Livin’ Veg

Chris Rock is Right September 30, 2008

I watched some of the Chris Rock HBO special the other night, and of course politics were the main topic for the opening. Much of it was funny and on point, but one specific joke really stood out to me. He described what Sarah Palin looks like in the photo of her standing victorious over the body of a moose. You know, the one she just slaughtered in front of her child. Then he asked, Why is Michael Vick in jail?

His point is well taken. Why is it okay to kill a moose when it’s not okay to kill a dog? I get that dog fighting is illegal. It’s also cruel. Killing a moose is legal but it’s still cruel. So, really, what Chris Rock so humorously pointed out was the specieism in our society. (And for that I’ll partially forgive his ugly leather coat) A dog’s life matters. A moose’s life does not. It goes back to the phrase animal activists love: Why are some animals food and other animals friends? Well, because society thinks of a dog as a companion, but has no value for the life of a moose. People and moose don’t interact so humans don’t feel the same kind of compassion. Same with farm animals.

So what his joke really should have said is this. Why isn’t Sarah Palin sharing a cell with Michael Vick? After all, both are responsible for the death of a sentient being. Well, hunting is legal and when it comes right down to it, people don’t care about moose. They only care about what they know. And people know and love dogs. I’ve got another word for that: Hypocrisy.

The Politics of School Food Conference September 29, 2008

Concerned about what your kid is eating in school? Let me guess - they offer cheese burgers, pizza and other crap without a single piece of greenery in sight - well, maybe some anemic looking iceburg lettuce on a sandwich.

Want to learn more about the politics of school food? Check out this fantastic conference put together by the New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods, and sponsored by Whole Foods. They are a fantastic organization working to help get healthier plant based options offered in schools in New York state. Reservations are due tomorrow! And students go for 15 bucks (and that includes a healthy lunch)

Here are the conference details:

Where: Kimmel Center Rosenthal Pavilion at New York University
60 Washington Square South

When: Saturday, October 4, 2008
9:30 am - 4:30 pm

SPEAKERS:
Kate Adamick, JD, Food Systems Solutions
Peter Anderson, Head of School, Future Leaders Institute Charter School
David Berkowitz, Executive Director, NYC DOE, SchoolFood Services
Mark Bittman, NYT’s columnist, “The Minimalist” and the
“How to Cook Everything” book series (moderator)
Jayni Chase, Founder, Center for Environmental Education (moderator)
Ann Cooper, Director of Nutrition Services, Berkeley Unified School District
Milton Mills, MD, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and
Public Health, New York University, Author, Food Politics
Michele Simon, JD, MPH, Research and Policy Director, Marin Institute,
Author, Appetite for Profit
Margo Wootan, DSc Director, Nutrition Policy, Center for Science in the Public Interest

ADMISSION: $35.00
Includes lunch featuring healthy organic and local foods

Reserve your spot by clicking here…

Your Companion as Your College Roomie? September 26, 2008

In USA Today an article about a growing trend was reported, showing schools that have “pet friendly” housing. What does this mean? You can room with your companion on campus and don’t have to get off campus housing.

In some cases, this is a pretty good deal. If you’re like my friend Alison who had Cow the rat in her college dorm room (when she wasn’t supposed to), it makes a lot of sense. After all a rat is a small animal who’s style won’t be cramped by the size of the living space. But what about bigger animals? Should a dog be forced to live in dime sized room?  Can college kids afford all the vet bills, food, etc that go along with having a companion? What if they want to study abroad?

The article says:

Still, the notion of making it easier for college kids to have pets isn’t universally applauded. The chaos of campus life, the tendency among young people to make impulsive choices, and the vagaries of postgraduation life make many students poor candidates for pet ownership, some experts say. Shelters in many college towns report end-of-semester pet dumping or abandonment.

