This is just a friendly reminder to really think about the gift of a new life this holiday season. Many children who beg and beg for dogs or animals for Christmas grow bored or the family isn't prepared for the responsibility and the dog ends up in the local pound or abandoned. Please be thoughtful before adopting this holiday season. You are committing to the care of another sentient, feeling being's life. Be sure you're ready for it. And if you are- your new companion will have nothing but love to share with you!
Helpful articles:
http://www.petrescue.com/petlibrary/pet-rescue/no-christmas-puppies-please/
http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/12/many_pets_given_as_christmas_g.html
http://www.statisticbrain.com/animal-shelter-statistics/
http://dogtime.com/puppies/1261-holiday-puppies-nightmare
Friday, November 27, 2015
Friday, November 20, 2015
Being Vegan: Why Would You do That to Yourself? (A Rant)
After being vegetarian for about a year and a half, and after doing hours of research, I went fully vegan when I moved out of the house and into the dorms at college. Here in Southern California, people are generally pretty accepting of veganism and there are plenty of food options for me on and off campus. Luckily I met a wonderful group of people who respect my decision not to eat animal products and are pretty respectful of my diet.
However, being an herbivore there is something that I (and many others) grow tired of hearing; and that's the general "I couldn't give up (insert animal product) ever, it's too good," or "how do you live without (animal product)," or even that I "need" to be eating meat to survive/be healthy. I understand people's connection to eating meat and I respect their choice to do so, I don't generally judge people on what they eat and I don't hold my friends in any less esteem for eating animals. This post is not about refuting those comments because that particular set basically creates the debate platform for and against veganism.
Last night, however, one of my friends who didn't yet know I was vegan found out when my suitemate bought me vegan cookie dough because I wasn't eating the one with eggs and milk in it. His response was: "Vegan? Why would you do that to yourself?" I played it off with a casual "I'm into it, it's kinda my thing," but as I was going to bed his words kind of stuck with me, and here's what I have to say:
I'm "doing it to myself" because I care about more than myself. I'm not "doing it" for myself either, I'm doing it for you. As long as people like me are eating the way we are, the world put off it's fiery, polluted doom for just that much longer, whereas as long as people continue to eat like you, the forests will continue to burn, the ocean to acidify, and the air to grow unbreathable. I'm also doing it for them. Who, you ask? The animals, all animals. The cows, pigs, chickens, fish, turkey, and more that you choose to slaughter and consume, as well as the elephants, dolphins, tigers, and apes who's homes are in grave danger. Each day thousands (if not millions) of acres of habitats are destroyed for the purpose of your eating.
Not to mention the adverse health effects meat and dairy consumption has on your body. Cholesterol, obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes; these are just a few of the lovely things you can experience on an animal-product diet. The more death you put in your body, the more your body dies.
Eating an animal product centered diet hurts the environment, your body, and everyone and thing around you.
So to wrap it all up I guess I just have one thing to say (ask) to/of you:
Why would you do that to yourself?
However, being an herbivore there is something that I (and many others) grow tired of hearing; and that's the general "I couldn't give up (insert animal product) ever, it's too good," or "how do you live without (animal product)," or even that I "need" to be eating meat to survive/be healthy. I understand people's connection to eating meat and I respect their choice to do so, I don't generally judge people on what they eat and I don't hold my friends in any less esteem for eating animals. This post is not about refuting those comments because that particular set basically creates the debate platform for and against veganism.
Last night, however, one of my friends who didn't yet know I was vegan found out when my suitemate bought me vegan cookie dough because I wasn't eating the one with eggs and milk in it. His response was: "Vegan? Why would you do that to yourself?" I played it off with a casual "I'm into it, it's kinda my thing," but as I was going to bed his words kind of stuck with me, and here's what I have to say:
I'm "doing it to myself" because I care about more than myself. I'm not "doing it" for myself either, I'm doing it for you. As long as people like me are eating the way we are, the world put off it's fiery, polluted doom for just that much longer, whereas as long as people continue to eat like you, the forests will continue to burn, the ocean to acidify, and the air to grow unbreathable. I'm also doing it for them. Who, you ask? The animals, all animals. The cows, pigs, chickens, fish, turkey, and more that you choose to slaughter and consume, as well as the elephants, dolphins, tigers, and apes who's homes are in grave danger. Each day thousands (if not millions) of acres of habitats are destroyed for the purpose of your eating.
