Living Without Meat

Singer Neko Case loves animal, thinks zoos are stupid, and hates PETA. In a recent interview with Spinner, fiery redhead Case shared her feelings:

“Those stories are so depressing,” she told Spinner. “And the animal is always the one who gets murdered at the end. I don’t know why people act so shocked. You got in the cage with the tiger, you were harassing it and then it f*ing killed you. It’s a f*ing tiger. What the f* were you thinking?”

“Then they shoot the tiger. That’s hardly fair. It’s a large predator. Or killer whales in zoos — those things are supposed to swim 200 miles a day. It’s like having a teenager and saying, ‘OK, I’m gonna feed and clothe you, but you have to live in this refrigerator.’ People say [zoos] are for the children, but why would you want your children to see sad, crazy animals?”

And she also talked about the Michael Vick dog-fighting case:

“Best Friends took the Michael Vick dogs,” Case points out. “That’s a big deal because a lot of supposed animal welfare organizations like PETA — who can blow me — said you should euthanize the dogs immediately. But it’s not the dogs’ fault that they were fighting dogs — they’ve been abused. Pit bulls are muscular and big, but they’re not man-eaters.”

So she has a foul mouth, and I have never heard of her or said publication; however, Case was so excited to learn about Best Friends that she talked to her label and worked it out so that anytime someone posts a link to her song, People Gotta Alot Of Nerve, they will donate $5 to the Best Friends Animal Society, now through February 3.

One of my (many) favorite things about the green blog Ecorazzi is the writers’ impressive abilities to find celebrity quotes about vegetarianism and animal rights.

Here’s a sampling of some recent Razzi finds:

Michael Vick, on his “Developing Empathy for Animals” test administered by PETA: “This course has given me a different perspective + perception on animals and how to treat them. First starting off with the golden rule. Do onto others, as you want them to do on to u. To me it applies to humans + animals or any creature on this earth that breathes fresh air. In my life from now on I have to make decisions for me, my family, friend, neighbors, that will benefit everyone. My relationships with animals will forever be different. I have the upmost respect for all living creatures and I wish I could have took this course 5 years ago.”

Anjelica Huston, in a letter to Mummy director Stephen Sommers about his upcoming project, Tarzan: “Critics lauded King Kong in particular for the emotional depth that the giant ape displayed - without any real apes suffering in the process. Can I please hear that you similarly plan to use only creative alternatives to great apes in Tarzan?”

Pamela Anderson, in a letter to the Mumbai, India, high court: “Dogs cannot use condoms, but with the municipality’s help, they can be ‘fixed’ — painlessly, quickly and permanently.”

Ricky Gervais, in an interview with David Letterman, about providing animals as a gift to needy people in poor countries: “They’re 50 quid down, I’ve got nothing, the African family’s going, ‘Not another mouth to feed.’ It’s ridiculous. There’s nothing in it for the goat. The goat wakes up in barren land going, “Where am I? A week ago I was gamboling through the Cotswolds in glades and then someone just kidnapped me, put me on a boat, took me to Africa.’ It’s like Roots in reverse. I bet he didn’t want to go to Africa. I think the goat had no choice. …”

See what you’re missing out on if you don’t read Ecorazzi regularly?

For the first time ever, the government wants to know how many children are vegetarian. The recent federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study on kids that choose not to consume meat estimated that about 367,000, or 1 in 200, American children follow a meat-free diet. Other surveys suggest that those numbers may be even higher among teens and older children that have more control over what they eat. Previous surveys have found that vegetarians are most often female, from higher-income families, and living on the East or West coasts.

The CDC’s method included asking about 9,000 parents and other adults speaking on the behalf of those under 18 about their children’s eating habits.

Nicole Nightingale, 14, says she went online to read about chicken, but instead came across a video showing chickens being slaughtered. From there she visited PETA.org, and then decided to become vegan.

The Associated Press speculates that “adolescent vegetarianism seems to be rising, thanks in part to YouTube animal slaughter videos that shock the developing sensibilities of many U.S. children.”

“Compassion for animals is the major, major reason,” said Richard Schwartz, president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America, an organization with a newsletter mailing list of about 800. “When kids find out the things they are eating are living animals — and if they have a pet….”

