Vegan issues on NYT

I love this op-ed from NY Times. Finally someone who echoes my intent. Meat-eaters today are self-righteous, defensive gluttons with little remorse. I believe if you are going to eat meat, you should be able to kill and butcher it too, and I don't think many of my friends can do that. Eating out is a total drag these days and I do it only when I fee obligated, I simply cannot watch someone eat meat from a bone, smell it wafting over my plate as I lift a spoonful of veggies to my mouth or be around it in any capacity.
This piece hits the point home the fallacy of free-range. If you really care about the fate of animals on this planet than you wouldn't eat them. Period.

This author can count on one hand the number of vegan friends he has. It is a sad state of affairs when people are breaking their backs trying to get around their guilt, all so they can eat a piece of bloody flesh.

Adopt a turkey for the holidays! If your family doesn't thank you, well maybe they don't deserve it. But the turkeys thank you and that should be most important. Change it up a bit, buck tradition. This year, for Thanksgiving, my in-laws asked me to bring the vegan pot-pie I made last year, and it is so nice to be able to share healthy, delicious vegan meals that a whole family loves.

Over-fishing...is your sushi worth it?

lately I'm obsessed with over-fishing, and it seems that my sentitments are echoed around the world. Listen to the NPR story here.
There are healthy fish to eat: tilapia, sardines, herring to name few. Leave the big tuna to the big sea and eat what can easily reproduce. Simple as that.

That not all...think that cigarette you've stumped out on the beach will just...disappear? Not only is your health at risk, but fish too! read more here. Of course nicotine is toxic...just remember where you dump your butts.

I'm taking on this crusade. Protect our oceans!

So you're a pescatarian?

So you're a pescatarian... Do you ever consider the impact that your meat-free, yet fish-filled diet has on the planet? Terry Gross on Fresh Air has a great 2 part expose on the fishing industry, how it is killing our planet and the not-so-romantic image of the swarthy fisherman.

I stopped eating fish as soon as I left the nest. Too many early mornings visiting lobster traps with my father before school marred the romantic image of fishing. But at least it was one man (and a girl) against the sea. I spent too many days witnessing the brutal harpooning and watching fish flap themselves lifeless to ever really enjoy a seafood meal, and for that I'm thankful. I'm thankful also that I was forced to watch my dad kill my pet chickens and force me to pluck it, because little did he know that there was a young vegan in the making. I have so many friends who have said, "I only eat fish" And I say to them, "well pretty soon you'll start feeling guilt about the over-fishing problem and you'll stop eating fish too."
In this interview the facts are indisputable. Gone is the image of the swarthy fisherman with a crew of 2, trying to eek out a living. Instead we have floating factories with underpaid workers in less-than-desirable conditions fishing our oceans dry. 80% of the fish consumed in the US are from foreign countries. We use technology originally used in wartime to locate submarines to find schools of fish. Trawlers, huge nets that boats tow behind them, are sometimes large enough to accommodate 6 jumbo jets. This is factory farming people! We are literally ripping ecosystems directly out of the ocean. We are eating fish faster than they can reproduce and giving nice-sounding names to things that really sound inedible. Oh and the jellyfish. Jellyfish will soon run the world if we don't watch it.

If you are interested in the environment, overfishing, vegan issues or simply curious about what the science says, take a listen. Hey, it might just change what you eat.

end animal cruelty in Cananda

I was contacted over on my blog, For the Love of Raw, by a fellow animal rights activist and advocate. Please visit this sight to sign a petition to end animal testing and seal blugdeoning in the otherwise awesome country of Canada. Let's get some action and see the end of unnecessary animal cruelty.

Sign the petition here.

Michael Vick, Sadistic Prick

That's right people, say it loud! Michael Vick sadistic prick! Michael Vick sadisitic Prick!
Only the Philadelphia Eagles would hire a convicted felon to marshal this years' football season. Would the school board hire back a convicted felon as a teacher, would the government hire someone convicted of extortion? I wonder what morals the NFL is trying to pass onto their legions of disappearing fans. I'm disapointed in Philadelpia, again, but now that the dust has settled, I'm not surprised. It's not like I can boycott football, since I don't watch sports anyway. I don't even know why sports people are role models, but they are. Most kids think he's done his time and that he should be given a second chance. Everyone should be given a second chance, in life, but perhaps Vick should focus being a role model in animal advocacy instead of being given a second chance as a multi-million dollar contract player for another football team. Personally it makes me sick to think that a convicted felon, one who elecrocuted, hung and raped dogs is going to now be a starting quarterback for the football team that represents my city. Well it doesn't represent me, I'll tell you that. Martha Stewart cannot fly into London, Heathrow airport because she is a convicted felon, so why should Michael Vick be able to pour back into mainstream to be idolized? Michael Vick, sadistic prick...Michael Vick, sadisitic prick!!

