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Eleven puppies, about 4 weeks old, were found Monday in a Dumpster in Selma, police said.
About noon Monday, a man found the puppies in an alley behind a laundromat on McCall Avenue after he heard whining coming from the Dumpster.
He took the Australian Shepherd mix puppies to the Selma Police Department, which turned them over to the city's animal shelter, police said.
A group called the Animal Compassion Team is tending to the puppies because they need round-the-clock care.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Illegal Slaughter Farms Brought Into Media Light
(From CNN)
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Freedom's Flight is a beautiful thoroughbred with an impressive pedigree. His bloodlines can be traced to two of the greatest race horses of all time, Seattle Slew and Secretariat.
But, unlike his kinship, Freedom's Flight's racing career ended before it had even started. It was almost two years ago when the thoroughbred's leg snapped right out of the gate at Miami's Gulfstream race track. The animal's days as a cherished racehorse came to an abrupt end.
"He came from the famous Clairborne farm and ended up on one of the worst farms in America," says new owner Richard "Kudo" Couto.
That "worst" farm in America turned out to be an illegal slaughter farm in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Couto, working for the South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, participated in a raid on the farm and rescued Freedom's Flight. The timing of that rescue may have saved Freedom's Flight's life. The horse was limping around on his broken leg, he had sores on his body, and you could see his bones protruding from his dirty coat.
Some 18 months since his rescue, Freedom's Flight looks more like the stunning race horse that was worth thousands of dollars than the injured horse that was sold for $50 to an illegal slaughter farm.
"Prior to his rescue, I didn't know that illegal slaughter farms existed in the country -- let alone under my nose in my own county," says Couto.
This new knowledge has motivated Couto. "It really made me buckle down and basically dedicate my life to shut this industry down. It's become personal for me," he says.
Couto suspects that there are more than 100 illegal slaughterhouses in the area. There is only one slaughterhouse that operates legally, Cabrera's, and there the United States Department of Agriculture inspectors are housed on its property.
Many of these illegal places are concentrated in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County. The roads are dirt, the vegetation thick and uninviting. This is the western fringe of Miami along the rim of the Everglades, an area considered a sort of no-man's land.
There are signs in English and in Spanish advertising animals for sale. Tarps are put up to hide what is behind the chain link fences, but most of these businesses are open to the public. "You don't have to be a rocket scientist after walking the properties and seeing the dead carcasses, the guts in the trash bins, the slaughter tables, the knives -- all of the tools of running this type of operation is right in front of you," says Couto.
CNN visited several of these establishments. At one location where a pig was being carved on one table and a chicken on the other, we asked to film on the property. "This slaughterhouse isn't as clean as you can see, try Cabrera's," said the unidentified man behind the slaughter table. Like several places we visited there was blood on the floor, dirty butcher knives and an overwhelming stench.
Every time we go in there, we have to go in there with the police -- and even the police don't want to go in there.
--Charles Danger, Miami-Dade official
Couto says it isn't the slaughtering of animals that has put him on this mission. It's the way the animals are treated.
"These animals are living in extreme filth. They're beaten. The way they're slaughtered is inhumane," says Couto.
Couto has been on a one-man crusade to shut down illegal slaughterhouses that are operating without licenses and without oversight by the health or agriculture departments. He was first exposed to what he calls the "dark underbelly" of the area when, with the Florida SPCA, he was investigating the slaughter of horses for their meat.
Motivated by Freedom's Flight, Couto left the South Florida SPCA to form his own organization called ARM -- Animal Recovery Mission.
For the past year he has used a video camera to collect evidence. Couto has simply walked right into dozens of slaughterhouses and has filmed bloody slaughter tables.
"I go in acting like a customer," he says, "I ask them, 'How much for the pig?' And they'll say 120 dollars. 'How much for the kill?' '20 bucks. We'll slaughter it for you for 20 bucks.' It's that easy."
One local agency that spends a lot of time in the area because sections of it are considered protected wetland is the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management. Carlos Espinosa is in charge of enforcing the county's environmental regulations.
"When we come across other issues relating to other departments, we pass that information on to other departments," says Espinosa.
Couto took his story and his videos to every local agency he could think of with oversight responsibility. He tried to set up a task force with agencies in charge of violations such as animal cruelty, illegal structures, illegal businesses, permit problems and zoning issues. A sign-in sheet from one of these meetings shows many of the agencies attended the meeting, but Couto says nothing came of it.
CNN contacted Miami-Dade Animal Services Department, an agency that had a representative at that meeting. Spokesperson Xiomara Mordcovich said the agency does not deal with issues involving farm animals and directed us to the Miami-Dade Police Department.
The Police Department declined an interview. "We are not actively investigating any incidents involving illegal slaughterhouses," the department said in an e-mail. Then it referred us back to Animal Services and also to the code compliance department.
Charles Danger, director of the Miami-Dade Building and Neighborhood Compliance Department, admits that it was because of Couto's persistence that it is now putting together a multi-agency task force he called "Operation Miss Piggy and Mr. Ed."
According to Danger, part of the reason nothing has been done to clean up this area is because of fear for the safety of inspectors.
Danger says the Miami-Dade Police Department is now on the new task force, which also includes agencies such as the state health department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "It comes from a lot of years of illegal operation. We have to do it together because it's not going to be easy," says Danger.
One organization that will keep tabs on the progress is the Animal Recovery Mission. Couto says he will not go away quietly. He calls his mission "redemption and revenge for Freedom's Flight and what he went through."
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Freedom's Flight is a beautiful thoroughbred with an impressive pedigree. His bloodlines can be traced to two of the greatest race horses of all time, Seattle Slew and Secretariat.
But, unlike his kinship, Freedom's Flight's racing career ended before it had even started. It was almost two years ago when the thoroughbred's leg snapped right out of the gate at Miami's Gulfstream race track. The animal's days as a cherished racehorse came to an abrupt end.
"He came from the famous Clairborne farm and ended up on one of the worst farms in America," says new owner Richard "Kudo" Couto.
That "worst" farm in America turned out to be an illegal slaughter farm in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Couto, working for the South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, participated in a raid on the farm and rescued Freedom's Flight. The timing of that rescue may have saved Freedom's Flight's life. The horse was limping around on his broken leg, he had sores on his body, and you could see his bones protruding from his dirty coat.
Some 18 months since his rescue, Freedom's Flight looks more like the stunning race horse that was worth thousands of dollars than the injured horse that was sold for $50 to an illegal slaughter farm.
"Prior to his rescue, I didn't know that illegal slaughter farms existed in the country -- let alone under my nose in my own county," says Couto.
This new knowledge has motivated Couto. "It really made me buckle down and basically dedicate my life to shut this industry down. It's become personal for me," he says.
Couto suspects that there are more than 100 illegal slaughterhouses in the area. There is only one slaughterhouse that operates legally, Cabrera's, and there the United States Department of Agriculture inspectors are housed on its property.
Many of these illegal places are concentrated in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County. The roads are dirt, the vegetation thick and uninviting. This is the western fringe of Miami along the rim of the Everglades, an area considered a sort of no-man's land.
There are signs in English and in Spanish advertising animals for sale. Tarps are put up to hide what is behind the chain link fences, but most of these businesses are open to the public. "You don't have to be a rocket scientist after walking the properties and seeing the dead carcasses, the guts in the trash bins, the slaughter tables, the knives -- all of the tools of running this type of operation is right in front of you," says Couto.
CNN visited several of these establishments. At one location where a pig was being carved on one table and a chicken on the other, we asked to film on the property. "This slaughterhouse isn't as clean as you can see, try Cabrera's," said the unidentified man behind the slaughter table. Like several places we visited there was blood on the floor, dirty butcher knives and an overwhelming stench.
Every time we go in there, we have to go in there with the police -- and even the police don't want to go in there.
--Charles Danger, Miami-Dade official
Couto says it isn't the slaughtering of animals that has put him on this mission. It's the way the animals are treated.
"These animals are living in extreme filth. They're beaten. The way they're slaughtered is inhumane," says Couto.
Couto has been on a one-man crusade to shut down illegal slaughterhouses that are operating without licenses and without oversight by the health or agriculture departments. He was first exposed to what he calls the "dark underbelly" of the area when, with the Florida SPCA, he was investigating the slaughter of horses for their meat.
Motivated by Freedom's Flight, Couto left the South Florida SPCA to form his own organization called ARM -- Animal Recovery Mission.
For the past year he has used a video camera to collect evidence. Couto has simply walked right into dozens of slaughterhouses and has filmed bloody slaughter tables.
"I go in acting like a customer," he says, "I ask them, 'How much for the pig?' And they'll say 120 dollars. 'How much for the kill?' '20 bucks. We'll slaughter it for you for 20 bucks.' It's that easy."
One local agency that spends a lot of time in the area because sections of it are considered protected wetland is the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management. Carlos Espinosa is in charge of enforcing the county's environmental regulations.
