Grand Paradise

Dunkin' Donuts' Egg Supplier Exposed!

2011-12-31T11:49:00.000-08:00

Growing Mushrooms

2011-12-17T15:14:00.001-08:00

Ethical Man – Jonathan Balcombe Leader, Author, Scientist, Speaker

2011-08-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

Ethical Man – Jonathan Balcombe Leader, Author, Scientist, Speaker

“If I had to do it again, I’d do it differently…

2011-08-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

“If I had to do it again, I’d do it differently…

Warning! This Movie Could Save Your Life

2011-05-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Forks Over Knifes

ARIZONA's LION Meat Burgers ??? Tell me it isn't so.

2011-01-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

If Arizona allows now also to have Exotic Animals ground up in to Burgers I am so DONE with this State! BOYCOTT Anything Arizona.. BOYCOTT Tourism... Boycott, Products anything and everything Arizona... should be on Everyone that has any compassion and sanity left BOYCOTT LIST! I am fed up enough is enough! ARIZONA it's time to evolve and put some sanity and compassion in to your legislative agenda! Outlaw these freak show "foods."

http://azstarnet.com/entertainment/dining/article_ca33ed71-b6c4-5357-8c7f-e15a91db995d.html

In the six months since it launched Exotic Taco Wednesdays, Boca Tacos y Tequila has served up python, alligator, elk, kangaroo and rattlesnake.

Frog legs, turtle, duck and Rocky Mountain oysters have also made appearances.

"We've done just about anything we can get our hands on," said owner Bryan Mazon. "Every Wednesday we do something a little bit different."

Last week he announced on Boca's Facebook page that the UA-area taco shop was accepting prepaid orders for African lion, to be served on Feb. 16. Orders must be placed by 3 p.m. Feb. 7.

"I've gotten a lot of questions, like if it's legal," said Mazon, adding that a few lion tacos have been reserved so far. "We're still a month out, too."

According to the Food and Drug Administration, lion and other game meat can be sold as long as the species isn't endangered.

"I'm doing the African lion to get my name out," said Mazon ...

Read full article here
http://azstarnet.com/entertainment/dining/article_ca33ed71-b6c4-5357-8c7f-e15a91db995d.html

Contact Arizona Politicians to express your outrage
http://www.azsenate.gov/contact_us.asp

Learn about Lions. They are wonderful animals that we should preserve for future generations and that we should respect for what they bring to this planet to make it more diverse and beautiful. We should not in addition to all the other animals we already kill for food add this species, it's like pouring salt in the wound we already inflict on this planet. We should evolve away from killing. Instead we allow of GREED driven monsters that are willing to go to any length to make a buck, we allow them to serve up lion meat, burgers etc. What will be next Baby Lions? How about Cats or Dogs? If we don't take a stand against the mounting cruelty and exploitation of our planet and fellow beings we deserve every illness, physically and mentally that will befall us. We can't blame anyone but ourselves if we don't draw the line HERE and NOW!

#1 Killer in the U.S.

2011-01-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

Good News Article About Ginette's Painting

2010-10-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

As an artist/painter, I express myself with paint. I am not really good with words so naturally I don't like to write much. I dabbled in poetry and writing once, but found painting to be my forte.

I often read articles that are written by authors who have a way with words and sometimes I read something that really is special. I guess we all have our gifts.

I received an email yesterday and a pdf file attached with an article written by "Rupa Sengupta" of the Times of India. The article is called:

In The Wild Garden

In the paradise of the natural order, Ginette Callaway’s copperhead snake sheds the burden of its demonisation,

The Times of India is India’s most-read English newspaper and the World’s largest-selling English newspaper.

I knew they wanted to use one of my paintings for an article. I was approached a few months ago about it and I gave them permission. I thought it was just a picture they wanted for the snake festival article.

Yesterday I received a copy of the article and to my surprise it was such a wonderfully written piece about the Okefenokee and my Painting "Copperhead Snake in the Okefenokee"!

Mr. Sengupta's words flow like poetry. I admit it brough tears to my eyes!

The article is art in itself. Bravo Mr. Rupa Sengupta, I thank you for your celebration of my piece of art, wrapped in such inspiring words.

Read the article as PDF

08082010_SPTCH_MP_08_1_COL_R1.pdf

1074K View

If you are interested in purchasing a print of this painting please see my Imagekind Store.

New Jersey wants to make hunting cats legal

2010-10-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Primate Products Inc. exposed on NBC

2010-09-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcmiami.com/video.

http://negotiationisover.com/2010/09/01/aired-on-nbc-last-night-sick-pictures-leaked-from-primate-products-inc/

http://negotiationisover.com/2010/09/01/aired-on-nbc-last-night-sick-pictures-leaked-from-primate-products-inc/

Watch the movie "The Island of Dr. Moreau"
then ask yourself, what are these so called doctors and lab owners do with the animals in these secret laboratories. Nobody seems to know, to care or to investigate. A few animal rights activists go out on a limb to find the truth and help the abused. For that they usually get demonised. Sada day that doing good and helping the voiceless and abandoned is a bad thing.
Sad times we live in that saving lives is demonized and killing is sanctified.

Watch this movie and see that we are in the mids of this movie. Not on an island but it's right in the backyards of our communities. We can't hear the screams and we mostly are sheltered from images.

Do you think that this can be morally justified? I don't think it can ever be morally justified to inflict pain and suffering, imprisonment and torture, on a living being for the sake of others. Especially if it is so ambiguous what the benefit really are and often seems to only benefit those that only care about money and profit, and want to stroke their egos with so called scientific breakthroughs for which they are willing to eliminate any compassion and morality.

Continue to watch additional episodes on youtube.

What to do at election time ?

2010-07-19T15:23:00.001-07:00

Ok, election time comes around, but do you do if you are a Vegan and care about animal rights and the environment.
If you fight for Animal Rights, Against hunting and for Humane Education for Children,
what do you do if you live in a world brain washed in to thinking you have to kill and eat animals.

You keep looking for that candidate that will break the barrier, the candidate that is enlightened. The candidate for the future of a better world.

I live in Georgia District 13

Tomorrow early voting starts in my district 13 in Georgia. Today I send and email to all
the candidates for Congress in my district, to see who comes at least close to my philosophy on issues.

I asked specifically about Hunting, Vegan Lunch school choices and Animal Rights. Most other subjects are usually covered in their web site in issues. They never mention Animals Rights there isn't even such a topic for them. Wonder why so many people don't vote. After the first response I am even more discouraged. There is no representation for Animals in Washington and I wonder if these old timers care about the children and their mental and physical health. All the while using God as an excuse to condone murder & torture and keeping up the status quo of ill health for millions of children by force feeding them meat and dairy but preaching about not forcing Vegan views on them. They have forced meat on children for a long time but never even think that a child may never eat meat or drink milk if it weren't for the old "You Eat What's On Your Plate" dictatorship!

These statements say it all: "

God gave dominion to man over the animals, to be a caretaker as well as to consume." (The same old lies perpetrated by Christians since the inception of Christianity)

I do believe we can use more humane methods to dispatch animals..."

The choice of the word "Dispatch" tells me all I need to know abut the attitude of this individual, Michale Frisbee (Democrat) toward other sentient beings. A specicist for sure!

Here is the message I emailed to each:

I am an independent voter from Clayton County and a Vegan, and am still trying to decide for whom to vote.

Among other issues, one major issue to me that no candidate ever talks about.
but is tremendously important to me and many of my friends is Animal Rights and School Lunch Programs that will include more Non Meat and making available Non Dairy Dairy choices, like Almond Milk and Soy Products, in other words Vegan food choices and truly humane education.

Where do you stand on hunting (which is not the same a gun right for self defense) I am a fervent defender of the right to bear arms which is not the same as the right to kill animals.

Where do you stand on Animal Rights, strengthening Animal Protection laws,
making it illegal to chain dogs, and creating stronger Farm Animal protection laws?

Sincerely
Ginette Callaway
Jonesboro

I got my first response from Michael Frisbee (Democrat)
I will post any other responses from the other candidates as I get them.

Here is the Response from Frisbee:

Dear Ms. Callaway,

I believe in a wholly nutritional diet for growing kids,
as recommended by the USDA, which does include meat. Granted – school lunches could use a reformation to much healthier alternatives that are much more cost efficient that junk food.I would not be against supporting vegan options for those families that choose to do that – but I really think that such choices should be held until a child can understand and make those choices for themselves.

I grew up in Pennsylvania. One thing my father and
I did was hunt and fish. Hunting, when done with proper wildlife
management, is a beneficial thing for humans and wildlife.

In Pennsylvania, back in the late 70’s, quotas and such were cut back drastically on deer hunting. Within a few years, deer herds grew rapidly, and started damaging woodlands and grazing down natural grassland areas on the plateaus. Soon – deer herds were starving. God gave dominion to man over the animals, to be a caretaker as well as to consume. I do believe we can use more humane methods to dispatch animals in the commercial markets and would work to assure that.

As for Animal protection – if you mean for domesticated
animals like pets – then yes – we need stronger laws and penalties.
As for chaining dogs, what would you suggest as an
alternative? Also – do you have a link for me to look at what
legislation is being proffered in regards to Farm Animal Protection Laws?

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but it is the truth
as to where I stand. I respect your right to live a Vegan lifestyle, but
that does not mean I will change things to force that lifestyle on everyone else. Have a great day tomorrow,

Michael Frisbee
New Liberty Democrat
(Jeffersonian Conservative
Constitutionist)

Frisbee For Congress 2010
P.O. Box 5
Winston, GA 30187
678-403-1337

www.Frisbee2010.com

If you want to know how politicians think on animal rights or Vegan issues. follow this post, as I get otehr responses (if I do) I will post them here. I will aslo post who did not respond at all.

and Animal Protection laws.

Animal Bill Of Rights - PLEASE SIGN

2010-06-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Watch Video and Take Action - We should be OUTRAGED!!!

2010-05-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

These people that are doing this are your neighbors, they talk to your children, they look normal! Do you want your children in the company of people that do this?

Tell you government you won't tolerate this any longer
http://www.ohiohumane.com/

SIGN Petition

Mercy For Animals

Read Article

The face of a sadistic animal abuser ... abuse took place in Ohio... Dairy farm name: Conklin Dairy Farm... Government subsidized! Abuser is "Billy Joe Gregg"

Tell the Ahold supermarket company to join grocers such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Harris Teeter in boycotting seafood from sealing provinces.

2010-04-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

We’ve reached a tipping point. I can feel it.

Thanks to you and thousands of others who stood up for seals this year, the writing is on the wall: Canada’s commercial seal hunt cannot last.

Help me end this barbaric annual slaughter by keeping up the pressure on the Canadian fishermen who hunt seals in the offseason: Tell the Ahold supermarket company to join grocers such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Harris Teeter in boycotting seafood from sealing provinces.

Ahold is based in the Netherlands but owns several major grocery chains in the United States, including Giant, Martins, Stop & Shop, and Peapod. Ahold and its subsidiaries are committed to buying more sustainably harvested seafood, but they fall short in their level of commitment to responsible marine stewardship when it comes to seals. Unlike their major competitors, Ahold has not provided assurance that they are not buying (and will not buy) seafood from the fishermen who club and shoot baby seals each spring. With your help, we’re hopeful they will re-consider this oversight.

Our seafood boycott is working. Over 5,500 grocery stores and restaurants are already using their seafood purchasing to send Canada a clear message. And thanks to the seal product ban in the European Union, seal skin prices are very low. As a result, far fewer sealers participated in the hunt this year.

While the hunt was smaller than usual, the killing we witnessed was horrific. We documented many violations of the few inadequate rules to which sealers are supposed to adhere. The evidence we gathered this year could be the final nail in the coffin for the Canadian seal hunt.

You and thousands of other animal lovers around the globe have made this possible by donating to send us to the ice, boycotting Canadian seafood, and telling Canada you’ll do whatever it takes to end the hunt. One by one, your actions have created a sea change that’s spelling the end of this annual massacre, once and for all.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Aldworth
Executive Director
Humane Society International/Canada

P.S. Check out our ProtectSeals cause gear available exclusively at Humane Domain, our online store. Show your support for seals and feel good knowing you’re supporting The Humane Society of the United States.

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The Peaceable Kingdom !

2010-04-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Trailer for Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home from Tribe of Heart on Vimeo.

Meat Consumption, Poverty and Hunger

2010-04-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

Did you know:

It takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of edible animal flesh. Making meat consumption a very inefficient use of grain.
About 20 percent of the world’s population, or 1.4 billion people, could be fed with the grain and soybeans fed to U.S. cattle alone.
Even fish on fish farms must be fed 5 pounds of wild-caught fish to produce one pound of farmed fish flesh.
Because, the industrial world is exporting grain to developing countries and importing the meat that is produced with it, farmers who are trying to feed themselves are being driven off their land.
If everyone on Earth received 25 percent of his or her calories from animal products, only 3.2 billion people could be nourished.
It takes about 300 gallons of water per day to produce food for a vegan, and more than 4,000 gallons of water per day to produce food for a meat-eater.
You save more water by not eating a pound of beef than you do by not showering for an entire year.
Food for a vegan can be produced on only 1/6 of an acre of land, while it takes 3 1/4 acres of land to produce food for a meat-eater.

“The American fast-food diet and the meat-eating habits of the wealthy around the world support a world food system that diverts food resources from the hungry.”

-Dr. Waldo Bello, executive director of the Institute for Food and Development Policy

http://chicvegan.com/blog-action-day-the-truth-about-poverty-and-how-going-vegan-can-help/

Artist: Jah Sun Song: No Bones No Blood Album: Height of light More Love Productions

2010-04-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

Please Chip In to get Mima Her Surgery. Someone brutally cut her legs off.

2010-04-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Mima, Dog from Bulgaria Whose 4 Legs Were Brutally Chopped Off!!!

Update: April 7, 2010 (Please read as we can not send you individual updates. Or join our Facebook group, see link below)
This is Mima, a sweet dog from Bulgaria. She was tortured and mutilated by a sadistic monster who hacked each one of her limbs off... not just once but for days and weeks at a time!! Despite the vicious and brutal torture Mima suffered, she still is a trusting, sweet soul and is a true survivor. She now has a new guardian, Mrs. Violeta Dobreva (a lawyer and head of NGO in Bulgaria) who will shower her with the love and care she deserves. The doctors say there is a good chance that Mima will be able to walk again soon! Until a medical team and facility has been selected and all evaluations have been made, we do not yet have an estimate of the total cost for her medical care. As soon as we do, this ChipIn will then be changed to reflect a Target Amount. After the horror Mima was put through and her own will to survive, we want only the best for Mima so she can live the rest of her years comfortably. Please bear in mind that we aim for the best specialists to work on not just one or two limbs, but all four limbs that were savagely butchered (unlike surgical amputation), she will also need prosthesis, cart, transport, and will require a long and extensive rehabilitation process all these can be astronomical. Any overages from this collection (if any) will go towards helping the many animals in desperate need in Bulgaria.

Mima at the shelter, after being found mutilated.

http://sweetmima.chipin.com/mimas-ortho-surgery

Click below to sign a petition

Punishment for the man crippled Mima

Target:

To Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov

http://sweetmima.chipin.com/mimas-ortho-surgery

Justice for Mima

Eagle Cam

2010-03-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

Eagle Cam

Live TV : Ustream

Roast & Mashed Potatoes Vegan

2010-03-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

Adopt A Retired Military Working Dog

2010-03-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.militaryworkingdogadoptions.com/

Rotarix rotavirus vaccine contaminated, officials say

2010-03-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

CNN) -- Federal health authorities recommended Monday that doctors suspend using Rotarix, one of two vaccines licensed in the United States against rotavirus, saying the vaccine is contaminated with material from a pig virus.

"There is no evidence at this time that this material poses a safety risk," Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg told reporters in a conference call.

Rotarix, made by GlaxoSmithKline, was approved by the FDA in 2008. The contaminant material is DNA from porcine circovirus 1, a virus from pigs that is not known to cause disease in humans or animals, Hamburg said.

Learn more about Porcine circovirus 1

READ FULL REPORT

Pig Virus DNA Found in Rotavirus Vaccine

FDA: No Problems Seen in 1 Million U.S. Kids Who Got Rotarix Vaccine

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

March 22, 2010 -- GlaxoSmithKline's Rotarix rotavirus vaccine contains DNA from an apparently harmless pig virus, the company and the FDA today announced.

The FDA estimates that 1 million U.S. kids have received the Rotarix vaccine.

The contamination was discovered by researchers developing a new technique for detecting viral material. GlaxoSmithKline confirmed that the pig virus, porcine circovirus type 1 or PCV-1, has been in the vaccine since it was developed.

This means that pig virus DNA was in the vaccine throughout clinical trials. No safety issues emerged from these international studies with 90,000 participants or, GlaxoSmithKline says, in post-marketing surveillance covering more than 69 million doses of the vaccine. READ FULL REPORT HERE

" No safety issue" Yeah Right.... I don't TRUST them one bit!

Ten Tips for cats who are forced to relocate with their owners!

2010-03-19T16:30:00.001-07:00

If you sense your owner plans to move, be on your best behavior. Revive those terminally cute poses you used to get yourself adopted. Let your owner sleep past 5 AM. Keep your paws out of your owner's hair. Use the litterbox religiously. If you must throw up, head for the bathroom and skip the windowsills. You do not want your owner to entertain thoughts like, "I don't want to ruin the beautiful floors in our new home," or, "You know, it's really hard to rent an apartment when you have a cat."

Here's a great game. Jump into an empty box, stick your head out and hold the pose while your owner runs around looking for a camera. As soon as she appears, finger on snap button, turn around and point your tail at the camera. You'll learn some new cuss words, guaranteed.

The arrival of the moving van is your cue to hide. You can have lots of fun with this one. Your owner will run around frantically, cursing the movers: "You idiots! You left the door open! Now little Furball is gone forever!" After they've wasted an hour running around the neighborhood, appear out of nowhere and begin to wash. When they shriek, "Oh there she is!" and try to hug you, summon an aloof glare and wash your face again. Bonus tip: If you really want to freak them out, hide in your cat carrier.

As you begin your twelve-hour drive, remember that your owners would rather listen to your yowling than to the latest tapes or the local weather and news. Keep it up!

Demand a sandbox break as soon as your owner begins driving on a road where it is absolutely impossible to pull over. A narrow bridge with bumper-to-bumper traffic is a good choice.

Motel etiquette calls for you to sit in the window, looking absolutely adorable. Encourage passers-by to tap on the glass at all hours, especially if your owner has forgotten to draw the curtains. If you suspect your owners have snuck you into the room without checking, begin yowling as soon as they try to move you to a more secluded spot.

When it's time to hit the road at 6 AM, you don't want to be found. If you can position yourself under the queensize bed, out of reach of your owner's arms, you can delay everyone's travel plans for a good half hour. The award for the most creative hiding place goes to the feline who wedged herself between mattress cover and springs. Caution: This only works if your owner really adores you. If you can't be found in twenty minutes, you might be looking for a new home.

Insist on being present when boxes are unpacked. Jump into each box to make sure the contents arrived safely. If your owners lock you into the bathroom "so kitty can't escape," use the opportunity to practice your singing. The movers need entertainment, too.

Demand to test each windowsill of the new home. If you still have claws, test the curtains to see if they'll hold your weight. Fifteen pounds? Should be no problem. Regardless, those miniblinds offer limitless opportunities for new versions of torture-the-owner. How many can you bend? How about breaking off a little hole for your head to peek through? Cute.

10. Encourage your owner to get a dog. You may never have to move again. "Honey, we can't move. We could never afford another place where Spot could have a yard."

Research Monkeys Cooked ALIVE

2010-03-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

Research monkey deaths prompt calls for crackdown

SCOTT SONNER

Associated Press

SPARKS, Nevada — Workers at a Nevada research lab were checking on a primate room when they came across a ghastly sight: Thirty dead monkeys were essentially cooked alive after someone left the heater on. Two others were near death and had to be euthanized.

At a lab run by the same company, a monkey died last year after it was sent through an automatic cage washer. The temperatures were so scalding the monkey never had a chance.

The two cases have led to calls for greater oversight and enforcement of the animal research industry after an alarmingly high number of deaths in recent years.

Critics say fines for violations at animal research labs are so puny that they do nothing to deter violations. The lab where the monkeys died in Nevada was fined a mere $14,000 for the two incidents, according to records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There is more to read CLICK HERE

Help Protect THE TONGASS

2010-03-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

Learn More about
The Tongass National Forest

America's Rainforest Under Threat!

Carrie Feldman statement to teh Grand Jury of Iowa

2010-03-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

I find this situation very interesting... it makes me question the constitutionality of the actions employed by the federal government. It seems basic rights are violated to incriminate people when there es a lack of evidence. I'm no lawyer but it just seams that government is over stepping. Holding US citizens, without charging them with anything??? Isn't that against all our civil rights.

Update From Local Grand Jury Resister Carrie Feldman

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 15:48

Some info about federal grand juries in Iowa:

The federal grand jury in Iowa has sessions for two days at a time, once a month. They are convened for 12 months at a time. There is always a grand jury going on and they hear a variety of cases--they are not convened for any specific thing. They are secret, and even the public defenders working on those cases are kept very much in the dark. The current grand jury convened on October 14th.

Here’s the statement I read to the grand jury:

First of all, I would like to state, unequivocally and most certainly for the record, that I have no intention of testifying before this grand jury. Based on information from the prosecutor indicating that I may be a target of this investigation, I am invoking my Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. But beyond that, I am refusing to cooperate based on a sincere belief that to do so would run counter to my deeply held convictions and values.

Grand juries were originally created to prevent arbitrary indictments, but are now used as a tool of the prosecution to gather information. Grand juries undercut basic rights supposedly granted in the Constitution by denying access to counsel and coercing testimony. They are now, and have been for some time, used to investigate and intimidate those who would express dissent.

This is only effective when we are complicit, when we are frightened, when we are divided. Today my voice may waver, as I stand alone in this room. But I know I speak with the voice of every one of my friends, loved ones, and comrades when I say this: We will not be intimidated. We will not cooperate. I have nothing more to say to you.

Thanks to everyone for how much support I've gotten already. It means so much to me to know you have my back.

If you want to stay updated on my case, visit http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com/

The World Peace Diet

2010-03-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony

http://willtuttle.com

CAT needs rescue in Forest Park GA

2010-03-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

UPDATE:

Thank you to everyone who responded to our email about the cat in a tree. We’re glad to report that it appears the cat was able to come down on her own. Our complainants will continue to monitor the area for concerns.

Thank you again for your compassion for animals!

Hello!

I’m one of PETA’s caseworkers. We’ve just gotten a call about a frightened cat in Forest Park, GA who’s been stuck in a tree for three days. We’re working to find a tree service to rescue her, but in the meantime we’d like to find somebody who would be willing to, with our advice, implement some basic strategies to encourage the cat to come down on her own. You will need a ladder (the taller the better--we won’t ask you to climb the tree, but rather to place food at the top of the ladder), some bait (tuna or mackerel), and a cat carrier in which to place the cat if she comes down (at which point we’d ask you to take her to the local shelter). You will need your own transportation, but we could reimburse for gas (save your receipts)!

