"This book shows the real West, not the one seen in postcards or imagined from romantic movies and novels. With photographs and essays, it shows not only the most shocking cases of overgrazing, but also the subtle changes that signal ecological disruption on a massive scale. Welfare Ranching explains the cultural and historical causes of the wasting of the West and offers a vision of the renewal that is possible if citizens are willing to demand that their government shift land management priorities to serving the public and natural good, rather than facilitating private gain. Ultimately, this book points the way to the greatest opportunity yet remaining for ecological restoration and wildlife protection in this country."--BOOK JACKET.

When the first version of this book came out in 1996, on the heels of "Welfare Reform," it was received with great popular acclaim. As Jim Hightower put it, "At last, the real welfare scandal [is] revealed in one handy little -volume." But the scandal was still in the making. The total amount of taxpayers' money going to subsidize corporations and rich individuals has grown from about $448 billion to over $800 billion--and the amount of that tax money that comes from those flush companies and individuals continues to shrink. In this greatly expanded and updated version of Take the Rich off Welfare, Mark Zepezauer still details who's on the government dole and how much they're getting. This time around, though, he has slowed down his rapid firing of the latest names and numbers in order to reveal how it all works. Using accessible language and revealing graphics, he takes the time to explain how programs once intended to profit the public have been warped to benefit only the corporate bottom line; how administrations manipulate the tax code to slide their extortion from the bottom half past congressional oversight; and how the politicians from both parties employ budget doubletalk and paper trickery to make it look as if the economy isn't being sucked further into a sinkhole in order to line the pockets of the few. A prolific writer of humorous but cutting analyses of government policy and its fallout, Zepezauer provides us with the tools we need to expose the political chicanery of current and past administrations, and make it much more difficult for politicians to play Three Card Monte with our money and our future. To the rallying cry of fiscal conservatives who claim that government must shrink, Zepezauer offers an easy answer. Shrink you. Mark Zepezauer has worked as a journalist, editor and publisher since 1985. His articles, columns and reviews have appeared in the Village Voice, In These Times and the Arizona Daily Star. Zepezauer also wrote two Real Story books (now published by South End Press): The CIA's Greatest Hits (1994) and the first version of Take the Rich Off Welfare (1996), which have sold over 25,000 and 22,000 copies respec

A rational exploration of the ethical and welfare issues in all areas of equine use. This book addresses controversial and emotive issues surrounding these iconic creatures, providing a reliable source of information to support informed debate. It will enable all those with an interest in horses and the uses they are put to gain an awareness of the problems and abuses that occur. The book draws on the expertise of a range of acknowledged leaders in equine health and welfare. The first part of the book explores general issues of the horse’s needs and nature. The second part contains chapters each covering a specific human use of horses and the abuses that arise as a result. This book is part of the UFAW/Wiley-Blackwell Animal Welfare Book Series. This major series of books produced in collaboration between UFAW (The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare), and Wiley-Blackwell provides an authoritative source of information on worldwide developments, current thinking and best practice in the field of animal welfare science and technology. For details of all of the titles in the series see www.wiley.com/go/ufaw.

Discover the quintessential roadmap to transforming your calling into a thriving 10-acre ranch with "The New Ranch Owner's Guide." Crafted for the aspiring ranch owner, this comprehensive eBook is your proverbial fence-post to hang your hat on – a complete guide that doesn't just skim the surface but dives into the rich soil of ranch ownership. Embark on a journey starting with "Setting the Stage for Your 10-Acre Ranch," where you'll uncover your land's hidden potential and draft the blueprints for your agricultural aspirations. Next, traverse through the maze of "Zoning and Legal Requirements," ensuring your dream is not only robust but also regulation-compliant. Building your empire necessitates insight and "Infrastructure and Equipment Essentials" deliver just that. With practical advice on construction and investment, watch your ranch foundations set as solidly as the convictions that drive you. Then hone your attention to the heartbeat of any ranch – the land. The chapters on "Soil Health," "Water Resources," and "Land Management" equip you with sustainable tactics, making you the custodian of a land legacy. "The New Ranch Owner's Guide" is not just about the ground beneath your feet or the roofs over your head; it's about the life that animates your land. From "Selecting Livestock" and "Pasture Management" to "Raising Poultry," your journey is anchored in the intricacies of nurturing a resilient and productive ecosystem. As the seasons change, so must your strategies. The seasonal cycle of activities laid out in the "Seasonal Ranch Checklist" keeps you proactively engaged, ensuring your ranch thrives rain or shine. And with "Marketing and Selling Your Products," transform your toil into profit, linking farm to table in the most innovative ways. However, a ranch is more than crops and cattle; it's about community and continuity. Learn how to sow the seeds of "Community Involvement" and chart a course for the future with "Succession Planning." In facing the unpredictable, "Dealing with Challenges and Setbacks" offers solace and solutions ensuring that your spirit weathers every storm. The visions of sustainability and stewardship in "Innovations in Small-Scale Ranching" and "Ethics and Welfare in Ranching" will be your compass to a fulfilling ranch stewardship. Finally, relish the personal anecdotes of those who've walked this path in the "Case Studies of Successful 10-Acre Ranches," providing real-world examples that inspire and guide. Enter the gates of "The New Ranch Owner's Guide," where every chapter is a stepping stone to self-sufficiency and the realization of your pastoral dreams. Welcome to the first day of your life as a ranch owner – may it be as boundless and fruitful as the land you're about to shape.

"This book shows the real West, not the one seen in postcards or imagined from romantic movies and novels. With photographs and essays, it shows not only the most shocking cases of overgrazing, but also the subtle changes that signal ecological disruption on a massive scale. Welfare Ranching explains the cultural and historical causes of the wasting of the West and offers a vision of the renewal that is possible if citizens are willing to demand that their government shift land management priorities to serving the public and natural good, rather than facilitating private gain. Ultimately, this book points the way to the greatest opportunity yet remaining for ecological restoration and wildlife protection in this country."--BOOK JACKET.

In response to the growing scale and complexity of environmental threats, this volume collects articles, essays, personal narratives, and poems by more than forty authors in conversation about "thinking continental"--connecting local and personal landscapes to universal systems and processes--to articulate the concept of a global or planetary citizenship. Reckoning with the larger matrix of biome, region, continent, hemisphere, ocean, and planet has become necessary as environmental challenges require the insights not only of scientists but also of poets, humanists, and social scientists. Thinking Continental braids together abstract approaches with strands of more-personal narrative and poetry, showing how our imaginations can encompass the planetary while also being true to our own concrete life experiences in the here and now.

This book investigates how fish experience their lives, their amazing senses and abilities, and how human actions impact their quality of life. The authors examine the concept of fish welfare and the scientific knowledge behind the inclusion of fish within the moral circle, and how this knowledge can change the way we treat fish in the future. In many countries fish are already protected by animal welfare legislation in the same way as mammals, but in practice there is still a major gap between how we ethically view these groups and how we actually treat them. The poor treatment of fish represents a massive animal welfare problem in aquaculture and fisheries, both in terms of the number of animals affected and the severity of the welfare issues. Thanks to its interdisciplinary scope, this thought-provoking book appeals to professionals, academics and students in the fields of animal welfare, cognition and physiology, as well as fisheries and aquaculture management.