Exploring the ways we have used animals for sport and entertainment. The controversial line between entertainment and abuse,

Investigative journalist Peter Laufer is back with his third book in a trilogy that explores the way we humans interact with animals. The attack of a trainer at Sea World by a killer whale in February 2010 is the catalyst for this examination of the controversial role animals have played in the human arenas of entertainment and sports. From the Romans throwing Christians to lions to cock-fighting in present-day California, from abusive Mexican circuses to the thrills of a Hungarian counterpart, from dog training to shooting strays in the Baghdad streets, Laufer looks at the ways people have used animals for their pleasure. The reader travels with Laufer as he encounters fascinating people and places, and as he ponders the ethical questions that arise from his quest.

This dissertation asserts that the "No Animals Were Harmed" disclaimer in film and television productions reveals the utopian visions of a humane and civilized society. The institutionalization of disclaimer by the American Humane Association is situated within a rhetorical and cultural history of the 20th-century U.S. film industry and humane movement using rhetorical analysis and archival research. Efforts by the American Humane Association (AHA) to protect the rights of the animal actor, a omnipresent figure in film history, reveal the existence of an intimate public sphere. The first chapter demonstrates how public opinion after the death of a horse during Jesse James (1939) enabled the AHA to become part of the Production Code. The second chapter examines why the industry failed to follow humane standards for animal actors in bullfighting films of the 1950s and 60s. The third chapter contends that Heaven's Gate (1980) catastrophe linked public emotion with the film industry's economic and moral failings, thus relegitimizing the AHA's Film & TV Unit. The fourth chapter argues that the new field of animal/ity studies would benefit from examining its pedagogic goals, particularly in connection with the ethic of care tradition and feminist composition studies.

When cameras roll and directors call, “Action,” some of the most dependable, funniest, and most enthusiastic actors stand poised on four legs, with ears alert. From Joey in War Horse to the wolves in Game of Thrones, what we see on screen is the result of meticulous preparation and professional teamwork. The eye-popping, heartwarming stories in these pages reveal the trainers, actors, directors, and, of course, dogs, cats, horses, penguins, deer, and other animals in all their behind-the-scenes glory. You’ll discover that some animal actors have diva tendencies and others have rags-to-riches backstories. American Humane Association certified animal safety representatives work carefully to ensure that no animals are harmed, as they have been doing for decades. Animal stars have done it all — convinced us to eat more tacos, broken our hearts in war dramas, inspired us with enduring love and loyalty, kept us at the edge of our seats as they snarled in the shadows, mirrored human antics to make us roar with laughter, and, like Uggie (from The Artist), stolen the show on the red carpet. Who besides a monkey named Crystal could impress a brilliant comedian like Robin Williams in Night at the Museum? And animal stars will work for food, including only KFC original recipe for Casey the bear — no other fried chicken will do! These charming and sometimes hilarious stories will give you a new appreciation for the skill and patience it takes to teach nonhuman actors to perform on camera. Training tips from the pros and personal recollections of celebrities such as Julia Roberts, Hailee Steinfeld, and Steven Spielberg make this insider’s look at the lives and work of these incomparable stars as irresistible as the animals themselves. A portion of the publisher’s proceeds from this book will aid American Humane Association.

How can someone who condemns hunting, animal farming, and animal experimentation also favor legal abortion, which is the deliberate destruction of a human fetus? The authors of Beating Hearts aim to reconcile this apparent conflict and examine the surprisingly similar strategic and tactical questions faced by activists in the pro-life and animal rights movements. Beating Hearts maintains that sentience, or the ability to have subjective experiences, grounds a being's entitlement to moral concern. The authors argue that nearly all human exploitation of animals is unjustified. Early abortions do not contradict the sentience principle because they precede fetal sentience, and Beating Hearts explains why the mere potential for sentience does not create moral entitlements. Late abortions do raise serious moral questions, but forcing a woman to carry a child to term is problematic as a form of gender-based exploitation. These ethical explorations lead to a wider discussion of the strategies deployed by the pro-life and animal rights movements. Should legal reforms precede or follow attitudinal changes? Do gory images win over or alienate supporters? Is violence ever principled? By probing the connections between debates about abortion and animal rights, Beating Hearts uses each highly contested set of questions to shed light on the other.

THE argument for animal rights, a classic since its appearance in 1983, from the moral philosophical point of view. With a new preface.

A pair of sellswords and a fallen nobleman become the world's unlikely—and only—hope against a dark force bent on destruction There have always been tall tales of the caverns beneath the Citadel—tales about magic and mages, monsters and gods. Wydrin of Crosshaven has heard them all, but she's spent long enough trawling caverns and taverns with her companion Sir Sebastian to learn that there's no money to be made in chasing rumors. So when a crippled nobleman named Lord Frith offers them a job exploring the Citadel’s darkest depths, it sounds like just another quest. For Wydrin and Sebastian, it comes with the exciting possibility of gold, adventure, and fame. For Lord Frith, it's a chance to avenge everything that was taken from him. But soon, these reckless adventurers will realize that what lies ahead is far bigger than their own goals, desires, and imaginations. Sometimes there is truth in rumor—and sometimes a story can save your life. File Under: Fantasy [ Beware of the Gods | Dungeon Crawlers | The Brood Rises | Prince of Wounds ]