THE VEGETARIAN BLOG

Thanksgiving is not a happy time for turkeys, an American native bird notorious for their family bonding skills and gracefulness. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving became associated with eating the flesh of this beautiful bird  and factory farms destroy the lives of millions of them, besides having genetically modified them so grotesquely that they can no longer reproduce without artificial insemination. So-called free range turkeys are not a better option as they also end up at the slaughterhouse.
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I’m not a fan of the Meatless Monday initiative as I don’t see how cutting out meat once a week will actually lead anyone to vegetarianism, let alone veganism. But I do support mentored vegan introductions carried out over a continuous period of time. The Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine is launching a 21-day program designed for anyone who wants to explore and experience the health benefits of a vegan diet. The program is based on research by PCRM’s president, Neal Barnard. That is the kind of initiative that I think can attract people to veganism on a permanent basis, perhaps not every single person who may use the service but certainly a proportion of them.

And what will subscribers get?

Daily e-tips that will put you on the path to weight loss, better health, and greater well-being; A delicious, easy, and satisfying recipe sent every day that will help you break your cravings for unhealthy foods; Weekly motivational nutrition webcasts featuring Dr. Barnard; Social support of other Kickstart participants through a message board where nutrition professionals answer your health and diet questions.

Great, eh? Besides, the service is free. Go on, give it a go – turning to veganism is the best way to help animals and it’s also beneficial to your health and the environment. Extend veganism to your clothes by excluding leather, silk and wool, cleaning and hygiene products (get ones without animal products and not tested on animals), and never support any service that exploits an animal, be it a horse-drawn carriage, a circus or anything else. Animals have the right to be free and have their physical integrity respected, just like we do.

To subscribe, go here. Good luck!

A series of pro-vegetarian spots started being broadcast on MTV as of yesterday, and will run for five weeks. Produced by Compassion Over Killing, the adverts appeal to the youth market and focus on exposing the cruelty of animal farming, telling viewers exactly where animal products come from. Recent research shows that vegetarianism is growing faster among teenagers than other groups so it’s a good idea to target this type of audience. Says COK’s Erica Meier:

Our 2009 MTV Pro-Veg Ad campaign launches tonight: viewers around the country will see, perhaps for their first time, a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the cruel world of factory farming—and they’ll be further directed to visit our website TryVeg.com for more information.

To watch the adverts, click here. I think they are very good.

Peta ’s latest publicity stunt was getting its Super Bowl ad banned due to its sexual content. I personally don’t think it is that sexually daring, but then I’m a Brazilian living in Europe, which may explain a more relaxed attitude towards sex. However, I wonder if the old advertising motto, ’sex sells’, really works to promote vegetarianism as it does to promote cars. Sex sells … but what exactly? Perhaps sex only? I don’t know. I don’t mind the high camp humor in the ad, but it is the ethics benefits of a plant diet should always be the emphasis of go-veg campaigns. If anyone will have a better sex life for being a veggie, that’s an added bonus, not the central issue. What do you think? Have a look at the video below and chime in.

‘Veggie Love’: PETA’s Banned Super Bowl Ad

She’s one half of the duo behind the publishing phenomenon Skinny Bitch and here Ms. Freedman gives five top reasons to go vegan. Listen up, kids .

Elsewhere, Eric Prescott, whose film I’m a Vegan I blogged about a few posts ago, is becoming increasingly popular and he now graces the pages of VegNews with an interview. Says the vegan maverick:

I’d been playing around with the idea to tell the story of veganism that would personalize it and make it more accessible. I was struck by the explosion of YouTube and other web 2.0 developments, particularly the social-networking phenomenon. More and more, the web allows people to generate and share content in new and affordable ways, which continues to evolve along with the increasing accessibility of near-professional grade equipment. Out of all this swirling creativity and potential, I’m Vegan emerged as a way to give veganism a face. Plus, hey, I love to travel and meet new people, so this ought to be a lot of fun!

Full article here +

A good idea needs to be praised publicly and London’s Vegan Campaigns ‘ Vegan Pledge scheme certainly fits the bill. It’s very simple - the group advertises a meeting which members of the public are invited to attend (that’s today, by the way). During the meeting they are given nutritional advice and all sorts of information they may require to take the leap to vegan goodness. Says VC’s website:

As well as the opportunity to taste all kinds of vegan food, there will be talks, a cookery demonstration and a chance to ask all the questions you ever wondered about being vegan. There will also be advice on nutrition, and a free booklet of healthy recipes, shopping and dining tips to take away.

That is called taking the Vegan Pledge. Then a month later (this time, February 15) the group gets together and reports on how things went.

