This Vegan Life...

Juxtaposition Displaying Forced Submission...

2008-01-21T14:52:00.000-05:00

It is MLK's birthday, not that anyone REALLY cares. I mean it’s a day off of work and school for most, but I doubt that many people really care to understand the significance, history and the message of MLK (outside of what they teach you in elementary school…another reason that home school is the way to go). I’m not sure that I even grasp the entire movement and struggle, because the foundation had already been laid for me. Not to sound crass, but I can honestly say it’s been WAY easier for me because of the plight of others like MLK. My generation HAS (and still does without a doubt) struggled, but in a less intense manner than that of our ancestors, parents and grandparents. I know that I can walk with my head high and not live in fear that a cross will be burned in my front yard because Lucas is white and I am black (this is due to the extreme diversity of where I live (DC metro area, but in other places in America I know this risk is still alive and kicking). I also have been privileged enough to get an extensive education, etc. However, I do experience different forms of racism in both my work and my personal life, but they are very quiet and polite (if you will…) and most likely (from personal experience) if a complaint was uttered aloud it would be dismissed and chalked up to paranoia or a chip on the old shoulder.

For some his dream has been realized, but I don’t truly believe it has been fully attained and won’t be until the relevance of his "dream" is extended to all sentient beings. I also feel that way in part due to the media and the portrayal of “minorities and people of color” (btw-I despise both references). I am about to read The Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slavery by Marjorie Spiegel. The forward is written by Alice Walker (The Color Purple, Meridian). I feel that all people should consider that the implications of racism and sexism spill right over into specisim, where the similarities are rampant.

Animals are our “modern-day slaves”, that we objectify and dominate with such callousness and no regret. As a black woman I can not knowingly participate as an oppressor and feel that I’m being morally consistent. This vivid comparison scares and infuriates a lot of people, but obviously that isn’t EVER going to stop me from making it. It didn’t stop Marjorie or Alice either...thanks to both of these courageous woman who like Dr. King laid the foundation and built the framework for me to be able to speak truths close to my heart. I’ll review the book once I’ve finished it. I have read great reviews on this book and my husband devoured the book in about one day, reading aloud to me the parts he found most riveting. I have pasted some editorial reviews I got from Amazon below.

I too have a dream, that one day all living creatures large and small, hoofed and winged, amphibious and reptilian will be treated with respect and allowed to live out their lives cruelty free without the chains and oppression of a so called “modern society” with Neolithic tendencies…

(scroll past reviews for more blogging goodness)

Editorial Reviews
From Library JournalSpiegel, executive director of the Institute for the Development of Earth Awareness, has revised her 1989 book to present an in-depth exploration of the similarities between the violence humans have wrought against other humans and our culture's treatment of animals. Using considerable scholarship, she makes a strong case for links between white oppression of black slaves and human oppression of animals. Her thesis is not that the oppressions suffered by black people and animals have taken identical forms but that they share the same relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed. These comparisons include the brandings and auctions of both slaves and animals, the hideous means of transport (slave ships, truckloads of cattle), and the tearing of offspring from their mothers. Her illustrative juxtapositions are graphic, e.g., a photograph of a chimpanzee in a syphilis experiment beside a photo of a black man in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. As Alice Walker writes in the preface, "This powerful book...will take a lifetime to forget." Chilling yet enlightening, this provocative book is vitally important in our efforts to understand the roots of individual and societal violence. It belongs in all libraries. [The book received a special award from The International Society for Animal Rights.Ed.] Eva Lautemann, DeKalb Coll. Lib., Clarkston, Ga.-Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. Book Review"Fascinating..." The New York Review of Books

"An extremely important book honest and fearless...Marjorie Spiegel has said the single most important thing there is to say about animals. I love this book." Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, Author of The Hidden Life Of Dogs

"This powerful book will take a lifetime to forget." Alice Walker, Author of The Color Purple, from her foreword to "The Dreaded Comparison"

"This book belongs in all libraries." Library Journal

"THE DREADED COMPARISON: HUMAN AND ANIMAL SLAVERY by Marjorie Spiegel...executive director of the Institute for the Development of Earth Awareness compares the exploitation of human slaves and of animals, as well as explores the putative justifications of those who profit." Publishers Weekly

"Marjorie Spiegel ...has written a deeply provocative book." David Brion Davis, Sterling Professor of History, Yale University

"THE DREADED COMPARISON is a wonderful and important book...I loved it. I urge everyone to read it." Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, Author, When Elephants Weep

THE DREADED COMPARISON should be placed in schoolrooms across the universe. Gordon Parks, Photographer and Author

Spiegels book is a powerful and important statement about oppression and violence in Western culture. The author writes "To those who would be master, what matters is not so much who their slaves will be, but that there are slaves to be had". This work is accessible to all adult audiences, and would be suitable for college courses at any level in sociology, philosophy, or peace studies, or examining issues of oppression in contemporary animal issues. Multicultural Review

"...eerie parallels between slavery and dominance over animals are well described in this provocative book. We know that slaves have been treated like animals; Spiegel asks us to consider why we treat animals like slaves." Tom Hayden, California State Senator

"...Fascinating and beautifully concise." James Merrill, Author, The Changing Light at Sandover

"...this book is all the more powerful for the testimony of slaves and descendants of slaves who have voiced their empathy strongly with the rest of oppressed creation..." The New Scientist

"[An] invaluable contribution...Marjorie Spiegel’s extraordinary book, The Dreaded Comparison, with its judiciously chosen quotations and stunningly juxtaposed illustrations...packs a huge punch." Boston Book Review

"[A] gem..." Choice
THE DREADED COMPARISON is essentially a consciousness-raising exercise..." The Womens Review of Books

OH – and just for giggles I read this article from the AP:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gyXVIfZ2F2CTuuxH3_93vuTP-ywwD8U74PLG0
(pasted after my rant)

What a crock…I mean he immediately refers to companion animals (like so many others)…oh my daughters want a dog. WHAT ABOUT COWS AND ANIMALS USED IN AGRIBUSINESS OBAMA (you know dude…the ones that you eat for dinner)??? Why does animal rights get soooooo lost even on those supposedly educated and informed like politicians? People consider themselves animal lovers because they like cats and dogs, they don’t see that there is NO DIFFERENCE between the dog that cuddles with them at night and a cow on their dinner plates. They are both domesticated and both are sentient AND both deserve to live a cruelty free existence! If he truly cared about animal rights issues he would obviously GO VEGAN!!!! Ya think??!?!!!

Obama Pledges Support for Animal Rights
5 days ago
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama says he won't just be a president for the American people, but the animals too.
"What about animal rights?" a woman shouted out during the candidate's town hall meeting outside Las Vegas Wednesday after he discussed issues that relate more to humans, like war, health care and the economy.
Obama responded that he cares about animal rights very much, "not only because I have a 9-year-old and 6-year-old who want a dog." He said he sponsored a bill to prevent horse slaughter in the Illinois state Senate and has been repeatedly endorsed by the Humane Society.
"I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other," he said. "And it's very important that we have a president who is mindful of the cruelty that is perpetrated on animals."
Compiled by Nedra Pickler

An Email With My Hubbie...

2008-01-18T16:12:00.000-05:00

I just love the fact that I'm in a relationship with someone who is on the very same page as I am. We both have the same values and beliefs and that makes our relationship very successful. I am proud to be a vegan and my husband's pride attracts me to him more and more each day (though I didn't think that was possible)! They say that great minds think alike, I would have to agree. I'm so stoked about our present life, but even more stoked about our future and our little kiddies-to-be and all that we can explore with them and teach them. With such great love and passion the possibilities are endless...

Anyway here is one of our emails from today:

<@yahoo.com>To: @aol.comSent: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:43 amSubject: prostate cancer and meat consumption

http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/books/76/0446526401/chapter_excerpt13195.html

"Lately, scientists at Johns Hopkins have begun exploring the relationship between the prostate and seminal vesicles. What we have learned from their work is that the saga of human evolution is also a story of two male glands-both of which produce fluid that makes up semen. One gland, the prostate, is prone to cancer. The other, the seminal vesicle, is remarkably free of it. In nature, animals that are carnivores-meat-eaters like dogs and lions-don't have seminal vesicles. The only animals that have both prostates and seminal vesicles are herbivores-veggie-eating animals like bulls, apes, and elephants. There is only one exception to this rule: humans. Men have seminal vesicles, too. In other words, man, a meat-lover, has the makeup of an animal that should be a vegetarian."note - dr patrick walsh is not an animal rights activist -http://urology.jhu.edu/patrickwalsh/index.php http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/commoncancers

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/commoncancers

@aol.com wrote(ME):
Cool! I thought we read this same thing before a while ago from the same dude? Am I right??? You know how my brain works!