If you think you can help us today (Tuesday 3/16), please email or call me right away and I will provide the address and work out a plan of action with you. Please only call or email if you can help. You may forward this message.

Thank you for your compassion for animals

Kristin DeJournett, Cruelty Caseworker

Emergency Response Team

Cruelty Investigations Department

PETA

901-405-4371 (phone and fax)

Please include all previous email exchanges when responding.

In these difficult times, we cannot forget animals. Please donate today.

Good news!

2010-03-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

Grains, vegan, gluten-free, artisan meats and Africa: 10 foods for the future

Here are the 10 foods for the future, according to Canadian chefs.

1 Ancient grains: We're talking kamut, spelt, amaranth, teff and other grains that haven't been altered by plant science for commercial purposes like bigger yields and pest resistance. Proponents say ancient grains are more flavourful and richer in nutrients.

2 Gluten-free beer: Gluten intolerance or allergies sometimes extends to hordein, the gluten in barley. Buckwheat and sorghum are the most common no-gluten substitutes for barley in North America but rice, maize, amaranth, flax, millet, teff and soybean have also been used to make beer.

3 Vegan entrées: That means no meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs or for that matter, honey or gelatin. The term "vegan" was first used by Donald Watson, an American, in 1944. He used the first three and last two letters from the word vegetarian. He said it was the "beginning and end of vegetarian."

They Have One Week To Live... The Murder of Baby Seals Continues!

2010-03-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

” I would like to see the 6 million seals, or whatever number is out there, killed and sold, or destroyed or burned. I do not care what happens to them...the more they kill the better I will love it. John Efford, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Newfoundland and Labrador.
4 May 1998.

Help to save Seals... The average age of a bludgeoned baby seals is less then 12 weeks.

Humanity can not stand for this.
We are better then that!!!

CLICK HERE to learn how you can help!

Make your voice heard HERE

Read more

There are many myths associated with Canada's annual seal slaughter which are spoken by some of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Below is a list of a few of the most popular myths and the truth behind the statements.

1. We don’t kill white coats: unclear

The commercial hunting of infant harp seals (whitecoats), and infant hooded seals (bluebacks), was banned in Canada in 1987, under pressure from animal rights groups. Now, seals may only be killed legally once they have started moulting (from 12 to 15 days of age for harp seals), as this coincides with the time when they are abandoned by their mothers. These pups, who have not yet completely moulted are known as "ragged-jackets". Once the pups have completely moulted, they are called "beaters". However, there is confusion as to when a baby seal leaves the whitecoat stage, and there is little enforcement....just because it's illegal doesn't mean it's not happening.

Seals may be killed once they begin to moult their fluffy white coats at just 12 days old. Fully 95 percent of the seals killed in the hunt are under three months of age.

2. Animal protection organizations use the seal hunt as a way to make money: False

If it were true, then animal rights groups would want the abuse to continue so they could continue making money. Animal rights campaigns against the seal hunt are anything but supportive of the abuse, and the funds are funneled into trying to end the hunt.
Sadly, it takes money to create campaigns to end the cruelty. If the abusers take issue with animal rights groups generating funds for these campaigns, they would have nothing to complain about if they would just stopped the killing.
The large sums of money generated to end the seal hunt demonstrate how loud the global voice is to end the largest marine mammal slaughter on earth.
There is far more money in cruelty that can ever be imagined. If the animal protection movement had even one percent of the power, wealth, and subsidies of the industries that torture animals for profit, there would be no necessity for fundraising campaigns to end the cruelty.

3. The seals are overpopulating and eating all the fish: False

Sealing nations such as the Norway, Russia, and Canada have repeatedly claimed that to maintain commercial fishing populations they must cull seal herds.

This deception displays scant understanding of marine ecology. For several millennia to the 18th century, some 30 million Harp seals lived in the North Atlantic teeming with cod, capelin, herring, and so forth. If 30 million seals did not deplete the fish stocks back then, it is inconceivable that 5.8 million seals would deplete the fish stocks in this era.

Unsustainable harvesting by humans has caused the decline of fish and seal populations. At the peak of the seal hunt, in the 1830s, hunters killed 700,000 Harp seals per year, devastating the herds. Poor fisheries management led to the depletion of the cod throughout the North Atlantic. In truth, seals, like all marine mammals, are a vital part of the ecosystem of the Northwest Atlantic. Harp seals, which are the primary target of the hunt, are opportunistic feeders, meaning they eat many different species. So while approximately 3% of a harp seal's diet may be commercially fished cod, harp seals also eat many significant predators of cod, such as squid. That is why some scientists are concerned that culling harp seals could further inhibit recovery of commercially valuable fish stocks in the Northwest Atlantic.

However, and this is the key point to understand, when fish eat fish, or when seals eat fish, the nutrients remain in the ocean. They are recycled. When humans remove fish from the ocean, the nutrients are removed. Fisheries scientists generally ignore this fact. Seals and fish clearly coexisted for millennia. Embarrassed fisheries officers have simply used seals as a scapegoat for poor management.

Read more

World markets for seal products now appear to be saturated, with 2008 prices plummeting again by about half. Processors report that
sales of seal pelts all but stopped at the end of 2007; in early 2009 they still do not appear to have recovered.38 The international
fur auction in Copenhagen did not sell a single seal skin in 2008, and Greenland (the second largest sealing country), now reports
stockpiles of some 140,000 pelts.39
Economically Unnecessary
Is it worth it?
2008 prices .... Beater pelt $6 – $33 .... Blubber (per kg.) $0.07 /kg .... Flipper $1 .... Penis (adult) $2

” I would like to see the 6 million seals, or whatever number is out there, killed
and sold, or destroyed or burned. I do not care what happens to
them...the more they kill the better I will love it.
John Efford, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Newfoundland and Labrador.
4 May 1998.

In My Medicine Cabinet

2010-03-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

Hydrastis or Goldenseal is a staple in my medicine cabinet. I have the one with Elderberry from http://www.organipharm.com/default.aspx

I take a tablespoon maybe 2 to 3 times a week. I can't remember the last time I had a cold or the flu!

Elderberry & Goldenseal Pictures

Description	Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), is a member of the Ranunculaceae family. Goldenseal is a perennial that grows in the wild from Georgia to Canada. The plant grows from a yellowish root and forms a hairy stem with five-parted leaves, green white flowers with no petal and a fruit that resembles a raspberry. In the 19th century, the expansion of farming lands and the popularity of its medicinal properties among the early settlers and Native American Indians led the plant to become an endangered species. It is now cultivated and its high price and demand may result in adulterated products. As a result of the endangered status of goldenseal, a handful of environmentally conscious supplement companies have taken the position of substituting other berberine-containing herbs for goldenseal in their immune support formulas. Other plants that contain relatively high concentrations of Berberine (the alkaloid thought to contribute to the immune-stimulating effect of Goldenseal) include Goldenthread (Coptis chinensis), Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium), Barberry (Berberis vulgaris), and Tree Turmeric (Berberis aristata).

Claims	Immune system support (immunostimulant, antimicrobial) Anti-cancer effects (colon cancer) Antioxidant Treats/prevents urinary tract infections

http://www.life-enthusiast.com/index/Ingredients/Plants/Goldenseal

Elderberries

The berries have few calories and lots of nutrition. They provide very large amounts of potassium and beta-carotene, as well as sugar and fruit acids, calcium, phosphorous and vitamin C.

Looking at or even thinking about the elderberry bush evokes a flood of magical associations and images of the pastóEuropean ladies dousing their white skin with elder flower water, and crystal goblets filled with elderberry wine. In European folklore, fairies and elves would appear if you sat underneath an elder bush on midsummer night. The lovely elder possessed potent magic, with the ability to drive away witches, and kill serpents. Carrying the twigs in your pocket was a charm against certain diseases. One of these tales bears some truth: Sleeping under the elder supposedly produces a drugged, dream-filled sleepóthe fragrance is actually a mildly sedative. Perhaps the visions of fairies and elves resulted from dreaming under an elder bush.

My experience with the elder indicates that much of its charmed reputation among Europeans and Native Americans comes from its ability to heal. The flowers and fruit are medicinal. Hippocrates already recognized this in 400 B.C. (He used a smaller European species with similar properties, that doesnít grow in America.)

Due to their diuretic and detoxifying properties, people eat elderberries to lose weight. The flowers have been used in cosmetics since ancient times. Distilled elder flower water softens, tone and restores the skin. Elder flower infusion cleanses the skin, lightens freckles, and soothes sunburn. Its Bioflavinoids promote circulation and strengthen the capillaries.

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Elderberry.html

Stop Whaling !!!

2010-03-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

"As president, I will ensure that the U.S. provides leadership in enforcing international wildlife protection agreements, including strengthening the international moratorium on commercial whaling. Allowing Japan to continue commercial whaling is unacceptable."
- Senator Obama responding to a Greenpeace questionnaire on March 16, 2008

Support the whales now.
.

Have we been betrayed? Earlier this week Japan's Fisheries minister announced that Japan wants to resume commercial whaling and called on the U.S. to work together to make this happen. Media reports that a proposal to throw out the ban on commercial whaling was discussed at the meeting of International Whaling Commission currently underway at St. Pete's Beach, Florida. A vote to resume commercial whaling could take place at the IWC Annual General Meeting in Morocco in June.

The U.S. delegation to the IWC, hand-picked by President Obama, has given no commitment to vote against the resumption of commercial whaling. Refusal to stand up against the resumption of commercial whaling would be a total betrayal of the President’s commitment to us.

Greenpeace is mounting a massive effort to protect the whales and we need your most generous support - please donate now. This is the most serious threat to the moratorium on commercial whaling that we've seen since Greenpeace fought for and won the moratorium in the 1980's.

If President Obama is serious about his commitment to protecting whales, he must make sure his delegation opposes any deal that would legitimize commercial whaling. The president and his representatives at the IWC should instead support a proposal recently made by Australia, which would leave the moratorium intact and finally put an end to Japan's bogus “scientific” whaling in the Southern Ocean.

We cannot reward the illegal actions of countries like Japan, Norway and Iceland by legalizing hunting - that's not a compromise; it's giving in for political expediency.

Your gift of any amount will help - $5 or $500 - whatever you can afford will enable Greenpeace to continue what we've successfully done for over 30 years - save the whales. Please donate now.

Thank you, on behalf of the whales,
John Hocevar
Oceans Campaign Director

P.S. Thank you so much to the hundreds of you who have already given. Now I urge you to go one step further, forward this message to your friends and ask them to take action too there is power in numbers!

702 H Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20001 | 1-800-326-0959

Greenpeace Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(4) organization. As a result of our effective work for new environmental policies, contributions are not tax-deductible.

I Got A Kick Out Of This Performance.

2010-03-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

I Got A Kick Out Of This Performance. Isn't she weird and cute at the same time. Singing Aretha Franklin "Think"!

Almond Milk & Steel Cut Oats for Breakfast

2010-03-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

WOW! I bought this new milk from Silk, it's ALMOND milk. http://www.silkpurealmond.com
I now have Soy, Rice and Almond Milk to chose from for various dishes. This milk is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. Here is a link to their website so you can learn more about it.
http://www.silkpurealmond.com/# I bought the Vanilla Flavored only because my store did NOT have the plain one, something I hope they will remedy soon!!!

Anyway I used it for the first time today to make a creamy and crunchy breakfast. I used Steel Cut Oats (have more tooth after cooking) about 1/3 cup, 1 cup of almond milk, I added a pinch of salt and about a tablespoon of raw sugar that I store in a jar with used up vanilla beans. (after I use the beans I don't throw them away, I place them in a jar and add sugar, it makes a great vanilla flavored sugar that can be used per tabls in baking and as I did here in breakfasts.)

I brought the almond milk to a boil and then simmered the oats and milk for about 20 minutes string frequently. After t he oats are cooked i add about a 1/3 cup of shredded wheat stir it all up and it's ready to serve. About 1/2 a cup with some fruit will fill you up nicely. No dairy and it's just as rich tasting and creamy as you would not imagine.
ZERO CHOLESTEROL.
Try it You'll ENJOY!

The misinformation and Nutritional INSANITY is taking to a new level.

2010-03-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

This move borders on criminal. If we ever make a dent in the continuing Obesity problem and growing health problems in the United States, it certainly isn't by promoting the consumption of more fast, processed foods high in animals protein.
As a matter of fact, this is in my opinion criminal. Considering how we regulated tobacco (for good reasons) yet tobacco consumption was less a cause of illness disease and premature death, then the combined health damage that is being done by what many refer to as food.

Just because it tastes good and people WANT to eat it, does not make if nutrition or healthy.

This is irresponsible. It's once again all about MONEY and Greed and the power of the unhealthy food lobby. Dressing up junk as healthy. They could just as well hand cigarettes to people with a label saying approved by the American Heart Association it's that big of a lie! Weight Watchers should be ashamed!!!

They are selling their clients down the river just to get more clients. What sounds better to an obese person then the idea that they will lose weight and still can eat junk food like McDonald. That will bring WW a new line of clients. They don't seem to care about the long term effects.
_________________________________________________________

Anger over Weight Watchers' endorsement of McDonald's

• 'Diet-friendly' menu to roll out in New Zealand
• Nutritionists says tie-up does not promote healthy eating

Anger over Weight Watchers' endorsement of McDonald's

• 'Diet-friendly' menu to roll out in New Zealand
• Nutritionists says tie-up does not promote healthy eating

Weight Watchers has defended putting its logo on several McDonald's products. Photograph: Jeff Roberson/AP

McDonald's is hardly an ideal dining location for anyone struggling to stay slim. But the fast food chain scored a PR coup today when Weight Watchers agreed to endorse some of its products in New Zealand – a move met with outrage by nutritionists and obesity experts.

As part of the deal, which the company says is the first of its kind in the world, McDonald's will use the Weight Watchers logo on its menu boards and Weight Watchers will promote McDonald's to dieters.

The link-up is the fast-food chain's latest attempt to improve its reputation by securing endorsements. In January, to the horror of gastronomes, Italy's agriculture minister, Luca Zaia, helped launch the McItaly range of burgers. For a representative of one of the world's greatest culinary nations to do such a thing was "a sign of the moral bankruptcy of Silvio Berlusconi's government", wrote Matthew Fort in the Guardian.

Several items on the fast food giant's menu – the Filet-O-Fish, Chicken McNuggets and Sweet Chilli Seared Chicken Wrap – have been approved for the Weight Watchers diet in McDonald's 150 New Zealand restaurants. Each meal is worth 6.5 points on the programme, which assigns points to food items and allows dieters to consume 18 to 40 points each day to achieve their goal weight.

READ FULL STORY

Your Health and Kindness go Hand in Heart

2010-03-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

Living this new life of kindness toward all living beigns is a real marvelous experience. When you change how you eat and take all aspects in to consideration you end up not only being kind to animals but kind to yourself as well. That is really something that is giving me a wonderful feeling.Just as our neurons continue to connect in our brains after birth, when making these lifestyle changes we connect to an invisible web that connects us to the whole universe in a magical way. We are rewarded with physical and spiritual health that leads to happiness.

When making lifestyle changes, one of the issues is of course "Food".

We all love food and we need food. We eat it if it tastes good. Taste & texture is what we respond to immediately. Nutrition we can't really see but we know it's important but many of us don't know much about it. I am lucky in the sense that nutrition has always been a subjects I was interested in and I try to learn as much about it as I could. After coming to the US I did however fall in to a more unhealthy way of eating. Eating what everyone else ate. I recall the first time I had a Donut and how I practically spit it out, because it was so sweet, like nothing I ever had before.

I never drank sodas until I came to the Unites States but even then I drank it rarely, again, too sweet.
I rarely ate more then one piece of cake or pastry, but I did start to over eat sweets after coming to the States.
I never had a steak in my life until coming to the US.
Beef is expensive in Germany and we rarely ate any.
Fast food restaurants did not come along until late and I moved to the US just about the same time.

I did however eat meats, lots of cheese my whole life. My combination of French and German heritage meant I ate both cultural diets. I loved Camembert cheese, pork roast, pork chops, liverwurst, frankfurters and so on.

The bread I was used to is the dark crusty German what is sometimes called here Farmers Bread.

The white box shaped bread that is common here, I tried and found it to be awful.

After two decades in the United States, I had gained 50 pounds, was overweight for the first time in my life and at the final end a few years back, was diagnosed with high blood pressure, at times 190/115 = very dangerous. Then I started to have heart palpitations which finally prompted me to see a doctor. I had High Cholesterol and started to have joint pains, swollen feet and other pesky problems. I always had stomach problems as long as I can remember, constipation and pains.

Long story short... I have now normal blood pressure which I measure every day. I do still take some blood pressure medication but at times I simply don't for days and my pressure is just fine. If I take it about three times a week I am fine. My goal is to totally eliminate blood pressure medication. My cholesterol is better then average now. As a matter of fact my good cholesterol which I was told would be great if it where 50 its actually 62 (which I was told was marvelous) my bad cholesterol is 104. I accomplished this with going Vegan and no medication.

OK I can hear it now... where do you get your protein, what are you eating?

I eat plants. Anything plants related. The choices out there are endless and are growing and YES plants have plenty of protein and other great nutrition. I am going to share over time, all the things I eat or goods I find that I like.

I eat plenty of food, don't have to "diet" to lose weight. I have lost 20 pounds so far and it keeps going, slowly but surely. No starvation, no constipation, no more swollen feet, no more joint pain, no more high cholesterol, and my blood pressure is going in the right direction which is down. I have to watch stress and try not to upset myself about things.
Other improvements I have noticed is softer skin, the white in my eyes are whiter (they started to yellow before), my occasional itchy skin problem is history, I am more alert, and have more energy.

If someone asked me what can I do to lose weight and be healthy I would categorically say
"Go Vegan". It is easier then you have been made to believe.

This is from a mere health standpoint and does not even include the fact that not consuming animal products of any kind is good for your soul as well. That is of course if you are a spiritual person. Those that say they love animals should really try to go Vegan it's the only way to realize that statement of "I Love Animals". After all you can't eat and wear what you love because it has to be killed first. Should we really kill what we love? It's inherently illogical.

I want to share this good news. That is all I want. I am sad that the main stream media, the food industry to a large extend, our government is saying so little about the truth about food. Instead they all perpetuate the problem with the status quo. It is really a complex problem, involving politics, money and old ingrained myths and believes.

If you want to learn more about it I highly recommended reading the "China Study"!

Here is also a product I want tp praise. I do not get paid to recommend anything.
I try it out and if I like it I say so if I don't I say so. I am beholden to nobody but my own Conscience. Sometimes I may have links to a product. I am an Amazon affiliate so if you buy through those links I get a small commission. OK so you buy a jar of mayo and I get, what 20 cents. I don't recommend nothing that I don't like.

I really love Vegenaise Vegan mayo. When I first bought the jar I was leery. I was wondering, will it be creamy? Will it taste like mayo? Can this no egg, no dairy, no preservatives, no fillers, healthy claim, be to to good to be true. I was a skeptic.

But it was a great buy. I use it with sandwiches and making tartar sauce or creamy relishes. Yesterday I had Ruben sandwiches for dinner and used Vegenaise instead of thousand Island (did not have a vegan one handy). I also omitted the Sauerkraut not a big fan of it. Those sandwiches were fantastic and loaded with fiber,antioxidants,vitamins and flavor but lo win fat and ZERO cholesterol. Remember if you don't eat any animal products you will not add cholesterol. Cholesterol is only found in the bodies of animals, which includes humans. We make it ourselves just as animals make it. Plants do NOT have cholesterol.

I used to be a big fan of Butter, actually I could not imagine going without the TASTE of butter, that buttery taste. Now it's vegan margarine or oils, it is possible to reeducate your taste buds if you give it some time and find other flavorful things like I found these nutty oils. I just received my gourmet oils and I love all the great flavor and nutritional value. Using it sparingly is no problem since the flavors are strong. Less is more!
So I will end this for today by saying, try some Vegan. Even if you don't do all Vegan all the time. Give it a start.

Maybe just breakfast and lunch. Maybe just dinner. Whatever reason you may have had to say no to Vegan, give it some new thoughts.

Two years ago I was a full fledged card carrying Carnivore. Now I am Vegan and my only regret is that this has not happened to be sooner, but hey better late then never! :-)

My best wishes!

Learn how to make Wheat Meat especially the "Corned Vegan Beef" HERE

Wheat Meat

2010-03-02T08:20:00.000-08:00

Seitan is another versatile protein meat replacement.
This video shows how to grill it and inspired me to make my own Seitan. Yesterday I ordered yeast to make my own tempeh but until the yeast arrives and until I have Tempeh, I will make some Seitan today. That is one of the simpler meats to make.

I think I will use it to bake and braise them in the oven as I normally would chicken breasts. First I marinade them them in my own Provence style marinade and then I'll bake them. The fun part will be to shape them like chicken breasts.

I shall let you know how it tuned out and take some photos to.

II love the video can't wait till spring to do some grilling.

In this video you see how to make Seitan Corned "Beef" without the beef. To make Ruben Sandwiches.

This sounds so great. I think I will make this first.

I made this a couple of hours ago and it tastes great.
A Keeper!

Making My Own Tempeh

2010-02-28T14:02:00.000-08:00

Where I live Tempeh hard to find, actually I have yet to find it.
So since my book Veganomicon has many recipes asking for Tempeh I will have to make it myself. I found this web site that seems to explain it pretty well.

That will be interesting

http://www.toomanychefs.net/archives/001785.php

http://www.tempehonline.com/

Say No to Monsanto Genetically Engeneered Alfalfa

2010-02-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

Call your Senators and Representative today and say
“USDA must not approve GE alfalfa!”

Monsanto wants to sell its genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa and wants the USDA to approve its permit application, but consumers, farmers, dairies, and food companies don’t want GE alfalfa plants and seeds released into the environment.

USDA’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) admits that if GE alfalfa is approved:

* GE Contamination of non-GE and organic alfalfa crops will occur
* GE contamination will economically impact small and family farmers
* Foreign export markets will be at risk due to rejection of GE contaminated products
* Farmers will be forced to use more toxic herbicides to remove old stands of alfalfa

Yet, unbelievably, USDA has decided that these impacts are insignificant! And, USDA intends to approve Monsanto’s Roundup Ready™ GE alfalfa anyway.

Call your Congressional Representatives today and ask them to hold USDA accountable by contacting Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack and urging him to deny approval of Monsanto's GE alfalfa! Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202)224-3121 and ask for your Senator/Representative’s office. If you do not know who they are click here to look them up. Speak with the agriculture staff person or leave a message. Tell them that you DO NOT support the deregulation of GE alfalfa, for the following reasons:

* GE contamination of non-GE and organic crops would be inevitable
* You won’t buy products that are GE-contaminated
* Alfalfa is a major food source for livestock and GE alfalfa would destroy the integrity of organic dairy products
* You support the rights of farmers to grow the crops of their choice, and GE contamination makes that impossible
* GE crops increase pesticide use, harming human health and the environment
* Ask your Representative and Senators to contact Secretary Vilsack and urge him to deny USDA approval of Monsanto's GE alfalfa

Then email us at info@truefoodnow.org and tell us who you called and let us know what kind of response you got!