It’s a great idea to give people support to go vegan since there are several cultural obstacles they may have to conquer - and then they will see it’s really quite simple. “Being vegan is easy! There is an alternative to almost every animal product. Vegan foods – including non-dairy milk, cream, yoghurt, custard, cheese, ice-cream and much more – can now be found easily in high street shops and supermarkets. Most restaurants have a vegan option, and if not, the majority are prepared to adapt their dishes. So if you’ve been thinking about going vegan or you’d like to reduce your impact on the planet or improve your health – why not take the Vegan Pledge in 2009?” says Chrissy Leyland, Vegan Pledge organiser.

This is what I call a responsible public administrator. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, the city’s health commissioner Dr. Terry Mason has told his constituents to put an end to their meat-eating habits. Apparently, Chicago is big on animal fat (pun intended) and now that they’ve mentioned it, it makes historical sense as the city was the place where the concept of the modern, mechanized slaughterhouse was created, and which is chronicled in the famous book, The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair.Of course, animal food is a health hazard and Mr. Mason knows that.

“For the entire month, I’m not eating any meat,” he has told listeners to his Sunday morning radio show, “Doctor in the House,” on WVON-AM. “If it walks, runs, hops, flies, swims, crawls or slithers, I won’t eat it. If it has eyes, I won’t eat it. If it had a momma and a daddy, I won’t eat it. . . . I’m going to focus on eating a healthy and delicious variety of fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. . . . And I want you to do the same.”

The Afro-American community particularly shows a high-than-average rate of health problems related to animal fat, such as diabetes and heart conditions so it will be a good thing to educate these people about the benefits of a plant diet. Go on Chicago, go vegan!

One of the main Brazilian newspapers reported today that ranchers account for 76% of forest clearing in the Amazon, according to new, more reliable data. But there’s no point panicking and not doing anything about it: give up on all animal products and you’ll be doing your share to help mitigate the human impact on the environment. Vegans have been saying how addiction to flesh is unsustainable in our planet with its dwindling resources, and every now and then official published data confirms this. So … over to the latest announcement from the European Vegetarian and News Alliance:

More hunger in the world calls for more ethical living

FAO: Number of hungry people rises to 963 million (9 December 2008)

For people with compassion and a sense of responsibility the FAO warning that another ‘40 million people have been pushed into hunger this year ‘came as a shock.

How could that happen given that our international leaders are so committed to universal values: In December 2008, the UN celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, and also a “UN Climate Change Conference” took place in Poland. Only in September 2008, world leaders discussed the Millennium Development Goals with the aim of reversing “the grinding poverty, hunger and disease affecting billions of people”. Last year the World Food Programme (WFP) gave assistance to 86.1 million people in 80 countries.

Yet the world hunger problem is exploding. Almost one billion people are now affected, even though the veg protein given to the beef herd alone would feed them all, and many more.

A grim scenario
Without a radical change of course, the future is looking dark: The FAO expects that the demand for feed will double by 2050 because of growing meat and dairy consumption, WWF warns that “two planets” would be required to sustain current lifestyles within a generation”, and only very few countries do remain within their “biocapacity”.

So there will be more suffering if we don’t stop living beyond our means. Even a new kind of colonialism may develop when affluent countries satisfy their meat and biofuel needs by buying up and exploiting poor far-away regions, pushing local populations into poverty and starvation and polluting their soil, water and air.

Vegetarianism against eco-crunch
The problem of world hunger is not a natural disaster because, right now, Mother Earth is still able to provide for us all. A wisely managed agriculture must at least secure this status-quo. But that’s not enough! Jazzed-up and questionable old FAO concepts (cloning, genetical engineering, more fertilizers etc) are obviously not suitable to overcome new challenges. We need a fresh outlook, based on affordability, sustainability and fairness. Environmental destruction by the meat industry must be addressed and stopped.

IPCC chief: “Don’t eat meat”
In a press conference in Paris last January, the Indian scientist Rajendra Pachauri highlighted “the importance of lifestyle changes”. It’s now high time for FAO’s Dr. Diouf and his scientists to listen to their UN colleague and Nobel Prize-winner Pachauri!

Vegetarianism is a beneficial gate into a more humane future: It helps the hungry. It helps the environment. It helps us all.

And please sign this petition asking the European Union to stop subsidizing livestock businesses.

This press release came through my news wire this week and I thought it deserved being transmitted verbatim….

Earlier this week the first fan-managed, motion picture studio, Green Light Flix announced that it is now recruiting 50,000 vegetarians and vegans to join their “Producers Club.” Blending activism and entertainment, Green Light Flix members help develop and produce media, such as feature films, videos, podcasts, webisodes, and more.