@yahoo.com wrote:
you're right. i wasn't sure if we had discussed it but i just wanted to send you the link because it fits in with the fact that eating meat is NOT as natural for humans as humans seem to currently think.we humans may have "always" (which is not true in the first place) eaten meat but that doesn't mean that our bodies have ever been able to process it well. an overwhelming amount of evidence shows that the obviously optimal, natural human diet is free of dead animals, as well the products of their rape which have also been linked to prostate cancer -http://chetday.com/prostatecancermilk.htm http://www.cancerproject.org/survival/cancer_facts/prostate.php
http://www.cancerproject.org/survival/cancer_facts/prostate.php
people always get "to do" and "to be" confused. yes, we do eat animals and their reproductive fluids. no, we are not carnivores and NO, no other mammal consumes the milk of another species at all and no species consumes the milk of their own species after weaning. natural? it's rather odd that humans are, once again, the exception to the rule (sarcasm).if it's a question of what's natural, then our diet would be plant based according to the theory of evolution (science) and the bible (religion). it's painfully obvious (especially to any vegan) that humans actually eat animals more as a matter of bigoted traditions, which is -doing-, than for the sake of their own health and the health of the planet (what's natural), which is -being-.
-mini rant over-

Mentally Preparing for Our Propaganda Filled Future...

2008-01-16T15:26:00.000-05:00

Yet another article from the Washington Post on cloned animals being used as food:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/15/AR2008011501555.html

(the link isn't working for some reason so I'm pasting the article in it's entirety at the very bottom of this post)

In my eyes technology and food do not mix.

"This is a fairy tale that this technology is not being used and is not already in the food chain," said Donald Coover, a Galesburg cattleman and veterinarian who has a specialty cattle semen business. "Anyone who tells you otherwise either doesn't know what they're talking about, or they're not being honest." (from post article)

First, it is very lovely that this HONEST cattleman/veterinarian (aka mass slaughterer of land and animals) makes money by doing NO WORK and underpaying (assumption...i'm allowed it's my blog and at least i'm calling myself out) workers to collect semen from cows (again via unethical methods of rape). That’s man for you…it’s all about making money off of doing as little as possible and taking advantage of those unable to defend themselves.

So called “food” is already being consumed from cloned animals without the general population even being aware of it. This is a dangerous and dishonest tactic and another betrayal of our fundamental rights as human animals. The same thing happened with GMO crops. I don’t really think people are aware that the corn (tortillas, popcorn, high fructose corn syrup, etc), soy (including all of its byproducts), tomatoes and most all other fruits and veggies are also being genetically modified, mixing technology with food. The government does not label fruits and vegetable products that are genetically modified, so in order to avoid these products you must eat an organic (or mostly organic) diet. It is of course impossible to be sure of the accuracy in labeling and standard practices, so the only true way to steer clear from these scary adaptations is to grow your own food (though that is not a realistic option for everyone…but is a great ultimate goal to aspire to…at least it is for us). As for the labeling of cloned animals, their offspring and byproducts…you are basically out of luck. Forget the so called “happy meat”, just steer clear from all animal products; it is the only way to be sure you aren’t eating a genetic disaster waiting to happen.

I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard the arguments for eating meat and animal products as natural and as tasting good, but are these two ideas really worth the possibility of disease, defects, deformity and possible extinction? I mean why do you think other places like Europe (who even rejects many gene altered crops) and Japan are refusing products from cloned animals? They are highly against introducing cloned animals into their food chains. I guess America doesn’t care about its people; we care more about capitalism and producing a “BETTER PRODUCT” by any means necessary. THIS IS OBVIOUS AND IS DEFINTELY FORSHADOWING A VERY BLEAK FUTURE FOR US ALL.

These cloned animals have various problems with their health and suffer high mortality rates! Doesn’t that say enough? I am surprised there isn’t more of a unified public outcry. Aren’t people pissed? Don’t they want to speak out and tell the government they aren’t standing for this? I guess a nation who rallies around dead animals in celebration and hacks down rainforests for the taste of flesh also known as hamburger doesn’t truly care about what goes into their bodies or that of their families (an estimated 55 square feet of rainforest is what we’re trading for a quarter pound of hamburger, bringing your body more than a quarter percent closer to death as the corpses of dead animals decay in your digestive tract). Very disappointing I might add, very…

Generally people may not want cloned products, but I guarantee those with vested interest will strategically smooth the way with their great marketing and public relations campaigns. This should be very interesting to watch unfold. Keep your eyes peeled.

Bruce I. Knight, the USDA's undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, requested an ongoing "voluntary moratorium" to buy time for "an acceptance process" that Knight said consumers in the United States and abroad will need, "given the emotional nature of this issue." (from post article)

Haha…an acceptance process GREAT, and people are just gullible enough. Prove me wrong! I’d love to be wrong with this particular assumption.

At issue are clones of beef cattle, dairy cows, pigs and goats, as well as their offspring, which farmers in the United States and a few other countries are starting to raise in an effort to produce more consistently high-quality milk and meat. (from post article)

So I guess living creatures need perfecting (nature isn’t good enough and the eating meat and drinking milk is natural argument is totally thrown away because CLONED ANYTHING is not NATURAL). Once again animals are being objectified and treated as a product, a commodity and definitely not a LIFE WORTH ANYTHING…

The agenda seems to be all about desensitizing the masses and it starts with these non-human animals. The cloning of humans (which is already in progress) is sure to follow as a normal practice and standard. People + Technology = the acceptance of national ID cards, veri-chip implants and our freedoms and privacy being taken away for the alleged safety and security reasons. The negative implications reach far beyond the animal rights spectrum. We’re losing this battle, our freedom to privacy and our freedom to choose and have knowledge of what EXACTLY goes into our bodies.

The last quote in the article really was a gnarly one and made me want to smash stuff.

While the now-expired FDA moratorium sought to keep both clones and their offspring off the market, the new USDA moratorium requests only that clones themselves be withheld, so the offspring might make it to store shelves within a few years.
But imagine the labels that would appear if certain rules were in place, Greenwood said:
" 'This steak's father was a clone.'

'This steak's grandfather was a clone.'

'This steak's great-grandmother was a clone.'

"At what point does it become absurd?" (from post article)

Ummmm don’t you think it became absurd when eating animals (and the economic factors revolving around eating animals) became so important that people would risk their health and well being? Not to mention the absurdity in recognizing animals that you believe to be food as a father, grandfather and great-grandmother. The ethical implications are so obvious and apparently easy to avoid or ignore.

Did a Fast Make Gwyneth Sicketh?

Photo: WireImage

Horreur! Gwyneth Paltrow was admitted to Mount Sinai yesterday with ailments unknown, Us Weekly is reporting. "She was slumped over in a wheelchair pushed by [husband] Chris Martin," a witness told Us. "She looked not well." However, Us also reported that later that evening a bag from Organic Avenue was delivered, which indicates that the actress is at least eating. Or is she? Like the virtual Woodward and Bernsteins we are, we called Organic Avenue to find out what was in the bag. "She's doing our five-day live-food fast," an employee told us. Reaaaaaally, we drawled in our best gumshoe-detective voice. Could that be why she's in the hospital, perhaps? The employee laughed like that was just crazy talk. Right, because whoever heard of anyone getting sick from not eating? "Oh, no," she said. "She's eating salads, there's juices. There's actually quite a bit of food there, it's just all raw and organic." And so our groundbreaking reporting reached a dubious but still satisfying conclusion. Because Gwyneth can't actually be that sick if she's still sticking to her diet.

I hope idiots don’t use this as an attack on raw and organic diets…

P.S.
R.I.P.-Brad Renfro (def one of my fav actors who lived too fast and died too soon)

USDA Recommends That Food From Clones Stay Off the Market (FOR NOW...HA!)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture yesterday asked U.S. farmers to keep their cloned animals off the market indefinitely even as Food and Drug Administration officials announced that food from cloned livestock is safe to eat.

Bruce I. Knight, the USDA's undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, requested an ongoing "voluntary moratorium" to buy time for "an acceptance process" that Knight said consumers in the United States and abroad will need, "given the emotional nature of this issue."

Yet even as the two agencies sought a unified message -- that food from clones is safe for people but perhaps dangerous to U.S. markets and trade relations -- evidence surfaced suggesting that Americans and others are probably already eating meat from the offspring of clones.

Executives from the nation's major cattle cloning companies conceded yesterday that they have not been able to keep track of how many offspring of clones have entered the food supply, despite a years-old request by the FDA to keep them off the market pending completion of the agency's safety report.

At least one Kansas cattle producer also disclosed yesterday that he has openly sold semen from prize-winning clones to many U.S. meat producers in the past few years, and that he is certain he is not alone.

"This is a fairy tale that this technology is not being used and is not already in the food chain," said Donald Coover, a Galesburg cattleman and veterinarian who has a specialty cattle semen business. "Anyone who tells you otherwise either doesn't know what they're talking about, or they're not being honest."

Yesterday's awkwardly meshed announcements by FDA and USDA officials, made at a joint news conference in Washington, reflected continuing divisions among U.S. regulatory agencies on how to deal with the issue of food from clones.

Stephen F. Sundlof, director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, spoke from his perspective as the person who oversaw that agency's six-year review of the safety of milk and meat from clones and their offspring. He released the results of that 968-page "final risk analysis," saying "meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones are as safe as food we eat every day."

That conclusion amounted to handing the cloned-food hot potato to the USDA's Knight, whose agency has the responsibility of getting those products accepted on the market.

Recent surveys indicate that the agency has a challenge. Last year, 22 percent of Americans who responded to a major survey said they had a favorable impression of food from clones.

