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!
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
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
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| 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
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Yulin's "Festival of Cruelty"
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| Caged dogs unable to move provided by Huffington Post |
The first point of concern is that China does not have animal protection laws, it is not illegal to eat dogs or cats in China; in fact, they are a common dish in the country. It is not their usual consumption that is the issue (as I will cover soon.) The local officials in Yulin claim that the festival is illegal and nonexistent, though it has been a reoccurring event for the past 25 years. This puts the blame and responsibility on the public, who are the ones celebrating the festival to begin with. Thus the festival has run unopposed by officials, however protesters have gathered each year to buy dogs off of participants, pray for dogs killed, and attempt to liberate the animals from the slaughterhouses.
The second issue is the health and sanitation, or lack there of, that is applied to the Yulin festival. Accounts of Rabies have increased greatly in Yulin in recent years. Michael Koziol of The Sydney Morning Herald reported that "there had been 338 reported cases between 2002 and 2006, making Yulin one of China's most affected cities." The blood and internal organs of the dogs slaughtered are strewn about slaughterhouse floors, causing even more dangers to health. Not only does this festival harm sentient animals, but it holds dangers to the human participants as well.
This brings us to the reason the festival is being protested: the treatment and acquisition of the dogs used in the celebration. Not all of the dogs used are bred for the festival or donated by willing owners and breeders. Household pets and strays from all over China are swiped from homes and off the streets, stolen from their families and lives to be slaughtered for the entertainment of another city halfway across the country. Children are losing their beloved companions for a horrific bloodbath that steals the lives of thousands of dogs (and cats) yearly.
Finally, we address the treatment of the dogs that are to "participate" in the Yulin festival. The dogs are packed into tiny cages, several in each one, providing no room for movement. Some even die of starvation or dehydration before they are taken out for slaughter. Some are burnt alive, some are boiled. Andrea Dung from the Duo Duo project claimed she witnessed dogs being slaughtered while "still wagging their tails," reports the UK Independent. The slaughterhouses are filled with carcasses of skinned dogs and those being drained of blood with their fur still intact. The conditions are truly horrific and can be described more accurately in pictures than in words. This is a second warning: these photos are graphic.
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| Dog being boiled alive as tweeted by Ricky Gervais |
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| Dog meat preparation photo from The Guardian |
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| A dog being burned alive, as tweeted by Ricky Gervais |
Times are changing, and traditions must too. In order to evolve, some things must be left behind. We can learn to live in peace but we must stop pointless slaughter like this to do so. If you want your voice to be heard make sure you sign the petition to stop the festival here and tag your photos, tweets, and other social medias with #stopyulin2015. We can change the world and we can save lives if we try together.
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Huffington Post
TIME
The Guardian 1 & 2
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Animal Dissection in Schools: Oklahoma
Until school ends in a couple of weeks I will not be able to produce an in-depth and better informed article on the controversy of using real animal corpses in academic dissections, but this video has recently brought the topic to light again. A very reputable charter school in Oklahoma, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, posted a video on their Facebook page of some of their students dancing with dead cats to the meow mix jingle. The cat corpses were to be used for in-class dissections, an activity that the Humane Society and PETA are now aggressively tackling at the school. The Humane Society recommends "the school could switch to plastic models, while PETA said it has software available for schools that wish to use computer models," stated a Huffington Post article.
Harding Charter's Facebook page is currently shut down and the students in the video (who still attend the school) are facing repercussions.
The Huffignton Post article touched briefly on the methods in which the cats and dogs used for dissections are acquired, but I will not go in-depth in that until school is over and I can provide a more comprehensive and detailed post on the acquisition and experimentation of dissection-destined animals.
To read the Huffington Post article click here
Harding Charter's Facebook page is currently shut down and the students in the video (who still attend the school) are facing repercussions.
The Huffignton Post article touched briefly on the methods in which the cats and dogs used for dissections are acquired, but I will not go in-depth in that until school is over and I can provide a more comprehensive and detailed post on the acquisition and experimentation of dissection-destined animals.
To read the Huffington Post article click here
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
The Kim Kardashian Controversy: Fur
Kim Kardashian has always been a perpetrator of the fur business, often photographed in very large and expensive real fur coats, and she has always faced retaliation from viewers because of it. However, recently a video filmed at one of her book signings shows activists calling her a murderer and being removed from the store. I understand that fashion is a way for Kim to demonstrate her status, but the fact that she is simply ignoring the suffering behind her coats is very aggravating indeed. She has not issued any statements regarding her coats and does not confront her fans who ask her to change her ways.
The fur industry is brutal, small mammals (like rabbits and minks) are farmed in horrible confined conditions, skinned alive, and then have their bodies dumped in a massive pile. Not only is the industry wasteful, but it is inhumane and murderous.
There is very high quality faux fur on the market and it is becoming very hard to tell the difference, if Kim really wanted to use her fame for the greater good or any reason outside of being famous, she would switch to faux and show her support for her fellow earthlings. Not only would she then be taking some responsibility, but she would also be providing her fans with an affordable and doable action that they could take to help better our planet.
Here is the book signing video:
The fur industry is brutal, small mammals (like rabbits and minks) are farmed in horrible confined conditions, skinned alive, and then have their bodies dumped in a massive pile. Not only is the industry wasteful, but it is inhumane and murderous.
There is very high quality faux fur on the market and it is becoming very hard to tell the difference, if Kim really wanted to use her fame for the greater good or any reason outside of being famous, she would switch to faux and show her support for her fellow earthlings. Not only would she then be taking some responsibility, but she would also be providing her fans with an affordable and doable action that they could take to help better our planet.
Here is the book signing video:
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