"When we come across other issues relating to other departments, we pass that information on to other departments," says Espinosa.
Couto took his story and his videos to every local agency he could think of with oversight responsibility. He tried to set up a task force with agencies in charge of violations such as animal cruelty, illegal structures, illegal businesses, permit problems and zoning issues. A sign-in sheet from one of these meetings shows many of the agencies attended the meeting, but Couto says nothing came of it.
CNN contacted Miami-Dade Animal Services Department, an agency that had a representative at that meeting. Spokesperson Xiomara Mordcovich said the agency does not deal with issues involving farm animals and directed us to the Miami-Dade Police Department.
The Police Department declined an interview. "We are not actively investigating any incidents involving illegal slaughterhouses," the department said in an e-mail. Then it referred us back to Animal Services and also to the code compliance department.
Charles Danger, director of the Miami-Dade Building and Neighborhood Compliance Department, admits that it was because of Couto's persistence that it is now putting together a multi-agency task force he called "Operation Miss Piggy and Mr. Ed."
According to Danger, part of the reason nothing has been done to clean up this area is because of fear for the safety of inspectors.
Danger says the Miami-Dade Police Department is now on the new task force, which also includes agencies such as the state health department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "It comes from a lot of years of illegal operation. We have to do it together because it's not going to be easy," says Danger.
One organization that will keep tabs on the progress is the Animal Recovery Mission. Couto says he will not go away quietly. He calls his mission "redemption and revenge for Freedom's Flight and what he went through."
Monday, December 21, 2009
2009 State Animal Protection Law Rankings
The Animal Legal Defense Fund announces the release of its fourth annual report ranking the animal protection laws of every state and territory of the U.S.A. based on their relative strength and general comprehensiveness. This report – the only one of its kind – encompasses more than 3,800 pages of statutes, and is based on a detailed comparative analysis of each jurisdiction in which fourteen distinct categories of animal protection laws were researched. The ranking groups each jurisdiction into a top, middle or bottom tier, and includes a listing of the best five and worst five states.
“Many states and territories are continuing to make substantial progress with their animal protection laws. Arkansas, for example, was one of the worst five states last year, but jumped up to 25th overall in the country this year, due to a host of statutory improvements. Washington, D.C. and Indiana, among others, also made significant advances. Unfortunately, there are still many places where the laws are incapable of providing the legal protections that our country’s animals need and deserve,” says Stephan Otto, Animal Legal Defense Fund's director of legislative affairs and author of the report. “Yet even in those jurisdictions that have today’s best laws, there remain many opportunities for improvement. While animals certainly do not vote, those who love and care about them do, so we encourage lawmakers throughout the country to take heed and commit to working to improve these critical laws.”
You can download a PDF of this report here
and here's a state by state map:
“Many states and territories are continuing to make substantial progress with their animal protection laws. Arkansas, for example, was one of the worst five states last year, but jumped up to 25th overall in the country this year, due to a host of statutory improvements. Washington, D.C. and Indiana, among others, also made significant advances. Unfortunately, there are still many places where the laws are incapable of providing the legal protections that our country’s animals need and deserve,” says Stephan Otto, Animal Legal Defense Fund's director of legislative affairs and author of the report. “Yet even in those jurisdictions that have today’s best laws, there remain many opportunities for improvement. While animals certainly do not vote, those who love and care about them do, so we encourage lawmakers throughout the country to take heed and commit to working to improve these critical laws.”
You can download a PDF of this report here
and here's a state by state map:
Friday, December 18, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Stats to think about today
According to the 2005-06 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 32.7 percent of adults age 20 and older are overweight, 34.3 percent of them are obese and 5.9 percent are listed as extremely obese. The potential health risks are heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and respiratory problems to name a few.
Treating obesity and its related health problems accounts for roughly 9 percent of total U.S. medical costs, according to a 1998 study — roughly $92.6 billion a year in 2002 dollars. That is one area of our health care crisis that needs to be addressed.
But yet ... the health care system in this country is working FINE. I say that we elect an official from Monsanto or Cargill to Congress and let him fix health care. That'll kill 2 birds with one stone. They get to take care of the entire food processing AND health care. Trust me, it won't hurt ... for long.
Treating obesity and its related health problems accounts for roughly 9 percent of total U.S. medical costs, according to a 1998 study — roughly $92.6 billion a year in 2002 dollars. That is one area of our health care crisis that needs to be addressed.
But yet ... the health care system in this country is working FINE. I say that we elect an official from Monsanto or Cargill to Congress and let him fix health care. That'll kill 2 birds with one stone. They get to take care of the entire food processing AND health care. Trust me, it won't hurt ... for long.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Monsanto the Monopolizer
ST. LOUIS — Confidential contracts detailing Monsanto Co.'s business practices reveal how the world's biggest seed developer is squeezing competitors, controlling smaller seed companies and protecting its dominance over the multibillion-dollar market for genetically altered crops, an Associated Press investigation has found.
With Monsanto's patented genes being inserted into roughly 95 percent of all soybeans and 80 percent of all corn grown in the U.S., the company also is using its wide reach to control the ability of new biotech firms to get wide distribution for their products, according to a review of several Monsanto licensing agreements and dozens of interviews with seed industry participants, agriculture and legal experts.
The whole story is here
Here's a little history of Monsanto:
As you can see from the story above, this is a LARGE corporation, wielding unheard of power about ONE thing. Food. Simply put, small farmers throughout the world, will not be able to compete with a monolith like this. Monsanto's "Our Way or the Highway" mentality is ultimately destructive for the entire farming community worldwide. There has never been a company with this much power.
Here's some little facts you may or may not know about Monsanto:
Since 1995 they've spent in excess of $8 billion (US) buying seed companies.
It is estimated that Monsanto owns 11,000 patents on seeds.
Here's a little story about their Pollution Legacy.
I'll be posting more on this later as well as tweeting it.
With Monsanto's patented genes being inserted into roughly 95 percent of all soybeans and 80 percent of all corn grown in the U.S., the company also is using its wide reach to control the ability of new biotech firms to get wide distribution for their products, according to a review of several Monsanto licensing agreements and dozens of interviews with seed industry participants, agriculture and legal experts.
The whole story is here
Here's a little history of Monsanto:
As you can see from the story above, this is a LARGE corporation, wielding unheard of power about ONE thing. Food. Simply put, small farmers throughout the world, will not be able to compete with a monolith like this. Monsanto's "Our Way or the Highway" mentality is ultimately destructive for the entire farming community worldwide. There has never been a company with this much power.
Here's some little facts you may or may not know about Monsanto:
Since 1995 they've spent in excess of $8 billion (US) buying seed companies.
It is estimated that Monsanto owns 11,000 patents on seeds.
Here's a little story about their Pollution Legacy.
I'll be posting more on this later as well as tweeting it.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wild animals are wild no matter how tame we think they are.
This story from the Huffington Post:
(AP) BERLIN -- German police say a zookeeper is in critical condition after being attacked by three tigers.
Hamburg police said Wednesday that the 28-year-old animal handler at the private Hagenbeck Zoo tripped during a performance involving five tigers Tuesday night.
As he lay on the ground, three of the tigers descended upon him, clawing and biting him.
Bild newspaper reports the tigers were driven back into their cages with blasts of water and the man was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Police say the wounds are considered life threatening.
-- The Telegraph quotes one of the guests as saying the tamer, Christian Walliser, "didn't stand a chance" in the incident.
"They were on him in an instant," the guest said.
------------------------------------------------------------
While I feel saddened that yet another "animal tamer" has had such a tragedy befall them, let me remind people of something, a tiger is a wild animal. It will never be tame, no matter how much time you spend with it. Incidences like this occur far too often, because humans will let down their guard and think that they know an animal or because they forget how to respect a wild animal and its instincts. My thoughts are that this may not be the first time that Mr. Walliser had a "run in" with his cats, but the first time it was ever this severe.
(AP) BERLIN -- German police say a zookeeper is in critical condition after being attacked by three tigers.
Hamburg police said Wednesday that the 28-year-old animal handler at the private Hagenbeck Zoo tripped during a performance involving five tigers Tuesday night.
As he lay on the ground, three of the tigers descended upon him, clawing and biting him.
Bild newspaper reports the tigers were driven back into their cages with blasts of water and the man was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Police say the wounds are considered life threatening.
-- The Telegraph quotes one of the guests as saying the tamer, Christian Walliser, "didn't stand a chance" in the incident.
"They were on him in an instant," the guest said.
------------------------------------------------------------
While I feel saddened that yet another "animal tamer" has had such a tragedy befall them, let me remind people of something, a tiger is a wild animal. It will never be tame, no matter how much time you spend with it. Incidences like this occur far too often, because humans will let down their guard and think that they know an animal or because they forget how to respect a wild animal and its instincts. My thoughts are that this may not be the first time that Mr. Walliser had a "run in" with his cats, but the first time it was ever this severe.