Background

In 2006, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) sued the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its illegal approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa. USDA failed to conduct an environmental impact statement (EIS) before deregulating the crop, as required by law. An EIS is a rigorous analysis of the potential significant environmental, health, and economic impacts of a federal decision, mandated under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The federal courts sided with CFS and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA fully analyzed the impacts of the GE plant on the environment, farmers, and the public in an EIS.

USDA released its draft EIS on December 14, 2009. A 75-day comment period is now open until 3 March, 2010. CFS has begun analyzing the EIS and it is clear that the USDA has not taken the concerns of non-GE alfalfa farmers, dairies, exporters, retailers or consumers into consideration in its recommendation to approve the commercial sale (deregulation) of GE alfalfa. In fact, the EIS states that consumers don't care if their organic food is GE contaminated and neither do organic farmers, as long as farmers employ the organic practices required under the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA). Obviously, this is not true and we need to push our Congressional representatives to call upon USDA to deny the approval of GE alfalfa.

For more talking points and links to review the EIS and other documents, click here, or copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar: http://ga3.org/cfs/EIScongress.html

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
Tell-a-friend!

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Center for Food Safety.

They Named Him FREEDOM

2010-02-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

They Named Him FREEDOM

It lasted only minutes, but his life changed forever. His ordeal was horrific but he had no choice, he was motivated to risk everything in his escape to freedom. Freedom’s story needs to be told, so we don’t forget what it means to be FREE!

Dear IDA Member,

In January, Freedom and his family were among hundreds of America’s wild horses mercilessly chased by helicopters over dangerous terrain toward capture pens, where uncertain futures and sometimes death awaited them.

Most were terrorized - frozen with fear.

But Freedom fought back!

With dramatic determination, he regained his freedom by jumping a 6-foot fence, then breaking through barbed wire, as it painfully tore his flesh, in his successful effort to regain his liberty. The photos below show Freedom’s emotional and inspiring escape.

Today, IDA is fighting for all the wild horses who are threatened by man’s inhumanity. And we need your help!

Tens of thousands of America’s wild horses have been rounded up and trapped in internment camp-like corrals. They are threatened like never before by the BLM’s accelerating efforts to steal their land and drive them into extinction.

The BLM, doing the dirty work of the cattle industry and corrupt politicians, has removed tens of thousands of wild horses through cruel, unnecessary and illegal roundups - sending thousands of wild horses to their deaths in slaughterhouses, as millions of acres of land that had been reserved for them have been deliberately confiscated by this reckless agency.

As Dances With Wolves author Michael Blake wrote in an op-ed to be distributed by IDA:

Since 1971 our horses have been given no protection at all. They have been shot to death, poisoned, rustled for slaughter and captured in the tens of thousands by a government charged with protecting them…. The genocide of America’s wild horses has accelerated wildly. Today these iconic animals are approaching extinction.

The BLM claims that the last of our wild horses are being captured to protect them from starvation, lack of water, over-breeding and disruption of cattle ranching. The only wild horses I have seen in starvation are those in captivity. On many occasions I have witnessed wild horses having to travel twenty or thirty miles a day for water because ranchers and the government have denied them water by fencing off access to streams.

Simply put, the government’s removal of wild horses from public land is based entirely on the production of money. The public land that allegedly belongs to all citizens is being ruled by corporations engaged with the BLM. If the American laws we depend on were fair and equal, the Secretary of the Interior and the BLM squads involved in the roundups and killings would be defending themselves in court.

And that is precisely where we are today…

In federal court to stop the eradication of our nation’s wild horses.

In addition to the ground-breaking lawsuit IDA filed in December to stop the roundups, we have:

• Exposed the secretive plan by the BLM to rush a roundup of 200 horses living in Utah’s Confusion Mountains, forcing the BLM to postpone the roundup and initiate a new Environmental Assessment that will allow for full public participation after receiving thousands of outraged emails from IDA supporters.

• Successfully pressured the BLM to indefinitely postpone the stampede and capture of almost 500 horses in the Eagle Herd Management Area in Eastern Nevada through threat of additional legal action and letters of opposition from IDA supporters and activists.

• Funded video documentation and flyovers to gather evidence of the roundups.

• Sent action alerts that have generated over 17,000 emails to the Obama Administration.

• Helped organize protests nationwide including San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Albany, New York City, Phoenix, and Reno. These protests and our news releases and action alerts have generated hundreds of media stories.

With your help, here is what we will continue to do to SAVE AMERICA’S WILD HORSES:

• We will continue our lawsuit to stop the roundups.

• We will demand an end to massive, indiscriminate roundups that break up family structures and bonds and destroy long-standing relationships.

• We will press for the limitation of livestock grazing on the horses’ range lands.

• We will push for monitoring, counting, and identifying wild horses and their social groups.

• We will demand an end to the stockpiling of wild horses in cramped holding facilities.

Please, send IDA the most generous contribution you can. This vital campaign has already cost over $25,000 and is certain to cost tens of thousands more. Your gift will be put to immediate use to help protect America’s wild horses and to care for horses rescued from abuse and neglect or who are at risk of going to slaughter.

Freedom’s story is real! So are the monster helicopters. So are the older horses, pregnant horses, and little foals who are chased to exhaustion and death. So are the more than 35,000 horses crammed into BLM holding facilities, awaiting their fate.

With your support today, IDA will WIN this fight - and thousands of wild horses just like Freedom - the living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of this great country - will not be rounded up, confined for life - or worse - but continue to run FREE on their range the way nature and Congress intended.

Thank you for your continued generosity and caring.

Respectfully,

Elliot M. Katz, DVM
Founder and President, In Defense of Animals (IDA)

Visit IDA on:

In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA's efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa.

In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031
idainfo@idausa.org

Michelle Obama Lets' Move Campaign. Good start !!!

2010-02-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

However considering the amazing solution of steering away from animal based foods, I have not heard her say anything about that. Maybe this is the first step. She seems very sincere and passionate about her campaign, that's a good thing!

Michelle Obama Lets' Move Campaign. Good start !!!

Avandia kills thousands but FDA refuses to act!

2010-02-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

FDA refuses to pull dangerous diabetes drug Avandia, even knowing it will kill thousands

The Food and Drug Administration voted overwhelmingly to keep the diabetes drug Avandia on the market, despite its known deadly effects. Two FDA committees met yesterday in Gaithersburg, Maryland, to consider whether the drug -- which has led to the deaths of 80,000 people -- should be pulled from the marketplace.
http://www.naturalnews.com/021959_Avandia_diabetes.html

The FDA does not deny that the drug is dangerous. Members of the FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee voted 20-3 to acknowledge the finding that the drug raises the risk of heart attacks, and called for stronger warning labels.
------------------

Avandia's Black Box Warning

A black box warning is the strongest safety warning issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Named for their black borders, the warnings are supposed to call attention to life-threatening or very serious potential side effects of a drug.

They are the most serious action the FDA can take without recalling a drug or subjecting it to strict regulations. It was this type of warning that the FDA issued for Type II diabetes drug Avandia, after a study was published showing that Avandia raises its users’ risk of heart attacks by 43 percent and their risk of death from heart problems by 64 percent.

http://www.anapolschwartz.com/practices/avandia/avandias-blackbox-warning.asp

The Future of Food

2010-02-18T17:58:00.000-08:00

If you think seeds are the stuff food grows from, think again.
Seeds have become a battle field.
When once you could scatter seeds to grow your food, collect your own seeds and reseed now you have multi-billion companies like MONSANTO patenting seeds, and then sue farmers all over the country if they find what they claim are "their" seeds pop up in the farmers field. The go on to farmers property without consent, they collect samples of the plants and test them genetically then claim it's our seed and sue the farmers. Isn't that crazy!

Think if someone grows a crop and nature disburses a MONSANTO seeds you end up getting sued. MONSANTO own the seed so MONSANTO owns the plant and every seed coming from that plant species in the future. They made a small farmer and his wife destroy years of seeds because they claimed it was their seeds.

Seed and are disbursed in the way nature does... if the end up on your field and mix with your crop as you can see in the above movie, you can get sued by this huge company that has all the money, they can and they are ruining small farmers. This is bloody greed and the end result is that you can't grow food without the permission of these patent owners. These patents should never be given out. It's unnatural to panted a live giving force like seeds to one corporation. This belongs to people.

Yes my friends you don't even own seeds anymore. Whoever controls the seeds in the future will control food supply. This is a serious issue and every American should learn about this and get involved!

What is BT? You will hear in the above movie about BT a bacteria that is genetically engineered in to the genetically engineered corn. The Bacteria kills bugs. If a bug eats on the corn it will die. What is BT.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Report Details Monsanto's Patent Suits Against Farmers

Monsanto has filed 90 lawsuits against American farmers in 25 states that involve 147 farmers and 39 small businesses or farm companies. Compiled by staff

Center for Food Safety on Facebook

Please HELP to fight Animal Cruelty

2010-02-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Animal Lover and Defender,

I write you with some good news today –- and with an urgent request for your help.

We are closing in on our goal of raising $200,000 as a “counterpunch” to one of our more persistent critics –- an unprincipled group that gleefully stands in the way of all efforts to help animals so long as someone pays them to do it. They’re the worst kind of hired guns, representing nothing but greed -- even at the expense of animals who are suffering today and in need of rescue.

But we need your support to win the fight. Please make a special gift today to our animal care and welfare work.

Ask yourself, what kind of people would take delight in trying to prevent The HSUS from rescuing animals?

I’ll tell you who. Richard Berman and his lackey, David Martosko. They’re the shadowy flim-flam artists who do dirty work for agribusiness, tobacco interests and the like. They are the people who tell you that mercury-laced fish won't harm pregnant women and trans fats aren’t bad for you. And now they’re trying to tell you animals don’t matter.

Last week, I wrote a blog about them and set this $200,000 “counterpunch” challenge. The stakes are high, so please join me in making a donation today.

Martosko claims to be a “watchdog.” But Martosko saying he is a watchdog of animal protection is like a band of professional thieves acting as a home security company. He is a pro-cockfighting, pro-sealing, pro-puppy mill, pro-factory farming, pro-captive shooting hack whose organization does nothing but tear animal protection down and clear a pathway for animal abusers.

Let me call your attention to two events this week that underscore the urgency of the fundraising request I've made.

First, the Berman-Martosko operation openly encouraged factory farming interests to protest against a corporate partner of The HSUS. This partner company donated $100,000 to help cover the costs of our animal rescue efforts. That’s right, animal rescue. In natural disasters and in cases of cruelty -- when law enforcement agencies and our colleagues at local humane societies call for our help -- we roll with the best trained and best equipped animal rescue team in the nation. This work is entirely supported by donations from our generous members and corporate sponsors. That’s why we proudly wear the banner of a being a “charity.”

The second event occurred in rural Southern California. Here, a team of our animal rescue experts was on the ground working shoulder-to-shoulder with a local sheriff to raid a suspected, and massive, cockfighting operation. Together, we brought an end to the suffering of these animals.

Watch this video and see for yourself what “rescue” means.

Why would Berman and Martosko and their absurdly named Center for Consumer Freedom mock this alliance of law enforcement and animal rescue? I can only guess. I suspect they’re so money-hungry to shake down factory farming interests for cash to attack us that they’re blind to any kind of decency whatsoever.

That’s right, they and their shadowy funders would let animals be thrown in the ring to die for the sake of slowing down the work of The HSUS.

It won’t work, of course. Help us prove it to Berman, Martosko and their cronies and make a special gift today to protect animals from harm.

As always, thank you for all you do for animals.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States

-------------------------

Want to know more about who these folks are that are buying your elected officials for
Big food business. Read on it's VERY interesting!

Lobbyists Hide Behind Non-Profit Fronts

By Mark Matthews

May 3 - KGO (KGO) -- Lobbying in Washington is taking a new turn. A growing number of lobbying firms are setting up non-profit front groups to push their corporate messages. We found one example when we began investigating the source of information on a website called Fishscam.

For years we've heard about health risks associated with eating certain kinds of fish because of high mercury levels. The Chicago Tribune recently did a big report on canned tuna with high levels of mercury, forcing the FDA to reevaluate their standards. So I was particularly interested when I came across Fishscam.com which says those mercury warnings are full of baloney.

Like to eat ahi but you're worried about mercury? Click on Fishscam.com, a website run by the Center for Consumer Freedom.

David Martosko, Center for Consumer Freedom: "The best science indicates that the trace amounts of mercury in the fish we feed our children and our families is so small that it's not a danger to anybody."

David Martosko is director of research at the Center for Consumer Freedom -- a non-profit tax exempt educational organization.

David Martosko: "We like to call shenanigans on people when they're really off base. So we're sort of a watchdog group in that respect."

The center has found there's a lot to watch. You know those warnings about drinking and driving&

David Martosko: "Government statistics and independent science confirms very clearly that the drunk driving problem in this country has been reduced to a small hard core of repeat offenders."

In fact, government statistics don't show that. The majority of arrests are first-timers, but the center runs ad campaigns against lowering the legal blood alcohol limit.

You know those warnings that Americans are getting fat? The center says we should be promoting exercise.

David Martosko: "That would do far more to combat childhood obesity than say suing McDonald's."

The centers ads are eye catching. And the message is food police are out to take the ice cream away from children, the hot dog out of your hand.

The Center for Consumer Freedom ads say activists are trying to scare us. One of those activists is San Francisco physician Jane Hightower.

Dr. Jane Hightower, research scientist: "I'm honored." (laughs)

Dr. Hightower published a report linking the coronary artery disease in her patients with the large amounts of tuna and swordfish they were eating.

Dr. Jane Hightower: "I didn't get paid to do this study. I did it because people were not feeling well and they all had elevated mercury levels."

Her research is supported by the Environmental Protection Agency which warns pregnant women -- don't eat any swordfish.

David Martosko: "Dr. Hightower I think is three parts activist and one part scientist."

Martosko attacks Hightower for being an activist. But Martosko himself is no part scientist. He was a music major in college and then an AM radio talk show producer before becoming chief researcher for the Center for Consumer Freedom which is headquartered inside the lobbying offices of Richard Berman, a lobbyist for the restaurant and beverage industry.

Berman set up the Center for Consumer Freedom and a number of other tax exempt educational organizations. And those educational non-profits all seem to support messages that dove tail nicely with the food beverage and tobacco industries that have hired Richard Berman.

David Martosko: "Welcome to Washignton. This is the way things tend to be done here."

When we tried to ask Rick Berman himself about that, he ducked out of our interview.

Rick Berman: "We'll give you a photograph. Say whatever you want to say."

ABC7's Mark Matthews: "Oh don't do that to me."

Berman wouldn't talk with us about how his non-profits are connected financially to his lobbying business, and his research director didn't tell us.

David Martosko: "I don't know the firms that send the Center for Consumer Freedom money. I don't want to know. It's not my business to know."

We did find that 10 years ago Berman lived in a house in a D.C. suburb. After he opened his first non-profit, he moved to a much more expensive home.

The most recent available tax records for the Center for Consumer Freedom show in 2004 Berman and Co. took in a million-and-a-half dollars from the Center for Consumer Freedom.

John Stauber, environmental activist: "It's like getting a tax advantage for paying your lobbyist."

John Stauber is an environmental activist and founder of the Center for Media and Democracy which tracks Berman's financing. He says Berman's tax exempt organizations don't have to reveal who gives them money.

During one of our repeated requests for an interview, Rick Berman told me it wouldn't serve his food and beverage clients to be specifically identified with the often edgy campaigns of his non-profit educational organizations.

John Stauber, Center for Media & Democracy: "Not public interest campaigns, but smear campaigns that he brags about to muddy the image and reputation of legitimate public interest organizations and scientists."

Stauber says some groups have filed complaints against Berman with the IRS. The IRS doesn't confirm or deny investigations. The former IRS director in charge of the tax exempt division says the IRS takes a broad view of what is educational.

Marc Owens, former IRS division director: "If someone sets up a website claiming the moon is made of green cheese and they go through some elaborate proof of that, the IRS isn't going to say that's too absurd. It's a form of free speech."

Marc Owens says Berman could get in trouble if he's found to be running a tax exempt organization for private benefit. But the IRS admits it doesn't have a lot of people check up on that. Berman told the Washington Post he's been contacted by the IRS and nothing came of it because he's doing nothing wrong.

But on Capitol Hill, an activist on issues of health care and childhood obesity, Representative Pete Stark of Fremont, calls Berman's operation an abuse.

Pete Stark, D-Fremont: "I don't know what we do except expose the guy for what he is and expose the programs for doing what he's trying to do to people."

David Martosko told me that he likes to call shenanigans on people who are off base. We have that in common. There are a growing number of people keeping track of Berman and Co. For more information on that, visit the links below.

Center for Media and Democracy: on the Center for Consumer Freedom

Sourcewatch: on Berman & Co.

Sourcewatch: on Rick Berman

In Memory of "Joe Stack" 1956 - 2010

2010-02-18T12:04:00.000-08:00

Click on the image to see it larger.

I feel his pain about government corruption. It's the same government that is hiding the truth from our children, allowing food to be distributed in schools that have been proven to cause health problems and disease, they force parents to give their children drugs like Ritalin, they allow meat and other food products in to circulation that is contaminated and makes people sick, they allow and finance the torture of animal in the name of pseudo food, pseudo science and greed. They are in Bed with Drug conglomerates so they can make more poison to supposedly treat diseases when the evidence shows these diseases can be prevented. No matter who gets elected they all are of the same breed and that breed is greed & Power. Government has no moral compass. They play with our money as if it grows on trees and the same immoral acts keep getting committed and we pay for it. The public is in a trance.

The government is in bed with Drug companies and Meat and Dairy Industry. AND WE ALL PAY FOR IT in more than one way!!!

I am sorry Joe you felt so desperate to do what you did.
I wish you had not done this, and instead had used all your might to keep fighting the corruptness.

Violence is not the answer. They will now portrait you as a nut.
I pray for you and your family Joe!

READ what Joe had to say before his death.

If you’re reading this, you’re no doubt asking yourself, “Why did this have to happen?” The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time. The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn’t enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken. Needless to say, this rant could fill volumes with example after example if I would let it. I find the process of writing it frustrating, tedious, and probably pointless… especially given my gross inability to gracefully articulate my thoughts in light of the storm raging in my head. Exactly what is therapeutic about that I’m not sure, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

We are all taught as children that without laws there would be no society, only anarchy. Sadly, starting at early ages we in this country have been brainwashed to believe that, in return for our dedication and service, our government stands for justice for all. We are further brainwashed to believe that there is freedom in this place, and that we should be ready to lay our lives down for the noble principals represented by its founding fathers. Remember? One of these was “no taxation without representation”. I have spent the total years of my adulthood unlearning that crap from only a few years of my childhood. These days anyone who really stands up for that principal is promptly labeled a “crackpot”, traitor and worse.

While very few working people would say they haven’t had their fair share of taxes (as can I), in my lifetime I can say with a great degree of certainty that there has never been a politician cast a vote on any matter with the likes of me or my interests in mind. Nor, for that matter, are they the least bit interested in me or anything I have to say.

Why is it that a handful of thugs and plunderers can commit unthinkable atrocities (and in the case of the GM executives, for scores of years) and when it’s time for their gravy train to crash under the weight of their gluttony and overwhelming stupidity, the force of the full federal government has no difficulty coming to their aid within days if not hours? Yet at the same time, the joke we call the American medical system, including the drug and insurance companies, are murdering tens of thousands of people a year and stealing from the corpses and victims they cripple, and this country’s leaders don’t see this as important as bailing out a few of their vile, rich cronies. Yet, the political “representatives” (thieves, liars, and self-serving scumbags is far more accurate) have endless time to sit around for year after year and debate the state of the “terrible health care problem”. It’s clear they see no crisis as long as the dead people don’t get in the way of their corporate profits rolling in.

And justice? You’ve got to be kidding!

How can any rational individual explain that white elephant conundrum in the middle of our tax system and, indeed, our entire legal system? Here we have a system that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the master scholars to understand. Yet, it mercilessly “holds accountable” its victims, claiming that they’re responsible for fully complying with laws not even the experts understand. The law “requires” a signature on the bottom of a tax filing; yet no one can say truthfully that they understand what they are signing; if that’s not “duress” than what is. If this is not the measure of a totalitarian regime, nothing is.

How did I get here?

My introduction to the real American nightmare starts back in the early ‘80s. Unfortunately after more than 16 years of school, somewhere along the line I picked up the absurd, pompous notion that I could read and understand plain English. Some friends introduced me to a group of people who were having ‘tax code’ readings and discussions. In particular, zeroed in on a section relating to the wonderful “exemptions” that make institutions like the vulgar, corrupt Catholic Church so incredibly wealthy. We carefully studied the law (with the help of some of the “best”, high-paid, experienced tax lawyers in the business), and then began to do exactly what the “big boys” were doing (except that we weren’t steeling from our congregation or lying to the government about our massive profits in the name of God). We took a great deal of care to make it all visible, following all of the rules, exactly the way the law said it was to be done.

The intent of this exercise and our efforts was to bring about a much-needed re-evaluation of the laws that allow the monsters of organized religion to make such a mockery of people who earn an honest living. However, this is where I learned that there are two “interpretations” for every law; one for the very rich, and one for the rest of us… Oh, and the monsters are the very ones making and enforcing the laws; the inquisition is still alive and well today in this country.

That little lesson in patriotism cost me $40,000+, 10 years of my life, and set my retirement plans back to 0. It made me realize for the first time that I live in a country with an ideology that is based on a total and complete lie. It also made me realize, not only how naive I had been, but also the incredible stupidity of the American public; that they buy, hook, line, and sinker, the crap about their “freedom”… and that they continue to do so with eyes closed in the face of overwhelming evidence and all that keeps happening in front of them.

Before even having to make a shaky recovery from the sting of the first lesson on what justice really means in this country (around 1984 after making my way through engineering school and still another five years of “paying my dues”), I felt I finally had to take a chance of launching my dream of becoming an independent engineer.

On the subjects of engineers and dreams of independence, I should digress somewhat to say that I’m sure that I inherited the fascination for creative problem solving from my father. I realized this at a very young age.

The significance of independence, however, came much later during my early years of college; at the age of 18 or 19 when I was living on my own as student in an apartment in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My neighbor was an elderly retired woman (80+ seemed ancient to me at that age) who was the widowed wife of a retired steel worker. Her husband had worked all his life in the steel mills of central Pennsylvania with promises from big business and the union that, for his 30 years of service, he would have a pension and medical care to look forward to in his retirement. Instead he was one of the thousands who got nothing because the incompetent mill management and corrupt union (not to mention the government) raided their pension funds and stole their retirement. All she had was social security to live on.

