Living Without Meat

Ban Cruel Farms, a Farm Sanctuary Web site, sums up all of the Sanctuary’s campaigns on one page. No Foie Gras and No Downers are two that I have mentioned so far in this blogathon to raise money for the great nonprofit. But this site will also tell you about No Veal, NJ farm laws, and more.

Why are they doing this?

Animals exploited for meat, milk and eggs are increasingly subjected to inexcusable abuse on industrialized farms. Cattle, pigs, chickens and other animals are genetically altered, crowded and confined in cages where they can barely move, and subjected to cruel mutilations, harsh handling, and inhumane slaughter. Please join Farm Sanctuary and help prevent cruel and irresponsible factory farming practices.

…and because they have HUGE hearts and the support of people like us!

If you are just discovering my world of LWM (Living Without Meat) for the first time, or missed my previous word association, then you are in for a treat!

Here’s the deal: I give you 10 words; you comment with your first thought. Example: You see: 1. Animal:, copy and paste it into the comments so that it reads: 1. Animal:Rights. And be honest! Don’t feel like you have to post animal-friendly responses.

Let’s play…

1. Sunday:
2. Cow:
3. Movie:
4. Bush:
5. Green:
6. Farm:
7. Horrible:
8. Create:
9. Platform:
10. Humane:

Fiction Scribe just posted Unconcious Mutterings (same thing), so go play there as well.

Compassion Over Killing who - yes, unfortunately goes by COK - does wonderful things for animals, has dozens of stickers, recipes, vegetarian starter kits, hand-outs, and more that they want to send you! … for FREE! This week I received all of my goodies and simply have to share one stand out recipe from the “Easy Vegan Recipes” booklet:

VEGAN Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Makes 6 to 8 servings

* 1 12-ounce package non-dairy chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
* 1 16-ounce package firm tofu
* 1 1/2 cups peanut butter, crunchy or smooth (or more to taste)
* soymilk (to desired texture)
* 1 vegan graham cracker crust, such as Keebler’s Graham Cracker Ready Crust
* 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (optional topping)
* 1 cup chopped nuts (optional topping)

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, saucepan, or microwave.

In a food processor or high-powered blender, add the melted chocolate chips, tofu, peanut butter, and ½ cup of soymilk. Blend until very smooth, adding more soymilk if desired.

Pour the filling into a graham cracker crust and refrigerate for 2 hours.

For a Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with a hard chocolate topping, after the pie has been chilled for 2 hours, melt 1 cup of non-dairy chocolate chips. Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the pie. If desired, add chopped nuts. Refrigerate for 2 additional hours.

This is my third list of vegetarian celebrities. Am I being lazy? No, I am trying to give you someone to connect to; show you that vegetarians come in all shapes and sizes; and prove that vegetarians are sexy!

So here goes:

Tobey Maguire
Chris Martin, of Coldplay
Gwyneth Paltrow
Josh Hartnett
Andre 3000
Paul McCartney
Brandy
Fiona Apple
India Arie
Christie Brinkley
David Duchovny
Bob Barker
Casey Kasem
Michael Bolton
Traci Bingham
Natalie Imbruglia
Ziggy Marley
Todd Oldham
k.d. lang
Woody Harrelson

Disclaimer: okay, some times celebs are fickle. Some of these and those in the previous two posts may be more accurately defined as flexitarians, but all have - at one time or another - associated themselves with the veg*n lifestyle.

PETA has some excellent print ADs of which you can download, order camera-ready versions, sponsor a billboard for, and more. Here are three of my favorite vegetarian-promoting ones. Click on the picture to see it bigger.

The piggy comes on a shirt, too … which I have and wore to a pig roast last year. I didn’t cry this time.

It’s time to learn about our friends the sheep. Are they really dumb like rumors say? You decide.

Sheep:

*each have a unique face; they can tell each other apart

*can distinguish between different human facial expressions

*are gentle, and emotionally complex

*visibly express emotions

*show signs of depression during periods of stress or isolation

*heart rates increase by 20 beats per minute when they are unable to see any members of their flock, and by 84 beats when approached by a man and a dog

*have holes punched in their ears, their tails chopped off, and are castrated without anesthetics soon after birth

*are exported to the Middle East and North Africa to have their throats slit when they are too old to produce enough wool

*are well-cared for by small local farmers, but unfortunately over 30 percent of wool comes from Austrailia - the cruelest place for sheep

*are intelligent and quite human-like

Animals are not the only ones I like to speak up for regularly. So let’s take a momentary break from thinking about pigs and cows to think about the kids in our lives.

*Children*

My heart bleeds just as much for children as it does for animals. Abused, mistreated, neglected, ill, or in need of anything that I take for granite: all kids can make me cry and smile at the same time.

Children’s Miracle Network and Make-a-Wish Foundation are two child-based non-profits that I support.