Dr. Jane Goodall
Ok so I had intended to put a video here of Dr Jane Goodall on the Daily Show that I had seen a few weeks ago but their code is all kinds of weird, so I'll just post the link to it and you can go see it on the Daily Show's web site.
Go watch the clip here.
Go watch the clip here.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
What a beautiful place New Zealand must be
(Original story here)
Mopping up this morning's offal spill between Woodville and Dannevirke was not going to be a pretty job, contractors said.
The mess of blood, fat and discarded pieces of butchered animals spread 15km, and was up to 30cm deep in parts after a tailgate opened on a truck.
Commuters were asked to take a 10-minute detour, as the section of State Highway 2 was closed for the clean-up between Condoit Rd and Maharahara Rd.
A report that a car had skidded and crashed at the spill alerted police to the situation.
New Zealand Transport Agency contractors on the job said it was a "pretty bloody awful" scene, with animal heads and carcasses among the mess.
"It's not really a good day for my boys," a spokesman said.
"Offal spills have a huge amount of fat in them and that poses a risk to the public so we closed the road."
The contractors intended to pick up the worst bits with loaders, use a biodegradable detergent and put a crusher dust (similar to sand) on top of it. It could be "a bit ripe" for the next few days as there was likely to be some residue.
NZTA state highway manager Errol Christiansen said they were looking for a suitable dumpsite and the road was likely to be closed until noon.
Volunteer firefighters were called to the scene but not required.
Police are warning road users to wash their vehicle thoroughly to avoid infection.
Mopping up this morning's offal spill between Woodville and Dannevirke was not going to be a pretty job, contractors said.
The mess of blood, fat and discarded pieces of butchered animals spread 15km, and was up to 30cm deep in parts after a tailgate opened on a truck.
Commuters were asked to take a 10-minute detour, as the section of State Highway 2 was closed for the clean-up between Condoit Rd and Maharahara Rd.
A report that a car had skidded and crashed at the spill alerted police to the situation.
New Zealand Transport Agency contractors on the job said it was a "pretty bloody awful" scene, with animal heads and carcasses among the mess.
"It's not really a good day for my boys," a spokesman said.
"Offal spills have a huge amount of fat in them and that poses a risk to the public so we closed the road."
The contractors intended to pick up the worst bits with loaders, use a biodegradable detergent and put a crusher dust (similar to sand) on top of it. It could be "a bit ripe" for the next few days as there was likely to be some residue.
NZTA state highway manager Errol Christiansen said they were looking for a suitable dumpsite and the road was likely to be closed until noon.
Volunteer firefighters were called to the scene but not required.
Police are warning road users to wash their vehicle thoroughly to avoid infection.
I apologize
I haven't posted anything here in a few weeks (my other blog is suffering from me not being very "inspired" lately too)and I just wanted to say that there's a lot going on right now, I just haven't been feeling very "ranty." I've been kind of lazy and really haven't been doing much so for that I apologize. I promise that I will get back to posting more stuff on here very soon. Maybe I'll even have a virtual little Xmas present on here for the Holidays. Who knows. Keep checking back though.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Since we're already talking about vegetarian-ism ... ish
Here's a great story I found on Slate today ... Yeah I realize it's from 2008 ... so sue me...
Vegetarian like me.
As you read this article ... one point I wanted to make:
"Which leads me to a vital point for friendly omnivore-herbivore relations. As you're enjoying that pork loin next to me, I am not silently judging you. I realize that anyone who has encountered the breed of smug vegetarian who says things like, "I can hear your lunch screaming," will find this tough to believe, but I'm honestly not out to convert you."
I'd like to say ... for those of you out there who've encountered that self righteous vegetarian ... I apologize .... but don't view all of us that way.
Vegetarian like me.
As you read this article ... one point I wanted to make:
"Which leads me to a vital point for friendly omnivore-herbivore relations. As you're enjoying that pork loin next to me, I am not silently judging you. I realize that anyone who has encountered the breed of smug vegetarian who says things like, "I can hear your lunch screaming," will find this tough to believe, but I'm honestly not out to convert you."
I'd like to say ... for those of you out there who've encountered that self righteous vegetarian ... I apologize .... but don't view all of us that way.
Thanksgiving
Ah yes, the holidays have once again descended upon us like the sword of Damocles. A mixture of reverence, fear, anxiety strike us in the middle of the night. Again, being the person I am ... I'm having a vegan thanksgiving. I understand that not everyone is having that, so if you're eating turkey ... ok ... but beware of where that comes from.
'Grace': PETA's Thanksgiving ad
With that said, understand something. I'm not a huge PETA fan. I think that they can be a rather extremist group. They don't always speak for me or my kind. In fact, I'd like to say that they represent an idea, possibly an ideal world, for some people and sometimes are a bit ham-handed at bringing that point across. That's my .02 for the day. Have a happy Thanksgiving ... however you choose to celebrate it.
'Grace': PETA's Thanksgiving ad
With that said, understand something. I'm not a huge PETA fan. I think that they can be a rather extremist group. They don't always speak for me or my kind. In fact, I'd like to say that they represent an idea, possibly an ideal world, for some people and sometimes are a bit ham-handed at bringing that point across. That's my .02 for the day. Have a happy Thanksgiving ... however you choose to celebrate it.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Right and Wrong
This video was one of the first videos that I'd ever seen that made me question what I was doing. I was a young lad, about 16. Watch, shudder, learn.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Interspecies communication
From the New Yorker:
When Paul Nicklen, a biologist and photographer for National Geographic, decided to travel to Antarctica to document the leopard seal, a large, aggressive animal that dominates the Antarctic waters, he didn’t realize he would be getting one of the best shots of his career. Leopard seals are imposing, even frightening. They’re sexually dimorphic—the females are larger than the males by up to thirty per cent—and they weigh in excess of eleven hundred pounds. In 2003, a British scientist named Kristy Brown was snorkeling in the Antarctic and was fatally pulled underwater by one. “With its massive serpentine body, reptilian head, and sinister black eyes, the leopard seal looks positively prehistoric,” writes Nicklen in his new book “Polar Obsession.” Yet leopard seals are often unfairly cast as villains; their gait and playfulness can often be mistaken for aggression. (Investigators of Brown’s death believe the seal had been trapped inland all winter and was starving.) Nicklen was determined to capture a different side of the animal, one that demonstrates their intelligence and capacity to interact with humans. In the video below, Nicklen describes an incredible four-day experience with an enormous female leopard seal (she was roughly thirteen feet long and three feet wide), which created one of the most compelling chapters in his new book.
This video speaks for itself:
When Paul Nicklen, a biologist and photographer for National Geographic, decided to travel to Antarctica to document the leopard seal, a large, aggressive animal that dominates the Antarctic waters, he didn’t realize he would be getting one of the best shots of his career. Leopard seals are imposing, even frightening. They’re sexually dimorphic—the females are larger than the males by up to thirty per cent—and they weigh in excess of eleven hundred pounds. In 2003, a British scientist named Kristy Brown was snorkeling in the Antarctic and was fatally pulled underwater by one. “With its massive serpentine body, reptilian head, and sinister black eyes, the leopard seal looks positively prehistoric,” writes Nicklen in his new book “Polar Obsession.” Yet leopard seals are often unfairly cast as villains; their gait and playfulness can often be mistaken for aggression. (Investigators of Brown’s death believe the seal had been trapped inland all winter and was starving.) Nicklen was determined to capture a different side of the animal, one that demonstrates their intelligence and capacity to interact with humans. In the video below, Nicklen describes an incredible four-day experience with an enormous female leopard seal (she was roughly thirteen feet long and three feet wide), which created one of the most compelling chapters in his new book.
This video speaks for itself:
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Slowly but surely
So it seems that people are starting to get the message on some of the more minor things about care for animals. At this point, I'll take anything I can get.
Two Southern California cities have voted to ban the declawing of cats, joining San Francisco and Santa Monica which recently outlawed the practice.
Article can be found here
For those of you who still declaw your cats here's a little bit of information:
Before you make the decision to declaw your cat, there are some important facts you should know. Declawing is not like a manicure. It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. So closely adhered that to remove the claw, the last bone of your the cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes". When you envision that, it becomes clear why declawing is not a humane act. It is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period. And remember that during the time of recuperation from the surgery your cat would still have to use its feet to walk, jump, and scratch in its litter box regardless of the pain it is experiencing. Wheelchairs and bedpans are not an option for a cat. (taken from here)
Two Southern California cities have voted to ban the declawing of cats, joining San Francisco and Santa Monica which recently outlawed the practice.