That was up from 16 percent a year earlier. Nonetheless, about 50 percent have an unfavorable impression, said Danielle "Dani" Schor of the International Food Information Council Foundation, an industry-funded interest group that has conducted the survey of 1,000 Americans annually since 2004.

At issue are clones of beef cattle, dairy cows, pigs and goats, as well as their offspring, which farmers in the United States and a few other countries are starting to raise in an effort to produce more consistently high-quality milk and meat.

n recent weeks, as it became clear that the FDA was ready to release its positive safety report, officials there began encountering resistance from other agencies that would have to deal with the consequences of food from clones entering the U.S. food supply.

Some of them, including the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, have been struggling for years to persuade countries in Europe and other parts of the world to accept gene-altered crops from the United States. The last thing those agencies needed, insiders said, was a new U.S. product that nobody wants.

The USDA's request that farmers keep their clones out of the food chain, probably for a few more years, "is simply allowing the time for an orderly transition to occur," Knight said, adding that the department is already having conversations with U.S. trading partners and trying to smooth the way to acceptance.

Some U.S. consumer groups have expressed concern for the cloned animals, which often have health problems, and have suggested that the American public may be as tough a sell as the wary consumers in the European Union and Japan.

"Despite the fact that cloned animals suffer high mortality rates and those who survive are often plagued with birth defects and diseases, the FDA did not give adequate consideration to the welfare of these animals or their surrogate mothers in its deliberations," said Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States.

Some U.S. groups have demanded that food from clones be labeled to give consumers the "right to choose."

But James Greenwood, president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, whose members include the nation's biggest farm-animal cloning companies, rejected that idea, as has the FDA. He said cloning is simply a way to make offspring. Other methods of farm animal procreation, such as in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination, are not listed on food labels.

He and other industry representatives specifically rejected proposals to label food from conventionally conceived offspring of clones.

While the now-expired FDA moratorium sought to keep both clones and their offspring off the market, the new USDA moratorium requests only that clones themselves be withheld, so the offspring might make it to store shelves within a few years.

But imagine the labels that would appear if certain rules were in place, Greenwood said:

" 'This steak's father was a clone.' 'This steak's grandfather was a clone.' 'This steak's great-grandmother was a clone.'

"At what point does it become absurd?"

Staff researcher Madonna Lebling contributed to this report.

Cloned Animals Coming to a Plate Near You...

2008-01-15T14:24:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! Happy New Year!!!! I'm totally alive, just in case you were wondering! Everything is going great in this awesome New Year. 2007 was such a stellar year, but I sensing 2008 will be one for the history books! I'm so glad "the holiday season" is totally over!!! I'm still doing the raw foods diet, but totally slacked at the end of December and dropped down to about 60%. Yes, very sad I know!! I'm totally back on track working on that and the exercise thing. I really thought that since I had fully mastered veganism that I could easily master the raw food life very quickly, it proves to be way more challenging than ever...BUT SO WORTH IT! I've read a lot of blogs from other raw foodist and I see that everyone has their ups and downs with the raw diet and it's not really a win/lose situation. It's basically all win with a whole foods vegan diet as a foundation, but your average score gets higher with the more raw foods you implement!

Though I did eat some cooked foods in my absence from the blog-world, they were still organic and whole foods with no wacky additives or preservatives just the way nature intended. A raw and whole foods diet is simply getting back to basics, food they ate before all the wasteful packaging/microwave/fast food days. I view it as a worthwhile simplification leading to maximum results with minimal effort. This year I'm planning a full on metamorphosis, where I will become not only a better raw vegan but a healthier woman in general. I've found an ideal healthy balance and am quite happy with it, though I do want to boost my raw percentage back up to where it was!! I plan on going on a crazy fresh veggie and fruit juice/smoothie detox in the next few weeks. I'll totally let you know when I start it. I really want to get rid of all the toxins accumulated over the last couple of weeks. Seriously, what can be more nutritious, wholesome and beneficial than implementing a large percentage of raw foods into your life? You simply can’t go wrong.

I apologize for the lack of posts. I guess it is best not to make any more daily blog promises, so I don't have to feel guilty when I'm way too busy or self absorbed (haha) to post!

Today I'm posting this article from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/01/15/fda.cloning/index.html

Just another reason for you to stop eating animals and their secretions produced by mass rape...
Natural? I think not! Thank heavens for organic whole foods! What nature really intended...

It only gets worse from here people…

FDA OKs meat, milk from most cloned animalsStory Highlights
Sheep meat, milk need more research, FDA says

Heated debate has raged for years over use of cloned animals for food production

Experts: Consumers won't see cloned food products for 3-5 years

Next Article in Health »

By Jennifer Pifer
CNN

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Meat and milk from most cloned animals are safe to eat, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday.

Debate has raged around food products from cloned cattle, such as this one produced by the company Viagen.

According to a 968-page "final risk assessment," the FDA finds no safety risks in meat from healthy cloned cows, pigs or goats or milk from cloned cows and their offspring.

"Food products derived from cattle, swine, and goat clones pose no more risk than food derived from sexually reproduced animals," the report said.

However, in the end, the FDA decided it needed more information to determine the safety of meat and milk from cloned sheep. The FDA also decided food from newborn cattle clones, "may pose some very limited human food consumption risk."

The agency reportedly included hundreds of pages of raw data in the risk assessment, to help the public understand how it came to its findings.

For years, a heated debate over the use of cloned animals for food production has stretched from Congress to cattle farms. The agency reached a preliminary decision in December 2006, after a four-year review, that milk and meat from cloned animals was safe for human consumption. Under government policy, the agency was required to collect more safety data before issuing a final decision.

It is highly unlikely actual clones will be used in food production. A cloned cow costs $15,000 to $20,000 to create. More likely, experts said, the offspring of cloned animals will be used. Experts also say it will be three to five years before consumers see milk and meat from their offspring.

Opponents of using cloned animals in food production are angry that the FDA is releasing its report now.

"We think the FDA should pay attention to what Congress is asking them to do," say J.D. Hanson, policy analyst for the Center for Food Safety. "It looks like they are releasing it to sidestep what Congress has asked them to do."

Another concern is economics. "People will start consuming less dairy and meat" out of uncertainty, suggested Michael Hansen, a senior scientist with Consumers Union. His group calls for more study and clear labeling.

Last month, the Senate passed a measure that would bar the FDA from approving the proposal until it conducts further study of the potential health effects. The legislation also would require the Agriculture Department to examine consumer acceptance of cloned meats. The amendment was part of the Senate's $286 billion farm bill, which was passed in December.

Health Library
MayoClinic.com: Health Library
Other consumer groups are satisfied with the findings. "There are still unanswered questions about the use of cloned animals in the food supply, but the Food and Drug Administration has satisfactorily answered the safety question," the Center for Science in the Public Interest said in a statement. "While the safety of any food cannot be proven with absolute certainty, consumers should have confidence that meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring will be safe."

Just Checking In...

2007-12-05T14:22:00.001-05:00

(food for thought)

Happy December peeps! I’ve obviously been extra busy. Last week I interviewed at my company and received a job offer for a new amazing position. OF COURSE I ACCEPTED!!! I’ve been getting everything together in my current position to make the transition in a couple of weeks. I’m really stoked that my career is on the fast track to reach my ultimate goals.

I’ve been eating the raw model diet for a month now and I am still very happy with it. It’s still working wonders for my body and I’m excited about the results that I’ve been seeing. More on the benefits later…

Today is the first snow of the season here in NOVA and it’s beautiful, though I think I might leave my office a little early because for some reason people don’t know how to drive in the snow (even though it snows EVERY year)!

I just wanted to check in for a quick update…

-peas

My Review & My Deal…

2007-11-27T17:17:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the slacking as of late, I still want to discuss the PETA documentary, I Am An Animal. So I guess I’ll start there first before I move on. Overall I was dissatisfied, but again I appreciate any call to attention having to deal with the plight of animals. I think Ingrid Newkirk, PETA founder came off C-R-A-Z-Y. The problem with crazy when it comes to animal issues is that way too many people in today’s society truly believe that ALL animal rights people are nuts. For Ingrid to appear as such, just seems to reiterate that negative notion to the masses. Secondly, I just can’t stand the fact that ONE organization is supposed to be defining such a vast animal rights movement. I don’t believe that PETA is an animal rights group, though I do believe that their original intent should be applauded, yet overall they’ve become an animal welfarist organization like the Human Society (whom I can’t believe had the nerve to even critique PETA…but I won’t even go into that issue right now). Since PETA does such a great job at marketing (they should give up animal welfare and go into marketing/advertising/branding), the media uses them as the patron saint of animal rights! Honestly after watching that documentary I want to further distance myself from affiliation with them. Their affiliation with Peter Singer (the so called father of animal rights) was already enough to make me cut ties forever, this just solidifies it!

