sherry.zaremba@winners.ca,Teresa.kakish@winners.ca, mike.kinnon@winners.ca,andrew.todd@winners.ca, judy.schroffel@winners.ca,katie.dryburgh@winners.ca, cheryl.zamalynski@winners.ca,andrea.little@winners.ca, kevin.hale@winners.ca,brenda.mackirdy@winners.ca, brenda.berg@winners.ca,graem.rolfe@winners.ca, kim.stark@winners.ca,connie.johnson@winners.ca, marsha.loft@winners.ca,pat.steed@winners.ca, gary.burney@winners.ca,lauren.henry@winners.ca, brandy.ross@winners.ca,tulin.aulgin@winners.ca, ray.nero@winners.ca,shahin.fooladbary@winners.ca, sharalyn.landon@winners.ca,maura.cowie@winners.ca, gary.howell@winners.ca,cam.badwal@winners.ca, rene.pichett@winners.ca,rob.sewell@winners.ca, helen.abdullah@winners.ca,darlene.abukar@winners.ca, kevin.roberge@winners.ca,debra.sikorski@winners.ca, don.phinney@winners.ca,jason.baird@winners.ca, doug.kleininger@winners.ca, ,pat.stead@winners.ca, patty.harris@winners.ca,lori.markel@winners.ca, shannon.pagen@winners.ca,barb.hayes@winners.ca, joel.lohr@winners.ca,joanne.lafrenier@winners.ca, edma.grasfler@winners.ca,lori.kennedy@winners.ca, karen.ramo@winners.ca,kasia.orlow@winners.ca, cservice_department@winners.ca, michael.case@winners.ca

ONE MORE THING!

Winners has stated: 
“Our Buyers travel to China periodically throughout the year and tour many
of the factories, however we have Agents who live there that we pay to
protect our interests and to ensure our vendors are abiding by our
agreements.”

We contacted the manufacturer Soia and Kyo whose fur trimmed jackets are for sale in Winners right now.  They told us that Winners has not ever inspected any of their factories, let alone a fur farm, as they are an independent manufacturer.  So Winners has NO IDEA where they source their fur from, or how the animals are treated.

Thank you for your efforts, please forward this email!

VADL

Please note:

This alert is not meant to incite any illegal activities and all the information in this message is for legal use only. We don’t take

responsibility for other people’s actions no matter how much they make us smile. Thanks for your support.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fur from China is often mislabelled as fur from other species or even as "all man made materials". There aren't any laws in Canada regarding labelling. Products do not have to say which animal the fur is a source of and don not have to even indicate that it is real.. But you can't mislabel them, legally. Fur is exported to countries throughout the world to be sold to unsuspecting customers.

PETA has been documenting articles and footage of the the Fur Industry for years. 

There are no penalties for abusing animals on fur farms in China who are the largest fur exporters in the world. Be aware, ask questions and please don't support cruelty. Compassion Is Fashion!!

Eric Clapton~Tears In Heaven

A lump in my throat and a heavy heart every time I hear this, ....but I don't wonder if they'll know me because I'm SURE my three babies will be returned to me somehow someway someday.

Eric Clapton~Wonderful Tonight

My hearts overflows with the feeling of love when I hear this song. It makes me think of Date Nights and how much needed they are to stay in tune and connected within our relationships.

Gluten Free Vegetarian Baked Potato & Leek Soup

We sorta winged this one afternoon and it turned out to be pretty amazing!

2 carrots, peeled & diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 leek, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 raw potatoes, diced
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
8 cups of vegetable stock
1 can of corn
6 baked potatoes, skins peeled off & diced
1 cup 35% heavy cream
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
Cornstarch mixture to thicken, if necessary

Sauté the carrots, celery, leek, garlic & raw potatoes in the vegetable oil. Add salt & pepper. Stir and cook until soft.... about 5-7 minutes
Add in the vegetable stock & corn & seasonings and boil for 45 minutes.
Puree the soup until blended together then add in heavy cream. Add in baked potatoes. Stir well, add salt & pepper to taste and serve.... with chives & cheddar cheese if you like chives & cheese!

Put A Little Love In Your Heart~Annie Lennox & Al Green

This is gonna be my 2011 theme song, all! 
You just wait and see....  I hope when you decide, kindness will be your guide.
; )
Put A Little Love In Your Heart
(Annie Lennox duet with Al Green)

Think of your fellow man
Lend him a helping hand
Put a little love in your heart
You see it's getting late
Oh please don't hesitate
Put a little love in your heart
And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place
For you and me
You just wait and see
Another day goes by
And still the children cry
Put a little love in you heart
If you want the world to know
We won't let hatred grow
Put a little love in your heart
And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place
For you and me
You just wait and see
Wait and see
Take a good look around
And if you're lookin' down
Put a little love in your heart
I hope when you decide
Kindness will be your guide
Put a little love in your heart
And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place
For you and me
You just wait and see
Put a little love in your heart
Put a little love in your heart
Put a little love in your heart
Put a little love in your heart
Put a little love in -
Put a little love in your heart...