Not to mention the adverse health effects meat and dairy consumption has on your body. Cholesterol, obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes; these are just a few of the lovely things you can experience on an animal-product diet. The more death you put in your body, the more your body dies.
Eating an animal product centered diet hurts the environment, your body, and everyone and thing around you.
So to wrap it all up I guess I just have one thing to say (ask) to/of you:
Why would you do that to yourself?
Monday, October 26, 2015
World Health Organization Claims Processed Meats Cause Cancer
The World Health Organization has officially declared that processed meats are a level 1 carcinogens, right up there with asbestos and tobacco smoking. Red meat was then placed as a level 2A carcinogen, which is just the next step down. This is a huge step forward for vegan movement, but it's even better for the planet as a whole. The less meat people eat, the cleaner our world will become, as justified in Cowspiracy.
The article continues on to claim that there are health benefits to eating red meat, such as iron and B12. However these can be found risk free in many plant foods and are abundant in many other non-animal resources. The meat industry is of course mortified and against the article, claiming that studies the industry funded prove that the link is non-existent, but who are you going to believe: the composite of 800 studies or the biased few of payed-off scientists?
This is great news and such a large step toward improving the health of the planet and those who live on it as a whole.
Check out news articles on the reports here:
http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/26/news/red-meat-processed-cancer-world-health-organization/index.html?section=money_latest
http://www.news4jax.com/news/money/meat-industry-slams-cancer-report-alarmist-and-theoretical/36051310
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/processed-meat-causes-cancer-red-meat-probably-does-group-says-n451396
And a few fun videos about it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATvv71ycifU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cig4tNvulAc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbtP_LrmRHQ
The article continues on to claim that there are health benefits to eating red meat, such as iron and B12. However these can be found risk free in many plant foods and are abundant in many other non-animal resources. The meat industry is of course mortified and against the article, claiming that studies the industry funded prove that the link is non-existent, but who are you going to believe: the composite of 800 studies or the biased few of payed-off scientists?
This is great news and such a large step toward improving the health of the planet and those who live on it as a whole.
Check out news articles on the reports here:
http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/26/news/red-meat-processed-cancer-world-health-organization/index.html?section=money_latest
http://www.news4jax.com/news/money/meat-industry-slams-cancer-report-alarmist-and-theoretical/36051310
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/processed-meat-causes-cancer-red-meat-probably-does-group-says-n451396
And a few fun videos about it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATvv71ycifU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cig4tNvulAc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbtP_LrmRHQ
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
A Brief Hiatus
I just want to apologize for my complete lack of posts in the past 2 months or so (not a single post for August aaaahhh!!). It's not for lack of events in the animal world trust me. I got really busy during the summer with my internship and getting everything ready to move in to university. Just want to let you guys know that I am back on track and ready to bring you more content!
Hope you all have beautiful days and I'll see you soon!
Hope you all have beautiful days and I'll see you soon!
COWSPIRACY: The Sustainablility Secret (And Why You Should Watch It)
One of the most talked about documentaries in the plant based world is "COWSPIRACY: The Sustainability Secret," and last night I finally watched it. Due to its recent unveiling on Netflix, I felt a good way to kick off its career was to review it. I was not sure what to expect from the film, based on the many people raving about it I assumed that it would be along the lines of "Earthlings," which is why I put it off for so long because I wasn't prepared to go through something so heavy again. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the film had a healthy dose of humor and centered mainly along the lines of environmentalism and how food animal production has on the planet and the imminent threat that eating animal products causes.
If you enjoyed "Vegucated," "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," or other films that follow a specific person's journey, you will love this film. It follows the directors, Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn, as they travel to the different head quarters of big environmental groups like Green Peace, the Sierra Club, and the Surfrider Foundation to ask for opinions on the impact raising cows has on the planet and what can be done to reduce it. However, none of the organizations are willing to admit that agribusiness is the main issue, instead they focus on fossil fuels, palm oil, and coal.
This film is a wake up call to any and all people; environmentalists, big business, farmers, teenagers, everyone inhabiting the Earth. It is chock full of facts that are broken down in an easy, understandable, and entertaining way, as well as plenty of non-aggressive warnings about the overuse of land, the dead zones in the oceans, deforestation, and the very real threat that pollution is providing.
If you are considering switching to a plant based lifestyle but can't seem to motivate yourself to do so, watch this film. If you are already plant based and want to know more about your carbon footprint, watch this film. If you are simply looking for an educational film, watch "Cowspiracy."
