Nice vegetarian meehoon from a non-vegetarian stall

Brown rice, lufa and soft tofu

Wegmans Cruelty

Wegmans Cruelty is a documentary produced by a small investigative team from the organization Compassionate Consumers. Organization members contacted Wegmans Food Markets to try to hold some meaningful dialogue about the conditions at Wegmans Egg Farm, and were then misled and dismissed by Wegmans representatives. The team set out to capture actual footage inside the farm and create a film based on their experience. The film features statements from Wegmans representatives, interviews with the investigators, and footage of what life and death is like inside of an "Animal Care Certified" battery cage facility.

http://service.gmx.net/de/cgi/derefer?TYPE=3&DEST=http%3A%2F%2Fveg-tv.info%2FWegmans_Cruelty

There is even more cruelty in milk and eggs than in meat. The cows and hens suffer more and longer in the factory farms before they too, are being slaughtered.

http://www.veganpoet.com/

Because I'm Female

Because I'm female, my body and breast
feel for a cow and her life of unrest.
Because I'm female, I'm filled with disdain
at using sisters for financial gain.

Because I'm female, I'm upset at how
insemination is forced on a cow.
Because I'm female, it's awful to see
cows impregnated artificially.

Because I'm female, I see why they mourn
when somebody steals their cherished new born.
Because I'm female, I'm saddened to think
that veal is part of the dairy we drink.

Because I'm female, I naturally know
cow's milk is meant for a young calf to grow.
Because I'm female, my belief is strong:
Dairy consumption is sexist and wrong.

~~  M. Butterflies Katz  ~~

May all the Buddhas and

Bodhisattvas bless the billions

of sentient beings in factory farms

 who will never feel the

sun on their backs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWKkNAswUgE

... and not only in Australia.

(highlights are mine)

http://business.theage.com.au/animal-cruelty-laws-lack-punch/20080125-1o85.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2

Australians like to think of themselves as compassionate people who
look after the welfare of animals. We hailed Steve Irwin as a national
hero, expressed outrage when thousands of exported sheep died from
dehydration and heat exhaustion aboard the Cormo Express, and reacted
with horror at news of underground animal fight clubs in Victoria.
 
But few Australians realise that legally sanctioned acts of cruelty to
animals happen every day. Annually, 420 million meat chickens are kept
confined in sheds before slaughter — at 23 chickens per square metre.
Many chickens endure unnaturally rapid growth, bone deformities,
fractures, hip dislocations and diseases due to selective breeding and
high-growth feed.
 
Every year, 11 million egg-laying hens are kept in wire cages, where
they are unable to spread their wings or perform natural behaviours.
Chicks have most of their beaks cut off to stop them pecking each
other.
 
And 350,000 mother pigs are kept in individual sow stalls and
farrowing crates, where they cannot turn around or take more than one
step forward or back. As a result, they suffer lameness, foot
injuries, lesions and weakened bones, as well as considerable mental
distress.
 
The situation described above is permitted by section 6(1) of the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 Victoria, and its state and
territory equivalents, which exclude "production" animals (the vast
majority of animals in Australia) from the legislation's protection.
...
I would argue that those who enjoy meat have no right to be shielded
from the distressing reality of its production.
 
Even if one does not have an emotional response to animal suffering,
the arguments are persuasive for rejecting the current intensive
farming system by turning vegan or vegetarian, buying free-range meat,
cutting down on meat consumption, or, at the very least, pressuring
our governments to enact proper animal welfare laws.
 
One does not have to love animals to oppose cruelty to them, just as one does not have to love mistreated ethnic groups to oppose racism.
 
Few scientists today still argue that animals are automatons or
mindless machines. Animals, like humans, are consciously aware of
themselves and their surroundings; and experience hunger, cold, pain
and distress.
...
It would make far more sense, environmentally and economically, to
grow food directly for people rather than animals that will later be
eaten by people. A well-planned vegan or vegetarian diet is perfectly
healthy and tasty. Despite the efforts of industry to convince us
otherwise, a meat-free diet can contain plenty of iron, calcium and
protein.
 
The American Dietetic Association's position paper, among many others,
has found that vegetarians on average have less chance of developing
many common diseases and health conditions, including obesity,
hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, heart disease,
prostate cancer and colon cancer. A vegan-vegetarian diet also tends
to be a lot cheaper for the consumer and society than one that is
animal-based.
 