Happy Christmas ~John Lennon

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over over
If you want it
War is over
Now... 

Another Year Almost Over And A New One Is Near ~Goodbye & Thank You 2010

Like in John Lennon's song Happy Christmas, another year is almost over and a new one is near. Reflecting back to where I was when 2010 first arrived, I see that all I had set out for myself was accomplished. We made those trips, we celebrated those milestones and grew up a little bit more together both as a family and as individuals.

Chris and I have always been very in sync. As in any relationship, there are sometimes bumps in the road but they result in proving the power of our love, patience and gratitude for each other. He gives me the world, my world that I thought out and created in my head as a kid, and has helped me work into to making it a reality. He has taught me dreams do come true. I let things get too hectic sometimes in 2010 and he called me out on a few occasions where we seemed distant. Amidst the chaos of our lives, we re-connect, ignite the flame and carry on. I love him more than ever.

Carter has gone and grown up on me this year. He knows things about iPods and music and life and the planet that I didn't teach him. He's absorbed and learned because he's found his own interests and sourced out the answers. He's developed his own opinions about things and I literally glow inside when I hear him speak of his findings.  

Callum still needs me for a lot of things that Carter does not however he has become more independent than ever before. He doesn't hold back when expressing his emotions and this is obvious from the stories he tells me about school friend relationships. He made my heart melt when he told me the lunch monitors laughed at him when he dropped his lunch bag on the floor and everything spilled out, but I was beaming with pride when he told me how he handled the situation. "I told them thats not very respectful and you should be helping me pick this up and if you were nice lunch monitors you'd do that and show respectfulness to me" Ahhhh.... thatta boy!!

Then there's me. I've most definitely grown as an individual this year. I've had more opportunities to engage in my passions of making the world a better place. The little bit that I contribute amongst my duties of being who I am to everyone else in my life, makes me feel whole. In reflecting all that I've experienced this year I've started creating my Twenty-Eleven New Years Resolutions List. Last year I had said I wanted to take Ballroom Dance Lessons.... CHECK! Did it and loved them. I also said I wanted to do more in the spirit of animal rights issues and share my knowledge in good and appropriate ways.... CHECK! Did that and will carry that over to my 2011 list as well. One resolution I didn't do well at keeping was that I planned to say "no" more often to people. I get asked a lot of favours and I have a natural tendency to just say yes then figure out how I'm gonna do it after I've opened my mouth. I can't say "yes" to everyone and feel good about it all the time because sometimes my commitments are intrusive to my family and cause upset amongst us. I need to concentrate more on who really needs me to do things for them in comparison to those who just want me to do things for them. For those who need me, need me because I make a difference in their lives and so I am swayed to do things for them out of love. If I'm not feelin' the love or the true need vibe, then I'll make my decisions accordingly. Once I really differentiate the two, I'll do better at yes and no's.  

So as 2010 was a year for growth & milestones in my family, I think 2011 will be a year for gratitude and enjoying the life we have. I plan to take life just a little bit slower this coming year and focus on the things that truly make my soul shine. Hopefully the reflection of that energy I create will bounce back to those I love so we can all live warm with gratitude for all that we have. As we approach the new year with a deep appreciation for the past one, I say Stay Grateful, Happy Holidays & Peace On Earth.

Not always, but every once in awhile, I'm grateful to receive these types of emails because they actually make me think:                            


                            To realize
                            The value of a sister/brother
                            Ask someone
                            Who doesn't have one.

                            To realize
                            The value of ten years:
                            Ask a newly
                            Divorced couple.

                            To realize
                            The value of four years:
                            Ask a graduate.

                            To realize
                            The value of one year:
                            Ask a student who
                            Has failed a final exam.

                            To realize
                            The value of nine months:
                            Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

                            To realize
                            The value of one month:
                            Ask a mother
                            Who has given birth to
                            A premature baby.

                            To realize
                            The value of one week:
                            Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

                            To realize
                            The value of one minute:
                            Ask a person
                            Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

                            To realize
                            The value of one second:
                            Ask a person
                            Who has survived an accident.

                            Time waits for no one.

                            Treasure every moment you have.

We Were Throwing Red Paint From A Watermelon Float

It's a bit extreme because I'm a proud supporter of PETA and they're mocking what PETA does in this clip however I've met girls like this who want to be activists but just don't have the knowledge behind them to support their actions. If they have the drive and ambition to make a difference and spread the word about animal rights,  more seasoned activists should be willing to share with them with the information they need to do that in a good way. This clip does make me laugh though.... it's funny. And besides, what brand these days doesn't use sex to sell, really?