Why I think Ingrid Newkirk is off her rocker:

Okay okay…so I have to get this out first. (Excuse me for being hyper-critical!) I was sooooooooooooo disturbed at the opening where Ingrid is preparing food for herself, FROZEN vegetables and some Amy’s FROZEN entrée. Can you say YUCK??? To top it off, most of Amy’s food isn’t even really vegan as many products are manufactured on equipment that also process animal and animal by-products! DISGUSTING! Amy’s is one issue, showing a vegan consuming FROZEN VEGTABLES AND USING A MICROWAVE in the very beginning of an animal rights documentary is so negative. I mean she is supposedly a vegan (though veganism isn’t really mentioned at all in this film, except when the guy trying to get a sound byte from Pink said he was from a vegan radio show), and if she is a vegan shouldn’t she want to show the many awesome and appetizing UNPACKAGED foods a vegan can eat. Public relations is a huge part of my life so you’ll have to excuse my annoyance once again, but couldn’t she have represented us a little better?? She could have eaten some gorgeous salad and had veggies lying around her kitchen and a cutting board or something. I mean with all the nutritious vegan options she uses the microwave on frozen food…UGH! That so disturbs me, but the lack of vegan representation throughout the film disturbs me even more!

So that isn’t the only reason I think she is off her rocker, her narration was enough to make me declare insanity after only a few moments. She has this empty callous personality which is so different from the people that actually work at PETA. I spent a volunteer work week in the summer of 2005 at their headquarters in Norfolk and experienced the foot soldiers of PETA and their dedication first hand. I understand her passion for animals, but BBQ skin? If she has to say that she should keep it amongst friends. Come on…All these scary marketing tactics and attention seeking campaigns make her look crazy rather than dedicated and selfless (my opinion)! So what if she gets arrested and dragged away…I mean PETA has enough money to bail her out. I don’t think the money spent to bail them out of jail and pay the legal fees is where the donors expect their money to go. I believe all that money for lawsuits, etc should be going to helping animals like the little dog in the film. I mean instead of putting him to sleep they could have paid for the intense treatment that he needed so he could be adopted out. Yeah I know they build dog houses, etc…and I also know that realistically it’s not possible for one organization to save all the abused and homeless dogs and cats, but I definitely believe that money should be spent better to eliminate the use of euthanasia unless the animal is truly dying and there is no treatment or solution that would help them. This was not the case for the dog in the film. Who is Ingrid to decide that this dog should die and that death is a gift for these animals? It’s the double standards that get me to the anti-PETA mode. Like Pink for instance, she eats fish but she is in PETA ad campaigns. Like Dita Von Teese, who wears fur, but who also does PETA ads and wants you to spay and neuter you dogs and cats. RIDICULOUS!

The whole alligator skin tid-bit and the coffin thing made Ingrid sound and look even crazier. She also kept referring to the guardians or care-givers to the dogs as OWNERS!!! ANIMAL RIGHTS 101– WE DON’T OWN ANIMALS!! In my opinion as was the lady from Friends of Animals (not that I wish to be affiliated with them either) was right on, Ingrid seems to be more concerned about being a HISTORICAL FIGURE than focusing on the animals.
Here is a description on PETA's site that had to pass through Ingrid to be published:
http://www.peta.org/feat/HBO_I_Am_an_Animal/index.asp?c=weekly_enews

"She's tough. She's fearless. She's driven. She's a brilliant strategist. She's perhaps the most famous animal rights activist in the world. Get a glimpse inside the daily life of PETA President Ingrid Newkirk—from the moment she wakes up, well before dawn, until the end of a long day spent fighting for the rights of animals.

Meet the woman who founded PETA. See what makes her tick, see how far she is willing to go to help animals, hear what her detractors say—some who fear any threat to their bottom line and others who are envious of her success—and meet some of the animals who have benefited from her tireless work."

Enough on that…

I also had a problem with them defining what is a more relevant issue in the animal rights (really welfarist when it comes to this particular organization) agenda. No issue whether it revolves around exotic animals or animals used in agriculture should be more IMPORTANT than others.

The investigator stuff wigged me out a bit; I just couldn’t imagine killing animals even if it was to get groundbreaking footage. It is kind of an ethical situation, which is up for debate if anyone is interested. I’m just unsure of how I feel about it overall. I know that undercover footage has helped in lots of aspects, yet to me I feel like contributing to the death of animals in anyway for any reason is wrong. I won’t make an absolute statement about this yet, as I haven’t read enough about it to be that definitive. I don’t think those investigations are morally consistent with my personal beliefs though…AS IN I WOULD NEVER BE VOLUNTEERING FOR ONE.

Another issue was her adamant support of ALF. When I was younger I was really intrigued by the Animal Liberation Front, but again what they do is morally inconsistent with my beliefs so I can not be a supporter. If they are endangering any lives it is wrong. There are many different aspects to consider and I won’t go into it all. I don’t think breaking animals out is necessarily bad, but fire bombing is. I don’t feel that it’s okay for animal rights people to be lumped in with terror organizations and the actions of some have put all of us under the same cloak. UNFAIR!

Again, pissed about no mention of veganism!!! GO VEG…isn’t enough. GO VEGAN is the only way to go…One of the kids said something like, “well if you aren’t going to go vegetarian at least don’t buy a butterball”. How is that animal rights? NEVER ADVOCATE ANIMAL SUFFERING….and to me that is what he did. If they don’t buy a butterball but buy a different brand of dead Turkey then what good is that for the plight of live Turkeys???? DON’T EAT ANIMALS PERIOD! An absolute statement…
They also left out the facts and statistical information that should always be included to get people interested. If you say it takes X to produce X hamburgers or consuming X is related to X cancer diagnoses per year, people are more likely to have something solid to hold on to and maybe research later.

Okay….so that is my I Am An Animal review. I wrote it really quickly from the notes I had scribbled down while watching it. Everything is going well with my diet though I have slipped down to the 85% percent model in the past few days while getting back to 100 % health. Not to worry though, I was inspired today by some raw blogs!! I am perfectly better and ready and I’m going back up to 95%. I’m really bored of the dressings that I have learned to make. While perusing through recipes online I have been having a hard time finding one that appeals to me. Eating organic beans and organic brown rice shouldn’t make me feel guilty, but it does!!! It’s really funny how my mind works now and I love the challenge…No matter what the fact that I don’t eat any preservatives, additives, or chemicals in packaged food and all organic food is just amazing to me. I feel like I’m right in line with what a natural human diet should be. I’m really upset that I haven’t been able to find an organic mango or pineapple since I’ve been back from Illinois, those were two of my favs!!! NOT HAPPY!! Have a great evening…

Stuffed = NO / Stuffy Nose = YES...

2007-11-23T11:08:00.001-05:00

I came down with something gross…I’m almost over it though. I woke up Tuesday morning feeling awful. I really only felt absolutely miserable on Wednesday…thank heavens!! I swear I’ve never been sick and felt as good as I have this time. Usually I can’t even make it out of bed. I think my body appreciates being chemical free and not being forced to take medicine/pharmaceuticals to mask my illness! I’d rather just deal with the problem by loading up on nutrients!!! It’s my 23rd day of eating all organic and raw and the benefits are limitless!! YAY! Though my appetite hasn’t been much of anything this week due to this illness! I usually get sick once a year and I guess this is my once a year (fingers crossed)!!! I was seriously around so many people this past weekend that I could have caught it from many different culprits!! Luckily I’m only in my office until noon today and this morning I tried on my first piece of apparel that didn’t fit me the 2nd week in October and now does! I still haven’t weighed myself but this is a sure sign that I’m losing inches! YAY! I am going to start a fierce exercise routine once I kick this thing. I had already been power-walking on my treadmill and doing Pilates (major slacking lately…I admit), but I need to step it up a notch for maximization. Again, apologies about my lack of posts the past two weeks! I’ll get back into a groove soon! I hope you aren’t out being good little American consumers today…

Refusing to Celebrate Genocide...

2007-11-19T17:40:00.000-05:00

Okay peeps! This is post is kind of a "rip off"(meaning not that much writing by me personally, but full of awesome information), but I want to get back to posting every day and have been extremely busy at work and in life. There is hardly enough time to come up for air and stay grounded as well...I kind of like it! Tonight at 8pm on HBO I Am Animal: The Story if Ingrid Newkirk and PETA. As I said previously I am not a PETA supporter though I once was, I have a friend who works at PETA and he advised me that it will show opposing arguments, etc. and confront the hypocrisy. Though I know the spin of this documentary before I even watch it, I will still definitely watch it. It’s advisable to always know both and all sides of a debate. Just like the saying goes, “Keep your friends close and your enemy closer.” (evil smirk) Not that PETA in anyway is my enemy, I’m sure you can read between the lines! I’ll review it ASAP!

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/iamananimal/?ntrack_para1=feat_sec1_title

Oh boy, I know there are many issues I need and want to talk about but for today I'm posting the bulletin that I posted on my private Myspace account. I read this awesome blog posting from Vegan Hip Hop's Myspace page today.

http://www.myspace.com/veganhiphopmovement

I pasted the whole blog in its entirety in my bulletin for convenience.

Here you are:

Date: Nov 19, 2007 12:25 PM
Subject: Celebrating Genocide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Body: My husband and I don't celebrate Thanksgiving and many people often question why. While you can assume that it's all because of the fact that we are abolitionist vegans, there are many other factors that we consider in being morally consistent with all of our values, ethics and beliefs. The blog below from Vegan Hip Hop's page is very on point and describes our disdain with this "holiday" by incorporating the animal as well as human rights implications. I know that many people are apathetic and complacent and have too many important things to worry about like holiday shopping, new cars, designer brands and the biggie 'SELF', but at some point in life you have to start thinking about issues outside of our own existence if we are ever to evolve as a society. A criminal war is waging and our rights are slowly but surely dwindling away while you're celebrating with your family and dining on a well presented dead animal carcass!
Love,
Kenya (who is thankful for an open and informed mind and heart but not for a past atrocity!)