caught me a possum

As if this week wasn't hectic enough! Over the last year, I've tried my hand at gardening, trying to exorcise my black-thumb for a green one and do my daddy proud. Lo and behold I was successful at a few herbs but mainly delicious red tomatoes. Only...I would eye a delicious orb that would be of the perfect ripeness and the following day, when I went to pluck the fruit, I'd discover that it had a gigantic bite out if it. Thus began my problems with Peter Possum. Not only did he eat my crops, he showed me his under-belly and his long rat tail by climbing up my window grate. Not a sight to see at midnight. At least once a week since the debacle began a year ago, have I seen him. He's not afraid to sit and stare, hiss and harass my cats and basically be an all-around nuisance.
I'm an animal lover, first and foremost and after calling around various Philly humane animal rescue and quoted a fat $375, I decided to take matters into my own hands. With my friendly neighbors support, (the whole neighborhood is involved at this point, which kind of makes me like Philly again), we've borrowed a humane trap.
Yesterday I baited the trap with a juicy juicy apple and today, he is there, inside the trap. Tonight, Peter, you will leave the city and enjoy a country life. City living has you far too comfortable and I need to grow my garden.

ADDENDUM: Releasing the possum was the biggest concern I had. I honestly didn't know how to let him out of the cage. Would he be viscous and bite me? After pocketing my identification and my insurance card, I brought him downstairs and into the trunk of the car, covered in a dark plastic the whole time. We took our time while driving, avoiding huge pot-holes and, once we arrived at our undisclosed location where I know for a fact opossums thrive, we shuttled him out to the woods. I in my gardening gloves and long-sleeves with a big stick, and J with nothing but bare hands. Eventually we rolled the trap on its upside and watched our possum, tentatively at first, hop away into the wild. Free at last.

What!? Foie Gras Week!?

Yep, you read correctly. Next week marks the start of Philadelphia's Foie Gras Week. While other places like the city of Chicago and the state of California have banned the sale of foie gras in stores and restaurants, this backward city is celebrating this archaic brand of animal torture.
For a list of restaurants to avoid, see here. Again, I wonder, how can I live in this unhealthy city that was put on the map for another vulgar specialty, the cheesesteak.
I like to compare foie gras eaters with Hummer drivers. People think they look good eating their engorged, toxic liver, but they really look like insensitive brutes, kind of like SUV drivers! The car industry is working hard to make economical, responsible cars, so why are we still eating foie gras? huh? Can't foie gras farmers farm stuff like ...vegetables! Move forward!
One person defending the foie gras industry asks why protesters don't protest McDonalds or KFC. uhh, we do, we don't eat there and have you checked out PETA's website lately, it's an ongoing campaign? duh. Do your research before saying something ignorant.
Oh Philadelphia, you disgust me.

Sea Mammals, News and abuse

I'm always a sucker for a good documentary and the new film that NatGeo channel is showing right now on the fate, plight and habits of the Blue Whale did not disappoint. Highlights include beautiful footage of blue whales up close and personal. Also footage of scientists posing as customers at a seafood market where whale meat is sold in Japan. Because they are mammals, their meat is highly prized and resembles beef. That had never occurred to me, and even more, I'm inspired to end whale hunting once and for all.
Japan, Norway and Iceland all support whale hunts for research, and this doc reveals that Japan imported whale meat from North American waters, one no-no, and also that they speared a rare hybrid whale for their endeavors.

On a similar note, PETA is launching a huge campaign to stop the bludgeoning of baby seals in Canada in conjunction with the proposed 2010 Olympics. Check out their website to get active, write a letter to the Olympic Committee to get them to see the light. As much as I love Canada for being progressive in many respects, they really can't be taken seriously in my eyes, Morrissey's and countless others until they stop this senseless, bloody slaughter and I said as much in my letter sent yesterday.

Write a letter, get active. It's free, and makes you feel good while accomplishing your personal and universal goals!

One step forward, two steps back

Proposition 2 was a victory for farm animals. The day after the election, when I learned that Californians had voted for more humane farming techniques, I wasn't surprised, but I was pleased. I know how long it had taken PETA to convince KFC to stop debeaking their birds, and while some don't see it as a victory, baby steps, all the way. Nothing gets done over night, especially the big battle with corporate, greedy farmers who do see animals as dollar signs and not as sentient beings.
However, one week after Prop 2, the Supreme Court has ruled against the welfare of whales in the name of national security. The US Navy uses sonar off the coast of California to train their recruits and insist that sonar is a vital part of the training. You know, just in case Russia decided to invade us with submarines. Sonar is said to be damaging to whales, causing disorientation and other catastrophic effects.
So whales, our vital marine life mammals, who are slowly going extinct thanks to global warming and illegal fishing, have lost against the US Navy.

you can read an article about whales and sonar here, or just do a google search.