Even if Australians are not persuaded by the arguments for
veganism-vegetarianism, however, I think most would agree that if we
are going to eat, wear, hunt, race and experiment on animals, this
should happen with as little pain and suffering to them as is humanly
possible.
...
As Leonardo da Vinci once said:

"The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of
men."
 
Australia has come far, but we still have a long way to go.

 
Caitlin Evans is the co-founder of Lawyers for Animals (a group of
Melbourne lawyers who volunteer their expertise on behalf of animals).
 

full story:
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22931755-5007221,00.html

Fruits....meant to be eaten!

 

From Dreamy's Blog:

http://living-vegan.blogspot.com/2007/11/poem-by-animals.html

 

I will never see the sun rise

 I will never see it set
I will never feel a kind touch

I will never be a pet
I will never feel love

For I will not be loved
As I’m led to my murder

Being prodded, poked and shoved

As they cut my tender skin

I wondered who would care

If anybody out there

Would consider my despair

For you did not see me die

And you did not see me bleed
You did not hear me cry

For the meat that you don’t need

You did not watch them kill me

You could not feel my pain
You will try not to think of me

As you blindly eat again

I was the cow you ate on Monday

The pig you had midweek,
I was the turkey for your Christmas,

I was the calf you liked to eat

I was the chicken in your sandwich

The duck you had for tea
I felt pain beyond belief

But you never thought of me

Because thinking can be painful

And you refuse to see
That for every time you eat meat

Those animals must bleed

The cow was killed for Monday

The pig was scalded too
The turkey lived for 16 weeks

And the calf had died for you

The chicken lived inside a cage

The duck could hardly move
And all of this suffering

Occurred for so called food

I fail to see a reason

As there is no need
When humans eat my meat

 It is purely for their greed

You may think you’re above me

That you have advantage
But a kind, innocent creature

Is better than a savage

So next time you’re out shopping

Try to feel some guilt
For those animals have died

For your eggs, your meat and milk

My heroes are those people

Who will not bite into me
So I ask a simple favour

And please stop eating meat

I’m asking for the cows

The pigs and all the sheep
I’m asking for the birds

Who are more than just some meat

They can’t speak themselves

So please lets be their voice
Every one born into this

For them there was no choice

For you did not see me die

And you did not see me bleed
You did not hear me cry

For the meat that you don’t need

 

http://living-vegan.blogspot.com/2007/10/qilin-kirin.html

 

 

Do you know this Chinese mythical creature is a vegetarian? Despite its fearsome look, it doesn't eat meat and walks on grass without stepping on it out of great care not to trample any small living beings. This is a creature of good omen, bringing prosperity and serenity.

 

 

 

 

A humourous video about a chef explaining his veganism...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMpHF2a-IJY

Haha...sometimes you get the most ridiculous questions. 

Met with another caregiver at the hawker centre yesterday. When she asked me to share in her char-kwe-tiau, I explained that I am a strict vegetarian, who doesn't eat meat, eggs, milk....

Hmm...but what about seafood? Do you eat fish, prawns? :)

Then she told me her theory that we can eat the flesh of animals that have already been slaughtered... as long as we don't do the killing. I explained about demand and supply...

(pic. Organic Wholemeal Breads from Wholesome Living www.wholesomeliving-sg.com)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05zhL1YUd8Q

Interview with 110-Year-Old Vegetarian

Teresa Hsu was born in China 110 years ago. She has been a vegetarian from birth, because she wasn’t able to digest meat. She went on to become a nurse, working in the UK, Paraguay, Malaysia and elsewhere, before settling in Singapore in the 1960s. For many, many years, Sister Teresa, as she is affectionately known, has directed a charity, Heart-to-Heart Service, which aids poor people: http://www.hearttoheartservice.org She continues that work today, in addition to teaching yoga. (IVU Online News would like to thank Mr Sharana Rao for his help in facilitating this interview.)

1. You have never eaten meat from the day you were born due to the fact that your body rejects animal flesh. At what age did not eating meat become a conscious choice, and why did you make that choice?