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Celebrating Genocide!
Category: Life

Celebrating Genocide!

Dan Brook

En Espanol: Celebrando el Genocidio
on ZNet

Many people annually get as stuffed as their turkeys in celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is a quintessentially American holiday, so much so that it is not just a holiday, but really is (as the etymology implies) one of our Holy Days, almost universally celebrated by Americans. In its sacredness, families get together to (unintentionally?) celebrate one genocide (against Native Americans) by committing another (against turkeys). Can we celebrate in good faith and conscience?

On Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks. We give thanks for being the invader, the exploiter, the dominator, the greedy, the gluttonous, the colonizer, the thief, indeed the genocidaire, rather than on the other side of imperialism's zero-sum murderous game. As Mark Twain points out in his War Prayer, wishing and being thankful for one's own success and victory is, at the very same time, wishing and being thankful for another's defeat and destruction. Do we want to make these kinds of wishes and give these kinds of thanks?

The Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran declared that "it is the honor of the murdered that they are not the murderers". Perhaps, but it is a very difficult honor to uphold. Native Americans, at least those who have survived the over 500 year genocidal project, are the poorest ethnic group in the richest country of the world. Each year, a group of Native Americans gather at Plymouth Rock on Thanksgiving Day to mourn and fast in honor of their people and in memory of what is lost. What do we want to be honored for? What honors are Americans thankful for?

It was once earnestly asked by Native Americans, "Why do you take by force what you can have by love?" Christopher Columbus reports in his personal diary that when he arrived in the Americas he was amazed. The Arawaks, with curiosity and joy, came to greet the people coming off the ships from Europe. The Arawaks (whom Columbus mistakenly thought were Indians) were a peaceful people, by all accounts, willing to share anything they had, offering both emotional kindness and their physical objects. Columbus describes how remarkable these people were. So innocent of weapons and violence, Arawak people would initially reach out their hands to feel the strange, shiny objects called swords. The Arawaks would only "work" for a few hours a day, "spending" the rest of their time relaxing, socializing, and creating their culture in the ways that people most enjoy. Columbus also tells of how the Arawaks had no "shame", being able to walk around naked or make love whenever they pleased. With the tiny amount of gold on their island, they fashioned jewelry to adorn themselves. As with many other pre-contact indigenous groups, the Arawaks essentially lived in Utopia. Can Americans be thankful for living in a utopian society? Are we thankful for having destroyed one? Should we be grateful for having so many deadly weapons? For being so greedy for gold, both actual and metaphorical?

As Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange is fond of pointing out, Columbus could have done one of a few different things after encountering the Arawaks of whom he was so impressed: (1) Columbus could have quit his travels and lived the rest of his days amongst this remarkable people. In fact, millions of people today spend thousands of dollars and their precious couple of weeks of vacation trying to experience modern conditions resembling these ancient ones. (2) Columbus could also have continued on his journeys, exploring other islands, encountering new peoples, and searching for India and elsewhere with which to trade. While doing so, he could have expanded and developed his writings, perhaps doing valuable ethnographic and comparative sociological research. (3) Another possibility is that Columbus could have rushed back to Europe, declaring the wonders of Arawak society and urging that the best minds of Europe go to visit and study the Arawaks. As a result of doing so, Europeans could have incorporated aspects of Arawak society into their own, if not emulating it altogether. Are we proud of and thankful for our hubris and ethnocentrism?

Of course, Columbus did none of these. Apparently, there was a fourth possibility. With grave implications, Columbus wrote in his diary that with fifty men he could enslave the entire population and capture all their gold. This was no empty boast. The "savage" Arawaks were enslaved, many were tortured, their labor exploited, and their wealth stolen and shipped off to Europe. During this process of imperialist superexploitation, men had their hands chopped off, women had their breasts sliced and their pregnant bellies cut open, babies were thrown into the air, sometimes crashing to the ground and other times being impaled on those strange, shiny swords, presumably all in the name of Christianity, Civilization, and, eventually, Capitalism. The Arawaks were literally exploited to death and they are now extinct, all of them having been killed off through virulent brutality, overwork, and disease. Are Americans thankful they weren't Arawaks? Are we thankful for not being the dehumanized "Other"?

The Pilgrims later came to America to escape religious persecution from the British, apparently in order to commit ethnic and religious persecution against the Native Americans and, later on, others. And this they did, and we in fact continue to do, effectively and mercilessly. At the time of the first Thanksgiving in 1621, it was also the dawn of another type of genocide. 1619 marks the first year that human beings were brutally "imported" from Africa to become slaves in America, if they happened to survive the cruel capture and horrific Atlantic crossing. So while Africans were being heartlessly torn away from their homes and families, viciously enslaved and dehumanized, tortured and killed, Native Americans were being attacked and annihilated. By the time that President Lincoln re-invented and instituted the Thanksgiving Day tradition in the early 1860s, the US was fighting its civil war. The US Civil War may have been fought over slavery (and labor more generally), though it was certainly not fought for the slaves (or for laborers). Sadly, there is much, much more to the tragic history of genocide and US complicity. Is it for this legacy that Americans give thanks? Are Americans thankful for the results of racism and classism?

In Europe, during the 1930s and 1940s, various demographic groups were being systematically targeted by the Nazis, including leftists and unionists, people with physical and mental disabilities, Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses, gays and lesbians, the Roma (so-called Gypsies) and the small number of Blacks, as well as other misfortunate minorities. Although we now know that the US had accurate aerial photographs of the rail lines leading to and from the death camps since 1941, among other pertinent information obtained even earlier, the US did not enter the war against fascist Germany until almost 1942, only after the US was physically attacked by Japan. Even then, however, the US neither bombed the rail lines or the death camps themselves, nor allowed in large numbers of refugees from fascism. Indeed, just like Haitians in the 1990s and Afghans in 2001, Jews in the 1940s were sometimes turned back to their respective Hell. Millions and millions of people died unnecessarily. Adding insult to injury, the US government even paid war reparations to US corporations, including General Motors, which were supplying the Nazi military with much-needed machinery and vehicles, for the damage done to their German factories due to the Allied bombing campaign. (The US government went further by guaranteeing safe passage for many Nazi officers and even employing a number of them, some of whom helped advance biological and chemical weaponry as well as death penalty technology in the US. Other Nazi officers were supported, especially in Europe and Latin America, as an oppositional force against real or suspected communism.) Likewise, the US was seemingly uninterested in Japan's genocide against the Chinese in Nanking, and then did (and does) little to stop China's genocide of the Tibetans since the 1950s. The US has also never been interested in the genocide against the Kurds or Armenians. The US was interested, however, in setting up concentration camps in 1942 for Japanese-Americans and, to a much lesser extent, Germans and Italians. Are Americans thankful for our hypocrisy and selective democracy?

In 1965, the US supported and facilitated genocide in Indonesia. Under the US-supported military dictatorship, half a million to a million communist-sympathizing peasants were killed in Indonesia. Their lives are considered so worthless that a more accurate number of those killed is nearly impossible. (A more recent example of this mentality is from the Gulf War, during which US bulldozing tanks buried an unknown number of slaughtered Iraqis in the desert. When asked how many were killed and buried in these mass unmarked graves, General Colin Powell coldly replied that he wasn't interested and didn't care. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright followed up that mentality by stating on TV that the hundreds of thousands of additional kids who have died since the war, due to sanctions, are a worthwhile price to pay. For whom?) The US supplied some 90% of the weapons and training to the Indonesian military, in addition to favorable trade and investment, but also provided logistics and specific names of Indonesian activists to be targeted for death. The Indonesian military gladly obliged, taking the US hit list and then accomplishing their task as best as possible. Since 1975, similarly, the US has sponsored and abetted genocide in Indonesian-occupied East Timor, culminating in the latest round of "newsworthy" massacres at the end of 1999. Nearly the same time that the modern Indonesian/East Timorese tragedy began, the US condoned genocide in Cambodia, after committing acts of genocide throughout South East Asia in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, the US supported vicious and murderous wars in Central America, central Asia, and southern Africa, in which hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, were killed, with many more disabled, displaced, and disappeared. The US also sat idly by during the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s, while almost totally ignoring slavery and genocide in Sudan throughout that entire decade. Furthermore, the US persists in continuously building, vigorously marketing, and violently employing chemical, biological, nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Are Americans proud of US foreign policy? Of supporting murderous dictators and regimes? Of maintaining deadly double standards?

At the same time that the US has, by far, the most expensive and powerful military on Earth, it also has a high poverty rate, the largest prison population, a relatively high infant mortality rate, tremendous overconsumption and waste, a stingy and demeaning welfare program, an active capital punishment program, and almost as many privately owned guns as people. Are Americans proud of US domestic policy? Of supporting murderous policies and programs? Of maintaining deadly discriminatory standards?