If you are interested in saving whales, think about joining an organization that makes that its mission. Click here for more details about volunteering to help bring attention to whales plight. It's a global problem and they were here before we were.

Whales back on top

Now that this whole election is over and the right man won, my efforts can be turned back to things that matter most. Whales!
Tune in tomorrow to Animal Planet's Whale Wars to watch American environmentalists battle those evil Japanese whalers.
Japan wants to turn whaling back into a successful, viable industry, while the rest of the world disagrees. (except for some backward countries like Iceland. Hey Iceland, maybe if you abandon your whaling, your economy might come back. Ain't karma a bitch?)
Whale Wars. watch it!

the PETA breast-milk thing

In case you've been hiding under a rock this past week, PETA approached Ben & Jerry's with the radical idea that they switch from using cows' milk in their ice cream to the healthier human breast milk. Quite honestly, this is an idea that they've been tossing around for a while, it's just now they got the press to notice.

After reading John Robbins' Diet for a New America, years ago, the simple dietary fact that rats' milk is amongst the most nutritious milk from all mammals, has stayed with me. Cows' milk offers some of the least nutrition of all breast milks. Because no matter how you view it, all milk comes from a teet. Chocolate chip Rat milk ice cream, does that sound delicious or what?

Dairy cows are some of the most abused animals out there, and even though B&J claim to use non GMO milk, blah blah blah, the point is that they still insist on using old-fashioned milk from cows. There are some great soy-based ice-creams out there, that don't contribute to poor health and animal welfare, and even better, there are great fruit-based sorbets and creams out there that blow the traditional dairy treat out of the water.

PETA's point, I think, was to imagine a world where humans were tethered up to machines, where, like clockwork their precious milk would be extracted for mass consumption in the form of the devilish ice cream. Would these humans be injected with hormones, with their young torn away moments after birth, only to be used as a tasty veal meal for some uncompassionate diner miles away. You can safely assume that the answer would be no. Would humans be perpetual milk machines, with sometimes only a day of rest before being forced into another milking cycle. No!

What PETA is trying to do, is to make the plight of the dairy cattle known. Would you subject a fellow human into this inhumane treatment. Maybe we can tether all Republican women up to a milk machine, they deserve it. Perhaps then we can allow these ill-abused cattle to live the remainder of their days, doing things that cows should do, like eat grass, raise their young. Basic rights that all animals should be granted.

Next time you lean down to lick that dripping cone, think, where is this coming from and to what cost? It is not merely the issue of human health and cholesterol, it is basic animal rights.

Organic Nectars make some the best gelato I've ever tasted, and it's guilt-free, raw and vegan. AND it tasted like the real deal. Check here for ordering.

Another reason to hate Sarah Palin

I've spent hours honing my imitation of Sarah Palin in front of mirrors and for my partner. I've got that bridge to nowhere speech down pat, including that awful accent. Tina Fey, watch out!
Sarah Palin stands for everything I don't. She's a hypocritical mess. Pro-Life, Palin is glad her pregnant 17 year-old daughter CHOSE to have her baby. Pro-Oil, Palin is taking a stance against polar bears as an endangered species. She don't believe the hype, thinks the data is skewed. See, if we let Alaska drill for oil, there will be less and less land for these beautiful threatened species to feed upon, thereby ensuring their extinction within our lifetime. And once those topple, what comes next? We got frogs and bees, wolves and other thousands of other species that are slowly becoming extinct thanks to mankinds' addiction to oil.
If you envision a world where the only place we can view polar bears in a sub-tropic zoo, then sure, vote for her. But if you care about guns invading your city and killing children, or the education system, (yep, she wants creationism taught in schools) which is in a state of near-disrepair, and freedom of speech (banning books anyone?) then maybe you should reconsider. I secretly thinks she hates women, which makes me dislike her even more.
Let's face it, the only thing she has going for her is her good looks, (which is not much). Her family is riddled with controversy, and she actually said she'd consider starting a war with Russia! Ooooh if she gets elected I'm starting an ex-pat colony South of the Border. Any takers? We are slowly plotting our escape.
For more info on the Palin-Polar bear controversy check here