Many schools only allow students who already had companions to board with them. Meaning that they wouldn’t support impulsive decisions to get an animal. For students who like being around animals but can’t commit to the 10-20 year commitment, fostering in these dorms might be an option:

“I’d say we’ve had about a dozen cats or dogs from (a local rescue group) that students have cared for until they got permanent homes,” Duren says.

This my friends is not a story with an easy answer. Goods and bads can both be argued. I remain skeptical but at the same time, see the positives it offers.

(Why the picture? That’s my little Cthulhu. And no it’s not relevant to the article, but it’s totally cute)

PETA Sure Knows How to Make a Vegan Sound Crazy September 25, 2008

Disclaimer: I know PETA does some fantastic work, like getting the footage from that Iowa pig farm a few days ago. This is not a tirade against PETA. It is simply a questioning of some of their methods.

Here is the title of the NBC article on PETA’s latest stunt: PETA Urges Ben & Jerry’s to Use Human Milk. You heard me, human milk. Now, I get that their point is to show how absurd it is that people drink the milk from another animals nipple - a food meant for their calves, not for humans. We might as well drink rat milk or dog milk, right? We vegans get their point, but I really don’t think the point is made clear to the general public. After all we live in a headline society. How many people look deeper. Sadly, not that many. I think PETA just comes off sounding batty. I don’t mind all of their stunts. I kind of like it when they slap around celebrities wearing fur. Trashley and Hairy Kate was very funny. But if there is a line, I think PETA tends to cross it. But I’ll give them one thing - they know how to make headlines, even if sometimes those headlines are far too absurd to really make a difference to anyone who isn’t already on the animal side.

Cri De Coeur September 24, 2008

If you didn’t see Cri De Coeur’s debut line this past spring then you missed something pretty fantastic. But don’t worry, the new fall line is EVEN BETTER. You are going to love the boots, all different shapes and sizes.

Cri De Coeur in French means “cry from the heart.” The company says about the name, “To us, it symbolizes our heartfelt desire to change the face of the fashion footwear market.” And that means they produce 100% vegan shoes handmade in Europe with the strictest environmental standards possible. The boots run between two and three hundred dollars, so when you see the price tag, remember you’re paying for quality, compassion and higher standards than you’d find from any regular name brand.

Check out the site for all their designs and their store locater to see where you can buy. Also, if you want to see some quick designs, go to Nimli and you can buy right online.

The NRA Hates Obama - Shocker September 23, 2008

The Humane Society Legislative Fund is endorsing Obama, and it’s no surprise. McCain actually has done some great stuff for animals. But Palin, well you know. If you’d like to see each candidates history on animal issues, vegansoapbox.com did a great run down of their voting records.

The NRA has been airing ads that give incorrect information on Obama’s stance on guns. Obviously they don’t want Obama in the White House, and Gov. Palin is their poster girl. They even go after the HSUS over the endorsement from the Humane Society Legislative Fund. Click here to see how the NRA is using fear tactics and lies to scare people away from Obama.

The HSLF has this to say:

The HSLF board of directors—which is comprised of both Democrats and Republicans—has voted unanimously to endorse Barack Obama for President. The Obama-Biden ticket is the better choice on animal protection, and we urge all voters who care about the humane treatment of animals, regardless of party affiliation, to vote for them.

Hopefully this is the last time I’ll be mouthing off about politics for this round. The NRA inspired me to expose their lies. Gotta love Factcheck.org.

Veg penne not veg at all. September 22, 2008

Saturday night my husband and I went to a Democratic fundraiser (for local democrats) in CT, where he’s from. We went to hang out with many of his family members who are involved in the local politics.