I honestly cannot stress enough how important it is that this film is spread around and watched by as many people as possible. It is very well done, it is very entertaining, and its message is so damn important.
As of today, September 15, 2015, "Cowspiracy" is available on Netflix streaming. If you do not have Netflix you can buy the DVD or the download on their website. And if you absolutely don't want to spend money on the film but still want to watch it I'm sure there are websites where you can find the movie for free (although I strongly advise against it because Keegan and Kip could use all the help they can get and buying the film or watching it on Netflix are the best ways to do that).
If you enjoyed "Vegucated," "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," or other films that follow a specific person's journey, you will love this film. It follows the directors, Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn, as they travel to the different head quarters of big environmental groups like Green Peace, the Sierra Club, and the Surfrider Foundation to ask for opinions on the impact raising cows has on the planet and what can be done to reduce it. However, none of the organizations are willing to admit that agribusiness is the main issue, instead they focus on fossil fuels, palm oil, and coal.
This film is a wake up call to any and all people; environmentalists, big business, farmers, teenagers, everyone inhabiting the Earth. It is chock full of facts that are broken down in an easy, understandable, and entertaining way, as well as plenty of non-aggressive warnings about the overuse of land, the dead zones in the oceans, deforestation, and the very real threat that pollution is providing.
If you are considering switching to a plant based lifestyle but can't seem to motivate yourself to do so, watch this film. If you are already plant based and want to know more about your carbon footprint, watch this film. If you are simply looking for an educational film, watch "Cowspiracy."
I honestly cannot stress enough how important it is that this film is spread around and watched by as many people as possible. It is very well done, it is very entertaining, and its message is so damn important.
As of today, September 15, 2015, "Cowspiracy" is available on Netflix streaming. If you do not have Netflix you can buy the DVD or the download on their website. And if you absolutely don't want to spend money on the film but still want to watch it I'm sure there are websites where you can find the movie for free (although I strongly advise against it because Keegan and Kip could use all the help they can get and buying the film or watching it on Netflix are the best ways to do that).
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Wake Bali Captive Dolphins
Four dolphins are being kept in a 10mx20m chlorinated pool at the Wake Bali resort. In the exhibit, tourists are allowed to pet and hug the dolphins, which have gone nearly blind from the chlorine. On top of that, the pool in which they are kept overlooks the ocean, as if the conditions were not cruel enough.
Dolphins are highly intelligent and sentient creatures that have the ability to form complex family ties and a language outside of our comprehension. To keep them confined and drenched in chemicals is inhumane and wrong.
I don't feel that this post needs to be extremely long because the photos and logic speak for themselves.
Please sign the Change.org petition here to make sure our voices are heard.
Daily Mail article
Dolphins are highly intelligent and sentient creatures that have the ability to form complex family ties and a language outside of our comprehension. To keep them confined and drenched in chemicals is inhumane and wrong.
I don't feel that this post needs to be extremely long because the photos and logic speak for themselves.
Please sign the Change.org petition here to make sure our voices are heard.
Daily Mail article
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Animal Dissections in Schools: a Debate
A month or so ago I posted a quick take on the video of Oklahoma students performing a dance routine with the bodies of cats intended to be used for educational purposes (see that post here), and today I am going to attempt to shed a little more light on the subject. Dissection of animals in the classroom has become a rather touchy subject throughout recent years. Debates have become quite heated as the treatment and production of the donated animals, as well as the actual necessity of the activity and how comfortable the students themselves are with the process. So let's dive in: The pros and cons of animal dissections in schools and why, ultimately, I believe that the activity should be banned.
We will begin with the positive effects of using real animals for scientific studies in schools. To begin with, studies have shown that many students better absorb the material being taught to them when they have hands-on experience. By dissecting the actual animal in their textbooks, they are able to comprehend the structures and functions of the body systems more easily than in a slideshow presentation, worksheet, or video. Others argue that once the animal is dead, why waste its body by simply disposing of it instead of using it to further our children's knowledge of the workings of the natural world around them. Another argument is that it is an experience, similar to a tradition or right of passage, and an important part of a student's life. I am not going to discount the importance of experiences in a person's life and how they shape them. I myself dissected a cow bone in the third grade, as well as two rats in my high school career. However, in my personal experience, these activities could have been just as easily completed on paper or virtually, as I had a solid comprehension of the material we were being taught and the formaldehyde fumes made me light-headed. Experiences are very important in a person's life, especially the developing youth that are going to shape the future of our world, and I am no one to discount that. However I do not believe that education should be the reason for any kind of suffering, and on that note, we move into the arguments for the banning of dissections in schools.