In retrospect, the situation was laughable because here I was living on peanut butter and bread (or Ritz crackers when I could afford to splurge) for months at a time. When I got to know this poor figure and heard her story I felt worse for her plight than for my own (I, after all, I thought I had everything to in front of me). I was genuinely appalled at one point, as we exchanged stories and commiserated with each other over our situations, when she in her grandmotherly fashion tried to convince me that I would be “healthier” eating cat food (like her) rather than trying to get all my substance from peanut butter and bread. I couldn’t quite go there, but the impression was made. I decided that I didn’t trust big business to take care of me, and that I would take responsibility for my own future and myself.

Return to the early ‘80s, and here I was off to a terrifying start as a ‘wet-behind-the-ears’ contract software engineer… and two years later, thanks to the fine backroom, midnight effort by the sleazy executives of Arthur Andersen (the very same folks who later brought us Enron and other such calamities) and an equally sleazy New York Senator (Patrick Moynihan), we saw the passage of 1986 tax reform act with its section 1706.

For you who are unfamiliar, here is the core text of the IRS Section 1706, defining the treatment of workers (such as contract engineers) for tax purposes. Visit this link for a conference committee report (http://www.synergistech.com/1706.shtml#ConferenceCommitteeReport) regarding the intended interpretation of Section 1706 and the relevant parts of Section 530, as amended. For information on how these laws affect technical services workers and their clients, read our discussion here (http://www.synergistech.com/ic-taxlaw.shtml).

SEC. 1706. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN TECHNICAL PERSONNEL.

(a) IN GENERAL - Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:

(d) EXCEPTION. - This section shall not apply in the case of an individual who pursuant to an arrangement between the taxpayer and another person, provides services for such other person as an engineer, designer, drafter, computer programmer, systems analyst, or other similarly skilled worker engaged in a similar line of work.

(b) EFFECTIVE DATE. - The amendment made by this section shall apply to remuneration paid and services rendered after December 31, 1986.

Note:

Â· “another person” is the client in the traditional job-shop relationship.

Â· “taxpayer” is the recruiter, broker, agency, or job shop.

Â· “individual”, “employee”, or “worker” is you.

Admittedly, you need to read the treatment to understand what it is saying but it’s not very complicated. The bottom line is that they may as well have put my name right in the text of section (d). Moreover, they could only have been more blunt if they would have came out and directly declared me a criminal and non-citizen slave. Twenty years later, I still can’t believe my eyes.

During 1987, I spent close to $5000 of my ‘pocket change’, and at least 1000 hours of my time writing, printing, and mailing to any senator, congressman, governor, or slug that might listen; none did, and they universally treated me as if I was wasting their time. I spent countless hours on the L.A. freeways driving to meetings and any and all of the disorganized professional groups who were attempting to mount a campaign against this atrocity. This, only to discover that our efforts were being easily derailed by a few moles from the brokers who were just beginning to enjoy the windfall from the new declaration of their “freedom”. Oh, and don’t forget, for all of the time I was spending on this, I was loosing income that I couldn’t bill clients.

After months of struggling it had clearly gotten to be a futile exercise. The best we could get for all of our trouble is a pronouncement from an IRS mouthpiece that they weren’t going to enforce that provision (read harass engineers and scientists). This immediately proved to be a lie, and the mere existence of the regulation began to have its impact on my bottom line; this, of course, was the intended effect.

Again, rewind my retirement plans back to 0 and shift them into idle. If I had any sense, I clearly should have left abandoned engineering and never looked back.

Instead I got busy working 100-hour workweeks. Then came the L.A. depression of the early 1990s. Our leaders decided that they didn’t need the all of those extra Air Force bases they had in Southern California, so they were closed; just like that. The result was economic devastation in the region that rivaled the widely publicized Texas S&L fiasco. However, because the government caused it, no one gave a shit about all of the young families who lost their homes or street after street of boarded up houses abandoned to the wealthy loan companies who received government funds to “shore up” their windfall. Again, I lost my retirement.

Years later, after weathering a divorce and the constant struggle trying to build some momentum with my business, I find myself once again beginning to finally pick up some speed. Then came the .COM bust and the 911 nightmare. Our leaders decided that all aircraft were grounded for what seemed like an eternity; and long after that, ‘special’ facilities like San Francisco were on security alert for months. This made access to my customers prohibitively expensive. Ironically, after what they had done the Government came to the aid of the airlines with billions of our tax dollars … as usual they left me to rot and die while they bailed out their rich, incompetent cronies WITH MY MONEY! After these events, there went my business but not quite yet all of my retirement and savings.

By this time, I’m thinking that it might be good for a change. Bye to California, I’ll try Austin for a while. So I moved, only to find out that this is a place with a highly inflated sense of self-importance and where damn little real engineering work is done. I’ve never experienced such a hard time finding work. The rates are 1/3 of what I was earning before the crash, because pay rates here are fixed by the three or four large companies in the area who are in collusion to drive down prices and wages… and this happens because the justice department is all on the take and doesn’t give a fuck about serving anyone or anything but themselves and their rich buddies.

To survive, I was forced to cannibalize my savings and retirement, the last of which was a small IRA. This came in a year with mammoth expenses and not a single dollar of income. I filed no return that year thinking that because I didn’t have any income there was no need. The sleazy government decided that they disagreed. But they didn’t notify me in time for me to launch a legal objection so when I attempted to get a protest filed with the court I was told I was no longer entitled to due process because the time to file ran out. Bend over for another $10,000 helping of justice.

So now we come to the present. After my experience with the CPA world, following the business crash I swore that I’d never enter another accountant’s office again. But here I am with a new marriage and a boatload of undocumented income, not to mention an expensive new business asset, a piano, which I had no idea how to handle. After considerable thought I decided that it would be irresponsible NOT to get professional help; a very big mistake.

When we received the forms back I was very optimistic that they were in order. I had taken all of the years information to Bill Ross, and he came back with results very similar to what I was expecting. Except that he had neglected to include the contents of Sheryl’s unreported income; $12,700 worth of it. To make matters worse, Ross knew all along this was missing and I didn’t have a clue until he pointed it out in the middle of the audit. By that time it had become brutally evident that he was representing himself and not me.

This left me stuck in the middle of this disaster trying to defend transactions that have no relationship to anything tax-related (at least the tax-related transactions were poorly documented). Things I never knew anything about and things my wife had no clue would ever matter to anyone. The end result is… well, just look around.

I remember reading about the stock market crash before the “great” depression and how there were wealthy bankers and businessmen jumping out of windows when they realized they screwed up and lost everything. Isn’t it ironic how far we’ve come in 60 years in this country that they now know how to fix that little economic problem; they just steal from the middle class (who doesn’t have any say in it, elections are a joke) to cover their asses and it’s “business-as-usual”. Now when the wealthy fuck up, the poor get to die for the mistakes… isn’t that a clever, tidy solution.

As government agencies go, the FAA is often justifiably referred to as a tombstone agency, though they are hardly alone. The recent presidential puppet GW Bush and his cronies in their eight years certainly reinforced for all of us that this criticism rings equally true for all of the government. Nothing changes unless there is a body count (unless it is in the interest of the wealthy sows at the government trough). In a government full of hypocrites from top to bottom, life is as cheap as their lies and their self-serving laws.

I know I’m hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand. It has always been a myth that people have stopped dying for their freedom in this country, and it isn’t limited to the blacks, and poor immigrants. I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after. But I also know that by not adding my body to the count, I insure nothing will change. I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at “big brother” while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won’t continue; I have just had enough.

I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt; it will take nothing less. I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are. Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn’t so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer. The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at the top have known this all along and have been laughing, at and using this awareness against, fools like me all along.

I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.

The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.

Joe Stack (1956-2010)

02/18/2010

I am elated!

2010-02-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

I feel elated! I had ordered some vegan products and they arrived today.
A baking mix from "The Cravings Place", Primal Beef Jerky Texas BBQ (Without the Beef), and a Vegan baking Recipes Book. I feel like a kid in a vegan candy store.

Since I was ready for a snack, I immediately opened one of the beef jerky's. I have to say they are awesome. Very very good. I had beef jerky before and these vegan ones are BETTER! I am saying this without prejudice. They really are. There is no funky stuff to spit out, only one gram of fat per jerky and 10 grams of vegetable protein, no MSG really you feel like you had a very healthy snack and you did. You don't have to lose your teeth neither to eat them and yet they have a very jerky beef like texture... How do they do that???
I shall hand them out to my friends. They will definitely become a staple in my house.

The All Purpose Pancake Batter & Waffle mix will be tried out soon. I ordered six 23 oz packs of the batter, enough to share with a friend. What's great about it is that while it is certified Vegan it is also great for folks with gluten, casein, lactose, egg allergies, and people with celiac disease. I will give a pack to a friend of mine who struggles with bouts of gout and other joint pains usually after eating meat, bacon, eggs and certain breads and pastries and after drinking any alcohol. I think he'll enjoy having some pancakes and hopefully won't get the joint pain attacks.

Since I went all out vegan I have been transforming some of my favorite recipes to vegan and I am always on the lookout for good foods including snacks that also provide vegetable protein.

The other day I baked Cinnamon Rolls. I have been pretty famous among friends for my super Cinnamon rolls. However I used to use butter, eggs and milk. So now my challenge was to get them good without butter, eggs, and milk.

Well let me relive the suspense. My hand on my heart... they turned out fantastic.
Actually if I had said anyhting nobody would have noticed a difference.
Here is a picture of these yummy rolls. I make a yeast dough as normally, substitute the eggs with 2 Tbs of flax seed egg replacer (Grind 1 tbsp flaxseed [use 2 1/2 tbsp pre-ground flaxseeds] combine with 3 tablespoons of water to replace one egg. Make sure that the mixture has gelled before using it. Some people recommend simmering the two items together to thicken this mix.) for more egg replacing suggestions click here

Instead of butter I use vegetable oil or vegan margarine, I still use regular refined sugar (oh my :-) I use Silk instead of milk. After letting the dough rise twice, I roll I out and spread more oil or vegan margarine, nuts ( don't have to) generous cinnamon, sugar, Roll it all up. Cut them in to 1.5 inch pieces, set them upside down in to a baking form, pour over that a half a cup of silk soy milk, shred some dark "no milk" chocolate, sprinkle over rolls (can omit). Let them rise again for about 30 to 40 minutes, bake them in 375 oven for about 25 minutes. You may decorate them with powder sugar water mixture frosting.

The book I bought is:
The 100 Best VEGAN Baking Recipes.
Can't wait to try some of them.

Go Vegan... it's so exciting, refreshing, non violent and healthy!

The depths of Human Depravity

2010-02-17T06:45:00.000-08:00

The depths of Human Depravity

Celebrity chef Beppe Bigazzi upsets viewers with his cat casserole

When you read the story following the link above is basically about a cook who suggested cat stew on a Television cooking show.
While it is of course unthinkable for most feeling humans that we start to eat our pets, the article talks about the historical facts like during hart times people in the region ate cats. All this is well and good and anyone who knows me by now knows that I have become a vegan for moral and for health reasons in 2008. I have since reversed my high cholesterol, I have no more heart palpitations, no more swollen hurting feet, I increased my good cholesterol to what my Dr. Office calls "Marvelous" my blood pressure is that of a 20 year old, I have lost weight and totally reversed my digestive problems I had my whole life. God has blessed me because I am doing the right thing when it comes to my nourishment for my body and respect for his creation, so now he blessed me with good health. I thank God for that.

Since I've become Vegan I share all that it has done for me with people, if they want to listen. I have learned that most people do not want to hear that if they omit animal products they can reverse many of the health problems they have and prevent them if they start early.

I have come to the conclusion that right now, people would rather be or get sick then forgo animal protein consumption. They still hope for miracle cures from drug companies, no matter how many side effects those drugs may possess. Just give me something that I can take, so I do not have to change how and what I eat. People are not ready. It seems things have to get worse before they can get better. It makes me sad, for people but more so for animals because they certainly don't ask for the rotten deal they get. Humans on the other hand have the power to decide what to put in and on to their bodies.

More on the dangerous effect to our health presented by consuming animal protein will be featured in a film by Dr. Colin T. Campbell this summer. This will be ground breaking, a message that is simple but will not be welcomed by those who profit from what makes us sick and those that profit from promising to make us well again. God has a plan and the day will come where we will look back at all the terrible disease that plagued us and wonder what took us so long. But that day will only come if we are willing to listen and learn and be silent long enough to hear the message and then change our ways. The day we start listening to God, God will listen to us.

Back to the article about eating cats.
What is as disturbing to me than the article itself, is the heartless, ignorant and plain stupid comments, some people leave below the article.
Individuals who reduce important issues to clever one liners. Obviously padding themselves on the back for being so clever and crude, Uncaring, heartless, selfish, ignorant and mean.

Is this what we live next too? Is this my neighbor. Is this someone that if I see them in distress on the side of the road I should lend a hand? Are these the same people going to Church every Sunday? Who are these people??? I am trying so hard to give people the benefit of the doubt, trying to believe that humanity is evolving to be better people, kinder to all living creatures, I am trying to believe that Christians are going to extend the kindness they extend to humans eventually also to our fellow earthlings and God's creations the animals as St. Francis of Assisi, but when I read comments like these I say where are the people of good will?

We are all supposed to be brothers and sister but yet there seems to be an alien species walking among us. One that has a stone where "Humans" have a heart.
They can not be humans. I do not want to believe that humans can truly be so callous!

Here are some of the comments: The first one is typical for someone with a one track mind who probably can't walk and chew gum at the same time. As if protecting both unborn babies and protecting animals can't be done at the same time. All life is sacred ! Thank God for a few people speaking on behalf of the poor animals.

Roger Bannister wrote:

Let me guess... protect the cats but abort the humans.

February 17, 2010 2:14 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk

R T wrote:

So, which do you prefer ?

Kentucky Fried Cat
or
Kentucky Fried Chicken

February 17, 2010 1:34 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk

Andrew Thomas wrote:

Luca Lieghio wrote: "Having lived in both China and Vietnam I have eaten dog and, less often,cat.Its nothing special.These animals aren't pets,they are farmed for food."

Luca, you obviously no idea how cruelly these dogs and cats are killed. They are slowly hanged until dead through suffocation as it is believed it makes the meat more tender. If you want to condone inhumane cruelty, continue eating dog and cat. If not, then shut up.

February 17, 2010 1:33 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk

Frank Moss wrote:

He's welcome to come & try to get my cat; after his attempt, I'll be eating "long pig." It's all just meat, right?

February 17, 2010 1:29 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk

Karl Bird wrote:

I'd eat it, it's just another animal. Why no huge uproar every time he recommends a beef, chicken or pork dish? Give me one good reason why cats or dogs shouldn't be farmed as livestock.

February 17, 2010 1:23 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk

Nicholas Halsey wrote:

A lot of people seem to be very dogmatic about this mans culinary catastrophy

February 17, 2010 1:23 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk

Peter Fone wrote:

Didnt think it would take long before someone starts blaming the poor old moggy for the reduction of wild birds!
Look in the mirror, the biggest reason is human, in urban areas we have taken away any decent nesting & feeding areas with out fenced, not hedged gardens, smaller gardens in new developments & concreting over gardens for hard standing for cars.
Yep, we kill more than cats!

February 17, 2010 1:11 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk

imran khan wrote:

Big Deal, all this fuss over cats

Surely more important issues exist.

I wish I could cook my neighbours cat, at least it would prevent the constant mess it makes in my garden

February 17, 2010 1:07 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk

Kevin Flanagan wrote:

Served with catfish and catmint catkins in a cat's cradle of catnip ketchup.

Dectora Ryan wrote:
I must admit to hesitation about cat ( I am very fond of my cat). I have eaten dog (quite nice), donkey( much better), horse (really very good) and camel (say no more).
February 16, 2010 5:06 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (11)

Not all human food animals are herbivores. Pigs are omnivores like us and are often fed with food derived from other mamalian species. And of course most fish are carnivores or omnivores.
February 16, 2010 5:00 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (8)

P V wrote:
Ah, cat!
It makes the purrfect meal with a catnip garnish...and Chianti.
February 16, 2010 4:38 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (16)

Jo Boxer wrote:
"Why can we eat lambs but not cats?"

We've somehow evolved to eat the flesh of animals who don't eat flesh themselves. In many cultures it's taboo to eat cats and dogs but it's open season for non-carnivorous creatures!
February 16, 2010 4:38 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (7)

Paul Reeve wrote:
I see nothing fundamentally wrong in eating cat . Cat au Merangue would be a typical example of how seefarers of old would have put their pussies to good culinary use . Indeed, a class of vessel came to be named after this succulent dish.
February 16, 2010 4:29 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (10)

Seymour Likely wrote:
They were selling cat at the restaurant next door to the theatre last Christmas.
I saw it on the A board outside: "Puss in Boots"!
February 16, 2010 4:26 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (12)

Peter Cressall wrote:
Donald Heath: have you ever tried cat with mint sauce?
February 16, 2010 4:21 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (4)

Luke Slikely wrote:
I'm SURE my local Chinese & Indian takeaways have been using cats for years!
There's a Burmuda Triangle round here, where a week doesn't go by without a lamp post ad for a "Missing Cat".

The immigrants were nicking ducks and swans from the canal at one point too. They look upon it as FREE FOOD.
February 16, 2010 4:20 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (33)

K Jordan wrote:
I'm a vegetarian and obviously outraged by his comments but putting that aside; human beings only eat herbivores, i'm not sure if that is because eating carnivores would cause us health problems or if we just think that any animal (apart from ourselves of course!) that eats another animal is disgusting but cats eat mice and rats - think about it!
February 16, 2010 4:13 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (7)

Marco Piva wrote:
Horse meat is indeed delicious - and a very "normal" dish in the Italian cuisine. Cat can not be served (in the Vicenza area they serve rabbit calling it in suggestive ways) - and I still can not understand why.
February 16, 2010 4:02 PM GMT on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (5)

If you want to read more depraved comments go to the article

If we continue to eat flesh and consume animal protein, it will be our downfall for numerous reasons. Genetic degeneration (has already began), sickness (increasing), chronic disease (kills more flesh eating people, then any other cause and is preventable) the result is needless suffering, earlier death and genetically inferior new generations.

Those that do not change their ways will not be able to invoke God in to their lives, not until they live up to his expectations.
---------------------------------

Eight out of 10 men and nearly seven out of 10 women in England will be too fat by 2020, according to new data released Wednesday.

Researchers said that while recent research showed obesity among children levelling off, instances among adults show no sign of doing the same.

Some 41 percent of men aged 20 to 65 will be obese by 2020, with 40 percent overweight, according to the figures from the National Heart Forum, based on data from the Health Survey for England. That makes a total of 81 percent.

Among women, 36 percent will be obese and 32 percent overweight -- a total of 68 percent.

By 2050, this will lead to sharp increases in the number of people suffering strokes, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, researchers said.

"These trends demonstrate that the cautiously optimistic picture we presented in November 2009 for a levelling off of future obesity rates among children is not mirrored in adults," said Professor Klim McPherson of Oxford University, who also chairs the National Heart Forum.

"There are already more men who are obese than who are of a healthy weight and by the end of the decade, obese men and women could out-number those who are overweight."

Britons were "being overwhelmed by the effects of today's 'obesogenic' environment, with its abundance of energy-dense food and sedentary lifestyles," he added.

The research used figures from 1993 to 2007 to predict future obesity levels in England. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.906180e1b0b7b0f19676e09ec712c66e.a71&show_article=1

Forks Over Knifes

2010-02-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

http://forksoverknives.com/

Shameless, Greedy Fashion Designers

2010-02-16T06:52:00.001-08:00

Next to elements in the music and movie industry that make money by corrupting people, especially young people, and takes people down a path of self destruction or at least contributes in a huge way, the fashion industry is no better. They all prey on children because they are grooming the next generation of buyers for their products, that is come by through corruption.

Look at what sustains this whole industry. Look at the models, their life style, the drugs, the booze, and the whole unwholesome package. Is your teenage daughter obsessed with her looks? Well guess who is part of the problem? Instead of young vibrant children that enjoy the outdoors, or reading, learn about the environment, learn about nature, how food grows, doing productive things, come home with dirty fingernails and rosy cheeks, climb trees, enjoy the birds and all of God's creatures and develop a wholesome self image, they are obsessed with lipstick, fingernail polish, natuers's rosy cheeks are replaced by rouge, they obsess about their figure, their breasts, boys, their hair, cloths, glitter and jewelry and so on. Is that wholesome???
I say not.

Granted we have to dress. It's nice to have nice cloths. However the high fashions today are so out of most people financial reach, and are mostly ridiculous. The down grated version, more affordable, more wearable are often marketed to the most vulnerable people, the young ones, by using their IDOLS. Girls are made to look litte miniature women all eh while we lament child sexual predators.

On top of that we drag down other beings with us by killing thousands of animals if not millions to make cute fur trims. There is NOTHING CUTE about that. Our children would recoil if they saw how these poor creatures are killed.

Those that can't afford sable or fox, get cloths trimmed with rabbit of other farmed animals. They can be produced at little cost (MONEY), lives don't matter, animals are kept in atrocious conditions that are like concentration camps before killed, skinned (but much of import fur from China comes from animals that are not killed before skinned, they skin them while they are alive (saves time and avoids damage to the fur. YES THAT IS TRUE!) to make pretty cloth for the "average" consumer. Most of them never wonder what goes in to producing this fur collar, or trim (that has nothing to do with staying warm) they never bother looking at the suffering God's creatures on earth, that are sacrificed for our vanity and selfishness.

Of course the fashion industry counts on everyone ignorance and lack of self education. They propagandize and use distraction, like attacking organizations or individuals that fight for the tortured animal, trying to divert the issue away from what they are doing.
Lets be clear they have the power of MORE MONEY on their side and the have the power of people on their side who are captive in a world of consumerism, vanity, shallow wants they believe are needs, and all that is a powerful potion.

No matter how much money most animal rights organization raise, I bet it pales in comparison to the fur and fashion industry. That is like David & Goliath.

Fur is a fabric? No! Lets make it clear. Fur is NOT a fabric. You CAN NOT MAKE FUR. You can not WEAVE fur, it is ripped of the body of an animal that can be dead but is often still alive. Either bred and cages, or trapped, often wounded and in pain often left without food or water, treated like garbage. People say: "But it' s just an animal!"
What does that men???
That makes is OK to be cruel? I don't understand that sentence... "It's just an animal!!!"
Is that sort of like back in the day when white people said "It's just blacks they don't feel pain like whites!" that made it OK to whip them, talk down to them, keep them in cages, ridicule them, hang them? You did not have to feel compassion because they were different? Is that it?

If they are not like us (whites) then we can treat them cruelly, use them, buy and sell them, enslave them. White people gave themselves permission and eased their conscience by declaring black people as sub human.

Last night I watched in tears "The Lena Baker Story" Hope & Redemption. The only women ever send to the electric chair in Georgia, the state where I live. This happened in 1944. It is very difficult to imagine how such an atrocity could ever take place. What and injustice. But again when you decide or a segment of society decides that they can treat other beings as they please because they themselves are "Superior" then you get to understand why any atrocity, any cruelty can take place.

Lena was abducted, held captive, abused, beaten, raped, and when she could not take it anymore she shot her abuser half self defense half by accident as they struggled over the gun. Those that made themselves the superiors set in judgment and send her to the chair, she never stood a chance. There was no justice. Those whites that felt some sort of struggle with their conscience looked the other way, or looked down, but did nothing. They did not speak up for right!