There are many reasons to celebrate and Americans have a lot to be thankful for. Genocide should not be one of those things. What are we doing on Thanksgiving Day? We would be appropriately appalled if Germany or Austria were celebrating a Holocaust Memorial Day, where Germans and Austrians got together with their families for dinner on their official day off, joyously remembering the things that are important to them, just as American families get together for Thanksgiving Day and think of things to be thankful for. (Similar scenarios, just as ugly, could be constructed for white supremacists, rapists, and murderers.) Some activities and events are inappropriate just because of the context in which they occur and the history of suffering they represent. Thanksgiving Day is clearly part of that history. Are Americans thankful for forgetting their own history, for having collective cultural and political amnesia?

We do not have to feel guilty, but we do need to feel something. At the very least, we need to reflect on how and what we feel. We should also review our history and what it means to us and others, while we must rethink our adopted traditions, including our Thanksgiving High Holy Day. My personal (and therefore political!) resolution for the new year is to stop celebrating genocide. American Thanksgiving may be sacred to some, but it's utterly profane to me.

**Dan Brook earned a B.A. in Socio-Political Economy from Clark University, an M.A. in Political Science from San Francisco State University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Davis. Dan's work has been published in various journals from the American Journal of Economics and Sociology to Z Magazine. He lives in San Francisco and is currently a freelance instructor of sociology and social science.

You can read a book review of Michael Parenti's "History as Mystery" by Dan Brook here

Also, Dan is the author of "Sociological Snippets" which can be found in The Sociology Shop HERE

Dan's email address is brook@california.com

___________________________________________________________________

and a special note to those concerned w/animal rights, which i hope is everyone reading this: (Kenya did not make this note it was a comment on this original posting but she sure as hell agrees with this dude!)

how is it that one take the stance of modifying a cultural practice that does celebrate genocide by eating tofurky think their act is revolutionary? please be consistent and consider the rights of ALL animals, humans are w/out a doubt included and your protesting the murder of turkeys on "thanksgiving" all the while supporting and perpetuating a ritual that is nothing but a slap in the face to indigenous people and all who stand in solidarity. furthermore, i encourage you all to support by nothing day (adbusters.org) because again, nonhuman and human animals alike are truly exploited in preparation for the biggest shopping day of the year (i.e. sweatshops and factory farms).

paz

Absence Makes My Soul Grow Stronger...

2007-11-14T16:25:00.000-05:00

It’s been a while but I’m still here and kicking! I’m still very invigorated and excited about my new raw life!! I had a great vacay visiting the in-laws. I was so happy to get away from emails and the fast paced life of this DC Metro area! It was nice to see all the beautiful scenery that the autumn offers our country. I can not say enough about all the gorgeous land and places we saw on our journey! It was very interesting to be vegan on the road and in a small town, especially raw organic vegan! You would be surprised the leaps and bounds veganism is taking all over America. I was astonished and proud of the selection in Southern Illinois, even for those processed vegan items that we don’t consume. For someone out there those products could be the beginning of a vegan adventure. I always have hope that more people will decide to recognize the atrocity of using animals as food and as a commodity. I will write more about my "raw on the road" experience in my next blog (hopefully tomorrow)!

We got in very late last night (or early this morning to be exact) and I’m very exhausted and have a very packed week ahead of me! A funeral and a wedding…just so much to deal with right now! I will continue my regular daily blog starting Monday, until Monday I can't make any promises. I’m still doing the 80-95% raw diet model. It’s been pretty easy though one day last week on vacay I totally wanted something cooked that was not on my list…I totally got through it and I’m so over it! I’m really doing about 95% raw with the only things cooked being organic short grain brown rice and beans from a slow cooker (only a couple times a week or so). Unfortunately for me I ate a small serving of organic whole grain pasta once in my 14 days of being raw; it is on the 80-95% raw model list (see below). It was a treat for my two weeks of being 95% raw, but after eating it I felt like total crap and I am not eating anything else cooked except for my chosen 5% of non-stove top organic brown rice and beans (slow/rice cooker). Seriously, even though that pasta was on my list I just shouldn’t have eaten it…I felt sick almost immediately and still do a little (though it could be all mental)! I think it is because I have been so heavy on the veggies that something solid and heavy like that just through my digestive tract for a loop. I don’t think it’s a fair game to play with my body…it was more like a trick than a treat! Straight up raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, granola, brown rice, beans and legumes is enough for me...I think following the 100 % model with only a slight adjustment with the rice and beans works perfect with my body. Thanks for reading!!!!!!!

Ann Wigmore’s Raw Model Diet Chart
http://www.eatsprouts.com/eat/wigmore.html

I noticed today that the DC veg society's monthly raw vegan potluck is no longer meeting regularly as of April. BOO! I guess I decided to jump on the DC raw wagon a little late. Someone should try to start it up again...maybe me!

Restricted To Happiness...

2007-11-06T12:16:00.001-05:00

Such a busy day...I love the pressure of deadlines and intensity. It’s the trained journalist in me. I have so much to accomplish today but the sound of freedom is ringing sweetly in my ear so all the hard work is well worth it!

I’ve been thinking a lot in the past couple of days about the social politics of eating. For generations people have been gathering around food in joy, comfort and celebration. I understand that…completely, it just doesn’t do anything for me anymore personally. I constantly “did dinner” and lunch with my friends for years up until recently, but now that I’m only consuming organic WHOLE foods and not many restaurants (even ones that cater to vegans in my area) have organic (raw) vegan options...so I’ve decided to cater to my diet with my own two hands PROUDLY and NATURALLY. Why bother eating out…especially when I can whip up the safest and tastiest natural food right at home. Eating a nutritious raw diet enables me so many take along options that come in their own natural packages, making it easy to bring anywhere with me. I mean everyone likes being served…right? Though (I always consider) at what risk? I no longer feel comfortable eating out with such a high risk of contamination. It is just not worth it to me at this point. Every time there is an event people feel as if they have to cater to us, but we don’t care nor do we EVER expect that. Many think that EVERYONE in the world is focused on food, well…my life is sustained by food but my world doesn’t revolve around EATING IT. I have separated greed and hunger and I know that food is beneficial for health and being around friends and family is enjoyment enough. Don’t think we aren’t happy because you are eating a huge steak….and we aren’t. WE DON’T CARE. We don’t feel left out, we are vegans by CHOICE and we aren’t missing or losing out on anything! We see it exactly opposite! While you’re (the royal you) gorging yourself on animal parts and pesticides, we aren’t jealous…we are thinking of how lucky we are to be well informed enough to care for the one body that we are given while here on earth. We are thinking of our future and how healthy and non-toxic our bodies will be so we can spread the knowledge of health and cruelty free diets to our children… It’s no longer our issue at this point, it’s yours. I just wish that people could understand that we do this because we want to, we aren’t restricted. We feel that the SAD (Standard American Diet) is a hindrance and a restriction on life and what it could and should be…veganism is a gift we gave to ourselves. Honestly, I’ve never received something so amazing in my life.

We watched the Australian movie Rabbit Proof Fence on Sunday and it made us think of our time in Australia where we lived while I got my Masters Degree. It was a surreal and a great learning experience for us. Australia was the most beautiful land but there was such a lack of respect and representation of the Indigenous culture that were almost completely and strategically “wiped out”. These native people were considered Flora and Fauna (NOT PEOPLE) until the 1967 Flora and Fauna Act was passed. This movie was a true story of 3 little Indigenous girls that found their way home on an expansive voyage (they are referred to as half caste-meaning half Aboriginal and half white), after being stolen from their native land and family in the bush to be assimilated into the white Australian culture in hopes of eventually "breeding the black out of them". POPULATION CONTROL anyone!?! This was a very emotional film, I’ve studied a lot about Indigenous cultures and they’re portrayal in society and the media. It is something that I hold very close to my heart after living and experiencing racism first hand while living in Australia.

Reminiscent of what happened here…

Lucas came across this article (I don’t agree with the angel/spin of the article suggesting that sheep aren’t as important…but it’s the stats/facts that get me- http://www.eniar.org/news/health33.html) last night which correlates the racism/specism model. Animal and Human rights are one struggle. Disadvantaged people are treated poorly unless they serve as some kind of economic incentive (just like non-human animals), as you see in the article sheep serve the Australian economy so there was this concocted uproar about live export (but it’s def not for the sake of the sheep). Unfortunately, most of the Indigenous people do not serve as good and model consumers to provide an economic incentive so they are treated unfairly and are forced to live impoverished while others make money on land that their people have been on forever (there is much speculation that they’ve been there since beginning of time…as the ORIGINAL MAN). The similarities in the struggle are so similar that I couldn’t be morally consistent as a “black” person and inflict the same sort of injustices on other animals. If you believe in human rights you believe in animal rights…one struggle…one fight!

I'm off to IL tomorrow...I'll blog if/when I find the time until I'm back next Wednesday. Have a great week!!!

Morally Devoted To You...