“Vegetarians, animal rights activists and environmentalists have a very rare and often negative representation in cinema and television. Our mission is to change that. We want to show activists in a positive light while entertaining and educating audiences,” said Dawn Black, co-founder of Green Light Flix.

Green Light Flix fills a critical gap in the entertainment industry. For the first time, a community of environmentalists, animal rights activists, and vegetarians will be able to help choose, promote and have an impact on media that appeal to them. Fans get the opportunity to discover new storytellers while getting insider access and VIP perks for their contributions.

“There are millions of vegetarians and vegans around the world, and many of us are insulted by being portrayed in films and TV shows as pale, 85 pound hippies that look sickly and need a murdered farm animal’s carcass and dairy products to feel better,” said Scott Cardinal, GreenLight Flix co-founder and Director of Development. “Environmentalists and animal rights activists are usually portrayed as kooks, too. Imagine heroic films like ‘Rocky,’ dramatic films like ‘The Breakfast Club,’ romantic comedies like ‘Serendipity,’ and more - except the main characters are obviously animal rights activists and vegetarians or vegans. That is what we plan to do. The positive examples would do more to promote our positive lifestyle than all the horrific slaughterhouse videos on You Tube.”

Green Light Flix’ 2009 slate includes “V-Day,” a forward-thinking documentary about what the world would be like in the future if everyone was vegan; “GreEntreprenuer,” which is interviews with owners of earth-friendly businesses; “Guy Going Green,” about a 355 lb. man changing his life for the better; a series of cooking DVDs; and a few dramas and comedies with characters that are admirable animal rights activists, vegetarians, vegans, and environmentalists.

“Producing and distributing feature films and videos can be a great form of activism. Finally, animal rights, vegetarian, vegan and eco activists have an opportunity to join in on this while supporting the causes they believe in,” claims Board Advisor Steve Silberberg.

The projects are financed by Membership dues which turn Fans into Producers and investors. Once the productions are done, Limited Edition DVDs are distributed to those same Member whose annual dues financed them. Memberships start at $25 a year. Members will help make major business decisions including logo design, web design, film development, marketing and distribution, etc. Members will also receive VIP perks, such as a free member T-shirt, DVDs, 25% off all products, and more. Green Light Flix will donate 10% of net profits to animal rescue, rights, welfare organizations selected by its members.

“Many animal rights groups produce footage of slaughterhouses and animal cruelty, which most people do not want to watch. While this information needs to be made public so people can learn the truth, we also need positive videos showing what the world could be like without dependence on animal products. Green Light Flix will do that, and we are excited to support them.” said Jodi Chemes, VP Youth Outreach, Florida Voices for Animals.

November 27th is Thanksgiving Day, a day of celebration of our life, health, and happiness. Sadly, there’s a very dark side to this otherwise beautiful date: the gargantuan slaughter of turkeys that accompanies the holiday. Nearly 300 million turkeys are killed each year in the U.S. The birds, who are native to this country, spend their entire lives crammed in large sheds with little room to move. Artificially inseminated and selectively bred to gain enormous amounts of weight, they suffer heart attacks, broken limbs, lameness, and death from their genetically-induced accelerated growth rate. Factory farm conditions are so harsh that the turkeys must be pumped full of antibiotics just to stay alive. Shortly after birth, they have their snoods and parts of their toes and beaks cut off with hot blades, without the use of anesthetic, to reduce damage from  stress-induced aggression. They are then delivered by conveyer belt to a carousel where they get a power injection, usually of an antibiotic, whacked into the back of their necks.

For the rest of their lives they are forced to endure crowding, living in their own waste, and ravaging diseases. As many as 25,000 birds may be housed in a single shed. Their eyes and lungs are burned by toxic fumes emanating from their excrement. Conditions are so severe that about 9% of turkeys raised for food (or over 26 million) don’t survive long enough to make it to the slaughterhouse. After 16 weeks of misery, they are hung on a conveyer belt, their throats are cut, and they are dumped - sometimes still fully conscious - into scalding water to strip their feathers.

Do you want all this suffering to be the main menu on a day of gratitude? If you are one of the many compassionate people who see no sense in linking celebration and cruelty, try out vegetarian substitutes on Thanksgiving Day. Check out the Gentle Thanksgiving website for recipes and lots more information. And use the opportunity to reflect on your year-round food as well. The gruesome farming conditions described above are true of every other type of animal farming. Going vegan is the most effective way to stop the massacre.