It was gut wrenching and made me ashamed to belong to the white race.

Today I am ashamed to belong to the human race. Because we are doing the same thing. We humans are making us to be the superiors and give ourselves the right to do as we please with anything else. We have no mercy, no compassion, no respect!

Now we treat animals as less then animals. We deny them food, shelter, take their lives, their companions, kill their babies and take their milk, their skins, the list is endless, and we do it in cruel painful ways.

We treat them as sub animals when we say we can't do this or that to a dog or cat but we can do it to a cow or fox, or wolf. We make some of them villeins and some of them saints and therefore give ourselves permission to do as we please. And with us I mean all of us Humans, black, white, brown, beige, yellow, we all are now treading animals with the same disdain as whites treated blacks. It's all very disturbing. We have not learned a thing!

Animals feel pain just like we do!!! They have lots in common with the human animal.
So what does "It's just an animals mean??? Oh because we have a God.. religion... we are civilized? Is that the difference, we sure don't act like we love God. We act like we Love ourselves and hate God's creation. We act as if Humans are the ONLY LOVABLE creature on earth and even then half the time we kill each other. Violence begets violence!

In order to get any fur you first have to kill an innocent being on God's earth. It can only begotten through VIOLENCE.

Do you want your sweet child to wear something with a trim, dyed in candy colors, that came from violence and killing, a bunny fur? Then on Easter you see those Easter Bunnies and say "Ohhh how cute!" Do you see the hypocrisy? Or you the adult... Do you think wearing things, useless things, that come from violence and death will bring good karma?

Fur is the skin and coat of an animal that is no different then our skin, it serves a purpose. The animals can not live without that skin, we should respect that and leave it be. It is born with it and it should be the only one wearing it. In today's world we DO NOT NEED fur to stay warm. The model in the picture below could really use something on her legs, like pants or pantyhose.? Lets be clear we can be perfectly fashionable without killing.

Now we are supposed to believe that fur is making a come back because it is so cold.

What a crock.
If it's all because it's cold then how about putting some pants on girl.

These fashion designers just don't get it. They are all on my blacklist. I will not buy anything from any of these designers and I am telling anyone and everyone that stand still long enough just how out of style, cruel and disgusting these people are. This coat would be more elegant without that bulky fur on it anyway!

GREED GREED GREED
VANITY VANITY VANITY

Who wears fur? Beautiful Animals and Ugly people

Halston (Blood Fashions)

excerpt from http://blogs.wsj.com/runway/
Halston’s management team hired a young London-based designer, Marios Schwab, for its collection, and more recently tapped Sarah Jessica Parker to be the designer of the brand’s lower priced “Halston Heritage” line.
“It’s been a long time coming but I think we got it right,” said Mr. Weinstein, who was looking decidedly unfashionable with his signature shirt-un-tucked look, at the fashion presentation in a warehouse in Hell’s Kitchen (blogger comments: how appropriate). As he walked around the perimeter of the room, where models lounged on metallic props looking bored, he said, “Sarah Jessica has been a huge influence—she’s coming in ten minutes,” he added. (blogger comment: What about Sarah Jessica Parker, I thought she was on the side of animals? Has she changed her mind and is not going fur too? What gives?)

Designers Take Refuge in Warmer Fabrics

Speciesism
Speciesism is a term coined by Richard Ryder in 1970. The word refers to the widely held belief that the human species is inherently superior to other species and so has rights or privileges that are denied to other sentient animals. (See Painism). ‘Speciesism’ can also be used to describe the oppressive behaviour, cruelty, prejudice and discrimination that are associated with such a belief. In a more restricted sense, speciesism can refer to such beliefs and behaviours if they are based upon the species-difference alone, as if such a difference is, in itself, a justification.
Ryder used the term as a deliberate ‘wake-up call’ to challenge the morality of current practices where nonhuman animals are being exploited in research, in farming, domestically and in the wild, and he consciously drew the parallel with the terms racism and sexism. Ryder pointed out that all such prejudices are based upon physical differences that are morally irrelevant. He suggested that the moral implication of Darwinism is that all sentient animals, including humans, should have a similar moral status.
In his first privately published leaflet entitled Speciesism, Ryder asked a number of rhetorical questions:
Since Darwin, scientists have agreed that there is no ‘magical’ essential difference between human and other animals, biologically- speaking. Why, then, do we make an almost total distinction morally? If all organisms are on one physical continuum, then we should also be on the same moral continuum.
The word ‘species’, like the word ‘race’, is not precisely definable. Lions and tigers can interbreed. Under special laboratory conditions it may soon prove possible to mate a gorilla with a professor of biology — will the hairy offspring be kept in a cage or a cradle?
It is customary to describe Neanderthal Man as a separate species from ourselves, one especially equipped for Ice-Age survival. Yet most archaeologists now believe that this nonhuman creature practised ritual burial and possessed a larger brain than we do. Suppose that the elusive Abominable Snowman, when caught, turns out to be the last survivor of this Neanderthal species; would we give him a seat at the UN or would we implant electrodes in his super-human brain?
A second edition of this leaflet, illustrated and with the name and address of David Wood added, was circulated around the colleges of Oxford University where it was seen by the young Australian philosopher Peter Singer. A little earlier, the novelist Brigid Brophy, having read some of Ryder’s letters about the treatment of animals published in the Daily Telegraph (e.g. 7th April and 3rd May 1969), introduced Ryder to the Oxford philosophers John Harris and Roslind and Stanley Godlovitch who invited Ryder to contribute a chapter on Animal Experimentation to their forthcoming collection of essays entitled Animals, Men and Morals, subsequently published by Gollancz in 1971. In this contribution Ryder bases his moral objection to painful animal experimentation upon his principle of ‘speciesism’. This historic book was subsequently reviewed by Peter Singer who then approached Richard Ryder to find out more about his ideas on the subject. Singer invited Ryder to share the authorship of his forthcoming book, Animal Liberation. Ryder declined, but gave much research material to Singer that had already been used by Ryder for his book Victims of Science (1975). Peter Singer has frequently acknowledged his debt to Ryder for the term speciesism which Singer, as a Utilitarian, has used skilfully. The term is now in most English dictionaries and is much employed by philosophers.
Ryder points out that there is no absolute barrier between species and that transgenic animals and so-called chimeras contain the genes of several species. How would we treat hominids of a different species if some turned up, he asks, or aliens from outer space? The latter may be highly intelligent, autonomous and of a different species, but should intelligence or autonomy or species affect moral status? Suffering, surely is the essential feature. (See Painism).
Above all, Ryder and other anti-speciesists have challenged the usual Judaeo-Christian assumption of Western societies that the human-being has some semi-divine status. “I have never yet heard” Ryder has said “any rational argument in support of speciesism — except, of course, sheer bloody self-interest.”
Ryder went on to become a leading campaigner for animal protection, modernising the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) as its Chairman, and helping to put animals into politics internationally. He also became Director of the Political Animal Lobby, founder of Eurogroup for Animals and first Chairman of the Liberal Democrats Animal Welfare Group. Ryder refers to speciesism in all his main writings. (See Ryder Animal Revolution : Changing Attitudes Towards Speciesism, Basil Blackwell Ltd., 1989, revised edition Berg, Oxford, 2000; The Political Animal : The Conquest of Speciesism, McFarland, 1998 and Putting Morality Back into Politics, Imprint Academic, 2006.) For a full treatment of Ryder’s wider-ranging ethics see his Painism: A Modern Morality, Opengate Press, 2001.
Link to the Wikipedia article on Richard D Ryder
WWW.RICHARDRYDER.CO.UK

Did the Nazis make lampshades out of human skin?

Can we please have all the facts

2010-02-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

Weir on threats: 'I didn't want to get hurt'

U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir says he received threats from anti-fur activists that made him fear for his safety, causing him to scrub any plans to stay at a hotel while in Vancouver for the Olympics.

"I felt very threatened," he said Saturday. "I'm not allowed to say how everything got through, but my agent got letters and faxes and e-mails. I got letters at the ice rink, somebody found my phone number.

"All these crazy fur people. Security-wise, to stay in a hotel would be very difficult. There have been threats against me. I didn't want to get hurt."

Weir is sharing a suite with U.S. ice dancer Tanith Belbin in the Olympic village. The longtime friends have their own bedrooms and bathrooms.

Belbin won Olympic silver in 2006 with partner Ben Agosto. A three-time national champion, Weir, who finished fifth in Torino, was third at this year's nationals to gain the final spot on the U.S. team.

The men's short program is Tuesday with the free skate set for Thursday.

"I'm just an easy person to pick on because I like fur," he said. "It's easy to put your case against an athlete who is going to the Olympics. It's a very good, easy thing for these activists.

"It's a very scary thing. I'm a figure skater, I'm not some huge politician who gets these things all the time."

Weir was criticized by animal-rights activists after he donned a costume in nationals with white fox fur on the shoulder. He said after the event that he would wear faux fur in the Games, but has since changed his mind.

"It was not because I was pressured to change it, but because I don't like faux fur," Weir explained. "I didn't change the costume, I'm just switching back to another costume."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
http://sports.espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2010/figureskating/news/story?id=4913557&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines
----------------------------------------------------------

OK... Can we please have the facts about these alleged threads.
What was said or done?

Criticism is not the same as threads.

If speaking out against the torture of animals and criticizing people for supporting it by wearing fur is now considered a "Thread" then we are in deep trouble. With these standards the civil rights movement would have never been able to take place.

Generalizations like "All These Crazy Fur People" sounds to me I am the one that should feel threatened. I advocate against fur, but I know I am not crazy. Caring about animals and fighting for peace and non violence does not make you a crazy person.

What seems to me, you got to be crazy to think it's OK to strip and animal of it's natural skin often while the animal is alive, or keep animals in tight cages with wire bottoms where animals go crazy and finally they get electrocuted, something every fur wearing human should watch sometimes, all this, so another animal the humans can wear the skin for reasons of vanity, and those that kill those helpless beings and those that wear fur and act as if it is the most normal thing, I say THEY ARE CRAZY! I say anyone who can cross that barrier of compassion and torture an animals for ANY REASON is CRAZY!

Looks to me like he is whining and being a crybaby. He does not want to be criticized, so he says "I'm being threatened". Grow up. Criticism is NOT a thread. Can we please have the facts! What was allegedly said, what was allegedly done?

Change only comes through criticism. Free speech still allows us to criticize.
So unless someone specifically told him "I am going to kill you, or beat you up!" this is a drummed up, blown out of proportion, if not blatantly invented story to once again cast a negative light on all animal rights people. I wouldn't be surprised if some fur organization is behind it.

It's the same when people stand up for the unborn babies. You have someone who acts criminally and the whole movement is demonized and vilified.

Just as they did when people stood up against segregation. Vilify those that fight injustice. After they try to vilify, criminalize and discredit and don't succeed, they kill you outright, as they did with Dr. King. They murdered him because they did not like his message and wanted to stop the civil rights movement. If anyone should be afraid it is us the Animals Rights people who are in the governments cross-hair for nothing more then speaking out against cruelty and injustice for those that do NOT HAVE A VOICE.

If anything I feel threatened when I learn that the office of National Security is targeting folks like me and are trying to intimidate us in to silence.

Make us the bad guys to shut us up. As a matter of fact one animals rights advocate that I know was attacked by masked hooded men, beaten and had his face stuck in dog excrement for being what he is, an outspoken animal rights advocate, he uses words only, words you can agree with or disagree, he's not sugar coating anything, and he has a right to speak the truth, he never laid a hand on anyone.

But yet those that disagree with his activism seem to be given a free rain to beat him up. I'm not sure what the police is doing about that but you can learn more here. http://veganschool101.com/

It won't work. I for one will continue to "Criticize" people for wearing fur!

I am NOT watching the winter Olympics because of the fur controversies that are part of it and teh Canadian seal slaughter.

Boycott the Olympics, Boycott anyone and anything that buys sells or wears fur!

and One more thing..

Here is a quote what he supposedly said according to this article above.

"I'm just an easy person to pick on because I like fur," he said. "It's easy to put your case against an athlete who is going to the Olympics. It's a very good, easy thing for these activists.

"It's a very scary thing. I'm a figure skater, I'm not some huge politician who gets these things all the time."

"I'm just an easy person to pick on because I like fur," well yes, people that advocate for animals to keep their skin, won't be criticizing people that do not wear fur, so duh they criticize YOU for wearing fur. Weir is not very bight.

then he said "It's a very scary thing..." interesting he knows what it feels like to be scared. What about each of these animals, do you think they are scared, when they are crammed in to tiny cages, running in circles, seeing their kind killed in front of them, smelling the blood, hearing the screams, death all around, can't escape, not being fed or given water, do you think they are scared???

We tread animals like garbage not because they committed any crime and unforgivable sin, no we do it JUST BECAUSE WE CAN and because of GREED!

Unlike you Mr. Weir they can NOT GIVE INTERVIEWS, THEY DO NOT HAVE A LOBBY, they have only us crazy animals rights people trying to speak for them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Something has got to change. We kill animals that can't defend themselves for vanity and greed, we prostitute children for personal gains and fanfare... this is all so wrong.
You just can't say there is nothing wrong with putting a bustier like top on a seven year old girl and put her up at the carnival. This poor child is too young and not ready for such attention. It is immoral, it is wrong. Our society is becoming more violent more sexual, while LOVE and RESPECT for ALL LIFE is not promoted, not at home, not in school.
Sex has become unanimous with love. Violence has become a way of life.
It's all going to end badly unless we wake up and start doing the right things.

Seven-year-old Rio carnival queen bursts into tears

A Poet Called Benjamin Zephaniah - Vegan Poet

2010-02-14T13:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine!

2010-02-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

Animal Antibiotics a Threat?

2010-02-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

Watch CBS News Videos Online

This report is a good start but the bottom line is that this has been going on for decades and what is reported is just the tip of the iceberg and also done very gently. There needs to be some real deep investigating and crack down on these industries, that is making million of people sick.

Factory farming is not humane... not for the animals and not for humans. The pigs may be healthy given prophylactic antibiotics, but the humans are getting sick.
Factory farmers ONLY CARE about THEIR bottom line.

In this report they are ONLY talking about antibiotics that does not even include other drugs animal for consumption, are given, to fight parasites, cows to produce more milk, chickens so they won't get intestinale parasides while feedign on their own feces, heck Chicken meat is dipped in to chlorine to make is safer to eat??? SALMONELLA!!! and the list goes on.

By the time it's all said and done this stuff is not fit for consumption. We ONLY know a small portion of the truth here.

The solution to this is Go Vegan. It's the only humane solution for animals and for humans!

Cows Milk ... The Big WHITE LIE!

2010-02-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

When it comes to milk the American Public is deaf, dumb and blind.
For starters Milk seems to be a holy, untouchable substance for most Americans.
You can't say anyhting bad about the stuff, even if you can back it up with science.

Nowhere else in the world do people drink as much milk as in the US per capita.
When bad weather is going to hit...
everyone seem to run to the store for "MILK and Bread.

There are much more reliable and better storage-able foods that should be in your cupboard in case of a storm. Americans are addicted to MILK, regardless of how bad this stuff is for your stomach or heart health. I for one hated milk from the time I could walk. I had to drink the stuff because mom said so. It made me gag and when I grew up I never touched it again. I grew up in France & Germany so when I came to the US 20+ years ago I was amazed at the amounts of milk on the store shelf's. GALLONS!!! What the heck, I was thinking, what are they doing with this much milk?

Of course then there is the "School Lunch" program ( we did not have such a thing in Germany. Kids had to bring their lunch from home, during my youth).

Here in the US the food that kids eat is controlled by the government. School lunches make MILK a must drink... the advertising is pushing this stuff, regardless of adverse health affect it can cause in many children and long term health affects it is linked to. I have to say I am shocked at the whole thing. The fact that schools are doing it, the fact that parents are silent, the fact that everyone act as if Milk is so great. It's a myth created by decades of advertising paid for by the Dairy industry.

What takes the cake is that we the tax payer, including those of us who are against Milk consumptions for health reasons are paying for it. We pay subsidies to dairy farmers and we pay when those that get sick and have to get treated for heart disease, digestive problems, diabetics etc.

Let me not even get started on the "Bread" that has no substance, fiber nutritional value and sticks to the roof of your mouths like glue.

Milk... has 3 pads of butter per eight ounce glass, is loaded with fat and cholesterol, contains about 80% Casein which is also used to make paints for artist like myslef. "Casein Paints" they are very sticky gum like. I call milk "The White Killer"!

http://farm.ewg.org/farm/pdf/milc06.pdf

Casein Allergy Symptoms

Casein is used by food manufacturers because it has glue like properties that allows it to hold foods together, this gives the foods a firmer appearance. If you do suffer from this type of allergy you will need to scrutinize your foods carefully in order to ensure that you do not accidentally consume this allergen. Fortunately there are many foods in the supermarket that are casein free, you can confirm this by checking their labels, this makes the task of avoiding casein a bit easier.http://ezinearticles.com/?Casein-Allergy---Everything-You-Need-to-Know-About-an-Allergy-to-Casein&id=1025452

THE MILK LETTER : A MESSAGE TO MY PATIENTS
Robert M. Kradjian, MD
Breast Surgery Chief Division of General Surgery,
Seton Medical Centre #302 - 1800 Sullivan Ave.
Daly City, CA 94015 USA
Text Only


THE MILK LETTER : A MESSAGE TO MY PATIENTS
              Robert M. Kradjian, MD
  Breast Surgery Chief Division of General Surgery,
   Seton Medical Centre #302 - 1800 Sullivan Ave.
             Daly City, CA 94015 USA

"MILK" Just the word itself sounds comforting! "How about a nice cup of
hot milk?" The last time you heard that question it was from someone who
cared for you--and you appreciated their effort.

The entire matter of food and especially that of milk is surrounded with
emotional and cultural importance. Milk was our very first food. If we
were fortunate it was our mother's milk. A loving link, given and taken.
It was the only path to survival. If not mother's milk it was cow's milk
or soy milk "formula"--rarely it was goat, camel or water buffalo milk.

Now, we are a nation of milk drinkers. Nearly all of us. Infants, the
young, adolescents, adults and even the aged. We drink dozens or even
several hundred gallons a year and add to that many pounds of "dairy
products" such as cheese, butter, and yogurt.

Can there be anything wrong with this? We see reassuring images of
healthy, beautiful people on our television screens and hear messages
that assure us that, "Milk is good for your body." Our dieticians insist
that: "You've got to have milk, or where will you get your calcium?"
School lunches always include milk and nearly every hospital meal will
have milk added. And if that isn't enough, our nutritionists told us for
years that dairy products make up an "essential food group." Industry
spokesmen made sure that colourful charts proclaiming the necessity of
milk and other essential nutrients were made available at no cost for
schools. Cow's milk became "normal."

You may be surprised to learn that most of the human beings that live on
planet Earth today do not drink or use cow's milk. Further, most of them
can't drink milk because it makes them ill.

There are students of human nutrition who are not supportive of milk use
for adults. Here is a quotation from the March/April 1991 Utne Reader:

If you really want to play it safe, you may decide to join the growing
number of Americans who are eliminating dairy products from their diets
altogether. Although this sounds radical to those of us weaned on milk
and the five basic food groups, it is eminently viable. Indeed, of all
the mammals, only humans--and then only a minority, principally
Caucasians--continue to drink milk beyond babyhood.

Who is right? Why the confusion? Where best to get our answers? Can we
trust milk industry spokesmen? Can you trust any industry spokesmen? Are
nutritionists up to date or are they simply repeating what their
professors learned years ago? What about the new voices urging caution?

I believe that there are three reliable sources of information. The
first, and probably the best, is a study of nature. The second is to
study the history of our own species. Finally we need to look at the
world's scientific literature on the subject of milk.

Let's look at the scientific literature first. From 1988 to 1993 there
were over 2,700 articles dealing with milk recorded in the 'Medicine'
archives. Fifteen hundred of theses had milk as the main focus of the
article. There is no lack of scientific information on this subject. I
reviewed over 500 of the 1,500 articles, discarding articles that dealt
exclusively with animals, esoteric research and inconclusive studies.

How would I summarize the articles? They were only slightly less than
horrifying. First of all, none of the authors spoke of cow's milk as an
excellent food, free of side effects and the 'perfect food' as we have
been led to believe by the industry. The main focus of the published
reports seems to be on intestinal colic, intestinal irritation,
intestinal bleeding, anemia, allergic reactions in infants and children
as well as infections such as salmonella. More ominous is the fear of
viral infection with bovine leukemia virus or an AIDS-like virus as well
as concern for childhood diabetes. Contamination of milk by blood and
white (pus) cells as well as a variety of chemicals and insecticides was
also discussed. Among children the problems were allergy, ear and
tonsillar infections, bedwetting, asthma, intestinal bleeding, colic and
childhood diabetes. In adults the problems seemed centered more around
heart disease and arthritis, allergy, sinusitis, and the more serious
questions of leukemia, lymphoma and cancer.

I think that an answer can also be found in a consideration of what
occurs in nature & what happens with free living mammals and what
happens with human groups living in close to a natural state as 'hunter-
gatherers'.

Our paleolithic ancestors are another crucial and interesting group to
study. Here we are limited to speculation and indirect evidences, but
the bony remains available for our study are remarkable. There is no
doubt whatever that these skeletal remains reflect great strength,
muscularity (the size of the muscular insertions show this), and total
absence of advanced osteoporosis. And if you feel that these people are
not important for us to study, consider that today our genes are
programming our bodies in almost exactly the same way as our ancestors
of 50,000 to 100,000 years ago.

WHAT IS MILK?

Milk is a maternal lactating secretion, a short term nutrient for new-
borns. Nothing more, nothing less. Invariably, the mother of any mammal
will provide her milk for a short period of time immediately after
birth. When the time comes for 'weaning', the young offspring is
introduced to the proper food for that species of mammal. A familiar
example is that of a puppy. The mother nurses the pup for just a few
weeks and then rejects the young animal and teaches it to eat solid
food. Nursing is provided by nature only for the very youngest of
mammals. Of course, it is not possible for animals living in a natural
state to continue with the drinking of milk after weaning.


IS ALL MILK THE SAME?

Then there is the matter of where we get our milk. We have settled on
the cow because of its docile nature, its size, and its abundant milk
supply. Somehow this choice seems 'normal' and blessed by nature, our
culture, and our customs. But is it natural? Is it wise to drink the
milk of another species of mammal?

Consider for a moment, if it was possible, to drink the milk of a mammal
other than a cow, let's say a rat. Or perhaps the milk of a dog would be
more to your liking. Possibly some horse milk or cat milk. Do you get
the idea? Well, I'm not serious about this, except to suggest that human
milk is for human infants, dogs' milk is for pups, cows' milk is for
calves, cats' milk is for kittens, and so forth. Clearly, this is the
way nature intends it. Just use your own good judgement on this one.