In my previous post about the students in Oklahoma, we witnessed the abuse of the bodies of cats that were intended for educational use. This is not an exception, this is not the only case. Students from Newport Harbor High School "were pictured [online] posing with the dead animals. One student held up a cat's head and pretended to lick it. The head of another turned up in a student’s locker," reported the Pacific Standard.
The bodies of these animals are being abused by some teenagers, and causing emotional harm to others. In some schools, students are not given the option to opt out of dissecting animals, no matter how squeamish or uncomfortable they may feel. The acquisition of animals for these classes is not always honest. Yes, there are companies who breed animals specifically to donate their bodies to science, but there are also "donations" from pounds and pet shelters, slaughterhouses, pet stores, and even companion animals who "escaped" from their homes. Sometimes the animals are not dead when they are injected with formaldehyde, and must suffer a slow and painful death at the hand of the chemical. Others are cruelly killed by the workers in supply factories. PETA describes an instance where "one rabbit, still alive after being gassed, tried to crawl out of a wheelbarrow full of water and dead rabbits. Employees laughed as a coworker held the rabbit’s head underwater and pulled him out just as death seemed near, repeating the process again and again until, bored with the “game,” the employee held the animal’s head underwater long enough to drown him." These acts are horrific and the "educational experience" provided from the bodies of these abused earthlings is not even close to being worthy of their suffering.
Banning dissection programs is not the same as depriving the students from an important biological lesson, there are plenty of cruelty-free options and programs designed to give the students a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of organ systems. PETA provides a list of good programs here. These virtual animals provide the students with the option to complete the dissection without the needless death of an animal, as well as provide the more sensitive students with a preferred alternative to the real thing.
I understand that not all schools may be able to afford enough computers for students to run these programs, and that is not the school's fault. I do however, believe that the killing of innocent creatures for the purpose of elementary science is not necessary. Cruelty is not a necessary part of learning, and if anything should be minimalized in the educational system.
To learn more check out:
PETA
Debate
NEAVS
NAVS
Pacific Standard
NSTA
 |
| Photo from pragmaticmom.com |
In my previous post about the students in Oklahoma, we witnessed the abuse of the bodies of cats that were intended for educational use. This is not an exception, this is not the only case. Students from Newport Harbor High School "were pictured [online] posing with the dead animals. One student held up a cat's head and pretended to lick it. The head of another turned up in a student’s locker," reported the Pacific Standard.
The bodies of these animals are being abused by some teenagers, and causing emotional harm to others. In some schools, students are not given the option to opt out of dissecting animals, no matter how squeamish or uncomfortable they may feel. The acquisition of animals for these classes is not always honest. Yes, there are companies who breed animals specifically to donate their bodies to science, but there are also "donations" from pounds and pet shelters, slaughterhouses, pet stores, and even companion animals who "escaped" from their homes. Sometimes the animals are not dead when they are injected with formaldehyde, and must suffer a slow and painful death at the hand of the chemical. Others are cruelly killed by the workers in supply factories. PETA describes an instance where "one rabbit, still alive after being gassed, tried to crawl out of a wheelbarrow full of water and dead rabbits. Employees laughed as a coworker held the rabbit’s head underwater and pulled him out just as death seemed near, repeating the process again and again until, bored with the “game,” the employee held the animal’s head underwater long enough to drown him." These acts are horrific and the "educational experience" provided from the bodies of these abused earthlings is not even close to being worthy of their suffering.
Banning dissection programs is not the same as depriving the students from an important biological lesson, there are plenty of cruelty-free options and programs designed to give the students a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of organ systems. PETA provides a list of good programs here. These virtual animals provide the students with the option to complete the dissection without the needless death of an animal, as well as provide the more sensitive students with a preferred alternative to the real thing.
I understand that not all schools may be able to afford enough computers for students to run these programs, and that is not the school's fault. I do however, believe that the killing of innocent creatures for the purpose of elementary science is not necessary. Cruelty is not a necessary part of learning, and if anything should be minimalized in the educational system.
 |
| Photo from veganbean.com |
To learn more check out:
PETA
Debate
NEAVS
NAVS
Pacific Standard
NSTA
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