So here is the scene:

We walk in, and immediately start talking to some republicans (my husband and I look for people to debate with - and why you ask are there republicans at a fundraiser for democrats - oh, because they are either married to a democrat or are registered as democrats/independents even though they are in fact republicans - shoot me now)

We are shown where the food is and someone points out to me the dishes without animals in them. I chose some harmless looking penne with marinara sauce and sat down at a table and began to eat while talking to one of my in-laws. When I was just about done with my penne, I noticed a clump of something. Yep, you guessed it. It was a clump of meat. The runny marinara sauce was actually meat sauce with very little amounts of meat. I flipped on the inside. On the outside, I went and got myself a glass of chardonnay (I don’t really drink) to burn the dead flesh out of my mouth. My in-law felt terrible. She was the one who told me it was meatless. She didn’t pull it out of thin air. She was told the same thing. How didn’t I notice? Why was the dish advertised as veg from multiple people? I’m not sure if that’s really the issue although I wonder about both. But no matter what, I was ANGRY and upset. For that moment, I hated being at an event that offered meat. I hated being outside of NY where veggies are much less common and have to explain themselves. And I was thankful my parents agreed to a vegan thanksgiving this year, so I don’t have to look at any dead bodies on the holiday.

I felt nauseous the entire night and wanted to go home. No one but my husband understood how upset I was. I tried to explain that to me, eating a cow or pig or any farm animal is the same as eating a dog. No difference. It’s still a corpse and it was once a living feeling animal. Much like me. I went on further to say that I hate the torture and conditions that these animals are forced to endure. My husband’s family doesn’t buy free range meat. They buy in bulk and look for the best prices, which usually means, crappy products straight off the factory farm. On Saturday I ingested some sad tortured animal. Mother %&*@$!

Please excuse the rant, but I needed to share this with other like minded people. If anyone has had a similar experience, I’d love to hear it, and find out what you did and how you reacted. I’m sure vomiting will be one reaction. I wish I had been able to.

Abuse of Pigs Caught on Tape September 19, 2008

PETA has just released a new video showing the horrific abuse pigs suffer daily on factory farms. The article says:

An undercover video shot at an Iowa pig farm shows workers hitting sows with metal rods, slamming piglets on a concrete floor and bragging about jamming rods up into sows’ hindquarters.

On the video, a supervisor tells an undercover investigator for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that when he gets angry or a sow won’t move, “I grab one of these rods and jam it in her (anus).”

I have two reactions when these terrible videos come out. I’m happy that the general public is being shown the atrocities that happen every day and every year to billions of farm animals. And even though I know the grim reality, I’m shocked every time by the intensity of the cruelty. To be honest, I don’t watch them anymore. I physically can’t.

And I remain thankful to the brave undercover workers who have to watch such cruelty in person for the greater good. You are doing such a service to the millions of animals who are tortured and die for nothing more than a breakfast meal.

To any omnivores out there. You may condone eating meat, but can you condone the business that runs the meat industry?

Matt and Nat September 18, 2008

Matt and Nat are the “it” of vegan bags. You know, besides Stella. No one can compete with her. Matt and Nat offer beautiful vegan bags and wallets for men and women. They have tons of looks and options, so you’ll be able to find that perfect fall bag just for you. Whether you like to carry around every single thing you’ve ever touched, or like to keep it simple with a phone, wallet and lipstick. You’ll find the gorgeous look you want. Warning: they are a little more expensive than I remember them being. They have always been upwards of $100 or more but now the line has bags near $300, so be prepared. And if you can’t afford one but want one desperately. Do what I do and wait for the sale season:)

Leafleting Helps Animals September 17, 2008

Most vegans don’t work in animal rights. They live their lives advocating for animals when they can by talking to friends, emailing companies, and calling their state representatives.

Wish you could do more? Leafleting is one of the easiest most effective ways you can start. Vegan Outreach has fantastic leaflets you can get to pass around in your community. They do a lot of outreach on college campuses. Are you in college? It’s so easy to grab some on your way to class and hand them out to people as you go.

Worried you won’t know what to say or aren’t sure how to leaflet? Vegan Outreach has great tips for beginner leafleters (is that a word?). Click here to see VO’s tips for leafleting. And if you don’t have time to leaflet, donate what you can to the organization. They do so much fantastic work and have opened so many peoples eyes to animal cruelty.