I also have a sponsored child, Mabelyn, who lives in the Dominican Republic. Her birthday is coming up in August and she’ll be receiving new pajamas, a toothbrush, and toothpaste from me. I use Children International, but there are many reputable organizations out there.

I also make sure to smile at every child I pass. Talk to them when I get a chance - at the bus stop, library, and shoe store. Spend time with my nephew and niece, and the three wonderful kids that I used to watch daily as a nanny.

It doesn’t take a lot to impact a child’s life. If you have a dollar, donate; an hour, volunteer; arms, hug.

Farm Sanctuary has many different campaigns. No Foie Gras is one that work to educate people about the cruelty behind the scenes of foie gras (translated from French means “fatty liver”) production.

It is likely you have heard some about it, but I never like to assume.

Farm workers create livers and birds up to 10 times normal size by force feeding the ducks with a metal pipe.

At No Foie Gras’s Web site you can find expert opinions, FAQ’s answered, events and more about what you can do to help.

I am 12 hours into a 24-hour blogathon and just yawned for the first time all day.

But never fear: I have the perfect way to stay awake! Mix one part sticky energy drink with one part super bright red cranberry juice, stir, take a sip … then knock it over. Make sure to spill it on your couch, arm, shirt, table, expensive yarn, tissue box, heating pad, and anything else in sight.

Well, perhaps my motor functions are losing speed.

And don’t forget: This is to benefit Farm Sanctuary! So gently and humanely open your piggy bank and DONATE! Thus far LWM has raised $125!

Ever wanted to throw tomatoes at someone wearing fur? Me neither. I want to tell them why it is wrong and educate them, but I wouldn’t go so far as to throw salad at them. Unless, perhaps if it were virtual …

Click on the image to play Revenge of the Peta Tomatoes!

Imagine this: a family of four - mother, father, and two girls - attend a good old fashion pig roast at the father’s company picnic. All the fixings set for a lovely afternoon … until you throw into the mix that the youngest little girl of this particular family at this pig roast is me, future vegan in the making.

My dad took me up to help me fill my plate with a healthy dinner - including pork which I am expecting - while my mom sat with my older sister.

“Here let me slice you off an ear, Sally,” dad says to a mere 4-year-old me, only just beginning to make the connection between pork and pig, as we approach the carved-up pig with head still attached.

Silence.

“How about the snout? Or a nice juicy eyeball?”

Screaming. Screaming. More screaming.

Where was the pork that I was supposed to be getting for dinner, and why is there an animal on the buffet table?

Needless to say, I ate vegetarian that evening. And dad? He ate humble pie.

Let’s come up with some more actors, singers, musicians, and otherwise famous people who are vegetarians:

Grace Slick
Casey Affleck
Daryl Hannah
Alec Baldwin
Corey Feldman
Jennie Garth
Rachel Leigh Cook
Little Richard
Keenen Ivory Wayans
Shannon Elizabeth
Tatum O’Neal
Annie Lennox
Heather Mills
Sean Astin
Rob Zombie
Shania Twain
Jared Leto

Even more in another few hours!

Need a fun way to teach your kids about where their food comes from? As I was perusing my pictures I found this shot of me with my nephew and the two girlies that I was a nanny for. This is us last summer at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia talking about gardening.

Find a children’s museum any where worldwide, and take your kids out for a fun day of creative learning. Take time to talk to them about what they are experiencing!

What do you carry your groceries home in? If you answered plastic bags, brown paper bags, or “whatever the bagger puts them in,” then this post is for you. First to comment gets the bag that I have been making over the past few hours that you can see here. You don’t have to sponsor me to win it (though I don’t want to discourage you from doing so!), all I ask is that you have sponsored someone in this blogathon or are a participating blogger.

Ready, set, post!

It’s the second half of hour 10, post number 20, and I’m still going strong for Farm Sanctuary. A surprise is coming up soon, so keep an eye open!

And for now, here are some random stats and facts about vegetarianism that I have come across today:

*Over 1.3 billion human beings could be fed each year from the grain and soybeans that go to livestock in the United States.

*It takes 7.5 pounds of protein feed to create 1 pound of consumable hog protein; and it takes 5 pounds of protein feed to create 1 pound of consumable chicken protein.

*Labels — other than organic — on egg cartons are not subject to any government regulations. This includes free-range, cage-free, etc.

*Although American women consume tremendous amounts of calcium, their rates of osteoporosis are among the highest in the world. Conversely, Chinese people consume half as much calcium (most of it from plant sources) and have very low incidence of the bone disease.

*A turkey’s leg contains about 63 milligrams of cholesterol, and 42 percent of its calories are derived from fat.

*A U.S. geological study found 14 antibiotics used in animal agriculture and human medicine in almost 50 percent of the waterways tested.