Living Without Meat

Rescuing a stray straight from the streets is a very rewarding experience. My two feline boys were born in the same litter to a mama cat living in the backyard of my apartment building. Their mother disappeared while they were still less than a handful. With the help of my downstairs neighbors, we brought the tiny kittens inside, got them to a vet, and fed them with an eye dropper. Today, my boys are healthy, big, 7-year-old, spoiled babies.

Saving a cat or dog - or rat, mouse, etc. if that’s your pleasure - is not the easiest task, however. And one of the best way to learn is from other people’s experiences. Recently, two veg bloggers that I read regularly have take in street animals, and recommend reading their stories:

The Urban Vegan has recently helped Buttons Van Gogh, a scared, one-eared cat.

Elaine Vigneault took in a dog, Bella.

Don’t miss Gene Baur, president and founder of Farm Sanctuary and author of Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, and Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the U.S., on CNN’s Headline News show Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell tomorrow evening.

During the first half of the show, Velez-Mitchell discusses shelter-specific issues such as puppy mills, overcrowding, and adoption with Pacelle; Carole Davis, actress, animal advocate, and author of The Diary of Jinky: Dog of a Hollywood Wife; and Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue. The second half features Baur on the lives of animals raised for food.

The episode, titled Special Investigation: Animal Issues, originally aired on Christmas Day, but will air again tomorrow, New Year’s Day, at 7 p.m. EST in the U.S. Check your local listings ahead of time to ensure that you don’t miss it. A rough transcript of the show is available now on CNN.com.

I’m saddened when I see anything go to waste, but especially when it is an animal product. When meat or such gets tossed to the garbage, that animal’s death was meaningless and even more senseless than if the meat was at least used as nourishment. I’m saddened even more when i realize that this surplus of death is nothing new to humans.

During the time period of the Wild West, commonly the 1800s, the U.S. saw a decline in trapping and the fur trade as fashions changed, but an increase in slaughtering of bison for leather and meat. From Wikipedia’s American Old West page, here is a sad truth about our long history of wastefulness:

Killing far exceeded market requirements, reaching over one million per year. As much as five bison were killed for each one that reached market, and most of the meat was left to rot on the plains and at trackside after removal of the hides. Skulls were often ground for fertilizer. A skilled hunter could kill over 100 bison in a day.

The photo shown here, also from Wikipedia, is a mound of bison skulls waiting to be ground up in the mid-1870s. What’s even more disturbing than the sheer number of bones collected here, is the appearance of the men in the picture (click to see it larger). They have taken very proud stances, each with one foot perched atop a skull. And, although I can’t be positive, I’m sure that they are smirking. Throughout the 19th century, the bison population went from over 25 million to nearly extinct.

How many bison do we see today? How many chickens, cows, and pigs will we see tomorrow? We are a wasteful society, and in desperate need of change. Sadly, with hundreds of years of practice at killing without need, we have a lot to overcome. I, however, have hope. Change is possible.

Now that all of the gifts have been unwrapped, I can finally spill the beans on the fun, healthy, vegan gifts that I put together for my family this year.

I collected a range of food items for two families: My mom and dad were one; my sister, her husband, and their 2.5 kids (one’s in the belly!) were the other. I gathered bulk items such as oats, and nuts and dried fruits that I made into a trail mix. I grabbed a variety of meal, granola, raw, and fruit bars for them all to try. I bought each a bottle of Bolthouse Farms juice and a box of quinoa. For my parents, I included some dark chocolate; for my sister’s crew, jelly beans.

I had a lot of fun shopping for these two gifts, and had to restrain myself from buying them everything that I want them to try.

After I collected a good amount of food, I wrapped the gift sets by filling the items into plain canvas tote bags and tying them closed with a fancy bow. I debated whether to decorate to totes or not, and decided to let the recipients have the honors. After all, if you’re going to spread a message with the bag that you carry, it should be one that you believe in.

Everyone loved and appreciate the gifts. I loved that I was able to give them something that they need, something that gets used up, and something that is healthy - for them and the environment.

Only problem with these gifts … I forgot to take a picture!

This e-card is available at PCRM.org.

“Nicky wanted me to get her this photograph. It is of a beautiful swan because she loves swans, so I got her that. And Paris, I am going to get her a very cool faux fur coat. Like a bomber jacket.” - Kathy Hilton discussing the Christmas presents that she bought for her daughters.

PETA wants Oprah Winfrey to know that her outspoken compassion for animals has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated - the animal rights organization named the talk show maven their 2008 Person of the Year.

It all started when Oprah, a known dog lover, saw a billboard in Chicago that read “Oprah: Do a show on puppy mills. The dogs need you.” She took the hint and ran with it.

