Author’s New Cookbook Aims to Satirize Animal Rights Groups with Recipes Using Household Pets

In PEOPLE EATING TASTY ANIMALS, author Robert Arlen uses black humor to create a recipe book meant to shock and amuse.

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - In PEOPLE EATING TASTY ANIMALS, Robert Arlen takes on what he feels is one animal rights group's over-the-top stance on animal rights by producing a cookbook for meals made from whales, poodles and more. Author Robert Arlen is an animal lover who has also owned two different pet stores. Yet, he increasingly found fault with the way the animal rights agencies do business to achieve their goals. Wanting to have some fun, he created PEOPLE EATING TASTY ANIMALS, a book of recipeshe intends to poke fun at such groups and generate lauther.

Arlen provides real-sounding, intricate recipes for such dishes as Cheetah Chimichanga, Barbecued Beaver and Cat Tacos. He suggests people savemoney by eating the meat of their 50-pound poodle when it dies, and he points out that a beached whale could be an economical meal choicethat could simply supple enough meat for an entire family reunion. Filled with color illustrations, the book is designedto be placed on the coffee table, opened at any page and shared with friends.

PEOPLE EATING TASTY ANIMALS is available for sale at Amazon.com, Booksurge and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

About the author Robert Arlen has owned two pet shops, loves animals and wishes PETA had a sense of humor. He currently lives in Virginia Beach, VA and he says he has personally never tried any of the recipes in PEOPLE EATING TASTY ANIMALS.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

REFILE-Iowa governor signs law penalizing animal rights activists

By Kay Henderson

DES MOINES, Iowa, March 5 (Reuters) - Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed a bill that could result in penalties on animal rights activists who pose as employees or attempt to get inside agricultural production facilities in other ways to expose possible animal cruelty.

The law has outraged a leading animal rights group known for its controversial tactics to expose animal cruelty, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which said it may mount a court challenge and threatened a possible boycott of Iowa.

The bill, labeled "Ag Gag" by opponents, was signed on Friday but news of Branstad's approval did not emerge until Monday.

Iowa action could set a precedent for other agricultural states as it is the largest producer of corn, soybeans and has the largest number of hogs and the sixth largest cattle herd.

"If somebody comes on somebody else's property through fraud or deception or lying, that is a serious violation of people's rights and people should be held accountable for that," Branstad told reporters on Monday.

The adoption of penalties in Iowa follows a series of cases where animal rights activists gained entrance to what they call "factory farms" including chicken and egg, hog and cattle production and processing facilities.

In one recent example, McDonald's stopped buying from egg supplier Sparboe after an undercover investigation by the animal rights group Mercy for Animals found dead hens in cages and live chicks discarded in plastic bags along with dead one. Sparboe had unwittingly hired a Mercy activist to work at its facility.

Such actions have also prompted food companies to reconsider suppliers who confine hens laying eggs in small cages and sows in crates while they are nursing piglets.

"This is going to come back to haunt Iowa agriculture more than they could ever imagine," said Dan Mathews, PETA's senior vice president. "Iowa has singled itself out as the state with the most to be ashamed of and I don't think that is a very strong message to send to consumers."

Branstad said the new law would not affect whistleblowers, employees who see something and report it.

"Agriculture is an important part of our economy and farmers should not be subjected to people doing illegal, inappropriate things and being involved in fraud and deception in order to try to disrupt agricultural operations," Branstad said.

(Writing by David Bailey; Editing by Greg McCune)

Chicago Tribune

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