Article can be found here
For those of you who still declaw your cats here's a little bit of information:
Before you make the decision to declaw your cat, there are some important facts you should know. Declawing is not like a manicure. It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. So closely adhered that to remove the claw, the last bone of your the cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes". When you envision that, it becomes clear why declawing is not a humane act. It is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period. And remember that during the time of recuperation from the surgery your cat would still have to use its feet to walk, jump, and scratch in its litter box regardless of the pain it is experiencing. Wheelchairs and bedpans are not an option for a cat. (taken from here)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Where Does Bacon Come From?
This story from Change.org again ... speaks wisdom. As American's we see horrific things everyday from our own lives to the media we see on TV. If you've ever watched Animal Cops on Animal Planet, you've seen some of the terrible things that are done to our animal friends. What would happen if we started showing stories like this on TV? How soon do you think we could change people's minds about eating meat?
Bacon
Bacon
Friday, November 13, 2009
Your dose of sweet for the day
I found the link to this story from Change.org and thought it was a nice but also very telling story about kids and learning to grow up vegan:
Is This Vegan?
Is This Vegan?
Monday, November 9, 2009
Resolution To Make Austin A No Kill City Passes Unanimously
Sorry ... in the hurried life of last week, I forgot to post this:
Austin, TX (myFOXaustin.com) - The City Council passed a resolution Thursday that will mandate Town Lake Animal Center to implement the policies and programs recommended by the Animal Advisory Commission to make Austin a "No Kill" city. The recommendations brought forth to the counci will give a clear plan to achieve a 90% save rate at Town Lake Animal Shelter within 18 months by changing some existing policies and implementing new programs.
The full story (with video) is here
Theres also more about the story here
This is WONDERFUL news and couldn't make me any more happy.
Austin, TX (myFOXaustin.com) - The City Council passed a resolution Thursday that will mandate Town Lake Animal Center to implement the policies and programs recommended by the Animal Advisory Commission to make Austin a "No Kill" city. The recommendations brought forth to the counci will give a clear plan to achieve a 90% save rate at Town Lake Animal Shelter within 18 months by changing some existing policies and implementing new programs.
The full story (with video) is here
Theres also more about the story here
This is WONDERFUL news and couldn't make me any more happy.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Signs of Intelligence
I'm a foodie ... there, I've said it. Without going through stages of self help, without having any kinds of withdrawal, that admission came easy. I am capable, on my more sloth like days, to watch hours of either the travel channels Man Vs. Food and ponder how one man can eat so much meat and still live, to watching No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. I've bought Mr. Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential for friends, read some of it myself, and reveled in the fact that among foodies, he's like a rockstar. I know that he also has a dislike for me and people like me. I'm a vegetarian you see and he thinks that people like me, don't "get it" about eating meat. I suspect that he stole part of that riff from Denis Leary and his "Oh you will eat the meat" from No Cure For Cancer. You've seen it ... I KNOW you have. Hell I even own that one. So it saddens me to think that I may have to stop watching Mr. Bourdain after he commented recently on Larry King Live that
"it was OK for humans to kill and eat animals because we've been designed to chase down "smaller and stupider creatures."
(See the story here on Huffington Post)
It's Speciesism. Blantant. Defined by wikipedia speciesism is as follows:
The assigning of different values or rights to beings on the basis of their species membership.
I've said it before and I'll repeat myself. As a species, it is imperative for us to understand that intelligence and instinct are NOT specifically inherent to JUST humans. I think that we as a creature need to redefine what intelligence is and is not and not to define how smart an animal is by how well it manages to avoid being killed by us. We're pretty pesky creatures us humans ... and we're also really good at finding ways to kill most creatures, if we're not careful, using logic like Mr. Bourdains, we could find ways to kill ourselves.
"it was OK for humans to kill and eat animals because we've been designed to chase down "smaller and stupider creatures."
(See the story here on Huffington Post)
It's Speciesism. Blantant. Defined by wikipedia speciesism is as follows:
The assigning of different values or rights to beings on the basis of their species membership.
I've said it before and I'll repeat myself. As a species, it is imperative for us to understand that intelligence and instinct are NOT specifically inherent to JUST humans. I think that we as a creature need to redefine what intelligence is and is not and not to define how smart an animal is by how well it manages to avoid being killed by us. We're pretty pesky creatures us humans ... and we're also really good at finding ways to kill most creatures, if we're not careful, using logic like Mr. Bourdains, we could find ways to kill ourselves.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Jonathan Foer on NPR
In my last post I made mention of Jonathan Foer and his new book. Here's an interview with him I heard on NPR the other day. It's a good listen.
NPR Audio Link
Also,
The Humane Society's no-kill shelter in Killeen burned Sunday night and 138 little lives were lost. They are in desperate need of monetary donations, volunteers, and materials to help rebuild the facility. If you can, please donate any of the needed items or volunteer your time. Please see the shelter's website link below for needed donations, as their need changes on a daily basis:
http://www.centexhumanesociety.com/fire110109.shtml
I'm going to try to spend some time volunteering this weekend. If you're in Central Texas, please try to donate some money or some time.
Lastly, this is an e mail sent to me from Fix Austin:
Dear friends of Austin's animals,
In perhaps the most important animal-related Austin news in years, the City Council will consider a resolution this Thursday that will mandate Town Lake Animal Center to implement the policies and programs recommended by the Animal Advisory Commission to make Austin a "No Kill" City. The Commission's recommendations, viewable at this link, provide a clear plan to achieve a 90% save rate at Austin's shelter within 18 months by implementing proven policies and programs including a comprehensive adoption program (including off-site adoptions at multiple sites) and a large-scale foster program. The plan also calls for continued low-cost spay-neuter services, a moratorium on the killing of healthy, adoptable animals while cages sit unused, and a robust return-to-owner program.
At FixAustin.org, we have been on the forefront of advocating for these very reforms for the last 5 years. We feel that this is an historic opportunity for our community's homeless pets, and we are 100% in support of the City Council's resolution.
The resolution is sponsored by Council Member Laura Morrison and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez. They deserve special recognition for their continued advocacy for lost and homeless pets. But the entire Council needs to hear that Austinites are firmly in support of the reforms called for in this resolution. So please take a moment (it'll take less than 5 minutes) to e-mail the City Council to thank them for supporting Item #40 on this Thursday's Council Agenda, which will mandate the implementation of the Animal Advisory Commission's "No Kill" recommendations.
You can e-mail the entire Council by clicking this one link.
Thanks, in advance,
FixAustin.org
NPR Audio Link
Also,
The Humane Society's no-kill shelter in Killeen burned Sunday night and 138 little lives were lost. They are in desperate need of monetary donations, volunteers, and materials to help rebuild the facility. If you can, please donate any of the needed items or volunteer your time. Please see the shelter's website link below for needed donations, as their need changes on a daily basis:
http://www.centexhumanesociety.com/fire110109.shtml
I'm going to try to spend some time volunteering this weekend. If you're in Central Texas, please try to donate some money or some time.
Lastly, this is an e mail sent to me from Fix Austin:
Dear friends of Austin's animals,
In perhaps the most important animal-related Austin news in years, the City Council will consider a resolution this Thursday that will mandate Town Lake Animal Center to implement the policies and programs recommended by the Animal Advisory Commission to make Austin a "No Kill" City. The Commission's recommendations, viewable at this link, provide a clear plan to achieve a 90% save rate at Austin's shelter within 18 months by implementing proven policies and programs including a comprehensive adoption program (including off-site adoptions at multiple sites) and a large-scale foster program. The plan also calls for continued low-cost spay-neuter services, a moratorium on the killing of healthy, adoptable animals while cages sit unused, and a robust return-to-owner program.
At FixAustin.org, we have been on the forefront of advocating for these very reforms for the last 5 years. We feel that this is an historic opportunity for our community's homeless pets, and we are 100% in support of the City Council's resolution.
The resolution is sponsored by Council Member Laura Morrison and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez. They deserve special recognition for their continued advocacy for lost and homeless pets. But the entire Council needs to hear that Austinites are firmly in support of the reforms called for in this resolution. So please take a moment (it'll take less than 5 minutes) to e-mail the City Council to thank them for supporting Item #40 on this Thursday's Council Agenda, which will mandate the implementation of the Animal Advisory Commission's "No Kill" recommendations.
You can e-mail the entire Council by clicking this one link.
Thanks, in advance,
FixAustin.org
Friday, October 30, 2009
Eating Animals
If you've ever seen the film Everything Is Illuminated, (with a very young and absolutely hilarious Eugene Hutz from Gogol Bordello) you'll know that the character in that movie is based on a real person. His name is Jonathan Foer and he's got a new book called Eating Animals coming out soon. I'm going to buy it and read it, but if you're impatient (like me) you can read the article that he wrote that is the pretext for the novel.