2007-11-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

Hello!! AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW I ABSOLUTELY LOVE AUTUMN (tree at my parent's this weekend)!!!! It sure is the perfect time of year and the perfect time for change! It’s great to be back even though being back means being back to the daily grind. I’m still feeling great and I’m loving the way my body is reacting to me treating it sooooo kindly with my new organic raw diet!!! I seriously have never felt better, I think my body has been thanking me for years for my veg lifestyle but now that I’m not only vegan but eating organic and raw I feel that it’s rewarding me even more! You’re welcome body…enjoy! This diet isn’t only improving my health but my spirit too. I have been in the best mood ever for the past week…and I know it’s because I’m nourishing every aspect of my body in just the right way. I’m usually in a good mood and in high spirits, but I’ve just been so elated about EVERYTHING!!!! I really think that my good vibrations are making great things happen in my life, I received some awesome news at work today and it’s only 1 o’clock so my day is only going to get more fab!!!!

We were listening to the Vegcast pod cast from back in January of 2007 this weekend as we traveled to my ‘rents house, it was an awesome (as usual) interview with Gary Fracione a Law Professor at Rutgers who supports the abolitionist approach to animal rights. My animal rights platform is very in line with what they were discussing near the end of the pod cast. Though I have discussed health in my previous two entries and the health platform is sure to come up in future entries, I want you to know that is not my original agenda for animal rights or becoming vegan. All the interesting health aspects and environmental information are things that I have picked up along the way in my journey to harmonious living; the original spark was all about my moral stance. Professor Francione stated that despite the evidence and statistics of the health and environmental implications of animal rights very few people are able to grasp those concepts. He basically states that animal rights is a moral dilemma and if people aren’t moved by the moral implications it will be hard to get them to grasp the health and environmental links. The morality of it all is what pulled me in to the movement at 13 and it is definitely the thing that keeps me grounded.

We also listened to the pod cast with Dr. McDougall, a physician and nutrition expert who advocates a total plant based diet and even has his own healthy vegan cuisine line on the market (http://www.drmcdougall.com/). McDougall discussed how it is time to stop being polite and it’s time to start being more frank and speak the truth as loud as we can. As a doctor he has being advocating a plant based diet for years and is frustrated that people just aren’t listening to the FACTS or their own bodies. If board certified physicians are advocating a vegan diet and you don’t take their advice….who’s advice will you take??? I feel the same way; if people are offended and feel vegans are being morally superior it’s their problem. I get that all the time “you think you’re better because…” when in all actuality the people making that statement are the ones who feel that my diet/lifestyle is morally superior. Though I have never said anything about being morally superior, I am morally consistent with my values about all different realms of existence and eating a sentient being is definitely not morally acceptable. You can say you love animals, but what you mostly likely mean if you’re not vegan is that you love YOUR cat/dog. Really what’s the difference between your companion animal cat/dog and the cow that you served to your whole family for dinner last night? That’s right…THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. Professor Francione talks about being morally consistent with your views and I know many people who are not. If you believe in peace and being environmentally sound then don’t eat animals and if you do eat animals don’t get mad at me for calling out your inconsistencies. Watch the documentary Earthlings if you haven’t, it’s visually intense and I don’t see how anyone can watch this video and not make a change in their lives. The moral implications run rampant throughout this documentary. You can watch it on Google Video, it’s a great learning tool and it’s not made by PETA, which makes it even better!

This weekend we went to Pangea an independent vegan store (has a huge online store too http://www.veganstore.com/) in Rockville Maryland. We had been wanting to go forever and finally did, it was very close and we will def be going again. They have a ton of random vegan products from food to make-up and household cleaning items. My favorite item I bought was this frosty blue nail polish and Lucas’ was probably his vegan belt! His old one was falling apart. Many people probably don’t realize how hard it is to find every day items like ties that aren’t made out of wool or belts not made out of leather (and not from sweatshops). We are constantly on the prowl for vegan items and we love it when we don’t have to plan ahead of time and order them online. So “YAY” for Pangea.

I will be out of town visiting my in-laws in Illinois from this Wednesday until next Wednesday so my posts will be sparse during that time. I might write one or two blogs while there if I find the time. When I get back I’ll definitely be writing about my experiences being “raw on the road”, which should be fun!!!

Today I have to post this article (http://www.psa-rising.com/books/walsh/first_chapter.html) from a book by Dr. Patrick Walsh and Janet Farrar. While researching my husband found this article from the book, What a prostate does: A Brief Anatomy Lecture. It is quite interesting as a whole, but I want to highlight this section:

“Lately, scientists at Johns Hopkins have begun exploring the relationship between the prostate and seminal vesicles. What we have learned from their work is that the saga of human evolution is also a story of two male glands-both of which produce fluid that makes up semen. One gland, the prostate, is prone to cancer. The other, the seminal vesicle, is remarkably free of it. In nature, animals that are carnivores-meat-eaters like dogs and lions-don't have seminal vesicles. The only animals that have both prostates and seminal vesicles are herbivores-veggie-eating animals like bulls, apes, and elephants. There is only one exception to this rule: humans. Men have seminal vesicles, too. In other words, man, a meat-lover, has the makeup of an animal that should be a vegetarian.”

It’s very interesting because this doctor doesn’t have an animal rights or vegan affiliation or agenda, but he too comes up with the common correlation that human anatomy is not that of a carnivore. Just some more evidence against the argument that HUMANS WERE MADE TO EAT MEAT and IT’S NATURAL…

The Evolution Includes Breakfast...

2007-11-02T12:42:00.000-04:00

I am back and energized this morning, I think with my new diet I’m able to ‘do morning’ way better than usual. I’m totally the kind of person who hates getting up before noon, even though I’m usually at my office around 8:40am during the week. Every morning I go through the usual struggle of dragging myself out of our comfy bed, especially while Luke and Star are so perfectly cuddled together…without me! They look all warm and snugly while they basically take over the warm spot that was once mine. Unlike most women, I can get ready for work in an instant…like 15-20 minutes. For the sake of all my friends out there…I have to admit that HAS NOT always been the case (so shut it) and it is not always the case when I go out …but usually (since A. I never wear make-up like foundation and B. I don’t have to do much to my hair because I have dreads (which I absolutely love and changed my life)) it doesn’t take very long at all.

My biggest problem habit that I picked up in high school out of my disdain for morning activities was not eating breakfast. Seriously folks, I can go hours without eating. This is not a good thing, and definitely not a weight loss method. Basically not eating has caused my body to store fat. After 10 years of not eating breakfast I am on morning 2 of ‘EAT SOMETHING STUPID YOU’RE SLOWING DOWN YOUR ALREADY SLOW METABOLISM’. Yes, I know many of you have been saying this for years. Both my husband and best friend Erika have been badgering me for years about this problem and they both have been severely disturbed by my daytime eating habits, or lack there of. I am now ready to make that change because I know my health isn’t at the optimal capacity with me doing things like that to my body. Just because I don’t feel hungry doesn’t mean my body doesn’t want its fuel for the daytime. I am obviously not perfect and this is something I’m still struggling with because I truly don’t get hungry until around 5 when I get home. I am basically forcing myself to eat fruits these first few days and then I will add in natural granola, homemade muesli and nuts into the daytime equation. All these things are easy to store and carry with me to the office. I also am on the search for the perfect power juicer to add yummy veggie and fruit juices to my mornings as well. If anyone knows of any awesome juicers to suggest let me know. I plan on deciding on one in the next two weeks.

This is all the yummy food I ate yesterday, organic and prepared in various raw ways:
Kale
Green-Leaf Lettuce
Flax Seed
Mushrooms
Red Onion
Garlic
Broccoli
Garbanzo Beans
Apples
Bananas
Peanuts

I promise you people I’ve never felt more connected to the earth, animals, nature and my true self. To me nothing is better than fresh fruit and vegetables. This has not always been the case; I used to be a big candy person and junk food vegetarian. In the past year we have completely eliminated all refined and unlabeled sugar (and now sugar in general) and you know what…I don’t miss it for one second. If I want sugar I am happy to chow down on some raisins or a beautiful mango and that satisfies me way better than those pesky little Sour Patch kids I used to crave. I call dried fruit ‘nature’s candy’ and I much prefer it. I think when people look at going vegan and going raw as well, as GIVING SOMETHING UP. I think of it in the opposite way…GAINING SOMETHING BETTER. If you consider things like, “what nutritional value does this fried potato or artificially flavored candy add to my body?” it is so much easier to feel perfectly satisfied with only consuming foods that are completely natural and come from the earth with no blood, guts or gore.

There are tons of unhealthy vegan friendly foods out there, like all those products with isolated soy proteins (mock meats, soy sour creams, cheeses and ice creams). These things aren’t ALL bad with moderation, but I think they should be used as transitional foods rather than a diet’s staple ingredients. The best way to take in soy is in its most natural form like edamame. Tofu and tempeh aren’t bad because they aren’t processed the same way as those other isolated soy products. I have given up tofu and tempeh for now, though I may introduce them back into my diet eventually as they are not harmful to your health, but not really a part of the raw diet I’m going for right now while getting in maximum form for my child bearing/rearing years.

Our old vegan Saturday lunch-fast (I'm over "brunch" and it can't truly be considered breakfast when we didn't wake up until 1pm) complete with tofu scramble w/ veggies and nutritional yeast, soy sausage, sauteed potatoes, fruit, and multi grain toast w/ Earth Balance spread...I will never touch MOST of this stuff again, especially in this form...it was totally vegan 100%, but not what I'd call healthy and definitely not raw...I won't say it's bad like once every two months or whatever...just not for me, anymore! I love regular vegan cooking so don't read me wrong...I plan on feeding my children some cooked foods as long as there are no preservatives, artificial flavors/colorings, pesticides, etc....