Milk is not just milk. The milk of every species of mammal is unique and
specifically tailored to the requirements of that animal. For example,
cows' milk is very much richer in protein than human milk. Three to four
times as much. It has five to seven times the mineral content. However,
it is markedly deficient in essential fatty acids when compared to human
mothers' milk. Mothers' milk has six to ten times as much of the
essential fatty acids, especially linoleic acid. (Incidentally, skimmed
cow's milk has no linoleic acid). It simply is not designed for humans.

Food is not just food, and milk is not just milk. It is not only the
proper amount of food but the proper qualitative composition that is
critical for the very best in health and growth. Biochemists and
physiologists -and rarely medical doctors - are gradually learning that
foods contain the crucial elements that allow a particular species to
develop its unique specializations.

Clearly, our specialization is for advanced neurological development and
delicate neuromuscular control. We do not have much need of massive
skeletal growth or huge muscle groups as does a calf. Think of the
difference between the demands make on the human hand and the demands on
a cow's hoof. Human new-borns specifically need critical material for
their brains, spinal cord and nerves.

Can mother's milk increase intelligence? It seems that it can. In a
remarkable study published in Lancet during 1992 (Vol. 339, p. 261-4), a
group of British workers randomly placed premature infants into two
groups. One group received a proper formula, the other group received
human breast milk. Both fluids were given by stomach tube. These
children were followed up for over 10 years. In intelligence testing,
the human milk children averaged 10 IQ points higher! Well, why not? Why
wouldn't the correct building blocks for the rapidly maturing and
growing brain have a positive effect?

In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1982) Ralph Holman
described an infant who developed profound neurological disease while
being nourished by intravenous fluids only. The fluids used contained
only linoleic acid -just one of the essential fatty acids. When the
other, alpha linoleic acid, was added to the intravenous fluids the
neurological disorders cleared.

In the same journal five years later Bjerve, Mostad and Thoresen,
working in Norway found exactly the same problem in adult patients on
long term gastric tube feeding.

In 1930 Dr. G.O. Burr in Minnesota working with rats found that linoleic
acid deficiencies created a deficiency syndrome. Why is this mentioned?
In the early 1960s pediatricians found skin lesions in children fed
formulas without the same linoleic acid. Remembering the research, the
addition of the acid to the formula cured the problem. Essential fatty
acids are just that and cows' milk is markedly deficient in these when
compared to human milk.

WELL, AT LEAST COW'S MILK IS PURE

Or is it? Fifty years ago an average cow produced 2,000 pounds of milk
per year. Today the top producers give 50,000 pounds! How was this
accomplished? Drugs, antibiotics, hormones, forced feeding plans and
specialized breeding; that's how.

The latest high-tech onslaught on the poor cow is bovine growth hormone
or BGH. This genetically engineered drug is supposed to stimulate milk
production but, according to Monsanto, the hormone's manufacturer, does
not affect the milk or meat. There are three other manufacturers:
Upjohn, Eli Lilly, and American Cyanamid Company. Obviously, there have
been no long-term studies on the hormone's effect on the humans drinking
the milk. Other countries have banned BGH because of safety concerns.
One of the problems with adding molecules to a milk cows' body is that
the molecules usually come out in the milk. I don't know how you feel,
but I don't want to experiment with the ingestion of a growth hormone. A
related problem is that it causes a marked increase (50 to 70 per cent)
in mastitis. This, then, requires antibiotic therapy, and the residues
of the antibiotics appear in the milk. It seems that the public is
uneasy about this product and in one survey 43 per cent felt that growth
hormone treated milk represented a health risk. A vice president for
public policy at Monsanto was opposed to labelling for that reason, and
because the labelling would create an 'artificial distinction'. The
country is awash with milk as it is, we produce more milk than we can
consume. Let's not create storage costs and further taxpayer burdens,
because the law requires the USDA to buy any surplus of butter, cheese,
or non-fat dry milk at a support price set by Congress! In fiscal 1991,
the USDA spent $757 million on surplus butter, and one billion dollars a
year on average for price supports during the 1980s (Consumer Reports,
May 1992: 330-32).

Any lactating mammal excretes toxins through her milk. This includes
antibiotics, pesticides, chemicals and hormones. Also, all cows' milk
contains blood! The inspectors are simply asked to keep it under certain
limits. You may be horrified to learn that the USDA allows milk to
contain from one to one and a half million white blood cells per
millilitre. (That's only 1/30 of an ounce). If you don't already know
this, I'm sorry to tell you that another way to describe white cells
where they don't belong would be to call them pus cells. To get to the
point, is milk pure or is it a chemical, biological, and bacterial
cocktail? Finally, will the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) protect
you? The United States General Accounting Office (GAO) tells us that the
FDA and the individual States are failing to protect the public from
drug residues in milk. Authorities test for only 4 of the 82 drugs in
dairy cows.

As you can imagine, the Milk Industry Foundation's spokesman claims it's
perfectly safe. Jerome Kozak says, "I still think that milk is the
safest product we have."

Other, perhaps less biased observers, have found the following: 38% of
milk samples in 10 cities were contaminated with sulfa drugs or other
antibiotics. (This from the Centre for Science in the Public Interest
and The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 29, 1989).. A similar study in
Washington, DC found a 20 percent contamination rate (Nutrition Action
Healthletter, April 1990).

What's going on here? When the FDA tested milk, they found few problems.
However, they used very lax standards. When they used the same criteria,
the FDA data showed 51 percent of the milk samples showed drug traces.

Let's focus in on this because itÂ’s critical to our understanding of
the apparent discrepancies. The FDA uses a disk-assay method that can
detect only 2 of the 30 or so drugs found in milk. Also, the test
detects only at the relatively high level. A more powerful test called
the 'Charm II test' can detect drugs down to 5 parts per billion.

One nasty subject must be discussed. It seems that cows are forever
getting infections around the udder that require ointments and
antibiotics. An article from France tells us that when a cow receives
penicillin, that penicillin appears in the milk for from 4 to 7
milkings. Another study from the University of Nevada, Reno tells of
cells in 'mastic milk', milk from cows with infected udders. An
elaborate analysis of the cell fragments, employing cell cultures, flow
cytometric analysis , and a great deal of high tech stuff. Do you know
what the conclusion was? If the cow has mastitis, there is pus in the
milk. Sorry, itÂ’s in the study, all concealed with language such as
"macrophages containing many vacuoles and phagocytosed particles," etc.

IT GETS WORSE

Well, at least human mothers' milk is pure! Sorry. A huge study showed
that human breast milk in over 14,000 women had contamination by
pesticides! Further, it seems that the sources of the pesticides are
meat and--you guessed it--dairy products. Well, why not? These
pesticides are concentrated in fat and that's what's in these products.
(Of interest, a subgroup of lactating vegetarian mothers had only half
the levels of contamination).

A recent report showed an increased concentration of pesticides in the
breast tissue of women with breast cancer when compared to the tissue of
women with fibrocystic disease. Other articles in the standard medical
literature describe problems. Just scan these titles:

1.Cow's Milk as a Cause of Infantile Colic Breast-Fed Infants. Lancet 2
(1978): 437 2.Dietary Protein-Induced Colitis in Breast- Fed Infants, J.
Pediatr. I01 (1982): 906 3.The Question of the Elimination of Foreign
Protein in Women's Milk, J. Immunology 19 (1930): 15

There are many others. There are dozens of studies describing the prompt
appearance of cows' milk allergy in children being exclusively breast-
fed! The cows' milk allergens simply appear in the mother's milk and are
transmitted to the infant.

A committee on nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics reported
on the use of whole cows' milk in infancy (Pediatrics 1983: 72-253).
They were unable to provide any cogent reason why bovine milk should be
used before the first birthday yet continued to recommend its use!
Doctor Frank Oski from the Upstate Medical Centre Department of
Pediatrics, commenting on the recommendation, cited the problems of
acute gastrointestinal blood loss in infants, the lack of iron,
recurrent abdominal pain, milk-borne infections and contaminants, and
said:

Why give it at all - then or ever? In the face of uncertainty about many
of the potential dangers of whole bovine milk, it would seem prudent to
recommend that whole milk not be started until the answers are
available. Isn't it time for these uncontrolled experiments on human
nutrition to come to an end?

In the same issue of Pediatrics he further commented:

It is my thesis that whole milk should not be fed to the infant in the
first year of life because of its association with iron deficiency
anemia (milk is so deficient in iron that an infant would have to drink
an impossible 31 quarts a day to get the RDA of 15 mg), acute
gastrointiestinal bleeding, and various manifestations of food allergy.

I suggest that unmodified whole bovine milk should not be consumed after
infancy because of the problems of lactose intolerance, its contribution
to the genesis of atherosclerosis, and its possible link to other
diseases.

In late 1992 Dr. Benjamin Spock, possibly the best known pediatrician in
history, shocked the country when he articulated the same thoughts and
specified avoidance for the first two years of life. Here is his
quotation:

I want to pass on the word to parents that cows' milk from the carton
has definite faults for some babies. Human milk is the right one for
babies. A study comparing the incidence of allergy and colic in the
breast-fed infants of omnivorous and vegan mothers would be important. I
haven't found such a study; it would be both important and inexpensive.
And it will probably never be done. There is simply no academic or
economic profit involved.

OTHER PROBLEMS

Let's just mention the problems of bacterial contamination. Salmonella,
E. coli, and staphylococcal infections can be traced to milk. In the old
days tuberculosis was a major problem and some folks want to go back to
those times by insisting on raw milk on the basis that it's "natural."
This is insanity! A study from UCLA showed that over a third of all
cases of salmonella infection in California, 1980-1983 were traced to
raw milk. That'll be a way to revive good old brucellosis again and I
would fear leukemia, too. (More about that later). In England, and Wales
where raw milk is still consumed there have been outbreaks of milk-borne
diseases. The Journal of the American Medical Association (251: 483,
1984) reported a multi-state series of infections caused by Yersinia
enterocolitica in pasteurised whole milk. This is despite safety
precautions.

All parents dread juvenile diabetes for their children. A Canadian study
reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Mar. 1990,
describes a "...significant positive correlation between consumption of
unfermented milk protein and incidence of insulin dependent diabetes
mellitus in data from various countries. Conversely a possible negative
relationship is observed between breast-feeding at age 3 months and
diabetes risk.".

Another study from Finland found that diabetic children had higher
levels of serum antibodies to cowsÂ’ milk (Diabetes Research 7(3): 137-
140 March 1988). Here is a quotation from this study:

We infer that either the pattern of cows' milk consumption is altered in
children who will have insulin dependent diabetes mellitus or, their
immunological reactivity to proteins in cows' milk is enhanced, or the
permeability of their intestines to cows' milk protein is higher than
normal.

The April 18, 1992 British Medical Journal has a fascinating study
contrasting the difference in incidence of juvenile insulin dependent
diabetes in Pakistani children who have migrated to England. The
incidence is roughly 10 times greater in the English group compared to
children remaining in Pakistan! What caused this highly significant
increase? The authors said that "the diet was unchanged in Great
Britain." Do you believe that? Do you think that the availability of
milk, sugar and fat is the same in Pakistan as it is in England? That a
grocery store in England has the same products as food sources in
Pakistan? I don't believe that for a minute. Remember, we're not talking
here about adult onset, type II diabetes which all workers agree is
strongly linked to diet as well as to a genetic predisposition. This
study is a major blow to the "it's all in your genes" crowd. Type I
diabetes was always considered to be genetic or possibly viral, but now
this? So resistant are we to consider diet as causation that the authors
of the last article concluded that the cooler climate in England altered
viruses and caused the very real increase in diabetes! The first two
authors had the same reluctance top admit the obvious. The milk just may
have had something to do with the disease.

The latest in this remarkable list of reports, a New England Journal of
Medicine article (July 30, 1992), also reported in the Los Angeles
Times. This study comes from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto
and from Finnish researchers. In Finland there is "...the world's
highest rate of dairy product consumption and the world's highest rate
of insulin dependent diabetes. The disease strikes about 40 children out
of every 1,000 there contrasted with six to eight per 1,000 in the
United States.... Antibodies produced against the milk protein during
the first year of life, the researchers speculate, also attack and
destroy the pancreas in a so-called auto-immune reaction, producing
diabetes in people whose genetic makeup leaves them vulnerable." "...142
Finnish children with newly diagnosed diabetes. They found that every
one had at least eight times as many antibodies against the milk protein
as did healthy children, clear evidence that the children had a raging
auto immune disorder." The team has now expanded the study to 400
children and is starting a trial where 3,000 children will receive no
dairy products during the first nine months of life. "The study may take
10 years, but we'll get a definitive answer one way or the other,"
according to one of the researchers. I would caution them to be certain
that the breast feeding mothers use on cows' milk in their diets or the
results will be confounded by the transmission of the cows' milk protein
in the mother's breast milk.... Now what was the reaction from the
diabetes association? This is very interesting! Dr. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer,
the president of the association says: "It does not mean that children
should stop drinking milk or that parents of diabetics should withdraw
dairy products. These are rich sources of good protein." (Emphasis
added) My God, it's the "good protein" that causes the problem! Do you
suspect that the dairy industry may have helped the American Diabetes
Association in the past?

LEUKEMIA? LYMPHOMA? THIS MAY BE THE WORST--BRACE YOURSELF!

I hate to tell you this, but the bovine leukemia virus is found in more
than three of five dairy cows in the United States! This involves about
80% of dairy herds. Unfortunately, when the milk is pooled, a very large
percentage of all milk produced is contaminated (90 to 95 per cent). Of
course the virus is killed in pasteurisation--if the pasteurisation was
done correctly. What if the milk is raw? In a study of randomly
collected raw milk samples the bovine leukemia virus was recovered from
two-thirds. I sincerely hope that the raw milk dairy herds are carefully
monitored when compared to the regular herds. (Science 1981; 213:1014).

This is a world-wide problem. One lengthy study from Germany deplored
the problem and admitted the impossibility of keeping the virus from
infected cows' milk from the rest of the milk. Several European
countries, including Germany and Switzerland, have attempted to "cull"
the infected cows from their herds. Certainly the United States must be
the leader in the fight against leukemic dairy cows, right? Wrong! We
are the worst in the world with the former exception of Venezuela
according to Virgil Hulse MD, a milk specialist who also has a B.S. in
Dairy Manufacturing as well as a Master's degree in Public Health.

As mentioned, the leukemia virus is rendered inactive by pasteurisation.
Of course. However, there can be Chernobyl like accidents. One of these
occurred in the Chicago area in April, 1985. At a modern, large, milk
processing plant an accidental "cross connection" between raw and
pasteurized milk occurred. A violent salmonella outbreak followed,
killing 4 and making an estimated 150,000 ill. Now the question I would
pose to the dairy industry people is this: "How can you assure the
people who drank this milk that they were not exposed to the ingestion
of raw, unkilled, bully active bovine leukemia viruses?" Further, it
would be fascinating to know if a "cluster" of leukemia cases blossoms
in that area in 1 to 3 decades. There are reports of "leukemia clusters"
elsewhere, one of them mentioned in the June 10, 1990 San Francisco
Chronicle involving Northern California.

What happens to other species of mammals when they are exposed to the
bovine leukemia virus? It's a fair question and the answer is not
reassuring. Virtually all animals exposed to the virus develop leukemia.
This includes sheep, goats, and even primates such as rhesus monkeys and
chimpanzees. The route of transmission includes ingestion (both
intravenous and intramuscular) and cells present in milk. There are
obviously no instances of transfer attempts to human beings, but we know
that the virus can infect human cells in vitro. There is evidence of
human antibody formation to the bovine leukemia virus; this is
disturbing. How did the bovine leukemia virus particles gain access to
humans and become antigens? Was it as small, denatured particles?

If the bovine leukemia viruses causes human leukemia, we could expect
the dairy states with known leukemic herds to have a higher incidence of
human leukemia. Is this so? Unfortunately, it seems to be the case!
Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin have statistically
higher incidence of leukemia than the national average. In Russia and in
Sweden, areas with uncontrolled bovine leukemia virus have been linked
with increases in human leukemia. I am also told that veterinarians have
higher rates of leukemia than the general public. Dairy farmers have
significantly elevated leukemia rates. Recent research shows lymphocytes
from milk fed to neonatal mammals gains access to bodily tissues by
passing directly through the intestinal wall.

An optimistic note from the University of Illinois, Ubana from the
Department of Animal Sciences shows the importance of one's perspective.
Since they are concerned with the economics of milk and not primarily
the health aspects, they noted that the production of milk was greater
in the cows with the bovine leukemia virus. However when the leukemia
produced a persistent and significant lymphocytosis (increased white
blood cell count), the production fell off. They suggested "a need to
re-evaluate the economic impact of bovine leukemia virus infection on
the dairy industry". Does this mean that leukemia is good for profits
only if we can keep it under control? You can get the details on this
business concern from Proc. Nat. Acad. Sciences, U.S. Feb. 1989. I added
emphasis and am insulted that a university department feels that this is
an economic and not a human health issue. Do not expect help from the
Department of Agriculture or the universities. The money stakes and the
political pressures are too great. You're on you own.

What does this all mean? We know that virus is capable of producing
leukemia in other animals. Is it proven that it can contribute to human
leukemia (or lymphoma, a related cancer)? Several articles tackle this
one:

1.Epidemiologic Relationships of the Bovine Population and Human
Leukemia in Iowa. Am Journal of Epidemiology 112 (1980):80 2.Milk of
Dairy Cows Frequently Contains a Leukemogenic Virus. Science 213 (1981):
1014 3.Beware of the Cow. (Editorial) Lancet 2 (1974):30 4.Is Bovine
Milk A Health Hazard?. Pediatrics; Suppl. Feeding the Normal Infant.
75:182-186; 1985

In Norway, 1422 individuals were followed for 11 and a half years. Those
drinking 2 or more glasses of milk per day had 3.5 times the incidence
of cancer of the lymphatic organs. British Med. Journal 61:456-9, March
1990.

One of the more thoughtful articles on this subject is from Allan S.
Cunningham of Cooperstown, New York. Writing in the Lancet, November 27,
1976 (page 1184), his article is entitled, "Lymphomas and Animal-Protein
Consumption". Many people think of milk as Â“liquid meatÂ” and Dr.
Cunningham agrees with this. He tracked the beef and dairy consumption
in terms of grams per day for a one year period, 1955-1956., in 15
countries . New Zealand, United States and Canada were highest in that
order. The lowest was Japan followed by Yugoslavia and France. The
difference between the highest and lowest was quite pronounced: 43.8
grams/day for New Zealanders versus 1.5 for Japan. Nearly a 30-fold
difference! (Parenthetically, the last 36 years have seen a startling
increase in the amount of beef and milk used in Japan and their disease
patterns are reflecting this, confirming the lack of 'genetic
protection' seen in migration studies. Formerly the increase in
frequency of lymphomas in Japanese people was only in those who moved to
the USA)!

An interesting bit of trivia is to note the memorial built at the
Gyokusenji Temple in Shimoda, Japan. This marked the spot where the
first cow was killed in Japan for human consumption! The chains around
this memorial were a gift from the US Navy. Where do you suppose the
Japanese got the idea to eat beef? The year? 1930.

Cunningham found a highly significant positive correlation between
deaths from lymphomas and beef and dairy ingestion in the 15 countries
analysed. A few quotations from his article follow:

The average intake of protein in many countries is far in excess of the
recommended requirements. Excessive consumption of animal protein may be
one co-factor in the causation of lymphomas by acting in the following
manner. Ingestion of certain proteins results in the adsorption of
antigenic fragments through the gastrointestinal mucous membrane.

This results in chronic stimulation of lymphoid tissue to which these
fragments gain access "Chronic immunological stimulation causes
lymphomas in laboratory animals and is believed to cause lymphoid
cancers in men." The gastrointestinal mucous membrane is only a partial
barrier to the absorption of food antigens, and circulating antibodies
to food protein is commonplace especially potent lymphoid stimulants.
Ingestion of cows' milk can produce generalized lymphadenopathy,
hepatosplenomegaly, and profound adenoid hypertrophy. It has been
conservatively estimated that more than 100 distinct antigens are
released by the normal digestion of cows' milk which evoke production of
all antibody classes [This may explain why pasteurized, killed viruses
are still antigenic and can still cause disease.

Here's more. A large prospective study from Norway was reported in the
British Journal of Cancer 61 (3):456-9, March 1990. (Almost 16,000
individuals were followed for 11 and a half years). For most cancers
there was no association between the tumour and milk ingestion. However,
in lymphoma, there was a strong positive association. If one drank two
glasses or more daily (or the equivalent in dairy products), the odds
were 3.4 times greater than in persons drinking less than one glass of
developing a lymphoma.

There are two other cow-related diseases that you should be aware of. At
this time they are not known to be spread by the use of dairy products
and are not known to involve man. The first is bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE), and the second is the bovine immunodeficiency
virus (BIV). The first of these diseases, we hope, is confined to
England and causes cavities in the animal's brain. Sheep have long been
known to suffer from a disease called scrapie. It seems to have been
started by the feeding of contaminated sheep parts, especially brains,
to the British cows. Now, use your good sense. Do cows seem like
carnivores? Should they eat meat? This profit-motivated practice
backfired and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease,
swept Britain. The disease literally causes dementia in the unfortunate
animal and is 100 per cent incurable. To date, over 100,000 cows have
been incinerated in England in keeping with British law. Four hundred to
500 cows are reported as infected each month. The British public is
concerned and has dropped its beef consumption by 25 per cent, while
some 2,000 schools have stopped serving beef to children. Several
farmers have developed a fatal disease syndrome that resembles both BSE
and CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob-Disease). But the British Veterinary
Association says that transmission of BSE to humans is "remote."

The USDA agrees that the British epidemic was due to the feeding of
cattle with bonemeal or animal protein produced at rendering plants from
the carcasses of scrapie-infected sheep. The have prohibited the
importation of live cattle and zoo ruminants from Great Britain and
claim that the disease does not exist in the United States. However,
there may be a problem. "Downer cows" are animals who arrive at auction
yards or slaughter houses dead, trampled, lacerated, dehydrated, or too
ill from viral or bacterial diseases to walk. Thus they are "down." If
they cannot respond to electrical shocks by walking, they are dragged by
chains to dumpsters and transported to rendering plants where, if they
are not already dead, they are killed. Even a "humane" death is usually
denied them. They are then turned into protein food for animals as well
as other preparations. Minks that have been fed this protein have
developed a fatal encephalopathy that has some resemblance to BSE.
Entire colonies of minks have been lost in this manner, particularly in
Wisconsin. It is feared that the infective agent is a prion or slow
virus possible obtained from the ill "downer cows."

The British Medical Journal in an editorial whimsically entitled "How
Now Mad Cow?" (BMJ vol. 304, 11 Apr. 1992:929-30) describes cases of BSE
in species not previously known to be affected, such as cats. They admit
that produce contaminated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy entered
the human food chain in England between 1986 and 1989. They say. "The
result of this experiment is awaited." As the incubation period can be
up to three decades, wait we must.