You can find it here
You can find it here
Thursday, October 29, 2009
More Meatless Monday talk
So Change.org has a great piece about how going meatless ONE day a week is equivalent to taking 8 million cars off the road. The foodie debate that's been swelling is quickly approaching what I feel is a zenith. There will be time in the VERY near future when this hit's mainstream. You may say that they already have, but I'll tell you that even though movies like Food Inc did so much to move this discussion along, only approximately 3% of Americas population is vegetarian or
vegan.
About 3% of Americans are vegetarians, and about 1% are vegan.
In 2009, 3% of Americans were vegetarian and about 1% were vegan (Vegetarian Resource Group - “How Many Vegetarians Are There?”).
In a 2008 study on natural and alternative remedies, 1.6% of U.S. respondents said they had tried a vegetarian diet in the last 18 months. But this doesn’t include those who follow the diet for non-health reason.
In a 2006 poll, 2.3% of respondents said they never eat meat, poultry, or seafood/fish. 1.4% said they didn’t eat dairy products or eggs (Harris poll commissioned by the Vegetarian Resource Group). In a joint 2003 Canadian-American dietetic association position paper, 2.5% of Americans were labelled vegetarians.
(source here)
The debate is pretty simple especially in these hard economic times, who would you rather subsidize, Big Pharma and people like AMI or a more "earth friendly" and sustainable lifestyle choice? Yes, I consider vegetarianism a lifestyle choice, because I CHOOSE not to eat meat, I CHOOSE to consider what I put in my mouth.
Here's the article on Change
Oh and by the way ... just on a personal note, I saw the Pogues here in Austin last night. Shane and the boys, we love you and hope it doesnt take you 20 more years to come back. Rain or not, it was a life affirming show.
vegan.
About 3% of Americans are vegetarians, and about 1% are vegan.
In 2009, 3% of Americans were vegetarian and about 1% were vegan (Vegetarian Resource Group - “How Many Vegetarians Are There?”).
In a 2008 study on natural and alternative remedies, 1.6% of U.S. respondents said they had tried a vegetarian diet in the last 18 months. But this doesn’t include those who follow the diet for non-health reason.
In a 2006 poll, 2.3% of respondents said they never eat meat, poultry, or seafood/fish. 1.4% said they didn’t eat dairy products or eggs (Harris poll commissioned by the Vegetarian Resource Group). In a joint 2003 Canadian-American dietetic association position paper, 2.5% of Americans were labelled vegetarians.
(source here)
The debate is pretty simple especially in these hard economic times, who would you rather subsidize, Big Pharma and people like AMI or a more "earth friendly" and sustainable lifestyle choice? Yes, I consider vegetarianism a lifestyle choice, because I CHOOSE not to eat meat, I CHOOSE to consider what I put in my mouth.
Here's the article on Change
Oh and by the way ... just on a personal note, I saw the Pogues here in Austin last night. Shane and the boys, we love you and hope it doesnt take you 20 more years to come back. Rain or not, it was a life affirming show.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Battle Goes On ... Meatless Monday
Who'd have thought this issue would cause such a panty twist?
The people at the Atlantic are doing a really good job of looking at this:
Industry Ire
There's SO much I can comment here:
The outward lies, the untruths, the pressure by an industry who's seeing the loss of profit. Need proof?
A quote from Janet Riley with the American Meat Institute:
"Meat is associated with weight control. It's not the number one source of fat in their diet." She also invoked her own two sons to emphasize that kids require animal protein in their diets. "Meat is what keeps them satisfied and out of the pantry," she told me.
Really? Do I need to discuss these facts again?
My personal favourite quote from the article:
In an editorial published earlier this month, Pork Magazine wrote, "The Baltimore school officials have taken it upon themselves to relieve dietitians and nutritionists of part of their duties, at least for the first day of the school week." Funnily enough, it was the school district's only dietician, Mahoney, who conceived the program.
Go read the article ... Armed with facts, any industry can dismantle any argument lodged at them. What I see everytime that I read an article like this, is a corporation who is less concerned with facts and more concerned with profit.
The people at the Atlantic are doing a really good job of looking at this:
Industry Ire
There's SO much I can comment here:
The outward lies, the untruths, the pressure by an industry who's seeing the loss of profit. Need proof?
A quote from Janet Riley with the American Meat Institute:
"Meat is associated with weight control. It's not the number one source of fat in their diet." She also invoked her own two sons to emphasize that kids require animal protein in their diets. "Meat is what keeps them satisfied and out of the pantry," she told me.
Really? Do I need to discuss these facts again?
My personal favourite quote from the article:
In an editorial published earlier this month, Pork Magazine wrote, "The Baltimore school officials have taken it upon themselves to relieve dietitians and nutritionists of part of their duties, at least for the first day of the school week." Funnily enough, it was the school district's only dietician, Mahoney, who conceived the program.
Go read the article ... Armed with facts, any industry can dismantle any argument lodged at them. What I see everytime that I read an article like this, is a corporation who is less concerned with facts and more concerned with profit.
Defining who we are by what we eat
Once again, I start off by linking to Huffington Post:
Natatlie Portman discusses How Eating Animals Changed Her
Some points to hi-light here:
I say that Foer's ethical charge against animal eating is brave because not only is it unpopular, it has also been characterized as unmanly, inconsiderate, and juvenile. But he reminds us that being a man, and a human, takes more thought than just "This is tasty, and that's why I do it." He posits that consideration, as promoted by Michael Pollan in The Omnivore's Dilemma, which has more to do with being polite to your tablemates than sticking to your own ideals, would be absurd if applied to any other belief (e.g., I don't believe in rape, but if it's what it takes to please my dinner hosts, then so be it).
This touches on a very fundamental part of my belief system. I remember years ago listening to a Buddhist priest talk about why they were offering free food to people at their temple in NYC. He discussed why not only that it was a good thing to do but also the right thing to do if they wanted to be an integral part of the community. Of course it was all vegetarian. When asked why, he said something that made me really think for the first time about food in a way that I'd never thought of before. He said that they believe that the violence inherit in killing the animal was ingested when they ate the meal.
I have not read Mr Foer's book yet, but be assured that it will be on my winter reading list. More to come ...
Natatlie Portman discusses How Eating Animals Changed Her
Some points to hi-light here:
I say that Foer's ethical charge against animal eating is brave because not only is it unpopular, it has also been characterized as unmanly, inconsiderate, and juvenile. But he reminds us that being a man, and a human, takes more thought than just "This is tasty, and that's why I do it." He posits that consideration, as promoted by Michael Pollan in The Omnivore's Dilemma, which has more to do with being polite to your tablemates than sticking to your own ideals, would be absurd if applied to any other belief (e.g., I don't believe in rape, but if it's what it takes to please my dinner hosts, then so be it).
This touches on a very fundamental part of my belief system. I remember years ago listening to a Buddhist priest talk about why they were offering free food to people at their temple in NYC. He discussed why not only that it was a good thing to do but also the right thing to do if they wanted to be an integral part of the community. Of course it was all vegetarian. When asked why, he said something that made me really think for the first time about food in a way that I'd never thought of before. He said that they believe that the violence inherit in killing the animal was ingested when they ate the meal.
I have not read Mr Foer's book yet, but be assured that it will be on my winter reading list. More to come ...
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Hype and the Media
Ah Lou Dobbs, what would we do with you. The blustering blowhard from CNN who as of late has been rankled with charges of racism and being courted by that bastion of impartiality Fox News has let another verbal shot across the bow of reason fly ...
"On Monday night, Lou Dobbs did a segment on how "Meatless Monday" is being adopted by the Baltimore city school district in an effort to cut costs and get children to eat healthier food. The segment showed schoolchildren eating vegetarian chili and grilled cheese sandwiches, and CNN reported that they found no parents who objected to the policy.
The news network also noted opposition to the one-day-a-week of vegetarian food by the American Meat Institute -- a trade group that represents meat processors and packers with obvious financial interests in meat consumption. Without pointing out factors that helped fuel the initiative, such as childhood obesity and a national school budget crisis, CNN reported that the AMI is concerned that "students are being served up an unhealthy dose of indoctrination." The institute's Janet Reilly claims the policy was depriving students and parents of "choice."
After watching the segment, Dobbs described this as "a real political storm in the making." (this is from Huffington Post)
Pardon me for a minute while I rant and wail against thinking like this. Forgive me if I get a touch ... well snarky .. because sometimes snarky is all I have.
First lets talk about facts:
The problem of childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in recent years. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Obesity is among the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year. The annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly $100 billion. Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise. (from The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
And then there's this:
According to research published in the journal Pediatrics, schools in Philadelphia banned soda, educated staff and families about nutrition and rewarded kids for eating well with raffle tickets, where winners got prizes like bikes, basketball hoops, calculators, and jump ropes, researchers report. Schools in the study's control group didn't undertake these initiatives.
The findings show that a comprehensive approach to battling childhoold obesity in schools can make a significant difference, according to lead researcher Dr. Gary D. Foster of Temple University.