Most all of us have been eating artificial flavorings and ‘natural flavorings’ that aren’t really natural at all, since we were children, starting with the breakfast cereals and the 'mac and cheese' and all of these unwholesome processed foods. As an adult I can’t consciously continue to put these things in my body when I know for a fact that they are unhealthy and unnatural. Our house is unhealthy packaged food free and no microwaveable crap either (we are highly against using microwaves as well), no more random words we can’t pronounce from unknown sources going into our bodies. Same thing goes for meat (as in animal flesh), yes I know most people have been consuming bacon and eggs since they were toddlers but these are things that hinder your body’s ability to prosper. I keep forgetting to mention the perils of of GMO foods (genetically modified foods)...this is another big problem facing all of us vegan and non vegan alike. Most fruits and vegetables (ESPECIALLY CORN AND SOY) are genetically modified now, so unless you are buying organic you never really know what exactly is in your food or what your food has been bred with because manufactures/farmers aren't required to label it. 'They' have mixed tomato and fish DNA to produce a more sustainable tomato crop for one example. This is a very scary practice and it's even scarier that this kind of practice will no doubt be extended to humans (and already has been to some extent).

A brief overview of what Genetic Modification from Wiki (btw-in my opinion wiki is not a great source for MOST things you want to be able to back up factually, but it does the job explaining this in a simple and concise manner!)

" A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using the genetic engineering techniques generally known as recombinant DNA technology. With recombinant DNA technology, DNA molecules from different sources are combined in vitro into one molecule to create a new gene. This modified DNA is then transferred into an organism causing the expression of modified or novel traits. The product is also known as an Genetically Engineered Organism or GEO.
The term "GMO" has historically been defined as organisms whose genetic makeup has been altered by conventional cross breeding or by "mutagenesis" breeding, as these methods predate the discovery of the recombinant DNA techniques. However, this term is now interchangeable with Genetically Engineered Organism."

Yesterday there was this article in USA Today about the cancer-fat link. The USA Today doesn’t have a vegan agenda people, I know I do…but they don’t. They won’t even take a vegan/vegetarian stance for that matter. This is basically a gloss over article which I do not approve of, but I know this is the kind of article that everyday people read. In a way it’s ‘good’ (I use this term loosely as well) because at least part of the story is getting out, in other ways it’s bad because the subject is glossed over and the ‘eat vegan’ stance is completely eliminated. There are studies and trials that PROVE that eating meat is unhealthy, but yet for some reason people still consume it. The usual answer we receive is, “IT TASTES GOOD”! When I hear that answer I immediately think of a Neanderthal on one of the Discovery Channel shows. When I hear the answer “IT’S NATURAL TO EAT MEAT”, it’s a whole different vision…but I’ll save that for another time. It’s unhealthy on such a large scale because people are dying everyday of cancer and heart disease largely due to consumption of animals and their by-products. This article is nothing profound to me; I’ve seen many and way more in-depth articles about the correlation of animal products and cancer. It was posted yesterday so it is timely for my forum today….

Put down the bacon! Report emphasizes cancer-fat links
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-31-cancer_N.htm

Did reading/skimming the article have any affect on your ideas/thoughts? Does factual evidence change anything for those of you who consume an animal based diet?

This chart is from the article…..

HOW TO CUT CANCER RISKS
The American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund recommend:
• Maintaining a healthy body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9.
• Limiting consumption of red meat to no more than 18 ounces (cooked) a week.
• Eliminating processed meats such as bacon, ham, sausage and lunchmeat.
• Eating five servings or more of fruit and vegetables a day.
• Limiting consumption of alcohol to no more than two drinks a day for men and one for women.
• Exercising at least 30 minutes a day.
• Limiting consumption of salt.
• Limiting processed foods high in added sugar

Of course I ONLY ADVOCATE 100% VEGANISM, to me cutting down is a white-wash and will ultimately make no difference for animals or your health. This chart highlights “eating five serving or more of fruit and vegetables a day”, though it should read “Eat a plant-based diet”, plain and simple. Every site you read about cancer prevention and maintenance tells you to eat an abundance of fruit and vegetables. Instead of waiting until you’re already sick it’s best to be proactive and eliminate the risk as best as you can.

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/eating-well-nutrition/tips-for-eating-a-plant-based-diet.htm
(I don’t advocate all the tips on this page; it is just a tool to show you how cancer prevention always pushes the fruit and veggie tip.)

Don’t think that it’s only meat/flesh that carries these deadly carcinogens, processed foods, preservatives and pesticides are also very dangerous and must be eliminated. Organic fruits and veggies make a lot of difference. I know this is a lot of information and a lot of ideas that may be foreign to you, but seriously there is a plethora of studies, statistics and information out there for you to discover on your own. Choose what sources you trust and scout out the information, you don’t have to take my word for it…I didn’t just take anyone else’s.

A great resource that I find to be credible is the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. They are a great point of reference and a jumping off place.

http://www.pcrm.org/

A New Beginning...

2007-11-01T15:03:00.001-04:00

Now to introduce my life.....

Today is the beginning of a new, healthier and evolved me. I have had a great lifestyle as a vegan for some time now, but I feel it is time for metamorphosis to wash over this beautiful vegan life. I am introducing myself to the blogging community with excitement as I delve into the world of raw veganism. I am starting off with the 80-95% raw diet model from Ann Wigmore's Chart for Raw & Living Foods.

Chart - http://www.eatsprouts.com/eat/wigmore.html

There are very few “NOT VEGAN” (for those who listen to The Vegan Freaks podcast) items on this chart…OBVIOUSLY I won’t be including any of these things in my new diet.

Being a vegan is already very healthy (well unless you are a french fry/junk food vegan) but after reading articles and being inspired by the raw vegan film by Storm Talifero “Breakthrough Documentary” (http://www.breakthroughthedocumentary.com/ which can be watched on Google Video) I am ready to make the transition into the organic raw vegan world. Like the transition from vegetarian into veganism, it takes in-depth research time and effort, but the overall result will be well worth it. I know switching to an ALL ORGANIC diet (which has been in the works for months) is the absolute best decision for my body, soul and mind. Oh yeah…and not to mention it will no doubt help me maintain my already great cruelty free lifestyle while getting my body in top healthy form to become a mother (my ultimate goal).

Being able to share my experience through writing is cathartic for me and it can also be a teaching and information tool for the public. I have always used resources like Myspace as a platform for my abolitionist approach animal rights rants and raves, but I figure why not take it to a broader medium. I want the public to be able to share ideas and ask questions and even give me tips on how to perfect my raw vegan endeavors.

I am going all organic but doing the 80-95% raw model as a transition into 100% percent raw model. Change starts within the self, from the first piece of literature I read about animal rights I knew that I couldn’t consciously eat animals and be true to myself and my ethics. I first became vegetarian (I use this term loosely as I still consumed animal by-products like dairy…which in my opinion (garnered through years of intense research) isn’t truly vegetarian or respectable at all! All apologies if I offend any ‘vegetarians’, I support your efforts but insist that you GO VEGAN to be in line with your moral standpoint if it is that of ANIMAL RIGHTS!) at 13 and now at 28 I’m ready to take my veganism into the next and ultimate step. My husband and I hope to one day be as self sufficient as possible. We'd love to live off the grid using alternative methods of energy, have a house made out of enviromentally friendly materials that is built around the earth and live off the land by growing and storing our own food. When I saw Storm and his wife Jinjee in the documentary raising these free-thinking, active, diverse and intelligent children I couldn’t help but want the same preservative-free, pesticide-free, natural living lifestyle for my own family. I want my future children to be intellectuals and have a firm grasp on the true beauty of nature and animals…all animals, not just humans. I don’t want my children to be solely influenced by the media that I have studied for years or the government’s censored educational curriculum. I don’t want them to think that their worth comes from name brands, cars, houses, or electronics. We refuse to produce a "good consumer" in order to keep pockets lined with cash. Our value system is very different from those we are surrounded by on a day to day basis. I would love to engage people with similar ideas and concepts about the world and animal rights. Everyday I acknowledge the differences a little bit more because of the intensity of marketing and branding that has taken over. We are eating to live and not living to eat. We are living for happiness and responding to our bodies and their need for natural food for survival. I reach out to and applaud those who are here for the true glory of life without all the extra trimmings of selfishness and DEATH.

I will try to write daily during the weekdays. I might even write more than one blog daily…who knows?! Random situations always come up that I would love to vent and write about right then and there…so who knows??? I'd love to keep this blog running through my raw transition and even through my future vegan pregnancy, delivery, and even the adventure of raising a vegan family (we aren't trying to conceive quite yet, but I'll let you all know). My goal for this blog is to get more people on the side of animals and the abolitionist approach (Gary Francione’s amazing site http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/)! Thanks for reading my first entry…there are always cruelty free seconds available around here…so keep coming back!!!

All sides of the equation are welcome here!!! I'm open to all ideas, debate and comments even from over there...because what was once over there is now over here!