Guest guest Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 We are planning to be there rain or shine. If they can walk, we can educate. Three years ago the event was cancelled due to concern about Hurricane Rita. If the weather is threatening, please check for cancellation notice at the Heart Walk website: http://tinyurl.com/683del 2008 American Heart Association Heart Walk Informational Demonstration and Leafleting Wear a red T-shirt. I will have plenty of extras. The AHA has million$. The animals have us. Event: Dallas American Heart Association Heart Walk Demonstration Sponsors: Our informational demonstration is sponsored by North Texas Animal Rights Network (NTARN), Vegetarian Network of Dallas (VegNod), and Animal Connection of Texas (ACT). Heart Walk demonstration event planning is coordinated by NTARN founder Dr. John Pippin. Saturday, September 13, 2008. Time: Leafleters 7:30-8:00 AM. Opening ceremonies 8:30 AM. Walk begins 9:00 AM. Location: Victory Park (2500 Victory Avenue). This is at the SW corner of the American Airlines Center. Much easier to get to than the previous Heart Walk location. Parking is on-street and in area garages. Event information and map to Victory Park: http://tinyurl.com/6ql94s Purpose: Educate the public, local corporate sponsors, and AHA officials and volunteers about the scientifically flawed and ethically unjustifiable practice of animal research in medicine. We will use signs, leaflets, and friendly interactions to get the message out. Background: AHA spends more than 20% of its $800 million annual revenues, plus many more millions from foundations, for heart and stroke research – mostly animal research. Yet every one of more than 150 stroke treatments successful in animals has FAILED in human trials, and there are no reliable animal “models” for heart disease or stroke. See our position statement below. AHA 2007 Annual Report: See pages 19-20 for financial information. Nineteen major drug companies, themselves heavily invested in animal testing of drugs, are leading donors (> $100,000), and eight of these have donated more than $1 million in 2007. http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1197384331105AHA%202007%20AR-SINGLE.pdf Contact Information: For questions contact Dr. Pippin at 972-407-9396 or jjpippin. Event day contact number is 972-523-4404. Position Statement on American Heart Association-Funded Animal Research: Real Harm to Real People The newly stated mission of the American Heart Association (AHA) is: “Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.” This is a laudable mission, which is supported wholeheartedly by north Texas animal rights and animal protection organizations. Many of us work or volunteer in ways that contribute to the AHA’s mission, and we are just as hopeful for advances as AHA is. But we actively oppose the continued wasteful expenditure of donated funds for animal research, which is inhumane, contributes very little toward achievement of the AHA’s mission, and drains critical funds that could be saving lives. Animal experimentation has become increasingly discredited in all areas of medical research, including heart and blood vessel disease research. Yet the AHA continues to fund animal research, using tens of millions of dollars annually that could be applied to human studies, nonanimal research methods, and other measures to decrease disability and death from cardiovascular diseases. Ø AHA revenues were $800 million in the last year reported (July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007) Ø More than $150 million was spent on medical research (>21% of total expenditures), and millions more was spent by AHA’s research partners (including Big Pharma) Ø Two-thirds of AHA’s research funding and much of its supplemental funding (>$100 million combined annually) is for basic science research, mostly animal research. Animal research can not be translated to human medicine because non-human animals have very different anatomy, physiology and genetics compared to humans. More than 90% of drugs that are successful in animal tests fail human trials and are never approved, yet many valuable or lifesaving human drugs failed animal testing. Every one of more than 150 successful animal stroke treatments tested in people has failed, and there are no reliable animal “models” for heart disease and stroke. Entire fields of research have come up empty in human trials after successful animal experiments: stroke, diabetes, cancer immunology, head trauma, paralysis, Alzheimer’s, vascular stents, cardiac shock, xenotransplantation, and others. Every successful animal vaccine for HIV/AIDS, cancer treatment, and multiple sclerosis has failed in people. Many other useful treatments were impeded and delayed by misleading animal experiments. There are excellent alternatives to animal research, and additional funding would produce many more. Examples include computer models and databases, several methods of human cell and tissue research, tissue engineering and microfluidics (“human on a chip”), advanced imaging methods, microdose human drug trials, stem cell research, and genetic testing methods (genomics). Epidemiology research is largely ignored, yet has made the successful treatment or prevention of hypertension, high cholesterol, heart attacks, strokes, cancers and many other diseases possible when animal research failed to do so. Examples of Animal Research Funded by the American Heart Association *** Notorious forced smoking experiments in dogs and monkeys, which showed no ill effects and allowed continued advertising of smoking (even aimed at young people) *** Glass particles injected into dogs’ hearts (5 times over nine weeks) to produce heart failure; they were observed for nine months, then killed to examine their hearts *** Dogs’ chests cut open to attach electrodes to their hearts, in order to monitor responses to exercise and drug injections *** Pigs’ chests cut open, and blood flow to the heart blocked for an hour; they were then killed to evaluate the effects upon the heart *** Goats had electrodes attached in several places, blood vessels were tied off, and they received repeated electrical shocks to observe the effects upon blood flow *** Dogs’ hearts were shocked continually for 30 minutes, to observe the effects of the blood clots produced inside the heart by these shocks *** Dogs’ coronary arteries were clamped off every two minutes for eight hours a day over three weeks, to examine the effects of many small heart attacks *** Dogs’ coronary arteries were tied off, and radioactive tracers were injected to see if the damaged areas could be detected; the dogs’ hearts were then sliced and examined Animal Research Kills People, Not Just Animals Checked by AVG. 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