The AP wrote up a great article about veggie kids which provided the information for this post: First U.S. Count Finds 1 in 200 Kids are Vegetarian. Here’s my favorite excerpt:

Eating vegetarian can be very healthy — nutritionists often push kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, of course. For growing children, however, it’s important to get sufficient amounts of protein, vitamins B12 and D, iron, calcium and other important nutrients that most people get from meat, eggs and dairy.

Also, vegetarian diets are not necessarily slimming. Some vegetarian kids cut out meat but fill up on doughnuts, french fries, soda or potato chips, experts said.

PETA, and all their counterparts and campaigns, pumps out dozens of print ads every month. The ads do a lot of good and clearly make a point. But PETA is not the only animal rights organization that makes creative, vivid pictorial ads.

Web Ecoist recently put together a collection of 29 Disturbingly Creative Ads for the Environment, which included several about animal rights issues such as SAFE’s anti fur/skin campaign that included gorgeous photos of animals with bloody holes in their coat in the shape of a fashion accessory. All of the ads collected by Web Ecoist are good, but SAFE’s “They weren’t born to be worn” ones should not be missed. Shown here is the fox example, there is also a bear and an alligator one.

SAFE is New Zealand’s voice for all animals, check them out for more great campaigns.

Sports Illustrated not only wrote an amazing follow up story about the dogs that survived Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring, but it was the cover article, which means feature article length.

Check out the cover here, featuring rescued pup Sweet Jasmine, and the beginning of the article. Click on the cover to read the whole article.

Cover headlines:

“Vick’s Dogs: The Good News Out of The Bad Newz Kennels” by Jim Gorant; “Sweet Jasmine: a pit bull rescued from Michael Vick’s property has found a happy home”

Article heading:

“Since being rescued 20 months ago from the dogfighting ring financed by Michael Vick, all but a few of the abused pit bulls have been recovering in sanctuary, foster care and adoptive homes. Now even the most traumatized of them can have a Happy New Year”

First paragraphs:

“THE DOG approaches the outstretched hand. Her name is Sweet Jasmine, and she is 35 pounds of twitchy curiosity with a coat the color of fried chicken, a pink nose and brown eyes. She had spent a full 20 seconds studying this five-fingered offering before advancing. Now, as she moves forward, her tail points straight down, her butt is hunched toward the ground, her head is bowed, her ears pinned back. She stands at maybe three quarters of her height.

She gets within a foot of the hand and stops. She licks her snout, a sign of nervousness, and looks up at the stranger, seeking assurance. She looks back to the hand, licks her snout again and begins to extend her neck. Her nose is six inches away from the hand, one inch, half an inch. She sniffs once. She sniffs again. At this point almost any other dog in the world would offer up a gentle lick, a sweet hello, an invitation to be scratched or petted. She’s come so far. She’s so close.

But Jasmine pulls away.

PETA WANTED Jasmine dead. Not just Jasmine, and not just PETA. The Humane Society of the U.S., agreeing with PETA, took the position that Michael Vick’s pit bulls, like all dogs saved from fight rings, were beyond rehabilitation and that trying to save them was a misappropriation of time and money. “The cruelty they’ve suffered is such that they can’t lead what anyone who loves dogs would consider a normal life,” says PETA spokesman Dan Shannon. “We feel it’s better that they have their suffering ended once and for all.” If you’re a dog and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals suggests you be put down, you’ve got problems. Jasmine has problems. …”

Read the full story.

Use SI’s online feedback form to send thanks for giving Jasmine her say.

Making New Year’s resolutions is pointless if you don’t have incentive to stick to them. Last year, I pledged to myself that I would start working out again. I am proud to say that I stuck with it!

If you haven’t set a goal for yourself for 2009, why not follow in Eva Longoria’s footsteps and try cutting meat out of your diet (or another animal product such as cheese if you don’t eat meat, or just continuing to do so if you are already vegan).

If you sign PETA’s Pledge to Eat Veg 30 Day Challenge at Experience Project , a Web site for anonymously sharing life experiences.

Plus, for each person who joins, PETA will make a donation to the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, a nonprofit with a goal of planting 18 billion fruit trees worldwide.

If you’ve spent more than five minutes perusing the Internet today, then you’ve probably come across an article - or 700 - about the New York man who wants his donated kidney back. Apparently, Dr. Richard Batista donated a kidney to his wife, Dawnell, when hers were failing. Then she cheated on him and filed for divorce. Now, the scorned ex-husband is demanding either $1.5 million or his kidney back.

