A very interesting journal

I happened upon this interesting journal called Nature Loving.

Stunning wolfdog sanctuary in Alberta.

I discovered this sanctuary today.  Beautiful photos of wolf dogs and they're anti wolf hunting!

The Human Cost of Animal Suffering.

The human cost of animal suffering. A compelling article about the hidden violence of slaughterhouses written by Mark Bittman for meat-eaters.

How can we continue to turn a blind eye to this?!

I shouted out in pain watching this video.  I have seen similar before, but it always shocks me to the core.



GOOD people CANNOT support industries so cruel and evil. Good people CANNOT turn a blind eye to this SLAUGHTER and TORTURE. Good people CANNOT sit by and do nothing while BILLIONS OF ANIMALS die like this every year.

The fact is, that as a whole, as a society, we do not give animals the slightest moral consideration. Every single one of their interests is secondary to any one of our interests, no matter how trivial ours are. Even fashion, fake eyelashes, and entertainment trump their rights to life, freedom from confinement, and freedom from the most grotesque torture imaginable. 

Happy film on animal farming ;)

Portraits of dogs just before death

This is beautiful and sad. Yun-Fei Tou is an artists who captures the soul of these animals moments before they are euthanized. 

Websites and blogs I like to read.

Animal Emotions by Marc Bekoff
Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach Approach by Gary Francione
Carol J. Adams
On Nonhuman Slavery
On the Road to Liberation by David Sztybel
Our Hen House by Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan
The New Animalist  by Andrew Westoll
The Veganomaly
Vegan.com by Erik Marcus

Zoocheck Perspectives by Zoocheck Canada

Nutrition and Science
Jack Norris RD
PaleoVeganology
The Vegan RD: Thoughts on being a vegan by Ginny Messina

Recipes
Chef Chloe
Chocolate-Covered Katie
Happy Herbivore
Mouthwatering Vegan Recipes
Our Veggie Kitchen
Vegangela
We Love Food

Politics
Green Is The New Red 

Other recently discovered
Pythagorean Crank
Skeptical Vegan
Speciesist Vegan
The Rational Vegan
The Vegan Skeptic

Apology to a slaughtered cow

Wow, this video is really moving and brought me to tears. John apologises to the spirit of a cow who was murdered brutally for food.  It is very personal and helped me connect to that particular cow, and all the particular cows and animals who are slaughtered every day for food.

Link

The not-so-heroic truth about Edison

How were we not told that Edison electrocute an elephant and numerous animals to prove the point that AC current is dangerous!   Not only this he paid for the creation of the first electric chair to kill human beings.

See wikipedia's extract:

" Edison carried out a campaign to discourage the use^[18] of alternating current, including spreading disinformation on fatal AC accidents, publicly killing animals, and lobbying against the use of AC in state legislatures. Edison directed his technicians, primarily Arthur Kennelly and Harold P. Brown,^[19] to preside over several AC-driven killings of animals, primarily stray cats and dogs but also unwanted cattle and horses. ^[20] Acting on these directives, they were to demonstrate to the press that alternating current was more dangerous than Edison's system of direct current.^[21] He also tried to popularize the term for being electrocuted as being "Westinghoused". Years after DC had lost the "war of the currents," in 1903, his film crew made a movie of the electrocution with high voltage AC, supervised by Edison employees, of Topsy, a Coney Island circus elephant which had recently killed three men.^[22]

Edison opposed capital punishment, but his desire to disparage the system of alternating current led to the invention of the electric chair. Harold P. Brown, who was being secretly paid by Edison, built the first electric chair for the state of New York to promote the idea that alternating current was deadlier than DC."

Here's a video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMmslGfaNls

The comments are almost as vile as the act itself. 

Here is some more horrific information about the history of the electric chair: http://www.capitalcentury.com/1907.html

Honestly, what is the explanation of such wanton and careless cruelty? Is it male ego? Really, what is it?

Richard Dawkins interviews Peter Singer

I couldn't imagine a more interesting pair of people to have a discussion.  My only surprise is how easily Peter Singer has Richard Dawkins on the ropes. I admire Richard for being humble though and acknowledging the logic of Peter's arguments. Many interesting philosophical topics are presented here, which all relate to animal eating.