The immunodeficency virus is seen in cattle in the United States and is
more worrisome. Its structure is closely related to that of the human
AIDS virus. At this time we do not know if exposure to the raw BIV
proteins can cause the sera of humans to become positive for HIV. The
extent of the virus among American herds is said to be "widespread".
(The USDA refuses to inspect the meat and milk to see if antibodies to
this retrovirus is present). It also has no plans to quarantine the
infected animals. As in the case of humans with AIDS, there is no cure
for BIV in cows. Each day we consume beef and diary products from cows
infected with these viruses and no scientific assurance exists that the
products are safe. Eating raw beef (as in steak Tartare) strikes me as
being very risky, especially after the Seattle E. coli deaths of 1993.

A report in the Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research, October 1992,
Vol. 56 pp.353-359 and another from the Russian literature, tell of a
horrifying development. They report the first detection in human serum
of the antibody to a bovine immunodeficiency virus protein. In addition
to this disturbing report, is another from Russia telling us of the
presence of virus proteins related to the bovine leukemia virus in 5 of
89 women with breast disease (Acta Virologica Feb. 1990 34(1): 19-26).
The implications of these developments are unknown at present. However,
it is safe to assume that these animal viruses are unlikely to "stay" in
the animal kingdom.

OTHER CANCERS--DOES IT GET WORSE?

Unfortunately it does. Ovarian cancer--a particularly nasty tumour--was
associated with milk consumption by workers at Roswell Park Memorial
Institute in Buffalo, New York. Drinking more than one glass of whole
milk or equivalent daily gave a woman a 3.1 times risk over non-milk
users. They felt that the reduced fat milk products helped reduce the
risk. This association has been made repeatedly by numerous
investigators.

Another important study, this from the Harvard Medical School, analyzed
data from 27 countries mainly from the 1970s. Again a significant
positive correlation is revealed between ovarian cancer and per capita
milk consumption. These investigators feel that the lactose component of
milk is the responsible fraction, and the digestion of this is
facilitated by the persistence of the ability to digest the lactose
(lactose persistence) - a little different emphasis, but the same
conclusion. This study was reported in the American Journal of
Epidemiology 130 (5): 904-10 Nov. 1989. These articles come from two of
the country's leading institutions, not the Rodale Press or Prevention
Magazine.

Even lung cancer has been associated with milk ingestion? The beverage
habits of 569 lung cancer patients and 569 controls again at Roswell
Park were studied in the International Journal of Cancer, April 15,
1989. Persons drinking whole milk 3 or more times daily had a 2-fold
increase in lung cancer risk when compared to those never drinking whole
milk.

For many years we have been watching the lung cancer rates for Japanese
men who smoke far more than American or European men but who develop
fewer lung cancers. Workers in this research area feel that the total
fat intake is the difference.

There are not many reports studying an association between milk
ingestion and prostate cancer. One such report though was of great
interest. This is from the Roswell Park Memorial Institute and is found
in Cancer 64 (3): 605-12, 1989. They analyzed the diets of 371 prostate
cancer patients and comparable control subjects:

Men who reported drinking three or more glasses of whole milk daily had
a relative risk of 2.49 compared with men who reported never drinking
whole milk the weight of the evidence appears to favour the hypothesis
that animal fat is related to increased risk of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer diagnosed in US men and is
the second leading cause of cancer mortality.

WELL, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

Is there any health reason at all for an adult human to drink cows'
milk?

It's hard for me to come up with even one good reason other than simple
preference. But if you try hard, in my opinion, these would be the best
two: milk is a source of calcium and it's a source of amino acids
(proteins).

Let's look at the calcium first. Why are we concerned at all about
calcium? Obviously, we intend it to build strong bones and protect us
against osteoporosis. And no doubt about it, milk is loaded with
calcium. But is it a good calcium source for humans? I think not. These
are the reasons. Excessive amounts of dairy products actually interfere
with calcium absorption. Secondly, the excess of protein that the milk
provides is a major cause of the osteoporosis problem. Dr. H egsted in
England has been writing for years about the geographical distribution
of osteoporosis. It seems that the countries with the highest intake of
dairy products are invariably the countries with the most osteoporosis.
He feels that milk is a cause of osteoporosis. Reasons to be given
below.

Numerous studies have shown that the level of calcium ingestion and
especially calcium supplementation has no effect whatever on the
development of osteoporosis. The most important such article appeared
recently in the British Journal of Medicine where the long arm of our
dairy industry can't reach. Another study in the United States actually
showed a worsening in calcium balance in post-menopausal women given
three 8-ounce glasses of cows' milk per day. (Am. Journal of Clin.
Nutrition, 1985). The effects of hormone, gender, weight bearing on the
axial bones, and in particular protein intake, are critically important.
Another observation that may be helpful to our analysis is to note the
absence of any recorded dietary deficiencies of calcium among people
living on a natural diet without milk.

For the key to the osteoporosis riddle, donÂ’t look at calcium, look at
protein. Consider these two contrasting groups. Eskimos have an
exceptionally high protein intake estimated at 25 percent of total
calories. They also have a high calcium intake at 2,500 mg/day. Their
osteoporosis is among the worst in the world. The other instructive
group are the Bantus of South Africa. They have a 12 percent protein
diet, mostly p lant protein, and only 200 to 350 mg/day of calcium,
about half our women's intake. The women have virtually no osteoporosis
despite bearing six or more children and nursing them for prolonged
periods! When African women immigrate to the United States, do they
develop osteoporosis? The answer is yes, but not quite are much as
Caucasian or Asian women. Thus, there is a genetic difference that is
modified by diet.

To answer the obvious question, "Well, where do you get your calcium?"
The answer is: "From exactly the same place the cow gets the calcium,
from green things that grow in the ground," mainly from leafy
vegetables. After all, elephants and rhinos develop their huge bones
(after being weaned) by eating green leafy plants, so do horses.
Carnivorous animals also do quite nicely without leafy plants. It seems
that all of earth's mammals do well if they live in harmony with their
genetic programming and natural food. Only humans living an affluent
life style have rampant osteoporosis.

If animal references do not convince you, think of the several billion
humans on this earth who have never seen cows' milk. Wouldn't you think
osteoporosis would be prevalent in this huge group? The dairy people
would suggest this but the truth is exactly the opposite. They have far
less than that seen in the countries where dairy products are commonly
consumed. It is the subject of another paper, but the truly significant
determinants of osteoporosis are grossly excessive protein intakes and
lack of weight bearing on long bones, both taking place over decades.
Hormones play a secondary, but not trivial role in women. Milk is a
deterrent to good bone health.

THE PROTEIN MYTH

Remember when you were a kid and the adults all told you to "make sure
you get plenty of good protein". Protein was the nutritional "good
guyÂ”" when I was young. And of course milk is fitted right in.

As regards protein, milk is indeed a rich source of protein--"liquid
meat," remember? However that isn't necessarily what we need. In actual
fact it is a source of difficulty. Nearly all Americans eat too much
protein.

For this information we rely on the most authoritative source that I am
aware of. This is the latest edition (1oth, 1989: 4th printing, Jan.
1992) of the Recommended Dietary Allowances produced by the National
Research Council. Of interest, the current editor of this important work
is Dr. Richard Havel of the University of California in San Francisco.

First to be noted is that the recommended protein has been steadily
revised downward in successive editions. The current recommendation is
0.75 g/kilo/day for adults 19 through 51 years. This, of course, is only
45 grams per day for the mythical 60 kilogram adult. You should also
know that the WHO estimated the need for protein in adults to by.6g/kilo
per day. (All RDA's are calculated with large safety allowances in case
you're the type that wants to add some more to "be sure.") You can "get
by" on 28 to 30 grams a day if necessary!

Now 45 grams a day is a tiny amount of protein. That's an ounce and a
half! Consider too, that the protein does not have to be animal protein.
Vegetable protein is identical for all practical purposes and has no
cholesterol and vastly less saturated fat. (Do not be misled by the
antiquated belief that plant proteins must be carefully balanced to
avoid deficiencies. This is not a realistic concern.) Therefore
virtually all Americans, Canadians, British and European people are in a
protein overloaded state. This has serious consequences when maintained
over decades. The problems are the already mentioned osteoporosis,
atherosclerosis and kidney damage. There is good evidence that certain
malignancies, chiefly colon and rectal, are related to excessive meat
intake. Barry Brenner, an eminent renal physiologist was the first to
fully point out the dangers of excess protein for the kidney tubule. The
dangers of the fat and cholesterol are known to all. Finally, you should
know that the protein content of human milk is amount the lowest (0.9%)
in mammals.

IS THAT ALL OF THE TROUBLE?

Sorry, there's more. Remember lactose? This is the principal
carbohydrate of milk. It seems that nature provides new-borns with the
enzymatic equipment to metabolize lactose, but this ability often
extinguishes by age 4 or 5 years.

What is the problem with lactose or milk sugar? It seems that it is a
disaccharide which is too large to be absorbed into the blood stream
without first being broken down into monosaccharides, namely galactose
and glucose. This requires the presence of an enzyme, lactase plus
additional enzymes to break down the galactose into glucose.

Let's think about his for a moment. Nature gives us the ability to
metabolize lactose for a few years and then shuts off the mechanism. Is
Mother Nature trying to tell us something? Clearly all infants must
drink milk. The fact that so many adults cannot seems to be related to
the tendency for nature to abandon mechanisms that are not needed. At
least half of the adult humans on this earth are lactose intolerant. It
was not until the relatively recent introduction of dairy herding and
the ability to "borrow" milk from another group of mammals that the
survival advantage of preserving lactase (the enzyme that allows us to
digest lactose) became evident. But why would it be advantageous to
drink cows' milk? After all, most of the human beings in the history of
the world did. And further, why was it just the white or light skinned
humans who retained this knack while the pigmented people tended to lose
it?

Some students of evolution feel that white skin is a fairly recent
innovation, perhaps not more than 20,000 or 30,000 years old. It clearly
has to do with the Northward migration of early man to cold and
relatively sunless areas when skins and clothing became available. Fair
skin allows the production of Vitamin D from sunlight more readily than
does dark skin. However, when only the face was exposed to sunlight that
area of fair skin was insufficient to provide the vitamin D from
sunlight. If dietary and sunlight sources were poorly available, the
ability to use the abundant calcium in cows' milk would give a survival
advantage to humans who could digest that milk. This seems to be the
only logical explanation for fair skinned humans having a high degree of
lactose tolerance when compared to dark skinned people.

How does this break down? Certain racial groups, namely blacks are up to
90% lactose intolerant as adults. Caucasians are 20 to 40% lactose
intolerant. Orientals are midway between the above two groups. Diarrhea,
gas and abdominal cramps are the results of substantial milk intake in
such persons. Most American Indians cannot tolerate milk. The milk
industry admits that lactose intolerance plays intestinal havoc with as
many as 50 million Americans. A lactose-intolerance industry has sprung
up and had sales of $117 million in 1992 (Time May 17, 1993.)

What if you are lactose-intolerant and lust after dairy products? Is all
lost? Not at all. It seems that lactose is largely digested by bacteria
and you will be able to enjoy your cheese despite lactose intolerance.
Yogurt is similar in this respect. Finally, and I could never have
dreamed this up, geneticists want to splice genes to alter the
composition of milk (Am J Clin Nutr 1993 Suppl 302s).

One could quibble and say that milk is totally devoid of fiber content
and that its habitual use will predispose to constipation and bowel
disorders.

The association with anemia and occult intestinal bleeding in infants is
known to all physicians. This is chiefly from its lack of iron and its
irritating qualities for the intestinal mucosa. The pediatric literature
abounds with articles describing irritated intestinal lining, bleeding,
increased permeability as well as colic, diarrhea and vomiting in
cows'milk-sensitive babies. The anemia gets a double push by loss of
blood and iron as well as deficiency of iron in the cows' milk. Milk is
also the leading cause of childhood allergy.

LOW FAT

One additional topic: the matter of "low fat" milk. A common and sincere
question is: "Well, low fat milk is OK, isn't it?"

The answer to this question is that low fat milk isn't low fat. The term
"low fat" is a marketing term used to gull the public. Low fat milk
contains from 24 to 33% fat as calories! The 2% figure is also
misleading. This refers to weight. They don't tell you that, by weight,
the milk is 87% water!

"Well, then, kill-joy surely you must approve of non-fat milk!" I hear
this quite a bit. (Another constant concern is: "What do you put on your
cereal?") True, there is little or no fat, but now you have a relative
overburden of protein and lactose. It there is something that we do not
need more of it is another simple sugar-lactose, composed of galactose
and glucose. Millions of Americans are lactose intolerant to boot, as
noted. As for protein, as stated earlier, we live in a society that
routinely ingests far more protein than we need. It is a burden for our
bodies, especially the kidneys, and a prominent cause of osteoporosis.
Concerning the dry cereal issue, I would suggest soy milk, rice milk or
almond milk as a healthy substitute. If you're still concerned about
calcium, "Westsoy" is formulated to have the same calcium concentration
as milk.

SUMMARY

To my thinking, there is only one valid reason to drink milk or use milk
products. That is just because we simply want to. Because we like it and
because it has become a part of our culture. Because we have become
accustomed to its taste and texture. Because we like the way it slides
down our throat. Because our parents did the very best they could for us
and provided milk in our earliest training and conditioning. They taught
us to like it. And then probably the very best reason is ice cream! I've
heard it described "to die for".

I had one patient who did exactly that. He had no obvious vices. He
didn't smoke or drink, he didnÂ’t eat meat, his diet and lifestyle was
nearly a perfectly health promoting one; but he had a passion. You
guessed it, he loved rich ice cream. A pint of the richest would be a
lean day's ration for him. On many occasions he would eat an entire
quart -and yes there were some cookies and other pastries. Good ice
cream deserves this after all. He seemed to be in good health despite
some expected "middle age spread" when he had a devastating stroke which
left him paralyzed, miserable and helpless, and he had additional
strokes and died several years later never having left a hospital or
rehabilitation unit. Was he old? I don't think so. He was in his 50s.

So don't drink milk for health. I am convinced on the weight of the
scientific evidence that it does not "do a body good." Inclusion of milk
will only reduce your diet's nutritional value and safety.

Most of the people on this planet live very healthfully without cows'
milk. You can too.

It will be difficult to change; we've been conditioned since childhood
to think of milk as "nature's most perfect food." I'll guarantee you
that it will be safe, improve your health and it won't cost anything.
What can you lose?

---------------------

This is not news to me.. but I thought I share.

and BTW most of it is common sense.

My mother had a breast infection after she had my brother and she was told not to nurse, well from her story she couldn't, even if she wanted it was too painful.
She had to take all kind of medication including antibiotics.

utter, breast it's the same thing.. it makes and gives the milk, and if the get infected the human or animal is given medication and we all know what goes in to the bloodstream goes in to the milk.

They way they make these cows give so much milk is unnatural, it's probably worse then we know when it comes to all the crap they put in to these animal. And we subsidize it all. We pay for them to over produce stinky bloody pus milk and then sell it to us as "The Perfect Food"!

Frankly I think most of the large food industry is so corrupt they would sell humans flesh and sell it, if they could get away with it. Like in that movie... what's the name...

Soylent Green

http://www.soylent-green.com/
Thanks but NOT THANKS!

Brian Sickora interviews Dr. T. Colin Campbell

2010-02-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

Dr. Campbell Responds to Dr. Mercola

T. Colin Campbell's Response to Questions Raised About the Book, "The China Study. Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health"

October 1, 2006

The Joy of Living Live

2010-02-05T10:40:00.001-08:00

A Good Message that I wholly support. I am however saddened that the message or at least the way it is delivered seems to be exclusive only directed toward black people. I can't blame him for especially talking to his people, black people, African people but the principles he is talking about are really principles that people of all races need to hear about (There is ONLY one God) and I am certain are open to hear about if included. I surely wish there was an inspired leader that would bring this message to all people.

While I agree that high heel shoes are damaging, the story this young lady further in this above video tells is silly and untrue. Chanel was number one NOT A MAN and moreover, high heel shoes have been around for hundreds of years. Chanel wasn't even born when people already walked around in them. Since that information is so easily available, I am very disappointed that she would seriously tell such a silly story about the catwalk and Chanel inventing high heels???

It really makes this organization look less credible! However our modern society tells lies all the time,l and our politicians have become very proficient in doing so, so I will have to cut the sister some slack! But please stay true and do your research before making yourself look silly!
Long live flat shoes!

Close your eyes and imagine a community of 100% vegans living a holistic lifestyle. A community virtually free of disease, crime, and immorality. A healthy environment where animals have no fear of being eaten. What would you call this place? Heaven? Paradise ?

Now you don’t have to just imagine it anymore. It is here on earth. Open your eyes and see the Village of Peace in Dimona, Israel . This is a community of former African Americans who moved to the Holy Land to establish a peaceful, harmonious, self-sustaining environment. According to the Ministry of Health of this 40-year young community, the cases of diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, cancers, STDs, HIV and AIDS are so minimal to non-existent that they are considered to be virtually eradicated. Meanwhile, these illnesses are among the top 10 killers of their African American counterparts in America.

Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee tested adult members of the Village of Peace and found that the community has essentially eliminated high blood pressure even if they had a family history of the disease. There are no nursing homes and the elders of the Village have been known to defeat the younger teams in sports activities. Since the community’s establishment in 1967, there have been fewer than 40 deaths in this community of over 2,500 residents.

The leaders of the Village of Peace see the value of a natural diet for healthy people and have incorporated it in their lifestyle. They eat only fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, and seeds. Each week, the adults in the community have 3 no-salt days, 2 raw food days, 2 no-margarine days, and one day of fasting.

Four times a year with the change in seasons, the community prepares to elevate their diet even further with the observance of a “Sugarless Week” where the only sweeteners consumed are maple syrup, date syrup, and the stevia herb; and a “Live Foods Week” where they consume 80% to 100% raw and living foods and cleanse their digestive systems.

As a result of changes in diet and lifestyle, evidence has emerged that this may be the healthiest group of collective humans existing on the planet today. And did I mention that they own the largest chain of vegan restaurants in the world? They have 13 Soul Vegetarian restaurants on 4 continents.

http://www.kingdom-news-net.blogspot.com/

The Joy of Living Live

2010-02-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

This is such GREAT NEWS!

2010-02-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

Update
Brought to you by Oceanic Preservation Society

February 2, 2010

Oscar® Nomination For The Cove

It's official. This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their nominations for the best films of 2009. The Cove was among the picks for best Feature Documentary.

This is big news for the OPS team. Big news for message-based film. And of course, big news for the oceans.

Director, Louie Psihoyos is thrilled.

"The reason the Oscar® nomination is so important for me is because it's the most watched program in Japanese television. I didn't get into movies to win awards. I got into making this movie to start a movement to save the ocean. I've been trying to give the oceans a voice and an Oscar® nomination amplifies that voice."

Winning Streak

For those of you following The Cove as it barrels through this amazing award season, you know.

For those of you who haven't heard, we are winning many epic awards.

Congrats to all involved.

Director's Guild Awards - Best Documentary
Producers Guild of America -PGA Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
Broadcast Film Critics - Critics Choice Award, Best Documentary
National Board of Review - Best Documentary
LA Film Critics Association - Co-winner Best Documentary

The Mission Continues

Kudos. Awards. Media mentions.

This is all good but the work we do here at OPS continues.

Donations of all sizes are still needed to help us end the dolphin slaughter in Taiji.

Thanks for your continued support.

Men's Deaths In Their Fifties Can Be Prevented

2010-02-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

Milk on Trial as Cornell Expert Testifies at Fired Teacher's Hearing
By Martha Rosenberg
Jun 24, 2008. Original Text at Common Dreams

Chicago, IL -- The life expectancy of National Football League players might have as much to do with teaching art as the factory farming fired middle school teacher Dave Warwak is accused of teaching.

But it formed the backbone of Cornell University Professor Emeritus Dr. T. Colin Campbell's testimony at the Board of Education hearing into the middle school teacher's dismissal in Fox River Grove, IL, population 5,000, in April.

NFL players are only expected to live to 56 because "they are dying of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and diet related illnesses," testified Campbell in defense of Warwak's classroom charge that animal foods will shorten lives.

Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry, is author, with son Thomas M. Campbell II, of the 2005 nutrition bestseller, The China Study, which links premature death and many diseases to diet and was called the "Grand Prix of Epidemiology" by the New York Times.

After reading The China Study, the Kansas City Chiefs' Tony Gonzalez dropped animal products from his diet. testified Campbell, and "this past season he broke the all-time record for the most catches, the most touchdown passes and the most yards gained of any NFL tight end in the history of the National Football League."

The China Study also converted Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Neshek to an animal free diet says a June ESPN report which also cites vegan diets of Detroit Lion Desmond Howard, Miami Dolphin Ricky Williams, former St. Louis Ram D'Marco Farr, Milwaukee Brewer Prince Fielder and Atlanta Hawk Salim Stoudamire.

Forty-five year old middle school art teacher Dave Warwak was dismissed last fall from the District 3 school system where he had taught for eight years for, "turning his classroom into a forum on veganism," abandoning the art curriculum and asking students to keep it a secret from their parents according to school board documents.

What began as a simple be-kind-to-animals project approved by administrators who even participated--marshmallow Easter "Peeps" were made into "pets" to be cared for--got out of hand when Warwak put the "pets" in cages, pots and pans and between slices of bread.

"The problem was when it turned into a PETA advertisement and it was against the school lunch program," testified Fox River Grove Middle School Principal Tim Mahaffy at the Illinois Board of Education's three day closed hearings into Warwak's dismissal conducted at the Fox River Grove City Hall in April.

Despite hearing officer Barry Simon's repeated admonishments that the case was not about whether veganism, "is right or wrong or good or bad," feeding children animal products was the 300 pound Peep in the room as Warwak, acting pro se, questioned Mahaffy.

Q: Would you say the school lunch goes against humane education?

A: I disagree. I don't see the connection.

Q: The humane education says be nice to all things; the school lunch says, well, not animals?

Robert E. Riley (counsel for District 3): Objection. Arguing with the witness.

Q: Does the school promote meat and dairy one-sided or do they allow other viewpoints on it?

A: The school is committed to following both the State and federal guidelines for serving school lunches.

Of course Fox River Grove Middle School is paid to be one-sided.

Like 45,000 other public middle and high schools in the US and 60,000 elementary schools, it only receives reimbursement from the National School Lunch Program when it pushes milk and life-size Milk Mustache and "Body By Milk" posters adorn lunchroom walls.

This is the program that served children downer dairy cows, at risk for mad cow disease, until the January recall of Hallmark beef, observes Warwak in a recent memoir about his termination, Peep Show For Children Only.

Yet the pro dairy message on the school posters--which feature sports figures and popular musicians and arrive unsolicited from the National Dairy Council--is misleading and harmful testified Dr. T. Colin Campbell on the basis of decades of his National Institutes of Health-funded research.

"The consumption of dairy, especially at the younger ages, is a problem," said Campbell which includes health consequences like higher risks of prostate, uterine, breast and endometrial cancers, osteoporosis and a "threefold higher risk of colon cancer."

The health promises about strong bones and healthy bodies on the posters are written by a USDA dietary committee, said Campbell, whose members were found by a court to have conflicts of interests after refusing a Freedom of Information request.