The findings were fascinating. For instance, researchers found that 7.5 percent of the students in the program for two years were still overweight compared with nearly 15 percent of youngsters who were overweight after not making any changes.
Notice anything here? We have an EPIDEMIC in this country but education on what is considered a lifestyle choice is something that can't be discussed without causing a "political storm in the making."
Now some facts about AMI:
They came up with this web site:
http://www.safefoodinc.org/
Remember these guys? They were the ones saying that the claims in Food Inc weren't based in fact. Go look at the web site. It's got all kinds of nice little graphs and diagrams with no source material. I'm not a statistician by ANY stretch of the imagination but I know that if you're going to refute claims that you need information to refute it rather than just blindly stating .. "Well that's just not true ... and you should believe us."
This is their tag line from the web site:
America’s food supply is a modern miracle and one in which we as a society can take pride. American consumers deserve all the facts – just what this web site aims to deliver.
Really? So all of that fighting you've been doing against food labeling, the reduced standards on beef testing all of that is in our best interest? I'll say it again .. Really?
YES .. YOU deserve the facts. The things I point out here was just a CURSORY glance at the information available to the average consumer out there. Don't believe the HYPE even if it comes from CNN.
Now onto my rant. Mr Dobbs, I applaud the fact that you're trying to helm such a weighty and "beefy" subject (forgive the pun) but you're not doing anything to advance this arguement along. You're stating that the AMI is upset. Boo hoo! Imagine a food industry that is monolithic in it's ideas, that is monopolistic in it's tendencies and really doesn't care about us, the consumer, as long as they get PAID. This war about food comes down to a few things. Knowledge, power and money. Slowly people are waking up to the fact that industries like the meat industry, the insurance industry and others along those lines, don't want us, the consumer, to know the truth about what goes into what we eat. They LIKE us being sick. They like us eating the crap that they produce. Fat, lazy, sick, undereducated, but they're buying our products. Sounds like a winning slogan to me. Wake up America, the voices that you hear inside your head probably make more sense than the ones that get prime time news shows.
"On Monday night, Lou Dobbs did a segment on how "Meatless Monday" is being adopted by the Baltimore city school district in an effort to cut costs and get children to eat healthier food. The segment showed schoolchildren eating vegetarian chili and grilled cheese sandwiches, and CNN reported that they found no parents who objected to the policy.
The news network also noted opposition to the one-day-a-week of vegetarian food by the American Meat Institute -- a trade group that represents meat processors and packers with obvious financial interests in meat consumption. Without pointing out factors that helped fuel the initiative, such as childhood obesity and a national school budget crisis, CNN reported that the AMI is concerned that "students are being served up an unhealthy dose of indoctrination." The institute's Janet Reilly claims the policy was depriving students and parents of "choice."
After watching the segment, Dobbs described this as "a real political storm in the making." (this is from Huffington Post)
Pardon me for a minute while I rant and wail against thinking like this. Forgive me if I get a touch ... well snarky .. because sometimes snarky is all I have.
First lets talk about facts:
The problem of childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in recent years. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Obesity is among the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year. The annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly $100 billion. Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise. (from The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
And then there's this:
According to research published in the journal Pediatrics, schools in Philadelphia banned soda, educated staff and families about nutrition and rewarded kids for eating well with raffle tickets, where winners got prizes like bikes, basketball hoops, calculators, and jump ropes, researchers report. Schools in the study's control group didn't undertake these initiatives.
The findings show that a comprehensive approach to battling childhoold obesity in schools can make a significant difference, according to lead researcher Dr. Gary D. Foster of Temple University.
The findings were fascinating. For instance, researchers found that 7.5 percent of the students in the program for two years were still overweight compared with nearly 15 percent of youngsters who were overweight after not making any changes.
Notice anything here? We have an EPIDEMIC in this country but education on what is considered a lifestyle choice is something that can't be discussed without causing a "political storm in the making."
Now some facts about AMI:
They came up with this web site:
http://www.safefoodinc.org/
Remember these guys? They were the ones saying that the claims in Food Inc weren't based in fact. Go look at the web site. It's got all kinds of nice little graphs and diagrams with no source material. I'm not a statistician by ANY stretch of the imagination but I know that if you're going to refute claims that you need information to refute it rather than just blindly stating .. "Well that's just not true ... and you should believe us."
This is their tag line from the web site:
America’s food supply is a modern miracle and one in which we as a society can take pride. American consumers deserve all the facts – just what this web site aims to deliver.
Really? So all of that fighting you've been doing against food labeling, the reduced standards on beef testing all of that is in our best interest? I'll say it again .. Really?
YES .. YOU deserve the facts. The things I point out here was just a CURSORY glance at the information available to the average consumer out there. Don't believe the HYPE even if it comes from CNN.
Now onto my rant. Mr Dobbs, I applaud the fact that you're trying to helm such a weighty and "beefy" subject (forgive the pun) but you're not doing anything to advance this arguement along. You're stating that the AMI is upset. Boo hoo! Imagine a food industry that is monolithic in it's ideas, that is monopolistic in it's tendencies and really doesn't care about us, the consumer, as long as they get PAID. This war about food comes down to a few things. Knowledge, power and money. Slowly people are waking up to the fact that industries like the meat industry, the insurance industry and others along those lines, don't want us, the consumer, to know the truth about what goes into what we eat. They LIKE us being sick. They like us eating the crap that they produce. Fat, lazy, sick, undereducated, but they're buying our products. Sounds like a winning slogan to me. Wake up America, the voices that you hear inside your head probably make more sense than the ones that get prime time news shows.
Friday, October 2, 2009
World Farm Animals Day
Oh yeah and I forgot to comment on this. Today is World Farm Animals Day ... go to www.wfad.org to read more about what you can do in your community.
The problem with Sustainability
There's a great article on Change.org about the Sustainability Movement and the problems that the US faces when dealing with it (article is here.) The line that sums it up the best, at least in my opinion is this:
The problem is that in America, we don’t like to eat healthy.
Yep ... you really cant say it any more clearly than that. As a vegetarian, even in the left leaning progressive city of Austin Texas, I'm still in the minority. Everyone from my co-workers, to my boss, to my friends utter things like "but where do you get your protein?" or "but who doesn't like meat?" ... and I have to tell them that it's just not my "thing." My mother was diagnosed with colo/rectal cancer when I was in my mid-twenties and I found out that one in 3 of my relatives over the last few decades had died of some form of cancer. If you've ever known someone with cancer ... well need I say more. I'm not suggesting that meat eating lead to their cancer, but it's been shown that people who consume beef are more prone to developing colo/rectal cancer than people who have more plant based diets. To a young man, that was all I needed to know. I quit eating beef then and there and a few years later, quit eating everything else that was animal based. In a nation where you read things like this:
"The United States places last among 19 countries when it comes to deaths that could have been prevented by access to timely and effective health care, according to new research."
or
"Overweight–obesity (216,000; 188,000–237,000) and physical inactivity (191,000; 164,000–222,000) were each responsible for nearly 1 in 10 deaths. High dietary salt (102,000; 97,000–107,000), low dietary omega-3 fatty acids (84,000; 72,000–96,000), and high dietary trans fatty acids (82,000; 63,000–97,000) were the dietary risks with the largest mortality effects."
Another quote from the article on Change:
"But the truth is that our current system of industrial agriculture is based almost entirely on giving people what they really want: cheap meat, and lots of it. If we were to produce meat on pastures in family farms, a more resource-intensive method, we couldn’t eat as much of it. And asking Americans to sign on to that — even many of the smart-talking foodies who pay lip service to sustainable eating but continue devouring meat daily — is a tall order."
It seems pretty clear to me. We've been shown the way out of this, but it seems that no one wants to hear the voices.
The problem is that in America, we don’t like to eat healthy.
Yep ... you really cant say it any more clearly than that. As a vegetarian, even in the left leaning progressive city of Austin Texas, I'm still in the minority. Everyone from my co-workers, to my boss, to my friends utter things like "but where do you get your protein?" or "but who doesn't like meat?" ... and I have to tell them that it's just not my "thing." My mother was diagnosed with colo/rectal cancer when I was in my mid-twenties and I found out that one in 3 of my relatives over the last few decades had died of some form of cancer. If you've ever known someone with cancer ... well need I say more. I'm not suggesting that meat eating lead to their cancer, but it's been shown that people who consume beef are more prone to developing colo/rectal cancer than people who have more plant based diets. To a young man, that was all I needed to know. I quit eating beef then and there and a few years later, quit eating everything else that was animal based. In a nation where you read things like this:
"The United States places last among 19 countries when it comes to deaths that could have been prevented by access to timely and effective health care, according to new research."
or
"Overweight–obesity (216,000; 188,000–237,000) and physical inactivity (191,000; 164,000–222,000) were each responsible for nearly 1 in 10 deaths. High dietary salt (102,000; 97,000–107,000), low dietary omega-3 fatty acids (84,000; 72,000–96,000), and high dietary trans fatty acids (82,000; 63,000–97,000) were the dietary risks with the largest mortality effects."