I have been allergic to non-veg food since birth. I became a conscious vegetarian one day during the 1950s, when I was sitting by a river and saw the fish playing happily with each other. I thought to myself that we humans have no right to end their fun, put a knife in their throats, and cause them great pain for our pleasure.

2. You distribute food to poor people. Do you distribute only vegetarian food?

Yes, I distribute only vegetarian food. Some volunteers who help with the food distribution question me about why I do not give the recipients what they enjoy eating. My answer is to ask them the following: If your child was playing in the forest and wild animals who lived in the forest wanted to eat your child, would you say that it was okay because your child was born for these other animals to enjoy eating?

3. Is the world today a better place that it was 100 years ago?

In some ways, today’s world is more modern and offers certain facilities that didn’t exist 100 years ago, but these facilities are available only to those who can afford them. Basically, the world is still the same, with poor people everywhere, then and now.

4. What are your three main sources of joy?

Sun shining, birds singing, leaves dancing, in other words, the beauty of nature.

5. Do you know any vegetarian jokes?

Why did the tomato blush? Because it saw the salad dressing.

Actually they have always been using an animal product, namely cow's milk, which makes these chocolates unsuitable for vegans, but now they are also unsuitable for lacto vegetarians.

Dark non-dairy chocolate tastes good and so does chocolate made with soya milk...please don't take part in the exploitation of our fellow animals!

Masterfoods' brands are household names
Some of the UK's best-selling chocolate bars, such as Mars and Twix, will no longer be suitable for vegetarians.
Also affecting brands such as Snickers and Maltesers, owner Masterfoods said it had started to use animal product rennet to make its chocolate products.

Masterfoods said the change was due to it switching the sourcing of its ingredients and the admission was a "principled decision" on its part.

The Vegetarian Society (UK) said the company's move was "incomprehensible".

'Extremely disappointed'

Masterfoods said it had started using rennet from 1 May and non-affected products had a "best before date" up to 1 October.

Masterfoods' decision to use non-vegetarian whey is a backward step

Vegetarian Society

Rennet, a chemical sourced from calves' stomachs, is used in the production of whey.

It will now also be found in Bounty, Minstrels and Milky Way products, and the ice cream versions of all Masterfoods' bars.

"If the customer is an extremely strict vegetarian, then we are sorry the products are no longer suitable, but a less strict vegetarian should enjoy our chocolate," said Paul Goalby, corporate affairs manager for Masterfoods.

Thanks to Emily for sharing this:

Featured in the April 9, 2007 (not a misprint) edition of Time Magazine on 51 things we can do to make a difference.

22 - Skip the steak

“Which is responsible for more global warming: your BMW or your Big Mac?  Believe it or not, it's the burger.  The int'l meat industry generates roughly 18% of the world's greenhouse-gas emission - even more than transportation - according to a report last year from the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization.

Much of that comes from the nitrous oxide in manure and the methane that is, as the New York times delicately put it, "the natural result of bovine digestion."  Methane has a warming effect that is 23 times as great as that of carbon, while nitrous oxide is 296 times as great.

There are 1.5 billion cattle and buffalo on the planet, along with 1.7 billion sheep and goats.  Their populations are rising fast, especially in the developing world.  Global meat production is expected to double between 2001 and 2050.  Given the amount of energy consumed raising, shipping and selling livestock, a thick T-bone is like a Hummer on a plate.

If you switch to vegetarianism, you can shrink your carbon footprint by up to almost 1.4 tons of carbon dioxide a year, according to the research by the University of Chicago. Trading a standard car for a hybrid cuts only about  one ton - and isn't as tasty."

Went with my German friend to this vegetarian restaurant in Serangoon Road.

Nice place, good food but when we looked at the first page of the menu our jaws dropped…

There was a write-up on vegetarianism mentioning Buddha, Gandhi and Hitler as examples of great leaders who were vegetarians.

We told the staff that we were taken aback at the mention of Buddha, Gandhi and Hitler in one sentence and also that Hitler was not even a vegetarian.

We are supposed to have intelligence and logic thinking...yet we don't see the absurdity of our actions...

From SingaporeCommunityCats Blog:

ttp://singaporecommunitycats.wordpress.com/2007/02/19/sad-laughter-at-the-absurdity-of-humankind/

Send an electronic vegetarian Chinese New Year card in the form
of a PowerPoint