Over this past year, Oprah shared her pain with her audience when her beloved dog, Sophie, passed away. She went on to expose the cruel truth of puppy mills and factory farms. Then she took it one step further and educated her viewers about a vegan diet when she took author Kathy Freston’s 21-day vegan challenge.

With all that she has done over 2008, it is clear why PETA is honoring her. The nonprofit proudly stands behind the daytime queen stating that “Oprah uses her fame and listening audience to help the less fortunate, including animals.”

Congrats and thanks to Oprah!

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”

Today’s inspirational words are brought to you from Edward Everett Hale, writer, Unitarian clergyman, and great nephew of Nathan Hale.

Life’s timing is funny sometimes: last night I was pondering - as I sat with my heating pad, lap cats, cup of tea, and knitting - the devil’s argument that one can never be 100 percent cruelty free. Try as we may, we do occasionally, accidentally cause some extent of suffering. We step on or breathe in bugs. We buy a product that is labeled “no animal testing” without realizing that it’s parent company does test on animals.

But because we cannot change and perfect everything all the time, does that mean that we should forget about it and do nothing? I say absolutely not, and, apparently, Mr. Hale agreed with me.

Everything you do makes a difference.

I use my blender more often than any other appliance in the kitchen. I make smoothies and hummus, and other drinks and dips, on an almost-daily basis. Thus, I am constantly buying new, better machines to keep up with my blending habits.

Two years ago, I bought a $9 smoothie maker. After less than a year, the blades were too dull to chop ice and the motor, which wasn’t very strong to begin with, was too weak.

After deciding that, clearly, you get what you pay for, I invested in a more expensive blender-processor combo machine. Immediately, the food processor part nearly caught on fire, smoking with exhaustion. The blender has gone on to last nearly a year, but not without wear and tear evident: when chopping ice, I have to constantly stop blending and shake or stir the ingredients around.

This past week I have been trying out a Vita-Mix, which combines blending, juicing, processing, kneading, grinding, and more into one ultra-powerful mechanism. I tried making three different things, and all turned out better than ever:

1. Raspberry Sorbet. Into the blender I put: half a bag of frozen raspberries, half a carrot, about 3 ice cubes, and 1 cup of soy milk. After about 5 seconds, I had a fruity dessert that was the exact consistency of sorbet. In a regular blender, I would have had to blend for several minutes, then refreeze the mixture in order to achieve the same texture. The picture shown is this recipe.

2. Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus. I tossed in one can of drained, rinsed chickpeas; about 2 Tbsp. of olive oil; sun-dried tomatoes, and sea salt. Again, after about 5 seconds I had the smoothest hummus that I have ever made. I don’t mind chunky hummus, but my usual blender can only make it chunky.

3. Energy Drink. I blended 2 carrots, half a can of coconut water, half a frozen banana, 3-4 ice cubes, and some canned pineapple. Same timing, same results: super fast perfection.

So I have found my new favorite blending machine: Vita-Mix!

I haven’t even begun to tell you all the perks of a Vita-Mix … stay tuned!

I don’t mention the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, commonly called PCRM, as much as I should. They are a wonderful, intelligent nonprofit based out of Washington, D.C., whose name accurately explains their mission.

PCRM covers the health and animal rights aspects of veganism, connecting both to medicine: Having a healthy lifestyle is promoted as a form of preventive medicine. Unethical research methods are strongly opposed and alternatives are promoted.

If you sign up for PCRM’s mailing list, you will receive notices about their campaigns, including action alerts through which you can sign and send letters to politicians with a simple click of your mouse. One recent PCRM campaign opposes the cruel use of animals for military training. Here’s an excerpt from an e-mail about this:

In trauma training courses, the military is shooting pigs in the face, repeatedly exposing monkeys to a neurotoxin, and amputating goats’ legs with gardening tools. This animal use violates the Department of Defense’s (DOD) own animal welfare regulation, which states that, “Alternative methods to the use of animals must be considered and used if such alternatives produce scientifically valid or equivalent results to attain the research, education, training, and testing objectives.” Nonanimal methods are widely available and can handle every aspect of military medical training. These methods range from high-tech simulators to commonsense approaches, like the use of military and civilian trauma centers.

Go check out PCRM online now and find several animal-friendly holiday e-cards like the one shown here. Click on the card shown to see and send the other seven e-cards.

PETA’s on a mission to bring naked women (where is the male nudity?), who are anti-fur, to the masses. Dozens of female celebrities have posed nude for the animal organizations “I’d rather go naked than wear fur” campaign. We’ve seen the skin of girl group Danity Kane, Eva Mendes, Joanna Krupa, and, most recently, Khloe Kardashian, just to name a few.

With the promotion of this latest particularly in-your-face plump rump, opinions have been flying, debating the morals behind using sex to sell your idea. Here are the four different standpoints:

1. Extreme Feminist: This group is angry and outspokenly so. Read one such opinion in Feministing’s PETA: Cause Objectifying Women Never Gets Old.