"Six of the eleven members of the committee including the chair had an association with the dairy industry," said Campbell. "And the chair himself had taken more money without telling the public about it than he was allowed under the law."

The animal rich diet the Fox River Grove's District 3 defends to the point of firing a tenured teacher might mean kids won't live longer than the sports heroes they admire, summarized Campbell.

Arbitrator Simon has yet to make a ruling about Warwak--or the posters
http://peepshowforchildrenonly.com/main.html?src=%2Findex2.html

Beagles left to fight for survival.

2010-02-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

Human stupidity has no end. Hunters abandon dogs that "don't do well", dog often Beagle gets hungry, becomes nuisance, looking for trash and left outside pet food. Just as humans become aggressive (check out disaster video where people fight over food, ready to kill each other to get a bag of rice, animals are no different then humans.) They get aggressive if left hungry. Just like humans they do what it takes to survive. What do we expect that dogs behave BETTER then humans? They are hungry and cold. It's unconscionable

So here we are AFRAID of little BEAGLES! Me says.. make law to punish Hunters for abandoning dogs. Charge Big fees for keeping hunting dogs and use money to built shelters and provide food for abandoned dogs.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=7251306

I Pray to the Almighty God - STOP THE MADNESS

2010-02-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

I do not know what else to do!

We are not ostriches, and cannot believe that if we refuse to look at what we do not wish to see, it will not exist. This is especially the case when what we do not wish to see is what we wish to wear or eat.

An URGENT PRAYER to the "Almighty God" The God of All Creations.

I Pray to the All Mighty God, the God of all creation, I pray to you, turn their hearts around, make them see the evil of their ways, those that call themselves "The Fur Council Of Canada" make them see their evil doing, so they may change and stop murdering innocent beings, that you "Almighty God" so generously created for us to love. I pray that they stop lying to your people, when they say "Fur is Green."

In the name of humanity , we know fur is NOT GREEN it is red drenched in the BLOOD OF INNOCENCE.

Dear God stop them from turning humans in to barbarians, stop them from killing senselessly in the name of Vanity & Greed. Protect our children from them. They have no shame! Tell them now reach in to their hearts and tell them now to stop!

BUT If they do not stop, I pray with all my strengths and all my heart, that you may punish them. If they do not turn and denounce their evil advertisement I pray that you make them fallen with sickness, make them get stricken with cancers and let them fall to accidents, make the beautiful ugly make them old and frail, lonely and hopeless.

Watch over your innocent beings, save them from the devil who houses the bodies of these beings that look like humans but are not HUMANE, these devils that run this web site
"The Fur Council Of Canada" . I your name I pray! AMEN!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=312538795802

Fur Is SO NOT Green ! ! !

PLEASE DIRECT YOUR CONCERNS TO:
SCOTT CORBETT and/or BILL COOPER of VANOC
info@vancouver2010.com
604-403-2309

Or better yet, please consider writing a letter to your local paper on how the Vancouver Olympics Supports Fur! VANOC of the Vancouver Olympics is a despicable, elite organization that funnels enormous amounts of money from taxpayers into their already well lined pockets. They have tried to black out protesting and taken away the freedom to advertise around the Vancouver area during the Olympics. They have security forces up in forces that make one wonder if they have jumped into a military state. It is absurd. Now there is one more HORRIFIC reason to HATE VANOC:

Forward from Vancouver Animal Defense League (VADL):
All of TransLink’s advertising is in the control of VANOC for the duration of the “Olympic Blackout Period – January 12 to March 23, 2010. This is a media blackout period where VANOC has control over every ad run on a bus, skytrain and train.
Please email VANOC and tell them what you think about the Fur Council of Canada running FUR IS GREEN advertisements on skytrains. We think the money they make off those ads is dripping with the blood of innocent animals, and we want them PULLED! Shame on VANOC and shame on ANYONE making money off the suffering of fur bearing animals!

PLEASE DIRECT YOUR CONCERNS TO:
SCOTT CORBETT and/or BILL COOPER of VANOC
info@vancouver2010.com
604-403-2309

Please visit http://www.furisgreen.com if you need to induce vomiting. There you will find laughable statements like: "Without human intervention, wildlife can be subjected to wildly swinging “boom and bust” cycles of overpopulation followed by disease and starvation"......''If we don't use part of what nature produces, we will use petroleum-based synthetics or other materials that may damage the environment''
FUR IS NOT GREEN! Check out http://www.crueltyisnotgreen.com/
Thank you to the Vancouver Animal Defense League for Forwarding this Information!

The First Step by: Leo Tolstoi

2010-01-31T07:11:00.000-08:00

The First Step

by Leo Tolstoy

In Essays and Letters. New York: H. Frowde, 1909, pp. 82-91

translated by Aylmer Maude

Fasting is an indispensable condition of a good life; but in fasting, as in self-control in general, the question arises, with what shall we begin—how to fast, how often to eat, what to eat, what to avoid eating? And as we can do no work seriously without regarding the necessary order of sequence, so also we cannot fast without knowing where to begin—with what to commence self-control in food.

Fasting! And even an analysis of how to fast, and where to begin! The notion seems ridiculous and wild to the majority of men.

I remember how, with pride at his originality, an Evangelical preacher, who was attacking monastic asceticism, once said to me "Ours is not a Christianity of fasting and privations, but of beefsteaks." Christianity, or virtue in general—and beefsteaks!

During a long period of darkness and lack of all guidance, Pagan or Christian, so many wild, immoral ideas have made their way into our life (especially into that lower region of the first steps toward a good life—our relation to food, to which no one paid any attention), that it is difficult for us even to understand the audacity and senselessness of upholding, in our days, Christianity or virtue with beefsteaks.

We are not horrified by this association, solely because a strange thing has befallen us. We look and see not: listen and hear not. There is no bad odor, no sound, no monstrosity, to which man cannot become so accustomed that he ceases to remark what would strike a man unaccustomed to it. Precisely so it is in the moral region. Christianity and morality with beefsteaks!

A few days ago I visited the slaughter house in our town of Toula. It is built on the new and improved system practised in large towns, with a view to causing the animals as little suffering as possible. It was on a Friday, two days before Trinity Sunday. There were many cattle there. […]

Long before this […], I had wished to visit a slaughter house, in order to see with my own eyes the reality of the question raised when vegetarianism is discussed. But at first I felt ashamed to do so, as one is always ashamed of going to look at suffering which one knows is about to take place, but which one cannot avert; and so I kept putting off my visit.

But a little while ago I met on the road a butcher returning to Toula after a visit to his home. He is not yet an experienced butcher, and his duty is to stab with a knife. I asked him whether he did not feel sorry for the animals that he killed. He gave me the usual answer: "Why should I feel sorry? It is necessary." But when I told him that eating flesh is not necessary, but is only a luxury, he agreed; and then he admitted that he was sorry for the animals.

"But what can I do? I must earn my bread," he said. "At first I was afraid to kill. My father, he never even killed a chicken in all his life." The majority of Russians cannot kill; they feel pity, and express the feeling by the word "fear." This man had also been "afraid," but he was so no longer. He told me that most of the work was done on Fridays, when it continues until the evening.

Not long ago I also had a talk with a retired soldier, a butcher, and he, too, was surprised at my assertion that it was a pity to kill, and said the usual things about its being ordained; but afterwards he agreed with me: "Especially when they are quiet, tame cattle. They come, poor things! trusting you. It is very pitiful."

This is dreadful! Not the suffering and death of the animals, but that man suppresses in himself, unnecessarily, the highest spiritual capacity—that of sympathy and pity toward living creatures like himself—and by violating his own feelings becomes cruel. And how deeply seated in the human heart is the injunction not to take life!

Once, when walking from Moscow, I was offered a lift by some carters who were going from Serpouhof to a neighboring forest to fetch wood. It was the Thursday before Easter. I was seated in the first cart, with a strong, red, coarse carman, who evidently drank. On entering a village we saw a well-fed, naked, pink pig being dragged out of the first yard to be slaughtered. It squealed in a dreadful voice, resembling the shriek of a man. Just as we were passing they began to kill it. A man gashed its throat with a knife. The pig squealed still more loudly and piercingly, broke away from the men, and ran off covered with blood. Being near-sighted I did not see all the details. I saw only the human-looking pink body of the pig and heard its desperate squeal; but the carter saw all the details and watched closely. They caught the pig, knocked it down, and finished cutting its throat. When its squeals ceased the carter sighed heavily. "Do men really not have to answer for such things?" he said.

So strong is man's aversion to all killing. But by example, by encouraging greediness, by the assertion that God has allowed it, and, above all, by habit, people entirely lose this natural feeling.

On Friday I decided to go to Toula, and, meeting a meek, kind acquaintance of mine, I invited him to accompany me.

"Yes, I have heard that the arrangements are good, and have been wishing to go and see it; but if they are slaughtering I will not go in."

"Why not? That's just what I want to see! If we eat flesh it must be killed."

"No, no, I cannot!"

It is worth remarking that this man is a sportsman and himself kills animals and birds.

So we went to the slaughter house. Even at the entrance one noticed the heavy, disgusting, fetid smell, as of carpenter's glue, or paint on glue. The nearer we approached, the stronger became the smell. The building is of red brick, very large, with vaults and high chimneys. We entered the gates. To the right was a spacious enclosed yard, three-quarters of an acre in extent—twice a week cattle are driven in here for sale—and adjoining this enclosure was the porter's lodge. To the left were the chambers, as they are called—i.e., rooms with arched entrances, sloping asphalt floors, and contrivances for moving and hanging up the carcasses. On a bench against the wall of the porter's lodge were seated half a dozen butchers, in aprons covered with blood, their tucked-up sleeves disclosing their muscular arms also besmeared with blood. They had finished their work half an hour before, so that day we could only see the empty chambers. Though these chambers were open on both sides, there was an oppressive smell of warm blood; the floor was brown and shining, with congealed black blood in the cavities.

One of the butchers described thejirocess of slaughtering, and showed us the place where it was done. I did not quite understand him, and formed a wrong, but very horrible, idea of the way the animals are slaughtered; and I fancied that, as is often the case, the reality would very likely produce upon me a weaker impression than the imagination. But in this I was mistaken.

The next time I visited the slaughter house I went in good time. It was the Friday before Trinity—a warm day in June. The smell of glue and blood was even stronger and more penetrating than on my first visit. The work was at its height. The duty yard was full of cattle, and animals had been driven into all the enclosures beside the chambers.

In the street, before the entrance, stood carts to which oxen, calves, and cows were tied. Other carts drawn by good horses and filled with live calves, whose heads hung down and swayed about, drew up and were unloaded; and similar carts containing the carcasses of oxen, with trembling legs sticking out, with heads and bright red lungs and brown livers, drove away from the slaughter house. The dealers themselves, in their long coats, with their whips and knouts in their hands, were walking about the yard, either marking with tar cattle belonging to the same owner, or bargaining, or else guiding oxen and bulls from the great yard into the enclosures which lead into the chambers. These men were evidently all preoccupied with money matters and calculations, and any thought as to whether it was right or wrong to kill these animals was as far from their minds as were questions about the chemical composition of the blood that covered the floor of the chambers.

No butchers were to be seen in the yard; they were all in the chambers at work. That day about a hundred head of cattle were slaughtered. I was on the point of entering one of the chambers, but stopped short at the door. I stopped both because the chamber was crowded with carcasses which were being moved about, and also because blood was flowing on the floor and dripping from above. All the butchers present were besmeared with blood, and had I entered I, too, should certainly have been covered with it. One suspended carcass was being taken down, another was being moved toward the door, a third, a slaughtered ox, was lying with its white legs raised, while a butcher with strong hand was ripping up its tight-stretched hide.

Through the door opposite the one at which I was standing, a big, red, well-fed ox was led in. Two men were dragging it, and hardly had it entered when I saw a butcher raise a knife above its neck and stab it. The ox, as if all four legs had suddenly given way, fell heavily upon its belly, immediately turned over on one side, and began to work its legs and all its hind-quarters. Another butcher at once threw himself upon the ox from the side opposite to the twitching legs, caught its horns and twisted its head down to the ground, while another butcher cut its throat with a knife. From beneath the head there flowed a stream of blackish-red blood, which a besmeared boy caught in a tin basin. All the time this was going on the ox kept incessantly twitching its head as if trying to get up, and waved its four legs in the air. The basin was quickly filling, but the ox still lived, and, its stomach heaving heavily, both hind and fore legs worked so violently that the butchers held aloof. When one basin was full, the boy carried it away on his head to the albumen factory, while another boy placed a fresh basin, which also soon began to fill up. But still the ox heaved its body and worked its hind legs.

When the blood ceased to flow the butcher raised the animal's head and began to skin it. The ox continued to writhe. The head, stripped of its skin, showed red with white veins, and kept the position given it by the butcher; on both sides hung the skin. Still the animal did not cease to writhe. Than another butcher caught hold of one of the legs, broke it, and cut it off. In the remaining legs and the stomach the convulsions still continued. The other legs were cut off and thrown aside, together with those of other oxen belonging to the same owner. Then the carcass was dragged to the hoist and hung up, and the convulsions were over.

Thus I looked on from the door at the second, third, fourth ox. It was the same with each: the same cutting off of the head with bitten tongue, and the same convulsed members. The only difference was that the butcher did not always strike at once so as to cause the animal's fall. Sometimes he missed his aim, whereupon the ox leaped up, bellowed, and, covered with blood, tried to escape. But then his head was pulled under a bar, struck a second time, and he fell.

I afterwards entered by the door at which the oxen were led in. Here I saw the same thing, only nearer, and therefore more plainly. But chiefly I saw here, what I had not seen before, how the oxen were forced to enter this door. Each time an ox was seized in the enclosure and pulled forward by a rope tied to its horns, the animal, smelling blood, refused to advance, and sometimes bellowed and drew back. It would have been beyond the strength of two men to drag it in by force, so one of the butchers went round each time, grasped the animal's tail and twisted it so violently that the gristle crackled, and the ox advanced.

When they had finished with the cattle of one owner, they brought in those of another. The first animal of his next lot was not an ox, but a bull —a fine, well-bred creature, black, with white spots on its legs, young, muscular, full of energy. He was dragged forward, but he lowered his head and resisted sturdily. Then the butcher who followed behind seized the tail, like an engine-driver grasping the handle of a whistle, twisted it, the gristle crackled, and the bull rushed forward, upsetting the men who held the rope. Then it stopped, looking sideways with its black eyes, the whites of which had filled with blood. But again the tail crackled, and the bull sprang forward and reached the required spot. The striker approached, took aim, and struck. But the blow missed the mark. The bull leaped up, shook his head, bellowed, and, covered with blood, broke free and rushed back. The men at the doorway all sprang aside: but the experienced butchers, with the dash of men inured to danger, quickly caught the rope; again the tail operation was repeated, and again the bull was in the chamber, where he was dragged under the bar, from which he did not again escape. The striker quickly took aim at the spot where the hair divides like a star, and, notwithstanding the blood, found it, struck, and the fine animal, full of life, collapsed, its head and legs writhing while it was bled and the head skinned.

"There, the cursed devil hasn't even fallen the right way!" grumbled the butcher as he cut the skin from the head.

Five minutes later the head was stuck up, red instead of black, without skin; the eyes, that had shone with such splendid color five minutes before, fixed and glassy.

Afterwards I went into the compartment where small animals are slaughtered—a very large chamber with asphalt floor, and tables with backs, on which sheep and calves are killed. Here the work was already finished; in the long room, impregnated with the smell of blood, were only two butchers. One was blowing into the leg of a dead lamb and patting the swollen stomach with his hand; the other, a young fellow in an apron besmeared with blood, was smoking a bent cigarette. There was no one else in the long, dark chamber, filled with a heavy smell. After me there entered a man, apparently an ex-soldier, bringing in a young yearling ram, black with a white mark on its neck, and its legs tied. This animal he placed upon one of the tables, as if upon a bed. The old soldier greeted the butchers, with whom he was evidently acquainted, and began to ask when their master allowed them leave. The fellow with the cigarette approached with a knife, sharpened it on the edge of the table, and answered that they were free on holidays. The live ram was lying as quietly as the dead inflated one, except that it was briskly wagging its short little tail and its sides were heaving more quickly than usual. The soldier pressed down its uplifted head gently, without effort; the butcher, still continuing the conversation, grasped with his left hand the head of the ram and cut its throat. The ram quivered, and the little tail stiffened and ceased to wave. The fellow, while waiting for the blood to flow, began to relight his cigarette, which had gone out. The blood flowed and the ram began to writhe. The conversation continued without the slightest interruption. It was horribly revolting. […]

[A]nd how about those hens and chickens which daily, in thousands of kitchens, with heads cut off and streaming with blood, comically, dreadfully, flop about, jerking their wings?

And see, a kind, refined lady will devour the carcasses of these animals with full assurance that she is doing right, at the same time asserting two contradictory propositions:

First, that she is, as her doctor assures her, so delicate that she cannot be sustained by vegetable food alone, and that for her feeble organism flesh is indispensable; and, secondly, that she is so sensitive that she is unable, not only herself to inflict suffering on animals, but even to bear the sight of suffering.

Whereas the poor lady is weak precisely because she has been taught to live upon food unnatural to man; and she cannot avoid causing suffering to animals—for she eats them.

will inevitably follow one definite sequence, and in this sequence the first thing will be self-control in food—fasting. And in fasting, if he be really and seriously seeking to live a good life, the first thing from which he will abstain will always be the use of animal food, because, to say nothing of the excitation of the passions caused by such food, its use is simply immoral, as it involves the performance of an act which is contrary to the moral feeling—killing; and is called forth only by greediness and the desire for tasty food. […]

[W]e cannot pretend that we do not know this. We are not ostriches, and cannot believe that if we refuse to look at what we do not wish to see, it will not exist. This is especially the case when what we do not wish to see is what we wish to eat. If it were really indispensable, or, if not indispensable, at least in some way useful! But it is quite unnecessary, and only serves to develop animal feelings, to excite desire, and to promote fornication and drunkenness. And this is continually being confirmed by the fact that young, kind, undepraved people—especially women and girls—without knowing how it logically follows, feel that virtue is incompatible with beefsteaks, and, as soon as they wish to be good, give up eating flesh.

What, then, do I wish to say? That in order to be moral people must cease to eat meat? Not at all.

I only wish to say that for a good life a certain order of good actions is indispensable; that if a man's aspirations toward right living be serious they will inevitably follow one definite sequence; and that in this sequence the first virtue a man will strive after will be self-control, self-restraint. And in seeking for self-control a man will inevitably follow one definite sequence, and in this sequence the first thing will be self-control in food –fasting. And in fasting, if he be really and seriously seeking to live a good life, the first thing from which he will abstain will always be the use of animal, food, because, to say nothing of the excitation of the passions caused by such food, its use is simply immoral, as it involves the performance of an act which is contrary to the moral feeling –killing; and is called forth only by greediness and the desire for tasty food.

http://www.animal-rights-library.com/

Grand Paradise

Dunkin' Donuts' Egg Supplier Exposed!

Growing Mushrooms

Ethical Man – Jonathan Balcombe Leader, Author, Scientist, Speaker

“If I had to do it again, I’d do it differently…

Warning! This Movie Could Save Your Life

ARIZONA's LION Meat Burgers ??? Tell me it isn't so.

#1 Killer in the U.S.

Good News Article About Ginette's Painting

In the paradise of the natural order, Ginette Callaway’s copperhead snake sheds the burden of its demonisation,

08082010_SPTCH_MP_08_1_COL_R1.pdf

1074K View

New Jersey wants to make hunting cats legal

Primate Products Inc. exposed on NBC

What to do at election time ?

Tomorrow early voting starts in my district 13 in Georgia. Today I send and email to allthe candidates for Congress in my district, to see who comes at least close to my philosophy on issues.

God gave dominion to man over the animals, to be a caretaker as well as to consume." (The same old lies perpetrated by Christians since the inception of Christianity)

and Animal Protection laws.

Animal Bill Of Rights - PLEASE SIGN

Watch Video and Take Action - We should be OUTRAGED!!!

The face of a sadistic animal abuser ... abuse took place in Ohio... Dairy farm name: Conklin Dairy Farm... Government subsidized! Abuser is "Billy Joe Gregg"

Tell the Ahold supermarket company to join grocers such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Harris Teeter in boycotting seafood from sealing provinces.

The Peaceable Kingdom !

Meat Consumption, Poverty and Hunger

Artist: Jah Sun Song: No Bones No Blood Album: Height of light More Love Productions

Please Chip In to get Mima Her Surgery. Someone brutally cut her legs off.

Eagle Cam

Roast & Mashed Potatoes Vegan

Adopt A Retired Military Working Dog

Rotarix rotavirus vaccine contaminated, officials say

Pig Virus DNA Found in Rotavirus Vaccine

Ten Tips for cats who are forced to relocate with their owners!

Research Monkeys Cooked ALIVE

SCOTT SONNER

Help Protect THE TONGASS

Carrie Feldman statement to teh Grand Jury of Iowa

The World Peace Diet

CAT needs rescue in Forest Park GA

Good news!

They Have One Week To Live... The Murder of Baby Seals Continues!

1. We don’t kill white coats: unclear

2. Animal protection organizations use the seal hunt as a way to make money: False

3. The seals are overpopulating and eating all the fish: False

In My Medicine Cabinet

Description

Claims

Stop Whaling !!!

I Got A Kick Out Of This Performance.

Almond Milk & Steel Cut Oats for Breakfast

The misinformation and Nutritional INSANITY is taking to a new level.

Your Health and Kindness go Hand in Heart

Wheat Meat

Making My Own Tempeh

Say No to Monsanto Genetically Engeneered Alfalfa

They Named Him FREEDOM

They Named Him FREEDOM

Michelle Obama Lets' Move Campaign. Good start !!!

Avandia kills thousands but FDA refuses to act!

The Future of Food

Please HELP to fight Animal Cruelty

In Memory of "Joe Stack" 1956 - 2010

I am elated!

The depths of Human Depravity

Forks Over Knifes

Shameless, Greedy Fashion Designers

Can we please have all the facts

A Poet Called Benjamin Zephaniah - Vegan Poet

Happy Valentine!

Animal Antibiotics a Threat?

Cows Milk ... The Big WHITE LIE!

Brian Sickora interviews Dr. T. Colin Campbell

The Joy of Living Live

The Joy of Living Live

This is such GREAT NEWS!

Men's Deaths In Their Fifties Can Be Prevented

Beagles left to fight for survival.

So here we are AFRAID of little BEAGLES! Me says.. make law to punish Hunters for abandoning dogs. Charge Big fees for keeping hunting dogs and use money to built shelters and provide food for abandoned dogs.http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=7251306

I Pray to the Almighty God - STOP THE MADNESS

The First Step by: Leo Tolstoi

Tomorrow early voting starts in my district 13 in Georgia. Today I send and email to all
the candidates for Congress in my district, to see who comes at least close to my philosophy on issues.

So here we are AFRAID of little BEAGLES! Me says.. make law to punish Hunters for abandoning dogs. Charge Big fees for keeping hunting dogs and use money to built shelters and provide food for abandoned dogs.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=7251306