An airline passengers' bill of rights was passed September 5, 2008. If your plane is delayed 4 hours, you're entitled to a meal voucher. If it's delayed 8 hours, you're entitled to a hotel voucher. If the delay occurs after you're on board, you have the right to disembark after 90 minutes. Unfortunately for Americans, "Flight Rights" was passed by the Canadian government. Although the bill can't make airlines responsible for weather, a time limit for tarmac delays is an idea all airline passengers would like to see fly.
The concern for animal rights has had animal welfare groups outraged by the cruel treatment of horses sold for meat and they've been seeking federal regulation since 2001. Although they forced the closure of the last 3 U.S. slaughterhouses, many states don't have laws prohibiting new slaughterhouses and 100,000 horses a year are still exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. In September 2008 the House Judiciary Committee approved the "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act". It would make possession or transportation of horse meat or horses for human consumption a crime punishable by up to 3 years in prison. Although it's uncertain if the act will pass this year, its sponsors aren't horsing around.
The right to have shelter influenced the 2008 awarding of the Curry Stone Design Prize, given annually to an individual or group who has developed a design solution with potential to create beneficial change in a vital community. The $100,000 prize went to MAA Architects, a South African firm that designed a $6900 house to replace dilapidated structures in Cape Town shantytowns. The 54-square-meter, 2-story house is built with sandbags supported by a wood frame and requires little or no electricity or skilled labor to build. In fact, MAA plans to build10 houses with volunteer help from the community - plans that won't be sandbagged.
Finally, after more than 20 years of peaceful protest and a few violent battles, the last two tree-sitters came down from the California redwoods they'd been protecting for almost a year. They came down because the Pacific Lumber Company, the largest private owner of old-growth redwoods, has new owners. Humboldt Redwood Company (owned by Dan and Doris Fisher of The Gap, Inc.) acquired Pacific Lumber in bankruptcy court. They pledged to spare any redwood born before 1800 with a diameter of at least 4 feet. That's a pledge tree-sitters can take sitting down.
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