Think of the legal precedent that this case could set. For transplant patients, yes, but also for animals in testing facilities. There could be a massive class-action lawsuit against labs, on behalf of the animals. They could sue to get back their missing body parts. They could sue for restitution, damages, emotional trauma, intentional harm, manslaughter, murder …

Okay, so this case probably won’t set any precedent, and no one will probably ever be able to sue on behalf of lab rats, but animal testing is a serious, inhumane issue.

The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection estimates that 50 to 100 million vertebrate animals are used annually in testing facilities worldwide. Educate yourself about animal testing at the Humane League of Philadelphia’s Web site.

Discover which brands test on animals and which don’t at Caring Consumer.

As 2008 comes to a close, I’ve taken some time to look back over what the year brought for Living Without Meat. This site is only about a year and a half old in total, so I’m still getting to see it grow and expand daily. As I peruse what readers enjoyed and responded to during the year, I decided to highlight a few popular posts from 2008.

Here are some of LWM’s highlights from the year:

* On January 25, I mentioned that TV reality star and tattoo artist Ami James posed for a PETA ad in “Miami Ink’s Ami James: Friend of Animals”. Maybe it’s because the post has been up for 11 months, or maybe it’s the fact that a topless photo of a sexy man was included, but either way this post had the most visitors.

* Ellen Degeneres garnered a lot of attention this year between her vegan wedding with Portia de Rossi and official coming out as a vegan.

* October was the busiest month thanks to the presidential election, Oprah’s animal rights shows, and World Vegan Day.

* I was honored to receive comments from staff members of well-known animal and vegan organizations: PETA’s Lianne responded to several posts, including “Oprah Named PETA’s 2008 Person of the Year,” “Hayden Panettiere: Animal - and Leather - Lover,” and “Nudity Rules: Opinions Vary on Naked PETA Ads.” VegNews left a gift for me in the comments of “Dear Santa: Presents for a Vegan” - a gift subscription to the magazine!

Happy New Year, everyone! Cheers to a good year past and one more to come!

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!

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?

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.

Heroes cheerleader Hayden Panettiere is stir up some controversy with animal rights organizations and bloggers. Recently, she collaborated with fashion brand Dooney & Bourke to design the “Hayden Clutch,” which is a calfskin and leather purse.

Now if you follow your animal-loving celebrities, you’ll know that this use of animal product seems to conflict with Hayden’s moral beliefs. She’s a vegetarian. She is also a strong, outspoken, and highly active voice for Save the Whales Again.

So why chose to promote calfskin?

While I 100 percent disagree with her choice to use any animal products, I also have to point out that, although she has been in the animal-loving limelight lately, she is not, and never claimed to be, a vegan. She is a vegetarian, and, by definition, only refrains from eating animal flesh.

Interestingly, earlier today I happened upon the Wikipedia page for “cruelty to animals.” It reminded me that there are more distinctions to be made besides just vegetarian or vegan within the animal rights realm. Here’s a snippet:

The animal welfare position holds that there is nothing inherently wrong with using animals for human purposes, such as food, clothing, entertainment, and research, but that it should be done in a humane way that reduces unnecessary suffering. Animal rights theorists criticize this position, arguing that the words “unnecessary” and “humane” are subject to widely differing interpretations, and that the only way to ensure protection for animals is to end their status as property, and to ensure that they are never used as commodities.

So while Miss Panettiere has a big heart, specifically for whales and dolphins, she is, alas, neither a vegan nor an animal rights believer. Thus she has no problem promoting a calfskin clutch for which we cannot accurately call her actions contradictory or hypocratic. She, and others like her, support animal welfare - not animal rights. There is a difference.

Animal rights believers can and should, however, reach out to politely educate her, as PETA is already doing.

On top of having fun vegan snacks, shirts, and whatnot as they always do, the PETA store also has gift sets put together such as the cat or dog lovers, snackaholic, and cruelty-free beauty.

Plus, you can get free shipping right now when you spend at least $45. Just enter code “shipgs” when checking out.

I’ve been contemplating ordering some food, beauty products, and such from Amazon.com, as they have quite a large selection of vegan replacements, snacks, drinks, and general yumminess. But after getting on an independent business kick yesterday on the fiction site that I write - GenreFiction.net, I’ve decided to hunt down other, smaller online stores that carry vegan goods.