Another quote from the article on Change:
"But the truth is that our current system of industrial agriculture is based almost entirely on giving people what they really want: cheap meat, and lots of it. If we were to produce meat on pastures in family farms, a more resource-intensive method, we couldn’t eat as much of it. And asking Americans to sign on to that — even many of the smart-talking foodies who pay lip service to sustainable eating but continue devouring meat daily — is a tall order."
It seems pretty clear to me. We've been shown the way out of this, but it seems that no one wants to hear the voices.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
What Vegetarianism/Veganism Is (And Isn't)
Huffington Post has a great story about what it is to be Vegan in this day and age. (The story is here.) I've talked to several omni friends lately who tell me that they disagree with my attitude that NO slaughter can ever be humane. To me slaughter is slaughter. Hence this quote from the article:
If you are a "humane meat" consumer, please take a moment and meditate on the whole concept of humane killing... bloody, fearful, struggling, screaming, despairing humane killing. It's never pretty and it certainly isn't "humane."
I spent a night recently re-watching the movie Earthlings and I find myself quietly watching these scenes of horror and asking the question as to why? It's a why that as a human, a sentient feeling thinking creature, I can't begin to understand. Why it is that we as creatures can willingly harm, mutilate, destroy an otherwise creature who feels pain, senses happiness, forms bonds, loves and cherishes it's time on this planet. I know that if you're reading this right now, that you may have images of some hippie, pot smoking, granola eating "liberal" that lives in some basement somewhere. The honest truth is, people like me woke up one day to find that we couldn't accept the fact that things like this were being done in our name for no other reason than commerce. I have a career, I pay my bills, I'm active in my community JUST like you. I posted two pictures of three little creatures that were saved due to an organization that I volunteer with, and was fascinated by just how loving, giving and kind they were to an animal that they had known since their birth, who mere days ago would have put them to death. My point is this, if you have a heart, if you feel and think and love your friends and family, the way that I do, take 5 minutes today and after you hug your kids, or tell your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/other that you love them. Take a minute to do the same to your animal friends as well. Think of their suffering and what you can do to stop that. Your eyes will never see them the same again.
If you are a "humane meat" consumer, please take a moment and meditate on the whole concept of humane killing... bloody, fearful, struggling, screaming, despairing humane killing. It's never pretty and it certainly isn't "humane."
I spent a night recently re-watching the movie Earthlings and I find myself quietly watching these scenes of horror and asking the question as to why? It's a why that as a human, a sentient feeling thinking creature, I can't begin to understand. Why it is that we as creatures can willingly harm, mutilate, destroy an otherwise creature who feels pain, senses happiness, forms bonds, loves and cherishes it's time on this planet. I know that if you're reading this right now, that you may have images of some hippie, pot smoking, granola eating "liberal" that lives in some basement somewhere. The honest truth is, people like me woke up one day to find that we couldn't accept the fact that things like this were being done in our name for no other reason than commerce. I have a career, I pay my bills, I'm active in my community JUST like you. I posted two pictures of three little creatures that were saved due to an organization that I volunteer with, and was fascinated by just how loving, giving and kind they were to an animal that they had known since their birth, who mere days ago would have put them to death. My point is this, if you have a heart, if you feel and think and love your friends and family, the way that I do, take 5 minutes today and after you hug your kids, or tell your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/other that you love them. Take a minute to do the same to your animal friends as well. Think of their suffering and what you can do to stop that. Your eyes will never see them the same again.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Food for the soul
So I've been painfully absent from my blog lately. Life being what it is and the fact that after a year and a half, I actually took a mini vacation from my "day job" to spend time kayaking along Town Lake here in Austin and get some sun and rest. I'm back feeling a little sunburnt but rested and ready to start looking at things again. I will post this link to a great op-ed at the NY Times.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Two conflicting yet aligning stories
First from the Today show:
On The Today Show, Matt Lauer hosted dietitian Elizabeth Ward to discuss how to make "healthy" food choices on a road trip. Virtually the only measure Ward used to evaluate what was healthy was how many calories is in it.
The whole story is here
Here's a little information about Ms.Ward.
Ward has been a speaker at more than 140 professional meetings, including The American Dietetic Association, The Florida Dietetic Association, The Massachusetts Dietetic Association, The Pennsylvania School Food Service Association, The National Association of Catering Executives, and the Tenth International Congress of Dietetics in Paris, France.
Ward created and conducted corporate nutrition education programs for five years with Medical Care Affiliates/Health Promotion Affiliates in Boston, where she also counseled patients about a healthy diet and lifestyle. She has also worked at the Joslin Diabetes Center and the American Heart Association, and for seven years counseled children and adults at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates.
Now with that said ... here's the other part:
High-Fat Diets Linked to Stupidity, Laziness
See the full story here
The whole problem I have with Ms Ward's little story above is not bringing your own. Surely in rural America, there are places where the average person can go to say ... oh shop ... get things like .. produce, fruit ... etc. Thinking like this .. if you can call it that ... led us to co-op our health to people like Cargill and Monsanto in the first place.
On The Today Show, Matt Lauer hosted dietitian Elizabeth Ward to discuss how to make "healthy" food choices on a road trip. Virtually the only measure Ward used to evaluate what was healthy was how many calories is in it.
The whole story is here
Here's a little information about Ms.Ward.
Ward has been a speaker at more than 140 professional meetings, including The American Dietetic Association, The Florida Dietetic Association, The Massachusetts Dietetic Association, The Pennsylvania School Food Service Association, The National Association of Catering Executives, and the Tenth International Congress of Dietetics in Paris, France.
Ward created and conducted corporate nutrition education programs for five years with Medical Care Affiliates/Health Promotion Affiliates in Boston, where she also counseled patients about a healthy diet and lifestyle. She has also worked at the Joslin Diabetes Center and the American Heart Association, and for seven years counseled children and adults at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates.
Now with that said ... here's the other part:
High-Fat Diets Linked to Stupidity, Laziness
See the full story here
The whole problem I have with Ms Ward's little story above is not bringing your own. Surely in rural America, there are places where the average person can go to say ... oh shop ... get things like .. produce, fruit ... etc. Thinking like this .. if you can call it that ... led us to co-op our health to people like Cargill and Monsanto in the first place.
A great place to eat in Austin
Counter Culture is a vegan and raw foods concession trailer in Austin, Texas. An emphasis on organic ingredients is based on Counter Culture's dedication to sustainable development. Additionally, the eatery procures local foods when possible, reducing their dependence on fossil fuels used for transportation. Being all vegan, Counter Culture furthers their dedication to the environment as well as making delicious food that is cruelty-free. Chef Sue Davis has over 5 years experience managing kitchens and cooking in Los Angeles, California. She has a large repertoire of vegan and raw comfort foods that will delight vegetarians as well as meat-eaters. Customers will be able to order meat-free versions of their favorite dishes or try some of Sue's latest seasonal specials. Although vegan doesn't always mean healthy, Sue will be emphasizing on nutritious unprocessed foods, recognizing the trend within the community for the demand of whole foods without artificial ingredients, allergens, and pesticides.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Update
I know that I havent written here in a week now and that I need to update this site more. I've been working on a few projects at work that have been keeping me busy. I promise that once my latest project is done. I'll spend a few more hours writing here to keep things interesting. There's a lot going on right now with Food and Food Safety but most people's attention are either on the Healthcare Reform Bill and it's passage or the Economy. I can't say that I blame anyone for focusing on those things as well, but we can't let the Food portion of this fall off of the charts either. Food Safety Reform is a huge issue and needs to be treated as such.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Bill to limit antibiotics in beef is introduced
There is a bill that is being proposed right now called the Preservation for Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act. (You can follow and read more about the bill here .) But here's a summary:
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deny an application for a new animal drug that is a critical antimicrobial animal drug unless the applicant demonstrates that there is a reasonably certainty of no harm to human health due to the development of antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Defines "critical antimicrobial animal drug" as a drug intended for use in food-producing animals that contains specified antibiotics or other drugs used in humans to treat or prevent disease or infection caused by microorganisms.
Requires the Secretary to withdraw approval of a nontherapeutic use of such drugs in food-producing animals two years after the date of enactment of this Act unless certain safety requirements are met.
Requires the manufacturer of such a drug or an animal feed for food-producing animals containing such a drug to report sales information to the Secretary.
Right now over 70% of all antibiotics in this country is given to farm animals (specifically mostly feed lot cattle to fight off the myriads of problems that comes from eating a corn based diet) and this bill is designed to limit the use of those antibiotics for a couple of reasons.