Nelson Mandela

When I read quotes by Nelson Mandela I am struck by how powerful, inspiring and beautiful his sentiments are.  Although he was my president I did not realize what a beautiful mind he has. I feel so fortunate to have been alive and in South Africa when he was freed and became president.  I hope that his words and life are an inspiration to all to strive for peace and equality on earth, to work bravely for the oppressed.

Homage to writers

Incredible writing that explains exactly what is so wrong with the slaughterhouse.

"The uproar was appalling, perilous to the ear-drums; one feared there was too much sound for the room to hold--that the walls must give way or the ceiling crack. There were high squeals and low squeals, grunts, and wails of agony; there would come a momentary lull, and then a fresh outburst, louder than ever, surging up to a deafening climax. It was too much for some of the visitors--the men would look at each other, laughing nervously, and the women would stand with hands clenched, and the blood rushing to their faces, and the tears starting in their eyes. Meantime, heedless of all these things, the men upon the floor were going about their work. Neither squeals of hogs nor tears of visitors made any difference to them; one by one they hooked up the hogs, and one by one with a swift stroke they slit their throats. There was a long line of hogs, with squeals and life-blood ebbing away together; until at last each started again, and vanished with a splash into a huge vat of boiling water. It was all so very businesslike that one watched it fascinated. It was pork-making by machinery, pork-making by applied mathematics. And yet somehow the most matter-of-fact person could not help thinking of the hogs; they were so innocent, they came so very trustingly; and they were so very human in their protests--and so perfectly within their rights! They had done nothing to deserve it; and it was adding insult to injury, as the thing was done here, swinging them up in this cold-blooded, impersonal way, without a pretence at apology, without the homage of a tear. Now and then a visitor wept, to be sure; but this slaughtering-machine ran on, visitors or no visitors. It was like some horrible crime committed in a dungeon, all unseen and unheeded, buried out of sight and of memory.”
― Upton Sinclair, The Jungle. (photograph Gail Eisnitz) (jb)

animals as commodities

Rhino poaching in South Africa has sky rocketed with 1 or more rhinos killed per day in 2011.  

They are killed for their horns which are extremely valuable in Asia for "medicine" and decorations.  

They are not always killed first, rather their horns are hacked off and they are left to die in agony.  This is terrible and heartbreaking. Not only will these beautiful animals go extinct very soon, but they are suffering tremendously and having their lives terminated.  I hate that this is a completely illegal act ignoring the will of the majority of South Africans, but it is also totally part of world system that views animals as commodities of utilitarian benefit to humans.  The only difference is that South Africans value these rhinos as a symbol of national wilderness and beauty, while Asians view them as medicinal and decorative commodities.  South Africans are not necessarily against the murder of rhinos as legal hunting continues in South Africa.  If these animals tasted good then we would eat them as indifferently as all the other millions of animals that are raised for our consumption.  My heart is aching. 

A news story.

An environmental argument for reducing meat.

Link by Ezra Klein

Powerful

link
Dr Steve Best's video definitely has the feel of propaganda, but the videos of animal abuse are real and normal in all forms of animal exploitation.  It is a powerful video, but I don't think I would share this to convince others as I don't think the truth needs to be made so slick to be effective.  I prefer a more compassionate and educational approach.

Interesting interview with former animal researcher

Link

National Research Institute

Science board of NSDA.

Melanie Joy's theory of Carnism

Carnism

Cruel and useless animal experiments

Another example of cruel and useless experiments done on rats, mice and dogs. It makes me so sad.  If you're willing to accept that animal testing is morally acceptable, it seems that every ill-conceived and deplorable experiment can be carried out. How about we study humans when we want to know something about them?!

Forks Over Knives

I finally watched Forks Over Knives and it is provides convincing evidence and arguments of the health benefits of eating a whole-food plant based diet.  It also briefly discussed the environmental problems of eating animal products, and hinted at animal welfare issues. It wasn't much but it provides the seed for caring about farm animals.

I want one of these

I want one of these t-shirts and broaches!