2. Leaning Toward Feminist: These folk look more toward praising the positive alternatives. My co-worker, Karen, left such a comment yesterday on my post about fffashion.

3. Carefree: This is me. We don’t care enough either way to voice opinions. If women want to have creepy men drooling over their naked pictures, so be it.

4. Extreme Support of Nudity: Many people love these ads and swear by the “sex sells” mantra. Veggie blogger Elaine Vignault is a good example: read her post Feministing: Because Some Feminists Never Grow Up and check out one of her blogs - Naked PETA.

And to be fair I should point out that Dennis Rodman and Jackass’s Steve-O have also posed nude for this campaign … but is that the best we can get?

I previously concocted a list of things that would make good gifts for a vegan. But most of us animal lovers have many other defining interests and personality traits that it might be more appropriate to mention things not to buy a vegan.

So here is my “Dear Santa, don’t bring me any of these please” Christmas list:

* Products from companies that test on animals. Major ones include Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, and Unilever. Read an extensive list here.

* Tickets to the circus … unless it’s an all people performance like Cirque du Soleil.

* Any of the many meat-based oddities mentioned on BuzzFeed including the beef jerky Chanel purse, meatball-flavored chewing gum, and bacon mints.

* Clothing made from or containing wool, leather, silk, or fur.

* A subscription to the meat-of-the-month club, a gift certificate to a steak house, or a dead animal prepared and stuffed by a taxidermist.

People have pretty strong feelings about PETA; whether they’re good or bad, they’re strong and usually outspoken. Some people go out of their way to convince others that the animal organization is evil. Others defend them to no avail, wearing tees spouting their slogans, handing out pamphlets for their campaigns, and donating regularly.

I’d like to think that I am fairly neutral: not agreeing with everything that they do, but knowing that they are just trying to make an impact. However, I will always give them credit for being creative in their methods (nude female “I’d Rather Go Naked” ones aside, but more on that tomorrow).

And on that note, may I present to you one of PETA’s latest campaigns to educate the public on the truth about meat …

Yes, that is what you think. It’s message spreading toilet paper. It reads: “Slaughterhouses are so filthy that feces are found on almost every piece of meat. Wipe cruelty from your diet. GoVeg.com PETA.”

Now those that abhor PETA can wipe their butt with a PETA ad, like they’ve always wanted.

One of my favorite gifts to give is a donation on behalf of someone. The first year i remember doing this was my senior year of high school. I was working at a local pizza restaurant, Grotto’s, where their annual Christmas decoration include charity-themed trees with envelopes for customers to hang a donation. I selected one for each family member - Make a Wish Foundation for my mom is the only one I remember, being a charity that she personally loves - donated $50, and made up certificates telling the giftee about the gift.

There are endless possibilities of organizations in need of funds if you are looking for a meaningful, last-minute gift. Consider local no-kill shelters and rescues, sanctuaries, national organizations, and on. To help you choose a worthy cause, check out their wrap sheet at Charity Reports on the Better Business Bureau, Charity Watch, Guide Star, or other such watchdog resources.

If Defender’s of Wildlife strikes your interest, you can use discount code “HOLIDAY” to receive 15 percent off animal adoptions or anything else from their gifts and gear selection. Plus, you can free standard shipping if you order today, December 16.

A wolf sponsorship would make a lovely companion present to Joe Kulka’s children’s book Wolf’s Coming!

When I walked into a Barnes & Noble bookstore on Sunday, I never imagined that I’d be met with two pro-animal setups.

As I entered, I was greeted by a friendly mutt with the face of a Greyhound and the tail end of a collie. Frankie turned out to be an incredibly friendly - and well-behaved - rescue dog who was at the store supporting his shy friend Violet. Violet was a young beagle who had just been released from an animal testing facility. Violet had been destined to have a kidney removed and numerous experiments performed on her to study how she survived with only one kidney. However, Vi got a skin rash and was disqualified from the study. The lucky dog’s rash cleared up after she was rescued, and has never returned.

The dogs were at the bookstore representing two local beagle rescue groups - B.R.E.W. and Cascade. Reps from the groups were offering free gift wrapping, and seemed to be receiving a substantial amount of donations.

Next to the pups was Joe Kulka, a local children’s book author and illustrator. I stopped to say hello and look at his books. I picked up Wolf’s Coming!, despite the mean-looking wolf on the cover. I began reading. The first several pages feature all kinds of animals shouting “run,” “hide,” “Wolf’s coming!” I was prepared to lecture Mr. Kulka … until I turned another page: the animals were running and hiding because they had a surprise party planned for Wolf.

The book is wonderful. Buy it for all the kids in your life … and do it at Barnes & Noble, because apparently they support animals!