To save you a similar quest, here are some of the stores that I’ve found. Please note, however, that I have not ordered from any of these … yet.

* Vegan Essentials currently boasts over 1,200 all-vegan products including books, personal care items, foodstuffs, clothing, and baby’s needs.

* The Vegan Store is home to Pangea products and numerous other brands in realms such as body care, clothes, vitamins, books, and snacks. Chocolate lovers will not be disappointed!

* Ethical Planet has all the vegan essentials, plus yoga and meditation needs, paper products, recycled goods, aromatherapy, and cleaning products.

* Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe also carries all the basics, plus frozen foods, vegan gift ideas, and supplements.

* Choose Veg, which is run by Mercy for Animals, has a vegan shopping page with even more links.

* The PETA Mall has an extensive collection of vegan- and vegetarian-friendly online stores organized by category, such as apparel, food, toys, and more. The Mall also offers occasional discount codes and free shipping offers exclusive to PETA Mall shoppers.

Let me know if I missed a good one, or if you have ordered from any of these places and can offer feedback. Happy vegan shopping!

To begin my search for other great animal sanctuaries around the world (as in, aside from Farm Sanctuary), I’m starting close to home: the east coast of the United States.

* Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville, Maryland must be a biggie - it’s Web site is simply animalsanctuary.org. The 400-acre nonprofit rescues farm animals including mules, chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, and others.

* In New England, farm animals find refuge at the Mountain View Farm Animal Sanctuary in East Burke, Vermont.

* Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary calls Woodstock, New York home, and was founded by a couple with oots in the film-making business. Comedian and cartoonist Dan Piraro and his wife Ashley Lou Smith, who have been seen around town supporting both Farm Sanctuary and PETA too, call Woodstock their home sanctuary. Woodstock, as detailed in the full name, is home to rescued farm animals including goats, pigs, and chickens.

* New York has more than its share of sanctuaries. Spirit Animal Sanctuary in Boonville cares for dogs, but also currently has a parrot, iguana, and cat. The Catskills Animal Sanctuary in Saugerties offers a safe haven to abused, neglected, and otherwise mistreated horses and other farm animals. Unfortunately, Oasis Sanctuary in North Branch recently had to close its doors, with the founder exhausting all of his personal funds. Oasis still needs help though! All of their farm animals have found a new home, but there are still many dogs that need a home. Plus, Oasis is indebited thousands of dollars for back property taxes.

* Florida is home to numerous wildlife sanctuaries: Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary in Gainesville, Peace River Rescue & Ranch in Zolfo Springs, and Sanctuary Animal Refuge in Clewiston. Big Cat Rescue houses all kinds of exotic large felines that should be living wild and free, including jaguars, tigers, cougars, ocelots, and more. The rescued cats from performing situations, fur factories, exotic pet dealers, and any other situation that humans have tried to confine them to. Jungle Friends offers a permanent safe home to monkeys that come from labratories, exotic pet traders, and situations requiring confiscation by police. Peace River saves exotic animals from any potentially harmful situation. Their residents include big cats, wolves, bears, pimates, and even bats. Sanctuary Animal Rescue takes in any animal - though primarily dogs and cats - that is considered fearful, agressive, old, or ill. They run as a no-kill shelter, rehabing the residents and adopting out those who are ready.

* Blind Cat Rescue in St. Pauls, North Carolina is exactly as it sounds - a place for unwanted cats that can’t see to feel safe and wanted.

* In Louisa, Virginia, Project Perry is the Central Virgina Parrot Sanctuary. Lucky Parrot Sanctuary, Inc. is the birds’ safe haven in Naples, Florida.

* Shepherd’s Green Sanctuary in Cookeville, Tennessee has 30 acres open meadow and woods, with 2 additional acres sectioned off for special needs residents. Shepherd’s is all about and for the pigs.

* And we can’t forget the shelled ones in need. Turtle Homes Rescue in Merrick, New York takes care of turtles and tortoises. They also have sanctuaries across all regions of the U.S., and Canada, Asia, and the U.K.

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This list is by no means comprehensive, but rather covers the larger ones, and those that are accredited. Most accept volunteers, many have blogs, and all are always in need of financial support.

Stay tuned for another region’s sanctuary run down next weekend!