Check here later in the year for more info on my ex-pat colony, because I really feel that's what the conservatives want, is for all us level-minded people to pack up and leave.

staycations

So the new term out there, thanks to our dwindling economy, is "staycation." Like what to do in your very own town or locale to entertain yourself and family, without breaking the bank. Silly me, coming from Philly (home of the cheesesteak) and hearing it out of the mouth of a Philadelphian for the first time, thought it meant "steakation." Like, "come to Philly and eat a steak." Thankfully, it has not gotten that far yet, but when will marketers in Philly start using that term, which I inadvertently coined, to get the rotund meat-eaters into the city to eat a big, awful heart-burn inducing cheesesteak on their next steakation to Philly. Can't wait for that billboard. hmm?

Animal lovers take a stand; police brutality

Did you ear about the new controversial police raid on a Maryland Mayor Cheye Calvo home yesterday where police busted into the Mayor's home, without a warrant, and ruthlessly shot and killed the couples two Black Labs? While I'm pissed that police are kicking down doors of upstanding citizens without a warrant, I'm even more upset that they took the lives of two beloved innocent pets. And all this for the cause of tracking down some harmless marijuana. Read the article here, or just do a google search and watch the wife of the Mayor in her heart-breaking speech to the general public where she deplores the conduct of said police department for killing her dogs. Really, this world is going to shit.
Coincidentally, and this is a subject I normally shy away from, on this very same website where I cited the former article, comes news that Congress is finally taking seriously the issue of medical marijuana and the decriminalization of drugs in America. Read it here. For the first time since 1978 Congress is making sense. Obviously Maryland police officers did not get the memo.

The Mad Cowboy

Howard Lyman, the former cattle-rancher turned vegetarian who is probably best known for getting Oprah to say she'll never eat another burger, was on Coast to Coast Saturday night, http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2008/05/18.html, discussing the USDA's new bill, The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and Mad Cow disease in America. Mad Cow and avian bird flu loom as some of the biggest threats to mankind and unbeknownst to us, our government is turning a blind eye to the situation and keeping their fingers crossed. Makes you feel safe, right?Haven't eaten meat in a decade and think you're in the clear? Hungry yet? Mad Cow can incubate in your system for years! By now, most of us know that animals prepared for human consumption are more than likely injected with hormones, coated with chemicals., mishandled, deprived of necessary sunlight and pastures and possibly diseased. Lymnam's interview goes into much much more and I urge you to take a listen.
As a seasoned vegan I know damn well what happens to cows in slaughterhouses and on dairy farms and that's one of the biggest reasons why I don't eat meat. For Howard Lymnan, a fourth-generation cattle rancher who got a tumor after pouring chemicals on the backs of cows, he is vegetarian for the plain reason that humans in general have to much protein, cholesterol and fat in their diet, coupled with the insider knowledge of what, exactly, goes into our food supply. Coast to Coast is on late at night, but that didn't stop me from staying up into the wee hours entranced by his tales of truth and horror.

The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act was put in effect in order to place stricter penalties on those who try to discourage others from the consumption of animal products. Because Animal Rights activists serve as bigger threats than other terrorists? uhhmm ...But even if you speak the truth?

Can't get Coast to Coast? then check out the Lymans' website: www.madcowboy.com

whale protest

Anti-whaling group hurls rancid butter at Japanese whaling vessel.
Follow this link to see the video. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/03/japan.whaling/index.html?eref=rss_world

animal rights in the media

On Family Guy last Sunday, Peter eats too many mcBurgers and has a mcStroke. In response to losing his lawsuit, he breaks into the slaughterhouse and frees the lead cow. While pushing it a bit, (they compare the senseless slaughter of animals to the Holocaust), the writers help bring awareness to an issue that we see more and more frequently in America and in the media. In the end, the cow thanks all his supporters, the "homo-sexual salad eaters" of America.
see it here: http://video.aol.com/partner/hulu/family-guy-mcstroke/w8hefXv6a2coUtxXGhpCcWKk4pAJxmUc

Vegans and animal rights supporters need to alter the image the media has of caring, healthy people.

It's a known fact that Al Gore simply won't acknowledge that Big Cow in America is a lead cause of global warming. Gore grew up on a ranch, so his denial makes perfect sense. But if we can't get the leader of global warming to make this concession, than who will?

Also in the media, PETA's daring new ad campaign to get your pets neutered. PETA compares teenage pregnancy to not spaying and neutering pets. http://www.peta.org/feat/abc/
Living in Philadelphia, I can see the comparison, Seriously!We have as bad a feral cat problem as we do teenage pregnancies . PETA, I don't think you're crazy!