1. Those drugs should be going to humans that need them and not to feed lot cattle.
2. They produce an environment where antibiotic resistant illnesses are being born and bred.
There's a simple way to fix this issue ... and that is to change feed lot cattle to a wheat based diet instead of a corn based one. This issue has been debated before so I wont bore you with the details. There are two great sites with interesting articles about this. One is the Scientific American and the second is of course one of my daily reads ... Marion Nestle's Food Politics.
There's a lot more to say about this and I'll be doing some blogging about this later and go into more depth with some more facts and figures.
Friday, July 10, 2009
World Food Prize + Hunger ... yes they do go together.
There is a really good article about the politics of Food and how it is being used throughout the "developing" world much like blackmail on Gourmet.com (story is here.) I think its great that our government is so concerned with addressing the needs of hunger and of food safety with one billion people worldwide now hungry or starving. To see how this plays together though here is another article from a few days ago that shows you what kind of dichotomy we live in in the West (Article is located here.) While the US is concerned with assisting countries that have large amounts of starving or hungry people, a suggestion would be that we need to look in our own backyards first. We have companies buying huge tracts of land in other countries to feed its own population meanwhile the people who are residents of that country cant eat the food that is being produced there.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Maybe We're Moving In The Right Direction
There was a major move forward today in dealing with Food Safety. The Food Safety Working Group announced today at a press conference a public-health based approach to food safety. The great people over at Obamafoodorama break it down very well.
Food Politics
Marion Nestle, on her great site Food Politics, is saying that Mike Taylor has been appointed to the FDA and that he's a good choice. Here's a little snip of why she thinks so:
He really is a good choice for this job. Why? Because he managed to get USDA to institute HACCP (science-based food safety regulations) for meat and poultry against the full opposition of the meat industry — a truly heroic accomplishment. His position on food safety has been strong and consistent for years.
Read about HACCP here.
At this point, I'm not so sure that I agree with Ms. Nestle, his industry ties are pretty deep even though (as she points out) that he "recused himself from matters related to Monsanto’s BGH and had “never sought to influence the thrust or content” of the agency’s policies on Monsanto’s products."
Her article (with an explanation) is located here. There is one thing clear though, with people that have interests like Mr. Taylor's, its important that we do everything we can to keep them "honest" and working for the best practices that they can for the consumer and not for big business like Monsanto.
GMOs and Labeling
I've put up a poll to see how many people think that GMO's should be labeled. Right now, only the EU requires labeling of GMO's. Here's an excerpt about GMO's and labeling:
The five countries that regulate genetically modified organisms (GMOs)-Canada, USA, Mexico, Japan and the European Union (EU)-have all considered the appropriate role of labels in signaling these new production methods to consumers. Each of the five countries currently regulates the introduction of GMO products but only the EU requires labels that specify the presence of GMOs. This potential "technical barrier to trade" poses challenges to producers, consumers and governments alike.
Now for those of you that don't know or aren't aware, the common belief is that labeling of GMO's means that people wont eat them. The truth behind that is, that when surveyed, people in the countries that aren't currently labeling GMO's, have stated that they want GMO's labeled.
Here's a conclusion written in The Journal of Agriobiotechnology Management and Economics:
Labeling goes to the heart of private sector, biotechnologically-based research and development in the agri-food business. Mandatory labeling is clearly a threat to the continued development of biotechnology products and processes. Nevertheless, in the absence of industry action to positively label, governments may be pushed by consumers and various lobby groups to impose mandatory labeling to ensure firms are held accountable for the product-specific credence uncertainties.
What is important here is that we as consumers know all that is put into our food. When we buy a new car, we can shop around to pick out the best deal based on the needs that we have, why aren't we allowed the same choices when it comes to GMO and non-GMO food? Senator Dennis Kucinich has attempted to write the GE Right to Know Food Act. This bill was killed in 2006 and as of today there is no bill like it in Congress.
The Good Ole' Boys Network + The Revolving Door = No Food Safety for All of Us
The Ethicurean ran an article on June 30th that Mike Taylor would be joining the FDA. The article states that Mr. Taylor used to be part of the legal arm of Monsanto. Not only that, some of the positions that Mr Taylor has occupied recently has been that he was part of the AG transition team for the Obama White House. Now the rumour is that he is going to be tapped to be part of the FDA in a position coordinating food safety. According to PoliticalFriendster , Mr. Taylor has some friends who don't seem very concerned about Food Safety at all.
Here's a little excerpt:
* Michael Taylor is a Senior Fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and Director of the Risk, Resources and Environmental Management division. As the creator of the biotech loopholes for Monsanto's GMOs he's perfect for "public policy".
* Attorney for Monsanto who rewrote the "regulations" for Genetically Modified foods. His brilliant addition is the "substantial equivalence" measure which says if the nutrition measures are the same for the GMO as the natural food it is nobody's business what the chemical companies add. They add a lot.
* One of Taylor's duties was to represent Monsanto's efforts to get its bovine growth hormone approved by the FDA. Taylor left King and Spaulding in 1991 to rejoin the FDA, this time as Deputy Commissioner for Policy. In that position Taylor was responsible for writing guidelines on the use and marketing of the controversial hormone that were favorable to the company.
Specifically, Taylor drafted guidelines that exempted milk producers from labeling dairy products from cows that had been treated with rBGH. Now Taylor has returned to Monsanto to work on what the company calls "long range planning."
* Attorney for Monsanto who rewrote the "regulations" for Genetically Modified foods. His brilliant addition is the "substantial equivalence" measure which says if the nutrition measures are the same for the GMO as the natural food it is nobody's business what the chemical companies add.
As you can see, this is politics as usual. The large AG businesses have their people in place to do as much harm as the people who want to do the right thing can do good. If you want to see all of Mr. Taylor's connections, go here. The article from the Ethicurean is here.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Take the Replace Roundup Challenge
I have to post the link since the video embedding isnt working. I'll try my best to get that working in the future. But in the mean time go here. (Make sure you watch the video.)
Vegetarian one day a week.
The city of Ghent Belgium has issued the above ad to promote that they are the first city in the world to go vegetarian one day a week. Read the whole story here.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
My Letter To the President
It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a rampant epidemic seizing this country. The Trust for Americans Health released their annual report on obesity today and for the first time in the history of this country, obesity rates across the country went up. In some states as high as 16.3 percent. There is a movement right now taking its cue from citizens the world over, but none should be more concerned than the citizens of our own country. It's called Meatless Mondays, and it promotes the ideas of a healthy vegetarian alternative to the fast food, high fat, high sugar content of what most of America is currently consuming. Mr. President, we are standing on the verge of a healthcare disaster waiting to happen. We are seeing the start of a very deadly trend that will continue unabated unless something is done. You have an historic and unprecedented chance to change the health of millions of people with your leadership at this crossroads, I implore you to consider promoting this idea for not only the health of our country today but for generations to come.
Obesity report has come out today
Adult obesity rates increased in 23 states and did not decrease in a single state in the past year, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America 2009, a report released today by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). In addition, the percentage of obese or overweight children is at or above 30 percent in 30 state.
Read more about it here
I'll be commenting on this later today.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Food Inc Review
Farm Fed Fantasies
As a child in rural Indiana, I remember fields of wheat and corn. Cows grazing freely on farms owned by families, and had been for generations. The idyllic image of what most of us know as "farm life." Today thats not so. The film Food Inc is all about that disconnect. It's informative, disquieting, disturbing and angering. Starting at the dawn of fast food in the 1930's, this film talks about the history of food production and its migration into the american culture. There are of course, like most films, villians (Monsanto, Cargill, ADM, Smithfield Farms, Con Agra) and a few heroes (Diana DeGette, who became a food advocate after her son died from eating food contaminated by e.coli,) Eric Schlosser (who wrote Fast Food Nation) and Micheal Pollan (who wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma.) The film discusses how GMO's (Genetically Modified Orgamism's ... once called "Frankenfood") are now present in our food supply. Due to companies aggresive forms of prosecution, lobbying, and intimidation, that one time family-owned farms are now factory farms. A brief discussion is focused on the environmental factors of large farms (such as the SmithField Farm pig processing plant in Utah, which houses over 500,000 pigs.) We are also shown that what was once a thriving diverse industry in the United States is now owned by large corporate interests, where livestock was once
known as an animal and are today viewed as "product." The film does have some bright spots but mostly should serve as a wake up call, for most americans, that while we may be getting fast food, its not honest food.
The reason I have put together this blog is to chronicle my journey through understanding how this affects the "average"American and what we as citizens (and eaters) can do. What my intention is, is to provide information about food safety, laws that are being considered, past and written into law that will affect you and how you eat, grow or shop for food. I'll be posting things on this site like the above review (next will be my review of a film called "King Corn") to information on how you can shop locally. Dont be surprised along the way if you learn something. I'm pretty sure I will.
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